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Let Success spoil your character

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Right now at oneChurch, we’re reading through this bookbecause Solomon looking back on his life recognized that he had at times tradedthe meaningful things for what was meaningless…There are glimpses throughouthis writings where we see whether it was because of pursuing pleasure, orsuccess, or isolation, or foolishness that he didn’t like the man he was becoming.And that’s another easy way to let success just wreak havoc

on your life. Let Success spoil yourcharacter.

Character is who you are when noone is looking. Who are you, really? When the lights are out, who are you? Whatdo you do? One of my mentors in seminary, Chuck Swindoll, said at my graduationfrom Dallas, “Character and integrity is the most important part of a pastor ora person. Character and integrity is the only thing that cannot be taken awayfrom you. Character and integrity is laid down willingly and given away duringa temptation.

RalphWaldo Emerson once said…

“The gods we worship write theirnames on our faces. A man will worship something —have no doubt about that. Hemay think that his tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of hisheart—but it will come out. That which dominates will determine his life andcharacter. Therefore, it behoovesus to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.”

What is dominating your characterthese days? What is that one thing that your spouse isn’t too

keen about that you’re plowingahead and doing?

“Fameis a vapor, popularity an accident, but only character endures.”

That’s it. Character is whatcounts. Don’t let success spoil your character. Don’t trade your character formomentary, flash-in-the-pan fame. Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, butonly character endures. Plutarch said that “Character is simply habitlong continued.” He is right.

And Thomas Paine said that, “Characteris much easier kept than recovered.”

So what is success for you? If youdon't have a personal definition of success, chances are you will succeed atthe wrong thing. You'll get to the end of your life and realize that youspelled success wrong. And if you spell it wrong, you'll get it wrong.

Define Success as Winning

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

Another way towreck your life with success is to Define Success as Winning. When you define success as winning,then everyone else will have to lose. When you fight to win an argument withyour spouse, guess what that means? If you fight to win, then someone has tolose. And if your spouse loses, then you lose. If we define success as winning,then to win, other people close to us will have to be losers.

Some of you are competitive to afault. When you play a game, you have towin—so much so that if you’re not winning, then you cheat to win. Think about this—the whole reason you get togetherand play board games with others is so that you can build relationships andcommunity—but for you—you have to win. You cheat to win. And when others catchyou cheating, they don’t play with you any more. And you no longer havefriendships. You no longer have community. You are alone. But you won, didn’t

you? Success is not winning.

Then Iobserved that most people are motivated to success because they envy theirneighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 (NLT)

It’s easy for us to start playing the comparison game. “They had more Christmas lights this year, so wehave to go all Griswold on them and buy the one thousand Christmas lightextravaganza!!”

Or our yards. My wife and I have NOlandscaping at our house. When we moved in all of the bushes were dead. Wepulled them up three years ago intending to put landscaping down, and we STILLhave no landscaping. But across the street, our neighbor has the prettiest yardand landscaping that I have ever seen. And Kim and I talk that one day, we willhave landscaping like that! It’s easy for us to start playing the comparisongame.

We compare and we get consumed withcompeting with shiny new wheels in the driveway. We get tech envy. To bemotivated to succeed by the envy we have toward other people. And Solomon iswarning us—it’s a dead end. It’s chasing the wind. It’s meaningless.

When we start looking around andfiguring out what the world says success looks like—having the right clothes,the right car, the right home, get in the right neighborhood, the right job,the right position, hang with the right group—we start to buy in to the ratrace that success is winning at all costs. We start to chase it. And we aim towin. To beat out all other opponents, or at least keep up.

That striving to win is exhausting.It makes turns us into anxious, insecure people, that are always looking overour shoulder or over our neighbors fence or the next cubicle to figure out whatwe have to do

to win.

So whatdo people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days oflabor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. Itis all meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 (NLT)

The unhealthy desire to keep up, win, get ahead—thatanxious striving that keeps us up at night is an empty road, and eventually alonely one because contrary to what you might think people don’t want to bearound someone who is trying to win at all cost.

Don't Let Success Define You

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

If you want the chasingafter success towreck your life, then Let Success Define You. Heck, let failure define you and you will wreck your life. Youare more than what you do. Remember—we are not called human doings, but humanbeings. Let your identity get wrapped up in what you do, and you will wreckyour life.

So I came to hate life because everythingdone here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasingthe wind. I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave toothers everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will bewise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill andhard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in despair, questioning thevalue of all my hard work in this world. Some people work wisely with knowledgeand skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’tworked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-21 (NLT)

When we read Ecclesiastes, Solomon obviously at one point inhis life had his identity wrapped up in what he did, what he accomplished. It’sall over these verses…His work, his toil, his effort, his skill, his labor—itwas all about what he had done. His accomplishments, his success had become hisidentity and the thought of leaving that, handing it over to someone else waspainful to him and frustrating because he had allowed all of the things we hadworked for to define him. The stuff he had worked so hard for was thedefinition of who he was.

I think wehave the tendency to do the same thing. We start to think: If I could just be success ATsomething, then I’ll be seen AS someone. IfI could just be successful AT looking good, then I’ll be seen AS desirable. IfI could just be successful AT work, then I’ll be seen AS important. IfI could just be successful AT school, then I’ll be seen AS admirable. IfI could just be successful AT making money, then I’ll be seen as secure. IfI could just be successful AT what I do, then I’ll be seen as valuable, acceptable,worthy, significant—you fill in the blank.

When we live like that—when ouridentity gets all wrapped up in what we do—that’s an easy way to wreck ourlives. If anyone threatens what we do, they are threatening who we are. Solomon saysthat, “Success isn’t about what you do. Godly success is all about who youare and who God is making you to be.”

Can Success Wreck Your Life?

2012-01-17T15:11:00.000-06:00

How do you define success in yourlife? It's easy to get so busy climbing the ladder of success that we fail torealize that the ladder is not leaning against the right wall. We lose sight ofour God-ordained goals. Our eternal priorities get subjugated to our temporalresponsibilities. And we pawn our God-given dream for the American dream.

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’twant to be successful, but few people have actually spelled out success forthemselves. We inherit a family definition or adopt a cultural definition. Butif you don't spell it out for yourself, you have no way of knowing if you’veachieved it. You might achieve your goals only to realize that they should nothave been your goals in the first place. You climb the wrong ladder.

Whether we know it or not, all ofus are engaged in a quest for something which will meet the needs of our heart.We all are looking for the secret to finding delight anytime, anywhere, andunder any circumstances. What we are looking for, in other words, is the secretto contentment. That is the greatest blessing in life.

Let me share with you somethingthat I truly believe from the depth of my being—sometimes the American dreamand our definition of success flies in the face of what God wants for ourlives. When that happens, what do you do? Let me explain that.

I was a youth pastor for 12 years,working with middle school and high school students. You know what I found out?The biggest hindrance for many of those students following hard after God weretheir parents.

You see, as a youth pastor, it was myjob to show these kids Jesus and what it would look like obeying God in everyarea of their lives. You would think that was the parents’ goal as well, but itwasn’t. I came Parents didn’t want me to teach them to live like Jesus. That istoo radical. Too dangerous. Too on the fringe. No, they wanted me to make themhappy and a productive member of society. They wanted their boys and girls togrow up to be doctors and lawyers. People who make a lot of money and who getmarried and have 2.5 kids and own their own house—to pursue the American dream.To be successful. But what do you do when our definition of success meets withthe head-on collision of Jesus’ definition of success?

When we strive after our definitionof success, we’re settling for the mediocre of the great life God wants to giveus. Have you settled? Are you climbing the ladder of success only to find it’sleaned up against the wrong building? All of us want to be successful. But what does thatlook like for you?

Success is not a bad thing. ThatGod-given desire in us to achieve isn’t bad. Success is not a bad thing. But itis a terrible god. If success is what you’re giving all of your attention,focus, and direction for—it will wreck you. Success isn’t bad. It’s just aterrible god to serve.

All of us our driven. My friend andmentor David Foster, who spoke at oneChurch last year, tells me this regularly: “Chris,stop and smell the roses. Don’t blow by this time in your life and the life ofoneChurch wanting the church to go to the next level. Be where you are!” Andhe’s right. I can get so driven and focused about where I want to see oneChurchgo that I miss out on the blessing of being exactly right where I am.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-21 (NLT)

So what is success to you?

How to Wreck Your Life

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

With the New Year upon us, many of us take some time to reflect on 2011. We make goals and resolutions for 2012. We plan and hope and dream about what the new year holds. A new job. A new baby. A new marriage. A new habit. All of us look toward the new year with fresh dreams and excitement.

Of all of the New Year’s Resolutions I’ve heard people make, I’ve never heard anyone resolve to wreck their life. None of us plan to run our life headlong into a dead end. But the sad fact is that for some this year, that is exactly what’s going to happen.

So, for the next few minutes wherever you are, let’s take some time to see how we can wreck a life. We often look at what it takes to FIX our lives when they are broken. But what if we took the time to look for the common denominators in what causes someone to WRECK their life in one way or another? We’re going to discover these ideas by looking at a very personal journal of a public person in the Bible.

How many of you have snuck a peek at someone’s journal? You may have gotten in trouble because you stole your sister’s diary and read it. You read some stuff you weren’t supposed to read, because it is so personal and vulnerable to them. They wrote it down in secret. People’s journals and diary’s contain some really personal things that many of us, if they were made public, would drive us all out of town!

Thousands of years ago, I guy named Solomon wrote down his thoughts in a journal. Though it was very personal, God has made his journal very public, because it made its way into the Bible as 1 of the 66 books called Ecclesiastes.

Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived. Had wealth, fame, fortune. And at the end of his life, he writes down some very vulnerable, honest, and transparent words. When we read his journal written when he was an old, we read about a broken man who had it all and squandered it away. He is talking about his mistakes and his misguided wanderings. He says, “Please—don’t do what I did! Don’t pursue happiness and fulfillment the way I did. Don’t look at relationships the way I did. Don’t settle for anything less than an intimate relationship with the lover of your soul.” Solomon pleads with us—“Please! Please! Don’t do what I did and wreck your life!”

In order to get a grasp of the book, we need to read the last page first. I’m sure many of you, when you start a new book, read the last page first. Let’s skip to the last page and see the conclusion first. The cool thing about going to the last page first is that it’s going to help us get a handle on some of the stuff he writes along the way.This is what Solomon said after he wrecked his life…

Now all has been heard; here is theconclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is theduty of every human being.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Solomon writes, “When all is said and done, life is about walking with your Creator. It is about doing life with God. Respect His authority. Do life His way. Do life with Him. Chase after Him and embrace Him. Get to know Him as your Father. Follow in His steps. Surrender to His love. Find yourself in Him. Don’t wreck your life. Walk with God and know your true potential. Walk with God and know freedom. Walk with God and know deep fulfillment and happiness, al the days of your life.

Here’s a fact—if we do life God’s way, there is no limit to God’s power in our lives. However, when we choose to go our own way, we limit what God can do in us and through us. God is omnipotent, which means by definition, there is nothing God cannot do. However, what God will not do is force us to obey Him and to live our days His way.

Solomon knew what to do and how to live—he just chose not to follow after God. We read about Solomon’s life in 1 Kings. Soon after he became king of Israel, God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks, “Whatever you ask for, I am God, and I will give it to you.” So in 1 Kings 3, Solomon in humility says, “I am overwhelmed. I don’t know anything about leading these people! I can’t lead a great nation! I need your wisdom. Will you give me wisdom?”

As you can imagine, God was thrilled with that kind of humble heart and this selfless request, so God tells Solomon, “I am going to give you wisdom. But on top of that wisdom, I am really going to bless your life!” So Solomon—as a young man—he was humble and centered in God and dependent on Him. Solomon wrote the secret of marital love and bliss in the book Song of Solomon, where lasting love happens when a man and a woman come together with God in the middle. When Solomon was humble and chasing after God, He wrote such wisdom-filled literature as Proverbs. It is chock-full of amazing wisdom.

But you know this—it is one thing to have wisdom, but it’s another thing to apply it to your life. You can attend conferences. You can lead seminars. You can write insightful books and come up with great ideas, but never actually live them out yourself. You can know and say all the right things. You can possess a warehouse of wisdom, and still wreck your life. Though Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, he chose not to follow his own advice. Back to the beginning of the book.

These are the words of the Teacher,King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. “Everything is meaningless,” says theTeacher, “completely meaningless!”

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

Are you looking for a motivational speaker to pump up your business? Are you looking for someone to come into the locker room and fire up the team before the big game? Are you looking for someone to entertain at your kids next birthday party? Here is your happy, upbeat guy! Meaningless…

He uses the word meaningless 38 times throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew word for meaningless is havel, and it means emptiness, futility, a vapor that which vanishes quickly and leaves nothing behind. That is the way Solomon saw life.

Solomon chose to pursue everything else besides God. And Solomon learned that when you take God out of your life, everything is meaningless. Listen to what actor Shia LaBeouf said recently in a US Weekly interview…

“Sometimes I feel I’m living ameaningless life, and I get frightened. I know I’m one of the luckiest dudes inAmerica right now. I have a great house. My parents don’t have to work. I’vegot money. I’m famous. But it could all change, man. It could go away. Younever know…I don’t handle fame well. Most actors on most days don’t thinkthey’re worthy. I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s aGod-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it, and I’d be on my way.”

We all have God-sized holes in our life, and many of us try to fill those God-sized holes with a lot of things besides God. When we are pursuing the things that don’t have the power to make us happy, we are ignoring the ones that do. And that is exactly what Solomon did.

Solomon pursued success. He threw himself into his work and became a work-a-holic. He became the wealthiest and wisest king in Israel’s history, building the nation to the height of it’s power. He climbed the ladder of success, only to find the ladder was leaned up against the wrong building!

Solomon pursued pleasure. He tried to find meaning in life by sexual conquests, all night parties, drunken stupors. Solomon was married to 700 women and had 300 mistresses. To say that he had a problem with women was an understatement!

Solomon pursued fame. He pursued self-improvement and knowledge. Solomon pursued everything else in his life except the one thing that could have filled his empty soul—a pursuit of God. To borrow a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud, “When we are not eating the fruits of the good life that God created, and think that we know what is going to satisfy us instead, we will continue to go hungry. Unsatisfied. Unhappy. Unfulfilled.”

Solomon was unhappy. Unsatisfied. Unfulfilled. So was Deion Sanders. Prime time Neon Deion is considered one of the most versatile athletes in sporting history because he played two sports at multiple positions. He made a name for himself by playing for the Dallas Cowboys back in the 90’s with the triplets—Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith. Deion was on top of the world. He had fame, his pick of women, and more money than he could ever spend. Yet Deion was miserable. Listen to how Deion described his life in his book, Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life:

“Everything I touched turned to gold.But inside, I was broken and totally defeated. I remember sitting at the backof the practice field one afternoon, away from everybody, and tears wererunning down my face. I was saying to myself, “This is so meaningless. I’m sounhappy. We’re winning every week and I’m playing great, but I’m not happy.” Itried everything. Parties, women, buying expensive jewelry and gadgets, andnothing helped. There was no peace. I had everything the world has to offer,but no peace, no joy, just emptiness inside. The Bible describes it in thefirst chapter of Ecclesiastes as chasing after the wind, and that's exactlywhat it was like.”

Deion wasunsatisfied. Solomon was unhappy. But what about you? I know you’re not makingplans to wreck your life in 2012, but if we leave God out and pursue our ownways, we will have a meaningless life pursuing everything else that can’tsatisfy us except a relationship with God. Solomon, at the end of the book ofEcclesiastes, finally realized this. No amount of money, fame, or good timescan fill us up and give us meaning—only God can give us meaning in life, for Heis the one who gave us life. This next year, don’t try to cram God into youralready busy life—make Him your purpose in life. Then you will find that lifehas such sweet meaning and you won’t wreck your life.

How do you define success?

2012-01-04T10:44:00.003-06:00

How do you define success in your life?

At the beginning of a new year, that’s a valid question. With all of us working on New Year’s resolutions and goals, how do you define success in your life?

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want to be successful, but few people have actually spelled out success for themselves. We inherit a family definition or adopt a cultural definition. But if you don't spell it out for yourself, you have no way of knowing if you’ve achieved it. You might achieve your goals only to realize that they should not have been your goals in the first place.

A recent survey asked 7,948 students at 48 colleges what they considered “very important” to them. The study, conducted by scientists from Johns Hopkins University, reported that 16% of the students answered “making a lot of money.” No surprise there, right? Yet, listen to this fact: a whopping 75% said that their first goal was “finding a purpose and meaning to my life.” Psychologist Carl Jung said, “About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis, but from the senseless and emptiness of their lives.”

So how to you define success? Making a lot of money? Being influential? Having a lot of friends? Getting married? Owning your own business? Being rich?

Ministry is Relationships, and Relationships are Messy

2011-12-31T09:29:00.000-06:00

People walk through the doors of ourchurches every Sunday look happy and content on the outside, but many are dealing with some tough stuff onthe inside. Addictions. Marriages collapsing. Kid’s heading in a wrong direction. Medical challenges.Financial crisis. Lack of purpose.

As I was reading an older blog post by Tony Morgan, I was reminded of these points. Hope they're challenging to you!

When you teach on “felt needs,” you aren’t watering down the message. You are helping peoplefind forgiveness and healing and a new direction for their life. It’s easy to preach through theBible. It’s much harder to preach to hurting people who need to understand how the Bibleapplies to their lives.
When the person sitting beside you is dealing with a marriage crisis that’s leading to a crisis offaith, it makes your preferences of music and volume seem pretty small.
When you neglect the mission field in your neighborhood because of your desire to help peopleacross the ocean, I wonder if you’re just choosing the path of least resistance.
When you choose to focus on your theological differences at the expense of helping people findhealing and hope, could it be that you haven’t spent enough time living out your faith becauseyou’re too busy defending your faith?
When we choose not to get involved with someone because we can't get involved with everyone, then we aren't doing ministry at all.

Let’s not forget why we do what we do.

The Circle Maker

2011-12-28T07:05:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite reads for 2011 was The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Batterson is pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. I have had the privilege of being a long time listener/reader of Mark Batterson and National Community Church. He showed up on my radar when God laid on my heart and my wife Kim's heart to start a church for the unchurched and dechurched in Clarksville, using a movie theatre as a location.

I was intrigued by this book months before it ever came out. I had the privilege of listening to Mark during a Catalyst Labs session (you can read my notes here). When this book came out, I purchased the abridged version Be A Circle Maker on iBooks, and later purchased The Circle Maker Enhanced Edition from the iBooks store. I loved the enhanced edition because it includes videos and pictures of the events that Mark is talking about--perfect for a small group study around the book.

Have you heard about Honi the circle maker? Here is his story, an excerpt from the book...

Young children danced in the downpour like it was the first rainfall they’d ever seen.And it was. Parents threw back their heads, opened their mouths, and caughtraindrops like they were libations. And they were. When it hasn’t rained in morethan a year, raindrops are like diamonds falling from the sky.
It would be forever remembered as the day. The day thunderclaps applauded theAlmighty. The day puddle jumping became an act of praise. The day the legend ofthe circle maker was born.
It was the second half of the first century BC and a devastating drought threatenedto destroy a generation, the generation before Jesus. The last of the Jewish prophetshad died off nearly four centuries before. Miracles were such a distant memory thatthey seemed like a false memory. And God was nowhere to be heard. But there wasone man, an eccentric sage who lived outside the walls of Jerusalem, who dared topray anyway. His name was Honi. And even if the people could no longer hear God,he believed that God could still hear them.
When rain is plentiful, it’s an afterthought. During a drought, it’s the only thought.And Honi was their only hope. Famous for his ability to pray for rain, it was on thisday, the day, that Honi would earn his moniker.
With a six-‐foot staff in his hand, Honi began to turn like a math compass. Hiscircular movement was rhythmical and methodical. Ninety degrees. One hundredand eighty degrees. Two hundred and seventy degrees. Three hundred and sixtydegrees. He never looked up as the crowd looked on. After what seemed like hours,but had only been seconds, Honi stood inside the circle he had drawn. Then hedropped to his knees and raised his hands to heaven. With the authority of theprophet Elijah who called down fire from heaven, Honi called down rain.

Lord of the Universe, I swear before your great name that I will not move fromthis circle until you have shown mercy upon your children.
The words sent a shudder down the spine of all who were within earshot that day.It wasn’t just the volume of his voice. It was the authoritative tone. Not a hint ofdoubt. This prayer didn’t originate in the vocal chords. Like water from an artesianwell, the words flowed from the depth of his soul. His prayer was resolute yethumble; confident yet meek; expectant yet unassuming. Then it happened. As his prayer ascended to the heavens, raindrops descended to the earth.

One of my biggest take aways from this book is that Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers. Honi prayed a prayer that saved a generation. What generation--shoot--what person will be saved because I prayed? Though I feel like I do have a good prayer life, God convicted me that I should pray even more than I do. How I am applying this in my life is that I am going to spend more time every morning praying to God and giving Him my lack of faith. I am going to spend more time praying bold prayers that honor God. Will you join me this next year in becoming a circle maker?

Merry Christmas! What I am listening to this holiday season...

2011-12-24T22:01:00.000-06:00

To those who know me, they know I am a Christmas fanatic! I love this time of year. There is something about the music and the magic of Christmas that brings out my inner kid (and having three boys helps as well!)

I currently have 12,756 Christmas songs on a Christmas iPod that plays 24/7 non-stop for 31 days straight without repeating! One of our favorite Christmas songs is Sleigh Ride (we have 119 versions of this same song). I do want to share with you my top 5 favorite Christmas Albums that we have discovered this year. I hope you enjoy them!

Dave Barnes Very Merry Christmas. My wife discovered this on our iPod this Christmas, and this is probably the one album we have listened to the most. I personally like more traditional Christmas albums. What I mean by this is that I prefer traditional songs (not a lot of new songs) with traditional arrangements. This is NOT a traditional Christmas album, and I LOVE IT!!

There are a few Christmas music staples — the ’40s standard “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “The Christmas Song”. Aside from his voice’s contemporary R&B flavor, he wisely steers clear of sprucing up the classics with modern touches. That rule also applied to the album’s originals. Barnes says he couldn’t avoid treading familiar territory, and that it was for the best.

The album’s first single, “Christmas Tonight,” makes no bones about being a re-imagining of the classic duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” with Barnes persuading Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott to stay in on a snowy Christmas evening. The arrangement is swingy and subtle, played by an acoustic jazz combo with pinches of strings and sleigh bells.

Some of my other favorites are Meet Me At the Mistletoe (we had this one playing when people were coming into our home for Christmas parties, with some Mistletoe hung over the front door!), Family Tree, Holiday Made For Two (reminds me of the Paul & Paula song!), and Mary and Joseph, which is a contemporary re-telling of the Christmas Story.

Michael Bublé has a new album this year called Christmas. HUGE fan of Bublé. This Canadian born singer is a crooner like Sinatra and Connick. I love the Big Band arrangements, and it gets my foot a tappin'! The album includes guest performances by Shania Twain on "White Christmas" and The Puppini Sisters on "Jingle Bells." Bubl‚ also put his unique take on such classics as "Silent Night," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." In addition, a Bubl‚ original "Cold December Night" is included on Christmas.

Matt Wertz came out with his first Christmas album called Snow Globe. Wertz set out to make a Christmas CD that included his childhood favorites, along with some “humble originals.” A CD that you would pull out while making cookies, wrapping gifts or cruising the neighborhood streets in search of winter wonderland lights. And he succeeded. The first track is one of my favorites, “Walkin’ In a Winter Wonderland,” also on the CD are such staples as “White Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “Sleigh Ride,” and this little surprise — “Christmastime is Here” — the song from Charlie Brown’s Christmas special. Wertz also has some guest appearances from the Nashville Children’s Choir, Brandon Heath, and appearances from Amy Grant and Dave Barnes.

The title track, “Snow Globe” is a whimsical track that I can hear little kids singing throughout the season. It’s about living in a snow globe, with candy canes growing on trees and everybody living in a gingerbread house.

Matthew West The Heart of Christmas offers a holiday-themed assortment of seasonal romantic ballads, classic nativity songs, jazzy numbers, and acoustic folk-country tunes. His warm, supple voice easily applies itself to a cozy, piano-centered version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a lightly swinging take on “Jingle Bells.” “Silent Night” and “O, Holy Night” are sung with expressive reverence, while “O Come All Ye Faithful” comes decked out in a vibrant gospel arrangement. West’s original tunes are a high point, ranging from the hope-filled “Give This Christmas Away” (a duet with Amy Grant previously included on the 2008 edition of Something to Say) to the buoyant ‘50s-style rocker “Come on, Christmas” and the gently twanging “Leaving Heaven” (featuring Vince Gill on vocals). Saving the most moving song for the end, West recounts a real-life story of holiday compassion in “One Last Christmas,” bringing this well-rounded collection to an uplifting close. This song is a tear jerker. When recording artist Matthew West heard the story of Dax Locke, he knew he had to share it in song. Wanting to inspire others to "cherish every moment" just as Dax inspired him, he recorded "One Last Christmas."

Eddie Higgins is also one of my favorites from this year (as well as last year!) Higgins and his trio came out with his album Christmas Songs. Recorded in 2004, the album features pianist Higgins with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Joe Ascione. What I love about Christmas Songs is the drifting-feather quality of Higgins' piano playing, not to mention the perfect song list. All the chestnuts are here, and Higgins roasts each one with jolly grace. Higgins, who died in 2009, was one of those rare jazz pianists who knew exactly where the best chord voicing were hidden on the keyboard. He also knew how to cover the entire ivory landscape without pounding or over-indulging. As you listen to him play (on all of his albums, in fact), you can almost hear song lyrics dancing around in his head.

Anyway, those are my Christmas album pics for 2011. These go into my past favorites of Russ Taff, Phil Driscoll, Michael W. Smith, Butch Thompson, Harry Connick, Jr., Boston Pops--I hope these Christmas pics make it from our listening ears to yours.

Merry Christmas!

The Edmondson Family
Chris, Kim, Walt, Jed, & Bing

Where does Frankincense Come From?

2011-12-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

Frankincense is described in the Fauna and Flora of the Bible:

Frankincense is a balsamic gum exuding from the wood of different species of shrubs and trees belonging to the genus Boswellia. The bark is incised, and the finest quality of resin is obtained if this is done not too early in the year. The different species of Boswellia are native to India, the Somali coast and Arabia; the Midianites imported frankincense from Ephah and Sheba, Is 60:6; Jer. 6:20. Whether the Boswellia was grown in Palestine is rather doubtful. (121-122)

Frankincense is displayed at Avdat on the famous Incense Route.

The Bible indicates several uses for frankincense.

Used in the incense associated with the anointing of the priests (Exodus 30:32).
Placed on a grain offering (Leviticus 2:1-2).
Placed on the bread for the tabernacle (Leviticus 24:7).

Levites were appointed to take care of the frankincense used in the temple (1 Chronicles 9:29). Eliashib the priest hid Tobiah in a large room where frankincense and other sacrificial items were stored (Nehemiah 13:5, 9).

Gold is mentioned with frankincense in Isaiah 60:6 and Matthew 2:11. Both are mentioned among the goods the merchants could no longer sell because of the fall of Babylon (Revelation 118:11-13).

The illustration showing the frankincense tree comes from 1000 Bible Images(Logos digital edition).

What is Myrrh?

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

Frankincense and myrrh are mentioned together in the Song of Solomon and in the account of the visit of the magi from the east to see Jesus. So let's dig a little deeper about what is Myrrh. Myrrh is described in Fauna and Flora of the Bible, a publication of the United Bible Societies, as follows:

Myrrh is a dark-red gum with a strong aroma and a bitter taste. It exudes from a bush or tree belonging to a family of the burseraceæ which grows in Arabia, Abyssinia and on the Somali coast of East Africa. It is not native to Palestine. This tree or bush has a great number of knotted branches. The gum exudes from the branch as a thick light-coloured paste which, when exposed to the atomsphere, soon hardens and takes on a brownish colour. The finest myrrh was the resin secreted of itself (rather than by artificial incision) through the bark… (147)

When the secretion is collected directly from the bark it can be used as an ingredient in ointments.

When Ismaelites (Midianites) came from Gilead into the Dothan valley on their way to Egypt, Joseph’s brothers sold him to them (Genesis 37:27, 36). The Bible describes the caravan and the goods the Midianites were transporting.

a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. Genesis 37:25

Myrrh can be found on the Incense Route which was used by the Nabateans. The picture below was taken at Avdat, close to Petra.

Myrrh is listed as a product of the land of Canaan when Jacob prepares his gift basket to be taken to Joseph (Genesis 43:11). This differs from what we normally read about myrrh. I do not know the solution to the problem at the moment. Perhaps it had been purchased from traveling merchants and was included with local products in the gift basket.

Myrrh could be in a liquid form. The ointment used in the anointing of priests had myrrh in it (Exodus 30:23). Oil of myrrh was in the cosmetics used by Esther (Esther 2:12). See also Song of Solomon 5:5.

The young man is advised to avoid the prostitute. He is told that she will entice him by saying,

I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Proverbs 7:17

The young lady in the Song of Solomon thinks of her lover as a pouch or sachet of myrrh that lies all night between her breasts (1:13). She thinks of his lips as dripping with liquid myrrh (5:13).

The young man dreams of the time when he can approach her, and perhaps thinks of her breasts as the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.

Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. Song of Solomon 4:6

The wine offered to Jesus on the cross was mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23).Nicodemus brought about 75 pounds (= 100 Roman pounds) of myrrh and aloe for the burial of Jesus (John 19:39). We may conclude from this that Nicodemus, like Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57), was a wealthy man.

Frankincense and Myrrh

2011-12-22T17:00:00.000-06:00

Both frankincense and myrrh was bought and sold along the Incense Route which ran from Arabia through Petra (now in Jordan) and Avdat in the Negev. In New Testament times this route was controlled by the Nabateans.Frankincense and myrrh are mentioned together in the Song of Solomon and in the account of the visit of the magi from the east to see Jesus. Several significant things can be learned from these Biblical verses. Look first at Song of Solomon 3:6.

“What is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all scented powders of the merchant? Song of Solomon 3:6

Myrrh and frankincense are associated with the wilderness (desert; Hebrew, midbar).
Perhaps incense used in sacrifice or offering, “like columns of smoke.”
Associated with perfume and scented or fragrant powders.
Something traveling merchants would bring from the wilderness.

Song of Solomon 4:13-14 provides more insights.

“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates With choice fruits, henna with nard plants, Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, With all the trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices. Song of Solomon 4:13-14

Associated with trees, and classified with spices.

The reference in the New Testament is in the account of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-11).

Frankincense and myrrh are in the category with gold, and offered as gifts to one who is considered a king and is being worshiped.
The magi have come from east of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are considered treasures.

All of these tips harmonize with what is known about frankincense and myrrh. The plants or trees from which these come are known to grow in the desert regions. They are not native to Biblical Israel. Traveling merchants from Arabia traveled long distances across the desert, making stops at Petra, Avdat, and other places on their way to Gaza and other Mediterranean ports where the products could be shipped throughout the Mediterranean world.

The photo below was made at Avdat, a Nabatean site in the Negev. The city was especially significant in the first century B.C. and the first century A.D. Avdat was a city on the Incense Route, now part of Israel’s National Park system. A display at the ticket office and shop explains about the Incense Route and shows some of the goods that were transported across the desert. This photo shows little packets of frankincense and myrrh that may be bought as souvenirs of your visit. Gold is still costly, but the market for frankincense and myrrh has fallen drastically since Bible times. The price in New Israeli Shekels is less than $4.

What are swaddling clothes?

2011-12-22T09:53:00.004-06:00

Angels come to shepherds, and they tell them, "TheKing has been born." The shepherds are supposed to go visit the King. The angels say,

"This will be asign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

Something fabulousis happening here. There is a reason why this sign is given to the shepherds.
See, shepherds were very poor people. Shepherding was sometimes listed as an unclean occupation inIsrael. Shepherds were at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of their status. So a shepherd would assume that if a king, if a messiah had actually been born, he would be lying on satin sheets in a palace ofgold. He would for sure be in a home of a governor or a king or a VIP, and for sure, a shepherd wasn'tgetting into that house.

It would be very much like telling a really low status person in our society in our day, like a migrant daylaborer or something, "The President and the First Lady have just given birth to a child. You go to theWhite House and demand to see it." They'd never be allowed inside. In fact, they would be turned away.In fact, they would be humiliated. Shepherds know if the Messiah has been born, it will be in such a placethat they're not letting shepherds in there.

This is so cool. So the angel says, "This is a sign to you: the baby will be wrapped in swaddling clothes."Not, you know, a golden robe. Swaddling clothes are what peasants wrapped their children in. Nodesigner label tags on those. "You'll find the child lying in a manger, not a crib of gold." Mangers werewhere peasant people laid their children. "Shepherds, He is going to be like you. He will be one of you.He will be poor and ordinary like you. You can get to Him. You will have free access to Him." Nobody needs to be rich enough or smart enough or strong enough or good enough. Not with Jesus.Nobody who really wants Jesus will ever be turned away. This is the gospel for shepherds. This is thegospel of grace.

But there is something else happening with swaddling clothes here. The greek word used for swaddling clothes is spargo. This Greek word Swaddle has become the technical term for the wrapping of an infant in strips of cloth or bandages. The child is laid on the cloth diagonally and the corners are folded over the feet and body and under the head, the bandages then being tied so as to hold the cloth in position.

So why the bandages? These bandages were used as strips of cloth normally reserved for a person's death. These rags are similar to the wrappings of mummies. Infant mortality rate was high, and frequently the mother would die in childbirth. So Mary and Joseph packed burial rags just in case she didn't make it. Listen to what one commentator says about these rags...

In the Middle East, people traveling long distances were often met with many hardships and trials on their journeys. In the event of a death in travel, the body could not continue to be transported for many days. For that reason, travelers wrapped a thin, gauzelike cloth around their waist many times. If someone died on the journey, the others would use this cloth, referred to as "swaddling clothes" to wrap the corpse in before burying them.

They Middle Eastern culture developed a way to deal with in-journey deaths. Each person would take a long, thin, gauze-like cloth and wrap it around their waist many times. This would be one of the bottom layers of clothing. This cloth would be reserved for death. If someone died during the journey, their friends or family would remove the "swaddling cloth" and wrap them from head to toe so they could compete the journey.

The baby Jesus was wrapped in Mary's death cloth. The sign for the shepherds wasn't that they'd find a baby wrapped in a blanket in a manger. The sign was that they'd find a baby prepared for death. Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. That was his purpose. This was shown even from the instance of his birth.

By the way... this makes the wise man's gift of myrrh even more appropriate. Myrrh was the spice used for death. It was basically deodorant for the dead. Even though the wise men didn't actually show up until he was toddler, the theme continues. You can read more about the myrrh here.

Visitors or Guests at your church?

2011-12-15T17:12:00.000-06:00

I passed by this church in my city today, and every day I think of the same thing: Do you have guests or visitors at your church? It's amazing something as simple as lingo how it affects an organization.

When I think of the word visitor, I think of someone who is on the outside looking in. The sentence, "Visitor from another planet" comes to my mind. The idea of a visitor is someone who will NEVER be a part of us, no matter how much they try. A visitor will always be an alien, and they will never be accepted. They will be a little different. Seen as a little strange. Think a visitor of a small town. Having lived and pastored in a small town of Iowa (a town of 4,000 with no stop light), many of the people always saw us as outsiders, even though we lived with them for over 5 years. Many small churches consisting of tight-knit families make people feel like visitors. Unless you marry into the family, you will never be accepted. And even if you marry in, you're seen as someone to be tolerated.

Now, what comes to your mind when you think of the word guests? I think of someone who is the Guest of Honor at a party thrown in their honor. I think of someone who isn't tolerated or on the outside, but a group of people who are intentional about making someone feel welcomed, who will have a good experience, and someone who hopefully come back.

My wife and I have guests regularly in our home. We don't have visitors. We make guests feel welcome. Offer some sweet tea. Get them to sit and stay a while. There are some things we don't talk about when a guest is at our home. There are some things we make sure we talk about, so that they will feel at home and welcomed.

At oneChurch.tv, we do everything with the guest in mind on Sunday morning. Every Sunday, people walk into our church for the very first time. Some of them have never been to church. Others have not been to church in years. And while the circumstances that brought them here may vary, one thing is almost certain: their first impression often determines if they ever come back.

You’ve heard the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” We believe there is a lot of truth in that statement. We realize that our guests will form opinions of our church based on their first impression. That is why we place such a heavy emphasis on Guest Services.

From the moment our guests pull into the parking lot to the moment they leave, our Guest Services volunteers are interacting with them. They, literally, have an influence on every man, woman and child who walks through our doors. As Andy Stanley says, "The sermon starts in the parking lot." That is where we make them feel like honored guests, not visitors that we tolerate and who will hopefully leave!

At oneChurch.tv, that means we long to place the needs of our guests at the very top of our priority list. That means we go above and beyond to welcome, inform, and serve them in a way that exceeds their expectations. By doing this, we can ensure that their first impression is the best impression. We even go so far as to direct them to our website afterwards so they can take our 30 Second Survey. This tool is a way we can gauge how we're doing and what type of environment we are creating for our guests.

How do you make your people feel like honored guests at your church? Or does your church make people feel like first-time (and last-time) visitors?

No Room in the Inn

2011-12-15T09:23:00.002-06:00

Todays post is one that I borrowed and added to from a friend of mine. Hope you enjoy!

In the average Christmas story told by our children in our churches, one of the children will be cast as the heartless innkeeper who refuses lodging to Joseph and pregnant Mary. But did you know that there is no innkeeper mentioned in the Bible? Not only that, but there is not even an inn described! The view that Joseph and Mary simply arrived late to Bethlehem and accommodations at the local hotel were full is incorrect. The word translated as "inn" is the word kataluma, which is used elsewhere by Luke and translated as "guest chamber" or "upper room" (Luke 22:11; cf. Mark 14:14). When Luke wants to speak of a paid establishment (i.e., an inn), he uses a different Greek word, pandocheion, as in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). Unfortunately, of the dozens of English translations that I've checked, all translate katalumaas "inn" in Luke 2:7 and not as "guest room"
The result of this mistranslation leads to a different understanding of the story. It's not that Joseph and Mary were late to town, but it's that they were rejected by their family. Clearly they had family members in town, as that was the reason they returned to Bethlehem for the census. That there was no room in the guest chamber for a pregnant woman indicates that they chose not to make room for this unwedded mother. The birth of Jesus in a room where animals lived suggests shame and rejection.
Most of what I have described above is the general view of scholars and I find it compelling. But some scholars err in arguing that Bethlehem could not have had an inn. This view has been repeated enough for me to address it. Ben Witherington, for instance, says this:

It can be doubted whether there would have been an inn in Bethlehem in Jesus’ day since it was not on any major road, and inns normally were found only on major roads, especially the Roman ones (Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, p. 69).

Doug Greenwold, in the December 2006 Preserving Bible Times Reflection, writes:

These pandoxeion inns were typically located 16-18 miles apart on major trade routes, the average daily distance traveled by a caravan. Since Bethlehem was five miles south of Jerusalem, it was far too close to Jerusalem for the placement of such an inn. Furthermore, Bethlehem was not on a major trade route so there was little need for a pandoxeion.

I'm not sure what qualifies as a "major trade route," but if there was any trade route in the hill country of Judea, Bethlehem was on it. The only way you can say that there was no "major road" near Bethlehem is by saying that there were no major roads in the hill country. But were there no travelers in this area, and were there no traders bringing supplies to Judea and Samaria? Certainly there were.

An understanding of the topography of the hill country will help here. The Judean hills are very rugged as they are divided by deep wadis (canyons) on the eastern and western slopes. Consequently, travelers have always preferred to stay on ridges, to avoid frequent ascents and descents. For this reason, travelers have moved along the watershed ridge, from the time of Abraham until the present. About a decade ago, Israel decided that for political reasons they needed to build an alternate road to bypass the Arab population of Bethlehem. They built a road less than 2 miles to the west of the watershed ridge. Even such a small deviation required that they spend millions of dollars in the construction of tunnels and bridges. Today we can do it; in ancient times, they did not. In short, there can be no doubt that historically any north-south traffic in the hill country passed near to the town of Bethlehem (cf.Anchor Bible Dictionary 5:783).

Modern Israeli road that bypasses Bethlehem, with bridge and tunnel

Furthermore, the argument that Bethlehem is too close to Jerusalem to warrant an inn presupposes that all travelers left from the same point and had the same destination. Jerusalem may have been a major destination of travelers in the hill country, but it was not the only destination. Travelers could have been going to and from countless villages in the hill country. Some known settlements in the 1st century B.C./A.D. include Hebron, Gabath Saul, Ephraim, Gophna, Sychar, Sebaste. That travelers might stop at any point along the major north-south hill country route is illustrated well by the story of the Levite and his concubine in Judges 19.
In the end, the argument that there was no inn in Bethlehem in the time of Jesus falls short. Luke, however, says nothing about an inn.

God's Silence is Because He is Throwing You a Party

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

This year at Catalyst 2011, I heard Jon Acuff say something that has stuck with me. Jon pointed out that in the story, the Father never says a word to the prodigal son? Not a single word to him. When he gives him money—doesn’t say a single word. When he comes home—doesn’t say a single word. He runs to him. He embraces him. He kisses him. But then he turns to the servants and starts talking to the servants—not the son.

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Luke 15:22-24 (NLT)

We feel that God is silent. We’re coming back to God, and God isn’t listening. He isn’t talking.

So often, when things are quiet—we think that God is unhappy or mad with us. But what if He’s just too busy planning a party? Can you get on board with that kind of God? What if God goes quiet because He is so busy hugging us and planning a party for us!

Maybe the silence of God that we’re experiencing is just the reality that your Heavenly Father is busy preparing a party for your return. Sometimes we mistake the silence of God as that He is angry with us, when all the while He is busy throwing you a party.

What do you do when you experience a silence from God?

We Don't Earn Our Way Back to God

2011-12-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

So hereturned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, hisfather saw him coming and was filled with…

Luke 15:20a (NLT)

The father was filled with what?What emotion do you think your heavenly Father feels toward you? Hatred?Disgust? Apathy? Do you think your heavenly Father is nauseated by the stenchof the hogs you’ve been living with? Is he grossed out by the filth and thedirt under your nails? Is he repelled by the track marks on your arms whereyou’ve gotten high? Is he revolted about how you have abused your body and howemaciated the meth has left you? Is he sickened about how you have slept aroundwith anyone and everyone to make yourself feel better? What emotion do youthink your God is filled with?

So hereturned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, hisfather saw him coming and was filled with love and compassion…

Luke 15:20 (NLT)

Ifyou’re a person who is far away from God, when you look in your heavenlyFather’s direction, do you know feels? Compassion—not anger. Compassion. Butyou say, “You don’t know what I have done!” That’s the point of the story: Itwas as bad as it could possibly be in the Jewish culture. Jesus said, “When thefather saw (that mean’s he was looking for the son), he felt compassion…

He ran tohis son, embraced him, and he kissedhim. “But hisfather said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and putit on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill thecalf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, forthis son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now heis found.’ (Look at these final words) So the party began.

Luke 15:20, 22-24 (NLT)

Earlier in the story, we see that the son is afraid about how his dad is goingto react. The younger son is thinking that somehow he is going to talk hisfather into Somehow he is going to talk his father into allowing me to be ahired servant. He is thinking that maybe somehow he can work his way back intohis father’s good graces. To somehow work his way back into the family.

But the Father isn’t going forthat. “You’re not going to work your way back into the family. You are not aservant. You are my son!” We don’t work our way into arelationship with God. We don’t work our way with religion to make us rightwith our Father.

All we have to do is stop……….

……….turn around…………

and come home.

You will find a party waiting for you. You haven’t run so far that yourHeavenly Father isn’t waiting at the edge of the driveway, waiting for you toreturn. You can always come back home. Always.

Repentance is About Coming Home

2011-12-08T16:51:00.001-06:00

So he returned home…

Luke 15:20a

We're looking at the story of the prodigal son at oneChurch.tv in our series Come Home. Last week, we looked at the younger son and how he returned home or, another Biblical word you may have heard of: repent.

The prodigal son repents. Now, that’s a churchy word thatyou probably don’t hear often. When is the last time you have heard somebodyoutside the church use the word repent? But this word is pivotal in us comingback home. So let’s unearth the original meaning of the word repent. By lookingat two words used for repent in the Bible.

The Biblewas originally written in two languages: Hebrew and Greek. Both languages havewords that get translated in the English as repent. In the Greek, it is theword metanoia. The noia part of the word is the word for mind.It means our thoughts, our intellect, the decisions we make and the direction ourlife is headed. It is direction-setting and decision-making part of us. Theword meta isa preposition meaning change, like metamorphosis. So what metanoia is, it’s a change of direction.Not a little tweak or a minor adjustment or course correction—it is a 180—goingone way and stopping, and heading in a totally different direction towards God.That is metanoia in Greek.

InHebrew, the word for repent in theOld Testament is the word shuva. In Hebrew, the word shuva means to return, to go back to where you belong.

Now, thereason why I am going to great detail on this is when we hear the word repent, what do we think of? We feelguilty and feeling bad. But that’s not what repentance is all about. It’s notabout feeling bad or beating yourself up. Repentmeans to change direction and to goback to where you belong. Maybe this will help: to repent is more about motion than emotion. Repentance isn’t about an emotionof feeling bad. Repentance is about the motion of coming home.

Becoming a Christian isn’t about getting religious or getting your act together—it’s about coming home. DallasWillard says this about repentance: to repent means to reconsider andreconfigure your strategy for living. We all have strategies of how we live ourlife, don’t we? We have our plans for what we’re going to do. What path wethink we need to take for our lives to be what we think we want them to be. Letme name a few. Get as much money aspossible so that I can do what I want path. Work as hard as I can so that I can prove I’m worth something path.Put all of my emotional well-being in themarriage and family path. We overspend,overeat, overexercising, overdrinking,oversexxing—just so that we can keepfrom feeling the pain. Repentance isn’t about an emotion—feeling bad—repentanceis about motion—coming home.

That iswhat the youngest son, the prodigal, did in verses 17, 18, and 19. Hereconsidered and

reconfiguredhis strategy for living. He starts the motion of going home.

Coming back home to God is as simple as moving in His direction.

Invest & Invite

2011-12-06T08:44:00.000-06:00

oneChurch's mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by creating relevant environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue intimacy with God, community with insiders, and influence with outsiders.

The value we place on Influence with Outsiders can be difficult to champion, because the church is filled with insiders--those who are already found. However, Jesus' mission was always for the lost (Luke 19:10). That is why focusing on outsiders is vital to stay on target with Jesus' mission. It is the Great Commission to share the good news that there is a God in heaven who loves us and wants us to call him Father. And, through the work of Christ on the cross, we can have a personal relationship with our Father in heaven.

Relational evangelism is the strategy of our church. Rather than knock on doors or pass out tracts, we encourage our members to invest in the people around them. Neighbors, friends, and colleagues all live within our spheres of influence. God has entrusted us with these relationships. He invites us to partner with him in the process of changing lives. We encourage our members and attendees to invest in the lives of unbelievers and then invite them to a relevant ministry environment. We call this strategy Invest & Invite.

oneChurch Modern Warfare 3 Tournament

2011-12-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

One of the things that I am most passionate about is connecting people to God. Why? Because there was a time I had a busted up relationship with my heavenly Father, and someone invested time in me and invited me to a church where I heard the life changing message that God loves me.

At oneChurch, we want to create environments where people can come and have fun and learn that God isn't mad at them. Because of this...

...we're doing a Modern Warfare 3 Tournament for the men at oneChurch.tv on Saturday, December 17th at 6:00pm. The cost is $25 to enter, and included are wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. The winners will be taking home over $500 worth of prizes (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners). The whole reason we're doing this is so that you can invite some men who would never show up at a church and invite them to a fun event. It gets them one step closer to coming to church and having Jesus change their life!

Come Home: New Series starts December 2011

2011-12-03T05:38:00.001-06:00

This Sunday, we start a brand new Christmas series called Come Home. Over the next three weeks we are going to be unpacking the story that Jesus tells in Luke 15 about the Prodigal Son. The great thing about this story is all of us are somewhere in this story: we're the wild child who left home, the responsible child who stayed and is bitter, or we have the heart of a gracious father.

Over the next three weeks, we will be looking at how all of us need to come home for Christmas. Jesus left His home up in heaven and ran to us, so you can come home to God. Jesus said, "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home in them." That word home is such a loaded word. There is nothing that touches the heart like the word home.

I can’t think of a better time to invite a friend to church. This series is all about people coming back home to Jesus. And for those who read something like this and tend to get discouraged because you’ve invited “that person” so many times…don’t give up, God didn’t give up on you!!! Remember, God is patient with us (II Peter 3:9) so go ahead and beg Jesus to begin to open doors so that you can bring them to church!

Torn: Don't ask "Why", ask "Who?"

2011-12-01T15:20:00.001-06:00

Today I picked up Jud Wilhite's new book Torn and literally could not put it down! Jud Wilhite is an author, speaker and senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. His passion is to help people far from God experience his radical grace in Jesus. As a teenager, Jud wrestled with addiction for several years before surrendering his life to God. The grace God extended through a local church community saved his life. Out of that experience Jud dedicated his life to help others who are hurting find healing, and to do it through the local church.

Central is consistently listed as one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America. With four physical locations in Las Vegas and a growing online campus, Central innovated the launching of multi-site church campuses inside prisons in several states with God Behind Bars. In a recent survey, over ninety percent of people surveyed at Central said that God “saved their lives” through the church.

Why I loved this book is that it doesn't sugar coat or pull any punches. Jud doesn't settle for easy answers about pain and suffering. He uses engaging, heartfelt stories of real people and how they have suffered through enormous loss and pain, and how they have wrestled with God through their pain.

We have all asked these types of questions: If God really loves and cares for me, why is this happening? If He is good, then why doesn't He step in and make things right? Why doesn't He ride up on a white horse and fix this mess?

We have all asked those why questions, haven't we? But Jud says, "Why isn't the most fundamental question when it comes to suffering." Even if we knew the answers to the why questions, they would just bring more questions. When going through terrible grief and loss, focusing on why questions get us stuck with our relationship with God and living our life. There is a more important question than why, and that is Who. "Who will we trust in the calamities and challenges of life? Who will we turn to in the reality of our pain? Who is worthy of our trust?"

Through heart-wrenching stories of a couple struggling with infertility, to the loss of a son, to a mom and dad praying for healing and restoration of another son stricken with seizures, you're heart goes out to people with real problems, and by reading of their continue faith that perseveres, it gives me hope living my day to day, minor inconveniences that I live with.

I would highly recommend this read to anyone struggling with living a life that hasn't turned out how they expected, struggling with pain and sickness, death of a dream or the death of a loved one. This book doesn't give easy answers, but it does present a God in the Bible who is with you in your pain and who hangs on to you and refuses to let you go.

How to people feel when they visit your church?

2011-11-30T17:13:00.001-06:00

Came across this video today and it made me think, "This may be how many unchurched people feel when they visit many of our churches!" Let me set up the video before you hit play.

Various couples enter a movie theatre only to find that there are only two empty seats in the entire theatre, and the room is filled with tough-looking, angry biker guys. The couples reactions are priceless!

Session #6: Craig Groeschel: Creating a Culture of Self-Awareness: Catalyst One Day

2011-11-17T16:43:00.001-06:00

Session3: Creating a Culture of Self-Awareness

CraigGroeschel

CatalystOne Day

Creating a Cultureof Self-Awareness

· Thosewho don’t know don’t know because they don’t know.

· Theproblems you don’t know about are the problems you can’t fix. Tell me the problems that I'm not seeing.

The higher yourise the more difficult it is to get objective truth about yourself—especiallyin churches. The higher you rise themore difficult it is to get objective truth about your leadership. No one canlie like church people.

Three Principles ofSelf-Deception

1. Weas leaders have a limitless capacity for self-deception. The best example inHistory is 2 Samuel 11—King David with Bathsheba

2. Thelonger that we believe lies, the harder it is to hear truth.

· Healthy does not mean the opposite of problems.Healthy does not mean lack of problems, but it is OK to focus on problems suchas getting people into heaven - that's our task. In other words, lots oforganizations say they are healthy and, in fact, are anything but!

· GRAMMAR LESSON: "Bless your heart" ="You're an idiot" in Christianese.

Forin his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. Psalms36:2

· When you become teachable, there is greatness in you.

3. Theleader’s lack of self-awareness is the leader’s greatest barrier.

· Leaderscan always find something/someone else to blame. Own your own limitations.

· Ifyou delegate tasks, you are creating followers. If you delegate authority, youare creating leaders.

· Leader—youare the greatest problem. You are the biggest ceiling in your church.

Uncovering theTruth About You

1. Pray: Ask God

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxiousthoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the wayeverlasting.

Psalms 139:23-24

· Wecan’t fix something we can’t name.

· “Ifthere is something that was limiting your ministry effectiveness, would youwant to know about it?”

2. Listen to thespirit of God, and listen to people.

Hewho listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He whoignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gainsunderstanding.

Proverbs15:31-32

· Themore convinced that you are that you are right about something, the more likely you are wrong.

· Example:Peter: “I will NEVER fall away.”

a. Builda team that craves and gives helpful feedback.

b. Implementannual 360 evaluations for every team member.

· Whathas God been trying to show you, and you have been trying to shake it?

3. Change

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Dowhat it says. James 1:22

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Session #5: Q & A with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel: Catalyst One Day

2011-11-17T15:44:00.001-06:00

Q: How many times are you preaching every year?
A: Craig is preaching 40 weekends; 30 physically, 10 on video.
Andy preaches 35 times a year. Campuses all in the ATL area. Andy coaches their communicators. Taking November 2011 off.

Q: How far do you work ahead?
A: Andy works 3 weeks out. Able to work the big hook/big idea through the entire series.

Q: How do you help develop sermons that touch people?
A: Craig: I ask, "What am I excited about that you're not excited about at all? What are you excited about that I'm not excited about? Is there any topic that I am totally missing that you're struggling with?"

Q: How does your week look?
A: "Arrange your schedule around your values."

Andy:
Sunday: Preach 2-3x's at the same campus.
Monday is his off day.
Tuesday morning begins with the leadership team: 14 people. Discuss a book. Then has a management meeting. Then a service programming meeting.
Wednesday: All day study day.
Thursday: All day study day. Work through e-mails.
Friday: Works and leaves before lunch.
Saturday: 5:30pm Starts re-working and replaying the sermon that he worked up 3 weeks before.
Andy exercises Monday mornings. Wednesday afternoons. Friday mornings.
They are home every night of the week. Don't eat out. They eat every supper together. Key to successful#parenting? "Dinner."

A: Craig:
Saturday: Preach twice on Saturdays. In-between is a family/party night.
Sunday: Preaches twice.
Monday: Starts working on next sermon after lunch.
Tuesday: God starts to speak through the message. Usually done by Tuesdays.
Wednesday: Clean up message prep. Meet with the creative guy. Innovation is better with limitation.
Thursday: Meeting with staff, business people, leaders, brainstorming future sermons.
Friday: Kids and Craig is off.
Leaves every day at 3:45. Home by dinner.

Craig is a pastor first.

Session #4: Andy Stanley: Creating a ‘Come-and-See’ Culture: Catalyst One Day

2011-11-17T15:04:00.001-06:00

Session4: Creating a ‘Come-and-See’ Culture: 3 Essential Ingredients

AndyStanley

CatalystOne Day

(At church) I knowthe Gospel is offensive, but nothing else should be.

I. An AppealingSetting.

A. Setting – the physical environment.

B. Settings create firstimpressions. First impressions are really important.

· Whenparents see that you have created an appealing setting for their children, thenthey trust you with their child.

C. An uncomfortable ordistracting setting can derail ministry before it begins.

D. Every physical environmentcommunicates something. There aren’t any neutral ones.

1. Clean: communicates we areexpecting guests. What do you do when people visit your home? You clean! Whenyou have junk, that communicates that you are expecting the same old people.You don’t clean the house for family.

2. Organized: We are seriousabout what we’re doing here.

“Abusiness that looks orderly says to your customer that your people know whatthey are doing.” E-Myth by Michael Gerber

3. Safe: We value your kids likewe value ours.

E. Design, décor, and attentionto detail communicate what and who you value most.

F. Design, décor, and attentionto detail communicate whether or not you are expecting guests. “The sermonbegins in the parking lot. Your job is to do it so well that they put up withthe offensive sermon because all of our other volunteers done so well puttingout the welcome mat.

G. Periodically, we all need onour ministry environments.

Questions:

1. Areour ministry settings appealing to our target audience?

2. Doesthe Design, décor, and attention to detail of our environments reflect what andwho is most important to us?

3. What’sstarting to look tired? Where are we manufacturing energy?

II. An Engaging Presentation

A. Engagingpresentations are central to the success of our mission.

1. Presentingthe Gospel is the primary responsibility of the church.

2. “Teachingthem to obey everything I have commanded you” is the unique responsibility ofthe church. (Matthew 28:20)

B. Toengage is to secure one’s attention.

C. Generallyspeaking, it’s the presentation that makes information interesting. Example:All restaurants serve beef, chicken, or fish. All restaurants serve the sameingredients: It is all about presentation! An audience attention span is determined bythe quality of the communicator’s presentation.

D. Engaging presentations requireengaging presenters or an engaging means of presentation. Great presenters aren’t always great content creators.

Questions:

1. Isyour culture characterized by a relentless commitment to engaging presentationsat every level of the organization?

2. Doesyour system allow you to put your best presentation in your most strategicpresentation environments?

3. Areyour presenters evaluated and coached?

4. Doesyour system create opportunities for your best content creators to partner withyour presenters?

III. Helpful Content. “Was ithelpful?”

A. Helpful= useful. Not just, “Is it true?” We have all slept through information thatwas true.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words ofmine and puts them into practice…

Matthew7:24

B. Helpfulcontent is content that directly addresses thinking and living.

C. Contentshould be age and stage-of-life specific.

1. Informationthat does not address a felt need is perceived as irrelevant.

2. Informationthat isn’t perceived as useful is perceived as irrelevant.

3. Irrelevantdoesn’t stick.

Questions:

1. Isyour content helpful?

2. Doyour content creators and communicators understand that the goals are renewedminds and changed behaviors?

3. Isyour content age and stage-of-life specific?

Conclusion:

Of every environment, program,and production, ask:

1. Wasthe content appealing?

2. Wasthe presentation engaging?

3. Wasthe content helpful?

Q & A with Bill Hybels and Craig Groeschel: Catalyst One Day

2011-11-17T13:26:00.001-06:00

Q: If you were sitting where we are thirty years ago, What advice would you give?
A: Do you really know what you're setting out to build?

Who are you trying to reach?
What are your intentions with them after you reach them?
What is the theology/geographicaly of your footprint? We are trying to reach those who are far from God in a 30 minute drive away from our footprint. What injustices are we standing up to in our footprint? What needs are we trying to reach in our footprint?

Q: You have 36 years of standing strong in ministry. What do we need to know to follow in the same footsteps?

A: Hybels quoted the Come Thou Fount verse, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to lead the God I love." We have a culture of accountability at Willow. As Willow has grown, accountability has increased, not decreased. Pay more attention to governance. They do policy governance. "There are 81 ordinances that I, as the senior pastor of Willow Creek, cannot do."

Q: You said once, "The way I was doing the work of God was destroying the work of God within me?" What advice can you give that our family will still love God and you're still in the game?

A: Don't try to endure or survive another 5 years in ministry! Find a way to thrive. Families should thrive, not just survive. Be careful how you frame it up in your mind. Do you want to be worn out, breathless, and exhaustive and cranky? Do you want to be a person like that? Or do you want to take discipleship holistically? Survival is not the goal, but to experience life in abundance and honor God, or die trying.

"Whose job is it for you to thrive before God? Whose job is it for your family to thrive?" It is YOUR job to fix it. Not anyone else's, but yours!

Hybels said, "What is your strategy for replenishment? A daily, weekly, monthly, or annual strategy?" What are we going to do when the depletion cycle starts? An activity? A recreation? Put your replenishment strategy in place while you're still healthy.

Q: What do you see in the next generation you are most excited about with younger leaders?

A: They are innately missional. They naturally think about the poor. They naturally involved in social activism. They are naturally justice minded. They feel it.

Q: What do you see in the next generation you are most concerned about with younger leaders?

A: The theology of young pastors. There are such odd varieties of theologies, and everyone with a blog can have one. A piece-meal, pieced together theology that isn't coherent and consistent with the Bible. The need for theological training is HUGE.

Today if you said to the leader, "Define the message?" Use 5 words to get to the core of the Christian message?

Love
Evil: It's loose in the world, and evil is loose in me.
Remedy: Is there a fix for this evil?
Choice: Do we have a choice?
Restoration: Redemption, Sanctification

Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Colossians 4:4

Do we have clarity in our message? Decide what language you use.

Q & A with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel

2011-11-17T12:08:00.001-06:00

Session #2: Andy Stanley: Catalyst One Day: Building a Healthy Staff Culture

2011-11-17T11:38:00.001-06:00

Buildinga Healthy Staff Culture

Session#2

AndyStanley

CatalystOne Day Chicago

"Take time todiscuss your values and culture because the process is more important than theproduct."

You get people to give money tocreate volunteer opportunities so that they can volunteer.

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesusleading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followedwere afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going tohappen to him. “Weare going up to Jerusalem,”he said, “andthe Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him andkill him. Three days later he will rise.” ThenJames and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “wewant you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other atyour left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or bebaptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink andbe baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, butto sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to thosefor whom they have been prepared.” Whenthe ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regardedas rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exerciseauthority over them.Not so with you.Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark10:32-45

I. Healthy andProductive staff Cultures are characterized by mutual submission.

· Leaders don't serve over, they serve under.

A.The message of mutual submission: I’m here to facilitate your success, regardlessof where either of us shows up on an organizational chart.

B.The assumption of mutual submission: While our responsibilities differ, we areboth essential to the success of this enterprise.

C.The question mutual submission asks “What can I do to help?” How can I leveragemy power and influence in this organization so that I can make you a success?

TheGospel: It is God looking down on the earth and saying, “What can I do to help?”

Theultimate dysfunction of a team is the tendency of members to care aboutsomething other than the collective goals of the group… team status andindividual status are the prime candidates.

–The Five Dysfunctions of a Team byPatrick Lencioni

Just becauseyou're a pastor or speaker, doesn't mean you're anointed by God. The"pastor" is not the anointed one, Jesus is! New Testament = no onemember of the body is more important than the other... Not even the pastor. SOmany churches follow the world's hierarchical model of authority. Biblicalmodel? Serving

II. Best Practices

A. Dofor one what you wish you could do for all.

B. Systematizetop–down service.

C. Createand maintain a sustainable organizational pace.

1. Withoutmargin, there is no room to serve.

2. Withoutmargin, we seek first our kingdom.

D. Celebrateand reward mutual submission when you see it.

Tip: What’s rewarded isrepeated

E. Confrontyour ego.

Q: What’s most important:building a great organization or creating a for yourself?

If you see yourstaff as a supporting cast to your career, I dare you to get up at staff nextweek and announce that. Theunhealthy ones will stay, the unhealthy ones will leave and go work for Andy.

F. Drop the term loyalty from your vocabulary.

Tip: If you have to ask for it, demand it, or have people sign a document pledging it, YOU are the one who lacks it.

Loyalty isn’t a fruit of the spirit.
If you have to ask people to be loyal you have an organizational problem.
If you ask for it or demand it, you are the one with a loyalty issue.
If you can’t serve people so well to the point they wouldn’t be loyal to you, you’ve got a leadership problem.
You don’t need loyalty if you’re leading well.
If you need it, you need counseling.

Conclusion:

“There is a special trap forevery holder of power, whether the director of a company, the head of thestate, or the ruler of a dictatorship. His favor is so desirable to hissubordinates that they will sue for it by every means possible. Servilitybecomes endemic among his entourage, who compete among themselves in their ownshow of devotion. This in turn exercises a sway upon the ruler, who becomescorrupted in his turn.

The key to quality of the man inpower is how he reacts to this situation. I have observed a number ofindustrialists and military men who knew how to fend off this danger. Wherepower has been exercised over generations, a kind of hereditaryincorruptibility grows up. Only a few individuals among those around Hitler,such as Fritz Todt, withstood the temptation to sycophancy. Hitler himself putup no visible resistance to the evolution of a court.” Inside the Third Reich: Memoirs by Albert Speer, p. 83.

Will You?
Will I?
It starts with ending every staff meeting with a question: "What can I do to help?"

Session #1: Craig Groeschel: Catalyst One Day Chicago: Values and Culture

2011-11-17T10:49:00.001-06:00

Craig Groeschel

Session 1: Values and Culture

Catalyst One Day

Healthycultures never happen by accident. They are created.

Thenumber one force that shapes your culture is your values. Why? Because...

What wevalue determines what we do. Or what we believe determines how we behave.

Later,Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, alongwith many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they askedhis disciples, “Why does your teacher eat withsuch scum?” When Jesus heard this, hesaid, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matthew 9:10-12 NLT)

How do weallow our values to shape our culture?

1. Determine honestly what youractions say you value.

2. Identify the values that Godhas put within you or your leadership.

There is always a big difference between what we say wevalue and what we do in church work.

• Wecan't be good at being somebody else. @craiggroeschel #Cat1Day

Answer these questions with one or two word answers:

• Whatdo you passionately love in ministry?

• Whatbreaks your heart or makes you righteously angry?

What isit that you love? That makes you miserable? Those are clues into God's uniquecall on your life.

Values =what do you passionately love in ministry & what breaks your heart or makesyou righteously angry.

3. Narrowdown your values to ten or fewer. If everything is important, then nothing isimportant.

4. Onceyou've clearly defined your values, describe them in short, life-givingstatements.

• Ifyou can't tweet your values, they're too long.

• Ifyour values don't move you emotionally, then they are too dry.

• Theyshould invoke emotion and spiritual movement.

If youwant your church to reach people that no one is reaching, you've got to dothings that no one else is doing.

Are youwilling to do anything short of sin to see someone saved?

5. Shapeyour culture and build your people around your values. Lead toward your valuesas if your future depends on it.

How doyou change values of an organization?

Organizations don't change, peoplechange.

• Hireand recruit for your values.

• Removepeople within your organization with distinctly values. Set them free. Don't bea problem and trash talking leadership. Leave with integrity and Go to a placethat align with your values.

• Ifyou don't like where your ministry is going, change directions.

Don't put your values on a wall, put them on your heart andlet them bleed out.

Culture-changing is messy, squishy stuff. No three-pointprocess to accomplish.

If youwant you’ve always had you should dowhat you’ve always done.

If youwant what you’ve never had, you shouldchange.

Ifsomething’s not right in your ministry,quit your whining and fix it.

"Quitwhining, you're sharp, fix it" - @craiggroeschel #cat1day

You havewhat it takes.

Use yourgift of leadership.

God putyou where you are for a reason.

God caresmore about your church than you do.

Go and dowhat only you can do.

God willempower you to get it done.

Givepeople temporary 6 month roles. Why? Because the ministry may grow beyond them

Intro: Andy Stanley: Catalyst One Day Chicago: Organizational Culture

2011-11-17T10:42:00.001-06:00

Andy Stanley

Session 1 Organizational Culture

Catalyst One Day

The setof unwritten rules that determine how peerless in an organization act, react,communicate, problem-solve, and treat each other. Culture includes theattitudes, beliefs, values, standards, expectations, prejudices, approaches,and phobias that characterize its people when they at together. Culture is thepersonality of an organization.

If youhave worked in an organization with a clearly defined, healthy culture, thenyou know how energizing it can be. If you have spent time in an organizationwhose culture was unhealthy, you know how draining that can be as well. Ourgoal today is to download everything we can in the time allotted related towhat we've learned about creating a healthy organizational culture.

1. Leaders shape organizationalculture whether they intend to or not.

Ourtendency is to Look out the window instead of looking in the mirror. Theleaders impact their culture whether they want to or not.

2. Timein erodes awareness of culture.

Thelonger you're in an organization, the less aware you are of its culture.

Doyou see anything in our organization that is off purpose with our missionstatement?

3.Healthy cultures attract and keep healthy people.

Unhealthypeople are happy in an unhealthy culture if you create a healthy culture, youwill weed out unhealthy people.
It'sokay to have a ministry, but don't hire a ministry.

4. Theculture of an organization impacts it's long term productivity of anorganization.

5. Unhealthycultures are always slow to adapt to change.

What are You Asking God for?

2011-10-31T14:08:00.005-05:00

Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but the others who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.

Joshua 14:6-12

Caleb’s Faith in God never wavered, though everyone around him doubted. God convinced Caleb that the children of Israel should enter the Promised land, but the people were intimidated by giants and fortified cities (Numbers 13:28-33). Their disbelief forced Caleb to wait forty years in the wilderness before he finally entered into the Promised Land. Even after all of those years, Caleb was as confident as ever in God’s power.

When God was dividing the land among the Israelites, the people were asking for the lush valleys and grassy plains. Caleb asked for a mountain. The Israelites had driven their enemies into the mountains, where they had built fortresses. This did not intimidate Caleb—he asked for a challenge! He did not trust in his own strength but in God’s presence. Caleb longed to see God work in power, and he knew he would be less likely to rely on God if he dwelt in the easy places. He chose a situation in which he would have to trust in God. Caleb knew his inheritance from God on the mountain. He refused to allow the difficulty of gaining it to stop him from enjoying all that God had promised them.

If you always choose the easy way, asking for the peaceful valleys, you will never see God’s power displayed to enable you to take a mountain. Seek out the mountains, and you will witness God doing things through your life that can be explained only through His mighty presence.

Going the Extra Mile

2011-10-25T22:55:00.001-05:00

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He said, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:41). Have you ever wondered what was meant by that? Roman soldiers had the authority to press civilians into service to carry loads for them.

The Roman Empire ruled the world in the first century, and the Jews were a conquered nation. Any Jews in Jesus’ day could be forced to carry the rucksack for a Roman soldier. But there were limits. The Romans own law stated that you could not be made to carry it more than a mile. So how one would know when a mile had passed? Did they have mile markers like we have on our modern interstates? Well... yeah, they did.

The Romans were expert road builders and they posted mile markers along the way. Which is why God waited until THIS time, so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ after His death could spread rapidly over Roman roads from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.

Back to Matthew 5:41. So why did Jesus say go the extra mile? Because Jesus disciples are different. Not different just to be different, but different in how we treat people who agree with us, and yes, how we treat people who disagree with us. Jesus’ disciples are different because they are like Jesus. We love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40), but we also pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). By loving our enemies, it just might get people asking some questions (1 Peter 3:15-16).

How can we apply this to us today? Even though I live in an army town, no Screamin' Eagle has ever asked me to carry his rucksack. However, this same principle could be applied to when we go to restaurants.

I am a stickler for good service. I base my tip on how well the waiter or waitress served our food, and if the food was hot. I think this is a normal thing--basing our tip amount on the quality of service. However, some godly friends recently confronted me about this and a sense of entitlement that comes with this attitude. Maybe a way that I can apply this verse today is that I should go above and beyond in showing the love of Jesus to those who serve me, regardless of the quality of service I receive. Still processing this one. What do you think? How would you apply this principle to your life?

Reflections at the Beach: Spiritually Stuck

2011-10-22T06:40:00.002-05:00

In my last two posts, I have been writing about some lessons that I learned with my wife while spending some time away at the beach last week (You can read them here and here). Probably one of the most important lessons i learned last week (and to be honest, a carry over from the week before at Catalyst) was the principle of moving forward. Going to the Catalyst conference is liking drinking from a fire hydrant, and for the past two years, we have planned our annual family vacation to follow the week of Catalyst so I can just process what I have learned and soak it all up.

As my wife and I walked along the surf of the beach this past Sunday, we both stopped to reflect on 18 years of marriage. As we stood there and talked, the waves kept on lapping at our feet, and the ebb and flow of the ocean water surrounded our feet. After a few minutes of talking, my wife and I decided to resume or stroll down the beach, only to find that I was stuck. No hugely stuck, of course, but we had both sank down in the sand. With the constant tides, our feet had sank down and it took a little more effort than usual to get moving again. That experience got me thinking about our walk and progress with God.

One of the things that the staff, elders, and I at oneChurch.tv have been talking about recently is spiritual growth. We want to make sure we're creating environments where people are moving forward in the Christian life; where they experience a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. That is our mission statement. We have been looking at our processes and systems of discipleship, because all of us know people in and around us in church who are spiritually stuck. People who aren't growing. My walk on the beach showed me a spiritual principle: If you're not moving forward in your Christian life, you are getting stuck. There isn't any neutral gear--only forward or reverse. Just as on the beach, when we stop, time doesn't. The surf keeps on coming. And if you procrastinate moving, it will only be harder to get going with each passing wave.

So many people get stuck for a lot of different reasons. Let me list a few.

God tells us to do something and we don't do it. Disobedience. (Some people call this sins of omission. Matthew 5:19, Matthew 7:24-27)
God tells us not to do something, and we do it anyway. Disobedience (Sins of commission.)
Not confessing sins, habits, and bad attitudes to God (1 John 1:9, James 5:16).
Many don't read the Bible and feed themselves daily (Matthew 4:4).
Not praying or talking to God (Matthew 6:5-13).
Being angry with someone (Ephesians 4:26-27, Matthew 5:21-22)
Not forgiving someone (Matthew 6:14-15). These verses are harsh!
Being stingy with our money (Matthew 6:19-21).
Being more focused on our stuff and not God's priorities (Matthew 6:25-34)

Are you spiritually stuck? What has kept you from moving forward with God? What excuses are you giving from delaying you to start moving? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Two of the best ways I know to get unstuck spiritually is to...

First, reflect on the last time you were moving forward in your relationship with God. When was it? How long ago? Trace it back, and you will probably go back to an event in which that got you stuck. It may have been something God told you to do that you didn't, or you did something that God told you not to do. It may have been a painful event (losing a loved one, losing a job). What was it? Go back and talk to God about what happened and confess any sin or attitudes to Him that aren't right. Hebrews 12:1-2 talks about the sin that so easily entangles." Sin will get you and keep you stuck in the mire.

Second, find a mentor or a counselor to help pull you out of the quicksand. Some things are just too difficult to do alone. And just like quicksand, the more we struggle solo, many times the more stuck we get. Sometimes it takes a new, fresh perspective of a friend, pastor, or counselor to pull you out of the muck. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you want to move forward.