Tuesday

I like Tuesdays.
Tuesdays are relaxing and usually a study day for me...simply, I like Tuesdays.

In case some of you wanted to know, I'm sleeping a little better the last couple of nights.  Thanks for your prayers.

Reading through headlines today, I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal of my brother in Christ Lee Strobel and his journey from atheism into Christianity.  The article is aptly titled, "How Easter Killed My Faith in Atheism".  You can read it here http://on.wsj.com/foGSSn

Many of us know Lee's story: his wife came to Christ and being an atheist this greatly bothered him.  So, while working for the Chicago Tribune with his legal training and journalist tools in hand, he set out to disprove Christianity.  But the evidence for the existence of God, the hope of the Gospel, and the validity of the resurrection struck Lee with such an overwhelming intensity that he placed his trust in Christ.  Oh, the irony.

What a glorious picture of redemption!  What an incredilbe picture of what Satan meant for evil, God meant for good.  When His providence unfolds it reveals such wonder that can't be fathomed this side of Heaven.  I'm praying that when people enter our doors for Easter they'll be meant with such wonder, such grace, and such love.  I'm praying that as our people worship the God over all creation they can't help but be stricken with his matchless Glory and presence.  I'm praying that those who come to ou services out of an annual duty, will leave with a personal knowledge of God that will wreck their flesh and make room for His Spirit to bring them back week after week.  Lord, make your glory known to the lost this Resurrection Day and may our people be positioning themselves this week to be used by your mighty hand to help bring those face to face with the wonder of the gospel.

Sleep

The last several weeks my mind isn't resting and neither is my body.  I seem to fall asleep for about an hour and wake up unexpectedly.  This cycle happens 3-4 times a night and like I mentioned on facebook, insomnia is hard for the soul.

I've drastically reduced my daily caffeine intake (1 cup of regular joe in the morning) and am trying to make my workouts more consistent, but it seems like the more tired I am, the less I seem to sleep.  Weird.

I've begun to pray when I wake up and that seems to help, but selfishly I'd rather go back to bed!  I'm praying that when I do wake up I'll use that time as a divine appointment to seek God irregardless of how I'm feeling or how frustrated I am by waking up once again. 

I've never had problems sleeping before and I'd rather not reduce myself to medicating this issue.  Pray with me that as God interrupts my day (even when I'm sleeping) that I'll be obediently praying, responding, and listening to Him.

Man Crisis

In light of leading our men's retreat last weekend...the value of older men pouring into younger men can't be underestimated...


"Church Planter" by Darrin Patrick from Crossway on Vimeo.

My Legacy

Yep, it's been a while.  No excuses...just lazy.

I grew up in a single parent home.  My mother was an incredible lady who did well to care for and keep up with three kids.  Her willingness to sacrifice her need for the needs of her children is something that I'll never forget and hope to implement as I parent my own.  Growing up spiritual things were not that important.  Sundays were spent going out to brunch and Easter always included a picnic but not much was said about God, the Bible, or church.


Yesterday, I got the great privilege of baptizing my oldest son Gavin.  Words can really put into perspective how I felt yesterday seeing my son follow Christ in obedience through baptism. He received Christ almost over 2 years ago, but I wanted him in his time and his way choose baptism.  I wanted him, without the pressure of the preacher dad, to follow Christ on his terms.  I have been praying about this moment for many years (since before he was born) and to see it fulfilled was absolutely amazing.

I was standing in worship following his baptism and was overwhelmed with emotion.  The same God that am growing to love and serve my son is knowing growing to love and serve.  I am seeing my legacy of faith being lived out in my family.  As I was holding my wife's hand and as our kids were next to us in worship, I began to think back to my childhood...a scrawny boy on a bike roaming my neighborhood with no direction or real influence...and 25 years later I've gained an eternal perspective, I'm serving God, and my family is worshiping together having just baptized my oldest son.  There have been moments in my life where I have felt so complete and yesterday was one of them.

What's love got to do with it? (Tina's voice goes here)

I remember the first time my oldest son told me he loved me.  He was about 2 and just learning to talk.  I had Brooke call my voicemail at my office and have him record it, so at any time I could check my voicemail and hear the sweet soft voice of my 2 year old son saying, “I love you Daddy.”  I know pretty sappy, right?

            Growing up without a father left a void in my life for many years.  Without a dad around I never knew a father’s love.  It was until I had a neighboring family who invited me to church that I began to spend time around a father.  This father was a wonderful dad to his kids and took me in like one of his own.  Whether it was camping, playing baseball in the back yard, tinkering in his workshop, or going to McDonald’s before Wednesday night church, he treated me like a son and loved me.  He didn’t have to invest in me or take me with his sons to a ballgame, but he did so because he was mirroring God’s love to a skinny, punk kid down the block.  He may not have meant to, but he showed me a father’s love and introduced me to the Father’s love.  His name was John Cook and he took me off the road of destruction and introduced me to my savior Jesus Christ.  Mr. Cook left such an impression on me that I named my first child after him (John Gavin) as a constant reminder of what love can do and how it not only changes people, but it is the source of salvation for all of humanity. 

            Now, as I look at my kids and tell them I love them, it’s my responsibility to show them what love is, introduce them to God’s eternal love, and show them how as a family we can love our world.   As my kids tell me they love me it serves a constant reminder that I’m called by God to help them understand what true love is (Deut. 6) and saying, “I love you too,” in return isn’t enough.

            In February it’s a tradition to focus on romantic love, but I want to encourage you to help your family understand God’s love.  Maybe you need to sit down with each of them and be assured of their salvation or even lead them to the Lord.  Maybe you’ll want to brainstorm with them how your family can show love to your schoolmates, teammates, and even your neighbors.  Think about how you can reach out to elderly neighbors, single parents, or any other families with unique situations.  I want to challenge you to show the love of Christ in a practical way this month…you may never know the level of impact you might make on someone’s life, especially the skinny punk kids down the street.

A Month Away

It's been a month since I've posted last...and this was mostly intentional.  Part of the blogosphere for me is to help others mature in faith and I needed some time off to consider how I am growing in my own faith...and I've learned quite a bit in December and now it's time to let others in on what's been happening.

Not that my posting are that earth shattering and in fact, I believe your time can be spent much more wisely.  But in case you're looking to waste time..

This last month...
- I graduated seminary with an Adv. M.Div from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth.  The journey took longer than I expected, but now that I'm on the other side, I'm so glad I persevered.

- I spent quite a bit of time with family in Idaho and Arkansas which included flying 5000 miles and a trip to Disney.

- I spent a good bit of time with my wife, alone, void of kids and any real responsibility.  I feel reconnected and focused.  We've spent time rediscovering our relationship and setting some really neat goals...more on that in the weeks to come.

- I've had lots of time to pray, dream, vision, and plan for a great season of ministry at SWITCH...and more on that later too.

- I'm recommitted to working out more and getting healthier...and well, I'm really sore today.

- I'm reading through the NT in 13 weeks and so far so good...so really good.

- I'm working through of my disciples choosing to believe in God but not listen to God.  This is a very painful experience, but one that I welcome and am praying that true faith and discipleship will result.

Okay, now I'm rambling.  Sorry.  I'm out of blog posting practice. 
Ready for the newness of 2011 and hoping that my journey will glorify Christ and encourage others.

For His Glory...

Prayer Gesture Penalized at Football Game

This can certainly draw up a great debate in arena of sports.  Many will want to blame the ref and even doubt his religious beliefs.  Some will say that religion has no place in sports.  Others might even take the stance that this players penalty is act of persecution...

What do you think?  Do you think the penalty was justified?  Do you think they player was justified?

I hope this video story causes conversations everywhere.  I applaud the players testimony in that he was giving glory to his Heavenly Father Jesus Christ.  And now his testimony is being presented on computers everywhere (Yahoo picked up this story this morning).  Incredible blessings often come in mysterious disguises (Gen. 50:20).

Inadequate

Lately I've been thinking about being inadequate vs. being empowered.

There are many days I feel inadequate.  I feel as if I'm not good enough, talented enough, strong enough and that there are millions of people out there who can do a better job (life @ home and @ work) than me.  I believe feelings of inadequacy are usually fueled by the fires of comparison.  It is so easy to feel like your lacking when you're stuck on coveting or comparing what someone else has or is.  My mentor in college J.Scott Duvall once said, "When I listen to the tempting voices of comparison, I know I've lost focus on the Father.  Renewed focus causes comparison to fade."  It's true...when I stop to realize God's power, grace, mercy, and love that he so generously lavishes upon me, my need to be like someone else slips away.

Inadequacies are also fueled by sin.  Sin causes me to forget God's provision over me, and even more, it roots guilt which can breed spiritual paralysis.  Looking at sin, owning it, dealing with it, and leaving it behind are the keys to developing and understanding redemption and forgiveness.

But when it comes to my relationship with God, I also feel inadequate, unworthy, even shameful in His presence.  I am in complete need of Him.  So, yes, I am inadequate.  My relationship with Jesus shows me how much I need Him and little I bring to the table.  I believe His desire is that we become dependent on Him because of our inabilities.  Jesus desires from me a sense of utter abandon from self so that I can become completely dependent on Him.  Humility, servant minded, and a missional mindset help me to develop a sense of dependence. 

It's funny, only when I'm at this state of losing self and gaining a greater perspective on the Father do I truly sense empowerment.  Jesus is provider, sustainer, author and perfector.  His mighty, Holy, awesome, and overwhelmingly in control.  Jesus empowers me through His relationship with me, the steadiness of His Word, and the whispers of His Spirit.  I am empowered not because I've gained an ability, risen to a status of influence, or finally become the person I've admired; I'm empowered because I'm His and I'm allowing Him control over me.

Inadequate?  Yep, in the presence of a might God.  Inadequate?  Nope, not among me for my God is empowering me, not for the purpose of comparison or to puff me up, but to glorify His name.

Too Sexy Too Soon:

Do tween fashion trends push girls to mature too fast?   This is a news story from ABC News that provides enlightenment to what student pastors everywhere have been combating...maintaining a sense of innocence through adolescence is so difficult in today's culture. 

I hope this video causes discussion between parents and within the home.

Wow

This song centers me.

Revelation Song from Jason Calhoun on Vimeo.

He Conquered the Grave

Today as I write this, the Bolton High School community is mourning the loss of two students who were involved in a one vehicle car accident on November 9. We have a community of students and parents who grieving over a friend, student, son, and daughter. In encouraging our students of faith through this difficult time we want to impress of them a few things:

1) Life is fleeting. Scripture tells us that we are but a vapor and we don’t know when we will breath our last so we must make the most of every opportunity (Jas. 4:14; 2 Cor. 6:2, Eph. 5:15-16).

2) Our hope isn’t in living but in the one who brings Life. Students need to grieve, but they also need bring hope in the mourning that they know and trust is in the One who has conquered death (Jn.11:35; 16:33; 1 Cor. 15:54-55).

3) We don’t understand why. God’s plans are perfect and in His sovereignty we occasionally can’t understand why things happen, but we can trust in His love for us (Jer. 29:11, Is. 55:7-8; Prov. 3:5-6).

4) The death of a peer can lead to others being open to spiritual conversations and even salvation.  Death naturally causes one to think about life and life is empty and hopeless without Christ (Jn.14:6; Col. 4:5-6).

I didn’t know the students who passed away, but my heart hurts for their families and their friends. We must take every day as a gift and use it according to the purposes of Christ in His mission in sharing the gospel.

In Action

It is so cool to see people being made into disciples.

A few weeks ago we had a man come forward during an invitation at one of our morning services who wanted to accept Christ.  Immediately you could tell this guy hadn't grown up in church, not to mention his sheer size is enough to fill a refrigerator box. 

To date, this guy accept Christ, attended our membership class, was baptized, and last night attended my "Discovering Spiritual Maturity" class (the second class in our Discovery process).  He is a changed man and I'm so excited for him.

Here is a man who has a wife, kids, and lived without Christ for many years.  But after encountering Christ, his life was significantly changed and his actions today are proof of the saving and incredible power of God.  He is being made into a true disciple and follower of Christ...it is so good to see God in action and to observed people living out the 'switched' life.

Fire Pits and Halloween

We live at the very end of a cove. In fact, we really like where we live. Our street is rather quiet and our kids can ride their bikes and play and we don't have to worry about traffic or any creepers looking at our kids. Our neighbors are wonderful people that we really enjoy sharing life with. A couple of homes have grown children so we're able to seek wisdom and learn from their experiences. Other homes have kids our ages and we desire to raise our kids up according to God's Word. They attend school together and make up a little grade school posse.

Last night we decided to take over our cove for Halloween. We brought out lawn chairs, a couple of tables, and a couple of fire pits. As it got dark we roasted the hot dogs and made smores and the kids went trick or treating on our block in the quest of who could become the biggest candy glutton. We were able to pass out candy and enjoy the evening cool air as a group of families.

Toward the end of our evening a couple hand in hand walked down the street to our cove. I noticed they didn't have any kids and we're watching us pretty closely. The gentleman had long hair in a ponytail and was in Harley Davidson get up from head to toe. They introduced themselves to us and came down because they were curious. They saw the fire pits, kids playing, and wanted to know what was going on. As the conversation progressed she is a single mom with a 16 year old daughter and they live several doors down. We engaged in pleasantries and I am hoping that our conversation will give me an in to invite them to our church in the near future.

I wonder how often people outside the church look on the inside of church and see love, community, security, fun, hope, and care and long to have that in their lives. I believe that just like last night, people are looking at churches wondering what all the joy is about and can they have a part in it.

This begs two questions:
1) Is the environment in my church like the environment on my cove? Do we foster love, community, and care in such a way that those on the outside want what we have in the inside (1 Peter 2:12)? Too many churches chase after meaningless mishaps and add depth to gossip driven drama and forget that people are looking in to see if what we have under the steeple is any different than what they have in their sin.

2) Would my church accept, with open arms, outsiders? Ben, who sought us out last night, seemed like a really fun character. His long hair, leathers, and curious personality might not be accepted at several places of worship - what a travesty...I hope that my church will be a place with arms wide open to people looking in.

Who knew fire pits and Halloween be an opportunity to foster care not only in my neighborhood but also my church? I'm praying I'll be able to talk to Ben and Amy again...

Vomit

Yuck.

That's what went through my mind as I was awakened by the sound of my son getting sick all over my bedroom floor. He made an attempt to tell us he was sick by coming into our bedroom but before the words could come out, his dinner did.

The last 72 hours have been us nursing him back to health. For 48 hours he was vomiting and couldn't keep anything down. His energy level plummeted and his normally infectious smile faded. Our little guy was a sick little guy. Because I'm strange (for some of you that is not new information) I began to think of how violently his body was rejected anything in his stomach and his intestines. His body was expelling everything and anything in such a destructive manner.

I wonder how often I hold on to sin and pride in my life and yet I know the Spirit within me wants me to rid my life of the sin that draws me out of fellowship with God. I don't think that God's concept of my ridding my life of sin is "on my terms and my way"...rather, I think it maybe more along the lines of what I saw in my son this weekend: a violent urgency to rid the heart of destructive sin. God's intent is not that sin lingers in our life, but that it be expelled, destroyed, and all together gone. Sin is an affront to God's holiness, it grieves the Holy Spirit, and it squats on God's residence in our life.

Removing sin is never easy. I burdens me to hear so much about the freedom of Christ as a tool of passivity when it comes to sin. Grace was not meant to be a "get of jail free" card. Sometimes it's easy to abuse grace which can so easily divert our attention from the seriousness of sin. Jerry Bridges wrote in The Discipline of Grace that "the way to stay on the right side of the fine line between using and abusing grace is repentance." Repentance is vital in the violent removal of personal sin. Lord, I pray that I'll see sin for what it is. Help me to understand the destructive nature of sin and how important it is to immediately deal with sin through repentance. Help me not to hang on, linger in, or rest within my sinful nature; rather, help me to respond to the Holy Spirit's desire to remain holy, useful, and in fellowship with a most Holy God. Help me never to be a place where I'm so lukewarm with sin that God wants to vomit me from his mouth.

Communication is Key

It's interesting being on the other side.

I've been in church work for over 15 years. For most of that time I have serve in some capacity on staff, on the inside if you will. Today I found myself on the outside.

One of my kids has been hounded me about a certain activity they'd like to do. I've been hestitant because I wanted them to be a bit older, but they have been persistent. Our church doesn't offer this particular activity but I heard of a neighborhing church who does. Not knowing the church all that well, I did what any regular Joe would do: I checked out their website.

Lame. Nothing there about the activity so I called. I got a great receptionist who directed me to the right person and she told me the day and time of the sign ups. I looked on my calendar this morning and today is the day. I cut my nap short this afternoon, made arrangements and altared some other things to be there on time. I walked in to sign up and found out that his age group has been postponed and more than likely postponed indefinitely. No notification on the web, no phone call, nothing.

In the enormity of life, this really isn't a big deal. We'll figure it out and our lives will definitely go on. However, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't on the inside of communication and I felt helpless and frustrated. As staff we often don't think about how our miscommunication or lack of communication effects those on the outside. I walked out this afternoon thinking if I really was a regular Joe, their lack of communication left a bad taste in my mouth....they might have lost the right to minister to me and my family.

Communication is key. The church must do an excellent job at clearly communicating the X's and O's of our activities, philosophyies, and overall the gospel. I'm on the inside and knowledgeable about what's happening, but today I got a glimpse of how it is on the outside of communication. I renews my vision to communicate clearly so that I can win the right to minister to students and families.

Dad, that was a close one!

A year ago I agreed to help coach my 6 year old's soccer team. Last season, we rocked. Lost only one game and had a great team. This year he moved up a division and we had to restructure a new team. This season, we're rocky.

I've got great boys on our team. But only half of them are there to really play and compete. The others either have never played or have no real desire to play. As I plan our game strategy I have to split our team up between those who want to win and those who really don't care.

To help our new team stay focused I implemented the Five Rules of Soccer:
1) Have fun.
2) Put the ball in the goal.
3) Don't touch the ball with your hands (unless you're a goalie(.
4) Have fun. (just for emphasis).
5) Be a team.

I know it sounds basic (I never said I was a good coach!) but it helps keep our guys focused on the play. We don't have a rule about winning...just having fun...mmm.

I was reminded of this concept two weeks ago. After losing 5 straight games and only scoring 2 goals all season I was ready to hang up the cleats on our team. Being a collegiate athlete, I'm fairly competitive and somewhere along the way, winning really became priority. I was visibly frustrated with our team when they would make a mistake or not follow instructions; when we'd lose I was in a foul mood for the rest of the afternoon and I even dreaded coming to games. However, at this particular game we played especially bad and lost 6-0. On the way to the car my son Caleb grabbed my hand and said, "Dad, that was a close one! We almost won!"

In that moment, I realized that Caleb had no idea what the score was nor did it matter to him...he was just following rule 1 and 4: having fun.

It's always nice to have your 6 year old correct you. And right then and there God used Caleb to correct my spirit about competition and how I was losing sight of why I agreed to coach in the first place: to invest in my son and help other non-churched families see a "switched" life.

Grabbing his hand and walking to the car, I was humbled and broken. It's here that God often speaks the loudest to me. I repented and renewed my vision to coach our team. The next Saturday morning I got a call that our best player wouldn't be there to play our afternoon game. Instead of allowing that to ruin my day, I headed to the field ready to encourage my guys and not worrying about the outcome of the game. It was so liberating to enjoy the game and see my son score his first goal of the season. I finally stopped allowing the pressure to win to overshadow the joy of coaching.

Our boys played great and won their first game. God always has a sense of humor.

I wonder what we would be like if we stopped allowing the outside pressures of work and relationships kill the joy that God has for us. Trust him, relax, we don't exist for the praise from others or to have a winning record. We're called to worship the king and reflect His glory alone.

Facebook: I Like It On... Really?

Lately women world wide are posting on their facebook status, "I like it on the..." and they name a place. Immediately, you begin to wonder what in the world are they talking about.


Turns out it's about breast cancer awareness and they are referring to where they place their purses...http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2010/10/i_like_it_on_your_facebook_sta.html

Really? The innuendo implied by these facebook statuses is yet another challenge for students and adults to keep their minds pure. Although, it maybe "cute" and "raising awareness" I think it causes minds to flutter. It's unfortunate that women would use this type of tactic to become a cry for such a worthy cause. I think it's demeaning towards women, it cause people to stumble in their thought life, and it's hard to redeem the necessity for such a slogan.

life book

Today I picked up over 1600 life books as we ready ourselves for The Life Book Project next week, October 11-15. We're asking that everyone of our Barlett area high school students jump on board and pass out 25 copies of the life book. I'm anticipating incredible things from this project and hope and pray that other churches in our area are as committed to this project like we are. Students don't need to hear men, they need to hear the word of God and the life book is an incredible opportunity for unchurched and unreached students to read God's word. Praying...

Rescue Me

Yesterday we had the terrifying experience of our middle son getting caught in a strong riptide and being swept out to sea.

We're in Ft. Morgan, AL enjoying a condo with some great friends, Clif an Sarah Anderson, this week. We've enjoyed the beach despite the media scare of oil ridden beaches and waters. Luckily, where we are at we have the occasional tar ball on the beach, but the water is clear and the beach has been fine.

The boys in our group have enjoyed some great body surfing due to a recent tropical storm in the gulf. Yesterday, Caleb was body surfing with his buddy and doing just fine in the somewhat rougher waters. I took a phone call away from the beach area so I could hear better and when I was returning I saw a bobbing head of a child in rough surf and three men running into the water to get the kid who was obviously been taken out by strong currents. I quickly realized that the kid in question was my red-headed boy wonder. Clif got there just in time to grab him. I was right behind him and was experiencing the riptide that had sucked Caleb out. Clif threw Caleb to me and when he got his arms around my neck he held on like he had never before. Together we got back to the beach safely having experienced a pretty close call. Aside from being shaken up, Caleb was fine.

This morning I got up thinking about what if we didn't get to him in time...enough about that.

When we take matters into our own hands in sin, we are headed for certain destruction. Sin draws us in and before we know it when in over our heads and overwhelmed with peril. God sent His Son Jesus to be our rescuer from the riptide of our sin. By the cross, Jesus pulls us out carries us into the safety of His will. I hope that when Jesus comes to my daily rescue as I'm enticed to sin that I'll clutch to him like my son clutched me.

Lord, give me the eyes to see the warning signs of sin. Father, when I'm being pulled away help me to recognize the rescue your Son provides and give me the strength to clutch to Him.

Earn It

I'm on my way to lead an FACS Leadership Retreat in Gulf Shores, AL. I'm super excited about the opportunity to invest in these seniors and coaches. I'm praying for God's strength, wisdom, and relentless love to overwhelm our meeting times. It's going to be a great week.

Here's a glimpse of some of the things we'll talk about...

EARN IT.

Saving Private Ryan is perhaps one of the greatest war movies of this generation. The movie takes place during World War II. After the invasion of fortress Europe on June 6th 1944, Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) leads his squad from the 2nd Ranger Battalion of the 29th Infantry Division, on a mission to find and bring home Private James Francis Ryan (played by Matt Damon) after the death of his three brothers. The mission takes them through Nazi occupied territory to establish contact with Ryan's unit: an element of the 101st Airborne Division. However, during their mission several members of the squad are killed as they attempt to bring back Private Ryan. At the end of the Capt. Miller jumps in the line of fire and saves Ryan. Before his death Miller utters something into Ryan’s ear,

“Excuse me, sir” asks Ryan.
“Earn this…earn it.” says Miller as he dies.

Man, what a line. Can you imagine the enormity of the charge? Capt. Miller was telling Private Ryan to earn his death by living his life, and living it well. I’m not sure how I would feel holding the dying body of a man who just took a bullet for me, not to mention him telling me to earn his death.

I can’t help but to think about Jesus’ death on the cross for my sins. He sacrificed his life, experienced the pain of a criminal’s execution, and took on the wrath of God, so that I can live. Choosing to live my life for the moment, to live my life for selfish gain seems to cheapen the Jesus’ death for me. I know I can never earn my salvation, but I hope I’m living my life in such a way as to glorify His death that gives me life.


Pray for us this week.