joy in the journey

It's Not All Up to Me

2011-10-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

If you run a business, raising a family, or part of any venture, chances are you think “it’s all up to you.” I’m not running a business or raising a family, but I am planting a church and the tendency is to think that “it’s all up to me.” Sadly that puts pressure on us that God never intended us to bear. It also robs us of our joy and God of His glory.

The truth is, it’s not all up to me, nor is it all up to you. It’s all up to God. Jesus did an amazing thing one day to teach his disciples this truth. It’s in the Gospel of John chapter 6. Here a crowd of people have gathered around Jesus when he turns to one of his disciples and asks, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” The truth is He already knew the answer but He said it to “test” Philip. Sadly Philip failed the test. He figured it was all up to him and so he said, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Andrew on the other hand, who was always bringing people to Jesus, brought a little boy to Jesus who had five barley loaves and two small fish. For sure it wasn’t much but, he knew that it wasn’t all up to him, but it was all up to Jesus. He passed “the test” and brought what he had to Jesus. Jesus then did an amazing thing. He not only multiplied the five loaves and two fish so that there was enough to feed five thousand men but he multiplied the little boys lunch so that there were enough “leftovers” for each one of the disciples.

So what’s the point? The point is IT’S NOT ALL UP TO ME, and neither is it all up to you, IT’S ALL UP TO HIM. The only thing we can do is bring what little we have to Jesus.

"No More Excuses"

2011-08-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the King’s Speech? It’s actually a great movie. It won four Oscars. Best picture, best actor, best director and best original screen play. Unfortunately it’s rated R, but that is only for one extended expression of expletives. Never the less I would still recommend it.

It’s based on a the story of King George VI, who was King during one of the most critical times in all of England’s existence. Bertie, as he was affectionately known before he became King, was never supposed to become the king. His older brother Edward was supposed to become King, but after his scandalous abdication from the throne because he married a divorced Hollywood starlet, “Bertie” was tapped to succeed his father King George the V.

The problem was “Bertie” had a terrible speech impediment,. He stuttered. So much so that it threatened not only his confidence but it threatened to undermine the entire confidence of the entire nation as well. Consequently his wife, arranged for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue. After a rough start the two form an unbreakable bond that enables him, the King, to overcome his stuttering and find his “voice”, a “voice” that inspires his people and unites them in battle.

Well, in the Bible we have a story of someone who struggles with a very similar speech impediment and inferiority complex and yet God calls him at a very critical point in his nations history to lead his people. And yet he argues with God, offering him nothing but excuses for why he can’t do what God wants him to do.

His name is Moses. He is another one of the Old Testament Super Heros we’ve been looking at this Summer at Journey. The last time we saw him he was suffering from anything but an inferiority complex. His problem in the beginning was that he was too confident. He knew that God had a purpose for his life and so he set out to fulfill it. Consequently then one day while visiting “his” people he saw one of the Egyptians beating his fellow Hebrew and so he killed him, Exodus 2:11-12.

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

He thought that this was God’s calling for his life and it was, but it wasn’t God’s timing. He imagined that “his” people, the children of Israel would rally around and follow him. But that’s not what happened. Instead they turned on him. Consequently then he was forced to flee for his life, Exodus 2:13-15.

13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Moses then spends forty years in the wilderness, far from the comforts of the palace and the promise that one day he would become a great leader. But suddenly and almost without notice God shows up to Moses. He shows up to him in the midst of a burning bush and says, “I have seen the suffering of the children of Israel and now is the time I want you to go and rescue them,” Exodus 3:9-10.

9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

You would think then that Moses, when he heard this would have been thrilled. I can finally do what I was made to do, but that’s not what happens. Rather than respond to God in obedience he responds to God with an plethora of excuses. Over the next several posts we’ll look at Moses' excuses for not obeying God. I think you will be amazed because they look at lot like ours. (next time, excuse number 1)

Coming To Journey this Summer

2011-06-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

"It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's Carlo, our Children's pastor. He's dressed up like a Super Hero in order to promote our new Summer Teaching Series at Journey. We are doing a series called Super Hero's. It's a study of Old Testament Characters, unmasking the super powers of courage, perseverance, faithfulness, courage and more. To help us we are looking at the characters of Daniel, Elijah, Abraham and Joseph.

It's not just a series for our adults and teens, our children, Kindergarten through 5th grade are studying the same thing. This weeks Super Hero is Elijah. if you want to get a head start, read 1 Kings 18:1-39 and see if you can find out what his super power is and where he got it.

Is Tressel being Thrown Under the Bus?

2011-05-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I’m just sick over Coach Tressel’s resignation. Has OSU thrown him under the bus? Is their “brand” worth more than their belief in an individual? Yes, he made a mistake, a big one, but we all make mistakes. It won’t justify his behavior, but I would love to know why he lied? Was it to protect his reputation and future or was it was to protect his players? Or was it something else? I know there is no “legitimate” reason, but there are reasons and I would love to hear them from him before I throw the first stone.

I also wish that OSU would be different than every other University and organization and work to restore him rather than throw him under the bus, even if he crawled under the bus himself, Galatians 6:1

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

The End of the World

2011-05-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday the 21st is the day the world comes to an end?!

To be honest I cannot wait for that day. The Bible even says that we should pray for it, Revelation 22:20.

But…

The Bible also says that not even Jesus the Son of God, doesn’t know the day nor hour that He will come. Jesus said that only the father knows the hour. Matthew 24:36.

But…

What troubles me is that there is coming a day in which the world as we know it will come to end but not everyone is ready. And even though I doubt that it will be this Saturday, it could be soon. The best warning we have is that the world will end when things are like they were in the days of Noah, Matthew 24:37. Well what was it like in the days of Noah? In the days of Noah people were going about life consumed with their own pleasure and paying no regard to God, Matthew 24:38. How is it today? In my estimation it seems more like the days of Noah than ever before.

So. . .

Saturday the 21st could be the day the world comes to an end but I doubt it. On the other hand I think it’s a good reminder to be watching and ready. Matthew 24:44

44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Making a Difference

2011-03-10T15:40:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered if you could make a difference? I’m sure you have. The truth is we make a difference every day, whether it’s in how we treat a customer, talk to a waiter, or address our children or spouse. Most of us forget that because we are focused so much on the “big” things. At least I know I am. Sometimes I think that if I can’t do the big things, like share the gospel, save a marriage, or build a better church that I can’t make a difference. But that’s not true. Little things do matter and they matter more than we think.

I was reminded of that this week as we were privileged to share dinner with some friends in the Arizona sunshine. They are our former neighbors. They only lived in our neighborhood for about four years before they moved to Arizona, but while they were our neighbors God saw fit, in His providence to use the little things we did as neighbors to lead them to Christ. Honestly I don’t remember inviting them to church or even sharing the Gospel with them. All I remember is trying to be a good neighbor. He came to church one Sunday after receiving a flyer in the mail. I went to visit him, not so much as a pastor, but just to thank him for coming. I also invited him to our Friday morning men’s Bible study. He was eventually saved but his wife didn’t really want to have much to do with church or even Jesus Christ, so he asked me to pray for them. I did, but again that didn’t seem like much. However in the course of time she had a physical situation that rocked her world. I remember him telling me how hard that was for them both, so I decided to go and visit and pray for them again. That really didn’t seem like much either, but eventually God used that situation in their lives to bring her to Himself and she was saved too!

Now I would like to think that it was something “big” that Carol and I said or did that caused them both to come to Christ, but the truth is we were just willing to do the “small” stuff that anyone can do. Now they are not only Christians and serving in their church, but hosting a Bible study for their neighbors so that maybe God can use them to impact their world with the “small” stuff that God asks all of us to do every day.

Journey by the NUMBERS

2011-02-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

4982: total number of donuts consumed on Sunday

312: gallons of coffee drank on Sunday

86: number of people who volunteer to help with set-up, worship, children’s & hospitality ministry.

6: Number of states and countries in which we supported missionary or relief projects; Tennessee, Germany, Malawi, Haiti, Slovakia, Argentina

402: Number of families served this Christmas through the manger; 844 adults, 1245 children

27: percent of increase of offerings in 2010 over 2009

$49,702: Amount of money given away for ministry and missions

45: percent of people who are connected in a house church

5: number of house churches in 2010

1: number of churches planted in 2011

Those are the numbers we shared with the people of Journey Church last Sunday. It was all part of our annual “Souper Bowl” Celebration. It’s a time we set aside each year to share all that God has done through us. It’s amazing because that’s exactly what Paul and Barnabas did following their first missionary journey. They didn’t eat like we did but they “gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them and how that he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27

Notice they glorified God in their report, “. . .and declared all that God had done. . .” and how “he had opened up a door of faith to the Gentiles.” If I have any problem with a church’s “annual report” it’s that it more often than not glorifies the church and it's leaders. Paul’s goal was to glorify God.

But how do you do that? Well I think one way is to not talk about yourself. Paul and Barnabas experienced a great deal of opposition on their trip. They were opposed almost everywhere they went, whether it was the opposition of the false prophet, Elymas, or having their teaching rejected in Antioch of Pisidia or being stoned in Iconium. Either way it couldn’t have been easy. Yet Paul does not emphasize the hardships he endured but rather reported on all that God had done and especially the new thing of opening the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Second I think you glorify God when you let Him do new things in our life, things that you maybe never thought or even dreamed of doing. For Paul and especially the Jews it was a new thing that God would open up the door of faith to the Gentiles. Certainly Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles but almost everywhere he went, he went first to the Jews and understandably so, but God wanted to do a new thing and the new thing He wanted to do was open the door of faith to the Gentiles.

For us, or at least for me, the new thing He wanted to do was use us to “plant” a church. That wasn’t on our agenda for the year but it was on His agenda. We are still young church and smaller than most so how can you plant a church? Maybe the more important question is how can we not plant a church, especially when the Holy Spirit sets two of your leaders apart to do so, Acts 13:1-3. Pray then for us and for Tom and Vicki Chappelear as they seek to follow the Lord and plant a church in Grove City. To lean more check out this “new thing” check out the church at OneSpring.

Besides planting a church God also wanted us to expand the Manger ministry this year. It began three years ago by serving 80 some families. Last year it more than doubled by reaching over 200 families. This year it grew to serving over 402 families. It wasn’t because of anything we did or could have even dreamed of doing. It was because of what He did. God laid it on the heart of Columbus Dispatch Newspaper reporter, Holly Zachariah to write an article allowing us to reach more families and receive more donations than we could have ever imagined.

Now we have plans for 2011. There are some things we think we are going to do and some things we are not going to do, but I don’t want to put God in a box. Those are the plans we’ve made with the wisdom we have but I want to hold them loosely, loosely enough that when we meet for SOUPER BOWL V we will all be surprised and God will get the glory!

How Christians Share Their Faith

2011-01-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

Of evangelical Christians who are the ones most likely to share their faith? Where do they live? What is their race? and how old are they? Well interestingly enough those most likely to share their faith are hispanic "busters" (25 to 40 year olds) who live in the west.

That’s right, a recent survey by the George Barna research organization found that hispanics are more likely than blacks or whites in America to share their faith. The survey found that 76% of hispanics compared with 63% of blacks and 41% of evangelical white Christians have shared their faith at least once in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, 65% of westerner’s, compared to 59% of southerner’s and 58% of northeasterner’s shared that faith while only 41 percent of midwesterner’s shared their faith. And of those who shared their faith verbally, busters (25-40 year olds) shared their faith the most, 81%, compared with 64% of boomers (40-65 year olds) and 62% of builders (65+) sharing their faith in a discussion or dialogue.

Another insightful bit of information the survey uncovered is how do people share their faith. Of the 55% who shared their faith at least once over the last 12 months the most prevelant way people shared their faith was by promising to pray for someone (81%). Second was life-style (74%), discussion/dialogue (54%), Moral confrontation (50%), invite to church (49%), invite to event (45%).

However people share their faith Scripture makes it clear that God wants us to share our faith. Jesus told his disciples on the day that he went back to heaven that he wanted them to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth, Acts 1:8. That apostle Paul gives us a four fold pattern for being His witnesses. The pattern is speaking, opposition, perseverance and fruit-bearing. It’s repeated over and over throughout the book of Acts, but more important than Paul’s pattern is our pattern. Jesus wants us to be his witnesses and whether we are black, white or hispanic, a “buster” “boomer” or “builder” and live in the west, south, midwest or northeast God wants us to be His witnesses. Therefore if we want to carry out his purpose we need to do three things we can do.

1. Choose to speak up when given the opportunity.

2. Refuse to be disillusioned when opposed and

3. Commit to persevere.

If you want to know more feel free to check out last weeks message on the Journey Church website, The Pattern of Evangelism, and then join us this Sunday to find out Paul’s Pattern for Maturing Disciples.

Pity the man who falls.

2011-01-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

I fell this week. I fell walking across a snowy parking lot holding two pizzas in one hand and a bag with a salad and breadsticks in another. I don’t think I broke anything but I am little sore. Worse though I’m little embarrassed. I’m embarrassed because a friend of mine saw me fall. Fortunately he didn’t video tape it so there is no chance that it will be put on YouTube for the world to see, like the video of the women who walked into a fountain in while texting.

Fortunately my friend, rather than laugh at me, even though I know he wanted to, came over and gave me a hand up. It reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “ 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

I have a friend and he’s fallen recently. He didn’t fall walking in the snow, he fell while walking through life. The question is who will pick him up? Some people are trying but others seem to not want to be bothered by him at all. They seem to think he should get up by himself or worse they don’t care if he ever gets up. They would rather just see him go away.

The sad thing is this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. The same thing happened to another friend of mine. Truth is he probably didn’t “deserve” to be helped up, but then which one of us does? Someday we are all going to “fall” and when we do who will pick us up? Maybe no one, unless we have been willing to humble ourselves enough to help others when they’ve fallen.

Taking Time to Ponder

2010-12-23T13:25:00.001-08:00

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

Chances are you are if you are like me you are trying to get all the last minute things done before you can relax and “enjoy” Christmas. There are presents to wrapped, groceries and last minute gifts to be bought and for me there is a Christmas Eve message to finish along with the power point. There is hardly time to “ponder” all these things. Yet that’s what scripture says Mary did, Luke 2:19.

The word strangely enough means “to bring or throw together.” It’ sort of like what someone would do with the pieces of jig-saw puzzle. They would look at them over and over, trying to figure them out and fit them together. Mary was taking all the pieces of the puzzle and tying to fit them together, the angel’s announcement to her that she would have a baby and that he would be born of a virgin, the timing of the birth so that he would be born in Bethlehem, the fact that there was no room for them in the inn and that he would have to be born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

She also pondered the fact that the very first visitors to see her newborn son were not his grandparents or even friends but strangers, strangers in the form of smelly, unclean shepherds whose job it was to watch the Temple sheep. What did that mean? Was it a sign? A sign that her son was the Lamb of God who would one day be offered up for the sins of the world? Perhaps, but it didn’t make sense yet and so at least for now she took the time to ponder all these things in her heart.

I am convinced that Satan’s strategy is to keep us so busy that we don’t have time to ponder these things even at Christmas. Let me suggest then before Christmas is over that we learn from Mary the importance of taking time to ponder all these things in our heart, maybe by attending a Christmas eve service, or rereading the Christmas story as a family or just setting alone in the light of the Christmas tree and remember the real reason for the season is Jesus.

The Manger by the Numbers

2010-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

402. . 2089. . . 6267! Those are the numbers of families and individuals served and the number of presents distributed last week at the Manger. The Manger is a ministry Journey Church has partnered with for three years now. It is a Christmas gift store for needy families in Northwest Columbus. It's purpose is to help ease the burden of gift giving by allowing parents to shop for their families but at greatly reduced prices.

This years numbers were almost double last years numbers, perhaps because of the exciting article printed in the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday, December 8. The most telling comment in the article was a one made by a shopper. She observed that "these gifts have eased my burden, and I feel like a kid in a candy store, but it's the hugs and the prayers here that really matter." How thankful I am then for another number. That's the number of volunteers who gave hugs and ushered up prayers as well as donated and distributed Christmas gifts for the shoppers. This year there were more than 250 volunteers. That broke down to more than 63 per night.

The Manger is over for this year. We are not giving out any more presents but I have a feeling it's impact is far from over. Not only on the shoppers but on each of the volunteers. None of us will be the same and none of us are supposed to be.

No one, anywhere, under any circumstances, is beyond the reach of the Gospel.

2010-10-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

If the conversion of Saul teaches us anything, it is that “no one, anywhere, under any circumstances, is beyond the reach of the Gospel.” That’s what we learned last Sunday as we looked at the unlikely conversion of Saul, and it’s what I had to remember today when I went to get my hair cut. Truth is, I think the haircut is a bit expensive, but it’s a small price to pay for the privilege to share Christ.

Every time I go to the barber, we have a great conversation. He tells me what’s going on in his life and I tell him what’s going on in mine. Much of the stuff going on in his life is not easy. Some of it is his fault and some of it isn’t, but in the end I think it’s God trying to get his attention. Just like Saul, God is breaking into his life subtly and suddenly prodding him to believe and receive Christ as his Savior.

In reality, Saul was anything but deserving of being saved. After all, he was almost solely responsible for the persecution of the early church, yet, God loved him so much that He showed up suddenly in his life, blinding him with a bright light, vv. 3-4.

3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

That is often the way it works. Suddenly and without warning, God steps onto the scene and gets our attention. Maybe it's the sobering words of a doctor who says, “your biopsy isn’t good.” Or the unexpected news that one of your children has been in an accident. Amazingly, the jolt awakens our senses, and we suddenly remember that we are not in control, . . . no matter how wealthy, how educated or how accomplished we are.

For more than three decades Saul controlled his own life. He did everything he wanted to do; went everywhere he wanted to go; told people everything he wanted to tell them; and, probably, even bought everything he wanted to buy. But, SUDDENLY one day, EVERYTHING changed. No longer was he in control. Before he was standing and now he is kneeling. Before he was seeing and now he is blind. Before he was telling others what to do, and now he is being told what to do. And, before he is leading and now he is being led.

The most fascinating thing in this story is what God does next. Rather than “kick him while he is down,” God reaches out in grace towards Saul and offers him both forgiveness and a future, vv. 5-6.

5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

Saul never got over the grace of God that took hold of him on that fateful trip to Damascus, Philippians 3:12.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Literally in the Greek it says Christ Jesus arrested me. How ironic! PAUL WAS ON HIS WAY TO ARREST CHRISTIANS AND ALONG THE WAY, CHRIST ARRESTED HIM. I am praying now that God would use the circumstances in my barber’s life to “arrest” him, believing that “no one, anywhere, under any circumstances, is beyond the reach of the Gospel”

I wonder who you have in your life that you want to see saved. Maybe it’s your barber. Maybe it's a family member, a boss or an employee. Maybe it’s a mate or one of your children. Well, don’t give up. Remember that if the conversion of Saul teaches us anything, it is the fact that “no one, anywhere, is beyond the reach of the Gospel.”

Making Disciples

2010-10-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a church where we went to Sunday School, Church, Sunday night service and prayer meeting. We even had “youth group” before the Sunday evening service. Typically then I went to church at least 5 different times a week. There aren’t many churches like that anymore for which I am sort of glad.

Yet, I will say one thing about the “good old days”, it was a lot easier to “measure” someone’s spirituality then than it is now. All you had to do then was look around and see who was coming to church. The more services you attended the more spiritual you were. Right? Well, not necessarily. Jesus in his last words to his followers said “to make disciples.” (Matthew 28:20) In those days it was assumed that the more services you went to the better disciple you were. That may have been true, but it wasn’t guaranteed. I tend to agree with the old adage that “Going to church doesn’t make you a disciple any more than going to a garage makes you a car.” That was true then and it is certainly true now. So if going to church doesn’t make you a disciple what does? And how do we measure spiritual maturity?

For one I think it takes more than going to church. Going to church can be a tool for making disciples. Jesus often preached to large crowds, but the most compelling conversations he had were with individuals, conversations that were informal and seemingly unplanned. Jesus challenged people like the rich young ruler to go and sell all that he had. He invited the tax collector to come down from the tree for he was going to his house. He spoke to the woman at the well when no one else would give her the time of day. He also spoke to the woman caught in adultery after everyone else had left and He comforted people like Mary and Martha over the loss of their brother and His friend. He restored Peter with the calling to “feed His sheep.” And the list goes on and on.

Truth is the “old” approach to discipleship though it was simple to implement and measure did not always make disciples. For instance I went to a church where there were at least 300 on Sunday morning but only 30 or 40 on Wednesday night. So if we were depending on the pastors message on Wednesday night to make disciples we were only making disciples of barely a 10th of the congregation. The old approach then of “one size fits all” didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now. Jesus’ commands were not for the pastor or even a few talented teachers to make disciples but for ALL of us to make disciples. So here is my question, “How are you doing at making disciples?” “Who are YOU meeting with both in small groups and individually?” Whose life are you building into and who is building into your life? If we insist on discipleship being in large groups only, then we are going to miss the majority of our audience, but more importantly we are going to miss obeying Christ’s command and after all isn’t that what it is really all about.

Dance Like No One is Watching

2010-10-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Now that I am a grandparent, I have a lot more patience. Maybe it's because I can send them home! But one thing I wish I would have done when my kids were younger is relax more and "enjoy the journey." Unfortunately I can't go back and do it all over again but I can try to relax and enjoy the journey where I am. Maybe that's why this story and the accompanying verse mean so much to me today. I'm not sure of the original source but my brother in law sent it to me today, so I though I would just share it with you. It was forwarded to him in a MVNU Education Department Newsletter.

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with, we will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way, so, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time…and remember that time waits for no one. So stop waiting
until you finish school,
until you go back to school,
until you lose ten pounds,
until you gain ten pounds,
until you have kids,
until your kids leave the house,
until you start work,
until you retire,
until you get married,
until you get divorced,
until Friday night,
until Sunday morning,
until you get a new car or home,
until your car or home is paid off,
until spring, until summer,
until fall, until winter,
until you are off welfare,
until the first or fifteenth,
until your song comes on,
until you’ve had a drink,
until you’ve sobered up,
until you die, until you are born again
to decide that there is no better time
than right now to be happy…

HAPPINESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION. So, Work like you don’t need money. Love like you’ve never been hurt and Dance Like no one’s watching.

"for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13.

Hope for the Journey

2010-09-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

People today are increasingly hopeless. Hopelessness is nothing new however. Jesus’ disciples found themselves in a situation where they felt hopeless. In this mornings message at Journey Church, Dr. Bill Brown of Cedarville University shared from John 14:1-6, a message Hope for the Journey. Below are a couple of questions you and your “House Church” or spiritual friends can use them to discuss this weeks message. You can also hear the message again on the Journey Church “new” website.

1. What is one of your favorite apocalyptic movies?

2. What things “trouble” you when you think about the future?

3. Read John 11:32-35; 12:27-28; 13:21. What things “troubled” Jesus?

4. Read John 14:1-6. What things “troubled” the disciples? What hope did Jesus give His disciples?

5. What did Jesus say to His disciples that encourages you to face tomorrow?

An Open Letter to Journey

2010-09-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Journey Church Family,

I don’t think I’ve ever done this before but I wonder if you will give me permission to speak freely? Not about my dog, which I apologize for doing Sunday but about the deeper things of my heart. Maybe it’s because it’s Monday or maybe it’s because I’m not feeing very well but to be honest I’m a little discouraged. It’s not anything you did, you are amazing. I love you very much and am so grateful for each and everyone of you and for your love of God and each other. I’m just a little discouraged because there is so much I can’t control. I can’t control who comes to journey and who doesn’t. I can’t control whether they “like us” or whether they don’t. I can’t control whether people understand what we are doing or whether they resent us for doing it. But most soberingly I can’t control whether people will respond to the word of God or reject it. Maybe that’s why I found the following pastor’s blog so encouraging. It’s something someone sent me, someone who lives 2000 miles from Columbus but someone who God laid it on their heart to send to me. God then laid it my heart to send it to you and I hope it will encourage you as much as it encouraged me.

Dear Pastor/Church Leader,

you need to understand a few things about your church service yesterday…
What happened in your church services yesterday was AWESOME.
Yes, “that” service…where all of “that” stuff happened.
The one that MAYBE made you want to quit the ministry.
You’ve been doubting yourself, wondering why you do what you do…praying that people might actually come back next week and beating yourself up over things you should have said…or things you did say that you should not have said.
You are discouraged because you go online and look at other churches and see where hundreds of people are giving their lives to Christ…and you are BEGGING God for that, but you are just not seeing it yet…and are beginning to wonder if God has forgotten you.
BUT…just remember that God has you in a humble place so that He can prosper you (see Job 8:7)…and He has you hidden for the purpose of developing you into someone great (Isaiah 49:2).
He has NOT given up on you…He knows exactly where you are and has called you there “for such a time as this!”
Hold your head up and keep your eyes on Him…He who called you IS faithful.
Sometimes He allows us to see what happens…but most of the time the work He is doing is in their hearts…and that takes time for us to see.
There will be “seasons of fruit” and “seasons of root”…and when you’re not seeing the fruit then its a time for us to focus on the ROOT!
Keep preaching God’s Word and HE WILL honor it (Isaiah 55:8-13), no weapon formed against you will prosper (Isaiah 54:17) and He has GREATER plans for you than you could EVER imagine (Isaiah 49:6!) PerryNoble.com

The Death of the Five Year Plan

2010-08-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

If you are a planner you won't like this post, or maybe you will. In fact you may love it. I know had I started Journey five, ten or fifteen years ago I would have felt the need to develop "a plan." Now however because I am at the stage of life I am I resonate quite a bit with the following post that a friend sent me. It's a post from Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.TV. Listen to what he says then let me know what you think.

The Death of the Five-Year Plan
When I started in ministry two decades ago, everyone I knew made five-year plans. While planning is wise and biblical, I’m changing how I plan. Instead of planning for specific buildings, campuses, staff roles, and outreach, I’m planning to be prepared for opportunities that I can’t name today. We are creating margin and planning to respond quickly to ideas that we don’t yet have.
Speed, agility, flexibility, and financial margin are far better than a detailed road map. We are in the ready position. Instead of asking God to bless our carefully crafted plans, we’re trying to be prepared to move when He speaks and guides. When people ask me what we’ll be doing in five years, I laugh. I have no idea. But I’m certain it will be more fun and more impactful than anything I could plan today.

I Choose to Trust

2010-08-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Often I find myself in situations where I am torn between trusting God or trying to "fix it" myself." I hate to admit it but usually I fall on the side of trying to fix it. The problem with that is that rarely can I "fix it." Consequently I find myself "stuck" and unable to move forward. Well today I am choosing to trust. I know that battle is not over, but today I rolled the people and the situations that I can't fix over to God. I know I will have to do it again and again, but for now it feels good to trust and to know that He cares about the people and the situations that I care about even more than what I care about them.

5 "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:5,6

Getting "right" with God

2010-08-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

I’m studying today for the first message of our Jonah series at Journey. We are going to be in chapter 1 but today God spoke to me from Jonah 2:2.

In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. Jonah 2:2

Jonah had reached a point just like the prodigal son that he just wanted to be “right” with God. He had spent three days in the belly of a “big fish” and he didn’t know if he was going to live or die but that didn’t matter. What mattered is that he was right with God, and so “. . .from the depths of the grave he called for help.”

Now notice God’s response. God heard him, v. 2. “you listened to my cry.” God will always hear us when we come to him in humility, but the problem is we often come to him on our terms, expecting him to get us “out” of our situations. Jonah on the other hand simply came to God without any expectations, without any pre-conditions and God heard him.

Do you feel like God is far from you? Like maybe He isn’t listening to your prayers? Maybe the reason God doesn’t “hear” our prayers is that we have not reached the bottom yet. Unlike Jonah and unlike the prodigal son, we are too proud. Being “right” with God isn’t the most important thing. We want God for what He can do for us and not for who He is and for what we can do for Him.

If today you feel “swallowed” up by a “whale” of problems, try what Jonah did. Cry out to God in humility and know that he will hear you. He may even spit you out of your “big fish” and give you a “second” chance.

P.S. Join us this Sunday for our study of Jonah chapter 1. Note we are meeting in August at the Clubhouse at Heritage Golf Club located at 3525 Heritage Club Drive, Hilliard, Ohio (off of Rome Hilliard Rd., just South of Cemetery Rd.) Come an join us because life is a journey and no one should have to go it alone.

Who’s Coming to Your Church?

2010-07-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Tim Keller in his book The Prodigal God says that about a year into planting Redeemer Church in New York City someone asked him who was coming to his church? He said, it was about one third non-believers, one third believers and one third “recovering believers.” (Prodigal God, p. 68)

As I reflected on that I realized that God is bringing many of the same kinds of people to Journey. People who are believers, non-believers and what Tim Keller calls “recovering believers.” Using the story of the prodigal son he describes “recovering believers” as the “younger brothers” who had been hurt and offended by the self-righteous “older brothers.”

Amazingly the “older brothers in this story are a picture of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that were in the audience on the day that Jesus taught this parable, Luke 15:1. They were as lost as the tax collectors and sinners who were depicted by the “younger brother.” Sadly they were even more lost, because they were blinded or deceived and thus unable to see their true condition.

Tim Keller goes on to say, “elder brothers divide the world in two “The good people, like us are in and the bad people who are the real problem with the world are out. But Jesus says: “The humble are in and the proud are out. Luke 18:14. The people who confess they aren’t particularly good or open-minded are moving toward God, because the prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it. The people who think they are just fine, thank you, are moving away from God.”

In the end the question is which brother are you? Both of them were lost and both of them needed Jesus. And both were invited by the Father to fellowship with him but sadly only the “younger brother” the one who realized his lostness accepted the Father’s invitation. The older brother, though invited by the Father, “became angry and refused to go in.” Don’t let your pride keep you from coming to Jesus.

37 Things I Love About My Wife

2010-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

This week Carol and I are on vacation. For one thing we are celebrating our anniversary. We have been married for 37 years so I thought I would share 37 things I love about her. There are certainly more but it’s a start. Just wait till we’ve been married for 50!  

1. The fact that even though she’s a morning person and I’m a night person she still goes out for coffee with me at night and stays up late to watch TV even if she does fall asleep.
2. The fact that she doesn’t have a competitive bone in her body. (she has 202 competitive bones in her body).
3. The fact that she gave me four healthy, energetic, enthusiastic, athletic boys
4. The way she encouraged them when they were growing up, helping with their homework, rebounding basketballs, attending soccer games, working so they could go to college and soooo much more!
5. The way she has supported me in following God even when it meant moving away from home, back home, away from home and back home again
6. The way she sees our ministry as a calling and a partnership and doesn’t complain when I have one more call to make, one more visit to make, one more card to write or one more change on the power point!
7. The way she helps me build boundaries so I take time for her and for the family.
8. The fact that we can enjoy doing anything together as long as we’re together!
9. The way she takes care of her self and looks in her new black and white dress.
10. The way she prays for me and for our Journey Church family.
11. The way she has adapted to my family and enjoys going out to eat, long meals at the table and hugging everyone when they come in and hugging them again when they leave.
12. The way she tries to “do it all” being a mom, grandma, pastor’s wife, work outside the home, take care of her mom, love her husband!
13. How she meets my needs even at times when she is not in the mood.
14. How she used to let me “rile up” the kids when I came home even though they were supposed to be settling down.
15. How she roots with me for the Buckeyes
16. How good she looks in red. (did I say something like that already?)
17. How she works to make my life “special”.
18. How she still wants to spend time with me even after “all these years.”
19. How she gives 100% to the kids and our grand daughter.
20. She let’s me choose which restaurant to go to for breakfast. (lunch or dinner)
21. How she is always there to build me up and believe in me.
22. How she helps me understand and be understanding of people.
23. How she gets me chicken noodle soup, pears and seven-up when I am sick and then leaves me alone.
24. How she lets me drive when we go somewhere together.
25. How good she plays the piano.
26. How she supported me in front of the kids when they were growing up.
27. How she trusts me and how I can trust her completely, entirely, wholly, and 100%.
28. How she makes me laugh and still laughs at my jokes.
29. How good she smells.
30. How she lets me share with her something I just learned in my reading
31. How she let's me use her as a sermon illustration even if I do have to give her a dollar.
32. How she keeps learning and trying new things.
33. How I can tell her anything and she doesn't judge me but understands and loves me
34. The fact that she is my very best friend.
35. How we still get to cuddle in bed at night.
36. The fact that she married me.
37. The fact that she stays married to me and loves it.

Thanks!

OUCH!

2010-07-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

As a pastor I am expected to be a leader. The problem with leadership is that it can either be good or bad. an article in Leadership magazine indicated that pastors are often bad leaders, especially when it comes to modeling humility.

The Barna Group research probed what we pastors do in response to our frustrations and disappointments. They asked “Think back to the last time you felt disappointed or frustrated with people in your congregation. What did you do-if anything-to address the challenges you faced?’ The pastors could mention anything that came to mind. Here are the top ten responses:

Prayed about the issue (37%)
Confronted the issue immediately (34%)
Had someone on ministry team/board/staff deal with the issue (15%)
Looked for Scripture to address, solve the problem (14%)
Sound counsel from someone I trusted (10%)
Talked with the person (9%)
Confronted the issue eventually (9%)
Addressed it from the pulpit/in a sermon (4%)
Had a council/board meeting (2%)
Self-examination (2%) Leadership, Spring 2010, p.72

Sadly the survey found that only 2% took the time to examine themselves. I’m not sure what to say or to do about that. Paul told the Corinthians that the very first thing they should do is examine themselves, 1 Corinthians 11:28. As painful as it may be let me suggest something. The next time you are frustrated or face disappointment with people ask yourself what could you have done different, said different, or even felt different that might have helped in the situation.

Jim Collins, suggests that superb leaders don’t look out the widow to blame others. They look in a mirror to take ownership when things don’t go well. They look out a window to praise others when things do go well. Whether you are a pastor, a parent, or whatever, the challenge is to examine ourselves, to look in the mirror and when we see something we don’t like examine ourselves first, before we judge others. Jesus said, to “first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matthew 7:5. That’s love!

"I was hungry and you gave me no food. . ."

2010-06-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Recently I was challenged by the another quote from Frances Chans' book, Crazy Love. He asked the question, "How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as "Christ." ie the person driving painfully slow person in front of me, the checker at the grocery store who seems more interested in chatting than ringing up my groceries, the member of own family with whom I can’t seem to have a conversation and not get annoyed?" That in essence is the way Jesus wants us to see people, Matthew 25:37-40.

I was actually tested with that this week when I went to see a man in prison. I was waiting in the foyer to see him when they released a man who had been in overnight. They escorted him through the foyer and out the door. Then almost immediately after he left they building, a lady came out with a spray bottle trying to deodorizer every where he had been. He did smell but more than that, he was extremely unkept, unshaven, a bit crippled and elderly. Much to their dismay and a bit to mine he came back in the building and sat down across from me. To be honest I didn't want to talk to him, cause I didn't know what to say. I almost said something about his shoes. They were bright orange slip-on tennis shoes. They reminded me of the soccer shoes some of the World Cup players are wearing so I thought they were sort of cool. I'm glad I didn't say anything though because in the course of the conversation he told me that that they were prison shoes. They had given them to him because he didn't have any of his own. As it turned out he was not only shoeless but homeless too.

I didn't do anything for him, except talk to him. In the end I was convicted as to how I see people who "hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison" Do I see them as a nuisance or as if they were Jesus? Jesus would want me to see them as if they were Him and give them food because they are hungry, water because they are thirsty and something to wear (even if it was orange shoes) because they are naked.

Think You are Getting Old?

2010-06-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

Think you are getting old? Well chances are you it’s true. And if you weren’t sure of it here is a list of things that each high school senior have never known or never been without.

1. They have always had Cartoon Network to watch 24 hours a day
2. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
3. There have always been flat screen televisions.
4. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
5. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations
6. They have never been Saved by the Bell
7. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
8. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
9. They have never used a card catalog to find a book
10. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables. Beloit College Mindset List http://www.beloit.edu/mindset
Now if you didn’t feel old I bet you do know. Compare that with the top ten things you and I never knew. We never knew. . .

1. a choice in tennis shoes
2. self-serve gas stations
3. seat belts
4. cell phones
5. bike helmets
6. personal computers
7. cell phones
8. ipods
9. DVD’s, DVR’s, ATM’s and BFF
10. and blogs!

Have You Ever Had to Repent?

2010-06-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had to repent? I did recently when I came across another quote in Frances Chan's book Crazy Love. In wrestling with how to define success he said, "God's definition of success is pretty straightforward. He measures our life by how we love." (Frances Chan, Crazy Love, p. 93)

How do you love? And more importantly who do you love? Do you love only those who will love you in return or do you love your enemies. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:43-45, ESV)

In our culture, even if a pastor doesn't actually love people, he can still be considered successful as long as he is a gifted speaker, makes his congregation laugh, or prays for "all those poor, suffering people in the world" every Sunday. But Paul writes that even if "I have all faith so, as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing? (1 Cor. 13:2-3 ESV)."

How do you define success? It seems that nothing we do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving he people he has made.

Laugh Out Loud

2010-05-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

If you want to know what people are really like, find out what makes them angry, what makes them weep, and what makes them laugh. The test isn’t infallible, but you’d be surprised how much it reveals. Warren Wiersbe, On Being a Servant of God, p.55.

Lately I’ve been in a battle. A battle not just for the heart but for my sense of humor. If you know me, you know that’s a big deal. I love to laugh but lately it’s been hard to find anything to laugh at. I’ve come to take myself and the things around me too serious. Not that things aren’t serious, they are, but here is the truth. God has not lost control. As a friend reminded me this week, the reality is…
• Jesus loves people way more than we do!
• He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion! (Philippians 1:6)
• He has SO MUCH MORE in store for us than we can imgine! (Ephesians 3:20)
• He will reveal WHAT we need to know…WHEN we need to know it!
• He has a plan for our lives…and He is at work fulfilling it (Ephesians 2:10)
• If it is HIS WILL then it is HIS BILL…what the KING wants the KING pays for!!!
So laugh out loud because a merry heart is still the best medicine, Proverbs 17:22

I Never Imagined. . .

2010-04-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20

I don’t know if I lack vision or if God just wants to surprise me, but most of what happens to me is more than I could even ask or imagine. Truth is I like it that way. I would hate for God to do only what I could ask for or imagine. So yesterday He “surprised” me again. He surprised me by doing a number of things that I couldn’t ask for or even imagine.

I never imagined. . .

• That people would find us on Easter, even though we were meeting at a different location.
• That we could consume 12 gallons of Starbucks coffee and 10 dozen Krispy Kreme in less than 15 minutes
• That volunteers would happily “move” the whole church from one location to another just for one service.
• That people would invite their family and friends to a church that didn’t have a building. . .and they would come!
• That my granddaughter (and her mom and dad) would visit on Easter so I could “show her off” to the church.
• That my wife would love God, me, and the ministry enough to stay up way past midnight to finish my PowerPoint.

But as good as that is I never imagined . . .

• That God would love me so much to send His son Jesus to became “what we are, so that He could make us what He is,” Isaiah 53:5
• And that I could have the opportunity each week to encourage others with the same encouragement that God encourages me with, 2 Corinthians 1:4

And most importantly I never imagined that

• the tomb is empty and HE IS ALIVE!

Leadership Lessons from Brett Favre

2010-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am always reading other people’s blogs and their insights. Recently I was reading Mark Batterson’s blog and he had written down these leadership lessons learned from Brett Favre. And since it's Super Bowl week I thought I would "pass" them on to you. Get it "pass" them on to you? He's a quarterback! Oh well, here they are.

1) Slap your teammates on the butt.
No one does it better than Favre. Great leaders are great encouragers! They go around slapping people on the butt, figuratively speaking of course! Love the way he head butts his lineman too. Again, I would practice this one figuratively!

2) Call an audible.
On this one I'd say that the only quarterback who is better at it than Favre is Peyton Manning. Great leaders recognize when there are eight men in the box and they need to audible to a quick slant or screen pass. Leadership is not static. It takes all factors into consideration. It is the ability to process a ton of information in a short amount of time and make a good quick decision!

3) Throw a block downfield
One of the things I love about Favre is that he's not afraid to throw a block for his teammates. Quarterbacks don't do that. Favre does. Great leaders are great servants. They set the example they want others to follow.

4) Laugh in the locker room.
No one has more fun than Favre. Plays the game like a kid. Anybody see his rendition of Pants on the Ground after the game? Gotta love it. I think laughter is so critical to leadership longevity, especially in ministry! There's lots of crying so you need to counterbalance it with lots of laughing!

5) Huddle Up
Favre exudes confidence when he's in the game. You're never out of it with the old gunslinger in your huddle. I think great leaders build the confidence of those around them. Love the way Drew Brees does this in New Orleans too! Amazing pre-game chants!

6) Keep Watching Game Film
Favre has played the game for eighteen seasons, but he puts in the time watching game films. After every series you can see him coaching his young receivers and looking at pictures from the coaches booth. Leaders keep learning and keep teaching!

7) Don't be afraid of throwing interceptions.
Favre had his career-best when it came to interceptions this season, but he holds the all-time interception record. Lesson? If you want to hold the record for most touchdown passes you're probably going to throw some interceptions along the way! Great leaders aren't afraid of making mistakes. They're afraid of missing opportunities! Win or lose, they leave it all on the field.

Are You a Risk Taker?

2010-01-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

If had a choice which of the following activities would you do?

Read a good book by the fire or. . .go snow skiing?
Take a walk or. . .ride a motorcycle?
See and action adventure movie or. . .watch a romantic comedy
Take a cooking class or . . .or take a hang gliding lesson

I don’t know whether Jesus would take a cooking class or go hang gliding but one thing for sure, Jesus never “played it safe.” How do I know that? Well for one thing, when presented with a choice of healing a leper, he chose not only to heal him but to touch him in the process, Matthew 8:1-3.

1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

Lepers were the ancient world’s “untouchables.” Lepers were required by law to remove themselves from society, to live in colonies and to cry out or ring bells in warning when approached. Even today, in some parts of the world, lepers are still considered untouchable and as such, they live in permanent quarantine.

Jesus didn’t have to touch him to heal him. He had healed people before, often with just a word. But the leper needed more. He needed to know that there was someone who cared, not only for his physical healing but his emotional healing as well. Who do you know that needs touching? Will you risk touching them today? Your touch could bring the hope and healing they need.

Wow, Can He Say That?

2010-01-04T08:50:00.001-08:00

I don't know if you saw it or not, but listen to what Brit Hume said yesterday. I think he hit the nail on the head. Maybe it's because he cares more about Tiger, the person than Tiger, the golfer.

It All Started and Ended at Caribou

2009-12-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Caribou is probably my favorite coffee shop right now. Although Panera is still better for breakfast and lunch, Caribou has the best coffee. Consequently Carol and I start every Sunday morning Caribou Coffee. We have a large light roast and a French toast muffin. We share them both, but more importantly she brings in her computer and I bring in my notes so we can review the morning and make any final changes on the power point.

This Sunday morning was going to be different though. I wasn’t going to be speaking. I was going to share communion but we were going to open up the service to let people share their Thanksgiving “stories” instead. I wasn’t sure how many people were going to share their “stories” but I knew there were a lot of people with "stories" that I hoped they would share. As it turned out there were more than a dozen people who spoke. They were all lined up in front of the auditorium and simply shared their "stories" and then passed the mic down to the next person so they could share theirs.

The “stories” were awesome. None of them were stories of thanksgiving for a simple life, instead they were stories of thanksgiving for God being there when life was tough, when they lost a job, when they got sick or when their children or parents got sick. Isn’t that the way it is, we sometimes forget to be thankful when life is “easy.” It’s not until we lose something or at risk of losing something that we stop to be thankful. It was so moving that someone said, "the only thing we need to do next time is hand out Kleenex."

In the beginning I wondered "can you do that?" "Will anyone share?" "Will people feel “cheated” because there wasn’t a “message?" "Would they get bored with people just telling their “stories?” Well I didn’t need to worry, everyone loved it, and so did I. Not because I didn’t to speak, but because God got to be lifted up in “real life.”

That’s what I am thankful for about journey. Not just that there is permission to do things different but that you get to be “real.” And then after being “real” you are still loved. That’s what I think church is. It's not a place or a program but a people, a people who are on a journey together towards loving God and one another.

But as great as that was our day wasn’t over. After church Carol and I went out to dinner with the family. We celebrated our daughter in-law's birthday and the boys being home for Thanksgiving. Then we went home and took a nap. We needed it after a busy weekend that included hosting Carol’s family for Thanksgiving on Saturday. We must have had too much coffee because we couldn’t rest for too long so we went shopping. After shopping we went out to eat again and then stopped by Caribou to finish the day off where we started, only this time we didn’t have to share, we each got our own coffee!

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8

Count Your Many Blessings. . .

2009-11-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Every year on Thanksgiving Day. . . the average person consumes 4500 calories. America feast on 535 million pounds of turkey and more than 40 million green bean casseroles are served.

Well I don’t know about the green bean casserole but I do know that this year as American faces dark days and severe challenges it is more important than ever to count your blessings. A great idea is to get out a piece of paper and write them down. Be specific. Name individual family members and friends. Think of your health, home, city, country and church. Ask yourself what, exactly, about those people and places are a blessing? How about your skills, talents, education and job? Think about those things that happened this year that seemed like a coincidence. Were they a coincidence or was it really God at work, providentially providing you with just the thing you needed when you needed it? Then don’t forget God’s greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ. You will be amazed a how many blessings you truly have.

Lessons from Riding the Roller Coaster

2009-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

More than just keeping your arms and legs inside the car. . . we are called to lean forward and enjoy the ride.

Carol and I went to Kings Island on it's opening weekend. It was Memorial Day weekend 1972. It was probably the last time Carol rode a roller coaster with me, at least willingly. She doesn't like roller coasters but I do, or at least I used to.

It's been a long time since we've been to an amusement park let alone ride a roller coaster, but one of the things I remember them saying was "keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times." That's before they strapped you into your seats with saftey harnesses that make it nearly impossible for you to breath.

I used to think that was the way we should live life, surrended to the one who orders our steps with all of it's ups and downs, and twists and turns, but I'm afriad that is a bit fatalistic. I think instead we should learn to live life leaning forward, enjoying and anticpating whatever comes our way knowing that God can be trusted, after all the cross stands as a constant reminder that we have nothing to fear.

Overwhelmed

2009-08-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was overwhelmed with the faithfulness of God. It hit me while I was listening to an old album, yes an album. You know those big round plastic things that you play on BOTH sides. Any way the album was Mirror by Evie Tornquist. It’s funny isn’t it how music just like smells can take you back, almost instantly to a very specific place and time in your past. For me, listening to the album, took me back to Allegany, New York. That was the place of our very first ministry. We were only 23 and fresh out of college. Allegany was a really small town, so we used to go to Buffalo almost every week on our day off just to get our big town fix. One time on our “day off” we went to a Christian book store in Buffalo and bought this album. It was one of our favorites. We listened to it until we almost sick of it.

Listening to it again brought back tons of emotion, especially listening to one song. It was the song Jesus Was There All The Time. What overwhelmed me was to think how that same Jesus who was with us 34 years ago in that little town of Allegany New York, has been with us all the time and is still with us today, and will be with us in the future. It reminds me of the verse in Psalm 139 where the Psalmist says, ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Though such knowledge is “too wonderful for me” to understand it does not change or alter the truth one bit. He is faithful and will forever be faithful, faithful to be present and at faithful to be at work both in and around me.

JESUS WAS THERE ALL THE TIME

By Joann Albert and Ron Harris

A lifetime ago a young girl alone

Stood quietly thinking of fried she had known,

I know what she felt like, I know of the cause,

The girl I speak of is who I was.

Unable to face what life seemed to be,

There seemed to be nothing important to me,

Nothing to look for and nothing to find,

No one close to ease my mind.

But Jesus was there all the time,

Waiting to open the door.

Forgiveness has always been mine,

A new life and, oh, so much more.

From somewhere I felt what I couldn’t see,

His presence was slowly enveloping me,

Filling me, healing me, making me new,

I felt His message coming through.

That Jesus was there all the time,

Waiting to open the door.

Forgiveness has always been mine.

A new life and, oh, so much more.

And now I can sing with pride in my son,

I’m singing of things that were there all along.

I’m feeling the strength that was give to me,

For Jesus was there all the time.

Hey, Can You Do That?

2009-08-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I sure hope so. At least we are giving it a try. Last week at journey I began team teaching with Andy Stanley. Yes you read it right, Andy Stanley. He's not actually there live, but he is there on video. I try to introduce the message with a few personal comments and then Andy comes up (actually we just turn on the video) and teaches for about 3o minutes. After that I try to wrap it up in with some sort of application.

The first week went pretty good so I am looking forward to doing it again this week. It's a series called "The Best Question Ever: Learning to Foolproof Your Life" It's based on the book and DVD teaching of Andy Stanley by the same name.

The first week we looked at "the Best Question Ever". It's not, "Is it moral?" "Is it legal?", or "Is it right?", but rather, "Is it wise?" Is it wise based on my past, my current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams? That seems to be what the apostle Paul was saying when he wrote to the Ephesians, "Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, as making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

This week we are going look at Proverbs 1 and notice three kinds of fools, the simple (naive), the foolish and the mocker. Hopefully we'll discover what kind of fool we are and how we can move from either the seat of the naive, the foolish or the mocker, into the seat of wisdom.

Independence Day Celebration

2009-07-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Independence is such a revered concept in America that we actually have a holiday named for it. In fact we celebrated it last week. It’s July 4^th or Independence Day. At journey we celebrated it with a Patriotic Pig Roast. Instead of meeting in the morning we met in the afternoon and instead of meeting at the usual place we met at the Fisher Farm. It was a great time of food and fun.

Yet there is an independence that we as Christ followers were never intended to have, an independence from God and from one another. Jesus when he was asked by one of the experts in the law “what is the greatest commandment?” said it was to love the Lord your God and to love one another as ourselves, Matthew 22:35,36.

³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^[b] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[c] ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

How do we love God with all of our heart and love one another as ourselves? That’s the question we asked this past Sunday at journey. We concluded that we love God by following the admonition of Proverbs 3:5,6.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ^[a]

Then we live in interdependence with one another by recognizing that we are not complete in and of ourselves but merely one part of “the body” in which no part is more important than the other and everyone sorrows with those who sorrow and rejoices with those who rejoice, 1 Corinthians 12:12,

¹²The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

While I am grateful for the independence and freedoms I enjoy as an American I am even more grateful for the privilege of being part of a people who are seeking to live in dependence of God and interdependence of one another.

Clarity, is only a song by John Mayer

2009-05-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

One of the things I’ve found myself looking for in life is clarity. I don’t think I’m alone. Brennan Manning in his book Ruthless Trust tells a interesting story of the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh who went to work for three months at “the house of dying” in Calcutta. He went there seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, “And what can I do for you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.

“What do you want me to pray for?” she asked. He voiced the request that he had brought thousands of miles from the United States: “pray that I have clarity.”

She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” when he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God

The truth is I have often prayed for clarity and I have often prayed for clarity for others, yet I agree with Brennan when he says “that clarity is sometimes the biggest obstacle on our journey of trust.” I mean if you have clarity you really don’t need trust and if you have trust you really don’t need clarity. Jesus disciples were obviously concerned with a lack of clarity when Jesus told them he was going away. Consequently they became anxious and worried. Jesus told them not be anxious but rather to trust, John 14:1. A lot of things make us anxious, but the bottom line is to replace our pursuit for clarity with trust, trust in God and trust in Jesus Christ.

¹"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God^[a]; trust also in me.

Clarity by John Mayer (Click the title to hear the song)

I worry, I weigh three times my body
I worry, I throw my fear around
But this morning, there's a calm I can't explain
The rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on
Well all I got's

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
That it won't and it won't because it can't
Because it just can't
It just can't
It's not supposed to

Was there a second of time that I looked around?
Did I sail through or drop my anchor down
Was anything enough to kiss the ground?
And say I'm here now and she's here now

Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh

So much wasted in the afternoon
So much sacred in the month of June
How bout you

And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When it won't and it won't
Because it won't
And I will waste no time
Worried 'bout no rainy weather
And I will waste no time
Remaining in our lives together

"I Quit!"

2009-01-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

For most pastors they quit almost every Monday. Maybe it’s the Elijah syndrome, I don’t know but nevertheless the other day I quit, not from the ministry but from trying to charge or in control of “the church.” Funny because the truth is I was never in charge or in control anyhow, but somehow I had come to think I was or at least was supposed to be. Maybe that’s the reason why a segment on the Glenn Beck show the other day resonated so much with me. I’m not a regular listener but I might be after hearing this.

He was doing an interview with a guy named Richard Eyre. He has written a book called “The Three Decievers” He states that these are the thing we all strive for and measure our success by. . .they are control, ownership and independence.

The problem as I see it is that while they are all valued in the world, they are actually all objectives contrary to The Word. For instance we are not in control of anything. God is the only one in control and to try to be in control is to try to be God.

Second ownership. We don’t own anything and the things we think we own will either burn up or be left behind.

Third is independence. Again though it is a particularly highly valued objective in American culture, it is actually “the” major attitude that hinders spiritual growth and community.

What Richard Eyre goes on to do then is propose an alternative objective for each of these. An alternative that I think is much more in line with the Bible even though I do not know whether he is a Christ follower or not. Nevertheless they are worth sharing and maybe talking about more in detail later. They are Serendipity, Stewardship and Synergicity. The last one sounds like a bit of a stretch just to make it alliterative so maybe he is a Christian or at least a pastor. I might blog more about the book later but if you want to read more on your own you can check it out at “The Three Deceivers”

What Did You Get for Christmas?

2008-12-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

Do you remember what it was like as a child to wake up on Christmas day and go downstairs or out in the living room and see all the presents underneath and around the tree? You would open them up one by one, play with them for a while and then sometime before the day was up you’d phone your best friend and tell him everything you got. (I suppose now they just text message their friends while they are opening their presents.)

Well before we are too critical, that’s actually what the shepherds did after the very first Christmas. They didn’t text message their friends but they did return to their jobs, to their friends and even their family to tell that what they had heard and seen.

17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Could I pause here for just a moment? We have an awful lot of information floating around out there about how we should witness to others and share our faith. For many Christians I know that is one of the most terrifying things, to tell somebody else how they feel about Christ. And part of it is because we have misunderstood what it means to be a witness.

A witness doesn’t necessarily mean you have to know (1) the four spiritual laws or (2) the evangelism explosion presentation of the gospel or (3) the Romans road or (4) any of the other methods that have been created to put the gospel in some sort of format.

Witnessing merely means you tell somebody else what you has happened to you. On that night the shepherds, had heard and seen that a Savior had been born, to them, the lowliest and least likely of all people.

Next week when we return to work or even this weekend when we return to our friends or family, let’s commit to being a witness, a witness of the things that God has done for us.

20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I Am Tankful For. . .

2008-12-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

II know it's not Thanksgiving but I "stumbled" across this the other day and thought it was too good to wait to share next year so here it is today. It might be good to remember as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

I Am Thankful For...

For the teenager who is not doing dishes but is watching TV, because that means he is at home and not on the streets.
For the taxes I pay, because it means that I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking, and that I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in my place of worship when she sings off key, because it means that I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

and finally....

For too much e-mail, because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

What I'm Thankful For

2008-11-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Name one thing you can thank God for this year that you couldn't thank Him for last year. Here are a few of my thoughts...

One thing we can be thankful for is the price of gas. Who would have thought we would ever see gas prices under $2 a gallon, let alone $1.57?!

Another thing I am thankful for is that the elections are over. That means no more political commercials! (at least for a while).

Also, I am thankful for the prospects of a new roof, courtesy of Hurricane Ike.

As I reflect over this past year, I am MOST thankful for where the "journey" has taken me - a deeper relationship with the Lord, birth of Journey Church, and the MANY new & deeper friendships I have with people like YOU!

A year ago we prayed that if God wanted us to plant a church that He would provide three things: a people, a place and provision. Now, a year later, He has provided all three! How thankful I am to just be a part of His plan and to obey His command to "go into all the world and make disciples." (Matthew 28:18)

2008-11-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Dance like no one is watching.

Sing like no one is listening.
Love like you've never been hurt and
live like it's heaven on Earth."

A while back I was faced with a difficult decision that required taking a risk. A friend of mine understanding my "fears" gave me a wall plaque that said "dance like no one is watching." I shared it Sunday to illustrate how the Holy Spirit can transform us with his power to do what we wouldn't do on our own, Acts 2:13-41. Little though did I realize it is part of a larger quote. Does anyone know who said it? His picture is next to the saying. Now all I need is the courage to sign up for dancing classes! Yea right

11 Days and Counting!

2008-10-24T08:10:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad when this election is over. For me it’s been a pretty big “distraction.” Maybe that’s not a fair description but it’s on my mind almost all the time. I don’t like it but it’s hard to avoid, after all it’s everywhere, on the radio, on TV, and even in video games! (no kidding, there are billboard advertisements in some new video games)

It seems like people are desperate and even in despair about the future of our country and the results of the election. Well I am concerned about the future of our country, but I am not in despair. God is and will be in control regardless of the results of this or any other election. What I am concerned about is that politics seems to have become our (Christians) primary concern and calling. Politics is our concern, but it’s not our calling. Our calling is to be “His witnesses.” That’s what Jesus told his disciples on the day he was taken up into heaven. Acts 1:8

8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

At the time the disciples were being distracted by the politics of their day. They were wondering if this was the time Jesus was going to set up His kingdom. Jesus said, “that’s not your concern. What is your concern is being “my witnesses.” Look at it again. It’s as if Jesus were alive and speaking to us today.

6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

My question today is, whose witnesses are you? Who do you tell people about? Who are you looking for to “save” you. I think the Psalmist had it right when he said,

7 Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we truest in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

If the Lord is our Savior, then let’s be first and foremost His witnesses!

P.S. My name is not Barack Obama or John McCain but I approve of this message. Thanks

Think on These Things

2008-10-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Did you know the average person has over 1000 thoughts per hour. If he or she is writing the number of thoughts goes up to 1500. (No wonder we are tired by the end of the day.) What kind of thoughts do you think? If I'm not careful I focus on the things I've lost, rather than the things I have; the things that need to be done, rather than the things that are already done; the things I don't know, rather than the things I know.

Apparently I'm not alone. Look at what the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 4:8

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

He wanted to remind them and us that we need to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. But that's not easy, so after teaching this text I decided to start a journal called "think on these things." It's a place to record the "good" things God is doing in my life. It's amazing how many things I see now that I might have missed if I wasn't looking for them.

Up, Up and Away (sort of)

2008-10-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon, or at least I said I did, so when I saw one at Homecoming I thought, "here's my chance." I was sure it was my chance when I found out it was free! The only "hitch" was it was tethered. That means it was tied to four cars so you couldn't get any higher than 45 or 50 feet off the ground. Still it was FREE so why not. Besides I could get some pictures of the game from the air. Only disappointing thing was I couldn't get Carol to go with me. Maybe next time.

Fire Them All!

2008-09-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

At least that’s what Barack Obama said we should do. Responding to John McCain's call for the firing of the chairman of the Security Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox, Obama called for voters to "fire the whole Trickle-Down, On-Your-Own, Look-the-Other-Way crowd in Washington who has led us down this disastrous path. Don't just get rid of one guy, get rid of this administration, get rid of this philosophy, get rid of the do nothing approach and put somebody in there who is going to fight for you."

In my humble opinion we should fire them all. That is everyone in Wall Street and everyone in Washington, Democrats and Republicans both. They have in essence all let us down. Their partisan politics is about to cost us 700 billion dollars and maybe more.

I know this is politics and I shouldn't’t be talking about politics but I think the lack of communication and trust in politics is really only symptomatic of what we see in every institution today including the church. We have let partisan politics divide the church and it’s institutions. It’s nothing new. Every church in the first century experienced it, even the church in Philippi.

Paul, when he dealt with conflict in the church said, I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord, Philippians 4:2. He doesn’t say what the conflict was nor does he say who is to blame but pleads with them BOTH, for God’s sake, to get along.

Whether in Washington or in the church there is plenty of blame to go around. Let’s stop pointing fingers and blaming each other and start being part of the solution. If we don’t it will cost us more than 700 billion it will cost the souls of millions of lost people who need to see us working together.

I Like "Ike"

2008-09-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a political statement, it's my opinion of the recent hurricane named Ike. I like Ike not because of the death and devastation it left in it’s path but because of the brief moment in time in which I experienced what it was like before electricity. I doubt I would ever want to go back to life in the “dark ages,” but there were some elements of not having electricity that I enjoyed.

For one I didn’t have to worry about answering any e-mails. (I was glad for my cell phone though) . . .For another I got to meet neighbors I haven’t seen all summer. It seemed like everyone and his proverbial brother was out looking at the storm. We sat out back for a little while and then Carol moved to the shelter of the front porch just in time to watch our neighbors chimney blow over. I told him he won for the house with the most damage. (I don’t know if he thought it was funny or not, but I tried)

Another reason I liked not having electricity is that we went to be earlier. We tried reading but that got tough with just candles. Eventually we gave in a went to bed, which made it easier to get up in the morning.

The power is came back on yesterday, almost 24 hours after it first went out, so guess what we did last night. We stayed up later than usual watching a tv in bed. Oh well so much for life in the “dark ages.”

How about you? Is your electric back on yet? I hope so. If not go to bed early and catch up on your sleep while you still can!

Would it be Wrong to Pray for Rain?!

2008-08-27T20:35:00.001-07:00

I think it would, but not because I am for one candidate over another but because politics is out of control. We have made politicians our God. We look to them as if they can "save" us. G.K Chesterton, the great British theologian and pastor said, "Once we abolish God, the government becomes the God."

We shouldn't "worship" any politicial, neither should we dislike a politician so much that we pray for rain when he accepts the nomination for president from his party. Instead commit to praying "for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, . . " 1 Timothy 2:2

The Message in a Mug

2008-08-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a friend dropped by my house. He and his wife had been to Starbucks (sorry Panera). While they were there they saw a mug that made them think of me, so they bought it. Then just a week ago another friend dropped by with the very same mug. He had seen it at a Starbucks out of town and thought of me, too. I guess there must be a message. Well, I think there is. It’s rooted in Philippians 3:12-14.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The message for me is that I am supposed to live life looking ahead and not looking back. But according to the Apostle Paul that requires three decisions or disciplines.

First it requires the discipline of FOCUS, v. 13

“But one thing I do:”

One thing is a phrase that is repeated often in scripture. It’s something Jesus said to the self-righteous rich young ruler in Mark 10:21

21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

It’s something Jesus said to his friend Martha when she was stressed out over fixing food for him while her sister was setting and listening to him.

42but only one thing is needed.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

It’s also something that the man blind from birth said to his accuses after Jesus healed him, John 9:25.

25He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

Finally it’s something the Psalmist said in Psalm 27 when speaking of what was important to him.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

For the apostle Paul, his one thing was Christlike perfection, v. 12

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Second, it requires the discipline of FORGETTING, v. 13.

“forgetting what is behind. . . ”

This is the most difficult one for me. For some reason I have trouble letting go of the past. Maybe that’s the reason I connect so much with what Erwin McManus said in his book “Chasing Daylight.” He said, “I had things that wouldn’t let me go because I wouldn’t let go of them” (p. 18) Forgetting is a discipline. We have to choose to forget.

Third, living life looking ahead requires the discipline of FORGING AHEAD, v. 13b, 14.

“and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Paul uses two words here to communicate the discipline or effort required for him to make progress. First, he used the word translated "straining ahead". This is an athletic term, “straining ahead.” It’s a description of the kind of effort Michael Phelps used in winning the gold in the 100m butterfly. He didn’t glide in, but took one more stroke, making one last effort to push ahead.

Second, he uses the term “press toward” v. 14. Here he moves from the picture of an athlete to the picture of a hunter. The Greeks used it to describe a hunter eagerly pursuing his prey. It carries with it the idea of an intense endeavor.

Now when I drink from my mug, I'll be reminded by my friends and from Scripture that. . .

The past is over so. . . Forget it

There is a future so. . . Reach for It!

The plan is progress not perfection so. . . Start running!

News reader cannot stop laughing at model falling over!

2008-08-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

Ever get one of those "laughing spells" where you just can't stop laughing. I have to agree with Todd Rhodes when he said on his blog Monday Morning Insight, ". .. It's usually when I haven't had or taken the time to laugh much, then the stupidest things make me laugh almost uncontrollably."

Well evidently that's what happened to these newsmen when they saw this girl on the runway fall. Warning: the laughter could be contagious.

Prayer is not the least we can do, it is the most we can do

2008-08-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I sat with a friend in the hospital as he and his wife waited for the results of a cat scan. There was a possibility that it was something serious. Waiting in the hospital is such a helpless feeling. There nothing you can do but pray. I told him I wish I could do more, but then I was reminded of something I had just read, a statement that still resonates inside my head,

“Prayer is not the least we can do, it is the most we can do.”

For some reason we are driven “to do.” I don’t think that’s a bad thing but it should never take place of praying. Prayer reminds us that we need Him. (Philippians 4:13)

Well now, humanly speaking my friend justa got even more difficult news regarding his wife. I sat with him again and we prayed. After praying I said I wish I could do more and he reminded me that “prayer is not the least we can do, it is the most we can do.” If prayer is the most we can do, will you pray with me for my friend and his wife. Some of you may know him, his name is Glenn and his wife’s name is Chris. Thanks

How Many Facebook Friends Do You Have?

2008-08-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I only have 11, but I didn't have any a week ago. That’s because I just started facebook last week. I wonder how many friends the apostle Paul would have if he were on facebook. Friends are an important part of Paul’s life, in fact he mentions 28 of them in Romans 16:1-18. However returning to his letter to the Philippians, he says something rather interesting. He says, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, . . I have no one else like him. . . Philppians 2:19,20.

I think there are three reasons Timothy was such a special friend. .

First he was a kindred spirit, v. 20

I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.

The Greek uses the word “same souled”. Timothy’s same souledness (isopsuchos, 2473) made him a special friend, you know the kind that love you for who you are. That don’t put unrealistic expectations on you but appreciate you for your strengths and overlook your weaknesses.

Second he had a concern for others, 20.

I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.

Paul carried a heavy burden of concern for the saints both at Philippi and everywhere else (2 Corinthians 11:27-28), thus it was a special encouragement for him to have someone like Timothy who shared the same kind of concern as he did for the saints, especially those of Philippi.

Two things marked Timothy’s concern.

First it was genuine. The word genuine means, authentic, open and real. Paul knew that Timothy’s concern was motivated by a genuine love for others. He had no ulterior motives.

Second his concern was unique in that it was not for himself but the sake of Jesus Christ. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ Philippians 2:21

Third, he had a servant attitude, v. 22

But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

In those days when people visited prisoners who were held captive under Roman authority, which Paul was, they were often prejudged as being criminal types as well. Therefore, a Timothy exposed himself to great danger just by being near Paul. Timothy didn’t care, he still was committed to serving Paul, his spiritual father in the faith (1 Corinthians 4:17)

So what kind of friend are you? If Paul needed friends you and I need friends too. I hope you have a friend who is your kindred spirit, has a genuine concern for the things that concern you and will serve both with you in the work God has called you to do.

P.S. Hey, just for fun, write and tell me how many facebook friends you have.

35 and counting!

2008-07-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

No that's not how old I am. It's how many years Carol and I have been married. I used to think people who had been married that long didn't know how or at least didn't have the energy to enjoy life but that's not true. We proved it last monday when on our anniversary we did it all beginning with breakfast at Jack's Diner in downtown Columbus, followed by 9 holes of golf. (I won, but barely!) Then we went to G. Michael's for a great dinner followed this time by a little shopping at Easton followed by dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. Note in spite of the picture, we shared the desert!

Summer Reading

2008-07-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn’t get all the reading done I wanted to on vacation but I did get some reading done and for what it’s worth, here are a couple of quotes that God hit me with while I was away. Maybe some day I'll write more about each of them since they all tell a story about the journey thus far.

God is more interested in the workman than the work, Warren Wiersbe, Be Joyful, p. 64

If we are going to seize divine moments, we must accept the reality that we have no control over many things. Erwin McManus, Seize the Moment, p. 68

I had stuff that wouldn’t let go of me because I wouldn’t let go of it.

. . .remember, though we are time travelers, we were designed to go forward, not backward. When you keep traveling backward, it tears away at your soul. Erwin McManus, Seize the Moment, p. 16

P.S. Thanks especially to my friend Aaron who reminded in a one of his posts of a book we read together. It’s one of those books that after you’ve read it you can’t stay where you are. Maybe that’s one of the reasons he’s on a journey “seizing his divine moment”

Sea's the Day

2008-07-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

OK, that's not the way you spell "seize" but it works when you are at the beach, which is where we are this week. Yesterday we "seased the day," by spending the whole day at the beach. We walked on the beach, sat in the surf, and played in the sand. Then we went out to eat. There were 18 of us total. I could write more but I want to sea's the day today.

Share the Journey

2008-07-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

This week we started vacation. Vacation for our family is a real time for connecting. . .connecting with family and with God. Besides my immediate family, Ben and Erin, Jonathan and Kayla, Tim and Matt, my brother and his family along with their three boys and my mom are coming. Also this year my “older” sister, Diane and her husband Mike are coming, too!

Besides connecting with family I am looking forward to connecting with God as well. Vacation for me is a major time of reflection. It’s almost like New Year’s. It’s a time I tend to look back as well as look ahead. A year ago I “got out of the boat” and resigned from a fairly comfortable position at a great church. I had sensed for a while that God had something else for us, and little did I know that it would be to plant a church in my home town with a special group of friends.

I doubt that I will get to them all but I brought a number of books I hope to get to read, some for the first time and others for a second time. Some of the books I brought are for the current sermon series at journey church. They are commentaries on the book of Philippians. Another one is a study in Proverbs that I hope to do with the family. Also, there are some books I hope to read for ministry and personal development. They include 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones, Disciples are Made Not Born, by Walter Henrichsen, The Disciplines of Grace by Jerry Bridges and Chasing Daylight by Ervin McManus. And, if I feel like it, a book by Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church.

I also brought some games which we love to play: Crowns. Phase 10, Skip Bo, Hit the Deck, Sequence and Dominos. Somehow, I think a week isn’t going to be enough time to it all, plus walk, swim and eat! But, we’ll sure give it a try. Meantime, I hope I’ll get a chance to share the journey some more with you when I get a chance.

We've Been Robbed!

2008-07-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well not us but Carol’s Aunt. They broke into her house and stole the copper water pipes. They apparently broke in though a basement window and then proceeded to cut the pipe into smaller pieces with a bolt cutter. They cut them into pieces small enough to go inside a duffle bag and then walk out the back door leaving us a mess to clean up just a week before closing

Well there is a much more serious robber at work among Christians today. He is not stealing copper pipes but rather something much more valuable. He is robbing us of our joy. Paul addressed his joy-robbers in Philippians 4:2 Their names were Euodia (fragrance) and Syntyche (fortunate). For whatever reason they were not getting along, thus he appeals to them to agree or be of the same mind.

2Iplead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree (or to be the same mind) with each other in the Lord.

That mind, I think is the same mind or attitude that apostle Paul wants the Philippians to have is the mind of Christ, which is an attitude of humility, Philippians 2:5-8

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!@

But what does it mean to have an attitude of humility? I think it means three things. First it means to be selfless, v.6

6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

Jesus who is God and was God from the beginning, was selfless and willing surrendered his position of authority and power.

Second, I it is being a servant, v.7

7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

This is the great Kenosis passage. The phrase “made himself nothing” here in the NIV is only one word in the original. It means to “empty, or “to abase.” “To neutralize or make no reputation”

That doesn’t mean however that he ever stopped being God, when he became man. It simply means that he “voluntarily surrendered the independent exercise of His divine attributes.” He never ceased to possess them all, but he voluntarily put Himself under the authority of God the Father and the control of the Holy Spirit. Then after he emptied himself of all that he was he became a servant.

Third it means to sacrifice, v. 8

8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Many people are willing to serve others if it does not cost them anything. But if there is a price to pay they suddenly lose interest. Jesus “. . .became obedient to death-even death on a cross.” Dr. J. H. Jowett has said, “ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” Warren Wiersbe said, “If there is to be any blessing, there must be some “bleeding.”

Mark Driscol perhaps explained humility best when he gave 10 practical ways we can walk in humility. They are not his, but rather from a friend C. J. Mahanney. Let me share them with you.

10 Practical Ways to Walk in humility

1. Follow the truth wherever it leads. If the truth leads to you’re wrong then follow it. Don’t try and defend yourself. Follow the truth wherever it leads.

2. Invite and pursue correction and counsel. Ask people to tell you when they see sin in your life. Let them speak truth into your life and confront you of sin. And then when they speak don’t argue. Don’t talk a lot. Don’t blame shift, don’t change the subject. Don’t defend yourself and don’t shift the responsibility to someone else.

3. Learn from everyone. Even your critics and enemies have something to give you and if you are humble enough to overlook their pride, you can receive the gift they have to give you, which may be painful but it’s helpful.

4. Repent quickly and thoroughly. Don’t turn it into an enormous event. Don’t require a large number of people to get involved. Don’t force others to pin you to the mat before you give up. Just say, “I’ve sinned, I’m sorry, I’m changing, I have no excuse.

5. Seek and celebrate God’s grace at work in other Christians. God is at work in the lives of other people, seek it, encourage and nurture it. “I praise God.” “I see this in your life.” “I see what Jesus is doing in your heart.” “I see the ways in which you are growing.” Encourage and nurture that in others.

6. Cultivate a spirit of thankfulness. Thank people and thank God. And thank God for people.

7. Listen to Scripture more than yourself. We have a tendency to lie to ourselves, deceive ourselves, whine, complain, blame. We need to listen to Scripture, more than ourselves.

8. Exalt the name of Jesus in all you do. Don’t ask, “what’s best for me?” but “what’s best for Jesus and his people?” “What will make Jesus look good because he is good?” What will exalt the name of Jesus? What will enable Jesus to be seen as glorious as he is? The right answer is always the one that makes Jesus look the best.

9. Laugh. Proud people have no sense of humor. They are so serious and they especially can’t laugh at themselves. “How dare you mock me!” Humble people can laugh and do laugh at themselves.

10. Sleep. Proud people don’t sleep well. They are worried. “How will this work out?” “What are people thinking?” “What are people saying?” “What are people doing?” “How are people perceiving me?” “How are they responding to me?” “What do they want from me?”

One other thing humble people do. . .and it is the most important thing you and I can do today. . .It’s found in Philippians 2:9-11.

9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The most important thing we can do to walk in humility today is to confess Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him for the dead, you will be saved.

There is coming a day when everybody in heaven and everybody on the earth and everybody under the earth (that is the dead) will confess Jesus as Lord. You and I have the opportunity to do it today and when we do we have the promise of salvation.

July 4th Trivia

2008-07-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

Just in case things slow down at the Barbeque today, here is some July 4^th trivia that you can either use to entertain or bore your friends courtesy of the Dallas Morning News, July 3, 2004. Whatever you do don’t forget to thank God for our country and pray for it’s leaders. “I urge, then, first of all, that request,s prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-for kings and all those in authority, that w may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1,2

July 4^th Trivia

1. Which three presidents died on July 4?

2. Which president laid the cornerstone for the Washington Monument on July 4, 1850?

3. What was the title of the 1969 Broadway musical, written by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone, that told the story of the founding of the United States?

4. What city in the American South fell to Ulysses S. Grant and Union forces on July 4, 1863, after a short siege?

5. What twin advice columnists were born on July 4, 1918?

6. In one of the wildest baseball games of all time, the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 16-13, in how many innings on July 4 (and 5), 1985?

Answers

1. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams (1826) and James Monroe (1831)

2. Zachary Taylor. He became ill with cholera that night and died five days later.

3. 1776

4. Vicksburg, Miss. It came a day after the Union victory at Gettysburg, marking a turning point in the Civil War

5. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren (real names: Esther "Eppie" Lederer and Pauline Phillips)

6. 19 innings. The game ended at 3:55 a.m., and the Braves then fired off their Independence Day fireworks, leading many local residents to believe the city was under attack.

Vanity Plates

2008-06-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Do you have a personalized license plate? If you do, what does it say? Chances are it say's something about who you are or what you love.

Imagine if they had personalized license plates in the first century. If they did, what do you think the apostle Paul's would say? Well I don’t think it would say anything about his position as an apostle, nor do I think it would say anything about him being the first missionary. Instead I think it would say something like. . .“4me2live.” That’s because of what he said in Philippians 1:21, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain." This was more or less his life’s motto or purpose as well as the secret to his joy.

What are you living for? Well if it is anything other than Jesus then to die is not gain but loss.

"For me to live is money, and to die is to leave it all behind."
"For me to live is fame, and to die is to be forgotten."
"For me to live is power, and to die is to lose it all."
"For me to live is possessions, and to die is to take none of them with me."

The apostle Paul on the other hand made Jesus his focus. That allowed him to have joy whether he lived or died, because dying only brought him more of what he loved, Jesus (John 14:3).

Wild at Heart

2008-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tim, our third son, is a “wild at heart” kind of guy. He’s been that way since he was born. He’s the kind of guy who on his first time skiing went straight down the hill instead of zigzagging like most skiers do. That made him the perfect choice to be the “skipper” of the solar powered boat that won the Solar Splash 2008.

Solar Splash is the World Championship of Intercollegiate Solar Boating, hosted by the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The solar boats are built and raced by the engineering students of their respective universities. Universities from as far away as Turkey and as large and respected as the University of Arkansas and Carnegie Mellon entered this year's competition.

Cedarville entered the Solar Splash competition for the first time in 1997. Since 2004 they have won the competition every year but one (they came in 2nd that year). Points are earned in 7 categories: Technical report, Visual Display, Workmanship, Sprints, Maneuverability, Solar Slalom & Endurance. Tim said the Endurance race was like Diddy Kong Racing (we knew playing all those video games would pay off some day!)

It proved to be a close race between Cedarville University and Istanbul Technical University with the University of Arkansas placing third. Congratulations to Cedarville University and the entire team of engineering students including Dr. Tim Dewhurst, professor of Mechanical Engineering, for a job well done!

Stop & Smell the Roses

2008-06-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend on our "Destination Walking" we stopped to smell the roses at the Park of Roses in Clintonville. It was the weekend of the annual Festival of Roses. Before going on our walk we ate breakfast at Jack & Benny’s, a favorite breakfast spot near the OSU Campus. It was so crowded that we ate at the counter, right by the grill. Jack & Benny’s has been rated a Citysearch Best breakfast restaurant with serving breakfast all day. I would only give it a 3 ½ on a scale of 5. (My personal favorite is Tommy's Diner)

I like going to the Festival of Roses because it reminds me of my dad. Every Saturday I helped dad work in the yard which included tending a special rose bed by the garage. After we trimmed the roses we would have to put peat moss around them. Peat moss enriched the soil and made the beds more attractive (those were the days before mulch). Walking through the Park of Roses made for a nice way to remember my dad on Father’s Day.

Nearby the Park of Roses is what must be a 12,000 – 15,000 square foot home. Someone bought three houses and remodeled them into one big one. It’s not for sale, but I thought about buying it. Well, maybe not. The house across the street is for sale but it’s only 5,200 square ft. for only $585,000. I guess I’ll have to be content to just stop and smell the roses, which is a pretty good idea after all.

The Power of Prayer

2008-06-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Philippians 1:18,19

I just got done praying for a friend of mine. I was supposed to pray from 11:30 to 12:00. His name is Stef Tarapchak. We prayed for him before. He is having his second surgery since being diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago. I’m just one of 45 others who have signed up to pray for him throughout the day. I’m sure there are many more praying for him both here and all across the country.

The apostle Paul knew the importance of prayer. He said it, along with the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, was critical for his joy and deliverance, (Philippians 1:18,19). If it was critical for Paul in the first century it is critical for us in the 21^st century. I hope then you will take a moment to pray for Stef and Sandi and for the rest of their family and friends as we “wait upon the Lord.” Thanks.

Top 10 Things We’d Like to Hear DAD'S Say.

2008-06-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

The boys get me a Father’s Day card every year. I suppose their mom makes them! One year they gave me an especially humorous one. I suppose it’s because it’s partly true. That’s what makes for good humor. Anyway, it was titled “10 things we’d like to hear Dad’s say.” I don’t know if it was a Hallmark Card or what, but here it is.

Top 10 Things We’d Like to Hear DAD’S Say.

10 Could you turn your music up LOUDER so I can enjoy it, too?

9 Curfew is just a general time to shoot for. I’m not running a PRISON.

8 I don’t mind air-conditioning the whole neighborhood! Leave the door OPEN!

7 Holding this REMOTE is such a burden. Somebody else take it for awhile.

6 Look’s like we’re lost. I’d better ASK for directions.

5 Make all the RACKET you want. I can sleep through anything.

4 My tools are YOUR tools. Help yourself.

3 Your taste in clothes is quite REMARKABLE.

2. While I’m gone please feel free to invite all your FRIENDS over.

1. Your chores can wait. Go have FUN.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Road Trip to Joy

2008-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Are you planning on taking a vacation or “road trip” this year? Well, we are. We’re going back to Holden Beach, North Carolina. We’ve been going there for at least 15 years. Prior to that we went to Atlantic Beach for 6 or 7 years and once or twice to Myrtle Beach.

The beach holds a lot of special memories for us. It’s a time for us to reconnect as a family and even as a couple. There are no distractions for us or the kids. All we have is each other and it’s great. Carol loves to sit at the beach and read. The boys love to surf in the ocean and play soccer on the beach and I love doing both.

But not all of our memories at the beach are “good.” Some of them are sort of scary. One of the scary memories is the time I got stuck in the middle of a school of jelly fish. They were swimming all around me. The crazy thing was I was on an old inner tube. I had fallen asleep and drifted out a little too far. Carol was afraid she was going to have to call the Coast Guard to come and get me. I didn’t want to get stung so I got up on my hands and knees to get out of the water. Have you ever tried balancing yourself on an inner tube in the middle of the ocean? Well, that didn’t work too well for me either so I finally got back on the inner tube and swam away as fast and as hard as I could.

Another almost tragic memory is the time my sister-in-law nearly drown. My brother had gone out to “rescue the boys”, he has three and I have four, from going out too far. They were out on a sand bar and the tide was coming in. It got too deep for her so he sent her in while he went on to get the boys. She fell off the sand bar and got caught in the incoming tide. I was further up on the shore and didn’t realize there was a problem until I heard her calling my name. I thought she was just kidding around until I saw her go under. Finally I realized she was in trouble, so I grabbed one of the boy’s boogey boards which I brought out “just in case,” and swam out to her. We both hung on to the board and “swam” in together. The boys and Dale made it in safely too for which we are all grateful. In spite of all that, the beach is still a place that holds great memories.

I wonder then if that isn’t the way the apostle Paul felt when he said to the Philippians, in spite of everything that happened in Philippi, “I thank my God every time I remember you” Philippians 1:6. Truth is not everything that happened to Paul in Philippi was "good," at least not on the surface or at the moment. First, Paul never wanted to go to Philippi. His plan was to go to Asia. But God prohibited him from going where he wanted to go and sent him instead to Macedonia and ultimately to Philipi. Acts 16:6-12

Second, once he got there, it wasn’t what he thought it was. How many times has that happened to you? Plenty, I bet. Anyway, in a dream used by God to direct Paul, he saw a man begging him to come to Macedonia, but when he got there he didn’t find a man, instead he met a woman. Her name was Lydia. Scripture describes her as “. . .a worshipper of God.” She then became his first convert.

More tragic than all that is the fact that Philippi is also the place where Paul and his missionary companion, Silas were beaten and thrown into jail. Paul had cast out a demon in a slave girl which incensed her owners. Consequently, they had Paul and Silas arrested, beaten and thrown in jail. Yet, in spite of it all, Paul said, “I thank my God every time I remember you

The reason is found in verse 12 of Philippians 1. Paul didn’t look at what happened to him in the past or the present as an obstacle but as an opportunity. He didn’t see the cup half empty but half full. Look what he said in this verse. He said, Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel.” Paul and Silas, BECAUSE they were beaten and thrown into jail, were put in a place where they could save both the physical and spiritual life of the Philippian jailer, Acts 16:29-34.

Let me ask you (and myself for that matter) a question. What closed doors in life have you experienced that though at the moment were disappointing, resulted in you doing something else or going somewhere else for which you are grateful today? Maybe a better question is what closed doors are you experiencing right now that if you knew God was at work directing and redirecting for His purpose and your good, would help to restore your joy? Well, I want to remind you (and myself) that God is at work in your life both opening and closing doors in order to direct your steps and you can and will someday look back and be able to thank God “every time I remember. . .” even the closed doors of life.

Destination Walking

2008-06-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, Carol read an article that referred to “Destination Walking.” In other words, add variety to your walking routine by going to another neighborhood, park, or even town. We began trying this on Saturday mornings to add to our “breakfast date” routine. We would find an unusual breakfast place in an area that would make an interesting walk.

Today, Carol & I ate at Tasi, a great cafe in the Short North. Then we took a walk around the Short North which provided us with varied scenes of eclectic houses, historical landmarks and a beautiful park (Goodale). One of the historical landmarks was Russell Baptist Church which is now a law office on Russell Street. Actually, as a teenager, Carol used to attend "youth rallies" there when it was called Central Baptist Church. We captured some photos from our Saturday walk. Check them out above. There is a picture of the bricks on the street that have the location of the town where they were made. I found it interesting some of these bricks came from Nelsonville, the town where my mom grew up and where my grandpa pastored.

We're Grandparents!

2008-06-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well not exactly, but our son, Jonathan just called to say that their dog, a Labador Retriver, is having puppies. She's had eleven so far! I suppose that would actually make us great-grandparents, but we're too young for that. Anyway I wanted to write to let you know that we are not "real" grandparents, but we are in a sense "spiritual" grandparents. What I mean is our original house church has now given birth to two house churches. The first was born in April. The second will be born next Thursday, June 12th.

This is exciting because we are doing exactly what Paul told Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 2:2. Paul told Timothy to, "take the things he (Paul) had taught him, and in turn teach them to reliable men who would in turn teach the same thing to others." That's our vision for house churches at journey, to have them grow and reproduce themselves over and over again.

House Church is where the proverbial "rubber meets the road." It's where we live out the commands of Christ to love God by obeying his commands to love our neighbor as ourselves and to reach out and serve those around us. In the meantime if you see Carol be sure to tell her she's looks to young to be a "great grandmother."

Chulo the Clown @ journey church

2008-05-22T20:11:00.001-07:00

Well one things for sure this Sunday night at journey church will not be boring. Boring is one of the six things the authors of the book unchrisitian said is true of the church. It won’t be boring because it will be a Family Focused Fun Night at journey with Cholo the Clown.

Chulo will entertain children of every age with his entertaining antics. His goal is communicate Biblical truth in an entertaining and unassuming way so that everyone learns and enjoys it. Chulo says, “my goal is for them to feel joy, have a good time and laugh.”

As perhaps the only Bilingual clown in Columbus Chulo brings his act to hundreds of children in homes, churches, schools and yes, even parking lots. You can come and enjoy the “show” at the Dublin Community Recreation Center, this Sunday night at 4:30 p.m. Come and bring a friend. Admission is free and so are the popcorn and balloons.

What a New Generation Thinks about Christianity

2008-05-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

As you probably know by now I am a sucker for surveys so when I saw this book called unchristian I had to buy it. It’s based groundbreaking research form the Barna Group. In the book they asked unchurched Americans’ what they thought of the Church and in particular Christians today?”

As a result of their survey they identified six negative qualities that the unchurched used to describe the church and Christianity today.

Judgmental, (narrow minded and intolerant)

Hypocritical, who do not practice what they preach

Anti-homosexual,

Too political,

Insensitive, focused on a superficial “saving” of others souls rather than real connection, empathy and communication,

Boring.

Now I don’t know what you think of the survey but I tend to agree with Chuck Colson, Chief Counsel to former President Nixon and convicted Watergate conspirator when he said. . .

“Your immediate reaction—like mine—is that this characterization is grossly unfair. Why don’t these folks recognize all the good things we do, like helping prisoners and Africans with AIDS?

The answer is that, fairly or not, hostile press characterizations of us as judgmental, homophobic bigots have stuck. But this is only half the answer. A shocking 50 percent of respondents said they base their negative views on personal contacts with Christians.

As the authors write, “Many of those outside of Christianity . . . reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians.”

Let’s be honest: Sometimes we do come across as judgmental, anti-homosexual, and excessively politicized. And all too often, when others misrepresent Christianity, we do not know enough about our own doctrines to explain the truth. Yes, we draw millions into our churches on Sunday, but let’s face it: We draw them in by offering therapeutic services that make them feel better, but not be better.”

Look instead at Peter’s words to the scared and scattered Christians in 1 Peter 3:8 and 9. Here I think are 6 qualities that if the church (and Christians) would be who we are called to be should mark us instead.

8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

The six characteristics that ought to describe the church and us as Christians are. . .

Harmony

Sympathy

Love

Compassion

Humility and

Blessing

Maybe then the world will want what we have and ask us how they can have it. I Peter 3:15. Without that we will continue to isolate and alienate ourselves from the people who need us most.

Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves Every Day

2008-05-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Basics 2008 Pastor's Conference. It was held at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls. The theme was Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves. It's a concept that I feel I am just beginning to understand. . . the fact that we need the gospel not just for salvation but for every day after that. Somewhere it seems we have bought into the fact that our behavior will bring blessing and when we do we leave the grace of God behind making us proud when we have a good day and guilt ridden when we don't.

Jerry Bridges (one of the conference speakers) in his book, the Discipline of Grace says,

"Preaching the gospel to ourselves every day address both the self-righteous Pharisee and the guilt-laden sinner that dwell in our hearts. Because the gospel is only for sinners preaching it to ourselves every day reminds us that we are indeed sinners in need of God's grace. It helps us to consciously renounce any confidence in our own goodness as a means of meriting God's blessing on our lives.

Perhaps more important, though, preaching the gospel to ourselves every day gives us hope, joy and courage. The good news that our sins are forgiven because of Christ's death fills our hearts with joy, gives us courage to face the day, and offers us hope that God's favor will rest upon us, not because we are good, but because we are in Christ." p. 26,27

Anyway I just wanted to share with you what's on my heart to today and how thankful I am for the Gospel. No wonder the apostle Paul said, "Let Him who boasts boast in the Lord" 2 Corinthians 10:17

NUMBER ONE MOM

2008-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The results of the survey are in and the number one TV mom is, you guessed it. . .Carol Brady from the TV show The Brady Bunch. The number 2 TV mom was Mrs. C, Marion Cunningham of Happy Days. The number 3 mom was June Lockart of Lassie and Lost in Space.

We shared these and the rest of the results of the survey last night at journey church. It was a fun way to celebrate Mother's Day and to honor our moms. The answer to the rest of the questions are below. Check them out to see how they compare with the things then enjoy this video in honor of our moms. Thanks mom!

2. How many times a week growing up did you eat supper together?

72% Every night
18% 6 nights a week
10% 5 nights a week

3. What is one of your favorite “momilies” (as my mom used to say)? Have you ever used it with your kids?

#3 "Stop crying or I'll give you somehting to cry about."
#2 "Because I said so."
#1 "Wait till you dad get's home."

Truth is everyone said they at sometime or another have said the same thing to their kids that their mother said to them.

4. What’s one “everyday” fun thing you remember doing with you mom?

#3 Baking and cooking

#2 Playing games

#1 Eating together

5. What important lesson(s) did your mom teach you?

Generosity
Independance
Be your own person, don't worry about what others think.
When you work on somthing, give it your all.
Cook, clean and do laundry.
that I could do anything I want to
Treat others they wasy I would want to be treated
to know God, prayer and serve others.

Thanks again for helping out.

Mother's Day Survey

2008-05-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day, I put together a little Mother’s Day Survey. I want to share the answers at our Mother’s Day gathering at journey church next Sunday. Take a minute and give me your answers. Also feel free to forward the link to your friends for their input. I’ll post the results next week or you can join us Sunday, May 10^th 4:30 p.m. at journey church. Thanks in advance!

1. When you were a child, who was your favorite TV mom?

2. How many times a week growing up did you eat supper together?

3. What is one of your favorite “momilies” (as my mom used to say)? Have you ever used it with your kids?

4. What’s one “everyday” fun thing you remember doing with you mom?

5. What important lesson(s) did your mom teach you?

Thanks again for your help. I'll give you my answers in my next post.

DON’T GIVE UP UNTIL YOU’VE DUG THROUGH THE ROOF

2008-05-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ask anyone and I bet they will prefer life a little easier, especially when it comes to following Jesus. Following Jesus isn’t always easy. In fact, it is often filled with speed bumps and pot holes. But obstacles aren’t always bad. Obstacles do at least two things.

Obstacles help clarify what is important. They help us determine if it really is what we want to do or more importantly if it’s what God wants us to do. If we get discouraged quickly, maybe it wasn’t something we were supposed to do. God can use obstacles to stop us or turn us another way.

2. Second, obstacles help us think outside of the box. That’s what the friends of a paralyzed man did when they couldn’t get their friend in the door of the house where Jesus was. They dug through the roof. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. Mark 2:4

If you’ll trying to do something and you’ve hit the wall, stop first to clarify your goals and then think outside the box and don’t stop until you’ve dug through the roof.

How Will You Spend Your Refund/Rebate?

2008-04-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the post office. I had to mail my city tax, my 2008 1st quarter estimated and my son's Federal Income Tax. I always wait till the last minute, usually because I owe, but this year I'm getting a refund. That's the good news. The bad news is I've already spent it. I turned around and put it on my 2008 estimated. I read somewhere that more than two-thirds of consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year. The average refund will be be $2423. Add that to the econmic stimulus rebate and it will amount quite a bit of cash in the average american's pocket. The question is what will they do with it?

Though the chart above is a bit tongue in check, paying down debt will be the number one thing for most people. Nearly half, or 47 percent, will use their tax refund to pay down their debt. More than one-third, or 35 percent, anticipate putting some of the money into savings, while 25 percent will put the money toward every day expense. (CNNMONEY.com)

Are you getting a refund? What are you going to do with it? The Financial Planners Assocation suggests these five things.

Reduce high-interest debt
Establish an emergency fund
Put it into a retirement paln
Put it toward college
Make an extra house payment

One other thing you could do is fill up your gas tank all the way! Seriously here's my idea. When you go to the grocery store, pick up a gift card or two without knowing who you're going to give it too. Then let God direct you to just the right person He want's you to bless.

To Be Known and to Be Loved!?

2008-04-10T06:13:00.001-07:00

This is a powerful video put out by Student Venture. It's a free download on SermonSpice. If I get a chance I'll write more about it but this week is unusually "taxing". Yes, that was a pun. I've got my taxes, the boys taxes and grandma's taxes to do. So if I don't see till th 16th I hope you will understand. Thanks

Waffling at First Watch

2008-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

I went to breakfast at First Watch today. I met a friend there for lunch. I ordered my favorite, the Trivecta. It's a great breakfast, an airy waffle, two eggs over medium and two strips of bacon. I go there almost as much as I go to Panera so I know the waitresses and they know me. The waitresses had recently gotten married, so I asked her how married life was. She said great except her husband was going to be mad at her because she lost the setting in her wedding ring. I didn’t realize she had just lost it and was in the process of looking for it between waiting tables, but she was. What I should have done is stopped to pray with her, but I didn’t. Later she came and told me she found it, but since I didn’t pray with her before, I missed the opportunity to let her know that God cares about the things that we care about.

That seems to be the lesson of Jesus first miracle at the wedding of Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11). At the wedding Jesus turns water into wine. Just like losing a diamond, running out of wine was not a life and death situation but it certainly was important. Besides embarrassment, some commentators inform us that litigation was possible. (Can you imagine being sued for not providing enough food and drink at a marriage ceremony?) Miraculously Jesus turns the water into wine and not only avoids embarrassment for the family but impresses the guests by serving the best wine last.

The key was Mary came to Jesus at the moment of her crisis, “When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine, v.3." What crisis are you facing today? Who are you turning to? No matter what your crisis is, you can come to Jesus.

Desperate People Video Clip

2008-03-26T23:23:00.001-07:00

Check out this clip from ER. It's the clip we showed at journey church last Sunday. I mentioned it in yesterday's post. We used it to introduce the Desperate People sermon series. It reminds us that desperate people all run, the questions is in what direction. In the case of this man he ran to God. The same was true in the case of the thief on the cross. In the case of the repentant thief, desperation caused him to do four things. (Luke 23:40-42).

(1) Fear God, "Don't you fear God," he said, . . ., v. 40b
(2) Accept responsibility for our actions, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.” v. 41 a
(3) See Jesus for who he really is, "But this man has done nothing wrong." v. 41b
(4) Pray. Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Amazingly in his moment of weakness, Jesus answered his prayer, "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'" Luke 32:43 Jesus' words in reply to the repentant thief offer three important proofs for us today.

(1) Proof that the Lord alone has power to save.

(2) Proof that salvation is of grace and not of works. What works could the thief do he was nailed to a cross.

(3) Proof that the Lord's mercy is availalbe to anyone no matter when or where they come to Him.

Whether we are facing iminent death or not we are all "desperate people." What are you doing in your desperation? Are you ridiculing Jesus or running towards him? Jesus’ response to the repentant thief, if it teaches us anything, is that he wants us to run towards him and when we do he will hear our prayer.

Desperate People

2008-03-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend at Journey Church we began a sermon series called “Desperate People”. We began the message by showing a video clip from ER. It was a clip from an episode called "Atonement". The story is about a man looking for forgiveness before he dies. The Chaplin, unable to give him answers, becomes the object of the dying man's frustration and fear. Angrily he shouts, “I need a real Chaplin, who believes in real God, and a real hell. . . I need someone to look me in the eye and tell me how to find forgiveness because I am running out of time.” Needless to say it is a pretty powerful clip.

The clip reminded me of another desperate man who was facing a similar fear. It was he thief on the cross. The thief was running out of time and needed answers too. Fortunately Jesus was there and he ran to Him. Not everyone does.

There were two thieves crucified on the cross next to Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. Both were equally near to Christ. Both saw and heard all that happened during the six hours that He hung on the cross. Both were condemned and dying men, yet one died in his sins, and the other was promised eternal life with Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:39-43)

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

So where are you in relationship to Christ, are you running towards Him or ridiculing Him? All of us, whether we realize it or not, are just like the two thieves, desperate and dying. The question is “what are you doing in your desperation? Are you ridiculing or running towards Jesus? If we learn anything from this passage we learn that Jesus wants us to run to Him and when we do he will hear our prayer and do even more than we could ask or think. Ephesians 3:20-22

Easter @ journey church

2008-03-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

This week I shared some ideas to help prepare ourselves for Easter. If your tradition is to hide Easter eggs, you may be interested in this...try hiding cans of soda instead of Easter eggs. Seriously! This is something a family actually does. It was a family tradition someone shared as we began our house church meeting tonight. We were one of five different homes where journey church met to observe Good Friday communion.

Journey church will meet Easter Sunday at a different time and a different place. We'll be meeting at 10 a.m. at Embassy Suites in Dublin. (Directions here) It's not far from the Dublin Recreation Center where journey normally meets for weekend gatherings. If you don't have a place to worship this Easter, you are invited to join us at journey.

This Sunday we will begin a message series called "Desperate People: Life-changing Encounters with Christ." Desperate people demanded desperate measures, which is the reason Christ died on the cross that He might redeem & rescue us from our desperate condition. I Corinthians 15:3 & 4 says "For what I received I passed on to you, as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures." Join us this week as we look at the thief on the cross and discover the hope of forgiveness found in Jesus.

Have a great Easter!

Top Five Things to Do With Easter Peeps

2008-03-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

OK, you’ve see them every Easter. They are those tasty little marshmallow-y treats shaped like baby chicks. They come in yellow (original color), white, pink, violet, and blue. Peeps are the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy and are only 34 calories a piece. But besides being a delicious, calorie conscience candy treat, they also make for some great entertainment. Here is a list of the top 5 fun things to do with these widely popular Easter treats.

5) Peep Smores – That’s right you can make old-fashioned smores with any color peeps. Take a graham cracker and place half of a Hershey chocolate candy bar on half of the graham cracker and instead of a marshmallow, place a marshmallow peep on top the chocolate then top it all off with the second half of the graham cracker. Place in the microwave on a microwave safe plate for approximately 20-30 seconds. (be careful not to place in the microwave for too long, the peep can explode and make a mess, ie. refer to number 4)

4) Peep Jousting – Take two Easter Peeps insert a toothpick a quarter of the way into the front of each peep. Place them on a microwave safe plate directly opposite one another. Put the plate of peeps in the microwave for 60 seconds or till they explode. Remove the plate and see which Peep has "stabbed" the other peep with it's toothpick. The Easter Peep whose toothpick is piercing the other peep is the winner!

3) Peep eating contest – Invite your friends over and see who can eat the most Easter Peeps in a 30 minute period. The world record is 102. (At that rate you might want them to bring their own)

2) Peep fondue party – Take your left over chocolate Easter bunnies and melt them in a fondue pot. Skewer your Easter peeps and dip in the chocolate and enjoy. You may want to have other items for dipping.

1) Hide and “peep” – (My favorite!) This game is like “hide and seek” only you hide the peeps. After hiding the peeps send your family or friends off to find as many peeps as they can. Award them points for each peep they find. For fun use different colored peeps and give each color a different point value.

Optional: Don’t Make a "Peep." You might want to play this game if you’ll having trouble getting your kids to go to sleep after eating too much Easter candy. Place a package of three peeps by their bed and promise them they can eat them tomorrow if they go to sleep and don’t make a “peep”. If they’re not quiet and you have to come in, take one peep away each time you have to come in the room. Hopefully they will have a least one left by the time they go to sleep.

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately Peeps will be harmed in all of the above activities. Please do not attempt these things at home without parental supervision.

Preparing for Easter

2008-03-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Did you realize Easter is THIS SUNDAY!? It’s the earliest ever in my life time and probably yours (unless you are 95 or older. The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228, 220 years form now.) So what’s my point? My point is, now that Easter is almost here, how are you going to observe it?

When the boys were young we used to get them matching outfits. Actually Grandma got them matching outfits. (thanks Mom!) We also colored Easter Eggs, had our own Easter Egg hunt and went to church. We usually had a Good Friday Service, Easter Sunrise Service, Sunday School and Morning Worship.

How do you “celebrate” Easter? Well, over the next several days I want to share a few suggestions with you of how you can prepare and observe Easter. Feel free to share with me your ideas too. First, you can read a series of daily Scripture readings. The scriptures are all taken from the Gospel of Mark and follow the events of Jesus during his last week leading up to His death, burial and resurrection. If you want to involve the entire family, just for fun you could put each day’s verses on a separate piece of paper and then put them in a plastic egg. One for each day. Mark each egg with the appropriate day of the week (ie Monday, Tuesday, etc. . .) You could even put something unique in each egg to visualize the object of the day’s reading. See examples below.

Monday (Mark 11:1-11) Triumphal Entry (branch or leaf)

Tuesday (Mark 11:12-19) Cursing of the Fig Tree & Cleansing of the Temple (coin)

Wednesday (Mark 14:1-11) Prediction of Crucifixion, Anointing by Mary and Betrayal (perfume)

Thursday (Mark 14:12-42) The Last Meal, Peter’s Denial Foretold, In the Garden (cracker)

Friday (Mark 15:1-47) Jesus’ trial and crucifixion (nail)

Saturday (Mark 15:24-16:1) Burial and Sabbath day (stone)

Sunday (Mark 16:2-13) Resurrection (piece of cloth or empty to represent the empty tomb)

You're Still The One!

2008-03-12T16:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my wife, Carol’s 55th birthday. I know she doesn’t look like it, but none of us do! After all 50 is the new 40. Anyway, I’ve known her now for 38 years. It doesn’t seem like that’s possible, but it is. I remember one of the first times I “noticed” her. She was practicing cheerleading with the rest of the team on the steps of West High School. My best friend, Sam and I stopped to tease them, which is something we were prone to do a lot. What I remember about Carol is that she was cute, fun loving and laughed at my jokes. I think it was then that we became friends. Little did I know that she would later become my wife, but there was a lot I didn’t know.

I didn’t know how faithful and loving a wife she would be for nearly 35 years. I didn’t know how creative and caring she would be when it came to making a home for our boys and me. I didn’t know how full of wisdom and discernment she would be when it came to understanding people and situations as well as myself. Neither did I know what a strong shoulder she would be for me and others to lean on in their most difficult times.

No doubt there are still other things I don’t know about Carol, but I’m looking forward to finding out, because Carol, you’re still the one and will be forever. Love, me!

One Hour on Sunday?

2008-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

A number of years ago Joe Aldrich wrote a book that created quite a stir in the evangelical community. The book was titled Lifestyle Evangelism. It received a lot of criticism and still stirs up some controversy today. Some of the criticism may have been deserved but the basic premise was right on. The point was that people needed to know that we cared about them personally before we confronted them with the gospel. It was clearly a reaction to the approach to evangelism that was popular at the time.

Well, rather than debate that subject here, the point I want to make is that we have subtly done the same thing with the Church. We have taken the Church and made it a prescribed presentation of an hour on Sunday. Jesus never meant for “church” to be something that we can be over and done with in an hour or even a day. That’s because church is not a place, but a people. It’s not a business, but a body and it’s not a bunch of rules and rituals, but a relationship.

Instead the church is. . .

a place for friendships,

a place for fishers of men,

a place that feeds His sheep,

a place of forgiveness and

a place for followers of Christ.

At least that’s the model Jesus gave His disciples when he appeared to them on the beach in John 21. Here Jesus called them his “friends”, v.5. That was amazing considering they had denied him only days earlier. Further, he reaffirmed their calling as fishers of men when he helped them catch a “boat load” of fish after having fished all night and caught nothing without him.

Third, he told Peter to feed His sheep, reminding them that the church is a place of caring protecting and providing for people who like sheep are stinky, stubborn and sometimes stupid. Nevertheless they are “his” sheep, so we should care for them no matter what.

Fourth, Jesus said the church is a place of forgiveness. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “do you love me?,” reminding Peter of the three times he had earlier denied him. Peter was humbled and replied, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.” Lastly Jesus called Peter to “Follow me!” It wouldn’t be easy this time because following him would mean following him to the cross.

The life Jesus called his disciples to was more that can be done within four walls and one hour on Sunday. It requires a lifestyle of intimacy with Christ and with one another.

Don't Worry Be Happy - Nature's Sunshine Employees Lip-Sync

2008-02-26T19:20:00.001-08:00

Feeling blue and missing nature's sunshine? Then enjoy Nature's Sunshine employees lip sync rendition of Don't Worry, Be Happy. The 80s hairstyles and clothes alone should make you happy. Only 25 days till Spring!! Don't Worry - Be Happy!

Erosion of Loyalty

2008-02-26T13:31:00.001-08:00

When I was young our family shopped at Lazarus, drove a Buick and bought gasoline at Sohio (BP). Today I shop at Target, drive a Toyota and get gas wherever. Also, when I was young we belonged to a denominational church. My mom still belongs to the same church today, but I’m part of a non-denominational church.

I guess I fit the profile of a recent Pew Survey that found that 44% of American’s have switched religious affliations. The report titled “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey,” depicts a highly fluid and diverse national religious life. For at least a generation, scholars have noted that more Americans are moving among faiths, as denominational loyalty erodes. (Shifting Religions by Neela Banerjee, New York Times, February 25, 2008)

The report also noted groups that have gained the most people, in net terms, are non-denominational Protestant churches, which are largely evangelical and, in many cases, megachurches; Pentecostals; and the Holiness Church, also an evangelical denomination.

Prof. Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University, said “The trend is towards more personal religion, and evangelicals offer that. Those losing out are offering impersonal religion,” he said, “and those winning are offering a smaller scale: mega-churches succeed not because they are mega but because they have smaller ministries inside.”

The point for me is that the church is to be so much more than a building, an organization and one hour on Sunday. It is you and I (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are his temple, all of us from the smallest to the biggest (1 Corinthians 3:16;6:19) Our hope of glory is not in the building we use but in the Master who is building His life in us.

TOP TEN Things I Wish Jesus Had Never Said!

2008-02-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

My wife, Carol, works at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. She and I both graduated from Cedarville. I better not tell you when since that might let you know how “old” she is. Ok, it was 1976. They had just dedicated the “old” Jeremiah Chapel which was a tremendous improvement from Alford Auditorium, but a far cry from the “ new” Jeremiah Chapel in the Dixon Ministry Center. Anyway, she is Dr. Bill Brown’s administrative assistant. Dr. Brown is the president of Cedarville University and speaks in chapel every Monday. She sent me one the Top Ten lists he shared with the students awhile back. He may have gotten it from the Victor Kulgin book, "Ten Things I Wish Jesus Had Never Said" or maybe Victor got it from him, but either way, here it is. It’s shared a bit facetiously, yet you’ll get the point. Be sure to read all the way through the list so you’ll see the one thing I’m glad Jesus did say.

TOP TEN THINGS I WISH JESUS HAD NEVER SAID

10. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”

9. “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.”

8. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

7. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

6. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

4. “If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

3. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and his mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple.”

2. “Judge not, or you will be judged.”

1. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

NUMBER ONE THING I’M GLAD HE SAID.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The "Pressure" of Perfection

2008-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

It's only one day till Valentine's day. Wow, do you feel the pressure? I do. There is just so much pressure to be "perfect" no matter what realm of life we are talking about. We think we have to find the perfect gift, the perfect card, the perfect restaurant, etc. . . Wow, where did that come from?

Our drive for perfection "pushes" us in every realm of life even in our relationship with our God. We think we have to be perfect to come to him. For awhile we were lucky enough to have a house keeper. She would come in every other week, to dust, vacuum and clean every little corner of the house that you could think of. It was great but I felt like we had to clean the house for the housekeeper. After all I didn’t want her to think that we were slobs!

I know that sounds stupid but that’s exactly the way we act with God. We think we have to get our life “cleaned” up before we can come to Him. First understand you will never be good enough to come to God on your own. Second understand that God comes to you just the way you are.

According to the New Testament Jesus is attracted to the unattractive. One author put it this way. “He prefers the lost ones over the found ones, the losers over the winners, the broken instead of the whole, the messy instead of the neat and the crippled instead of the noncrippled. . . .Until we admit we are a mess, Jesus won’t even have anything to do with us. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead seek God.” Mike Yaconelli, “Messy Spirituality”

Top Ten Things NOT to Give Her For Valentine's!

2008-02-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just in case you forgot, there’s only one more “shopping” day before Valentine’s. So to help, let me share with you a few suggestions someone once shared with me. Hope it’s not too late!

Top Ten Things NOT to give her for Valentines Day:

10. Any food item with the words "diet", "light", or "high fiber" on the label.

9. A box of chocolates, clumsily rearranged to hide the fact that you already sampled a few.

8. Flowers from a hospital gift shop.

7. Anything you ever gave another woman, including your mother.

6. Any clothing item with the words "slim-down" on the label.

5. Any household appliance, power tool or other item from the harder side of Sears.

4. A gift certificate to a gym.

3. Cash.

2. Anything you could have bought at the gas station mini-mart on the way home.

1. An apologetic look and the words "That was today?”

Jesus Can Take Care of It!

2008-02-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

Carol sent me a devotional from Ron Hutchcraft's Ministries this week. It's entitled Taking Care of the Consequences. I appreciate Ron Huthcraft's ministries. I remember reading a great book he wrote about parenting, 5 Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home.

In this devotional he shares the simple truth of Psalm 4:5 - "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." Do what is right, and trust God with the results. This was an encouragement to me because I am prone to feel I am responsible for the results, when all I am responsible for is my obedience.

You can read it below, and let me know what you think.

Taking Care of The Consequences, Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Our grandson was really concerned about me. Grandma was at his house, taking care of him while Mom and Dad were gone, and I wasn't able to be there. Grandma was lying in bed with our little guy, trying to help him get to sleep. But he had some questions first. "Are you going to stay at our house all night?" Well, Grandma assured him she was. "But who's at home with Granddad?" Grandma assured him I was there alone, but that I could handle it. "But isn't Granddad going to be lonely?" Again, Grandma told our grandson that I would be okay. And finally he thought of some childlike theology that allowed him to go to sleep that night. He said, "I know. Jesus will take care of him." And I can assure you He did!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Taking Care of the Consequences."

I think a lot of us could get to sleep a little more easily if we could rest our worries right where our grandson rested his, "Jesus will take care of it." That may be a childlike theology, but it's the secret to some grownup peace of mind.

I love the simplicity and the depth of a Bible verse that has only eight words in it, but those eight words say volumes. It's Psalm 4:5, our word for today from the Word of God. It simply says, "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." In other words, do what you believe God wants you to do, whatever it may cost and then trust Him for whatever consequences may come from your obeying Him.

So many people hesitate to do what God is telling them to do because they're worried about all the "mights," and the "coulds" and the "what ifs" that may happen as a result. It's like we answer God's leading with our list of what I call "yeah buts." "Yeah, but this might happen; yeah, but what if I don't get a good response; yeah, but what if the money doesn't come through; yeah, but what if there's a bad fallout from me doing what You want?" Do you know how many people have missed God's plan for their life because of the "yeah buts," their fears about the backlash, the risks, the bad reaction?

In fact, you may be holding back on doing what God wants you to do right now because of your fear of the consequences. Well, here is the liberating truth of the Word of God: the consequences of obeying God are God's responsibility! You offer right sacrifices, then you trust God for whatever happens after that. God's ancient people stood on the threshold of a glorious Promised Land that God was ready to give them, but they refused to go there because they feared all the bad things that might happen. So for forty long years, they got wilderness instead of Promised Land!

Peter got it right when he was wondering if he should step out of that storm-tossed boat and walk on the water with Jesus. He simply said, "Lord, if it's You, I will." That's the only thing you need to worry about, "Lord, if it's You..." If it's Jesus asking you to do this, go for it. The consequences, the unanswered questions, the resources that you have no idea where you're going to find, it's all up to Him. It's your job to obey.

That's why the old hymn bottom-lines it this way, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." My grandson knows the answer when you're worried about things, "Jesus will take care of it."

What's Your Purpose?

2008-02-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16.

What’s amazing about this verse is not what it says, but who it’s being said to. Moses, in speaking for God, is saying it to Pharaoh. It teaches us that no matter who we are, God's purpose is for us to proclaim His name in all the earth. The problem is we often get ourselves in the way of proclaiming His name.

Undoubtedly that’s what happened to Pharaoh. He was busy building a great name for himself, building magnificent buildings at the expense of others. God sent the plagues to Pharaoh, not just so he would let His people go, but so that Pharaoh would, even though unwillingly, proclaim God’s name as great in all the earth.

The apostle Paul reminds us that someday, “every knee should bow, . . .and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 The question I have is if someday we will all fulfill our purpose and proclaim His glory then why not willingly and why not now?

No Wonder they call it the "SUPERBOWL"

2008-01-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday marks the day on which Americans chow down the second greatest amount of food. Thanksgiving is the only day on which Americans eat more food. On Super Bowl Sunday Americans eat 11 million pounds of potato chips; 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips; 3.8 million pounds of popcorn. To put it in perspective, that’s enough chips to go from here to the moon and half way back. And enough popcorn to create a popcorn string that would go around the earth almost 5 ½ times.

Furthermore, TV and antacid sales both increase. TV sales increase by 5x before the Super Bowl and antacid sales increase 20% on the day after the Super Bowl. So what are you doing for the Super Bowl? We are inviting 150 or so of our “closest friends” to join us at church for “Souper” Bowl Sunday. It will be our very first church “pot luck.” Everyone is bringing either soup, sandwiches or dessert. We will be meeting at our regular time of 4:30 and at our regular place, the Dublin Recreation Center, but instead of our regular service we will be sharing a meal and the “story” of journey church. Also, we will be introducing our “deacon/directors” and have them tell a little bit of their “story.” Feel free to join us, and don’t worry, we’ll be done in plenty of time to get you home to enjoy the Super Bowl (antacid not provided).

"Triple Dog Dare" You!

2008-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is over but that doesn’t mean I can’t dare or even ‘triple dog dare” you. In fact, I want to give you four dares. First, I dare you to admit your need for “spiritual” friends. Studies have shown that men generally have acquaintances but few, if any, intimate friends. Two out of ten males seem to have meaningful, open and safe relationships in which both parties trust and are committed to each other. In contrast, six out of ten women enjoy this type of relationship.

Second, I dare you to find spiritual friends you can spend time with, serve in love and speak the truth. That’s the kind of relationship the apostle Paul had with the Ephesian elders. He had spend three years with them and during that time he served them with great humility and tears. Acts 20:18,19

18When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

Humility and tears are two “tests” of love. The apostle Paul showed them his love by serving them in humility and sorrowing with them in tears. Not only did he show them his love but he shared with them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. . Acts 20:20,21

20You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Third, I dare you to make spiritual friends of people God “forces” on you. They may not be people you would naturally choose to be your “friends” but people God nevertheless wants for you to spend time with, share your possessions and speak the truth into your lives.

That’s what God did to the apostle Paul when he brought him face to face with the Christians in Tyre where he was “forced” to spend seven days. He didn't know them before, but now he is "forced" to spend time with them, share their possessions and hear them tell him what they think he should do. Acts 21:4-6.

We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

Fourth, I dare you to make your friendship with God as important as your friendship with people. Somewhere in the greatest commandment which is “to love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” is a connection with the rest of the commandment, “to love your neighbor as yourself.”

You can’t have “spiritual” friends without first making God your “spiritual” friend. Maybe that’s where you need to start, by making God your spiritual friend. Everything God has done since creation was to make us His spiritual friend. From creation to the cross. So I dare you, no I triple dog dare you to. . .

admit your need of spiritual friends.

form a friendship with someone you can spend time with, share love and speak the truth.

make friends with those God "forces" on you and

make spiritual friends first with God by loving him with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.