Sunday Thoughts

A-MAZING!

All week I have had a sense about what God was going to do today, and did He ever show up HUGE!

The picture is what the stage looks like in preparation for our VBS "Crocodile Dock". The team did an incredible job! I'm very proud of them. Looks like I will be preaching in the "bayou" for the next few weeks. :-)

Great day yesterday as we joined with Continuum Church to work at the Teen Challenge center. This is a summer long project that I am heading up trying to help them get moved into a new office building on their property.

This morning we had our typical video technical difficulties before service, but got through them. A change is coming real soon that will stop these issues, I guarantee it. With that and the fact that I left my power adapter at home for my laptop and didn't have a fully charged battery, I was fighting frustration early on. Thankfully, God is bigger than my frustration.

Once I got settled in to my office, the Holy Spirit really began to work in my heart as I had a terrific worship & prayer time.

We kicked the service off with my favorite video "Resurrection Injection." This was put together by Elevation Church this past Easter. I could just about start off every week with it. Powerful.

The band today sounded as good as they ever have. Today was one of our best times of worship since I've been here. Right from the start it was obvious that God wanted to do something. The flow, the sound, the energy, the connection of the congregation, all of it fell right in place. To grab a phrase from someone else, it was a Whole Nutha Level!

Even the announcement video clicked today. Great job to Nathan and his team in putting that together. A bit cheesy and fun, it was great.

Today was wrapping up the One Prayer series. I was going to show a clip from Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Church, but the aforementioned video glitches stopped me and I wanted to have full time this morning to share what God has been preppeing in my heart all week. I did leap frog off Dino's title though, "God is Here and Anything Can Happen."

Used my favorite story of Jesus as the text today, Luke 7:11-17. I am waiting for that to happen today. Stop a funeral procession and raise the person to life! That would cause a stir! If we would truly live our lives expecting God to be God and know that He is always with us and when He is around ANYTHING can happen, I believe lives would be changing at a tremendous rate! Imagine all that God would do through of us if we had that level of faith and audacity!

The response today was off the charts! People came to the altar and poured out to God and laid it out for Him to do His work. Knowing some of the situations I am fully convinced that miracles are happening right this very minute as a result of what God started this morning! Can't wait to hear the stories of life change and healing and restoration and the hand of God.

Just wait, I don't think we've seen anything yet! God is here and ANYTHING can happen!

The podcast can be found here.

We also have the Wednesday messages available here on Spiritual Gifts.

Just for Fun

Every now and then I like to pass along something funny for no reason other than the humor value. Golfers enjoy:

A husband and wife are on the 9th green when suddenly she collapses from a heart attack!!!

"Help me dear," she groans to her husband.

The husband calls 911 on his cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks up his putter and lines up his putt.

His wife raises her head off the green and stares at him. "I'm dying here and you're putting?"

"Don't worry dear," says the husband calmly, "they found a doctor on the second hole and he's coming to help you."

"Well, how long will it take for him to get here," she asks feebly?

"No time at all," says her husband. "Everybody's already agreed to let him play through."

**************************************

A young man and a priest are playing together. At a short par-3, the priest asks, "What are you going to use on this hole my son?"

The young man says, "An 8-iron, father. How about you?"

The priest says, "I'm going to hit a soft seven and pray. "

The young man hits his 8-iron and puts the ball on the green. The priest tops his 7-iron and dribbles the ball out a few yards.

The young man says, "I don't know about you father but in my church, when we pray, we keep our head down.."

**************************************

A golfer teed up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees. He found his ball and saw an opening between twotrees he thought he could hit through. Taking out his 3-wood, he took a mighty swing. The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him.

As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter asked, "Are you a good golfer?"

The man replied: "Got here in two, didn't I?"

**********************************

The bride was escorted down the aisle and when she reached the altar, the groom was standing there with his golf bag and clubs at his side.

She said: "What are your golf clubs doing here?"

He looked her right in the eye and said, "This isn't going to take all day, is it?"

Father's Day Message

Here is the link to the Father's Day Message: God is Father

Sorry it took longer than normal to get online.

Father's Day Wrap up

A very full day!

We had some technical issues even before service started. I think some changes are coming to the way we handle some of our media things. It was just one of those mornings where little glitches and issues add up. I felt very out of sync all morning and just like I was pushing through.

That was until the last song of worship. Just had a "release" at some point. Showed a fun video after offering, dads in minivans. Hilarious.

Tag-teamed with Craig Groeschel via video as he opened the sermon God is Father with a couple great illustrations of fatherhood from his own life. Finished the message looking at the authority of God. He has all power and all authority and yet we can come to Him as children with no fear or trepidation. He protects and provides and He is never overwhelmed by any situation we can face.

Very good response to the message.

I think the men enjoyed having a choice of a gift from the church; sleeve of golf balls, nice rollerball pen, or keychain flashlight.

After service, my family took me to Outback for my new favorite dish (fillet and stuffed shrimp) and of course a bloomin' onion!

Then I met up with some guys for a round of golf. Didn't shoot that well, but had a great time. A bad day golfing is still a good day. :-)

I ddin't get the message from this morning yet, so I will post the podcast online tomorrow (monday) and add a link to this blog.

Follow Thru - part 2

In the last post found here, I brought up the swings of some golfers and how important follow-thru is to the result. This principle is true to so much in life. It is the idea that how you finish is more important than how you begin.

When I was working with youth, we were very involved in the creative arts; singing, instruments, graphic, drama, video, etc. One of the things we made sure they understood in live presentation that the end is vital. If they stumble in the beginning, it's ok, they can end well and that is what is most remembered. While the goal was to make everything the best it could be, the focus was placed on having the right amount of "punch" to the ending for maximum impact.

In working with young people and others in preaching or other speaking situations, I have always worked backward with them. By starting with the point that the audience is supposed to walk away remembering or applying we can weed out the unnecessary and really focus in on making sure everything leads to what matters most. Knowing where one is going is essential. That is always the question: where is this going? What is the goal?

Here's a little inside scoop. Even when I "call an audible" and change a message at the last minute or I feel like the Holy Spirit leads a new direction when I am speaking, there is always an end goal in mind. Sometimes it is a phrase or a sentence, but it is always a concept or principle for people to remember and apply to life. Every message I give has a point that is predetermined. I won't speak without that, it would be pointless. Follow-thru in preaching/teaching/speaking requires knowing the intended result.

A good message, a memorable drama, an effective presentation must have a purpose, a point. The end must always be determined and set before anything else in order to be most effective.

This is also true in much of our daily lives. It is not just something that applies to public presentations.

Follow-thru requires knowing how to finish even before one actually starts.

Sunday Unwind

I'm zapped. Just woke up a bit ago from a nap and yet still tired. Not complaining at all, it's part of it and I have had a full weekend.

Spent the day Friday working at Teen Challenge Columbus on the entrance ramp to their office building. Just getting things ready for our next work day there on the 27th. Friday night was a great evening with some friends.

Saturday was a typical work around the house day as we got ready to host the NEXT? group for a BBQ last night. Fun time! Elena rocked the food! She always does. After the meal we played some cornhole. Love it! And, don't mess with Nathan and I cause we will take you down. :-) Just saying.

Today was another incredible day! It never ceases to amaze me that God allows me to be a part of what He is doing each week.

We continued the One Prayer series with video guest Steven Furtick of Elevation Church. He gave a great illustration of the greatness of God and the goodness of God and how they work together. I tagged off the end of the video and shared out of James that every good gift is from God. What an amazing thought that God not only loves us, He likes us and wants to spend time with us! The podcast can be heard here.

At the end of the service, the response was a total God thing. A number of people not only raised their hands in response to God working in them, but walked forward and knelt down. It is ALWAYS a joy to see people respond to God and watch Him work in their lives. God was breaking some chains and removing some junk in hearts and lives. I'm excited to hear the stories coming out of today.

Next week is Father's Day and we have some special things in store. See you there!

Balance & Boundaries Pt.2

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1
In the previous post I dealt with balance and why I believe the idea of living life in balance is a myth. Let's talk boundaries.
Boundaries are crucial to an obedient and God pleasing life. They give us parameters and a guide where to go and where not to go.
We all have them. The question comes down to whether or not our boundaries are intentionally set based on God's Word or are they there by default based on our past experiences and upbringing. Our sense of right and wrong starts with our built in conscience but is built by our experiences and background and influences in our past. This sense in part sets our boundaries. We are far better off if we can make a serious and intentional effort to set and reset our boundaries according to the Word of God led by His Spirit.
I'm not just talking rules of conduct and accountability here, though that absolutely is a part of it. Yet, boundaries are much more than these.
Boundaries coincide with our core values and motivations that move and lead and guide us. Boundaries work to keep us focused and in tune with our purpose and calling. Boundaries dictate our relationships and where they go. Boundaries affect our schedule and our free time. Boundaries actually bring freedom and not restriction because they remove they bring clarity and understanding and remove the guessing.
In my life, boundaries mean that I do not find my identity in what others say or even in what I accomplish. A very wise pastor who was a mentor and hero of mine would often say, "If you don't get too high when they praise you, you won't fall too hard when they criticize you." Because both will and do happen. This helps me combat pride and depression. Both issues that have had too much control at differing times of my life.
In light of this past weekend's event with the public confession of a pastor, it would be very easy just to focus on moral boundaries. Truth is, we know those. So did and does he. His transgression happened because of a crossing or improperly set boundaries in other areas long before it got to the point of the moral issue at hand.
Boundaries help us live with proper priorities in every area of life. To be a healthy person spiritually we must look after the physical body and keep it disciplined, we must tend to our emotional needs, relationally we must keep all things appropriate, and it is imperative that we keep our personal walk with God tight through everything.
When the boundaries begin to break down or get crossed in the little areas is when we are on the path for the "big" problems. It always starts small and seemingly innocent. I know that those who hold tight to their boundaries can appear rigid and even legalistic, but for many that very thing keeps them on track. We must learn to keep all things in proper perspective and not force our boundaries on others. The standard is God's Word, not our thinking or opinions or ways. This doesn't mean we can't share with one another for the sake of growing together, but it does mean that we do so as equals moving forward together as not in judgment or self-righteous piety.
There is much more I could say on this, but I would love some feedback from you on boundaries and what you have found that works in your life.

What boundaries do you have with your time, family, work, etc. that are helping you move into a life pleasing to God?

(I'll resume the postings on follow-thru with my next post.)

Balance & Boundaries Pt.1

I know it is not usually good to start a series in the middle of another series, but I am going to do it here. Hey, it's my blog and I'll wander if I want to. :-)

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1

A few days ago I asked a question on Twitter and Facebook: "do you think Jesus was more concerned with a balanced life or an effective life of complete obedience to the Father?" I received some comments and feedback on this.

Then, this past weekend the social media sphere blew up with the news of a popular pastor stepping down due to an "emotional and physical affair." Many blog posts and articles and rants on all sides have been written since then. Yes, I am joining the cloud and commenting here also. However, I am going back to the question I asked last week about balance.

A lot of talk goes around about being balanced. You can hear sermons, read books, blogs, participate in discussions, and find tons of resources trying to help us live a balanced life. The idea is we become well rounded (figuratively, not physical shaped) and don't live in the extremes of life. It seems another way to get everyone on the same page of "normal."

In the church we talk about balance as a way to not be part of the weird and fringe elements of religion. I believe that often when someone talks about balance they are just trying to convince others they are right about something. It's one of those spiritual "ace" cards we like to pull. Kind of like, "I've been praying about this and..." "I feel led..." "God told me..." On and on it goes. People can be very good at spiritualizing their opinion in such a way that they bully others into agreeing with them. But, that's another subject and I digress.

The idea of balance is that everything is equal on all sides: equal time, attention, energy, etc. I love it when someone says that balance is Biblical. Not to be smart, but I'm still waiting for the scripture reference that backs that up.

I personally believe that balance in life is a myth. Worse yet, it may be a lie. If we get ourselves so focused on achieving balance we can become preoccupied with the wrong things. Chasing balance can cause us to miss out on what God really has for us. The truth is, we can not live a fully balanced life. It is not possible to spend the same amount of time on each area, family, God, work, and play. It is not possible to be in the balanced middle of all issues and all circumstances. We cannot live that way. I'm not sure we should.

Jesus told us the two greatest commandments were to love God with everything and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That seems out of balance to the human understanding. The human wisdom of balance would say to love God with the appropriate measure so that we can give equal attention to the natural. The idea of balance says we become a well-rounded individual equally good at everything. Impossible. And, not very productive. What is the old saying? "Jack of all trades, master of none."

As I work through scripture, or more accurately, let scriptures work through me, I find a call to an unbalanced life. A life of radical and complete surrender to God. Absolute devotion and commitment to Christ. Fanatical love for people. Life totally submitted to the Holy Spirit. Unwavering devotion. Unhesitant obedience. Leap of faith trust. These are Biblical directives and they are a life out of balance.

I maintain that boundaries are what so many are really defining or leading toward in the conversation about balance. With proper boundaries to guide us and keep life in check, I think we will find ourselves much closer to living a life worthy of the calling God has on each of us.

We'll explore boundaries more in the next post and then I'll resume the posts on follow-thru, though there is corelation between the two.

Sunday Unwind

Here goes:

Fantastic weekend in so many ways! Went to the Memorial Golf Tournament at Muirfield Village because of the generosity of some folks in the church. Took my youngest daughter on Friday. We walked all 18 holes as part of the Tiger wave. It was fun watching him and Zach Johnson and Ernie Els play. A very cool thing for me. Yesterday, I got to go again. This time with one of the young men in our church. We were given hospitality village tickets which meant free food! That's always a good thing. :-) Actually, his roomate knows someone and got us into one of the private parties overlooking the number 12 green. Great place to watch some golf! Tiger winning the tournament today was fun to watch as well. This time I watched it on TV though. BTW I love DVR!

Today was even better! Not because Tiger won. Because God showed up and is doing great things!!!

Today was promotion Sunday for our children's ministry. All the kids moved up to their new grades and classes. My daughter this morning looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Daddy, I'm now a 5th grader! That's scary!" I responded back, "You have no idea!"

Pastor Staci introduced all our coordinators for the various children's ministry areas. Thes people are great! The time and energy and care they put into taking care of our children is priceless.

Along with promotion Sunday, we honored our High School and College graduates. Congratulations Natasha, Kitch, Katie, and Robert!

Today was the kick off for ONEPRAYER. I love this movement! It so fits with a core value conviction of mine for unity in the body of Christ.

I got to tag team with someone I admire as a pastor and leader, Perry Noble. Of course Perry doesn't know he was tag teaming with me, I used his video message as part of the ONEPRAYER series. Perry pastors a tremendous church in Anderson, SC called NewSpring.

The message today was "God is Here." What a statement. I could preach several messages on that reality. God is here, right now. He is with you every moment of every day. If we ever get a hold of this reality, it will revolutionize us. We will act, talk, and relate differently. We will become more bold and more effective. We would walk in peace and share that peace with others. The podcast is here.

Awesome response as people were listening to God and making new decisions about life!

Capital City, hang on, GREAT things are ahead!

After service we held our Honor Star crowning for the MPact girls clubs. These girls have to do a tremendous amount of work and memorizing to reach this. Congrats! Along with their ceremony we had all the Mpact Girls clubs awards and the Royal Rangers boys clubs awards.

Follow Thru - part 1

I am going to write a series of posts based on a sermon I preached recently that has been bouncing around my noggin lately. I don't know how many I will write or over how long. We'll just take it one at a time. I'm sure I will sprinkle other things in the middle and bounce around a bit as that is just me. Anyway, just wanted to warn you. :-)

I have played several sports in my life (not all of them well). One of the things I find true in most of them is the importance of follow-through. How one ends is as important, if not more, as how one begins.

The examples are immense. In bowling (yes I do know something about it), once you let go of the ball, the finish motion of your hand has a lot to do with where that ball is going to end up going down the lane. In baseball, proper follow-through is what gives accuracy and power to the one throwing the ball, whether it is an outfielder or the pitcher. In basketball, follow-through is extremely important to the "touch" on the ball and it's flight to the basket and is often the difference between a made shot and a missed one. The list goes on through tennis, volleyball, football, soccer, and on and on.

The one example that rings most for me right now is of course golf. I have used Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry as examples before in this. However, I have a new appreciation for it now. Yesterday, I spent the day at Muirfield Village watching the pros practice in preparation for the Memorial Tournament. A good part of that time was spent just a couple dozen yards from Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry side-by-side at the driving range. (In the photo above, Jim is in the light blue and Kenny is in yellow.) These two men are near the top of the golfing world; both are ranked in the top 15. They are multiple winners on tour. Yet, they both have... um... unconventional swings.

It was wild watching them practice: Jim with his multiple plane, meandering take away back swing, and Kenny with the double hitch in his. Right next to them was another player also practicing. I have no idea who he is. I do know he is not one of the elite golfers in the world. It was obvious from his equipment and the number of people concerned with his equipment and practice (I should say lack of number of people) that he is not on the same level as the other two. Yet, his swing was picture perfect. Absolute classic, fluid, poetry in motion. What all three had in common was follow-through. Three different approaches in set-up, grip, equipment, style, backswing, tempo, everything. From impact to finish, all three had great follow-through. It looked different for each, but they finished strong and they fully finished their swings. As such, that little white orb sailed off all three clubs.