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Responsive Obedience

September 27, 2011 in Personal Growth with 0 Comments

I love Genesis 12:1-20. It recounts the calling of Abraham (Abram at that point). It is a short and to the point example of God’s call to us all.

God calls Abram to GO. For Abram that meant leaving everything he knew, his family and his home.

God says that Abram would be a blessing to other people and in the process he himself would be blessed.

And then I love what verse 4 says, “So Abram went…” Those are three beautiful words. Three simple words to describe Abrams response to God’s call in his life. He is an example of responsive obedience to God’s call.

I suppose at its core obedience implies responsiveness and thus having the word “responsive” is unnecessary. Yet, what Abraham displays is not obedience…eventually. He displays obedience that is (as far as we know) immediately responsive. We see it again with the disciples when they are called by Jesus to follow him.

This is something I’m cultivating in my own life and in my kids’ lives. I want to be responsive to God’s call whenever it comes. This means I have be able to hear clearly and trust deeply. Both are challenging.

Cultivating a heart that is able to hear the Father when he speaks means time in Scripture and prayer. Time spent wrestling through issues in your life. Time spent reflecting on you walk in Christ.

Creating a heart willing to trust so that you do respond obediently really just takes practice. The more you do it the more you are able to trust even more. For instance, in trail running your body learns to adapt to the unexpected nature of the trail. I don’t do a lot of it but I have noticed that when I have not been running on trails as much my body is less responsive. Yet, with a little time on trails my body and mind are able to more quickly adapt to the ever changing obstacles that are presented, even if it is just the uneven nature of the ground. It’s the same for our walk in Christ. The more you respond with trust and obedience, the quicker you are able to respond the next time.

 

Commissioned

September 26, 2011 in Doing Church, Hobart Campus with 0 Comments

Sunday at Hobart we commissioned our building for service. We decided that a “commissioning” fit our approach to ministry better than a traditional dedication. When you look up “commissioning” you find that several things can be commissioned:

* ships

* projects

* buildings

* people

The morning was actually built around doing the last two. Our commissioning of the building revolved around a simple idea. We really, really want our building to always be a tool to be used by God to change lives. We never want it to be an idol or a thing revered or thought of as “the church.” The building is not the church. God’s people on mission for God are the church.

I like to view the building and what we use the building for as an act to create centrifugal force versus centripetal.

With Centrifugal, movement is from the center to the edges. People are brought together but they are moved out from there. Gathering is never about staying. It’s always about going. Our gathering is always for the purpose of sending everyone back out.

Unfortunately what happens often when a church moves into a building is that it becomes centripetal force. Cenripetal force moves inward. Everything is sucked from the edges to the drain…much like a toilet.

We are not designed to suck!

We are designed to send.

Therefore the building…

…will get used and things will get broken,

…will be a tool for ministry and not a revered object,

…will be an equipping center and not a museum for saints.

 

 

Suncrest // Highland Rocks!

August 8, 2011 in Doing Church with 0 Comments

I had the opportunity yesterday to teach at Suncrest // Highland. It was a fabulous experience. I have wanted to make it over there ever since they launched but things have been so crazy. I’m so glad I finally made it.

It was fun seeing their setup. I joked with the setup crew that I had one Sunday without setup and couldn’t stand it so I had to go help them. It was interesting seeing how different their setup is in a school versus ours in the theater.  They definitely have a more relaxed schedule which is awesome.

It was great seeing some people I hadn’t seen in awhile. I even got to pray with a Suncrester I hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was a bit embarrassing when I couldn’t remember his name but hopefully he understood. I’m not all that good with names to begin with but I’m really toast after I preach.

The best part of the morning honestly was hearing the buzz about their recent involvement in the Highland Corn Roast. This campus’ community involvement is inspiring. They have been involved in a ton of community events where they just go and serve for and with other organizations.  I love how they have invested themselves to just go serve. Jared, Wesley, Allie and Daniel are leading a campus that’s a great example to the rest of us!

 

An amazing day 9 months in the making

August 1, 2011 in Doing Church, Hobart Campus with 1 Comment

I’m still reeling from yesterday.  Words can’t describe the satisfaction of reaching this day.  Of course it was great to have a full house, but it was even more gratifying to me to experience everyone’s response to being in the facility.  It wasn’t the relief of the exhausted runner crossing the finish line.  It was the excited, almost giddy anticipation of what God is going to do that I noticed.  The response in worship, the overwhelming thanks to those who made the day possible and the buzz in the hallways was amazing.

The work is not done…in fact in many ways is just beginning.  We have a few remaining projects but the real work is using the facility as a tool to reach out.  That is my prayer and goal.  And it is already happening.  Getting to meet a few people who were there for the first time was the biggest highlight of my day…because that is why we shed the blood, sweat and tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forgotten virtue of purity

June 6, 2011 in Scripture Reflection with 0 Comments

This past Sunday our theme was purity.  It’s a topic that is rarely talked about in our culture today.  It’s very passe’.  God’s Word says a lot about it but I think we tend to skip over those verses a lot.  The one that is really hard to skip over is Matthew 5:8:

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

If we ever forget the importance of purity, that verse reminds us of the promise of pursuing purity.

We talked yesterday about three powerful steps to get back on the path of purity if you have fallen off of it.  I encourage you to check it out here if you missed it.

I was struck today though of what God’s Word says is a key to staying on the path of purity.  Here’s what I read from Psalm 119:9-11:

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word.

I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

The key to staying on the path is consuming God’s Word.  We consume so many other things, yet if we are consuming God’s Word it makes it hard to stuff much else in there.  If you fill up on that first, you’re full!

And certainly as you do consume God’s Word, your taste grows for it instead of things less pure.  It’s like having a really nice meal for lunch but then you try to go to a fast food place for dinner.  We can choke it down because we are hungry, but are taste buds are really crying out for the nice meal we had at lunch.

If you are looking to consume God’s Word and want a systematic way to do so, check out the reading plans youversion.com.  There are a ton of ones already created but you can create your own too!

Memories

June 2, 2011 in family, Personal Preference, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

A friend texted me as we were leaving for our getaway, “Be safe, stay dry, and make a memory.”  Funny how the first two we automatically always do.  The last is rarely thought of ahead of time.  In fact, sometimes when you want to make a memory it rarely goes right.  It’s like trying to take that perfect photo of small kids.  Almost impossible and is a miracle if you actually capture a good one.  Like the ones below:

And then we tried again but then sometimes the older kid makes it hard…

And then your wife says, why don’t you let me take the picture:

But when you place yourself in an environment where you can relax and have fun, the moments that turn into memories just happen naturally.

These photos were taken at Elephant Rocks State Park.  A favorite place for my family.  We have tons of great memories from there.    Lots of climbing, joking about the Elephant’s “crack” and a great view at the top!  Here are some more photos from our visit to Elephant Rocks.

 

Adventure

June 1, 2011 in family, Personal Preference with 2 Comments

I love this photo that I took on a recent vacation. We had the opportunity to head down to southeast Missouri for a little REST and RELAXATION. For me both rest and relaxation is best served with a little ADVENTURE.

Adventure is a value for our family.  Even as I type this I don’t know that it is something we have specifically said to our kids.  It is just apparent in who we are and how we like to have fun.  And it is one of the things my wife and I could see waning in our kids recently.

Busyness and electronic distractions were consuming us.  So when we we had the opportunity to revisit a getaway spot we enjoyed 4 years ago, we took it!

Sun, fun, family, outdoors…the right combination for a great vacation.

By the way the photo was taken at Johnson’s Shut-ins State Park and we stayed at Koinania Valley Ranch Family Resort.  I recommend both highly!

Getting Close

May 25, 2011 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

A look at how far we’ve come.  We are getting close at Suncrest // Hobart:

 

Helplessness blues

May 16, 2011 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

On Sunday I taught on Romans 12:3-8 and pointed out that each of us have been created with uniqueness for  purpose.  One song I wish we could have incorporated was “Helplessness Blues” from the latest Fleet Foxes album.  It’s a beautiful song that wrestles with this exact theme.  The writer of this song is just not sure that being unique is valuable if the uniqueness is for uniqueness sake.  In fact he even states that he’d

“rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.”

What he doesn’t understand is that our uniqueness is created to make us count for something.  God uses our uniqueness to contribute to His kingdom and cause serving someone beyond ourselves.  It’s our uniqueness that doesn’t just cause us to stand out, but provides the platform from which we make a difference.

I love how he ends the song with a longing to do something worthwhile which in his mind is something as simple as tending an orchard.

“If I had an orchard,
I’d work til I’m raw.
If I had an orchard,
I’d work til I’m sore.“

We don’t have to dwell in helplessness blues because God has created us to count.

 


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Who is this?

April 6, 2011 in Encountering Jesus, Personal Growth with 3 Comments

When was the last time your encounter with Jesus left you in awe like it did the disciples in this experience?

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

In our advanced aged I think it is hard to be struck with awe.  We feel like we pretty much have things figured out.  There’s no room for awe in our lives.  There’s no room for a “child-like” faith that Jesus speaks of.

I was playing with my kids on the trampoline yesterday and a helicopter was flying over.  I pointed it out to my 4 year old who was instantly taken back with the sight.  I love it when he is captured by something I take for granted.

I wonder how much I miss in my encounters with Jesus because I’ve lived life too much.

That’s why I love the act of communion.  It’s a time to stop and reflect in awe of what Jesus had done for us…

…out of love…

…without us earning it…

…offering it freely.

Amazing!

But I shouldn’t wait until Sundays to experience awe over his sacrifice.  I shouldn’t wait until Easter to experience awe over the risen Savior.  I need to cultivate awe every single day.

One way I try to do this is with the simple art of noticing.  I’m trying to cultivate a habit of noticing where God is at work all around me everyday.  As I notice I’m taking the opportunity to thank Him.  I’m trying to notice things I take for granted that should bring me awe, like my children.  Each of them are gifts from God…even though I’m not always happy with them, I love them without reservation.

What about you?  Are you in awe of Jesus?  Have you experienced something that has made you ask, “Who is this?”

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