Came into the weekend already exhausted, but somehow doing what I love and being with people that I enjoy sharing life with, is rejuvenating.
After traveling back and forth to Montgomery Co for the viewing and funeral of my good friend Chris Patton, and speaking at his funeral, I then spent 2 days in DC at Unplugged Conference (notes coming soon).
Saturday we celebrated with our new pastoral couple, Joe and Lois, on their 50th wedding anniversary. To hear more about them, look back about 2 posts and watch their youtube video. How cool to have pastors with tons of life and marriage experience coaching and guiding a young pastor and church. How refreshing that they are willing to embrace changing styles without losing the passion for the Truth.
Onto Sunday, I preached my heart out. I give it my all every week, but not every week feels like my best. But for "On the Shoulders of Giants: Courage" I left it all at Lifehouse. Looked at Acts 1:8 and read chapter 3. These disciples of Jesus were transformed from cowering students to courageous leaders.
Our challenge: BE BOLD by relying on God's power and as witness of Jesus. The commitment I asked for: talk with at least ONE person about Jesus and invite someone to Lifehouse next week.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
BUSY DAYS
These are busy days for me. Not saying it's good, but the last 3 nights I've been miserable, because I did what I hate doing... coming home and kissing my girls on the check while they're asleep. Getting home between 10-12 each night is not a healthy pattern. But we'll make up for it soon with vacation. The girls are begging to spend time with daddy. So, I really owe it to them to get home early. I also owe it to Lifehouse, since my family's my first ministry, and if their not happy no one's going to be happy.
I'm in DC today finishing up a conference called Unplugged at capital hill. It's a great informal setup for conversational development among church planters. I'll blog more later.
I'm in DC today finishing up a conference called Unplugged at capital hill. It's a great informal setup for conversational development among church planters. I'll blog more later.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
New Tech Stuff Going Live
This is an arena that I think is a giant waste of time, but really do hope somebody reads it and uses it. If not, I'll truly feel as though I wasted a lot of time with little impact. So, help me out- if use facebook, I just set up and account. Go ahead and check it out.
Also, I'm trying to figure out how to add an rss feed chicklet to my posts. And soon, we should have podcasting up live both on my blog and at our website.
Finally, after much work, several of my most recent sermons are now available at our website here.
Also, I'm trying to figure out how to add an rss feed chicklet to my posts. And soon, we should have podcasting up live both on my blog and at our website.
Finally, after much work, several of my most recent sermons are now available at our website here.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
I was just doing some reading between my morning swim and our prayer time as a staff, and came across this news story. Here's the brief: Americans are becoming increasingly less exclusive in their views about their own faith and path to heaven. A majority believe that there are many ways to heaven, and that their personal faith doesn't have a handle on heaven, nor the right to suggest that if a person doesn't follow their faith, that they will end up in hell. Alright, just read the article...
Tolerance is very trendy and 21st Century and American. It makes people feel good and doesn't put others in a disparaging light. And therefore, it makes the holder of those views more civilized and sophisticated for not holding to a "narrow", bigoted theology.
However, when I was in college calculus and was asked a question, the goal wasn't to make all my classmates feel good about their varying and opposing answers. I wanted to know the right answer and how that answer was derived. Same in chemistry, in English, in history, in physics, and in just about every academic and life pursuit I've studied.
It is primarily because people don't like the premise of being wrong about something so profoundly life-altering as their personal faith, that they expected others to "lighten up" on their theology, and give them a pass or let them off the hook. I'm not being harsh, just honest.
I'm confident that the Bible doesn't just contain A way, but THE Way to an eternity in heaven. I believer passionately in Jesus and His LOVE for all mankind, that I'm willing to risk offense, my own reputation, and even a little "political correctness" backlash, to communicate as broadly and as relevantly as possible that Jesus is the Answer that ALL people are looking for.
And He is the ONLY way! If you don't like it, that's okay... my classmates didn't like it when they got the answer wrong and I had it write on the final either, only this time there's a lot more at stake. The beauty of this final is we are all willing to share the answers and even show everyone how to come to the same answer.
Tolerance is very trendy and 21st Century and American. It makes people feel good and doesn't put others in a disparaging light. And therefore, it makes the holder of those views more civilized and sophisticated for not holding to a "narrow", bigoted theology.
However, when I was in college calculus and was asked a question, the goal wasn't to make all my classmates feel good about their varying and opposing answers. I wanted to know the right answer and how that answer was derived. Same in chemistry, in English, in history, in physics, and in just about every academic and life pursuit I've studied.
It is primarily because people don't like the premise of being wrong about something so profoundly life-altering as their personal faith, that they expected others to "lighten up" on their theology, and give them a pass or let them off the hook. I'm not being harsh, just honest.
I'm confident that the Bible doesn't just contain A way, but THE Way to an eternity in heaven. I believer passionately in Jesus and His LOVE for all mankind, that I'm willing to risk offense, my own reputation, and even a little "political correctness" backlash, to communicate as broadly and as relevantly as possible that Jesus is the Answer that ALL people are looking for.
And He is the ONLY way! If you don't like it, that's okay... my classmates didn't like it when they got the answer wrong and I had it write on the final either, only this time there's a lot more at stake. The beauty of this final is we are all willing to share the answers and even show everyone how to come to the same answer.
Monday, June 23, 2008
ON THE SHOULDERS sermon media
how many faces can you find in the clouds?
If you missed yesterday's message at Lifehouse East, to bad for you...
No, it was great. These are the times when I feel like I'm preaching as a third-party. It feels like I'm watching myself preach. The message is so powerful, the content so BIG, that I quickly realize I'm a very small part of this amazing Cause of Jesus. Here's some media stuff and the videos from yesterday. Watch both to see the contrast.
This is good:
Now for the better, more powerful video:
WE ARE ONE VERSE IN THE SONG...
If you can't tell, I'm having a blast preaching this message series "On the Shoulders of Giants". It's amazing to put our life into the broader context of history. It forces me to get my eyes off of myself and onto what I've been given by the heroes/ giants before me and what is expected of me.
It's an incredible challenge to think about your part as a verse in the song of redemption, a chapter in the book of Life, a stanza in the great love poem of God. We're responsible to carry with wisdom a baton that has been handed to us by giants like Abraham (no last name needed), Moses, David, Gideon, Samuel, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Peter, John, James, Paul, JESUS himself, Ignatius, Polycarp, Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine, Martin Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Wesley brothers, and Billy Graham, just to name a very small few. Who among us will rise up and be counted? Who will we pass the baton to? How well will we have apprenticed them and model for them what it means to be a Christ-follower?
A side note: every time a start preparing for a sermon series, which is usually a few months in advance, I think that I'll never come up with something more creative or as powerful as the one I'm in at the moment. So, I'm constantly amazed by the reality that God is the other of creativity, and He is omni-creative. Never runs out of ideas and always offers us new insight to present the same powerful message of God's love in new, fresh, and powerful ways.
If you can't tell, I'm having a blast preaching this message series "On the Shoulders of Giants". It's amazing to put our life into the broader context of history. It forces me to get my eyes off of myself and onto what I've been given by the heroes/ giants before me and what is expected of me.
It's an incredible challenge to think about your part as a verse in the song of redemption, a chapter in the book of Life, a stanza in the great love poem of God. We're responsible to carry with wisdom a baton that has been handed to us by giants like Abraham (no last name needed), Moses, David, Gideon, Samuel, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Peter, John, James, Paul, JESUS himself, Ignatius, Polycarp, Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine, Martin Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Wesley brothers, and Billy Graham, just to name a very small few. Who among us will rise up and be counted? Who will we pass the baton to? How well will we have apprenticed them and model for them what it means to be a Christ-follower?
A side note: every time a start preparing for a sermon series, which is usually a few months in advance, I think that I'll never come up with something more creative or as powerful as the one I'm in at the moment. So, I'm constantly amazed by the reality that God is the other of creativity, and He is omni-creative. Never runs out of ideas and always offers us new insight to present the same powerful message of God's love in new, fresh, and powerful ways.
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