REVIEW OF SUNDAY- NO AUDIO OF MESSAGE

Since we weren't able to record the message I preached on Sunday, I thought at lest I could offer the outline and notes from it. So, here you go:

How’s my driving?
I. Introduction:
Rush Hour living is hectic and non-stop, and we have demands, deadlines, and decisions bearing down on our backs. Decision-making can be a challenge, and yet the Bible provides wonderful insights into how to make right decisions on a daily basis. I want to conclude with a final message. Not about how to improve our lives, but how to better improve God’s reputation through our driving!
We all have stories of “how’s my driving?” experiences. And that's why I don’t have a “clergy” sticker on my car.
Here's the Big idea: We are a direct representative of our “Boss.” But it’s a family owned business, so He’s our Father as well. It’s our responsibility to represent Him well.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16, NIV.
Max Lucado wrote of the story of G.R. Tweed, a young navel officer who spent three years hiding on the island of Guam during World War II.

"When the Japanese occupied the island in 1941, he ducked into the thick tropical brush. Survival hadn't been easy, but he preferred the swamp to a POW camp. Late in the day July 10, 1944, he spotted the friendly vessel. He scurried up a hill and positioned himself on a cliff. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a small mirror. At 6:20 p.m., he began sending signals. Holding the edge of the mirror in his fingers, he tilted it back and forth, bouncing the sunrays in the direction of the boat. Three short flashes. Three long. Three short again. Dot-dot-dot. Dash-dash-dash. Dot-dot-dot. SOS.

The signal caught the eyes of a sailor on board the USS McCall. A rescue party boarded a motorized dinghy and slipped into the cove past the coastal guns. Tweed was rescued."

It was a good thing Tweed had that mirror and knew how to use it. But what if the mirror hadn't cooperated? Suppose the mirror had resisted, pushed its own agenda. Rather than reflect a message from the sun, suppose it had opted to send its own.

After all after, three years of isolation the mirror might have been starved for attention. What if, instead of sending an SOS, it sent a LAM (Look At Me!) signal? What if, after three years of inactivity, the mirror was insecure about its abilities? "What if I blow it? What if I send a dash when I'm supposed to send a dot? ... Self-doubt could paralyze a mirror."

So could self-pity. "Been crammed down in that pack, lugged through jungles, and now, all of a sudden expected to face the bright sun and perform a crucial service? No way. Staying in the pack. Not getting any reflection out of me."

Yes, it's a good thing that mirror didn't have a mind of its own. But we, God's mirrors, do have minds of our own. Dare we hope to be a mirror in the hand of God, the reflection of the light of God? This is the call.

Big idea: Like asking “How’s my driving?” the question is, “How well are we reflecting God’s presence on earth?” Here’s the point: it is our mission in life to “drive” or live to best reflect God on earth to those around us. When they see our lives and observe our driving through the Rush Hour of life, do they experience God’s presence or a marred image? How clearly are we reflecting God’s glory?
And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18, The Jerusalem Bible.
So, what principles can we take from these stories about how to clearly represent God to those around us as we drive through the Rush Hour of life?

II. Reflect God’s Glory!
We are the reflection of God, a mirror called to appropriately reflect God’s presence:
Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your glory.”
The LORD answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you… But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses… 6 The LORD passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the LORD. The LORD is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn’t become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness 7 and loyal in love for a thousand generations (Msg). The LORD forgives people for evil, for sin, and for turning against him, but he does not forget to punish guilty people.”
Then Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets of the Agreement in his hands. But he did not know that his face was shining because he had talked with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw that Moses’ face was shining…” Exodus 33:18-19; 34:5-7,29-30, NCV.
To be a reflection, we must be in direct contact with the Light.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12, NCV.
• A mirror doesn’t have to make an effort to shine for the sun. We are mirrors filled with God’s light. We have Jesus’ heart living inside of us. We drive God’s company car through Rush Hour.
• It’s not whether we are a mirror reflecting His light, but how well we are representing the “Son.”
Paul wrote that we “reflect like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, and grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect.”
• The Greek word “reflect” is “katoptrizomai” and means both “to look or behold” (stare at) and “to reflect”. So, we must see God before we can reflect God.
• It’s not our job to be the source of light.
• We must not get self-centered and try to reflect our own image or agenda.
• We must not let anything get in the way or mar our clearest reflection of God.
• Moses simply had to be in close proximity to God and then he shined with God’s presence. Are you regularly getting alone with God? Our face reveals who and what we spend time with- whether the guilt and shame of spending time in our own sin and lusts. Or the hurt and pain of wondering off down a path of selfish ambition and broken dreams. Or the glow of the love of God through time in His presence.


III. Share God’s Story!
“We are not our own… therefore, we must glorify God with our bodies.” Paul said that we drive a company car, and it has a blaring bumper sticker, “How’s my driving?” And you can scratch the phone number off.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV.
• An ambassador is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government to serve as the official representative of his or her own country.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10, NIV.
• This isn’t our permanent residence. We are passing through this land, and while we are here, we are on official diplomatic business with the full authority and weight of our own Country and King, God Almighty.
Reader’s Digest story “Foreign diplomats in America have a blank check for bad behavior.”
In early 2005, Virginia police closed in on a suspected child predator -- a man in his 40s who cops say drove four hours to meet a 13-year-old girl he'd met on the Internet, promising to teach her about sex. It turned out the girl was really a cop, and officers arrested the man at a shopping mall.
But then it was the police who got an unpleasant surprise. Their suspect, Salem Al-Mazrooei, was a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates -- and therefore covered by "diplomatic immunity." The cops had to let him go. Days later, Al-Mazrooei left the country, never having spent a night in jail.
Perhaps the most brazen deadbeats, though, were officials from Zaire who stopped paying rent to their private landlord and ran up $400,000 in debt. The landlord finally cut off the utilities; that's when the officials fled without paying their back rent.

In April, a young Russian attaché, Ilya Sergeyevich Morozov, was allegedly driving drunk when he struck and injured a New York police officer who was trying to stop him from barreling into a closed roadway. Morozov was protected by diplomatic immunity and let go.

In 1999, a Bangladeshi woman named Shamela Begum said she was essentially enslaved by a senior Bahraini envoy to the UN and his wife. Begum charged that the couple took her passport, struck her and paid her just $800 for ten months of service -- during which she was only twice allowed out of the couple's New York apartment.
What if the story was different? Instead of United Arab Emirate ambassador preying on children, He donated hours out of his schedule to work at a homeless shelter. Then what would we think of the UAE? OR what about the officials from Zaire, who instead of ripping off their landlord, they remodeled the entire thing out-of-pocket, and left it in significantly better condition than when they arrived? OR the Russian envoy was speaking at local high schools about the evils of alcohol instead of getting off a DUI? Our opinion of these countries would change because their behavior was different!
How’s My Driving? See, we don’t just drive through the roads of life. We are God’s ambassador. What we do is God’s reflection to those around us.
Being an ambassador requires ownership/ citizenship- do you “own” the vision of God to expand His Kingdom into the heart of every person you know; to multiple the citizenship of heaven so that eternity is populated differently because you lived today!
We are called to share God’s story with our world, not to misrepresent or hide it.
Two devote Christians were captured and severely reprimanded for preaching in Jerusalem about Jesus… So they called Peter and John in again and told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “You decide what God would want. Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20, NCV.
• Jesus called us to be His witness to our community, friends, family, and world. Simply, that means we tell others what we have seen and heard. We share God’s story in our life.
• A witness must not be silent. We don’t want to be found in contempt of the court of heaven. We have been commissioned with diplomatic responsibility to clearly represent God’s kingdom on earth and to be a witness of our King and Country.
St Francis of Assisi said: “Preach the gospel always. If necessary, use words.”
Our life and message are a witness (or representation) of God to our sphere of influence
We must be intentional about this- it doesn’t happen by just sitting back and letting life pass you by. That’s why I love Dodge’s theme “Grab Life by the Horns.” I feel motivated, empowered, inspired. Or VW’s “Drivers wanted.”
God wants drivers who will grab life by the horns and do something BOLD for Him.
• Become a person of influence.
• Share your faith in Jesus Christ.
• Pray with someone when they tell you about a difficult situation or a family member that’s sick.
• Invite everyone you know to The LifeHouse for FRIEND DAY 12/03. We’ll do our part, you do yours- TAG, your it!


Let me ask you this in conclusion:

Do you have an experience worth reflecting? Have you experienced the life transforming power of the Son of God?

How’s your driving? Are you clearly reflecting God’s image and message to the world? Ask yourself: How can I improve as a witness for Jesus TODAY? Who do I need to invite to The LifeHouse this FRIEND DAY?

LEADERSHIP LESSONS

I had three leadership meetings in a row this morning: a men's leadership group from 6:30-8am, one-on-one from 8-9am, and a church planting mentoring one from 9-10:30am. So, I'm done! No more insights for the week.

Here's the bare bones of those meetings, since they all seemed to center on some central themes:

* We must grow in order to expand our influence. Leadership doesn't happen overnight. John Maxwell writes about the "Law of the Lid." We must raise the level of our "lid" in order to expand our influence or impact within our area of leadership. The only way to raise the lid is to grow. The primary area of growth must be within our personal and private disciplines. When we pray, study the Bible, fast, discipline our bodies, spend time in solitude, manage our time well, then we become a person who is growing and teachable. When we're growing and teachable, then we have something to offer. Vision and courage (two most necessary ingredients of effective leaders) are born out of disciplined living, specifically the spiritual disciplines.
* Growth and leadership aren't cheap. It's a hard, rigorous process! If we were to rate our leadership on a 1-10 scale, no one grows from a 4 to a 8 overnight. The price tag is too high. We must first grow to a 5, and do the necessary steps and make the necessary changes to get to that point. Then, we grow to a 6, and so on. And it's biblical- whoever is faithful with little will be entrusted with more, but whoever isn't faithful with even a little, even what he has will be taken from him and given to the one who has much.
* We must be real, authentic, and raw. Give away whatever you learn. Don't hold back knowledge. In whatever filed you know much, give it away to those around you. Grow others with the knowledge and experience you have now. When you give it away, God will entrust more to you. Don't be greedy with your understanding, insights, and personal growth. A true legacy is born when each of us bring others along in our own growth process.

Well, there you go. When we start living this, we will elevate the capacity of the church as a whole to lead and expand God's Kingdom on earth. Let's raise the bar of leadership within The LifeHouse and our community and the church worldwide.

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged. It's been an exciting season! Rather than trying to catch you up, I'll just keep blogging forward.

As we approach our Christmas Friend Day at The LifeHouse, we've hit some challenges. What are we doing? Well, for this Friend Day, we're bringing in Santa Claus, a professional photographer, a horse & carriage (for vallet service from your parking spot to the entrance of the building), and we're serving a full holiday meal (5 turkeys, 3 hams, and tons more). We're also providing lots of stuff for the kids.

And we've run into some snags along the way: we weren't sure if we had people to cook all the food, couldn't book a horse & carriage without paying a fortune (then, because we waited, we thought we couldn't get one at all), and on and on. While I was wrestling through some of these challenges and details, I had a realization.

I could make all the challenges and difficulties go away. Yep, no stress, no fears, no worries about whether our plans will work out. WE COULD JUST RISK AND TRY NOTHING! Now, that's not actually an option. But, while I was praying it hit me- we face these obstacles because we're trying to do something. When we take on real enemies, fight real battles, we will receive real wounds and bleed real blood. Nothing waggered, nothing lost! But, what kind of life is that? Right? No, Nothing waggered, nothing gained! I'd rather take big risks and attempt to do great things for God, and fail and stumble along the way, then to get comfortable and not try anything at all. So, let's embrace and enjoy the hardships, challenges, and victories of true battle.

It'll be tough, and we'll have to deal with a lot more issues, frustrations, and disappointments along the way, but man is it better than sitting on our duff doing nothing!

The following letter was written by a young pastor in Zimbabwe who was later martyred for his faith:
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made—I’m a disciple of his. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed, visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on his presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must keep going until he comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until he stops me. And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.

CAN WE BE HONEST?

This news about Ted Haggard messed me up. I don't know if anyone besides the media is talking about it, but I may as well blog it. Some of our pastoral team recently heard him speak, and loved him. I've read his books.

If you don't know, Ted Haggard pastored New Life Church (14,000 members) and was president of the National Association of Evanglicals (that's basically all Bible-believing Christians).

The story breaks. Truth is disclosed. Sordid facts are uncovered. Rumors fly. A family wrestles with the complications (he had a wife and five kids). Believers distrust. A church rebuilds admist the carnage. We all talk and watch. We all look in the mirror. I wonder, "if he could fall, what hope do I have?"

This isn't the first time or the last time our leaders, mentors, and fathers have failed. Dropped the ball. Mislead or deceived. But every time it hurts and stirs doubt.

I write this because it's my journey. At times like this, I turn introspective. I question my own humanity. I wrestle with my own temptations. And I wonder, "Why didn't he go to somebody before it got this big? Didn't he have a friend that he could talk to honestly?"

Do we have those kinds of accountable frienships. Not just friends, but people that we can be gut-honest with, no-hold-barred honest. I have a very selective few friends that I bare all to, and I must, to protect me from the festering of hidden, undisclosed sins. So, I make sure that I confess, let it out, find help and hope. And I find it amazing, the moment I confess, temptation looses its grip. Once it's in the light, darkness hides.

So, find a friend. Not just a buddy, but a co-warrior. Someone who you deeply trust and share life with them. Don't hold back. Be completely real with your spouse. Find a true friend who knows everything you struggle with and still stands with you and prays for you. This isn't optional. It's a life necessity. Let's be honest! Let's get real. Never do it alone.

WEEKEND OVERVIEW: Part deuce

Every morning I start my day with this prayer:
"My what I do today matter for eternity, so that heaven is populated differently because I got out of bed!"

It's strange, but I started praying that about 18 months ago. I thought it would grow old after a while. And it may. But for right now, it seems to remind me every waking moment of my "why." And that helps, because I'm quick to forget. But when you pray a prayer like that it's hard to loose sight of where you're going and why you got out of bed this morning.

A young man named Dave asked me how I stay so energized everyday. And the truth is, I don't, it's all an act! No, I'm just kidding. If you know me personally, it's scary, and I really am this intense, fired up, and crazy about living.

Well, here was my answer. When we no longer see Christianity as church and church as religious ceremony, something shifts. When my faith becomes an electric adventure. A CAUSE. A war that I wake up to fight for everyday, then I go through a refocusing. Instead of seeing disappointments and failures as some all-encompassing defeat, I view them simply as a step toward ultimate victory.

LIFE IS WORTH LIVING. Following Jesus isn't easy. Matter of fact, it could be said that it's the hardest life there is, you've got the whole world at war with your faith. But man, what an adventure. What a war! What an adrenaline rush!

And yesterday, we led two people into relationship with God, and another rededicated her life to pursuing God. That's why I get out of bed everyday. I can fire ammunition into the gates of hell and take back my friends and neighbors as plunder for God's great Kingdom.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE WEEKEND

Money. Lot's and lot's of money...

It's funny. Everyone talks about it all the time. And the moment we bring up in church everyone (including me) panics and reaches for our wallets. This is a conditioned reflex. Like pulling our hand away from the flame or saying "bless you" when someone sneezes, we know that when money gets mentioned in church settings it's going to cost us.

So, this past weekend I dared to tread on thin ice by broaching the topic. I'm enjoying this series, "RUSH HOUR: spiritual Guidance at the Speed of Life." And one of the topics that consumes a lot of our time and decision-making is money. So, I decided to use humor and keep it light-hearted with "Be Wise with Borrowed Stuff."

For those of you that saw the video, isn't great that I get to spend time preparing for messages by taking a 350Z for test drive. That car is much smoother and went much faster than I expected. I wasn't trying to speed, honestly. It's just that when my car feels that smooth, I'm only going about 45mph, it was going about 85. Whoops!

Well, to recap the weekend. Here's the point of my message taken from Matthew 25:14-30 (the story of the talents). BE WISE WITH BORROWED STUFF! Everything we have is borrowed, and we are managers that will have to give a record of what we did with our Boss's stuff.
- Trust God: He knows how much each of us can handle today. And He has distributed His estate on earth accordingly.
- Live Simply: make a budget. live within your means. save for the future (set up a retirement account, etc).
"If you would be wealthy, think of savings as well as gettting"- Benjamin Franklin.
-Give to Eternity: this is a basic principle. God asks us to give 10% and in turn, He will bless us. What's so hard about that? It's a trust and obey issue. I know many people get stressed about it, but they're usually the ones that don't give. Put God to the test, and I'm confident He'll come through for you every time.

By the way, I challenged anyone at The LifeHouse to tithe for 6 months, and if they are not able to make ends meet after 6 months or are in a worse financial place then before they started giving, we'll refund them all their investment into The LifeHouse. Now, that's testing what the Bible says!

WHY NOT?

I have a new quote on my desktop, "I would rather fail in a cause that someday will triumph, than to win in a cause that someday will fail" - Woodrow Wilson. I had an "aha" moment when I read that. I try real hard, as do you, to avoid failure, to give everything my best, and work hard to prevent my efforts from being wasted/ in vain.

But what's the worst that will happen? No, I mean honestly. What about the soldiers in the front lines of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement, the War on Terror. For them, their great Cause, ended in death (the death of a dream and Cause, at least from their vantage point). But history would suggest that their efforts/ failures were the foundation for future success/ triumph.

What if I am the first line of attack that God uses to blast the embattlements of the enemy, and I have to take the hit along the way. Am I willing to be a casualty in the greatest Cause of all? Are willing to risk failure in a Cause that we know will triumph?

I don't know about you but that is incredibly challenging for me, and makes me want to make some crazy big sacrifices and risks in this epic battle for the souls of my community and world!

A REVIEW OF THE WEEKEND

Been so busy and haven't taken the time to blog. My bad- hope you still check back every hour on the hour to see what new stuff I might post.

Every Sunday afternoon, when I get home, I sit back and smile and love loving church. It's great to be a part of something that is fun, risky, and genuinely eternal in value.

Two things I wanted to comment on about this past Sunday:
1. We have the funniest, coolest church- I mean, for pastor appreciation, my team makes fun of me. And what is even funnier is that their spoofs of "scenes in the life of your pastor" were mild and gracious. I'm actually more intense, wild, loud, and passionate. Pastor Dave made a great quote when he was imitating me, "THAT'S RIGHT, YOU THOUGHT WE RENT THE SCHOOL BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A BUILDING! WE DID BUT I GAVE IT AWAY- SO THAT WE COULD WIN MORE PEOPLE TO CHRIST!" I didn't say that, but I wish I had, and either way, it's actually true. We did have a building- paid off and all. I did give it away or give it back, or whatever you want to call it. Just read our story at www.thelifehouse.org for more details. Hilarious! Thanks everyone for the cards and love! It means a lot!

2. Let's review our gathering (aside from the shenanigans): I spoke on breaking the law of integrity - how that creates a dead end during the Rush Hour of life. Did you all like the video intro on scene with that crazy car chase? The point- when we don't operate in integrity we land in a dead end. To avoid that dead end, don't take short cuts and be honest and real. Be "sine cera" or "without wax" according to history the ancient honest artificers would put up signs that read "sine cera" to distinguish themselves from the dishonest- those that filled the cracks in the very valuable porcelain figurines with wax (to disguise the damage). Let's just be who we say we are and do what we say we are going to do.

SOME LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS FROM THURSDAY BREAKFAST

Every other Thursday morning, I meet with the men who lead ministries in the church over breakfast at 6:30. Here are some thoughts from yesterday's leadership discussion:
- Leaders must take great steps of faith. When was the last time you did something that scared you? That was risky? That you said, "Unless God does a miracle, I'm going to fail"? I want to follow others with bigger, greater-faith-demanding dreams than the ones I have. Trust me, The LifeHouse is full of risky, faith-demanding dreams. Let's do and dreams things that will inspire those around us. We are part of a CAUSE more than a vision or purpose statement.
- Leaders are models. Most of us have heard the saying, "We teach what we know, we reproduce who we are." This is true for leaders. We can only expect of othes what we are doing and modeling. When we ask people to share their faith in Jesus with those around them, do they see us doing it? Or we challenge LifeHousers to invite their friends to church, are we doing it? Or we want people to pray, are we disciplined in our prayer life? Or servant leadership, can we ask someone to work hard, sacrifice, and serve passionately, if they don't see us doing it first? Or can we ask those around us to tithe or sacrificially give, if we are stingy or afraid to give to God? This is why we must continue to serve, pray, give, and lead by example. The question is not, "why don't those I'm leading do...?" but, "Am I doing... so that these see a clear model?"

DO WE LIVE OUR CREEDS?

I lead a Life Developments life group on Wed. evenings for 2 hrs. I love it; I feel energized during and after the session. Thanks to all who are a part of it. Hopefully, you're reading this!

I was talking yesterday about "doctrine." Wow! Now that is exciting and compelling stuff. And I began with a key point that I can't emphasis enough:

The Doctrine of the Bible is Truth in Motion.

It's practical, applicable. And if it's not, then it's not real, authentic biblically doctrine, it's just dogma or religious expectations. What we teach as doctrine, those in the Bible lived. When was the last time we truly lived our creed. Is it enough just to profess Jesus as Lord or cognitively affirm the reality of our sin nature. Our does our belief some how transcend the mental and impact the daily affairs of our life?

Can you take very fundamental belief of the church (or your own personal faith) and explain how it effects your lifestyle? If not, then is it really a fundamental belief or just religious dogma or simply a mental accent?

Let me give you an example, then I'll wait for your comments: I believe in the One True God. That's doctrine straight from the Bible. But I also live it. I pray to One God. I don't stress about various gods warring against each other. I don't worry about whether one will get jealous of my praise toward another one. Our God is One. I believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, and it's biblical. I am, therefore, confident that the One who created everything is stronger than and greater than His own creation. Therefore, I have no reason to fear or be intimidated by His creation. I realize that my God is strong enough to provide for and protect me. He keeps me going- therefore, I have purpose, and He sustains me so that I can fulfill His great plan for my life. I also believe that God is good, and it's biblical. If God wasn't good, than I have reason to be cynical and fearful. But, if He's good, than in the midst of pain and struggle, I still trust that He has a great plan for me. I have hope that through my despair God is crafting His good work and is still showing mercy in my life.

Now that's experiencing your beliefs. What about you?

Do I live what I preach?

I've been doing this sermon series "Rush Hour," on the premise that our lives are so busy that we need to take more time to think about how we make our everyday decisions. Thus, my goal is to provide principles for spiritual guidance at the speed of life.

In light of what I preach, I've been wrestling with some major decisions at The LifeHouse. Namely, I believe we need to bring someone on full-time to carry a major load of responsibility- to bring us to a new level in our worship gatherings and alleviate responsibility off my desk so that I can continue to focus on leading the church in her vision. But, that's where decision-making gets tough. Who's the right person? Can we afford to hire someone with our limited budget? Will you as a church rally around this decision and give sacrificially to help make this happen and move us in the right direction?

I feel like we are at a scary, risky, dangerous place in the church, and these decisions have frightening, intimidating implications. When I begin to think that way, a trigger goes off inside of me, and I say, "This must be God." When I look back at the journey of my life and The LifeHouse, every time we came to a scary, risky place, something amazing happened. God stepped in and did the impossible.

I was reading a new book by Mark Batterson (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day), and he hit this exact point about making decisions:

"There is a pattern I see repeated throughout Scripture: Sometimes God won't intervene until something is humanly impossible... Maybe God allows the odds to be stacked up against us so He can reveal more of His glory." Wow! Maybe it's supposed to feel a little scary. Well, then, bring it on.

The results from these situations are always amazing. God will stretch us, expand our vision, and allow us to reach a greater number of people with the message of hope and salvation. After all, it is His church and vision!

Notes from the Weekend- Part 2

I woke up Sunday still tired from Saturday (but a good tired, the one you get when you worked hard and accomplished lots), plus I had this blaring bruise on my head. How? Well, I stayed on that inflatable joust game one match too long. The drummer from Slapdash smacked me in the head, not with the cushioned part that everyone is supposed to use, but with the hard, handle part. So, I have this Gorbechev-esque mark across my forehead. No problem- my wife's got touch up, and only one person noticed on Sunday (and that wasn't until after we brought up all the lights when tearing down our equipment).

On to more interesting topics: Sunday was a blast. I am always reminded of how much fun it is to be a part of and lead The LifeHouse. I love that we can have fun, laugh, eat, and actually enjoy being around each other. For those of you that missed my message, I had a lot of fun with it. I'm still on a series called RUSH HOUR: spiritual guidance at the speed of life.

I spoke from John 4 about Roadblocks in Rush Hour, on the topic of Communication. Yea, we can all improve in that area. Matter of fact, I even shared how Laura and I struggle in our communication at home, then played a secretly record tape of one of our miscommunication moments (are you crazy? No, way- it was actually a recording of two people arguing in SPANISH!) Ha, lots of fun!

Anyway... if you missed it. Here's the point: Jesus UNDERSTOOD rather than BEING understood. Jesus met the woman where she was at, both physically and emotionally. He LISTENED rather than preached. He spoke to her HEART not her head, and He DEFLATED her defenses. Now, if we could just apply these principles into our life everyday, wouldn't our work, home, school, and church environments dramatically change?

NOTES FROM THE WEEKEND- PART 1


What a weekend! Kudos to our entire team of leaders and servants who put on an incredible Community Harvest Festival. It was great. We had tons of FREE food and hot drinks, a cool band called Slapdash, about 5 inflatable games, tons of candy, competitions, kids games, decorations, face painting, music, funny dramas, and a crowd of people.

This was one of our best events yet. We were able to have tons of fun with those in our community, give away lots of cool stuff, plus stuff our faces. I even got a chance to share Jesus with the all of our guests. My point was taken from a funny human video (acting set to a song) called "No More Monsters." I talked about how we all have monsters in our life (things that preoccupy, distract, worry, and consume us; that stir fear in us), and the only way to live free of fear is to invite Jesus to be the great Rescuer of our soul.

We had about 350 people total. And most of them were our guests. Shout outs to Randy and Beckie Martin for a wonderful job overseeing the whole event, Rich and Lori for running the kids end of things, and the whole cooking/ hospitality team for doing a great job with the food. And a final huge thank you to Mid-Atlantic Master Commission- I've never seen a better group of servants and hard-working, God-loving young people. They carried the day, and we couldn't have done it without them. Thanks so much. Eternity will be populated differently because of your efforts.

NOTES FROM SEMINAR


The first seminar on Thursday was about Assimilation. Wow! Now, there's a compelling topic. It's actually vitally important to the life of our church, because it deals with how well me introduce people to The LifeHouse and then invite them to get involved. Nelson Searcy focused on how to get people who are first time guests connected with the church and how to get 2nd time guests to build relationships with people within the church, and then, finally, how to get regular attenders to take on responsibility in the church.

Now that you are truly excited and inspired, let me continue... It actually forced me to re-think our hospitality and follow-up processes. And we're making a few changes, like no more phone calls to our guests. Instead we're sending emails and hand-written cards (and maybe even a little gift). Our goal isn't just attendance, but for people to come in, build relationship, and eventually take on responsibility. Without relationship and responsibility, people are either spectators or being religious. We want family members at The LifeHouse.

I'm excited about this training and change, and I'm confident that these changes will allow us to be more effective at reaching our community for the CAUSE of Christ.

Spent the day down in DC. Well, expect for the part sitting traffic and stalled on the metro to Union Station. Some lady got sick about three trains ahead of us, and apparently, we had to wait for the sanitation department to get there to clean everything up. So... after about a three hr commute (thanks to all of you that endure that everyday), I arrived at Ebenzer's CoffeeHouse on 201 F st, NW DC. Went down for a conference on Assimilation and "Right-Brain Preaching" with Nelson Searcy (Journey Church, Manhattan) and Mark Batterson (National Community Church, DC). How cool to have a coffeehouse/ offices/ youth room/ meeting rooms- all in the same building.

I'll give you'll more info about the conference tomorrow, but now I need to go spend some time with Laura. So, check back tomorrow for the notes from the time with those great heroes of the 21st century Church. I had a blast but am really tired.

CHANGES IN THE LIFEHOUSE


Change is a sign of growth. And one thing I am certain of within the life of any effective organism is the need for change in order to facilitate growth. Well, I thought I would give the blogosphere a glimpse not only into our story and my thinking but some change that's coming down the pike at The LifeHouse.

As I've been reading, studying, and especially praying, I have been sensing that it is time for us to take a step of faith and aim to hire a staff pastor. I know, that immediately envokes a pile of questions, particularly from all of you business-minded or detail-oriented people. But great decisions and change begin with a gut, intuitive sense. Then, they are tweeked and developed in prayer and much thought. So, not only do I believe that this is the right step, but I think it's probably over due. And I am in the process right now of seaching out the right person to join our pastoral team so that our church can grow to the next level of fulfilling the great Cause of Christ. This will probably mean hiring someone with a portfolio in worship and multimedia.

And how will we make this decision? Thought you'd never ask. First, we'll pray. Then, pray more. Then sit down with the person, couple, or whoever, and see if there is chemistry between Laura and I and them. We want to make sure they believe in vision and culture of The LifeHouse. Then, we'll give them the opportunity to meet the rest of the pastoral staff so that they can interview each other. Then, we'll sit down with Pastor Terry from Bethel (Hagerstown, our "mother church"). Then, and only after certainly believing this is a God-thing, we will not only invite them onto our team, but present them to the church and lay on the the mantle of responsibility and authority that comes only from God.

Yea, enjoy the ride with us as we change to keep our focus on reaching more unchurched with the greatest Message.

So, I admit it, I'm totally engrossed in our website. I want it to be the coolest, most cutting edge site out there. And so far, with the exception of a couple of unfinished links, it's looking pretty awesome.

Want to know why? I believe that we should speak the language of our culture in order to communicate the hope of Jesus Christ. What better way to speak the language than through the web. Thus the emphasis on our site. Plus, if people are attracted to our site then they are more apt to check out The LifeHouse in person. And hopefully, they will discover that we're not that different from what they read on our site. Matter of fact, did you know that about 75% of people that will visit a church will visit online first. (And for those of you reading this, and considering coming out on Sunday to The LifeHouse, we're looking forward to hosting you as our guest. And don't forget to pick up a free LifeHouse coffee mug at the welcome table).

Now, on to even better ways of marketing and spreading the message of Jesus. Like, what if we created a really fun, cool video clip that we could produce on Youtube or yahoo or google videos. It would end with a quick plug for the church. I think it would work and it wouldn't be very expensive. Let's try it.

When we got our new townhouse 3 years ago, I expected everything to last at least the next 25 years. Yea, right! So, when the thermostat broke that controlled the A/C during August, I had to quickly run out and buy a new one- Home Depot, here I come. Hey, I've built decks, painted, run wires, sheetrocked, whatever... So, a few wires and a thermostat, no big deal. And just as quick as I right this, it was in and done and the A/C turned on and cooled our house down. Story finished.

Well, that is until 90 degree days turn to 30 degree October evenings when the heat is supposed to kick on. Instead of the heat turning on, the thermostat said it was working but nothing was happening. So, my family and I slept with the house gradually cooling to 64 at night. No one wanted to get out of bed. Some of you can relate, even when your place isn't 64.

So, I set out to handyman the thermostat or the furnace or the heat pump, or whatever else might be the problem. No avail! I rechecked the wires, slammed my fist against the furnace, nothing. Then what? I mean after days of cold nights, I got desperate and called a repair company, who said it was $85/ hr to repair the thing. Oh, great. But while on the phone with the technician, he said something that caught my ear (and saved me lots of money), "First, I'll check your thermostat to see if it's compatible with your heating system, then see if you installed it correctly." Now, I can do that. I pulled out the installation instructions and started reading, only to find out that while I had installed it correctly, I never programmed it to recognize my system. With the push of a few buttons... whhhhhrrrrrrr! My heat clicked on and the house is a cozy 70.

What's the point, you ask?

We endure all kinds of annoying and uncomfortable situations in life (broken relationships, depression, fear, anxiety, stressful work environments, and wrestle with destructive habits) and are even willing to pay top dollar to get someone to give us a prescription, or counseling, or financial advice, or personal skills training- all so we can overcome these issues. But to simply open the installation manual of our heart, read the wisdom of the Creator, and hear the proper living instructions? Wow! There it is in black and white. The answer I've been looking for. I apply the teaching of the Master-trainer, and whhhrrrrr! My life starts clicking like it was destined to. I find purpose. Relationship healed. Hope established. Work is still hard but at least it is fulfilling, and I can find joy even in the most menial of tasks. And besides, we all just saved the $85/ hr.

And the disclaimer is... sometimes, we do need to get some input from a doctor or counselor. So, after you spend some time in prayer, reading the Bible, and examining your life. Don't be afraid to talk with someone. Just don't make that the first step.

thelifehouse

Here's a link to my blog: www.thelifehouse.org. Follow the link to Guests and then to blog.

What can I say, I'm convinced that church should and can be fun and adventurous. And I'm on a passionate pursuit to lead a local church plant in re-defining what church can look like. I'm not sure I can change everyone's mind but even if we can just touch those in our own community and lead some people into a deep and meaningful relationship with the amazing God I know, well, that'd be worth it.