A First

I'm posting this from my cell phone. That's right... after not getting to post for more than 6 weeks, I've found the answer. A phone that I can use to also edit my blog, answer my emails, log my calendar, etc. Thanks for welcoming me to the 21st Century. I also used a webcam for the first time ever today to talk to my brother in Eurasia. Wow.

Hope it's worth it to all who read.

BTW, Laura and I will be returning from our white Christmas in NY soon. We've enjoyed our time up here.

LIGHT WEEK

Not bright, cheery, sunny...

As some know, I have continued training, after my first triathlon, for future races. While I won't race again until Spring '08, it requires this much time to get ready, especially for the BIG, CRAZY goals I set for myself.

However, this week is my light week. Basically, training is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. The regimen is designed scientifically to allow your body to build both endurance and allow time to rest and rebuild to prevent muscle and tissue damage.

Imagine that! Our bodies can't go at 110 mph non-stop for days, weeks, months, like so many of us believe. So, while I'm still training at about 80% of what I did last week, my body appreciates the slow down and is in rebuild mode.

Have you ever thought that the best thing for you, your mind, spirit, family, business, whatever... was a light week. You know, 2 steps back from the hectic pace you've been keeping. Look at it like you've been going through life at break-neck speed and know it's time for a re-building season. So, take some time to slow down, pray, meditate, ask some "why" questions, take a walk, eat dinner as a family for several nights in a row, do a family devotion, take some time one evening for solitude and personal reflection. Better yet, stop trying to do anything, turn off the TV, and just go to bed early this week.

Don't worry, there's always next week, when we'll be amping back up by 10% increments, then this time next month, it's another LIGHT WEEK. Maybe that's why God established that whole once-a-week Sabbath thing. We need REST!

Did you know...

Quiet time, devotions, prayer time... whatever you want to call it, is not a religious formula.

Your time alone with God should be as unique as your fingertips. You may incorporate the same elements as I do- prayer, meditation, Bible reading, and personal solitude. But that's really where the similarities end.

Much like a romantic relationship, there are elements that everyone of us enjoy in romance. But how we interact with the one we love is very unique. Each couple has a special love language and enjoy very different experiences than others. View time with God the same way!

Maybe you prefer to walk outside in the wood (like I do). You feel most connected with God out in nature.

OR you get excited reading books (any book), and can see God in everything you read.

OR when you are serving or giving, that's the highlight of your experience with God. God speaks to you most when you're giving to others.

OR you feel strengthened and encouraged when you pray and talk about God with someone else. It's not that you can't pray alone, you just feel more deeply connected to God when you're journeying together with someone else.

I could go on. The point, whatever pathways fit your personality best, veer into that sacred pathway more often so that you are connecting with God in your personal and unique way.

Too busy to pray?

Yesterday in life group, the topic of being busy and hurried and working non-stop in the 24-7, rat-race of life...

who has time to set aside time to pray, read the Bible, and do all the things we're supposed to do as Jesus-followers.

Ever felt that way? You have the spiritual obligations that must be fulfilled, a card that must be punched?

Allow me some candor with a hint of challenge.

It's tough for me too. I don't find it easy to pray. To focus my attention on God while I know that there are a pile of other things I'm supposed to be doing.

But here's the challenge: we NEED to stop and give some quiet time to God. This isn't a luxury for the "non-busy" among us, but a necessity for the ADHD, adreline-filled, no-time-to-slow-down-and-take-a-potty-breakers among us. We absolutely need our time with God- time to devote our life to him. Time to express our love to him. Time to get refueled. Time to get our priorities in order. Time to glean wisdom from the author of all wisdom. Time to ask the Creator what the purpose of the creature is all about. Time to be reminded of who we are and why we're here.

It's not easy but it's vital. Go too long without and we'll begin to feel depleted and emaciated. Go even longer and we become spiritually destitute.

So, pause, take a moment and quiet your heart before God. Trust me, we all need it.

Who's Our Primary Teacher?

Here's what I've learned at the gym recently while listening in on a variety of conversations:

• Ohio St will sweep through the Big Ten and win the BCS.
• The health care crisis in America is unsolvable. Why? We are a capitalist society, therefore, health care is a money-making industry AND people do not take personal responsibility for their health BUT expect every resource that money-making business can discover/ create/ produce. THEREFORE, what people want is more than what they can have. Politicians say this is unfair. No, it's reality.
  
• Steelers will beat the Pats in the playoffs.
• Steelers won't even make the playoffs.
• the Redskins will upset the Pats this weekend.

Since I'm concluding "Let's Talk" series this weekend, I've talk openly about how, for most, the primary educational tool and influencer, is the media, i.e. TV, movies, print material, etc.

Maybe I'm just cynical. Maybe I have reason to be cynical. How do I know what is true and what is manipulation or laced with an agenda. I suspect most carries at least an undertone of agenda.

So, who's my primary teacher or source for education on the plethora of topics that confront me in life on a daily basis? Great question!

My first and primary resource for TRUTH is the Bible. I consult it regarding any and all topics. I want to discover God's principles, laws, and standards regarding everything that I deal with in life.

I'm not suggesting that every answer to every question in life is there. But it's certainly got the answers I need, and points me in the right direction. It keeps me grounded in truth. It centers me on what's most important. It keeps me ask the RIGHT questions. God's Word guides me into ALL truth.

So, just as a thought, before calling, asking, consulting, or tuning into any other source for information or guidance, make sure your life is founded on the TRUTH of God's Word and your reading and applying the principles of the Bible.

Weekend in the Rear View Mirror

Wow! What a weekend.

Saturday kicked off with the Community Harvest Festival. Kudos to all who worked so hard to pull off the event. I'm convinced it was second-to-none. The games, candy, inflatable bounce games, pony rides, great band, FREE food and kids stuff, and the dunking. Oh, the dunking. Seemed like everyone was hitting their target when I was sitting in there. All for a great cause- CASA. I think we raised about $300. That's a lot of dunks.

Hope ya'll had a blast. It was exciting to see the cars lining Yale Rd since the parking lot was full. That's great! Our guestimates put us at over 500 guests. Hope our community knows that we're here to serve and love!

Then... it was waking up and off to Sunday morning LifeHouse. The plus was that all our stuff was nearly set-up. What a boost!

Wrapping up this "Let's Talk" campaign. Hope everyone is growing through this series. It's important and tough to talk, not only about sex, but also about overcoming the challenges and guilt from bad decision and abuse from the past.

GIVE WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN!

So far we've raised over $800 toward the abstinence education program of Washington County.

Conflict is an Opportunity for Growth

This could be considered one of my personal core beliefs. Anytime there's tension in a relationship, we have a these options:

• if the issue isn't a big deal, let it go: people, even people we don't know well, are more important than petty issues.
  
• if the issue is a big deal, be proactive: that means dealing with the tension as soon as you notice it.

How does this work in real life? Basically, the moment I notice that their is tension in a my relationship between anyone, I go to them and talk about it. Here are some thoughts and what that looks like:

• give others the benefit of the doubt. Even when I think the tension or problem has developed because of the other person, I'll say something like, "I have felt some tension between us, have you been feeling the same thing?... What do you think is causing it?"
• deal with it quickly, don't let busyness delay you.
  
• deal with it in person: either over the phone or face-to-face, preferably the later. Never using email or texting or IMing.
• don't place blame, take personal responsibility for feelings: "I feel angry when you laugh at me every time I talk about my job."
• relationships are more important than winning a fight: be willing to meet in common ground and make an effort to see the situation through the others eyes.
• if resolution can't be found, set parameters to continue working on the issue.

Growth comes from working on difficult issues together. As we deal with conflict in relationships, we build trust and respect, as well as discover that we are not all that different from others. Plus, we learn a lot from working through these challenges together. We especially learn about ourselves- our strengths and weaknesses.

Let's Talk...

We're already talking about it anyway, why not hear what God has to say? Right? We've kicked off this new campaign called "Let's Talk Sex" during the month of October. It's in partnership with Washington County's coalition on teen pregnancy, addressing the need to communicate more openly and effectively with parents and teens about sex.

Check out our NEW website at www.letstalkmonth.com.

The idea: we should be talking in church about the things that everyone is talking about outside of church, and offering the God- biblical- perspective. Since nearly everyone wants to know about and needs to know about what God has to say on the topic, this is incredibly relevant and practical in our everyday lives.

Feel free to post your questions and comments.

You know what's great about our kids? They make us appreciate the little things in life, that we often are moving to quickly... to preoccupied... to many more important things going on.

Here are some things I've learned from my girls:

• killing bugs is great entertainment (even for girls)
• rock, paper, scissors is really fun right before bed
• they have a significantly longer attention span than I do, particularly when it's reading stories about princesses.
• their prayers are more honest, real, and spiritual than just about anything I've ever prayed. My favorite so far, at the end of one of the prayers a few days ago, "...and thank you Jesus that you didn't give us any brothers!"
• the best moment in the world is coming through the door, I get mobbed by 4 loving women in my life, it's like every teenage boys dream. Lot's of hugs and kisses and "I love yous."
• If I'm ever late for a meeting or anything, it's probably because I had to stop and kiss my girls one last time, okay, about 4 times. Every time one gets kissed, the others want another.
• Whatever you do, they will do. Yell, laugh, make glaring faces, or spend too much time in the facilities:)

Just thought I'd keep us focused on the right things. Share what you've learned or are learning.

Doing a little survey or inquiry:

1. What are the walls that unchurched/ de-churched people have built in their lives against church?

2. What walls do they come into church with?

3. What are their attitudes or feelings about "church"?

This is the diagnosis. Next, we'll be talking about how to tear down these walls.

Ok, not very flattering, but frankly, after that humbling and arduous race, I don't feel a need to save-face. Thought you'd like to see my look after already going for about 2 hrs. This photo is of me running through the transition after just getting off the bike.

The Olympic tri is a 1500m (almost a mile) swim, 40k (or 25m) bike, then finishing with a 10k (or 6.2m) run. Don't have much else to say except, "I finished... and I invite you to join me at the next race I'll enter in May '08. This time, I'll train a littler harder and actually be competitive. We'll see... aiming for 2:45, instead of my pitiful 3:17. But hey, I finished.

The race did make me think a lot about these passages:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ^25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ^26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ^27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (NIV)

Hebrews 12:1-4: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (The Message)

2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ^Now, a crown is being held for me—a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day -not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again."

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

I know that the vast majority of guests at LifeHouse come because you've invited them.

Here's the new design for our upcoming Friend Day and sermon series. So, start inviting your friends and let's make an awesome impact on our community!

T minus 10

I'll be finishing up my sermon series called "T-10" this week. This is one of those series that can rock our world if we'll open our hearts up. Imagine how different our life would be if we lived as though we had ten days to live.

It challenges our priorities, our goals, our scheduling. It puts things in perspective. It makes us think about things we don't think about enough. Things like, "How will others remember?" "Do I really need to be spending my time and energy doing...?" "Is what I'm doing as important as my family, my faith, and sharing my life with others?"

Not a big country music fan at all, but I threw Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were dying" out there for those who do enjoy the style. You're welcome. But to be honest, I actually liked the song. And yes, it was edited. The theme is incredible, "I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."

Here's the full video from youtube.com.

Let's live everyday at T-10. One day we'll actually be right!

Sunday in the Rear-view Mirror:

Character: Faithfulness
Here's the commercials you all missed for the sermon this morning.
In my next blog, I'll be asking for some feedback from the service this morning, curious to hear what your thoughts and comments are.




Read Joshua 9-10.

We're challenged to be Faithful- Keep our word no matter what!

Too Busy Not to Pray

I borrowed it from Martin Luther, but it's a great quote and a great core value for LifeHouse:

"Pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on you."

This is critical. It means I have to work my butt off AND completely rely on God.

If you're entrepreneurial or task-oriented or just ADHD, it's easy to get the working-hard thing down. Go non-stop until the job is done, then recheck it to make sure you crossed the "t"s and dotted the "i"s. But this praying-like-everything-depends-on-God thing is tough. That means, we live realizing that we're too busy NOT to pray. So, when I get stuck or feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, I stop and pray. And it's best to start the day off right- in prayer.

I'm writing this 'cause it's on my mind, as in, I just lived this. I can get busy, start the morning off with my workout, breakfast, then dive right in to work. Sitting a working on my sermon, I started to feel lost and couldn't gather my thoughts... Then, I felt that tug. That reminder in your gut. The one that helps you stay focused on the big stuff in life. So, I stopped and prayed. Wow! God's great. He picks us up, puts us back on our feet and keeps us headed in the right directions.

Sometimes I Don't Know What to Say

Okay, well that happens often. And many times it's very appropriate to not know what to say. Often because there aren't the right words (read the book of Job if you don't believe me). However, sometimes it's because, even though I've prepared, God intervenes. These are "God-moments."

I had two moments in the service where they were "God-moments". Let me explain. I believe that everything we do on Sundays are God moments, and we prepare in an attitude of prayer and believe that God leads us to preach, chose songs, and format the service as he directs. However, there are still times when he takes over.

First, Jon played "Be Near" and we felt that it was the right time to just pause and allow us all to be reminded that God is near. Hope you were encouraged or are now while reading this.

Second, when I was concluding my message, I had this personally WOW-moment. I write out all my messages very thoroughly, then present them as best I can without notes. Yep, I do my best to memorize my messages now! Anyway... I was struck by the connection between the story of David and Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9 and what God has done for us. I didn't notice it while I was preparing, but when I was wrapping up the message, I was amazed by the parallels. Here's what I mean:

• David invited Meph... into his throne room, even though he should have killed him; God invites/ welcomes us into his throne room, even though we deserve death and banishment (see Romans 5:8).
• David invited Meph to his table to a permanent seat to eat and fellowship. We are invited to God's table for eternity and will share together at the "Marriage feast of the Lamb".
  
• David's invitation to Meph was more than just a provision to eat at his table, it brought status and rights. When we accept Jesus as Savior, we are brought into right-standing with God and welcomed at his table as a righteous person.
• Meph was given the full inheritance of his grandfather (made very wealthy). When we begin a relationship with Jesus, we become co-heirs of heaven, with all the rights and privileges that brings.

WOW! Maybe it doesn't amaze you as much. But that's pretty cool stuff. I never saw it before, but glad I caught it yesterday.

Weekend in the Read-view Mirror

Busy but fun!

Hope you enjoyed Sunday morning as much as I did. If you missed it, then you'll be saying, "This always happens when I'm out-of-town or miss LifeHouse". 'Cause it was a great service.

Here's the highlights from my message:

• Big Idea: Kindness is Lifting Others Up!
• There's is a tension between looking out for ourselves and looking out for and helping others.
• Read 2 Samuel 8-9. David was kind to Mephibosheth (wow, say that 10x fast), but it clearly wasn't in his best interest.
  
• He chose to be kind (lift up) rather than look out for his own interests.
• How do we do that TODAY? Lift others by being PLEASANT and PRACTICAL.
• If we did this, we would show God's love to those around us everyday, and we would be creating the world we wish for and believe should exist.
• So, in a nutshell, kindness says, "Good morning" and makes the coffee.

Hope we live this out Monday through Saturday, otherwise it's knowledge without action, which seems empty and meaningless. So, let's live it!

Here's a quick one:

Church should be FUN!

I remember going to church and falling asleep or wishing I could. And even my parents fell asleep on occasion. And then they tried to convince us that it was really compelling. Not busting on my parents, and thank God for my heritage.

Just saying that I want LifeHouse to be a place of laughter, excitement, passion, energy, and joy! I want you and everyone else out there to know that God is no bore. Look around a creation- there are some absolutely freaky weird and really cool and hysterical things out in creation. Don't believe me. Check out all the variety of animals. Go people-watching.

Doing the Right Things No Matter What!

Let me begin by reviewing a sermon I recently delivered called “Don’t drop the ball”. The big idea: the best way to balance life is to determine and live our priorities. You may have seen it before, but I used an illustration with a clear, empty pretzel container. First, I filled it with several fist-sized rocks. Then, I asked if it was full. No! Then, I dropped a few pounds of gravel into it, and asked,

“Full yet?” No! Then came the sand. Still not full! Then and finally the water. And the point you asked?

“You can always fit more into your life!!!” some said.

“Not quite… although that would fit our driven, never slow-down American mindset. PUT the BIG ROCKS in FIRST!” That’s the point. If we don’t put the big rocks in first, life will fill up with urgent, busy, weighty things, but less important things.

God has entrusted us with “big rocks”: children, spouses, friends, our church. The balancing act of life is to put the “big rocks” in first. It’s not trying to figure out how we can juggle all the balls or fit everything into the jar, but making sure that we put the most important things in first. What are those “big rocks” that we put into our life to balance first? And how do we do that?

READ Luke 10. Luke 10 is a chapter on priorities. The chapter begins with, “After these things…” so I looked back at the end of chapter 9, which has three different stories about excuses people gave for not following Jesus, and He makes the point clear, “What’s most important in your life?” Where will you focus your energy, your time, your money, and your talents?

That’s right where Jesus picks up in Luke 10. At the beginning of the chapter, He challenges his followers to make their lives count. Then he uses an anecdote to ask whether we should look out for others or ourselves. Finally, the chapter concludes with a simple little incident that summarizes the whole point. It’s the Mary and Martha story.

And the application: we must choose, resource, and protect our priorities!

And why am I sharing this with you?

Not only do we need to live this, but we need to encourage others to apply this truth.

The tendency seems to be that people will live by and resource priorities as long as it’s convenient or immediately in front of them. But the moment life comes at them, the gravel starts getting poured in OR there’s not enough room for all the sand they just bought,

“Pull out a ROCK to make room!” What gets chucked- values and priorities. And I think I have the instinct to apologize for teaching and encouraging people to have biblical priorities and to do the right things. It’s actually hard for me to challenge people to pray instead of work, follow God’ morals rather than do what they want, or even tithe rather than panic and hoard.

What I do know, however, and it helps me teach and model the right things, is that God blesses and honors those who keep biblical priorities and do the right thing. He doesn’t bless the opposite. So, I’m actually causing people to live outside of the blessings of God if I don’t challenge them to get things in order and live by biblical truths. This means SPEAKING THE TRUTH (yea, some of you like that part) IN LOVE (oh, that’s there too?).

As a pastor, my purpose in teaching, challenging, and guiding is to see people thrive in the favor of God and fulfill their life purpose.

Not a sermon, just a thought!

The Balancing Act

Introduction

New series: “The Balancing Act”. For most of us, life is a balancing act – keeping all the plates spinning and all the balls in the air – and then having enough energy to start again tomorrow. Is perfect balance really achievable? Certainly – if you’re a circus performer. If you’re not, welcome to LifeHouse Church, where we’re learning to survive and thrive in the imbalance we all call life.

Let’s start today by hitting a topic we all desperately need to think and hear about, “How do we learn to enjoy the balancing act of life?” Let’s watch some people who’ve learned the lesson well or learned the hard way. Oh, and feel free to LAUGH!

We need to laugh, don’t we? We want to have a good time, relax, let down our hair. We love watching sitcoms, great funny movies, or listen to the best jokes.

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” Mark Twain

“Good humor is one of the preservatives of our peace and tranquility.” Thomas Jefferson

“Humor helps us to think out of the box. The average child laughs about 400 times per day, the average adult laughs only 15 times per day. What happened to the other 385 laughs?” –USA Today

He who laughs, lasts. –Mary Pettibone Poole.

• Life doesn’t come with humor. It drains, discourages, and depresses us. That’s why we look for happiness and humor.
• There’s a greater laughter than laughing at others. There’s a greater happiness than what can be gained from a new car, first date, or a promotion.
  

Big Idea: Life can be more meaningful and enjoyable than the comedies of late night TV. We can learn to enjoy the balancing act of life. God gives joy for life.

• Where does the joy of life and enjoying the stresses and challenges of life come from? And how do we live a life of joy throughout the balancing act?
• The Bible offers some key principles for finding joy in the balancing act of life. We’re going to examine the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Philippians. Here he writes:

Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Philippians 4:4, NCV.

• Here’s the picture when those words were written, and the letter that offers us the profound principles on how to do live like that:

Go with me back in history a couple of thousand years. Let’s go to Rome … to a rather drab little room, surrounded by high walls.… Inside we see a man seated on the floor. He’s an older fellow, shoulders stooped and balding. Chains are on his hands and feet. A man imprisoned, confined…

It is the apostle Paul.… The preacher who was committed to following God is now in chains—stuck in a dingy house—attached to a Roman officer… He is writing a letter. No doubt it is a complaint letter to God. No doubt it is a list of grievances.… He has every reason to be bitter and complain. But he doesn’t. Instead, he writes a letter that two thousand years later is still known as the treatise on joy—Philippians.… so, why don’t we spend some time with learning from it? Lucado, Grace for the Moment.

• Let’s take a look at what Paul’s letter has to say about finding joy in the stress of life:Look to God!

1. Look to God

Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, ^14 I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above… ²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. ²¹ He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own… Philippians 3:13-14, 20-21, NCV.

• The key to enjoying life is perspective. It doesn’t seem all that funny in the moment, when it’s your thumb or your reputation or your pride. But if your watching life can actually be very entertaining. It’s always a matter of perspective. The key is to see life from 20,000 feet above sea level. How do you do that? By getting our eyes off of our self and onto God. Paul was able to enjoy the worst of situations, because his joy wasn’t rooted in the circumstances of life but in His relationship with God.
• When we look to God, we see life as God sees it: not in the moment, but as a process of living His best for us and discovering how we can be part of the greater Cause of giving His love away to others.

“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.” -Thomas Kinkade

• Our joy, laughter, humor, and happiness are not rooted in us but in God and serving others. It’s “others-focused” rather than “me-focused”.

2. Be Content!

“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ^12 I 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. ^13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13, NIV.

• The joy of life, especially in the moment, day-to-day stresses and challenges, fatigues and failures, is not found in our successes, material wealth, or finally attaining the American dream. Our true happiness and joy everyday is founded in being content with the life God has given us.
• The word Paul uses for “content” comes from Stoic philosophy, to describe who impassively person who accepts whatever happens in life. Circumstances that he could not change were regarded fate, and fretting was useless. This philosophy fostered a self-sufficiency in which all the resources for coping with life were located within man himself.
  
• In contrast, Paul says that his sufficiency in Jesus who provides his necessary strength and joy in life. Paul wasn’t trying to muster some fading happiness or teach “mind-over-matter-positive-thinking-self-help”. He was acknowledging that left on our own, life is depressing, but when Jesus is the source of life, we can enjoy it.
• We must get our eyes off of the things going on in life, and learn to be “content” whatever is going on around us by looking to God. Rather than complain, say “thanks”. Rather than look at what is wrong, look for what is great. Illus. of Pessimist mug. Oh, by the way, I have the answer for whether the glass is half full or empty, ask! Stop striving for more, starting enjoying what we have. Stop waiting until, and learn to enjoy the moment.
• This is not a false-reality. We are not exempt from suffering, anguish, wrestling through the things of life and trying to balance them. Our joy and happiness are found in the fact that this is not our only reality. There is a greater and more real reality in God.

3. Celebrate Often!

Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Philippians 4:4, NCV.

The whole letter to the Philippians is filled with a counter-intuitive response to the pains, challenges, and stresses of life- to find joy in living everyday through Jesus.

• We must learn to celebrate often. Celebrate holidays, birthdays, anniversary, events, non-events (you know, the accident that didn’t happen), milestones, and make up reasons to celebrate. Not sure if this is biblical?
• What’s the whole point of about 2/3 of the boring books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? Teaching the nation of Israel who to party. That’s right, God was telling Moses how to set up feasts, festivals, and holidays.
• Where was Jesus first recorded miracle? A wedding where people were celebrating. He didn’t stand on the outside and preach, he joined in the fun and celebration. Matter of fact, the religious crowd mocked him for this type of behavior, saying “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners” (Matthew 11:18, NIV).
• Jesus taught about the women who lost her silver and found it. Her response when she found it, “she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’” (15:6). Then, the shepherd who lost his sheep and later found it, “He calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me…” (15:9). Finally, there’s a father who lost his son and then found him- “Let’s have a feast and celebrate” (15:23). What was the response of each of these who found what they were looking for? Celebration. And Jesus concludes each story by saying, "Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.” Luke 15:10, Msg.
• If God knows how to party and celebrate, isn’t it appropriate for us to learn to celebrate often.

We don’t need to be stupid to celebrate. I’ve had parties and been to them, and those that have been to other kinds of parties will say, “It’s amazing we can have this much fun without being drunk." I’ve been to parties, and people who are used to other kinds of parties will say, “It’s amazing we can have this much fun without being drunk.” Simply because we have God we can enjoy life. We don’t need a numbing drug or to make fun of others to enjoy it. Life should be celebrated.

How do we enjoy the balancing act of life?

• Look to God
• Be Content
• Celebrate Often

WEEKEND IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

Had a blast yesterday during Friend Day at LifeHouse!

I'll post my message next but just thought I'd throw some comments out there:

• I love that church can be fun. We can laugh and be ourselves. Hope you enjoyed the video clips.
  
• When I am at LifeHouse on Sunday mornings, I think, "I bet if the disciples of the New Testament church were leading gatherings in Hagerstown, they might look something like this." It just feels like the book of Acts.
• It's great to be our self. I love to not think about what everyone else is thinking about me. If you haven't noticed, I am me. Imperfect, messy, and sometimes I'll say or do the wrong thing. But it is so honest, fun, and refreshing to not feel like I have to impress anyone or try to be someone I'm not. And all LifeHousers can feel that way.
• Relatively convinced that being real and raw doesn't make us respect each other less, but more. Because even after seeing straight through a person, we've noticed they are who they say they are.
• Momentum is on our side: we're having our largest attendance ever, with lots of new guests, and a great sense of excitement. Let's not get settled into the NOW but keep dreaming and planning for how LifeHouse can continue to impact our community and generation.

Just some random thoughts.

I wish I had made this video. It's everything I preach and teach. Enjoy.

A Christ Follower

SERMON NOTES:JOLT- Burning Fuel

We live in a fast-pace, microwave, instant-everything world. We go from early morning to late at night with all the stuff life throws at us. Have you ever noticed life drains us? That’s why so many of us are addicted to coffee or sodas or energy drinks and bars, ginseng tea, or whatever other energy-giving additive we can find. Life drains and these things fuel us to keep us going, since we don’t slow down long enough to get fully recharged otherwise. We need real, lasting fuel to energize our souls!Do you ever find yourself going from one scheduled activity to the next, and find that your daily routine and life patterns are exhausting?

Maybe the reason so many of us are drained, running on E, is because we’re burning our fuel constantly heading in the wrong direction. We run on fuel, but we can waste a lot of fuel going the wrong way and being consumed doing the wrong things.

Here's the Big Idea: Through prayer, God gives direction to our daily lives.

“This, then, is how you should pray:‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Matthew 6:9-10, NCV.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will or desires to be accomplished in our lives. This is a pivotal element of prayer.

Key questions:

• Do I believe God can and will answer the prayers of common people?
• Do I believe that God knows best for me and has my best interest in mind?
  
• Do I hold to this popular idea that leads to a greater demise of lostness and burn-out? “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Invictus, William Ernest Henley.
  

This isn’t about being lazy or wimpy, but about perspective.

• Illustration of GPS guidance. He can see what we can’t and he’s planned the route out for us. He knows the best way for us to go, the one that will be most effective. When we follow God’s plan we are fueled and fulfilled. When we don’t, we are drained and constantly running on E and lost.
• Like watching a parade from the window of a skyscraper, He can see things coming that we can never anticipate.

So, God offered us the fuel of prayer to energize our soul and provide direction for life, and Jesus taught us the “how-to’s” of gaining direction in prayer.

1. Consider Our Way!
In order to conserve fuel while driving or hiking, I must first stop and thinking the path I’ve traveled, and take a close look at where I’m at. Basically, find my bearings.The alternative is to continue wandering or heading in the wrong direction which leads to burn out and draining the already depleted reserves of fuel.

The first step of gaining God’s direction is to admit that I don’t know best road for our daily lives. It’s to take a hard look at where I am and where I’m going, and turn it over to God.

Proverbs 4:26, "Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established."

• Take time to be quiet and assess your life.Regularly take time to assess my steps.
  
• Re-evaluate my direction in life and pause in my decision making. Look at your life. Take time for personal examination!
  
• Ask: “Am I open to the direction and leading of God?” and “Do I really want God’s best for my life today?”
• God is not the God of confusion or chaos. When our lives feel out-of-order, we need to pause and consider our ways.

You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you. So, trust the Lord always, because he is our Rock forever. Isaiah 26:3-4, NCV.

2. Commit Our Day!
Now it’s time to actually listen and follow what our trail guide speaks.

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it and he will. Psalm 37:5, NLT.

• Commit your schedule to Him. When you commit your schedule to the Lord, He gives you strength and multiplies your time.
• If God knows what’s best on a daily basis, isn’t better to consult with and spend time following His guidance. This is simply asking God, “Lead me today. Let your will be done with my life.”
  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV.

• Offer your entire schedule, your daily life, not just the moments when your begging for help and can’t see your way or feel lost. Invite God to lead your steps. That’s one moment at a time.

GLAD TO BE BACK

For those that were wondering, I'm thrilled to be back in Hagerstown, and looking forward to LifeHouse this coming Sunday. Laura and I were up in NY for a family college graduation (on a Sun. morning), but I missed my "family". This was only the second weekend we've missed since launching the church in 2 yrs.

You'd think being away would be rejuvenating. And vacations are and can be. But it's funny, I am as inspired, motivated, and energized by my daily activities, and sense the passion and purposes of God everyday, as much as when I get a Sunday off. I still want to take more vacation, but primarily to spend time with my family, not because I need it to get refreshed.

KEEP IT SIMPLE- part duece

Here's the second part of my thoughts about "keeping it simple". The first had to do with personal life, this one about principles for keeping life simple.

When it comes to ministry in general, but specifically at the LifeHouse, here are some principles to keep it simple and focused.

• Just because we’re doing more ministry doesn’t mean that more lives are being won to Jesus or more hearts are being transformed. I’ve been a part of churches and put in way too many hours doing church with very little actual fruit to show for it. I want to find the ministry with the greatest return. That’s why we don’t have to do more than we’re doing. So what if we feel guilty for not doing more. Besides, how much do we actually need and can actually apply every week. If everyone of us at the LifeHouse applied the one “Big Idea” we present on Sunday mornings to our lives every week, we would literally have the most mature church in the world. Less is more. We don’t need to keep piling on more stuff, just make what we’re doing most effective.
  
• Find it in the Bible. When I speak with people challenging the way we do church at the LifeHouse or defending the way their church operates (I’m talking about other pastors and leaders), I’ll usually default to the Bible. Something like, “can you show me that in the New Testament?” or “We’re just trying to live out today what we read in the Bible?” or “If the disciples were alive today, what would the churches they pastor look like?” Our focus must be what God’s called us to do and be, and keep it centered on biblical truths.
• Remember our Cause. We have a very clear purpose for living out the life of the church and ministry (especially Matthew 28:18-20 and 22:37-40; Acts 1:8; also see Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35). This is the determining line between what we say “yes” and “no” to. If it lines up with our Cause (the Cause of Christ), then great, let’s go. If not, oh well. We’re sorry, we can’t do everything for everybody. I’m convinced that the reason a lot of churches get caught up in a lot of less effective endeavors and waste God’s resources and people’s energy is that they’ve forgotten why they do what they do. When the Church loses sight of where she’s going, then she wanders aimlessly in a variety of “good” but not great directions. Keep focused on the Cause. Never lose sight of the “why.” When I read the above passages, I’m reminded of how “simple” church was in the New Testament. How organic. How relational. How vibrant and contagious. It was about living life together and growing into devoted Jesus-followers, not about the program of church.
• Who cares what you think. The bulk of criticism about any church, but personally regarding the LifeHouse, comes from people who never serve, have very little Kingdom impact, and give nothing or very little financially. I think these people see there ministry as that of criticism. We only have so much energy and passion (yes, even me) and I don’t want to waste it dealing with these people. Even other pastors who will criticize or critique us, I just ask them, “So what are you doing for the Kingdom of God?” Usually, they’re criticizing to justify their own shortcomings or insecurities. Meaning, they’re not doing it, so rather than kicking their own butt, they’ll find something wrong with what we’re doing to justify why we’re not really as effective as they previously thought. The people I’ll listen to are those who do the following: give, serve, invite friends, and participate regularly.
  
• Wait until the need cries out. Don’t start new ministries or programs until there is a cry for a need to be met. If the over all effectiveness of the church community is hindered by the lack of ministry then it’s time to consider doing more ministry. When there are people who are crying out for a ministry, and we have the leaders to lead that area of ministry, then we’ll develop a plan and launch that ministry, i.e. no point in having a deaf ministry at the LifeHouse if we have not deaf people attending.

I have a confession: there is a constant pull for me towards complexity and complication in both my life and ministry. I’m convinced that the enemy wants to throw confusion, distractions and “good” stuff in the way of the best and most valuable. I want to keep saying yes, not because I can’t say no, but because it all seems so good to be doing. When I look at the LifeHouse, I regularly wonder if we’re doing enough. Maybe we should be doing more, I mean, all the other churches I know do midweek services, Sunday School, lots of other committees and meetings, so maybe we should to.

Whenever this tendency arises, here’s my thought process and the resources I’ve used to keep me centered.

First, when it comes to my personal life- relationship with God and family. Here are some good ideas or principles:

• A clear conscience is the best pillow. My mind is less preoccupied when not worried about or plagued by sin, temptation, regret, shame, or a recent argument. So, repent often and forgive just as often. Read Psalm 15 and Psalm 26. I make a big deal privately about having a pure heart and right motives. Here are another few passages to pray: Psalm 19:14; Job 31:1; Psalm 51.
• Every time I say “yes” to something, I’m saying “no” to something else. Laughter is huge. Life gets complex, difficult and laughter seems to drop off the cliff. Build into your life time to laugh and laugh at things in life as much as possible. I didn’t say laugh at people. We just don’t have time to take ourselves that seriously. Don’t wear your feelings on your sleeves, or else everything in life will steal your joy and leave you feeling wasted and frustrated.
  
• Keep prayer as the primary fuel and focus of life. It’s this simple, when I pray I’m focused, energized, purposeful, and seem to take things in stride and find satisfaction in life. When I’m not praying daily, life stinks, the slightest thing sets me off, and I’ll work 5 hrs to get 1 hrs worth of work done. Jesus died so I could enjoy relationship with the Father, and I don’t want to waste His sacrifice for me.
• Family needs each other more than stuff or activities. Okay, this one’s tough. But after much consideration and deliberation, Laura and I are discovering we don’t need more or to do more, we just need to spend time with each other and our girls. It’s amazing the simple things we can enjoy when we actually enjoy being around each other. So, before we run off to the store to buy the “latest-and-greatest” ask “why?” Will that take away from or add to the simplicity of my life? And before I sign up for or sign our girls up for something, we need to ask the same question. I’m an active person, and could go 24-7, but the best times for our girls are not when we’re “doing” but when I’m “being.

I’m sure there’s a pile of other things I should put in here, but these are the top picks for me.

LIFE IS FRAGILE

During our weekend service, I shared some thoughts about the Virginia Tech massacre. Here they are in brief:

• I don't have all the answers
• Tragedy and horror clearly reveal the reality of evil.
• Evil can only be defined in contrast. Just like darkness only makes sense when someone understands light, evil is understood by the contrast with good.
  
• There is good in this world. Primarily, God is the source of all good.
• Life is fragile, valuable, and sacred.

I just came from a funeral celebrating the life and mourning the death of a young man named Andrew. I went to the viewing last night, and offered my condolences to my friend and his family, who just lost their son, brother, and friend. I looked at pictures of him growing up, and thought, "Life is a breath..." and "That looks just like me and my kids playing..." Laura and I returned home this afternoon saying, "Let's appreciate every moment we have. Life is short. Let's hug our girls more. Laugh more. Hug each other more. Let's enjoy the time we have. We're not promised another breath."

The pastor who spoke during the funeral offered some incredibly profound points. Among them, he said this (and I'll paraphrase):
"We don't really want there to be no death. Imagine life without death. If there was no death, the lame would never walk. If there was no death, the blind would never see. If we never faced death, the terminally ill would always be ill, but never terminate. Without death, injustice would never be made right, and we would have no hope of a better life."

Wow! We do not mourn as those without hope. We realize that death is simply a doorway into eternal life. May everyone walk through that door as Andrew did, with his feet firmly planted on Rock of Jesus Christ and holding fast to the promise and faith of eternal life.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

I thought I'd post an email I just sent out to our leadership team at The LifeHouse. Okay, it's a little like giving you the inner workings, but I'm confident anyone reading this will understand why I'd post this email. This is honestly how I communicate with and feel about our team.

Hey Team!

“Have I told you lately that I…”

…think you ROCK! What did you expect, some sappy love song?

When I look around at what God is doing IN and THROUGH our lives, I’m frankly shocked! I’ll put it on my blog, but last night was a highlight for me. It might be a little selfish, but hearing all 16 people who were baptized sharing about what God has done and is doing in their lives is awesome, and to think that we had a part to play in their life-transformation. WOW! Literally, that’s why I get out of bed in the morning. Reminds me of these comments by the Apostle Paul (click hyperlink to go to Bible verses). Here’s two blog posts that I read this morning that may have grabbed some of the sentiment we might feel at times (although I neither condone nor use some of the words written): “A lot of the time we’re scared” (and check out “Every church was a seed”).

Something I’ve thought often, and it came up again last night, we must celebrate as often as possible. There’s enough stuff in this world to keep us down, so any chance we get, let’s celebrate the wins of our life, the church, and others that we love. Find reasons to celebrate!

Another thing, I thought yesterday and think just about every Sunday, as I watch people coming through the doors of Eastern Elementary: in the words of Mark Batterson, “the reward of successful hard work is more work.” As we are faithful with little, God entrusts more to us. Every one that comes to The LifeHouse is our responsibility, our “brothers and sisters”, and we must lead with integrity, wisdom, pure motives, and clear vision. This is our accountability! “To whom much is given, much is required” (1 Cor 4:1-2 and Luke 12:48). It keeps me in regular prayer (see Psalm 127:1-3), forces me to be constantly learning and growing (remember Maxwell’s teaching on the “Law of the Lid”), and daily humbles me to allow God to stretch me beyond my comfort zone. I realize that the moment I get comfortable, I cease to grow. When we stop growing we die. The church will not die, and we must be continually motivated to expand the Kingdom of God “to the ends of the earth” and to reach every soul in our “Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.”

WEEKEND IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

What an Easter Weekend! It's great to have fun at church, and have a deeply meaningful experience with God. This is what happened this weekend at The LifeHouse:

• we had coffee smelling candles all over the place, so you not only get to drink coffee but the whole place smells like coffee, too.
• the flowers all over the place were great too, thanks to Susan for making the school look beautiful for spring.
• I started a new sermon series called RELIGION BYTES. And I think I scared some people on the front end, until I defined what I meant by religion (man's attempt to earn access to heaven, God, etc). What an incredible reality, that all religions make an attempt to earn access to God through some form of works, sacrifice, self-abasement, etc. That's what makes the gospel of Jesus so different! Jesus said that nothing we do can bridge that gap or divide between God and man because of sin. We can't earn it, don't deserve, and will never be good enough. The only way to cross the chasm is through an active faith in Jesus Christ, who bridge the divide through His death and resurrection. Then, we can live free and fulfill the purposes that God created us to fulfill, because we are not preoccupied trying to work our way into heaven.
  
• Great fun on the 2000+ egg hunt. There was a crowd in the fields, and kids everywhere getting their "candy fix." You might consider The LifeHouse "pushers" for terrible things like jelly beans and chocolate candy. I'm sure all the kids went home and were absolutely wired!
• Just as a note, this was our 2 year anniversary of officially launching on Sundays as a church and if you count everyone, we broke the 200 people barrier. Wow! That's great!
  

TEARING DOWN THE WALL

Why do we do what we do on Sunday mornings at The LifeHouse? Thought this would be the best place to spell it out, then I'll just send everyone who asks here first.

Our goal at The LifeHouse on Sunday mornings: Tear Down the Walls and Preconceptions People Have toward Church so that God can Do Whatever He Wants! I believe that many times, people are not turned off to Jesus or the message of the Bible, as much as they are to the Church. They may have had negative experiences, been hurt by people in the church, or even by leadership/ pastors. So, when guests arrive at our doors, they have walls of fear, inadequacy, doubt, guilt, condemnation, rejection, et cetera.

And our goal is to remove those walls so that everyone opens their heart of to what God wants to accomplish.

• That's why we have smiling, warm greeters at the entrance- so people feel welcomed and accepted.
  
• That's why we serve a full breakfast with large portions- so people feel like we're here to serve and give rather than take and demand (we're not here looking to get something from you, but to offer you an opportunity to experience God).
  
• That's why we have a video introduction- so that our guests know exactly what to expect and they know we've been expecting them- so that they feel warmly received and know what will be happening through the service.
  
• That's why we have great children's programs- so that we can care for their kids, so that they're not preoccupied or distracted- so that they can experience God. Besides, then their kids are having a great time learning and experiencing God as well.
• That's why we have high-energy, celebration-style worship- so that we create a place where God can come and be "throned on the praise of His people." I'm confident that the musical/ singing environment where God is lifted up as an "awesome God" is also a transforming environment. Why? Because, when we get a proper perspective of God, then we can have faith and allow Him to miraculously intervene in our lives. Our music gets our blood pumping and allows God to accomplish His work in our lives.
• That's why I use lots of illustrations and video clips in my sermon messages. So that the biblical truths become alive, relevant, and practical in our lives TODAY! These aren't just truths or principles for people that lived 2000 years ago, but are very useful for each of us today. But it's my job to communicate these truths in a way that our culture and generation can understand. My goal is to communicate the Truth of the Bible in a way that everyone can understand, so that the Truth will transform our lives.
• We do a lot more things to tear down walls and allow God to accomplish whatever He wants to accomplish, but these are probably the big ones that I hear the most about- so there you go!

Enjoy! And let's continue to make our mission on Sunday morning to DISARM and DE-WALL all of our guests so that God can do what He wants to in their lives.

IF YOU ARE A GUEST READING THIS, I want you to know that we are looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, and believe firmly that God has something special for you. So, open your heart to His love and purposes for your life!

THE LIFEHOUSE RUINS PEOPLE

It's become my new mission statement! I want us to ruin people. That's right! I want our guests and anyone who becomes part of The LifeHouse to so enjoy and connect with us, that they can never go back to church as usual. I know, that sounds terrible. But for Laura and I personally, we often say that we can't go back to just "doing" church, sitting in pews, singing songs, you know, doing church. I want LIFE, passion, relevance, the Bible becoming alive and an authentic community of Jesus-followers who aren't afraid to be themselves. So, I'm ruined.

Recently, I've gotten feedback from LifeHousers that were out-of-town, and they say that they walk into another church, and start thinking, "I can't drink coffee here" or "I feel like I have to act religious" or "Where's the laughter?" or "my kids are going to get bored quick." We shouldn't compare ourselves with others, after all, we are ONE CHURCH. And The LifeHouse is just the last name of the particular family that we identify with. But as a family, we're ruined, and we like it that way. Look forward to your personal remarks.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

As you may have known, at The LifeHouse, we're in search mode for a worship/ associate pastor. This is not only my first time maneuvering these waters, but I've also taken this opportunity to re-evaluate my own ministry journey. Here are some of my thoughts recently as I've diligently sought out the right person for this responsibility of partnering with us to pastor and lead at The LifeHouse:

• I don't like most of the models I've seen of other churches hiring/ firing staff (esp. pastors).
• This should be, but usually isn't, a spiritual process.
• We should ACTUALLY pray about it. I've begun to wonder how much other pastors and churches actually pray about who they should/ shouldn't invite to join the pastoral staff.
• CHEMISTRY is as important as COMPETENCE. It's not enough to have a qualified or capable person, we actually need someone who fits with US. Since we're not like all the other churches, just like not all families are alike, we need a unique person to come and join our team.
• There aren't a lot of people who cover the 3 C's: Character, Competence, and Chemistry.
• There's even a smaller group that we'll actually like. Bill Hybel's said it something like this, "we want someone who adds to the energy of the relationships and the church, rather than detracts."
  
• I have to grow a lot. Man, I feel like God challenges me to grow everyday, but this is a steep learning curve. I like it, but it's still tough. I'm being challenged in areas like: leadership style, corporate/ executive responsibilities, I don't like being the bad guy (but I can't hire all 55 people who gave me a resume), being transparent and being willing to ask the hard questions, how do you actually figure out and draw up a salary package, how do we serve both the best interest of the church and the person we're bringing on.
• Here's a tough one: I must develop leaders to compliment my leadership rather than match it. Basically, we hire our weaknesses. Since I have lots, it's easy. But I was looking for a Patrick who can sing (and I know that's a stretch), and I learned that I must bring someone in who's different than me. And then set them up to win.

RUNNING IS A LOT LIKE PRAYING

My mission most mornings is to make out the door without waking up the girls and heading to the Y for a run. I do 3 miles, and make every effort to go just a little faster. But here's a confession: I don't enjoy it or get any "runner's high" from it. I just do it, even when it hurts (which is pretty often), and keep doing it, because I know I need to. It's what's best for my body, not my comfort.

Often, I think Jesus-followers have the misconception that if prayer isn't easy or "warm-and-fuzzy" then something is wrong. But that's not reality. Prayer requires a consistent, disciplined, sometimes arduous approach. We realize that the best thing we can do is talk with our Creator, and invite God into the daily affairs of our life.

So, no matter what, even when your bed beckons you to stay or your body would rather nap or your stomach would rather eat- PRAY. Pray because it's necessary for spiritual survival. Besides, God likes it when we pray and miracles happen.

EASTER POSTCARD

So, here's the front and back of our latest postcard for Easter (April 8th) and Friend Day (April 22nd). Hope you like it and pass out a ton of them.

This one is designed to be mailed and passed out. So, if you want to mail it, you can throw a stamp on it or put an address on it and give it to us to mail. Or just give them out to everyone you know. We've got plenty, and the more you give away, the more people will come out to experience The LifeHouse and the transforming message and presence of Jesus. So, GET INVITING!

And if you haven't heard, I'm kicking off a new sermon series called "Religion Bytes" on Easter! The first message titled, "Jesus Died to Kill Religion." Click on the postcard to read the rest of the messages coming soon!

WEEKEND IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR

I love looking back on the weekend and the Sunday gathering, because it gives me good perspective of where we're going. If we never evaluate how we've done, how will we know how to improve and move in the right direction?

This is a fun season we're in! It's spring and hovering around 60-70 outside. We're chucking our coats and gloves for t-shirts and sandals. Wow! That was quick! The LifeHouse seems to be in a similar climate change- adjusting from winter determination to the exuberance of spring fun and laughter. Fresh faces, smiles, and new guests every week are making what we do feel very rewarding and eternally valuable. By the way, if you're wondering whether your impact at The LifeHouse is amounting to any eternal population change- since 01/01/2007 we've had over 50 people commit their lives to following Jesus, 4 just this week alone. Now, that's moving in the right direction. Our goal for 2007 is 200 new Jesus-followers. Keep up the great work.

Overview of Sunday's Message:
I did a second part on "Sandals: the audacity of grace" called "Sole-power." We look at the strength of learning to walk in the shoes of others, as Jesus modeled. There's a popular Native American saying, "Let me not criticize another until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." So, when you read about the life of Jesus, esp in John 4 and John 9, we learn how to do just that- learn to LOVE rather than label.

We are so quick and good at labeling people, but Jesus called us to love others instead. How? Easy to say, hard to live.

Be Slow to Judge (read Matthew 7:1-2, I like it in the Message version)
Be Quick to Love

If we're busy labeling, aren't we next in line to be labeled? But if we're quick to listen and love, then we can impact our world with the hope of Jesus.

Here’s a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

They came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the sick, the so-called incurables, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't mentally ill.
Then they came for the Jews,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Jesus called His followers to LOVE. To touch the needs of those who hurt. Rather than scorn the sinner, to invite him to a new way of life.

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. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2, NIV.

Like McArthur returning to the battle in WWII, "I'm Back!" Back to blogging that is... 'Cause I never went anywhere else.

Was just thinking how essential it is that we nourish our souls. They're like a tree (according to Psalm 1) that constantly needs water, sunlight (or the Son), and the nutrients of the soil. So, we must regularly find time to pull away from our busy lives, stop making excuses, and pray, study the Bible, focus our attention on worshiping our Creator, and spending time with other Jesus-followers who will challenges us and love us. We need these things like we need food and water.

Besides, if you're having one of those days, the best thing is to take a "Selah" moment. That's David, the Psalmists, version of taking a break, a pause to ponder.

I notice there are moments in my day when I need to just stop and pray or meditate or throw on a worship song to get back into the right frame of mind. Or did you think that I just live continually in some deep spiritual enlightenment simply by being a pastor. Right!

Oh, and I'm writing this because I just had one of those moments. Need a "selah" and had to sneak out a pray.

On another note, looking forward to this weekend. Should be fun bringing an end to "Rules of Engagement". And I'm going to try something a little different this weekend. So, come prepared to be changed by God, and hopefully we can have some fun too.

Day 8

Read Daniel 10:1-14; Genesis 18:23-32; 32:24-29; Luke 18:1-7.
Each of these passages of Scripture illustrate the theme of importunity in prayer, which means “stubbornness.” They each tell a story of people who refused to stop seeking God until they got the answers they were looking for.
If you’re anything like me, and were honest enough to say it, fasting is hard work and it’s easy to get tired of fasting; of devoting yourself to abandoning the appetites and desires of the flesh to focus on God. I want to eat. I want to eat cheeses and buffalo wings and pizza and… actually, even a piece of bread would be great at this point. I am sick of the taste of water and juice! Forgive me, but the point of the fast is not to starve ourselves. But I also wonder how many miracles and answers to prayer have been forfeited for a lack of persistence. When prayer starts to not “feel” so inspired, fasting begins to loose its luster, or the “presence of God” seems to be missing from my prayer life. Do we stop? Give up? Throw in the towel?

When the devil starts hitting us where it hurts, when we get frustrated, discouraged, weary, this is not the time to quit! No! He’s hitting hard, because we’re hitting hard. He is fighting back only with the intensity with which he is being hit. So, the moment we start feeling “dry” spiritually or discouraged or doubting or defeated. This is the time to press in harder, to punch with the greatest spiritual force we can muster.
Now is the Time to BREAKTHROUGH! Daniel fasted for 21 days only because it took that long to get the answer to his prayer, but it seems to me that he would have prayed longer. And it took that long to gain spiritual victory over the demonic forces that were opposing him.
We not feel like fasting anymore, praying more earnestly, crying out to God for souls, and it may even be exhausting at this point. But don’t stop… Breakthrough! Now, when the answers to prayer are within grasp and the church will begin to see the power of God released is when we must push forward. We retreat only to our prayer time. Whatever you are praying for, keep seeking God. Don’t let the enemy have you quit right before you would have seen the hand of God work on your behalf.
Are the results worth it? We are praying for a city, for souls, for healings (financial, emotional, spiritual, physical), for leaders to be raised up. The answer to these prayers will rock this region for the Kingdom of God, heaven will be forever populated differently. STAY THE COURSE!

Day 11

A man brought his very sick son to Jesus’ disciples but they couldn’t help, so he brought his son to Jesus. When Jesus had healed the boy, the disciples asked him what was wrong with them and why they couldn’t pray healing over the boy. Jesus said, “This happens only through fasting and prayer” (Mark 9:29).
There is no power in no prayer and little power in little prayer and much power in much prayer. Throughout the Bible there are stories of people (David, Ezra, Daniel, Paul and Barnabas, church leaders) who changed the course of history through their devotion to prayer and fasting. And as we pray and humble ourselves before God, great things happen.

As Jesus began His ministry on earth after He fasted for 40 days in a quiet place of solitude, He read a portion of the Bible explaining why He had come to earth, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:16).

When we fast and pray God’s power is released to bring healing, strength, restoration into those around us. We believe that the Holy Spirit will bring physical, emotional, relational, and mental healing to those that we pray for during this time.

So, today, lift up the names of your family members, friends, co-workers, and even your own hurts- so that God can bring supernatural healing. It’s a promise!

Day 7 of 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer
As we begin week 2 of fasting, you may have noticed that this is a battle. If the enemy is trying to hit you hard (with sickness or fear or discouragement or tension in the home) recognize it for what it is, and pray even more aggressively. The devil punches with the similar intensity of the blow he receives. You hitting hard, and he’s trying to fight back. Don’t let up know, not when you’ve got him against the ropes.

· Read Psalm 91; Ephesians 6:10-18 and Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 10:5.

· Fasting and prayer is synonymous with declaring war or picking a fight against the enemy of our souls. We are saying, “I will not allow the devil to destroy my life, manipulate me with sin, and suck me into the mindset of the world. I will battle for my own life, my family, my co-workers, my friends, and my community. I am willing to put everything on the line to see the work of God accomplished in and through me.”

· Those sound like “fighting words” to me! And if we think the devil is just going to roll over and play opossum, we are mistaken. We’ve repented, turned from sin, and are pursuing a deeper relationship with God than ever before. And do you think that bothers the realm of hell? It can handle lazy, apathetic Christians, but Jesus-followers willing to put it all on the line, run from sin, and pursue God and His plans? That’s trouble. Trouble worth opposing. So, if you feel like you’re finding yourself in the crosshairs of the enemy, be encouraged. It may be, because your taking a dramatic step in the right direction, and it’s make the enemy mad. Read 1 Timothy 6:12.

· The great thing about spiritual warfare is that it’s a win-win for us. God fights for us (Psalm 91); God turns the tactics of the enemy into our benefit (Romans 8:28); God always wins and we are always conquerors through Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:37; Isaiah 54:17; 1 John 4:4).

· So, when life heats up, things get intense, emotions flare, and crises arise, remember that we are at war. War is risky-business if you fear death or loosing. But we know we are going to win, so we fight aggressively and confidently keeping eternity in mind. Expect battle! Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and recognize the strategies of the devil. God is fighting on our behalf, therefore we win, every time!

Day 3 of Fasting and Prayer

Day three already! Now that we’re in high gear and focusing our attention on our Helper and only Hope, let’s kick it into “over-drive.” It’s time to turn the prayer focus inward and personal. The first key step in an prayer time, and particularly during an extended time of fasting, is to clear up our own personal spiritual lives before we can pray effectively for others. Jesus taught us to pray through His model prayer in Matthew 5, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” So, let’s ask for inward wholeness, forgiveness, personal cleansing, and a personal renewal.

Fasting and prayer is a purging process.
Are you having a hard time, right now, staying the course? It’s tough early in the fasting process to “want to” keep going. It’s difficult, uncomfortable, even painful.
Purging is the process of cleansing, cleaning out, or “sweeping the house clean.” When I purge my computer, I sift through all the files, and delete or remove the unused, unnecessary, or damaging ones. My anti-virus software helps, as well as the defragmenater. The point: throughout the year, our lives get cluttered with sin, shame, guilt, sinful images and thoughts, pride and selfish ambition, and on and on. The spiritual dirty laundry builds up in the corner closets of our life, and a thick layer of complacent dust can lay over our passion for God, His Word, and His purposes.
This is an opportunity to clean out the dirty laundry and wipe the dust from our spiritual lives.
Read Psalm 51 and Isaiah 1:15-18.
Then pray through Psalm 51 as you begin to clean up your Spirit and allow the antivirus software of the Holy Spirit to purge the damaging files in your life, as well as take out the clutter and renew your spirit.

Stay the Course

Welcome to Day 2 of The LifeHouse 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer. Today you probably need encouragement to keep going. Did you have a rough day yesterday? Get discouraged? Want to give up on this whole “fasting and prayer” thing? Do you feel unspiritual? Yea, then you’re doing the right thing! You are receiving this email to encourage you in the Bible and prayer during this fast.

Fasting and prayer is difficult and requires discipline. Oh, and by the way, it’s a battle everyday. It doesn’t come easy or without a fight. Do you think that Satan, the enemy of your soul, wants you to become a disciplined follower of Jesus? Do you think he wants you putting aside your worldly appetites and seeking God’s face for victory in the church and in your personal life? No! I can assure you that the moment you committed to praying and seeking God, you got a bull’s eye stuck on your back.

The enemy doesn’t fight as you’d expect. Instead of shooting lightening out of the floor or your car exploding, the devil is more subtle. He throws doubts into your mind. Fears and insecurities stir up out of no where. When you least expect it, you get into an argument or get depressed or discouraged. He wants to wear you do spiritually and mentally.

Personally, I find days 2-5 to be the most difficult days of the entire fast. There are moments when I don’t want to fast, pray, or anything. But then I remember, “Oh, yea, this is a battle. I must fight to win. I won’t give up or let the enemy destroy me. Through God, I am more than a conqueror. I will fast and pray.”

Read 1 Corinthians 15:58 and Isaiah 58.

Don’t give up! When the enemy fights you, it’s a sign that you’re headed in the right direction. So, stay the course. Determine to finish. Ask someone to hold you accountable. Come out to a prayer gathering so that you can be encouraged by other Jesus-followers who are praying.

When you read Isaiah 58, journal what it means to fast and what God is calling us to do in response to our fast.