Recharged?

We have set aside this week (8/17-22) for fasting and prayer among Lifehouse leaders.

Why? This is a critical time to put our focus on God and keep our hearts broken and centered on Him. Fasting and prayer are not tools to twist God's arm, but a way to quiet ourselves and prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in and through us. Since fall is an exciting, busy, and forward- moving time for us, this week is an opportunity for a spiritual tune up before September hits.

Here are a few themes over the last few days:

• Monday- Isaiah 61:1-7 The great exchange. We believe that God wants to refresh us and renew our spirits. Take time for the great exchange, trading our mess for His mercy, our tragedies for His triumph, and our failures for His forgiveness.
• Tuesday- Psalm 51 Cleansing waters. God is in the triage business of accessing our sin, guilt, and shame, and forgiving, healing, and making us whole. We are made new when we accept His love and forgiveness.
• Wednesday- Joshua 3:1-4 Let's invite God to lead us into scary, dangerous territory and dreams. We must have His presence before us, and consecrate our hearts and lives so that He can do amazing things through us.
• Thursday- Joshua 1:1-9 Be very bold, very courageous. "Dream no small dream for it stirs not the hearts of men..." and it requires not the hand of God. We're praying for impossibilities to become divine possibilities. We're asking for the hand of God to be powerfully apparent in our lives and within Lifehouse Church East.

What is God speaking to you during your personal time with Him?

How are you removing the distractions of life to focus on God?

New Book

Looking forward to reading Wild Goose Chase, by Mark Batterson. I'm waiting for my copy to arrive pre-release, and I'll post a review here for you. In the meantime, here's some info on the book:

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something...

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” -from the introduction.

More about the Author:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

You can order a copy here (and no, I'm not getting any royalties. Just wan to encourage people to live the adventurous life as well).

Olympic Mind-set

Awesome to watch the Olympics, especially when we get to see the best in history. Mike Phelps crushing world records and winning gold medals in droves. Wow!

I also watched a documentary on how the Chinese build their Olympic team. Since their Communist, they tell the people what to do. So, if they find a family that is athletic and decide that their 3-yr will be a great athlete one day, then they kindly drag the kid from the parents and off to the gym. They groom them into world-caliber athletes and then put the best on their Olympic team. Great to be an American! We do it just a little different, but have unbelievable success. Parents and children here volunteer to train rigorously for years to obtain greatness. From a young age, parents are taking their kids to intense training, home schooling them to keep them in athletics as much as possible, and forking out $10,000s, if not $100,000s. The young athletes train about 8 hrs daily for years. They have a focused-intensity on only achieving greatness in their sport.

I wonder what would happen if we would put that kind of intense focus and discipline into
our relationship with God and giving our all to Him. What if we devoted ourselves to following Jesus the way these Olympians have to a sport? What if we gave our kids and all new believers in our churches the same kind of focused support and backing to grow spiritual as these parents have? We would probably develop an "Olympic-class" of Jesus-followers.

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Hebrews 12:1-4.

How can we step up our own intensity in following Jesus?

What holds us back from being as intense about Jesus as these Olympians are about sports?

Can We Make God Smile?

I don't feel that spiritual. I mean like all those really spiritual people. The ones that make me feel inadequate, not good enough. What's worse? I don't really feel that bad about it.

I'm learning to define my spirituality, less by what others think, and the measurements of the religious world, and more by how often I'm making God "smile". I have this thought that worship is simply anything we do that causes God to look in at our life and smile. So, I ask myself, "What do I do everyday that makes God smile?" It has begun to change my outlook on spirituality.

Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Luke 12:30)

How does that impact ordinary spirituality? We can worship God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Have you ever thought that by simply using your mind in creative, intelligent ways you can express your love to God? Or by using your strength and physical abilities, God is smiling down on you?

Eric Liddell is quoted in Chariots of Fire as saying, "I believe that God made me for a purpose... but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel HIS pleasure." Maybe we can be spiritual while running, swimming, thinking, reading, painting, studying, climbing, writing, feeling, dreaming, or doing anything that brings a smile to God's face. Maybe it's un-spiritual to waste what's in our heart, soul, mind, and strength to bring God fame.

How can you use your passions, gifts, strength to bring a smile to God's face?

How NOT to Burn Out

I shared this simple devotion with our staff yesterday:

Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses was attracted up the mountain to see a bush that burned but wasn't consumed. When he got close, God spoke to Him, and warned him to take off his sandals because the place where he stood was holy ground.

What's my point:

• Others are drawn to people who burn, are passionate, full of life.
  
• In order to not be consumed, the source of the flame must always be God.
• The moment the we (or the bush) become the source, we're consumed.
  
• The only way to keep God as the source of our "fire" is to keep God as the center and the fuel of our life.
• We are only the conduit of God's presence and "fire". It's not about us but God.
• Maintain a constant relationship and daily time with God to keep your "fire" hot.

Just a thought?

What do you do to keep your fire hot?