The Invitation part 3- sermon notes

On our summer trip to the aquarium, I strongly encouraged my daughters to touch the stingrays in the pool. Carissa was very reluctant, so like any loving father, I "helped" her touch them. After she finished crying, she did eventually touch them willingly. I challenged her to get “uncomfortably close” and go beyond her comfort zone.

I have my own moments of getting uncomfortably close- when I went surfing near sea turtles, standing ready to bungee jump, tip-toeing to a very high cliff edge. All these experiences forced me to go beyond my comfort zone. The turtles got IN my personal space and I didn't like it. The heights were a "little too close".

The point: few experiences are worth resisting innate inhibitions and boundaries.

We spend most of life compartmentalized into convenient categories. These compartments allow us to keep things from spilling over into other areas, and keep people comfortably distant from our darkest secrets, deepest hurts.

However, there is a tension of keeping our personal space and boundaries. We develop compartments in life to protect ourselves, but struggle to balance compartments of life. That'w where spill over happens. You know, the frustrations at work that are carried home, the argument last night that we brought to work. Depleted checkbooks that rob our Christmas cheer. We try hard to guard our fragile compartments. To keep a avoid getting uncomfortably close to things that scare us or allowing the "unknown" into our personal space.

We do the same with God, keeping Him at a safe distance. We have a compartment for God- Sundays before noon, grace before diner, in moments of crisis, an occasional prayer after we hit a golf ball or while struck in traffic. God has His place in our life, church fits into our boundaries, where we keep things from getting too uncomfortably close.

We certainly don’t let Go IN our whole world, rock our status quo, or give him the keys to every door and closet in our home.

Read Luke 1:26-38, NIV. This event is known theologically as the “virgin birth”. It sounds so pious, sterile. But for Mary, God interrupted her normal? Disrupted her with an invitation to become uncomfortably close and intimate with the Christmas experience. Her life would be profoundly altered.

Mary sets amazing example and provides incredible challenge to us?

Big Idea: Allow Christ IN Every Part of Life

More than Christmas story. This is The Invitation of God to us. Mary is an example of how incredibly close Jesus wants to come to you.

While we have compartments, boundaries, and comfort zones. Mary story is the example.
What does God want in my life?

Read Luke 1:26, 34-35 again.

Lord was WITH Mary, but now He wanted to be IN Mary.

Throughout Old Testament, God was with lots of people.
God was with Adam and Eve, walking with them in the cool of the evening. God was with Abraham, even calling “friend”. God was with Moses and the children of Israel in the fire by night and cloud by day. They were confident that God was with them. Through Jesus, God was with the disciples- eating, sleeping, teaching. Immanuel “God WITH us”. (paraphrase of Max Lucado's: Next Door Savior, 2003, p. 91)

But know an invitation to be IN Mary- “Holy Spirit will come upon you” and “overshadow”
These words invoke a picture of enveloping, like Mt. Sinai enveloped in the cloud of God’s presence.

God invites us to tear down our inhibitions, step beyond our comfort zone, welcomes our intimacy, and gets close enough to be known, not just with us, but in us.

To his disciples, Christ declared, “I am in you” John 14:20 NCV.
Paul prayed, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” Ephesians 3:17, NIV.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27, NIV.
“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them”1 John 3:24, NIV.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:20, NIV.

How does God come IN my life?

God enveloped Mary, and Mary’s common life was transformed. At first, only physically, hormonally, privately. But over time, the in-dwelling of God in her life transformed everything about Mary. It became obvious to everyone that God was IN her.

What part did Mary have in this conception and pregnancy? She willingly submitted.

See Luke 1:38, NIV. Mary made herself completely available to God. Much like the way a wife makes herself completely available to her husband.

We want to be in control, manage our compartments, but God simply invited Mary to allow Him into her life, beyond her inhibitions, comfort zone, status quo. Not just a part of her life, but ALL of her, IN her.

Transformed from just learning of God to intimately knowing God.
Mary intimately knew God- understood His will and willingly obeyed His plan for her life.

What’s our part? To make our life completely available to God and accept His invitation to dwell IN us, IN every intimate detail and compartment of our life.

We neither resist or assist. Mary couldn’t guide, advise, or assist God in the process. She didn’t volunteer for this role. She only responded willingly and completely, then offered herself in full service.

Are there areas in your life that you’ve tried to do God-size things on your own? Quit a life-controlling habit or addiction, overcome past hurts, forgive the abuser, heal the marriage, conquer a fear, defeat the worry? We can’t do it on our own.

We can only surrender, willingly allow Christ in every part of life.

Like Mary to be so pregnant with the life of Christ that He lives through us.

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20, NIV.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Here's a "poem" that my daughter Rebecca wrote this morning about Christmas. Amazed at how well she can communicate what seems so hard for so many adults to comprehend.

Jesus is God's Gift to Us, by Rebecca Grach

Jesus is God's Gift to us,

He died on the cross

for our sins,

He is the reason we celebrate Christmas,

His death gave us Easter.

So thank God for sending his son,

and giving these two holidays to us.

Couldn't say it better myself. I have a feeling some day she'll be communicating the life-transforming message of Christ more powerfully than myself. My greatest dream come true. My deepest prayers revealed.

I take time nearly daily to pray over my girls that they will grow to love God, follow and serve Him, and that their life-destiny would dwarf my calling and ministry.

Best Sermon I've Ever Heard

My 8-year old daughter, Rebecca, led our church service at home yesterday. Let me set this up by giving you the background, but keep reading to hear one of the best devotions on the meaning of Christmas and salvation.

Since Lifehouse services were canceled due to inclement weather, we had a family worship time with both sets of grandparents, who were all snowbound in our townhouse. That devotion I prepped for everyone at LHE, we threw out the window when Rebecca was willing to lead the whole service.

Words can't describe my pride as I watched and experienced her lead us. She, with the help of her sisters, sang Joy to the World, Away in a manger, Jesus loves the little children, I have decided (all 5 verses), and Silent Night.

Then came the sermon. Rebecca and Carissa read from their children's story Bible and incredibly illustrated the Creation, using a flashlight as light, stuff animals to show when God made all different kinds of creatures, and so on. They even had an apple for when Eve ate from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". Rebecca explained that Jesus came to pay the price/ penalty for our sins and the sin of all mankind. And flip over to the Nativity stories in their Bible. More illustrations using our manger figurines. At this point, we were all enjoying the simple truths in the teaching. Then...

Rebecca wrapped up the illustrated sermon with this devotion:

The Recycled Life, by Rebecca Grach

Can you think of some things that get recycled? Paper, plastic, metal cans.

Our life is a lot like a piece of paper. It gets worn out, dirty, and messed up. It becomes useless and damaged. Sin destroys what used to be clean and perfect. Our soul is damaged, messed up, and destroyed.

God takes all our mess, trash, and He RECYCLES our life. Through His love and forgiveness, Jesus reaches into our life, makes everything perfect and new.

Do you need your life recycled? What is damaged, trashed, messed up that you need to allow God to completely remake and recycle? What is destroyed that only God can transformed into something new and beautiful?

BTW, we do have pictures which I'll post later. If I had a video camera, you'd all be in tears.

Devotion for your family while we're snowbound

Here are my notes to correspond to this devotion for your family. Enjoy!

Start with worship: sing some easy songs that you and your family will easily know. Focus on the words, and remember that the whole point is to give honor to God, not how good or bad you sound.
• Joy to the World
• Away in a manger
• Amazing Grace

Before reading: ask yourself or family:
Ask: what are the first things that come to mind when you think of Christmas?

Bible Reading: read the following passages. Consider having different family members take turns reading.
Read Luke 2:25-35, but here are the essential verses:
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Read Matthew 2:9-11,
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Remember back to the answers you gave to the question above. Most images of Christmas are warm, romantic, joyful, touching, and possibly, we think of the manger scene under the Christmas tree.

Most of us don’t immediately think of death, the cross, and burial. But that’s what these passages speak of: Simeon foretold the piercing of Jesus and the Magi gave the gift of myrrh (a burial ointment foretelling Jesus’ death).

The key thought in these passages is that Christmas or the Nativity of Jesus is really about the amazing Invitation of God to introduce all mankind to Himself, and give Himself in death so that we could truly know God.

An amazing quote: The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of man could become the sons of God.

Jesus was born to give His life for us, born to die.

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17, NCV.

This is the message of Christmas: God became a man like us, to rescue us from our guilt, pain, and condemnation, and to offer us a new life in Him forever.

Before continuing: ask yourself or family:
Ask: how do we receive gifts? How do we receive the gift that Jesus came to give?

Simply, by accepting His gift of life through Jesus Christ, who gave His life to purchase ours. The Son of God became the son of man so that the sons of man could become the sons of God.
To receive: accept in faith, believe in Jesus Christ, obey His teachings and Word.
If we lack, it’s because we have not received TODAY!

Ask: what do you need to receive from God today?
Are you having trouble holding a grudge?
Struggling with someone at work? Maybe even your spouse or other family member?
Does anger destroy your peace?
Do the smallest things set you off?

Before continuing: ask yourself or family:
Ask: what do you do with this gift now that you have received?

Jesus came to give. And the response of all who receive? Give what they’ve received away to others.
What do we do with this idea of Christmas? The generous gift-exchange of God, priming our souls with an abundant supply of forgiveness, hope, life, and love?
The challenge of Christ’s gift to us is that it’s not ours to keep. God’s abundant love, forgiveness, hope, purpose, and life are like water in a funnel, poured in to pour through to others. He gives so that we can be the instrument of giving to others.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life (The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life, Msg).” John 4:13-14, NCV.

Don’t let it grow stagnate! Have you ever seen or smelled stagnated water?
Many peoples’ relationship with God is like that- stale or stagnate. They received at from God at one time, but it just sat there.
What causes stagnation? A source without an outlet. Water flows in, but doesn’t flow out. Because the water sits unused, bacteria and disease fester. Instead of becoming a nourishing fountain, it becomes a dangerous cesspool for the diseases of doubt, discouragement, disunity, frustration, and anger.
Like a stagnate pool of water, when God pours into our lives, but we don’t release the life of God into others, our faith grows stagnate and diseased.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”

Offer love, forgiveness, concede the right of way in life, be a word of encouragement. Let the life of God flow in you and through you to nourish the parched soul of those around you. Give what you receive!

Sermon brief from 12-13-09

A critical moment and turning point in my studies happened during a class in AP Biology while I was in 10th grade. I asked how it was theoretically possible for simple proteins to form from the necessary ingredients in "primordial soup", when every calculation clearly shows it's a mathematically impossibility. My teachers response went something like this,

"That's a good question that I don't have an answer for. However, there are really smart people who "discovered" the scientific facts behind evolution, so, even though I don't know the answer, I'm sure the answer is out there."

The response left me feeling dumber for having heard it, and from that point, I understood that I was in a faith-based class with people unwilling to even acknowledge difficult questions or address hard issues. Scientific method was chucked out the window and replaced with presuppositions established to "prove" an agenda rather than open-minded, honest research.
My experience in church wasn't much better. It was certainly no bastion of free-thinking, question probing, thought provoking research, and open debate. Like me, most people have felt like they have to check their brain at door of church, and accept an absent-minded religion, and journey into blind faith.

Unlike the pillars of great faith that I was following, I personally struggled with (and continue to struggle with) doubts and questions. I'm desperate to research, study, and prove whether my beliefs, presuppositions, and convictions are accurate and true.
Are we allowed to ask hard questions? Can we question, research, investigate what we believe, and then seek truth? Yet I felt like I couldn’t ask questions, and that questioning and researching means I lack faith.

Wrestle through questions. Questions force us to search out truth- wherever truth is found. Many people refuse to ask questions or allow us to doubt, but in turn rob us of opportunity to find truth, and establish our own deep convictions and life- transforming faith.

Read Matthew 2:1-2. Who were these Magi? Wise Men, Magi (Greek root ‘magic’), from the East (Arabia, Persia). Most likely a class of the Medes, scientists, portrayed as astrologers (studied the stars), and definitely not Jews or believers of the Messiah. Popularly held to be three (based on 3 gifts), and as kings in light of Isa. 60:3.

Imagine that? Unbelievers who study science, astronomy, and literature seeking "truth" and find Jesus/ God.

Read Matthew 2:3. King Herod responded to their search for truth with fear. His power would be challenged. Way of life threatened. Response to this Invitation from God to discover Jesus? Fight, resist, and destroy!

Read Matthew 2:4-6. Didn’t want to know Truth (the one with a capital T), but were content with knowledge, empty religion. Rather than accepting the Invitation to know God, they chose ignorance, lies, and false meaning. Those who should have known, Priests and teachers, didn’t know and weren’t looking.

Read Matthew 2:7-12. Magi questioned, searched, journeyed to accept the Invitation to find TRUTH, and they discovered THE Truth in Jesus!

God meticulously orchestrated, scripted every intimate and cosmic detail of The Invitation so that all men could meet Jesus and know Him personally in relationship.

What example and challenge do the Magi provide to us? Seek TRUTH

Christmas embodies The Invitation of God to seek truth, and when seeking truth we find truth, not in physics, chemistry, mircobiology, astronomy, even astrology or literature. All “ologies” are a branch of theology. All truths point to the ultimate Truth.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6, NIV. (Bold and Italics mine)

How do you respond to the reality of TRUTH embodied in a child, revealing God among men, who came to be know personally by us?

• Like King Herod, do you resist and fight against Truth, because He doesn’t fit your agenda, and will remove you as king of your own life?
• Like the scribes and religious teachers, do you ignore Him, because He’s inconvenient, doesn’t match your perception of what Truth should be? Do you approach your studying to prove your hypothesis and advance your agenda, or open to what your study teaches you?

Read Matthew 2:1-2 again. The Magi studied, investigated, pursued truth, and when they discovered that Truth in the coming of the King, they chose to journey to find Him by following a star.

God took the time to script His coming, His Invitation with great detail, even in the stars. Astronomy pointed to the ultimate Star!

Their trip from Persia (or Arabia) would have taken 5-6 months.

How far will you go to accept God’s meticulous Invitation to meet Him?

Seeking Truth Leads to TRUE Worship

We all seek to "worship" something- superstars, models, money, job, possessions. It's part of our human nature? Read Matthew 2:10-11 again.

For the Magi, extensive research and study, a year’s journey through deserts and difficult terrain, to accept the Invitation to meet a pauper child in the home of a carpenter?

How long did they stay? Long enough to explain their purpose and give gifts?

Did they think it was worth it? They bowed down and worshiped him. Their seeking led them to TRUTH in Jesus. Seeking culminated in the ultimate understanding, discovery, and revelation.

Read John 4:23-36.

God seeks us as we seek truth. This woman intuitively knew that the Messiah would embody Truth, and that He would lead her to true worship. Jesus said that time has arrived.
We seek truth so that we can truly worship- God.

The more we seek truth, ask hard questions, research, examine, and investigate the greater our worship. Our view of God isn't diminished through questioning and studying, but magnified.

Deep research into examining the interworkings of our galaxy leads to a greater wonder of God!

The microscope doesn't negate God's handiwork, it reveals His perfection. Ophthalmology doesn't darken our eyes to see God, this science illuminates our eyes to the wonder of God.

TRUTH SEEKING LEADS TO TRUE WORSHIP! Ask away. Study, research, learn THEN worship the true God who meticulously crafts truth to lead us to the ultimate Truth found only in Jesus Christ.

Daddy Tips for Christmas

’Tis the season for Dad to drop the holiday ball, stress out as the money is being spent for presents, and miss yet another providential opportunity to lovingly lead his family.

This is a repost from Mark Driscoll's blog at Mars Hill Church. So good I had to pass it on.

So, this blog is intended to help dads not fall into the same old rut of holiday humdrum, sitting on the couch watching football and eating carbs, but rather intentionally plan out the upcoming holiday season. Our children grow quickly and if we miss the sacred moments God opens up for us to connect with and bless our families, everyone suffers and we set in motion generations of missed opportunity.

#1 – Dad needs a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?

#2 – Dad needs to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family. In Seattle it’s here.

#3 – Dad needs to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?

#4 – Dad needs to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?

#5 – Dad needs to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?

#6 – Dad needs to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?

#7 – Dad needs to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?

#8 – Dad needs to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?

#9 – Dad needs to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?

#10 – Dad needs to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?

#11 – Dad needs to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?

#12 – Dad needs to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?

#13 – Dad needs to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?

#14 – Dad needs to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?

#15 – Dad needs to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?

#16 – Dad needs to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

Big Announcement- We're going to 2 Services

Excited to announce that Lifehouse will have 2 Sunday services starting on January 10th. Here's some important info you'll want and need to know about the WHY's and WHAT's of this transition to 2 services.

First, the WHY's:

• So grateful that so many guests and regular Lifehousers show up every weekend. We've been averaging about 485 people per Sunday, and that means we're running out of seats.
• To reach more guests, we need more chairs. By adding a 2nd service, we double our seating capacity. This gives us more space to reach more people with whom we can share the amazing message of the gospel. And that is our ultimate Cause- to share and show our world the gospel of Jesus!
• More options: for more people to attend (can pick time that works best for them), and allow people who couldn't come before, to now join us!
• More opportunities to serve: some people don't want to serve in ministry during the service, because they don't want to miss it (we totally understand!). This way, everyone can participate in one service and serve in the other, and always get to participate in a service.
• INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. Our main purpose is to give us room to reach more unchurched and de-churched people. God loves everyone you know, and He wants them to discover the abundant life and salvation through Jesus. Invite them to join us during one of our services.

Now, the WHAT's:

• Times: 1st service- 9-10:10am; 2nd service- 10:30-11:40am.
• Café- 8:30-9am & 10-10:30. We want to continue providing coffee and light breakfast foods for both services, but don't want to wear our team out, so we're limiting this to 1/2 hour time slots and limiting what will be served. So, if you want coffee and breakfast get there early and say lots of THANK YOU's to the Café Team!
• Children's ministries: will be available during BOTH services. Additionally, for children that will be in both services (since many parents will be serving during one services), there will be Kidz Life Groups (discipleship classes) available during the 9am service.
• Sunday morning Life groups: we do offer adult life groups at 9am currently. We will offer life groups during both services. So, you can participate in one service, attend a life group in the other. Most life groups are available during the week in homes, but Sunday morning groups are available for those who need childcare and are only available on Sundays.

Addressing a few concerns/ questions you might have:

• Won't 2 services mean it will feel like their are 2 churches? Service styles will be the same, including sermons. We will be giving our best to both services, so quality and experience will be very similar. Primary difference will be time.
• Won't I feel disconnected from people in the other service? Great question! Yes, but do you feel connected with everyone in our service right now? Probably not. Why? If any church has over 40 people attending, it's impossible to be intimately connected with everyone. Additionally, Sunday services are NOT designed to help people feel more connected to each other, that's what life groups and ministry groups are for. We passionately believe in relationships. To get more connected to a small group of people, so that you feel like you're part of the Lifehouse "family of friends", join a ministry and a life group. Trust me, those small groups are the best place to find friends and feel connected NOT MATTER how many people Lifehouse continues to reach on Sunday mornings.

How can YOU help? Thought you'd never ask! Between Now and Jan 10th, we'll be asking you to commit to the following:

• which service will you be participating in: 9 or 10:30?
• which service will you be serving in: 9 or 10:30?
• which ministry will you be serving in: see our website for more details or sign up next Sunday?

Hope this helps provided so much needed information.

Please PRAY for God's favor during this transition and that we would continue to REACH many unchurched and de-churched people with the message of Jesus' salvation.

Living and leading on principle- part 2

Ever had a season when you are RE-facing an issue or situation you thought you had already dealt with or gotten victory over or passed that test? You're dealing with a pattern in your life, a mental block, or chronic emotional battle.

So, did David, and it's a great account of living/ leading on principle rather than on methods.

Some background: David had recently become king over all Israel, and the Philistines come to pick a fight and whip David out (ever felt like that?). While David is camped out in his "stronghold" seeking God, his enemies are gathering in the Valley of Rephaim (known as Valley of Giants. Hmm, that sounds familiar). Read 2 Samuel 5:17-20. God tells him to lead his army against them, and when David does, there is a great victory. So far so good...

Then, just win David is feeling good about his victory, the Philistines gather back up in Valley of Rephaim again. Same place, same enemy!

What would you be thinking? what would you do? David could have thought, "ok, been here before. Must have not been as big a victory as I initially thought. Well, God told me to go fight them before, guess I'll go fight them again. Pretty sure if it brought us victory the first time, it'll work again this time."

Did you see it? Methods are developed from past victories, either our own or someone that we're familiar with.

But that's not what David did. Instead, verse 23 says, "David inquired of the LORD". Read the rest of 2 Samuel 5:22-25. But this time, God gave David a different strategy- to have his army surround them from the back on the hillside where the Mulberry trees are, and then wait to hear the stirring in the trees. Once David heard the stirring, then he was to attack the Philistines. David follow the strategy precisely, and there he defeated the Philistines again.

What's the point? The strategy isn't what worked. Strategies must change. David had to first pray and inquire of God, then follow His plans and strategies. The previous strategy wouldn't have led to victory but destruction.

Just because David was facing the same enemy in the same place didn't mean he had failed, God was just testing him to see if he would seek God or default to some prescribed strategy, then write a book called "How to defeat the Philistines in 5 Simple Steps". No, David had to listen and obey. The only explanation for both victories was GOD!

How to stay the course and NOT give up

I'm fired up! If you know me or have ever gotten an email from me- you've heard this. If you know me well, you know it's true, almost all the time. It's not an act.

So, here's how I stay so committed (with passion) to the course of ministry, responsibility, and to my community? Here's my response:

CALLING:

• A certainty that I am doing what God destined for me to do, specifically in planting Lifehouse and in raising up other church planters. Very little else fuels me for long except the confidence I have that God called me to do this- He choose me, I didn’t choose Him.
• Constant reminder from passages of Scripture that have gripped me from the beginning of my call (Jeremiah 1:4-10; Joshua 1:1-11 and 3:1-6).
• Vision is a picture of the “preferred future” (Leading at a Higher Level). I can close my eyes and see, at least generally, what my purpose is, even several years down the road. I know for a fact that I’m still on the front end of completing the work that God has called me to. Since I know this is the beginning, I’m resolute in finishing. My dream is to lead a Kingdom-impacting church for a long time (LHE) and through Lifehouse, develop as many church planters as possible then send them out to plant as many churches as possible.

FOCUS: this encompasses 2 critical areas:

• Giftedness: staying narrowed in my unique destiny, temperament, and calling. I realize that I’m not that good at a lot of things, but extremely gifted in a few areas. So, I leverage the areas I’m strong in, do those better, and keep developing/ releasing/ coaching other leaders to do everything else! This is huge! When I’m busy doing what I’m not gifted at or passionate about, I feel de-motivated, uninspired, and I won’t stay the course.
• Eternal perspective: the Cause of Christ grips me so completely and passionately that I can’t help but recklessly abandon myself to His purposes for my life, regardless of the cost, sacrifice, or hard work. My prayer everyday,

“Oh Lord, may what I do TODAY matter for ETERNITY so that the population of heaven will increase because I got out of bed this morning!”

• This isn’t always easy, that’s why I need prayer time and devotions- to keep me focused and centered on the WHY.

DREAM TEAM: having highly committed leaders around me has been one of my greatest strengths.

• This requires lots of invest of time, conflict resolution, prayer, and high level of faith in people, and a critically important ability to see the potential in others and to invite them to leverage their potential in God’s Church. I have a passion to see people WIN and excitedly BELIEVE in them more than they believe in themselves.
• Read “Building a Dream Team” in Courageous Leadership, by Bill Hybels. When other high level people join you, it’s emboldening and empowering. When they sacrifice alongside of you, it makes you believe in the Cause even more, and you recognize that the Cause is bigger than you.

PRAYER: I know it sounds obvious, but I’ve bathed every step of ministry and life in prayer, and especially in seasons of fasting. When you know your walking in devotion to God, hearing from Him, and radically living His purposes- you can’t quit!

Living and leading on principle- part 1

People want to copy or replicate what works, whether in business, ministry, marriage, parenting, or any other life- pursuit. That's why their are how-to books that top the best-seller lists week after week. We all want the techniques and methods on how to get rich, parent an all-star, or lead a community-impacting church.

But does replication and duplication really work? Can I copy your methods and reasonably expect to get the same results?

The answer is emphatically NO! Now, don't panic, it's not that you should throw away every book, stop reading this blog, and ignore every teacher. It's just that we can't COPY or duplicate a method and expect the same results as our method trend-setter.

Most books and methodologies get established, because someone experimented, diligently worked, prayed, re-tried, failed, cried, fasted, struggled THEN experience, over time, what we call "success". Then, they write a book , teach a class or seminar EXPLAINING the techniques that took them a lifetime of process and brokenness to uncover and live.

It's NOT the techniques that produce the results we all desire, it's the process of living by God-ordained principles.

DON'T look for the techniques or methods to effectiveness. That will only lead you to unhealthy comparisons and frustration.

DO study the principles that underlined another person's effectiveness, and follow their example. Jesus lived a principled life and taught us His WAY! He did not offer us a bunch of methods. When we lived on principle, methods will come and go, but we will live solid on TRUTH!

Your Help Needed for Red Carpet Sunday

That's right, I'm using every digital means possible to get help. Here's what we are looking for:

1. Invite as many people as possible to Lifehouse on December 6th,
2. Help us FIND some necessary props for Christmas decorations.

Here's how you can invite friends for Red Carpet Sunday:

• To invite friends and family who are NOT currently in church, send them an evite from our website here or from Facebook here.
• Get a bunch of flyers and pass them out to neighbors, co-workers, friends, family.
• Ask them to "commit" to joining you for Red Carpet Sunday on December 6th at 9:30 for breakfast AND 9:45 to get seated for the 10 am service.
• Once they commit to coming, fill out a ticket with their information and turn it in at the registration table, so that they can be entered into a drawing to win a VIP package of gifts.
• follow up with them and encourage them to actually come on December 6th.

Here's what we want/ need for Christmas decorations BEFORE December 6th: (we would need to keep decorations for the whole month of December, so don't lend us your tree if you want it for Christmas)

• 3-4 normal size outdoor lamp stands- would like 2 with 3 lights and 1 or 2 with 1 light.
• large wreath, probably at least 4 foot in diameter,
• 2- 12' Christmas trees (preferably pre-lit)
• 2- 9' Christmas trees (preferably pre-lit)
• 2 old fashion candle holders (the ones you see in movies that people would use to carry around their house and light a room)

Thanks for your passion and help. Keep inviting friends!

Preparations for a new year at Lifehouse

Sharing with you our steps in preparation for a new year (for church planters and pastors). I'm including in this several resources and links that might help you as you approach the end/ beginning of the year.

1. Evaluate/ assess the following: personal life, ministry life, church life. Goal should be to invite leadership team to honestly and candidly evaluate how they are doing personally, how YOU are doing as a leader, how their ministry is doing, and then, how the overall church is doing.

• Here's the form that we send out.
• We have worked hard to create a culture that is honest, candid, and willing to embrace the brutal (in love) facts.
• Honesty and candidness are two way streets. Usually, I have to be willing to take honesty and opinions on the chin several times before my team trusts me enough, that they'd be willing to hear my brutal honesty of their leadership and ministries.

2. Review all evaluations and condense them into one document. Here's ours from this year.

3. Leadership Advance or gathering point: we go away for a day and a half each November for prayer and planning. Here's what we do when we get away:

• Spiritual renewal: as leaders, we're often working in ministry, that it's easy for us to start running on "E" and that leads toward burnout. So, I encourage and challenge our leaders to get renewed and refocused on their personal life.
• Celebrate "wins": we take time to talk about the great things God did in us and through us this year.
• Review the combined evaluation form to determine: what we need to keep doing? what do we need to stop doing? and what do we need to do better?
• Cast vision for next year. Based on prayer, vision, and evaluation, we're able to make a fair and prophetic look at what God is calling us to do next year. This should certainly start in the heart of the leader and be embraced by the entire leadership team.

4. Theme for next year: as I just mentioned, it's my responsibility to hear from God, and determine the prophetic "season" or direction of our church as we transition into a new year. Couple of thoughts on themes and annual vision statements:

• This isn't biblical, but it's also not unbiblical. Just realize that there are no expectations for having a statement or theme for every year. I have personally adopted a prayer focus as we approach closing out one year and entering a new one. There are times when I am confident that God gave me clear insight into what would happen broadly in the life of our church.
• It's important to evaluate the "season" of the church. Like the sons of Isaachar, we must be people who "know the times and seasons".
• The theme must be born of God and focus on the positive direction of the church.
• A theme might not end on December 31, so ask God if you are to continue to point towards this years theme. Additionally, a theme usually builds on last years. So, if God has been "pruning" then it might be time for growth, then fruit.

5. Calendar planning. Take time now to look over next years calendar, look for important holidays that must be planned for and around. Pay attention to "pitfall" dates on the calendar. Determine when new sermon series will begin, and when is the best time for a Friend Day, baptisms, and vacation time.

6. Planning your preaching calendar. Nelson Searcy has an incredible resource on planning your 2010 preaching calendar (listen to it here). This should be done with great prayer and fasting. Believe and ask God to speak to you NOW about what to speak on throughout 2010.

Ok, gave way more content than should probably be dissemenated via blog or email. But wanted to provide the best information to those who need it.

What do you do as you lead out of one year and toward a New Year?

Frogs at Lifehouse

I'm really enjoying preaching the Gravity sermon series. The whole premise: just like there are basic "laws" of the universe and nature, that we must cooperate with, there are fundamental principles established by God to govern life. We don't have to like them, but we must cooperate with them.

It was fun to welcome 2 tree frogs to the stage and share the preaching platform with them. They did as good a job as I did, some may say better. I illustrated the "frog syndrome", explaining how we can adapt to destructive situations. Sin is out to destroy us.

Jesus used nature to teach some of the deepest principles of life and God's Kingdom. A kernel of corn or a grain of wheat can illustrate better than a thousands words that we must "die to live".

Just a thought:I present the toughest messages with the highest level of creativity and illustration. Why? I believe that creativity and powerful illustrations invite people to lower their guards and presuppositions about God, religion, and the Bible. Great illustrations are memorable, and when the TRUTH of God's Word is presented in a memorable way, the Holy Spirit has room to bring it back to remembrance in our hearts.

Baptism in a theater

Privileged, favorite moments don't occur often but when they do, enjoy them. Revel in them! And that's just what we did at Lifehouse 2 weeks ago. We hosted our first raucous baptism gathering following our morning service. Here's what I loved about it:hundreds of people from Lifehouse were able to celebrate with the 10-12 that were baptized,

• it felt more like a family celebration than a religious ceremony,
• we screamed and cheered wildly for those who were making their public declaration of faith in Jesus,
• the theater was transformed into sacred ground, a place where so many have made decisions to follow and grow in their decision for Christ. Now, it has become a place where we can also celebrate those decisions through the next step of baptism,
• the water was warm (thanks Don for getting the gas-powered heater to warm up the water)
• I love firsts, so it was cool that it was our first baptism at the theater (and only a week after the previous cinema company moved out,
• I got baptized (well, not in a theological, sacrament sense, but in a chucked in the water like a play toy by Pastor Dave sense),

Here are some cool photos:

Congratulations to all who were baptized!

Some changes to our next baptism, coming soon:

• I'd like to invite the person who invited the baptism candidate to share their personal story of how they met, introduced Jesus to the new Jesus-follower,
• Invite the friend to baptized the candidate.

As the lead pastor, I want to give away to others this awesome moment, rather than holding on to it. Let's pass around the joy and victory.

Gravity: To Be First, Be Last- 11/01/2009

There are elemental laws, forces, principles of nature and universe that "operate" to meticulous perfection. Mankind, especially scientists for thousands of years, has worked to discover “how” these laws work. However, they always work, whether we know or understand them. So, our goal is to not only figure out how they work, but more importantly, to cooperate with them.

All of these forces and laws are so finely "tuned" to perfection that to the objective observer, the whole of existence can be described as nothing less than the “Elegant Universe".

The force of gravity is perfect, but it didn’t have to be that way. Newton discovered and theorized gravity (the force of attraction between any 2 atoms). Gravity is usually undetectable, but with great mass can come significant gravity, i.e. on earth, which makes apples fall from trees, but also keeps the moon in orbit (9.81m/s2 or 32ft/s2).

Gravity on earth doesn’t change because the mass of earth doesn’t change, but what if it did? Exact pull keeps not only us from being thrown form earth as it spins, it keeps certain gases in our atmosphere in and others out. It keeps sea water in the ocean, and air breathable. That’s why if you go to higher elevations, it’s harder to breathe. Atmospheric pressure (based on gravity) is lower, which means fewer O2 molecules concentrated per unit of volume of air.

Newton figured out most of the formulas that we still use to this day, and he didn’t even know WHY it worked. Einstein came along and wrote theory, discovered laws of relativity, including gravity.

If you’re thinking, “I don’t get it.” That’s okay. Remember, you don’t have to understand the laws for them to work. Sometimes things do work as we think, like a bowling ball sinking in water. We certainly try to understand, more importantly cooperate with and live in harmony with these “laws”.

Then, there are times when these laws don't work as we expect. Then what do we do?

For sake of illustration, what about this 10 lbs bowling ball that floats? Not what we expect, right?

Explanation: density is the key (mass in volume). Density of water (about 1 g/cm3, or 8lbs/gal). If the density of the bowling balls are greater than the density of water, they'll sink. If less, then they'll float.

Don’t always work as we think they should, sometimes even want to fight them. We can try to resist, and become frustrated, or fight them to own misfortune and destruction.

Similarly, there are fundamental principles in human life that are always in operation, whether we know or understand them. And like the laws of nature, it is always best to live in harmony and cooperation with these principles.

However, sin messed up natural tendencies and instincts, reversed our innate understanding, more importantly to cooperate. Sin turned everything upside-down, broken.

Our sin nature is out to destroy us. Like someone with an urge to jump from high places, which everyone agrees is contrary to nature and a destructive tendencies (Psychologists would call it Masochistic/ Self-Defeating Personality Disorder).

The Bible states that sin fractured our nature, our understanding, and even messed up the whole of nature, by inserting death and sin into a perfect world.

Read Romans 5:12-13, 14 and Romans 8:20-21.

Here's one example of how sin messed things up. When God designed creations, it was absent of death and destruction. However, through sin, death entered into our world, death led to the basic instinct of self-preservation, which leads to all sorts of evil, especially selfishness.

We are hard-wired by our fractured nature to be selfishness. Even my "perfect" daughters say things like, “I want” and "It's mine", too often. We are constantly looking out for MY needs. We want the last cookie.

This instinctive selfishness doesn’t preserve us, however, but actually destroys us and the relationships with others that we value.

When we follow our natural tendencies, it's similar to following the urge to jump from a cliff against the force of gravity. However, instead of protecting or liberating us, it destroys us and others.

Sin is always out to destroy us, and therefore, our nature is a destructive force in our life. Read John 10:10. Were not not alone, as soon as sin entered world back in Eden, mankind has been living under it’s cruel curse. Even Jesus’ disciples show the self-protecting, self-exalting cycle with all it's selfish instincts: Read John 13:3-8, 12-17.

This is a counter-intuitive model of life, that goes against everything instinctive and selfish.

Jesus came to restore our lives back to the original design, help us re-discover the basic principles of true life so that we would not live destructive lives leading to death, but so that we could truly live in cooperation with God and in harmony with His perfect plan. Now, read the full verse from John 10:10.

So, what can we learn from Jesus teaching that will help us prosper, live in harmony with God’s absolute principles of life so that we can experience true life and blessing, as Jesus promised in John 13:17?

Here's the Big Idea: To be first, be last!

No, were not in kindergarten anymore! So, we’re not pushing and shoving to get to the front of the line, well unless you're driving down the road in rush hour traffic... But Jesus wasn’t talking about trying to get to first place in line, but about posturing for fame, greatness, recognition, and self-preservation.

His completely counter-intuitive lessons challenge us to stop following our natural, sinful tendencies that lead toward the destruction of all things, and start following His way and listening to God’s Spirit inside of us, leading us toward a new way of living and thinking.

What does it mean to “be last”?

If we want to be greatest, become the servant of all. If we strive to be in charge as a master, then we must follow His example and become a servant in the most humble of circumstances.

This isn’t about looking down on yourself, or having low self-esteem or any lack of self-worth. Jesus had great self-worth and a knowledge of His value and position with the Father, as clearly stated in John 13:3-4.

Just the opposite is the case, when we’re aware of our true value and worth to God, then we stop fighting and posturing. We stop living so cut-throat, and following the self-defeating life that leads to destruction. Then, we can willing serve others, because we’re not looking out for our interests but God’s.

By trying to be first or greatest or most recognized or to be see as important, we fall into the self-defeating, destructive trap that destroy us and leave us as the least. We become a slave to sin and in bondage to the very things we seek. Money becomes a snare, fame a curse, and power a tool for destruction.

BUT when we take on the role of a servant (counter-intuitive), we reverse the forces of sin, and embrace a whole new way of true life that Jesus offers.

TO BE LAST means to serve others, rather than ruling over them. Preferring others ahead of ourselves. Wanting the best for them, as much as for ourselves. Lift others up rather than always wanting to puff ourselves up. To be humble and bend down, while others stand proud. To wash feet while others refuse to ever do the work of the slave.

Do you want to get ahead in this life? You may achieve it, only to arrive at that end, and discover that it gave you the opposite results as you expected.

Jesus’ teaching is NOT complicated. It’s just so contrary to our instinctive way of living, that it seems wrong, weak, “it’ll never work”. But we, and our world, are the ones who are broken, not this teaching.

Jesus reveals one of the most profound, yet basic principles of life. It's even taught in MBA programs, politics, business, consultation- servant leadership. 820,000 links on Google.
It’s always at work, not matter whether we understand it or not, whether we agree wit it, or expect it to work as it does.

Jesus challenged His disciples, and in turn us, to live in harmony and cooperation with God’s plan for all life.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13: 17, NIV.

Live blessed, full, meaningful, eternal life.

Thoughts on celebrating Halloween or Not

Have you ever even considered whether to celebrate Halloween or not? It may be something you've always enjoyed, and can't imagine why not. Or maybe you grew up in a religiously conservative home where celebrating Halloween was considered evil.

Rather than me writing up all the imformation myself, allow me to just link to an excellent blog written on the topic of the Christian and Halloween. After having read the full blog, I trust that you'll be able to come to a sound, biblical decision without needing to be criticized one way or the other. I would however offer one thought regarding Halloween, especially on whether to give out candy or not: it may be the only time in the year when people WILLINGLY come to your door asking for something. It serves as a great chance to both give candy, and maybe even give them an invitation to Lifehouse. It may sound silly, but the parents may sift through the candy, find the flyer, be impressed by the approach we take, and come hear about Jesus. A win-win.

This is a post from the Mars Hill Church campus pastor, James Harleman, that originally appeared on the Lake City blog.

The issue of Halloween and whether Christians should observe this holiday invariably rises from the grave each October. More to the point, most Christians do observe it, but differ in the level of participation or acceptance of it. Evangelist Jack Chick, for instance, the man famous for “Chick Tracts” naively depicts Halloween as a night when ancient Celtic Druids raped and sacrificed virgins, leaving carved pumpkins on the doorsteps of households that gave up their daughters (never mind the fact that pumpkins were a New World plant exported and only grown in Europe recently). Other Christians offer the opposite but equally naive defense of “it’s no big deal”, sending their kids out to eat candy and legitimize American obesity statistics.

Halloween has a long and complex history; following the meandering chain linking a pagan harvest festival to toddlers dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is not simple. Christian and secular historians keep finding layers of revisionist history that try to wrap the origins of this holiday up in a nice little bow (perhaps so it can go under the Christmas tree? The decorations come out early enough). Before addressing the Christian’s response to this holiday, let’s look at what little we do know.

Halloween 101
Ancient Celts celebrated a holiday called Samhain (essentially “end of summer”), where they would extinguish their hearth fires and host large ceremonial bonfires, sacrificing animals and crops. This didn’t occur on October 31 but around the same time, depending on the phases of the moon. It marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of a season where the people would be dependent on food stores and shelter from the elements. Superstitious Celts associated winter with death and thought that the season’s transition was marked by the close proximity of spirits; they believed this thin veil would help their Druid priests make prophecies, enabling them to survive the harsh winter. There is an accrued mythology that Druids also wore masks on this night and went from door to door, but historical evidence does support this theory; it seems more like creative fiction manufactured to explain the evolution of modern customs. While not a bad educational supplement, something is not history simply because it appeared on the History Channel.

The name of our present-day holiday, Halloween (or “All Hallows’ Eve“), actually stems from a celebration for saints formed by the early church. A celebration day for all saints emerges in church history as early as the 4th century, but it was originally set in May or the day following Pentecost (some records suggest this also paved over a similar Roman day of the dead). It was the Germans who initially shifted the custom to November 1st, and whether or not this had to do with the practices of the Irish Celts is questioned by historians to this day.

In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III universally changed the date to mirror the German date in conjunction with the consecration of the chapel in St. Peter’s. “All Hallows’ Day” or “All Saints’ Day” would later become a day not only to recognize official Catholic Saints, but also to commemorate the dead and visit the cemetery to reflect on family or friends who had passed away.

Several hundred years later, November 2nd would become “All Souls’ Day” in Catholic tradition. All Hallows’ Eve simply marked the night before, much like Christmas Eve. A focus on cemeteries and the dead had as much to do with Catholic as Celtic traditions, and the accrued traditions and superstitions are a mixed bag stretching up into our own early American immigrant traditions of harvest festivals, and the way Mexican culture turned All Saints’ and Souls’ Days into the “Day of the Dead” festival.

Despite myth and folklore imposed in retrospect on this holiday, recent study reveals that trick-or-treating is a fairly new convention that didn’t become significant until 1930 in the United States. Europe and other countries co-opted the practice, caught up in our merchandising and global influence. Forms of costumed begging have existed for centuries in Christianized Europe, called “mumming” or “guising” and usually involve singing or performing a short play in exchange for food or drink. Wassailing is another grand tradition of singing and going from house to house.

One of the closest similarities we find with a loose connection to trick-or-treating appears in the Middle Ages on All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), where the poor would go from home to home and offer prayers for those in purgatory in exchange for food. However strong evidence suggests that childish mischief and vandalism on the 30th and 31st in early 1900s America (particularly vicious in Detroit, where October 30, the day before Halloween, became known as “Devil’s Night”) gave rise to organized evening activity to make actual treats replace the increasing abundance of tricks.

If Christianity did not successfully pave over this holiday (much as Christmas paved over the Roman Saturnalia), Americana certainly did. This has been punctuated visibly with our indigenous pumpkin replacing the original “Jack-O-Lantern”, originally an Irish turnip. If Halloween itself was a pumpkin, however, there would truly be nothing left to carve. The seasonal change has been celebrated by pagans and Christians for centuries, taking on the customs of a dozen cultures along the way. Its present incarnation receives disdain not only from many Christians but also from professing witches and wiccans. The former feel that it’s intrinsically tied to satanic beliefs and the latter group sees it as a distorted mockery of their beliefs.

One of the most interesting anecdotes I found in researching the history of Halloween is that the one activity many churches do engage in at replacement events like church “Harvest Festivals” is perhaps the one most easily linked to paganism: bobbing or “ducking” for apples was actually a divination ritual related to love and fertility.

To Trick or Not to Treat?
Even if we ascribe church origins to Halloween, the holiday does differ from Christmas. Some will offer that the week in December when we commemorate Christ’s birth was once a Roman festival celebrating Saturn, and may have even involved both gift-giving and evergreen decor. They make the case that Christmas is compromised by paganism just like Halloween. They will also mention that most Christians call the day Jesus rose from death “Easter“, which has roots in pagan fertility rituals (hence the rabbit and those horribly delectable Cadbury Cream Eggs).

As Christmas and Easter have overrun and co-opted various trappings, however, there is for Christians a clear, central focus on Jesus’ incarnation. Halloween may not be inherently evil, but it also has no central, specific focus on the Lord we love. Whether we see Halloween as pagan practices, Catholic traditions, or good old American, candy-coated commercialism, none of these offers great inspiration to participate.

At Mars Hill Church, we don’t believe in the deities worshipped by the Celts or the rituals used to appease or summon them. We do, however, recognize that there are evil spirits that confuse and lead people astray from relationship with the one true God. We recognize that the Bible calls all Christians “saints” and we don’t believe in the Catholic extra-biblical concepts of sainthood or purgatory. Many of the ideas and rituals that have contributed to the Halloween mish-mash aren’t congruent with our beliefs. However, setting aside times to remember or honor those we love that have passed away (hopefully to be with our Savior Jesus) is not a bad idea. On a less somber note, wearing Spider-man costumes, making funny faces on vegetables, and engaging in neighborhood activities where one can both give and receive hospitality is not something we oppose. Fictional fantasy tales of monsters and elves even scary ones are not wholly inappropriate either, whether punctuated on this particular weekend or sprinkled throughout the year in classic tales from authors including Tolkien and Lewis. We regard Halloween as a second-hand issue and ask that every Christian examine their response to the modern-day Halloween celebration in our culture.

Some members of Mars Hill opt to avoid Halloween altogether because portions of its mixed up history prick their conscience. Others see it as a truly americanized holiday, not specifically Christian but essentially “American” like Thanksgiving or Presidents’ Day, and have no conscience issues participating. Others still draw various lines in between; some don’t go out and actively participate, but remain in their homes and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters so that they can offer hospitality to their neighbors and community. Others gather together to hold festivities that exclude the more overtly creepy or questionable elements.

For those who have shunned Halloween because they were simply told it was evil, or for those who have participated and never bothered to weigh its appropriateness, your pastors would encourage the employment of godly wisdom, discernment, and a sense of our shared mission as Christians. Our abstinence or participation in regard to Halloween should not be derived from fear, misinformation, or pressure but rather from a sincere love of Jesus; every response to our culture and its festivals is a way to point to the God we love and serve.

Lastly, for parents, don’t forget that gluttony is a sin. Be careful not to force your kids to learn this the hard way: lying on an altar of plastic wrap and tin-foil, holding their bulbous stomachs. If you participate in Halloween, it might be the perfect time to introduce the concept of moderation.

Another Halloween Fact:
October 31st is also “Reformation Day“, commemorating the day in 1517 when Christian reformer Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses challenging the doctrine of penance, the authority of the pope, and the usefulness of indulgences. Dressing up the kids like Reformers and handing out doctrinal challenges, however, might not be the wisest form of cultural engagement. The period outfits are cool, though.

I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

What consumes your attention and passion? What's worth giving your life to and for?

Here are my notes from this past Sunday's message, including the letter I read from the missionary to Iraq:

Listen to I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, by U2. What are you hearing in this top hit? What message do you connect with in the lyrics?

I personally grew up having "carrots" dangled in front of me, by my parents, teachers, and spiritual leaders to keep me motivation. These "carrots" eventually consumed my attention? Most of them revolved around grasping and living the American dream.

However, I discovered that these carrots weren't worth living for, but especially worth dying for. I became discouraged, and maybe even disillusioned. what’s worth dying for. Even faith seemed led by those who had practice without passion, content without conviction. I longed for what would so inspire, grip me that I’d give my life to and for?

What in this life is worth your life? Can you live your entire life only for this life?

Meet a group of guys who were "going crazy" in Acts 4.

Background to Acts 4, they seem “crazy”.

What has so gripped you, that you can’t help but speak of what you’ve seen and heard? What is it about you that “astonishes” people?

Big Idea: Follow JESUS!

Why give my life to Jesus? Why be crazy about Him, surrender whole life and purpose to Him? Why would Peter and John be so willing to face threats, persecution, even death for the sake of Jesus? (see Acts 4:20)

Only when the truth of Jesus takes hold of your life, will you be unable to give your life to any thing else. Only when you become so aware of his love and sacrifice for you, do you willingly give your life and all to Him?

What has He done for me? What did they see and hear? (Acts 4:12)

Well, examine the example of Jesus Christ: he gave His life as a ransom for our sin. Sacrificially died to pay the penalty for our sin. Took our place. Lived perfect sinless life, then, in his perfection, took the full weight of all our sins upon himself, and paid the full price for all those sins through his own brutal death. But sin couldn’t hold him down in death, and Jesus triumphantly rose victorious over death and the grave, and offered all who believe in Him new, eternal life.

We don’t follow religion, church, others in faith, BUT Jesus. He is our Cause, our faith.

Is our life marked by Jesus? Or are we still trying to make our way, find our carrot to chase?

What else consumes my life? Everything else will disappoint!

Once you find Jesus, and discover that He is worth living and dying for, then what?

Big Idea: FOLLOW Jesus!

When our life is centered, focused, aimed solely at Jesus, we are transformed. (see Acts 4:13)

What was their mark of greatness? What caught their persecutors off guard?

Peter and John had “been with Jesus” and it showed through them. Does your experience, your prayer life, worship, study of God’s word so impact you, that it transforms you?

Is it obvious that you’ve been with Jesus? Does it astonish anyone around you?

Following Jesus is extreme, risky, and astonishing.

When we follow Jesus, we follow His example, live boldly, walk in faith and faithfully.

When we follow Jesus, our life is not our own, but abandoned to His Cause and purpose.

Are you willing to surrender to HIS will? To decrease so that Jesus can increase in your life? Are you willing to be seen as ordinary so that Jesus is know as extraordinary?

Didn’t count their life worth anything other than to follow Jesus. (see Acts 4:29-31)

It's not ancient history, but a contemporary struggle voiced by U2. Echoed by a generation that wants to see what is worth living for? Even dying for?

Lived everyday by millions of Jesus-followers under extreme persecution, living an amazing faith, offering astonishing obedience, and extraordinary sacrifice: Karen Watson, lived from 1973-2004, and was killed as a missionary worker in Iraq by terrorists.

Dear Pastor, You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place, I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward… The Missionary Heart cares more than some think is wise, risks more than some think is safe, dreams more than some think is practical, expects more than some think is possible. I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience. There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you and my church family. In his care, Karen.

Imagine if we lived like this.

Does my biblical presentation seem simplistic? This big idea to basic? You ask, "Is that it?"

It’s like the egg and bacon breakfast, the chicken got involved and contributed to the meal, but the pig was totally committed and all in.

Imagine we actually lived totally consumed with the person of Jesus and committed to following Him with abandon? Imagine we discovered His love, forgiveness, peace, joy, and then shared it with the world?

Would those around us be astonished, because they know that we’re just ordinary, not-that-smart people who have BEEN with JESUS?

Whose Mark Are You Making?

Every leader will leave a mark, whose mark will you leave? That was the main question that Andy Stanley (pastor, North Point Community Church (Atlanta, GA) opened with at Catalyst Conference in the first official session. Here are some of the notes as posted by Church Relevance:

What man is a man that does not make the world better?

Leadership is a gift. Every leader leaves a mark. But the challenge is… what type of mark will you leave?

If you are discontent with the status quo and you want to see change, it is because God has put that desire to lead inside of you.

You will never recognize your biggest opportunity until after you’ve taken advantage of it or missed it. You won’t know your mistakes until long after you’ve made them.

The challenge for those of us who are leaders that want to see change is you don’t know the thing that you will do that will make the biggest difference (for good or for evil). When you study the stories of leaders, they did not know the significance of what they had done until long after they had done it.

The story of Joshua is a great example. God’s greatest concern for Israel was that they would become so wealthy that overtime they would grow less and less dependent on God. But when Joshua was 110 years old, he addressed the nation and said that he never lost sight of the fact that he was dependent on God (Joshua 23:8 & Joshua 23:11). Joshua decided that he would focus on who he is for rather than getting caught up wondering who is for him or against him.

There is no greater joy than to leverage your leadership gift into the perfect will of God.

• Am I willing to submit my leadership gift to a bigger picture and a larger story?
• Do I recognize that I am invited to be a part of God’s story?

When you finally settle why you do what you do, then you can live your life with a freedom that is unexplainable unless you experience it.

God will take full responsibility for your life and leadership once you fully surrender your life to Him.

• It is not about your mark. It is about His mark.
• It is not about who is for or against you. It is about who you are for.
• When God does His greatest work through you, you will have no idea what happened.

Our mark isn’t worth our life. Living to make my mark is too small a thing to give my life to, but to somehow be positioned in a place where God can work through me is something worth giving my life to.

Leaders are going to leave a mark. But the daily question for you is, “Whose mark are you going to leave?”

Profound leadership teaching from Chuck Swindoll

Notes from hearing Chuck Swindoll live at Catalyst Conference last week in Atlanta, GA.

When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible person and crushes them. –Allen Redpath. So, leave room in your life for the crushing.

Ten Things I have Learned about Leadership:
1. It’s lonely to lead,
2. It’s dangerous to succeed (because it takes pain, failure, disappointment, and
that requires time),
3. It’s hardest at home (even, Chuck Swindoll get’s mad and tells his wife to “shut
up”. Didn't expect that level of honesty),
4. It’s essential to be real,
5. It’s painful to obey,
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary (Mugridge- contrary to what would be
expected, I’ll look back on experiences that were especially painful with greater
fondness than success… everything I’ve learned has been through affliction to
through success. Without which life would not be delectable, but unbearable),
7. My attitude is more important than my actions. Am I getting hard to be around?
8. Integrity eclipses image,
9. God’s way is better than my way (God cannot pour His riches into hands already
full),
10.Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

Five things worth remember during my Next 50 Years in leadership:
1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone,
2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity,
3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best,
4. Whoever may respond, keep a level head, whether highly praising or critical.
Be cautious with those on both extremes, and neither deserve much time or
attention,
5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.

I walked a mile in your shoes. Here's what I learned.

As part of the "get dirty" campaign at Lifehouse and an illustration for our series Dirty Little Secrets, I came to church a few weeks ago as a HOMELESS MAN. My clothes were torn, old, and smelled of sour milk. Our resident make-up artists gave me a really bad beard, growths, scars, and dark shadows around my eyes. I walked slowly, and my right hand shook uncontrollably. After walking about a mile to the theater, I arrived before 9am, while many volunteers were still arriving and getting ready to go in for our regular prayer time. I sat outside on the curb, kept to myself, and eventually came into Lifehouse during communion. Finally, after Pastor Dave got up to preach, I interrupted him (well, not me, but the homeless man, everyone thought I was), and I began to speak.

You can listen to the sermon at our website here.

Thought I'd share a few things I had learned while walking a mile (literally and figuratively) in the shoes of a homeless man:

• A TOUCH MEANS SO MUCH! First thing that really surprised me: how many people at Lifehouse touched me. In all my prep, I honestly did not expect anyone to get close enough to me to smell me, let alone touch me. Loving hugged me, put their hands on my back, rubbed my leg, placed their hands on me and prayed. It actually meant a lot (and I was just acting).
• WE'RE NOT INVISIBLE. We all notice each other, even the homeless man on the curb, it's just that we choose to care or ignore them. I didn't know what to expect at Lifehouse, but hoped that many would come up to me and give me food, love, care, whatever. I was regularly greeted, offered coffee, food (although, ENOUGH WITH THE CHEEZ-ITS), got invited into the cafe, service- multiple times. After the service, many people apologized for ignoring me. It wasn't that they didn't see me. They saw me, and chose not to stop and help. I'm not rebuking them. That's what they actually told me.
• IT'S OKAY TO COME AS YOU ARE. Here's what I saw as the homeless man, when I came onto the platform (after being stopped by security, but invited by Pastor Dave):

"Thank you. Thank you for accepting me as I am. You didn't ask me to put on a tie, but invited me in just the way I am.

"Thank you for NOT making me hide my pain, my hurt, my regrets, my abuse. You told me it was okay for me to just come in and that God loves me!

"Thank you to the woman who called me 'friend', and the man who told me, 'You are special and God loves you'. Thanks for overlooking my smell, poor appearances, and troubling shake.

"I know that being on the stage is making some of you uncomfortable, but thanks for just loving and accepting me. You didn't ask me to pretend that everything is okay...

"My question to you is: WHY is it OK for me to be me at church, but not for YOU? Why did you tell me that I can just come in as I am, but you work so hard to COVER UP, to wear your masks so well, to not let anyone see your pain, hurt, and regrets?

• BEST MOTIVATION IS LOVE NOT GUILT. I intentionally avoided the guilt-for-not-helping-the-homeless-man message, since I figured that's where everyone would expect me to go, and I like surprising our church. Plus, I hope we, as Christians, are more motivated to compassion out of love rather than guilt. If I motivate Jesus-followers by guilt, it won't last long (think of tithing), but if by love, it will transform their whole way of life and lead to true Christ-like living. I never got the sense that anyone helped me out of obligation, for show, or out of guilt, but because they genuinely cared and wanted to offer a helping hand.
• I HAVE YOUR MONEY. A few people gave me money, and after service, I offered to give it back, but no takers. However, it was put into the regular offering. If you'd still like to get that $20 back, let me know. We weren't trying to trick anyone into giving to the church.
• CHILDREN ARE SO COOL. Brian, our hospitality leader came out with coffee and food, prayed with me, and his son even talked with me. Then, his son repeatedly came out to check on me, asked if I needed anything else, and came to talk to me. So, first- parents, keep a close eye on your kids, they might NOT be taking your counsel to heart, and ARE taking to strangers :). Also, kids are so cool!

While I was in the woods

I took a few hours yesterday to get alone with God by hiking up in the Catoctin Mts (yes, home of Camp David). This is my unique and personal "sacred pathway", I get alone in nature to talk with God. The more demanding the season or stress in my life, the longer the hike.While I was out there, here were a couple of things I discovered:

• Not just about the summit, but the climb; not about arriving, but process of getting their. In other words, God isn't just concerned with our results or what we can do FOR Him, but how we do it and our heart during the process of doing it.
• Spend more time hiking (all day), then enjoying view (few brief moments). Therefore, enjoy the hike/ the process, and don't make it all about just arriving at the destination.
• Poison ivy makes trees look very alive (full of green), but it's really killing it. Similarly, cancer will make a body gain weight and size, but is really destroying it. In the same way, religious/ critical people may added size and attendance to a church, but in fact they are "cancerous" cells destroying the body.
• The climb is dirty, messy, sometimes grueling. If you have something to prove, you'll only climb if others are watching. If your only goal is to arrive at the summit, then you'll take shortcuts. If you have a wimpy attitude, or lack purpose, you're better off staying home.

What "sacred pathways" do you have to connect with God? What is God saying to you?

Strange things in my office

There are many strange things in my office. Some of you might be aware that we (Lifehouse East) "borrows" office space from Lifehouse- Bethel. We've moved our mobile office multiple times in various places throughout the building, but appreciate the space. Thanks much to Bethel.

So, you tell me which of these top 10 strange objects that are in "my" office belong to me and which belong to Bethel:

10. Triathlon bike, shoes, and helmet

9. Convoy of Hope biking jersey (ok, started off easy)

8. 23 copies of Robert's Rules of Order

7. A horrible rotten potato smell (please, it's NOT me!)

6. Nacho Libre costum (uh, no explanation needed, right?)

5. a portable, inflatable pool

4. 5 foot tall palm tree

3. WWJD eraser (for those very special moments while you're erasing and the opportunity to show others how Jesus would erase arises!)

2. 5 coffee mugs (4 still wrapped)

1. Satan's in the Toy Box book (ok, this one used to be in here before I moved in but I think the spirit of that book still resides among the rest of the books in the office)

For the person who get's all of them right, there is NO prize! Enjoy!

What Gear do leaders ride in: lessons from biking

As I rode up and down several hills yesterday, I wrestled through a few key thoughts on shifting or stay in gear as leaders. What gear do you ride in as a leader and why?

First, an explanation on bike gears, so that my leadership points have context:

• Front gears are called chainrings (mine has 2 with 53 and 39 teeth), and the rear are called the freewheel (mine has 10 ranging from 11-29 teeth).
• That means that on it's "highest" gear ration, for each pedal stroke, my bike will move 9.5 feet and at it's "lowest", my bike will move 34.3 feet. At 90-rpm rate, I would be riding on "highest" gear at 9.5 mph and at "lowest" geat at 35 mph. At 120-rpm those speeds jump to 12.5 and 44.5 mph respectively.
• Typically, a rider would put their bike in the highest gear going up steep mountains and in the "lowest" gear going down the mountain.

Now, what does that mean for leadership.

• First, if you keep the bike in the same gear, you'll fall over. One can't climb hills in the same gear as racing downhill, and expect to ride for long.
• If you want to look like you're riding really fast and spin a lot, you'll keep it in the highest gear, but also not get very far. However, you'll look like you're going really fast. If you just want to look like you're getting somewhere, pedal fast while in the easiest gear.
• Others want to show their great strength, so they ride in the hardest gear uphill, but their strength gives out and they, either give up, or fall over. Out of pride, you can keep stay in a harder gear going uphill, and then burn yourself and others out.
• Leadership doesn't require choosing one gear and riding for as long as possible, but constantly adjusting the gears based on the slope of the journey and your (or your team's) strength.
• You can shift to an higher gear to rest, ride easier, or get up an incline. Some shift to higher gears just so they can relax and take it easy (go slower, but work less). A leader needs to discern the right gear for maximum speed and efficiency. I don't want to ride easier, I want to ride at my maximum speed whether going up or down hill. That means I must shift up to go uphill, and shift down when going downhill.
• It's better to shift to an easier gear and pedal slower to rest while riding on flat straight-aways than downhill. Usual if there's a downhill, there's an uphill ahead, and you'll need the momentum/ speed to get up the next hill. So, keep pedaling. Plus, you're maximizing each pedal stroke- meaning you're going further for each stroke than if you were on a flat ride, so enjoy the momentum and go faster.

What lessons are you learning about leadership? Love to read your thoughts.

Reflections on biking and leadership this morning

My observations from this morning, so far:

• it was a fantastic and gorgeous starry morning (at 5am). I was star gazing while biking, probably not the safest thing to do, but it was fabulous. Enjoyed the bright moon, and amazing constellations.
• this morning was was happier to be biking than driving. Didn't feel like I was living on less to give more. Felt less like sacrifice and more like a privilege and blessing. Amazing how God turns our surrender into wonder.
• We have an incredible team of leaders at Lifehouse. So grateful that they are less concerned about position and titles, and more burdened with doing whatever it takes to advance God's Kingdom. Insecure leaders can't trust others and develop leaders, but our team is passionate about "giving away" ministry and developing the leadership potential in others and mining their destiny.

Thanks to all for both your support and for being such an amazing leadership team.

We're telling some "Dirty Little Secrets"

It's what the church doesn't want you to know! We're uncovering the secrets of religion.

Whether you've been in church your whole life, or only brushed up against it briefly, there are things about religion that you are uncomfortable with, secrets that you suspect but can’t prove.

So, can we just be honest about religion?

Jesus exposed what religious leaders were trying hard to keep secret.

This is series takes a deep look at Matthew 23 and how Jesus exposed the dirty little secrets of the religious leaders of his time. These secrets reveal religious traps that ensnare so many people today. Discover the principles Jesus taught by listening to our sermons here.