Pride VS Humility

When something big happens in my life and/or ministry, nearly everytime there is a well meaning person that will give me a compliment followed by, "just don't let it go to your head, 'cause I don't want you to get prideful". 

Now, I'm aware enough that the "pride of life" is a core temptation and struggle for all, and part of our sin nature. However, I thought I'd share briefly why I don't personalize Lifehouse "success" or anything else "big" that happens with my life.

Six and half years ago, at the lowest point in my ministry life, I felt like a failure and wanted out of ministry all together. I was leading a prayer time in my home, when I felt God speak to my heart,

"Patrick, do you believe I (God) can do something great with your life?"

It was the word "great" that scared me, and my response was, "Honestly God, NO, I don't." 

Immediately, God stirred my heart with these words, "You are not doubting your abilities, but Mine (God's)." Ouch! I got the point and responded, 

"Far be it from me to question Your power or plan. God, if you desire to little or much with me, small or great, I will obey and be Your servant."

So, when small or great things happen through my life for God's Kingdom, I remember nearly immediately and everytime a moment in life, when I genuinely had no self-esteem or confidence, and fully realize that I am walking in God-esteem. I know that God can do whatever He wants through whoever He wants whenever He wants. I continue to desire to be fully obedient to God regardless of whether His plans for my life are "small" or "great". 

Regarding "greatness", I'm also aware that God doesn't measure it as we do. God said the last would be first, servant would be master, and least would be greatest. So, who am I to judge what parts of my ministry life are truly "great" and which only look great through a worldly perspective. My desire is to only desire to be "great" in God's eyes.

When others see my life, may their response be, "ONLY GOD!" That's the only comment I care to hear.

Seeds

There are seed moments in God's design. These are moments when God plants a dream, idea, prayer, passion, and/ or destiny. Initially, it feels vague, impossible, and "pie-in-the-sky", and often we have to just trust God and keep praying. 

Through obedience and faithfulness, God will cause the seed to germenate into a growing plant that eventually breaks the surface of the earth. And as the young plant grows and develops, it becomes a strong and mature plant that produces much fruit.

God's desire for our lives is that we would THRIVE! Read John 15:8.

Watch the seed moment for Lifehouse Church east revealed. This is an amazing story of God's faithfulness to bring the seed to fruit-bearing tree through our faithfulness and obedience. Thank God for the giants of our faith who have prayed our dreams into existence.

What seeds are in you that God desires to grow to fruitfulness? Are you being obedient and faithful?

Our end-game

Why do we pray? worship? gather as the Church? do outreach? invite friends and share Jesus with our community?

Recently, in our weekly staff prayer meeting, we began with a time of singing and worship. Since I have a lot to pray about and request of God, I wanted to challenge our team to pray boldly and really seek God on behalf of Lifehouse East. However, as we were singing, this passage came to mind,

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

I was reminded, "Prayer is not a means to an end. Prayer is the end (or the whole) of man. Worship isn't a means to an end. It's the end game." 

We're not trying to manipulate God through worship or convince him to do something through prayer. We do everything else as a church to bring more people into a place where they can experience an intimate and loving relationship with God through prayer and worship.

We're not praying to reach more people as the end game. We are reaching more people for God, so that all people will turn and worship God!

Worship and prayer- that's our end game!

Falling Forward

I read a book a while ago titled Falling Forward, by John Maxwell. The premise is that failures are a chance to grow, and he gives lessons on how to learn from mistakes, and a challenge to never make the same mistake twice.

For me, the title has been more helpful than any content.

God allows "falling forward" moments, because we need to learn hard lessons. And if you are anything like me, you didn't learn when Dad told you not to do something. You had to get banged up to learn the lesson. As we mature, we should need less of these moments, and learn more from gentle rebuke, reading the Bible, or the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I wish! 

I had a recent scrape-my-knees-into-the-dirt learning moment that was uncomfortable and hard to hear. But one thing I know about falling forward: BE VERY TEACHABLE! Learn the lesson quick so that you don't have to fall again.

These falling moments teach us much:

• that we're human and failable. We're still inclined to mess up, sin, or say the wrong thing.
• that we must always be dependent on God and never become to confident in ourselves.
• that everyone, regardless of age, stature, or position, still needs a swift kick in the pants every once and a while.
• that you'll fall backward if you're not heading in the right direction!

What gentle proding from God are you ignoring, that will eventually lead to a "falling forward" moment?

What have you learned from falling forward?

Humbly sumbitted with gratitude to Pastor Terry!

Active Waiting

Lifehouse Family of Friends, 

To continue keeping you updated, here’s the latest at Lifehouse Church East: In prayer and fasting, I feel strongly called to continue WAITING. Not lazy waiting, but active waiting. 

What does it mean to ACTIVELY WAIT? I keep coming back to Joshua:

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Continue in prayer and fasting before God. For some Lifehousers, this idea is new and scary to be challenged to spend time daily in prayer and seeking God for His purpose to prevail for Lifehouse East. Great things from God happen when we don’t give up in prayer.

Worship God before we see the results of our prayer, not to manipulate Him to do something, but in celebration of what He will do.

Invite Friends. Don’t forget this Sunday is “Get Out” Friend Day, so invite everyone you can to join us and be part of what God is doing at Lifehouse East!

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

Prepare ourselves. “Consecrate” means to “make holy or pure” for God’s use. Let's get ourselves spiritually ready so that God can use us however He chooses. That's why we did the THRIVE campaign, to grow/ thrive spiritually and in lives that please God,

Prepare by planning ahead: we want to lay out the dream/ vision that God has put in our heart for Lifehouse. While we don’t feel like now is the right time to move forward to make it happen, we need to be diligent to get ready for when God does lead us to move. So here are our next steps to prepare and get ready (this requires all Lifehousers involvement):

• Cast Vision- I will begin regularly communicating where God is leading us, and we are planning to host a Lifehouse Ministry Summit in May to share the entire dream to THRIVE. Between now and May, we will have time to put a viable and well-thought out business, financial, building plan in place,
  
• Develop a Plan- we are beginning to work on a business plan for the future of Lifehouse. How we could launch business within a Lifehouse-owned building to cover all costs of the building and use additional income from those businesses to help the community, local churches, and to plant new churches,
  
• Due Diligence- We've already meet with contractors, inspectors, CPA, business planners, and have spoken to investors and lenders. We've researched this building, got proposals and plans in place, reviewed blueprints, etc. I think we've done more work and investigation than anyone else who will bid on this property- in less than a week.
• Build a THRIVE Fund- we need to start giving/ saving money for this dream. We will set up a fund within our books to save for this dream, and invite ALL Lifehousers to give generously toward our future. First, we must payoff our $14,000 outstanding loan with Susquehanna Bank, then begin setting aside gifts to this THRIVE Fund. We believe that as we give and save for the plans God has put in our heart, God will provide and we will be ready when God leads us to take the next step. I would like to stay debt free as we move forward, unless God leads otherwise. (write THRIVE FUND in the memo of your check- give as God leads you).
  
• Keep Focused on Eternity- even as we build this THRIVE Fund, we need to keep our focus on eternity and building God’s Kingdom, so we will give 10% of all gifts to that Fund to community needs, other churches, and church planting. We are NOT about buildings but about God’s Kingdom. We want to be generous to God so He will continue to entrust us with much. (see Matthew 25:14-30)
• Trust God and Don’t Panic. Waiting may be one of the hardest things for us to do, because we aren’t in control. We must trust God and not worry when troubling or discouraging things happen around us. I know that there will be moments in the future that will test our faith and resolve, but Lifehouse is part of God’s Church and He’s in charge and will protect and provide for us. So, don’t listen to negativity and keep your faith in Jesus. Read all of Psalm 112, but here’s the part the speaks to me:

Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.

Have great faith! Stay the course! Believe that God will do great things for the future of Lifehouse Church East!

Fired up,
-Pastor Patrick

Why are there SO many details in Leviticus and Numbers?

Got to be honest, reading Leviticus and Numbers is NOT very exciting. Matter of fact, I almost encouraged Rebecca to skip it and get to the "good stuff". But she actually keeps asking questions and is learning a lot, although sometimes she'll ask a question and I'll think, "what is she reading? I can't let her read stuff like that!" For example, she recently asked me, "Daddy, what is sexual relations?"  Yea, I almost took her Bible away!

While reading through these lists of rules, rituals, methods of sacrifice and various offerings, and never-ending lists of names and details of the Jewish national census, I think I have an idea of why it's all in there. Now, this is not official, and there are amazing lessons and typology mixed into these books, so I'm not discounting them, but this ONE lesson really jumped out to me:

God cares and knows about all the details!

Reading all the minutia of detailed plans for the temple, geneologies, etc, I've become aware that God cares and is involved in the details of His Church and our lives. How amazing! I have a tendency to still think that God cares about the "Big" picture of my life but isn't actively involved in the "minor" details. But reading Leviticus and Numbers, I'm learning just how much God cares about and is actively involved in the "minorest" of details in my life. 

God cares and knows about my need for a day off, insurance policies, technology malfunctions, stress, business plans, building codes, financials, emotional issues, family concerns, investment options... Our life is full of a ton of details, but God knows and cares about each one. Our role is to listen and seek guidance in prayer and from the Bible, then trust God and live out the details. 

Make God-led decisions, and trust that God is leading our steps in each detail. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Pr 3:5-6 

In what details do you need to invite God into your life?

Lifehouse Update- Part 2

Lifehouse family of friends,

I want to continue to keep you informed on the status of the building and how God is leading us.

If you didn’t read my previous update, you can do so at here. I wrote yesterday that I/we are praying to gain direction from God as to how to proceed regarding the auction of the theaters where we currently meet.

Here’s what we are doing now?

We are pursuing a “due diligence” investigation on the possibility of bidding on the building:

• Meeting with general contractors, building inspectors, business planner, lending institution- to determine viability of purchasing and using the building for business/ church use. We are not fearful or anxious about this situation, just doing our homework.
  
• Please do not begin to speculate on whether we will or will not purchase the building, since we are not moving in the direction right now, only investigating the possibility.
  
• We would need a God- miracle to purchase the theaters since we don’t have cash or financing secured to purchase the building.
  
• Based on our current financials, we are not in a position to afford the mortgage on this building, and I don’t want our finances getting bogged down in trying to make a mortgage payment rather than focusing on ministry. I was clear yesterday that if we bought the building, we would have to have a business plan in place to show that the businesses would cover the cost of the building so that it wouldn’t be a burden to Lifehouse East.
  
• I believe that we are responsible to do everything we can that is possible, and then ask God and wait for God to do the impossible.
  

 In prayer, I believe the direction to go is to WAIT!

• As I wrote yesterday, I want to lead and plow ahead, especially because I know that you are looking for clear direction.
  
• However, I know that God wants us to wait on Him, and not get ahead of where He is leading us. Joshua 3 makes it clear that God’s presence must lead, and we must be alert to follow Him. I will continue to fast and pray until God leads us.
  
• Waiting on God is our direction for today. I know “the Lord will do amazing things among” us (Joshua 3:5). And He wants ALL the glory and credit for doing them.
  
• My/ our role is to pray and wait on God. We will not move or do anything until we see God clearly moving, then we will follow.
  
• I believe that God will move ahead of us to lead us to great “breakthrough”. Exodus 14 says that the Israelites were terrified because they were cornered between the imposing army of Egypt and the Red Sea, but Moses spoke on behalf of God and said, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still and you will see the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today. 14 You only need to remain calm; the Lord will fight for you.”
  
• God has a way of “cornering” us into “impossible” situations so that our only hope and source is God, and so that when we does “amazing things among us” everyone knows that it was ONLY GOD.
  
• Our role is to WAIT and pray! Please pray and wait on God. He will come through for us and our faith in God will grow and our impact in this community will significantly increase. We will THRIVE.
  

 Thank you for your prayers and for coming together as a church like never before! Thanks for all the encouraging emails I’ve received, and I want you to know how proud I am to pastor such an amazing community of Jesus-followers.

 Fired up,

-Pastor Patrick

Lifehouse Update

Dear Lifehouse Family of Friends,

I would rather speak to you in person, but I feel strongly that I need to communicate what’s in my heart and to offer you insight into our current situation at Lifehouse during this week. Please take a few minutes and read this entire email so that you can be fully informed and can pray appropriately. I know it’s the length of an novel, but I’m putting my heart and passion into this email.

First, let me tell you what’s going on since many of you may not aware:

• Hagerstown Cinemas (where we meet) is going up for auction on 3/17 (next Tues),
  
• We haven’t been concerned about this auction, since the Cinema company has a 10 year lease on the building and we are under their lease,
  
• We understood that whoever bought the property would be legally obligated to honor that lease agreement,
  
• However, this past Sunday morning, we learned that the lease agreement between the owner and Diamond Cinemas has become voided,
  
• While we could challenge this with Diamond, it would not keep us in the building and would only tie us up in court.

What are our options?

• Hope that whoever purchases the building would honor our lease and continue to lease us the building,
  
• Bid at the auction (starting bid of $995,000) to purchase the building, buy it and begin using it as a church and for other business purposes,
  
• Move into another building,
  
• We do not have money in savings for a deposit and we are not currently in a position to borrow a substantial amount of money (the bank would require that our income/ donations be well beyond our expenses, and they are not),
  
• We have invested significantly into the theater with the understanding that we would be here for several years.
  

As the lead pastor of Lifehouse, it is my responsibility to lead the church wisely with direction from God and counsel from our pastors and advisors. I have been in prayer and fasting about this matter from Sunday evening. A church must NOT make business decisions about these matters, but must clearly follow the direction of God to fulfill His Cause for our church.

We don’t exist to own buildings and land, to make money or to pay salaries. The Church exists to share God’s love and the message of Salvation through Jesus with everyone in the world. That is our Cause! Lifehouse exists to reach this 4-state region with the relevant and powerful message of Jesus, and to show people God’s love through compassion and being an authentic community or “family of friends”.

God has led me clearly to plant and pastor Lifehouse, and I can honestly say that He has guided us supernaturally in each step we have taken.

It’s my responsibility to lead during this uncertain time and give direction to the leaders of our church. So, it’s strange to write you and tell you that I’m still waiting to know how to lead. Allow me to explain:

When God called me to start Lifehouse in Hagerstown, MD, He spoke clearly to me through Joshua 1,
I will give you every place where you set your foot… 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I have held onto this passage and followed it closely, and now feel that Joshua 3 speaks to where we are at as a church. God spoke this to Joshua:
“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”

What does this mean for us?

• The Ark represents the presence of God. And God said, make sure My presence goes before you, and keep your distance. The people had to stay back far enough so that God could lead and they wouldn’t get ahead of Him, because “they had never been this way before.”
  
• We’ve never been this way before, and I’ve never led in this direction before,
  
• Secondly, God wants to do amazing things among us, but He wants us to know that it was Him and not our planning or brilliant thinking that made the amazing things happen,
  
• We must “consecrate” ourselves- that means “to be set apart for God’s use” OR “to be made holy". God wants us to pray, confess our sins, and keep our attitudes focused on Him,
  
• I don’t lead the church, God does, and it’s my job to hear from Him, follow the Bible, and only lead in the direction that is right and biblical,
• We’re not doing anything until I know God has clearly spoken and directed us,
• We are praying, fasting, and diligently seeking God,
  
• I (and our pastoral team) am bold enough to follow God by faith in whatever direction He leads, and I know that He will do miraculous things through Lifehouse (He does it every week)!
  

What do I know God is saying?

• We will THRIVE in ’09. I know that God spoke that this year we would THRIVE, flourish, and possess the land. Isaiah 58:12 really caught my attention: “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” 
  
• To THRIVE means we will reach many more people with the message of salvation, and many will make Lifehouse their home church,
  
• It means we will have a great impact in our city through partnering with other churches and doing compassion ministries (helping people),
  
• It means that we will thrive in resources- that God will bless us with abundance- to show that there is a distinction between those who obey God and those who don’t,
  
• Therefore, we must fast and pray, and I must call our church to PRAY,
  
• We won’t move until God speaks and gives us clear direction (read about what happened to Saul in 1 Samuel 13 when he got ahead of God),
  
• God wants all the glory, credit, and fame for the great things He wants to do in and through Lifehouse,
  
• We must pray and fast so that we are all aware that ONLY GOD did the amazing things that He will do at Lifehouse,
  
• We must not become consumed with or distracted by buildings. Jesus-followers make up the building of the Church, not bricks and mortar. Physical buildings are only a tool for God to use so the Church can have a greater impact on a region and reach more people with His love and message, but the building must never BE the Church, only a place WHERE the Church meets.
  
• I have a great plan and vision for how we could use the theaters (or a building) to do some amazing things: renovate so that the building would be more appeal, fit an even larger number of guests and new Jesus-followers; start businesses in the building to cover the cost of the facility so that the church isn’t burdened with it, i.e. a family-friendly theater, a day-care center, etc; use the profits from those businesses to do more outreach and service ministries to our community and PLANT new churches.

What are we going to do?

• PRAY- I’m asking ALL Lifehouse to pray. Set aside special time to ask God for guidance and to speak to us as leaders. Pray for God’s blessing over Lifehouse and that we would have a powerful impact in our community/ region. Pray that NO ONE would become confused or fearful during this time, but that we all would have boldness, courage, and confidence- knowing that GOD IS FOR US!
  
• FOCUS- keep our eyes on the goal of impacting our city and region with God’s love; keep inviting people to Lifehouse- especially since this week is FRIEND DAY; keep sharing and showing Jesus; keep on being a “family of friends” and never let our goal be about a building.
  
• BE GENEROUS- I’m confident that if I asked you to give immediately toward the purchase of this building, that you would give sacrificially and generously. I want to call you to begin giving generously toward the Church- not a building, but the Church and our Cause. We will be good stewards to save and prepare for where God leads us. Exodus 35-36 is about God calling people to give to build His tabernacle (church), and this part stands out,
  

Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering… All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do… And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

• Give whatever God lays on your heart, and be obedient to give what God speaks to you to give. Laura and I will be praying immediately about this as well. I know you want to know what you are giving sacrificially to- to God and where He will lead us. I believe this week is a time to call our church to give generously to God.
  

You all know that we, as Lifehouse, are not about money or getting you to give MORE, but I feel strongly to invite you to give whatever God puts on your heart to give.

Thank you for taking the time to read this “novel”, and please begin to PRAY, stay FOCUSED, and GIVE generously! I will write as soon as we know more or sense the clear leading of God. I am committed to fasting and praying until I am certain I have heard from God and can lead with His direction.

Fired up,
-Patrick Grach

Politics in the Church

I've heard many people complian that "there is too much politics in the church" (honestly, not from Lifehouse but throughout my years of ministry experience).

First, let me define what I think they mean by "politics":

• leveraging position or power to get an agenda accomplished,
• holding a hidden agenda but using "spiritual" terms to get it through,
• leaders making decisions based on money or clout rather than hearing clearly from God.

As a leader, I think there are times when people in a church blame politics when things just don't happen "their way". On the other hand, I agree that there is too much politics happening in churches rather than God-anointed leaders leading. 

So, I'd like to point out how God deals with politics in His Church from 2 examples from Numbers 16-17:

• Dathan, Korah, and Abiram didn't like Moses and Aaron's "controlling" leadership. They felt that God wasn't with them and that someone else should lead. So, God command Moses to invite them all to come the next day to worship God. But when they gathered, Moses announced that if God is with Him, then these men would be swallowed up by the earth. Moments later, the earth opened and consumed the men.
  
• People saw this happen and grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed God's people and questioned their leadership again (not very bright). Moses challenged the people to have the leaders of their tribes bring their wooden staffs and lay them in the presence of God the next morning. Aaron laid his staff alongside the other leaders, and Moses said, "The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout..." By the next day, Aaron's staff had started growing and sprouted leaves.

God doesn't tolerate "politics" and personal agendas among His chosen people. He leads and He wants His people to follow. 

I want to be a leader that obediently follows God's awesome plan and lives for His Cause. Let our church be surrendered to following God's design and guard against politics and hidden agendas. God will make His perfect plan very clear and we are responsible to obey.

Not a sermon, just a thought! 

For Display Only

How much of our spiritual life is "for display only"?

I found this Bible on a table at a church ministry center and thought it was odd:

If you can't read the bright green label on this Bible, it says, "For Display Only, DO NOT TAKE"

Wow! Couple thoughts:

1. Is that what our spiritual life is full of? It's just on display but doesn't impact the rest of my life. Are we putting it out for people to see, especially people who will respect our spiritual habits, but we don't let it impact our everyday, private life.

2. If you've got a Bible or Bibles with labels that say, "DO NOT TAKE!" Can I suggest that you forgot why you exist? Matter of fact, let's start putting labels on every Bible we own that say, "PLEASE TAKE, KEEP, and READ!" I want to give as many Bibles away as possible.

GET OUT!

The cold weather is almost over; spring is coming! So is Friend Day at Lifehouse Church East. Since people have been holed up in their houses all winter, they're starting to do strange things. Our goal on March 15th is to challenge everyone to GET OUT!

Friends don't let friends stay in their houses TOO long. And now it's been TOO long. Their stuck behind their webcams, reading magazines, playing video games. They need to GET OUT! Watch this, it'll inspire you!



So, here's the plan. Challenge your friends to GET OUT, and then TAKE them OUT to Lifehouse. Afterward invite them for TAKE OUT or to OUTback (take me along too).

We're also getting cheap at Lifehouse, and don't want to spend money on an expensive Friend Day. So, this is it! No invite cards (well, except the cheap ones we printed off in house), just a funny video and a challenge to get everyone out!

Dr. Phillis (a new and unfiltered sermon series)

Okay, a little crazy and definitely a risk...

But why not?

Let's "attack the relationship killers" and what better time the Valentine's Day weekend to begin! Watch this ridiculous trailer to our new series, "Dr. Phillis attacks relationship killers".



What are the "killers" in your relationships? What topics would you like to see us address?

NEED YOUR HELP

At Lifehouse, we're constantly looking for and trying to come up with new ways to spread the word about Lifehouse and God. Thought it'd be cool to launch a website (that links directly to www.thelifehouse.org) but has a more exciting/appealing name.

We need your help to come up with this site. The site needs to be fun/ appealing/ make people want to check it out, and fit Lifehouse. So, here's how you can help:

• do you have any suggestions?
• what's the best 1 or 2 words to describe Lifehouse? (coffeechurch.com or relaxedchurch.com or coolestchurchwiththelamestpastor.com)
• any other marketing/ viral web ideas welcome.

Thanks.

Divine "Coincidence"

On occasion I'm caught off guard by God, or better yet God-moments. Subtle encounters where you can see the fingerprint of God looking back on what just happened.

Well, I had one last week.

I've been carrying $5 in my pocket waiting to fulfill my day 16 challenge to give the money to someone that I didn't know who was in need. It wasn't for lack of effort. I've been carrying it with me looking for the "right" person. It feels like so little, but I knew I needed to be led by God in the moment when to give.

Well, I was early to a meeting at 6:30 one morning, and waiting in my car, I prayed, "God, I really want to give this money away, but I don't know to whom, and I'm wondering why you haven't led me to anyone yet. Please lead me, so they I can be a blessing to someone in Your Name." Then I reached over and grabbed my devotional to read the challenge of that day.

Just then, a guy with a gas can in-hand walked right up to the window of my car and ask for help with some gas money. He was coming to town for a job interview and his van stalled right across the street from where I was parked.

I helped him happily. He was genuinely grateful and even came into the restaurant to find and thank me. It's cool when you can see the "fingerprints" of God in your life.

A Scary Prayer

Recently I have felt an increased awareness of a tension that I think many find challenging. It's this- the world vs. eternity; living for the now vs. living for eternity; wanting more vs. giving more.

So, today in our staff prayer, I prayed a very uncomfortable, scary prayer, and I even thought of retracting it as it was coming out of my mouth. But I mean it and I really believe God will answer it.

Here's what I was thinking before I prayed, "God, this is so hard for me, and the flesh side of me doesn't even want you to answer my prayer. But here goes..."

"God, help me to surrender fully to you and live only for eternity,
so that this world has no grip on my life.
I don't want to be consumed with what this world has to offer or what I can gain.
Help me so live for eternity that I will make any sacrifice, surrender every care, and submit to your perfect will. And give me such a firm grasp on eternity, that it doesn't even feel like sacrifice. Help me live only for eternity!"

Will you pray the scary prayer, "Help me live only for eternity"?

How would the answer to that prayer change your life?

How to discover and live your destiny

I found a profound principle while reading Exodus that reveals how you can discover your purpose and live your destiny (and it's quicker than reading Purpose Driven Life).

I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent... Exodus 31:6-7

Do you see it? What an amazing principle! Allow me to explain:

• First, we discover what we are uniquely gifted by God to do and be- these are skills, talents, and abilities. In this case they were skilled craftsmen.
• Secondly, we must recognize how these skills/ talents fit into God's perfect design for building His "temple", i.e. the Church. See, in this passage, God already laid out a design for the tabernacle, and the craftsmen need to follow precisely what God had planned.
  
• Third, be and do it!

Some spend too much time trying to discern the "will" of God for their life, and they haven't bothered to look at their own hands and ask, "what can I uniquely contribute? what do I have to offer?"

Others are so busy using their gifts and talents, and they have any found success in the process. But they haven't bothered to ask God, "What's your design for my life and talents?"

Finally, some people know their gifts and even how God wants to use them, they're just limited by fear, laziness, worry, busyness, or something- so they never actually "just do it!"

How has God both uniquely gifted you and how does that fit into God's perfect design for the church?

What makes you distinct?

Conformity is certainly not a virtue in our generation. It's even worse if it's implying that the Church and Jesus-followers are no different the rest of the world.

So, what's our mark of distinction? What distinguishes a Jesus-follower from non-followers? If there's no distinction, then there's no reason to follow Jesus, there's no value in the Church.

But throughout sacred history, God has desired to make a distinction between those who follow Him and those who don't. This stood out to me as I was reading Exodus. First, regarding the plagues against Egypt. There was a distinct safety over the Hebrews and God's prosperity and blessing. God said,

"I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people." 8:23 OR "Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel." 11:7

Moses recognized that God's presence with Israel is what made them distinct,

"Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ^How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 33:15-16

The Prophet Malachi wrote that the distinction of God-followers would be God's redemption, safety, even financial protection from ruin,

"I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. ^And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." 3:17-18

We are called to bear marks of distinction. We should not look and act so much like the world and the rest of our culture that no one can tell the difference.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

God wants to show off through our lives. Our obedience is the precondition to God's manifestation in our lives. He wants to brag through us, but we must first be fully submitted to His design. Then, people who are watching will quickly recognize that what distinguishes us is God's blessing.

What makes you distinct? How is God bragging through your life? What's standing in the way of God's blessing on your life?

Growing Rich in Love

Today's challenge in our THRIVE devotional is to use our words to build people up rather than tear them down. So, let me take it one step further. When we are mean, unkind, or hit-below-the-belt, we withdraw from our relational bank account. Like this:



Well, I thought it was funny.

When we sow kindness, gentleness, and love into a relationship, it's like putting a deposit into the bank. We must make more deposits than withdrawals if our relationships are to be healthy and functional.

Are you adding to or detracting from the relational bank accounts of your friends and family?

Are you STILL thriving?

Here's our video invitation and challenge to THRIVE?



We're on day 8, and I want to encourage all Lifehousers that you'll thrive to the extent that you put effort and energy into growing deep roots and bearing much fruit.

May God bless you and shine His favor on you as you OBEY Him!

I know what I want to be when I grow up!

Just saw this awesome video of what I want to be when I grow up. I should probably get some training first, and start with some preliminary test runs. Definitely think this should be part of our next family vacation as well! I think Laura would love it too.

A few of the things I'm thankful for!

The daily challenge for day 3 in THRIVE 09 was to write out 50 things that I am personally thankful for. Here are a few from my list.

When we take the time to notice God's wonders and the work of His hands, this brings God pleasure and makes Him smile.

1. God's forgiveness- can't believe He keeps forgiving me and giving me a fresh start (1 John 1:9).
   
2. His salvation- the cross is absurd to me, but it's also my hope and redemption (Romans 5:8)
   
3. Laura- 2nd best decision I ever made. Pretty sure I'm lower on her list, but I got the better end of the deal (Proverbs 31:10-12)
   
4. 3 healthy daughters- my girls are the joy of my life and my biggest fans (Psalm 127:3)
   
5. gluon- it's the stuff that holds quarks together (those are sub-atomic particles with the same charge, that should repel each other, but instead stick). I think God is the gluon (Colossians 1:16-17)
6. Steel-belted radial- that's the part of the tire that didn't pop while we drove about 150 miles toward NY on a tire missing most of its tread without blowing out.
7. Hugs- grateful for the love God fills my daughters with toward me. A hug can keep me going.
8. Eskimo kisses- my daughters are so innocent and pure, and Eskimo kisses are funny.
9. Laughter- I'm grateful that God has a sense of humor (Psalm 126:2).
10. Sunsets- amazed by God's majesty (Psalm 19:1).
    
11. A Paycheck- got one yesterday, and thankful that in difficult times I still have a career and people are still generous
12. Guttenburg- amazed how many books are available, especially the accessibility of the Bible (Isaiah 40:7-8).
13. Gravity- pretty happy that we haven't gotten thrown off the earth's surface, since we are moving at about 1,040 mph.
    
14. God's faithfulness-
15. New mornings, fresh starts-
16. REM-cycles- it's amazing that our bodies need to sleep, but can heal themselves while we do it (Psalm 127:2)
17. Dinner tonight- awed by the lavish provision of God everyday (Psalm 37:25).
18. My DELL- so say it creates work, but I remember life before the PC. So grateful for its invention.
19. Electricity- during the winter I have heat, and during the summer A/C. Thanks to the workers who keep the lights on.
20. My car- it's still running a year after "the Give Project". God has been faithful!

Keys to Great "Success" in Ministry

What are the simple biblical keys to effectiveness/ success in the ministry?

I can look with certainty at a leader and say, "You will live and fulfill God's great plans for your life, so long as you..." And that's where this blog comes in.

Jesus explained the keys to "thrive" or "succeed" in ministry by telling the story of three servants entrusted with the wealth of their master. Upon returning to his servants, the master replied to the two that had doubled his wealth,

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:23, NIV).

Did you catch it? It's right there, the secret to success in ministry and life.

BE GOOD. Our character and right living before God are necessary to produce effectiveness and long-term fruit. Without it, all that we've invested in and built won't last. Without it, rather than bringing glory to God, our efforts will attempt to bring us glory and are destined to fail. But be good, and God will honor our integrity, pure hearts, and right motives with fruitfulness and greater responsibility.

BE FAITHFUL. Be good for a long time. Most will do the right thing if it gets them quick results and makes them feel "successful". But Jesus has called us to be faithful, even when the fruit is limited or even unseen. To be faithful, keep doing what you know is right regardless of what is happening around you. Faithfulness is never dependent on what others are doing but on your commitment to fulfill your responsibilities.

That's it! Be good and faithful. Two keys to become "successful" in God's eyes (the only audience that matters).

How is God calling you to be GOOD? To be FAITHFUL?

Are you thriving?

Small, but not insignificant steps. That's how great achievements are accomplished, great growth happens, and great battles won. Please NEVER devalue or underestimate the worth of small, but right steps in a God-direction.

Are we willing to do the "little things" necessary and sow the seeds necessary to grow deep and sustaining life-growth? Discipleship is a process. It's everyday, "little" acts of obedience, surrender, prayer, Bible-reading, faith-sharing, Scripture-memorizing, sin-abandoning, life-purging behaviors.

Want to challenge EVERYONE at Lifehouse to join us in our THRIVE CAMPAIGN! If you haven't gotten a devotional, let us know or pick one up on Sunday.


What "little" thing is God asking you to do today?

How can I THRIVE in '09?

"Thirty-One Days of Compassion" has begun!

At Lifehouse, instead of the 21 Days of Fasting-and-Prayer that we've done for several years, I really felt challenged back in October to lead into 2009 differently. Let's do an Isaiah 58 fast.

Don't know what that is? We're leading the charge to not just fast food, but to fast our selfishness and personal agendas, by laying aside our needs and serving God and others. Hence, 31 Days of Compassion. I wrote a devotional (that looks great thanks to Corey and Melody), and each day we provide a brief devotion and a personal challenge.

Since we started yesterday at Lifehouse, here was what we've covered so far:
Theme: TO THRIVE SPIRITUALLY
BIG ASK: Commit to READING THE BIBLE for 15 min each day.
Today's challenge: Spend 15 min in prayer.

I'll be giving more regular updates and testimonies that we receive.

If you're a pastor or church leader, and you're interested in doing a "THRIVE CAMPAIGN" just let us know, we'd love to share our materials, sermons, devotionals, and "how-to" manual with you.

It's okay to say, "Sorry, I'm Busy"

Imagine your meeting with the President and your cell rings. Do you answer?

Depends on who's calling, right? Here's my thought, if the President is making time for you, there's probably no one who has your cell number that should trump that meeting.

Need a more biblical example? In 586 BC, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed- walls broken down, buildings destroyed, and the Jews were exiled. Finally in 444 BC, Nehemiah led a group back to Jerusalem to help those who had already returned to rebuild the city walls and restore the strength, sovereignty, and safety of the people.

While Nehemiah was leading the people to rebuild the walls, they faced constant and strong opposition from opposing nations.

Here's a key moment in Nehemiah's leadership found in Nehemiah 6:2-4:

Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, Nehemiah, let’s meet together in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them with this answer: “I am doing a great work, and I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop while I leave to meet you.” Sanballat and Geshem sent the same message to me four times, and each time I sent back the same answer. (New Century Version)

What's the point? There are times in life, when what you are doing is more important than what other people think you should be doing or are asking you to do. It's okay to say, "Sorry, I'm busy!"

Nehemiah recognized that he was carrying out a "magnum opus" (Latin for "the great work") and nothing was more important than that- no meeting, accusation, busywork, other project, attitude or frustration- nothing took precedent with the great work he was about.

If you are in a "great work" then be careful not to get sucked into petty arguments, avoid unnecessary clutter in life, cut out superfluous time-wasters, and keep focused!

I'm Embarrassed

My oldest daughter, Rebecca, embarrassed (and inspired) me yesterday.

No, it's not what you're thinking. She didn't say something in public that made me blush.

We got her a "Princess" Bible for Christmas, and she started reading it this week. Day one, she read first 3 chapters of Genesis. So day two, I challenged her that we'd read through the Bible together this year. Her response,

"The whole year...?" As if to say, "Why would it take me that long?"

So, I sat down on her bed to catch up to where she was in Genesis and asked what chapter she was up to, and her response both embarrassed and inspired me.

"Chapter 7. I snuck upstairs today to read more."

Where did I lose that passion and intensity for reading the Bible with hunger? I want to be like her.

So, each night, we're sitting on her bed together reading the Bible, and our goal is to finish it well before the year is out. We're on pace in week one to finish by September 17th. We will see!

What goals are you setting for this year?

Are you willing to join Lifehouse in our THRIVE CAMPAIGN (more info coming soon)?

Heaven Rules

I was listening to a podcast from Andy Stanley, and thought it was worth mentioning. He was teaching about leadership, and challenged the audience with these thoughts:

• leadership is stewardship- it is given by God and must be accounted for how it was used
  
• leadership is temporary- those in authority and leadership will one day no longer be

He told the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 4) and Daniel's interpretation. The point of the dream was to reveal to the king that God was in charge, and that God was showing the king that He was the true King.

His dream was a foretelling of the kings future humiliation so that he would "come to know that Heaven rules."

I love that. May we all never forget that heaven rules. In another translation, it says "...never forget that God rules."

The best leaders in authority are those who are under authority. They understand that their leadership was given to them by God and that God rules.

May we never forget our place and how put us in that place. If He can put us in leadership, He can also remove us.

How do you keep your leadership in perspective?

Good Times

We're enjoying the holiday season immensely!

Got a HUGE surprise for Christmas when my brothers came from all over the globe to be together for Christmas. Let's just say that 10 adults, 9 kids (between 7-10 months) is all kinds of fun sleeping under the same roof for a week! This may be the best gift I've ever gotten for Christmas.

I found it hard the entire time to tell personal stories or even talk because, I wanted to listen and take in everything my brothers, sisters-in-law, and niece, nephews, and however else was there, was saying. How do you absorb years worth of life in such a short amount of time. Plus, knowing that we won't see some of them for another 5 years makes it even more difficult- it's like a camel trying to drink enough water to last 5 years.

Here are a few pictures:

GUEST BLOG: DEAN PETERSON on The Art of War

I just finished reading SunTzu's classic work and it is well worth your time if you haven't read it yet. There are some great leadership principles and practical wisdom. My only recommendation is to get a well organized version. There are several translations and the commentary provided is often as solid as the text. My version was too choppy with its commentary. Just wanted to share a few thoughts and hopefully stir a personal examination of the work.

LESSONS:

• There is no substitute for purpose and preparation when engaging in battle.
  
• "You must have a vision of victory before you can achieve it."
  
• The commander who has dared to dream of taking impossible ground and then prepared his army to attack with a bold maneuver that takes the enemy by surprise will find success.
  

Isn't this our calling in poignant terms? We must have a God-sized vision of reaching people(bold evangelism) and we must train ourselves and the rest of the church(discipleship) to conquer new ground. What bold strategy will we employ? What creative and biblically relevant things can we employ in battle?

Finally, there are five faults which cripple leadership:

• recklessness (not properly preparing and understanding the conditions of the battlefield),
• cowardice,
  
• a quick temper,
  
• delicacy of honor(a fragile ego),
  
• worry which produces inaction rather than making swift decisions.

Hope you all have a great day. It is an honor to serve with you in battle.

"Strength and honor",
Dean

Dare to Fail

When I was (attempting) training for the Baltimore marathon back in late summer, I wasn't feeling very confident about the prospects of running 26.2 miles. And a very supportive (albeit, slacker) friend ask me, "why don't you just wait until next year? you're not ready yet, and besides, why bother doing a marathon?"

My response is more telling then just training for a marathon. I said something like,

"I like setting goals and aiming for something that I'm relatively sure they I can't accomplish at this moment, and don't feel confident that I'll ever accomplish." And I asked in return,

"Wouldn't you rather try and fail than never try at all? See, I want to do things that press the limits of what I'm capable of doing or have faith to believe in. I'd rather aim high and fall short, run and not finish than never run at all."

DARE TO FAIL.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Do it anyway, what's the worst that can happen? Be realistic, but dare to fail when you set goals.

What spiritual goals, giving goals, ministry goals are you setting? If they are truly faith-filled goals, they must seem impossible unless God intervenes.

Only dream and aim for goals that you're guaranteed will fail without God showing up. Then, you know you're living by faith, and relying on God. If it's humanly possible, we don't need God. Do everything humanly possible, then leave the impossibilities up to God.

This time every year, when I'm writing our church budget, I wrestle with this tension. What's prudent and what's faith? When I look back at the year's budget, I think, where was my faith? I only projected 25% or 33% growth. Only to be blown away with 40-50% growth. Then, I look ahead to the next year and think, "No way, I can't project 40% growth, better go with a more conservative 20% growth. That actually seems possible." See what I mean?

Set goals that you could actually fail in? Trust me, the sting of failure is overwhelmed by the exhilaration of triumph, faith, and daring great exploits for God.

Paradigm shift

This is a challenge to think greater than you have in the past. We all have governing rules (paradigms) that put boundaries on what we believe is possible, acceptable, advisable, and even achievable. These paradigms provide the framework (rules and limitations) for our dreaming, thinking, and working.

Look at the two pictures. What do you see?













In both images, there are two different pictures. In the first image, you may see either a duck OR a rabbit. (hint: the ducks bill becomes the rabbit's ears). In the other: either an old woman or a young lady (hint: the check line of the young woman is the nose of the old woman).

What if the things that you've been told were impossible, became possible?

• what if running 26 miles was nothing compared with the hundreds of miles that some people regularly ran in Africa a century ago.
• OR when the clock revolution went from standard dial to digital
• OR when the Wright brothers challenged popular thinking to suggest and prove that man could fly

Often we're letting others define the rules, set by their own limiting thinking, dwarfed dreams, and personal convictions.

In ministry and leadership, what if we had a paradigm shift and broke the rules:

• truly lived like their is only ONE true Christian Church,
• this Church shared resources and cooperated together to fulfill the single purpose of sharing God's message and love with everyone in all of the world,
• in local churches, we chose to support the whole Church and refuse to compete,
• instead of counting how many people are coming to church, we counted how many are not and kept our focus on how we can reach more, i.e. not the 300 we do have, but the 60,000 we haven't reached yet,
• we saw every believer as a minister of the gospel and invested into their lives so that they would be fully empowered and trained to truly testify for Jesus,
• we invested more into the souls (Peter calls us "living stones") of the Church than we do into the brick and mortar of the churches,
• we worked urgently everyday, recognizing that the time is short and the night-fall is at-hand,
• rather than competing for the "best" program, sermon, video idea, we shared our ideas, training, leadership, and finances, so that the whole Church was strengthened!
  

We might just see a paradigm shift in how ministry in the local church happens if we started thinking differently and started breaking the rules.

Lessons from Photonics

Photonics is the science of or study and application of light and its particle properties. Not excited yet? Without getting into quantum optics or optoelectronics, I'll keep this simple and to the point.

What's the difference between the light that is produced by a standard 60w light bulb by the lamp in your living room and a laser? To be fair, from a scientific view-point, there are a multitude. But from a leadership perspective- few.

A light-bulb produces a diffused light and the purpose is to light a large area of space, while a laser concentrates light into a beam. A bulb is designed to spread out the light and provide some light to a lot of space. A laser focuses the light into a narrow beam so that it can be used in a vast number of fields, from industry (think DVDs), military (laser-guided missiles), medicine (think laser surgery and hair-removal), research, and entertainment.

Are your passions, gifts, and God-ordained purposes being diffused into a lot of areas OR focused?

If you're a light bulb:

• you'll keep wanting to turn up the wattage to light more space (get more done),
• feel inadequate for the jobs at hand,
• feel guilty for not getting enough done and keep referring to the list that still needs to be completed,
• compete with others who are lighting the same or nearby area and feel threatened by brighter light bulbs,
• feel discouraged by the constant replacement of light bulbs around you. You've begun noticing that light bulbs are replaceable and exchangeable. What do I mean by this? It's not about doing what you love, just getting the "jobs" of ministry done, and if you can't do it, then the church sticks someone else in who can. "Punch and plug" ministry and service. You even begin to feel like maybe you should be replaced by a "light bulb" that shines brighter or is "longer-lasting",
• struggle with questioning if this is really why you were created. You ask often, "is this really what I'm supposed to be doing?" and feel this inner tug toward something more purposeful and meaningful,
• need as much affirmation as possible for the role you play (because you feel so insecure about your effectiveness), and want to pass the blame because you don't want to be seen as useless or unnecessary, i.e. not pulling your weight.
  

On the contrary, if you're a laser, you:

• recognize what you are specifically called and gifted to be and do,
• want to keep giving away responsibilities that you don't "love" so that others can fulfill their destiny, and so that you can stay focused on only what you should be doing and being.
  
• enjoy being focused and doing it and passionately embrace the challenges and struggles of that responsibility,
• at times, may feel overwhelmed, there's nothing you'd rather be doing,
• appreciate the laser focus and unique giftedness and passion of others, and want to see them succeed as well. You can see how necessary they are to the Church and are often amazed by their unique role, and even the fact that they enjoy doing what you can't stand doing or clearly have no gift or passion for,
• see the fruitfulness of serving together with others, and find that you are exponentially more effective when you work together with others who have differing gifts,
• can give away the credit with joy, so that you make sure others feel valued and necessary, and take the blame because you recognize your responsibility over the situation, and feel like you can improve on that failure next time.

Are you a laser or a light bulb? What would you add from your personal experience to this list of differences?

Sunday in the rear view mirror

One of our leaders asked me this week, “What was the one thing that made such a big difference this Red Carpet Sunday?” Yes, it’s true. This Friend Day was our most effective one yet- highest attendance, most first time guests, and so on. So many worked so hard to invite their friends, family, neighbors, and made sure that they showed up.

Effectiveness, changed lives, even great events, and having over 100 guests at one service- these things don’t just happen because of one BIG thing. They’re the accumulation of hundreds, if not thousands, of little things. (read this review of the Flywheel Principle in Good to Great)

What we are BEGINNING to see is the fruit of faithfulness, relationships, sticking to our core values, staying focused on the Cause, prayers, BIG prayers, fasting, prayers, hard-work, servant-mindedness, and above all GIVING GOD ALL THE CREDIT AND GLORY! Another church or ministry could replicate all the ideas, videos, marketing, sermon series, and not get the same results. Why? Because it wasn’t this event! They haven't invest enough "sweat equity".

We’ve planted tons of seeds, been faithful in the small things and now God is entrusting us with more things.

To my point: while we can enjoy and celebrate putting a W in the win column for God’s Kingdom, we stay focused. We continue to be faithful with the little (yes, what we have is little in light of the need- 60,000 people in our community who don’t know Jesus as their Savior). We’ll continue to do the little things- serve willingly, disciple urgently, give generously and sacrificially, love extravagantly, and multiple leaders like we’re a bunch of rabbits:)

Let’s keep our focus on doing and being whatever it takes to win as many to Christ as possible before He returns. I love my team and feel privileged to serve with each of them!

Fired Up

Most of you who know me and some who don't (whoever you are), have heard me say, write, shout, "I'M FIRED UP!" At times I am saying this to convince myself, but most of the time I have good reason for it. Here's what I recently wrote to a friend,

The secret to my fire

A few things I’ve learned about being fired up:

• It doesn’t matter how I feel. Being "fired up" is lite by a passion that I believe in what I’m doing and that I can make a difference for eternity (read Jeremiah 20:9-10, "But if I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”). I have determined to stay focused and “fired up” regardless of my circumstances, only then can I lead others. Otherwise, I’m a roller coaster- fun to ride, but always ends up back where it started with no change except an emotional rush. And yes, sometimes, many times, I am putting my game-face on. But I won't tell you when, because it doesn't matter.
  
• I honestly believe what I read in the Bible. You know- that whole heaven, eternal reward thing- yep, all true. I don’t care the cost on earth, I’ll get my rewards in eternity. It’s worth it! And that hell thing. It keeps me passionate to rescue as many people through Jesus' message as possible. And realizing that my time is short, that gives me urgency.
  
• God uses ordinary people like me and you. How can you NOT be fired up about that! To think that the King of the Universe has adopted me and commissioned me to be both joint heir to His Kingdom and fellow-servant for His Cause. Unfathomable!
  
• Sometimes I wish it would go away. It gets tiring. At times I’d rather take the easy road of lazy ministry, small dreams, and normal work days. Yea, I know. It’d be boring, unrewarding, but easier and I could be selfish. Then, I relate back to the other points above.
• Some people will come just to “watch you burn”. When we’re on fire, people want to be around us, because we’re passionate, full of conviction, vision. Who doesn’t want to be around a person who believes passionately in what they’ve given their life to?
  

Okay, that’s it! Keep serving God and giving him your life! Only God knows how our lives will impact eternity.

My greatest fear: that I will get to heaven and be disappointed to learn that God had so much more planned for my life but I didn’t fulfill it.

What about you? Are YOU fired up? What keeps you "fired up"?

'Tis the Season

Just read an article that I found interesting, Scrooge Lives.

"...researchers found, is that some would-be donors don't trust how churches and religious organizations would use their donations... several church families say they don't have high levels of trust in their denomination's management and allocation of funds."

"A larger problem isn't that the parishioners distrust their churches; it's that they [congregates] are acting just like them [the churches]. American families are repeating their churches' examples."

"Relatively little donated money actually moves much of a distance away from the contributors," ...The money given by the people in the pews, it turns out, is largely spent on the people in the pews. Only about 3 percent of money donated to churches and ministries went to aiding or ministering to non-Christians.

"...major reason Christians do not give is because they are not asked to." Americans know that nearly all denominations teach that Christians should give away 10 percent of their incomes. But this teaching is rarely reinforced. Pastors are reluctant to bring it up because the issue is so closely tied to their own salaries. And the study found that pastors themselves are often not great models of financial giving, which can exacerbate their reluctance to preach on it."

Wow! Challenging article, challenging ideas!

My thoughts:

• You've heard it said to you, "You can't out give God," but I say to you, "Let's try and fail!"
• You've heard it said recently to you, "This is the worst economy in generations, so let's hoard, save, and hid what we have left," but I say to you, "This sense of desperation is good. It drives us back to priorities, to simplicity. Spend less. Give more. Make presents. Give more compliments and fewer flowers. Give more love and less unnecessary packages."
  
• You've heard it said to you, "If I give then I will have less," but I say to you, "We can't afford not to give."
• You've heard it said to you, "Seek wise counsel on how to invest your money, so that you'll get the best return on your IRA, 401k," but Jesus said to us, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where thieves cannot break in and steal, and moths cannot eat.

Random Quotes

Just a few quotes I've read recently that made me... think.

• Women should not have children after 35; thirty-five children are enough. -anonymous

• The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -Thomas Jefferson
  

• A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. -Thomas Jefferson

• There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.- Albert Einstein
  

• To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it. -Thomas Jefferson.

• If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. -Albert Einstein

• Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. -Albert Einstein

The Truth is Absurd

Here's the trailer for Lifehouse's newest sermon series, beginning on Red Carpet Sunday (we're rolling out the red carpet for YOU), December 7th:


We're exploring the absurdities of Christmas. Most have grown up with Christmas both as a tradition and as a part of their heritage.

Have you ever really just wondered about it? I mean taken a critical look at what the Bible presents as the story of Christmas? It's craziness. The "why's" will make your brain hurt. It doesn't all fit neatly into our logical, reasonable, contractual human minds. God laid a gift under the tree at Christmas, and when we opened it to see what was inside, it has blown our minds away. He defies our reason, and anyone who's intellectually honest, shakes their head and thinks,

"This TRUTH is ABSURD." Discover the hidden treasures, the truths that most be explored, and the story that keeps being retold.

Struggling with our WHY

Both those who attend and who don't are questioning the relevance of the Christian Church.

• why does it exist?
• what should her energy be most focused in?
• where is her greatest impact?
• why is she declining in the US?
• how should the resources of the church be best used to make the greatest difference?
• what difference should the Church be making?
• what efforts are worth her time, energy, and money?

I realize that some are "sorta" repeats. But I'm struggling because I hear opposing thoughts both from leaders within and talking-heads outside.

Here are some varying thoughts:

• the Cause of the Church is the greatest in the world. (Hybels) The Church is the ONLY organization/ organism in the world that can bring hope and healing to the human heart.
• if everyone in the US who attended a Christian church tithed (gave 10% of income to the church), the Church would have the greatest financial resource in the world, and would be able to finance every major social injustice in the world.
• the Church is the largest organization in the world, and is strategically placed around the entire world as a center of education, medical help/ disease control, and health resource (food, clean water, AIDS prevention, etc).
• the Church is the largest voting block and, as such, should stand up, speak out, vote values, and take lead of electing politicians that are most aligned with biblical values.
• the Church shouldn't get caught up in politics. It's a waste of time and energy, and she is better suited to lead and transform hearts rather than changing people's politics.

For some reason, I struggle with how much of the Cause of the Church is in truly reaching our communities, cities, and world for Jesus, and how much of it is in earning rapport through meeting felt needs. If we spend all our time meeting real needs will we be a powerful Messenger of Jesus' love and life to our world? On the other hand, if we don't meet real needs, do we have any credibility to share Jesus?

How would you answer these questions:

• what efforts are most worthy of the Church's efforts?
• where should the bulk of the Church's resources be allocated (time, volunteers, money)?