Against all Odds

My friend, Rick Thompson has been doing a cool sermon series on Urban myths....things we think the Bible says that just aren't in there. A couple weeks ago he preached a message on the myth that God won't put more on us than we can bear. Someone should have told Gideon that. When the numbers were already stacked against Gideon, God instructed Gideon to shrink his numbers! Why?? So that God would receive the glory for the victory!
At COC, we say we exist for one reason....to make God's name famous on the 380 corridor and beyond. That's a dangerous goal. God's glory and fame increasing usually involves His people finding themselves in a place where the odds are against them. The more the odds are against us, the more opportunity for God to display His glory and increase His fame.
Saturday night we're going to be looking at the life of Elijah...and learning how to handle life when the odds are against us. I can't wait....I know God's word has some encouragement for us. Come expecting!

Authentic Sinners

I heard this quote about Jesus that has kept me thinking for several days now. "He would rather hang around authentic sinners than fake saints." Now, you won't find that quote anywhere in the Bible, but I do think the life of Jesus bears it out. He was called the friend of sinners. His harshest criticisms was always for the "religious" pharisees.

As a youth pastor, I used to always caution my teens about the friends they hung out with. It's funny....this week I've felt like the Father has cautioned me the same thing....but flipped the meaning of it. It's easy in our culture...especially in the Bible belt to insulate ourselves from those who don't know Jesus instead of reaching out to them. It hit me as I was in a group last nigth that was praying for God to send us the masses so we could reach them for Jesus....that God's plan is different. He has already sent us to the masses...and we would rather they "come" than for us to "go" as we've been commanded.

So I'm going to be hanging out with some authentic sinners in the coming weeks. Hopefully...if all goes well.....maybe I'll be called a friend of sinners as well.

Brand New Dawson

I had a cool experience at SWAT last night. I went and just watched the kidos at the Providence SWAT so that their parents could focus in and dig deeper into the life of David. I hope it was good for them. To be honest, I didn't have any life changing experiences or cool stories from watching the kids. Titus and Julia said some pretty funny stuff...but I didn't really get any revelation from them. But....at the end of the evening Robin Booker asked if I had heard about Dawson. I hadn't....and if you haven't heard, it's great! Dawson came in while Robin was watching TV and asked "So if I ask Jesus into my heart, he will forgive everything I've ever done wrong or ever will do wrong....forever?" That's a pretty big concept...one a lot of us adults are still trying to grasp. Once he got his questions answered, he said "I need to ask Jesus into my heart right now"...and his mom had the privelage of leading him to Jesus. So....if you notice something different about Dawson this week....it's that he's a brand new creation in Christ....the old has gone, the new has come. Cool stuff! Another great reason to be involved in a SWAT team...you get to hear and see what God is doing in other folk's lives ....kinda like a front row seat!

Heros

I've been working this week on the SWAT team material for our next sermon series..."Old School Good Guys". We'll be spending the next month looking at some Old Testament heros. Caleb and I have been talking a lot about David and Goliath this week...it's been a lot of fun.

One of the things I love about the Bible is it doesn't gloss over the failures and weaknesses of it's heroic figures. You think about a guy like David....a man after God's own heart....but in times he left his heart unguarded...an adulter and murderer. Or what about Samson....incredible strength and gifting from God...but could not control himself. Jonah...an unlikely hero.

Here's the "aha"for me. First, I want to be my kid's hero....but that doesn't mean I have to be perfect...or to try to hide my weaknesses from them. Just like I am learning from the great steps of faith....and the missteps of failures made by my Old Testament heros...I want my kids to learn from mine. (Note....that will require being honest and sharing those hard stories with them) Second, it encourages me to have more grace with people. God uses people who have done major boneheaded things! As a matter of fact, it seems they may be His favorite folks to use. Maybe it's because our big failures create the humility and transparency required for Him to receive all the glory.

So, don't count yourself out of being a hero of the faith yet!

Get Happy

I read an article in Reader's Digest this week called "Why We're Happy". It's basically a study of the key indicators showing if a person will be happy. Here are the biggest predictors they found:
1.) Faith (Gather!)
2.) Work (Go!)
3.) Marriage and Family
4.) Charity (Give!)
5.) Freedom - this included economic and political...but ironically they found where freedom from moral standards increased, happiness decreased (Grow!)
God knows what we need. Feeling down this week....Give something away, find believers to get together with and encourage each other in your faith, hug your wife and kids, find purpose in the work God has given you to do, celebrate your freedom! Have a happy week!!!

A "no excuses" person in a "not my fault" world

Never teach anything to your kids that you don't want to have to live up to! They will remind you...

I heard this statement on the radio: "being a no excuses person in a not my fault world". I loved it and after our SWAT team last week I started sharing it with my son, Caleb. Here's the verse that brought it back to my mind in SWAT team: 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life" Phil 2: 14-16.

The context of this instruction comes right after an explanation of how Jesus....being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be held onto...but made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant. Here's where most of my complaining and arguing comes from....I'm trying to hold onto something I think I am or should be....and trying to make sure my "rights" are not violated. So, I've been trying this "stop complaining" thing; and it does definately stand in contrast to how the world does things. Want to amp up the effectiveness of your witness? Try to complain and argue less....and you'll shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life!

Dunkin' doo-dah

(Note: When Caleb was younger, our nickname for him was Doo-dah. His cousin still calls him that)

I'm so excited about this Sunday afternoon. It's special in that it is the first Baptism for COC...our church plant, but even more special that I will get to baptize my own son. How cool is that? As a matter of fact...we'll be baptising 9 people on Sunday. That really makes all of the loading/unloading trailers, and setting up an elementary cafeteria worth it.
I'm very grateful this week for a long list of people who gave of their time, talents, and treasures to make sure my son....and others like him... had a chance to hear and respond to the Gospel.

• Pastor Brad and Sarah - for having vision for a church plant on 380 and the faith to go for it
• Pastor Dane and Mandy - for being the best Children's pastors ever! (and my favorites!)
• Jerry and Ronda Brawner - for all the work you put into getting us set up every week so that there are no distractions to hearing the word of God preached
• Randy and Shannon Rich - for putting in hours on making our media sharp and for helping out with the Children's ministry. (and noticing if I forget to blog!)
• Eric and Tasha Wrona - for loving our kids like their own (they think they're related to your kids anyway) and leading our SWAT teams. They way you get the kids to interact with truth is amazing
• Brad and Lauren Zwaska - for leading the Providence SWAT and faithfully proclaiming the truth.
• The people of COC who love our kids and set an example of service and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

We're blessed....and grateful to be doing life with you guys!