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Why Go to Church!

Our senior pastor at Crossroads Church in Loveland Colorado, @johnsmithcrsrds, has shared in a couple of leadership settings that statistics are showing that the average church attendere goes two out of every nine weeks.  Stating the obvious -- this is not good!

A few years ago in a leadership gathering with Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willowcreek Community Church Bill shared five reasons why it is important to go to church -- I trust this will resonate with you.

1. Jesus modeled it for us. He made it a practice of His.  Luke 4:16 "When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom."
2. A reminder that you are not alone -- that you are not crazy
3. Important for our children.  Your kids are depending on you  They cannot drive themselves.
4. The Power of the Manifest Presence of God -- Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
5. Out of Discipline and Obedience. Hebrews 10:24, 25 "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

 

"Thank Offerings"

"My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank-offerings to you."  (Psalm 56:12 NRSV)

So we have been in Fort Collins Colorado for close to 10 weeks now – hard to believe I am saying this.  During this time I read Psalm 56:12 and have put into practice of regularly taking time to write in my journal what I am thankful for.

As many of you have been praying for our family during this season of transition here are some of things I most thankful for during the past 2 and ½ months.

Thankful  …

Both Rhett and Emersen have adjusted well to their new surroundings – making friends in the neighborhood and enjoying their new school.

Tara is enjoying her daily times with God as she has creation pathway and our neighborhood lends to this.

That some of the promptings I sensed God was leading me in has come to fruition in regards to Crossroads Church.

Our house in San Diego sold within 10 days of when we were scheduled to close on a purchase of a house here in Fort Collins.

For the countess amount of prayers offered up on our behalf during this season.

For the friends I have made in San Diego that will last a lifetime.

I am at a church that is allowing me to leverage my gifts to my fullest.

There is a Starbucks 6/10 of mile from my house.

There are rumors of a Costco coming to the Fort Collins area.

From day 1 of being in Colorado “unexpected friends” have been present that have made our settling into our new home easy.

My Lead Reads ... What's in My Kindle.

Our family has been in a season of transition this summer and one area that has suffered as a result of being in continual packing and getting my house ready for sale mode is my self leading practices -- in particular my reading efforts.  Reading daily is a part of my Life Plan replenishmnet cycle and is necessary for me to keep my thinking sharp and my mind active to be able to resource myself and others whom I lead and influence.

As we settle in our new life in Fort Collins I am eager to get back into this practice of reading daily.  On the right column "What's In My Kindle" is the books I have or will be downloading to read during the last four months of 2012. 

Some have asked me how I come with my list. Here is some ways I go about putting my list together.  And I highly prod you to have a pipeline of books ready to read so once you finish one book you don't meander trying to figure out what's next, but rather having the next one ready to go!

• The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) this two day leadership training event usually produces a couple of books that catches my attention because either one of the speakers references the book or it is a book the speaker has wrote. John Ortberg's Who Is This Man ... is an example of such a book.
• There are some people I simply read whatever they write such is the case with Jon Gordon -- his fast reading, yet highly impacting books -- gives me a great boost of leadership energy.  His latest book is The Positive Dog.  In addition Peter Drucker also in this category of trying to read whatever he has written hence Innovation and Entrepreneurship being on the list.
• By recommendation by a friend and/or colleague.  In this case Dennis Anderson, whom I work with at Crossroads, suggested N.T. Wright's How God Became King.
• Interest in the subject matter.  Such is the case with Cynthia Montgomery's The Strategist.  Strategic is one of my core strengths -- so anything on this topic will catch my attention.
• The rest usually comes from me browsing a bookstore's store leadership and management section.  Why do I go to a bookstore still when I download all my books.  The main reason is that if you search Amazon by topic you get literally tens of thousands of listings.  In addition it is still easier to pick up a hard copy to scan the table of contents and read a few pages, though for reading an entire book -- Kindle is the way to go for me.

I hope this will prod you to come up with your own book list.  I am still open to a couple of suggestions so please let me know what you are reading.

CLEARING THE WAY -- the New Weekend Series at JCC

Today begins the 2nd Quarter of 2011 and if this quarter proves to be anything like the first we are in for quite the ride!  We began the year with the Jesus Creed series where we saw unprecedented movement in the life of our church.  We saw hundreds take significant faith steps (raising the bar in their devotional life, extending acts of compassion to their "neighbors" and finding the beauty of being in community with others)  in loving God and loving their neighbors.  And immediately after, we launched into the SHIFT series where again hundreds and hundreds stepped out in faith -- this time in areas of serving within the life of our church and out in our community!

This weekend we are launching a new series: CLEARING THE WAY -- Getting Ready for an Encounter with God.  A breakdown of what this series will look like.  Don't be a fool and miss any of it.

For centuries, followers of Jesus have known that though we can’t control when we have “God encounters,” we can make sure that we are ready and in the right place. You’ve got to clear the way! This is where the idea of the season of “LENT” came from. In this series we’ll look at three things that will help us “clear the way” as we get ready for The Weekend (Good Friday and Easter Sunday).

April 1 & 3 Fasting — Giving God a Little More Attention and Space
April 8 & 10 Focus — Making Sure We Don’t Completely Miss the Point
April 15 & 17 Forgetting — Unlearning is the Key

 

No Bible Reading Plan in Place ... No Problem

So we are heading toward the half way mark of January and if you don't have some type of Bible reading plan in place?  No worries, but I would prod you to do something. 

In most years I have had something in place before the New Year has begun.  In the past of I have read through The One Year Bible (which we offer in different formats in our bookstore), The Chronilogical Bible in a Year, or a specific series of devotionals.  However, this year I find myself stuck, with no plan in a place.

Yet, there is a need to do something. We need a steady of diet of God's Word getting through us regularly. So in the mean time here is what I am doing and this is something you can dive in today if you find yourself stuck.  Because January is a 31 day month, read one chapter of Proverbs every day and read one Psalm each day corresponding to the date on the calendar.  I have found my first days of this year filled with great reminders of God's faithfulness and recementing of some foundational truths.

Now here are some places you can check out with potential plans:

• Our Daily Journey ministries has some great resources stop by their counter after services.
• The You Version provides over 50 different plans.
• The Discipleship Journal has some solid options.
• New Hope Christian Fellowship has some great plans.
• A customized reading plan for you via MONVEE

If you plan in place that is serving you well, I would love to hear about it.

Pray Who They Can Become

In a previous post I shared the first of two practices that I want to encourage us to engage in this coming year that will help keep God as the "one thing" in our lives.  This practice is one I have developed more recently and so I am gradually trying to make it a habit.  I hope you will be prodded to do the same.

PRAY WHO THEY CAN BECOME:

At the heart of this practice is simply lifting up a short silent prayer on behalf each person you come in contact with in the course of your day.  We don't need to know where they are at in their spiritual journey all we need to pray is that they would become all that God created them to me.  Ephesians 2:10 is a great verse that speaks to this notion,  "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

Now if we know the person, we may offer a specific request on their behalf, yet with the same spirit praying that they would become of who God intends for them to be.  Jesus gave us a great example in how he saw Peter when He said in Matthew 16:18  "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."  When Jesus made this declaration hardly anyone could imagine Peter in this light, yet Jesus did not only see Peter as he was, but who he could become.

 

PRAY WHERE YOU ARE

I am always looking for fresh ways of engaging with God.  With my tendency to drift I need practices that help keep God in focus as the main thing in my life.  Here is a practice that I have come up with over the past year or so.  I do not do it well and fall short of its objectives often, however I keep at it because when I do engage in it I really sense God's hand at work.

This was to be shared in the message SHIFT that I gave on Sunday Dec. 26 as one of two ways to keep God in focus. 

The two key areas where I will need to do the most shifting is in respect to places that I inhabit and the people I interact with.  The first practice is ...

PRAY WHERE YOU ARE:  In its simplest form this practice involves praying  every time I enter a new environment. 

So here is how it might be lived out on an average day: first praying when I get into my car, my next stop would be the Starbucks where I get my morning coffee and praying there, then praying at my son's school when I drop him off, then praying as soon as I get into the office.  Then throughout the day when I run an errand or go to an appointment praying as soon as I get there, then later going to the gym and then back home praying as soon as I enter into all these environments.

Now what I pray will vary.  The main point is to acknowledge God's presence in all of these environments.  When I am faithful in this practice it has an incredibly shaping influence in my experience in these places. Instead of getting through the routine of what these places facilitate,  I find myself seeing things with more redemptive eyes and more intuned to the people around me.

Two key verses that have informed this practice are below.

Genesis 28:16,17
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Matthew 28:20b
… I am with you always, to the end of the age.

I hope this will prod you PRAY WHERE YOU ARE  in 2011.

The second practice will be in a future post.

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Adding "Angst" to Any Christmas Gathering

Now that  Christmas is becoming a memory  and in a few days we will be putting away the Christmas tree and packing away all the decorations, here is something I want to prod you to put in the vault for next Christmas.

Most of us attend several Christmas party/gatherings during the course of the season.  Some are highly anticipated, some are more of a commitment or obligatin, some you wish you could put more energy toward -- these are some of the ways we approach them.  Now with these gatherings there is not only a commitment of our time, but also, in a lot of instances, we are responsible to bring a dish (if it is potluck style) and some of you might have some type of gift to bring for a gift exchange.  So seemingly simple tasks are exaggerated because there are so many of them.  So in the midst of an already full schedule and season here is how you can angst to any of these Christmas Gatherings.

You can do so by adding this gesture.  Ask each person that attends to bring a gift for Jesus.  It is His birthday afterall that we are celebrating right?  And when I am invited to a friend's birthday party, I believe the understood norm is that you bring a wrapped gift.  So why would it not be any different for Jesus the King of King and Lord of Lords. 

Trust me when I say this will be met with angst.  Now why would I want to add angst to an already somewhat stressfull season?  I will explain in a moment. 

Up to the day of the party they are usually in a quandry as to what to bring..  When I have done this in the past, people usually have these type of responses:  "What?"  "I don't understand?"  "A gift for Jesus???"  "Do I get Him clothes, I don't get it?" 

And my answer to these questions is always the same, "It's a birthday party, have you not bought a birthday gift before?"  This usually does nothing for them, but add to their frustration.  So again why do this?

Because it can lead to one of the most meaningful Christmas gatherings you may have.  I speak from experience. 

20 years ago when I began following Christ.  I was invited to a Christmas party and when I asked what I should bring thinking it would be a food item, I was told simply bring a gift for Jesus.  And I went through all of the angst and frustration that people I have posed this question to.  I called others I knew who were attending the party, the host -- all who offered no help.

Yet, it proved to be the most meaningful Christmas.  When we sat in a circle to share our gifts I was incredibly moved to see the thought, creativity and heart that was put into each gift. 

This past Christmas that we just celebrated we did a birthday for Jesus in one of the gatherings  attended , and no fail it had a similar effect of adding angst but more important meaning.  The gift I brought for Jesus is in the picture above. You might think I that is an odd gift, but there is explanantion to the significance and the meaning.

Until next Christmas ..

When I Begin to Drift ... SHIFT (Self Examination Questions)

Yesterday, I had the privilge of sharing the final message of 2010 at Journey Community Church.  In my message (titled SHIFT) I shared that at times we will drift from keeping the "one thing" in focus, and when we do we need to SHIFT. 

I shared some self examination questions that I have found helpful in shifting God back into focus as the "one thing.

Here they are in case you missed them:

• Is there any area of sin that I am struggling with?
• Am I genuinely engaging in the lives of people whom Christ desires for us to reach?
• Am I living life of conscientious dependence on Him?
• “I am living life with a grateful spirit?”

 

 

The Bible Going Through You

John Ortberg, author of The Me I Want to Be, shared in a previous work, "More important than going through the Bible, is the Bible going through you."

Along this same train of thought Dallas Willard when asked what spiritual practices were most helpful in communing with God?  He shared along with solitude, the memorizing of chunks of Scripture is most important,  suggesting a great place to start would be Colossians 3.

I have also found that immersing myself with certain chapters of the Bible to the point that I become so familair with it that interacting with it becomes like a second nature also has the same effect of getting the Bible through me.  When I say familiarizing myself with the text I am referring to being able to quote certain parts of the chapter, summarize the chapter's main points and simply retelling the overall story or lesson with your own words.

One such chapter that I have found important for me to familiarize myself with is Acts 10.  After reading and reading this chapter over and over again, here is a helpful outline to get grasp on this 48-verse chapter.  This is the chapter that I will speaking on this weekend.  Here is a basic summary of the book. Obviously this is not all to tell about this chapter, and at the same time if someone were to ask what is Acts 10 about you can answer with this basic over.

1:        God Speaks to Cornelius  (10:1-8)
2:        God Speaks to Peter  (10:9-20)
3:        Cornelius and Peter Speak to Each Other (10:21-33)
4:        Peter Speaks to the Gentiles (10:34-43-48)
5:        We Speak to the World

 

"5 Reasons Why You Should Make Going to Church a Priority"

Earlier this year at a small gathering of Global Leadership Summit (GLS) site pastors Pastor Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church lead a mentoring session where we could share recent learnings in the leading of our respective churches.  Through the course of dialogue Bill brought up the importance of reminding our  congregations why it is important to go to church.  What he shared gripped me and I have often referred back to my notes.

As we head into the holiday seasons and our schedules get a little fuller and a little less routine with various gatherings to attend and travel.  It can be real easy to de-prioritize church attendance.  So now is as good a time as any to remind ourselves why we need make going to church a priority.

So here my notes from that gathering.  The content below I will be presenting in my message this weekend.

1. Jesus modeled it for us. He made it a practice of His.  Luke 4:16 When he came to Nazareth, where he hadbeen brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.

2. You are not in it alone -- you are not crazy.

3. Important for our children.  Your kids are depending on you, they cannot drive themselves.

4. The Power of the Manifest Presence of God.  Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
   
5. Out of Discipline and Obedience. Hebrews 10:24, 25 "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Vintage Us -- the New Series Starting at JCC

This weekend we will be starting a new series which will be our most comprehensive series to date taking us through Thanksgiving weekend.  As this series will be taught out of the book of Acts here is a suggestion to help make your weekend experience more complete.  This something I am doing right now -- which is to read a chapter of the book of Acts each day during the duration of the series.  If you were to do this, you would have read through this 28 chapter book about two-and-a-half times.  

Me I Want to Be author John Ortberg has said, "the goal is not to get through the Bible, but to get the Bible through you." 

Vintage Us Rediscovering the Original ChurchItʼs almost a cliché: “Iʼm into Jesus, just not real crazy about this Christianity thing.” Recently, world famousauthor Anne Rice announced she was “quitting Christianity.” Not Jesus, Christianity. “Him? Yes.  Us? No, thanks.” But Jesus meant for the “Us” to be something other than the weird, institutional, religious organization that has somehow morphed into and slid under the moniker “Church.”

So, we go back — we always go back— to the source, the ancient documents. We go back to re-engage our true self, our destiny; and rediscover the vintage us.Weʼll look at the story of the unprocessed and undiluted church — as told by Luke (a man on the scene to see it firsthand, but with the chops of a skilled historian) in the book we now call Acts.

September 17 & 19: Jesus — Here and Now, There and Here (Acts 1)
September 24 & 26: Organic, Unprocessed Spirituality (Acts 2a)
October 1 & 3: Now This is Church (Acts 2b)
October 8 & 10:  God Heals (Acts 3)
October 15 & 17: “God, Give Me Guts!” (Acts 4)
October 22 & 24:  Messing with God is Not Smart (Acts 5)
October 29 & 31:  Full Disclosure — Suffering and Persecution (Acts 5b, 7 & 8)
November 5 & 7:  Leaders-R-Us — God Invites You to Lead (Acts 6)
November 12 & 14:  The End of Exclusion, Part One — Godʼs Inclusive Vision (Acts 15)
November 19 & 21: The End of Exclusion, Part Two — Godʼs Expansive Community (Acts 15)
November 28:  The End of Exclusion, Part Three — The Core that Pulls Us In (Acts 15)

Prayer Inducing Scriptures

Yesterday in our staff leadership team meeting before taking about an hour or so to pray on behalf of our church, lead pastor Ed Noble asked for us to share any Scripture verses that we have found helpful in our own lives in shaping and framing our times of prayer.  I shared two Scripture passages that have been helpful to me and I hope will be encouragement to you as you seek the Lord in prayer.

The first is Ephesians 3:20,21 (ESV) Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Now this passage has helpful in my prayer life in this way.  Often it feels as if my prayer times is a long list of requests which is not necessarily a bad thing, yet at times I believe I know when I have  crossed the line of looking  at God as the Almighty One, who can do all things versus Him being Santa Claus or a genie to fulfill my  every desire.  Yet what these verses challenge me to do is to ask even more and to ask more boldly.  Often times the opposite is true of how we pray.  The problem is not that we are asking too much, it is that we are not asking enough.  To further clarify my thoughts here what the Ephesians passage shows me is that what I often ask God for falls vastly short of what He desires for me.  Often I settle and pray for temporal means or desires, when in reality He desires for us to ask things of HIm that will render eternal, lasting and more meaningful & significant outcomes.

To put it simply ... We think we are asking God for some amazing things, we don't the half of it.

The second is Psalm 91:14-16 (NSRV)  Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.  When theycall to me, I will answer them; I will be wiht them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.  With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

As we read this passage it is full of so many promises and this has been so important and helpful as I have prayed for myself and for others -- the reason being is that these verses remind me that the God I am praying to is for me.  This notion that God is for me or us is often overlooked and it so critical that we don't.  Because I believe we have all prayed prayers not having them answered the way we desired; or even sensed how God was leading us to pray.  Yet if we can remember that God is for us, we can be at greater peace regarding the outcomes that He lays out for us.

Why I Go to Church

Today I was reminded afresh of two simple learnings that have stuck with me for some time and has proven true,  time and time and again.  The first being the importance of going to church.  I told you they were simple, yet it is coupled with this thought -- "You never know how God may speak and that is no small thing."  The second being that the real ministry often takes place after the official and planned programming is over.

After finishing my hosting duties at the conclusion of the 9am service a woman, whom initially I did not recognize, asked for a few moments of my time.  She shared how this was her second week back at Journey and how she attended for a period of time 10 years ago.  She further requested to meet with our newly appointed senior pastor Ed Noble and myself in the future to share all that God has done in her life.  In addition she wanted to thank us for our role in the process.

Now I was curious.  I could understand Ed's impact through his messages and, though she had been living on the East Coast for the past  seven years she could easily be listening to the Journey podcast, but my role was unclear.  Then as she further shared her journey, my memory was coming back to me and now her face became recognizable.  

10 years ago this woman attended Journey for the first time and I prayed with her after the service.  She shared how being Jewish she could not reconcile who Christ claimed to be.  She sensed God's movement in her life, but Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection was a stumbling block to her.  Yet she did not want to give up on the stirring that was taking place in her life.  At the time the songs we sang in service,though moving at times, when they mentioned Jesus she could not sing them.  She wanted some direction.  She mentioned that I encouraged her to read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel and affirmed her desire to pursue God.  Long story short after successive weeks of attending Journey and her own personal study of who Chris was over time, she came to recognize Jesus Christ as her Messiah and she wanted me to know.

Wow!

This was the highlight of my day! -- on a day that there was much to celebrate and praise God for.  

Going back to my two simple learnings. Now, my vocational role predicates me being at church.  Nonetheless if I was not there I would not have had this connection.  In addition I would not have been able to hear through her story the affirmation that what we do through this local expression of a church matters and is making difference.  In addition it was not some planned element, but a chance occurrence, she ran into me as I was about to exit the worship center.

Psalm 122:1 says "I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the LORD."

What is MONVEE?

There is still time to sign up for the Journey Early Engagment MONVEE gathering this Sunday July 11 at 10:30am.  To register,  e-mail your name, mobile number and intention to attend to [email protected].

Here is a preview of what MONVEE is

MONVEE is Coming to Journey

MONVEE is coming to Journey!

Todd Tolson, shared a couple a weeks ago at a weekend service, one of his responsibilities as our discipleship pastor is to look for innovative and fresh ways to help us connect with God.

Last year he submitted an application for Journey Community Church to be a beta-church and over the past 7 months we have been rolling out MONVEE in its beta form in the life of our church primarily through our staff and leadership. 

To under-gird the philosophy behind the tool we have showed parts of the MONVEE simulcast (that took place earlier in the year ) in 4 gatherings with anywhere from 15 to 70 in attendance that featured teaching from the likes of John Ortberg, Dallas Wilard and MONVEE co-founder Mark Bankord and Eric Parks to name a few

The feedback has been incredibly positive! 

The assessment has been spot on! 

In addition there have been quite a few surprises where people discovered new things about themselves and uncovered areas of struggle where change and growth are needed.  We purposely had participants be from all stages of life, young and old, married, single, divorced to get a good sampling of feedback.

Now that MONVEE is out of its beta-phase we are excited to offer MONVEE to Journey, to anyone who has a passion to grow in their relationship with God & others; those with an entrepreneurial spirit; and or those who want to be an early adopter in the future of spiritual formation.

So what is MONVEE?  That is what you will discover at the MONVEE gathering on Sunday July 11.  To register go to Guest Services this weekend or e-mail your name, e-mail and mobile number to [email protected].   A flier like this one will be in the church program this weekend.

In addition John Ortberg's newest book "The Me I Want to Be"  (available in our bookstore was written in conjunction with MONVEE and is a great resource to get a better grasp on the importance of hand-crafted spiritual growth.  Those who attend the MONVEE gathering will be able to purchase this book at special price.  

3 Things I am Committed to Praying for Our Church

This morning during my quiet time I felt prompted to pray for these three things for the life the church members of Journey Community Church during this next season.

Praying that we will ...

1. Commit to being the best version of who God created us to be.
2. Lead where we are.
3. Have a heart for those outside the walls of our church.

Matthew 25:14-30: "I Want to Live with a Spirit ..."

A learning from last week's C3 conference has really impacted me.  A  teaching presented by Brian Houston pastor of Hillsong Church Australia.  He shared from Matthew 25:14-30 highlighting 3 ways he wants to live his life according to that passage.  To read the text click here. 

Here are three points that have prodded me to try and live differently. 

1. Live with the kind of spirit that anticipates and sees the master's goodness.
2. Live with a generous spirit, as one who gives and receives freely.
3. Live with the kind of spirit that expands and increases the master's domain.

Weekend Update Easter 2010

As this is written Easter is just 25 days away!  Easter weekend (April 2 & 4)  is an opportunity for our whole church to get involved in this outreach event to see our loved ones reached for Christ.  So here is the ways we are asking all Journey members to get involved in three simple ways.

1. PRAY ... for open doors to invite people to a service; for an anointing on all the services from the children's programs to the adult services; for all areas of serving to be covered to create the optimum guest experience.
2. PARTICIPATE in a "first serve" opportunity.  If you are unfamiliar with what first serve is click here.  There are opportunities in our children ministry, fellowship team and lasting impressions teams (LIT)
3. PARTNER with your church in reaching your friends and loved ones for Christ by inviting them to a service. Below is the invitation piece that you can pick up stacks of business card sized invite cards at either the office or at Guest Services. 

In the mean time we have great services being planned for this weekend -- March 12 & 14.  We will be in part 2 of Tools & Fools looking at the life of Solomon with the message "Being Smart & Acting Dumb." Please note that this Sunday March 14 daylight savings goes into affect -- meaning that you will need to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.

A Never Changing Prayer Request

For 6 years now we have had a ministry at our church called PPT, which stands for pastors’ prayer team.  This team gets weekly list of prayer requests submitted by each pastor individually.  For me I break up my requests into two main sections – personal and ministry and list requests under each section respectively.

I try to update my requests based upon the activities of the coming week.  Some requests stay relatively the same based on a specific season or time of the year, while some have a specific date and time attached to the request.  Yet there is one request that has not changed in the 6 years of this team’s ministry and it is the very first request on my list seen by the team each week.  Here is the prayer request: “Continual healing and development of my son’s heart valve. “

A few days after my son’s birth it was discovered that he had a serious heart condition that would require open-heart surgery as soon as he was physically able.  So at five months to the day he had the surgery. By God’s grace he received incredible medical care and the surgery was a success!  Yet given delicate nature of the surgery it requires an annual echocardiogram to monitor the results.

After 6 years and seeing his remarkable progress it is hard to believe he had such a surgery. In fact two weeks ago on Wednesday Rhett and I were on a flight to North Carolina to see a Duke University basketball game in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Yet the reality of his condition is always brought to forefront when he has his annual echo as he did last Wednesday – exactly a week after we left for our trip.  These visits stir up the following, amongst many things in me:

It reminds that life is precious
It keeps me humble before God
It stirs up an incredible amount of gratefulness to God and to the many people who pray for my son.

So a heartfelt thank you to those who have been continually praying for my son – many of you since he was born!  I am always moved when people come to me and ask how his appointment went and/or to simply let me know they are praying.  It means more to me than you know.

So here are the results … as was the case in the past 6 years the visit rendered positive results – something I do not take for granted.  Basically if his condition continues on its current course he will never have to have surgery again! 

Praise God!  And please continue to pray.

"Eve of the Eve Service -- A Complete Experience for me"

Tonight on the eve of the Eve of Christmas service (a first for us) we experienced at packed service.  Feedback from our members gave us good indicator that the service would be full -- guests began arriving as early as 45 minutes prior and for me I had a complete worship experience!  So what made my experience complete?

 
The evening featured a great run of Christmas songs and music offerings that was simply incredible and as great as that was that was not what made our my experience complete.

There were some moving special music pieces done by some of our team vocalists, but that was not what made my experience complete. 

There was a stunning video/dramatic reading that told the story of our creation, but that was not made my experience complete.
 

Our teaching pastor Ed Noble delivered another timely Christmas message that I have grown acustom to but that was not what made my experience complete.

What made this service complete was that a friend I had invited showed up.  This friend is in the early stages of his seeking process and trust me when you bring someone to a service it definitely completes your experience.

There are three more services tomorrow and there is still time to invite someone.  Trust me the service is meaningful and moving and full of wonder and excitement -- yet it goes to a whole new level when you invite and bring someone with you.

For information on our Christmas services click here.

Just Walk Around a Circle

A focal point in our announcements for the past couple of weeks has been encouraging our attendees to invited friends to our Christmas Eve services.  We have equipped our attendees with what we consider to be an effective tool and to help envision our church we had three people paint a picture of how powerful inviting someone to a weekend service can be by telling their story.  Pastor Bill Hybels wrote a great book on personal evangelism called Just Walk Across the Room.  Well sometimes we just need walk around in a circle.

(left to right Karen Olson, Becky Toth, Lauren Faiai & myself)

Ephesians 5:15,16 says "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."  Two friends of mine (Becky & Lauren) lived these verses out literally six years ago.  In October of 2003, California was experiencing what would become a 5-month Grocery Union Strike.  As Albertsons employees on strike they had to picket eight hours a day walking literally in the same circular pattern.  Yet this time was redeemed as they got to know one particular fellow employee Karen a lot better.  And through a series of conversations with her spiritual matters were brought up, weekend messages were given & an invitation to a church service was made.

To fast forward the story -- Becky & Lauren decided to invite not only Karen, but a whole group of their fellow picketing employees and on one Friday night they filled an entire row.  Now some of those guests never returned, some attended for a season and moved on for a varitey of reasons.  Yet for Karen she got to know God, who she previously thought to be distant, in a personal way and her life has been changed, for the better, in countless ways.

Jesus said in John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."  Inviting someone to church and to speak to those close to us about God and spiritual matters -- something so personal too many -- can be met with resistance, hostility and awkwardness at times.   And at the same time sometimes people are so ready and waiting for someone to ask just as Karen was.  

So take advantage of the next 10 days or so and make the ask and invite someone to a service, their life just might be changed for eternity.

A Prayer on Behalf of the Persecuted Church

Either today (Nov. 8) or next Sunday churches all across the globe are encouraged to take time during their weekend worship services to pray on behalf of the Persecuted Church -- the well over 200 million Christ-followers that live in under extreme hostile conditions in which their faith is persecuted. 

One my friends Jonathan Cervantes has a real passion to pray on the persecuted church's behalf not only on these designated Sundays, but throughout the year.  The ministry he leads here at Journey Community Church is called "Bound With Them Ministry."

In addition we encouraged to where these bands with the Hebrews 13:3 on them serving as a reminder to pray on the persecuted church's behalf.

This morning he lead us in an incredible prayer that I hope can serve you well in praying on the persecuted church's behalf.

Father God,

As we gather today as your church, your bride; we lift up those in the many countries that make it difficult to be a Christ follower.  We ask that you will give them the strength to stand firm as they under go the persecution, the torture, being imprisoned for their faith.  We pray for the 150,000 Christians as they will face their own death this year, the very 17 who will enter eternity this very hour.  We lift up especially the underground church in China.  The church that is even larger than our nation.  A nation where your Spirit is moving in great ways.  You have given your church, your bride a great hope, hope of an eternal life with you.  But for those being persecuted, this hope is all they have.  But with such a great hope there is also a great evil. 

We pray for ourselves.  Pray that the same hope that we share will become a greater reality to us.  A hope that will see us through anything.  Help us to remember our brothers and sisters being persecuted, not just today but every day.  To join them in lifting them up daily.  To be with them in spirit and heart.
In Jesus name, Amen.

If you would more information on the International Day of Prayer of the Persecuted Church click here.

Being Like the One Leper

10 days ago I had the opportunity to play a very small role at a celebration gathering, that quite frankly,  I wish would happen more often.  Chuck Martinez one of the greeters at our church gathered 50 of some of his wife Jeannine’s closest friends to simply give thanks to God and to all of them for their support in the journey they had been on.

Jeanine, two months ago went in for a double-mastectomy, and by God’s grace the surgery was successful.  She went in on a Monday, was released on Wednesday and actually attended church that Sunday.  Now a surgery of this magnitude is serious however, the weight of this was even more so for Jeannine as she has been battling various forms of cancer over the past five years and there was a sense of finality this time around.  In addition this is an extra sensitive matter to Chuck who lost his first wife to cancer.

So on this afternoon it had the flavor of a small wedding.  There was a catered meal, a cake, a presenting of gifts to hosts who helped put this party on and even an out of town friend from child hood visiting to share memories of Jeannine.  We ate, laughed and simply hung out with the sole purpose to celebrate the fact that Jeannine was here with us.   What a great afternoon!  I had the privilege of presiding over Chuck and Jeannine’s wedding seven years ago and in many ways this gathering was just as special if not more so.

In Luke 17:11-17 Jesus tells the story of healing ten lepers and how only one returned to give thanks.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.”

How often do we let these moments of God’s intervention in our lives pass and fail to take the time to reflect and give thanks to God He truly deserves?

Chuck and Jeannine thank you for being like the one who returned to give thanks.

The Importance of Listening So We Can Teach

I have been sharing some simple ways in how God has been speaking to me prompting in the use of the prayer journal this past week. 

Here is my day 3 thought: 
The theme of the week was listening.  For me this is the part of prayer that I need the most help in.  Even as I offer up prayers for myself and others – I was reminded of how I need to keep my ears open continually as God may prod to pray another way in regards to the current situation or answer my prayers right then as I am praying.  So the breath prayer to based on I Samuel 3:9 – “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” is now a part of my regular spiritual practices.

The devotion on day 3 leads well into what I am thinking on in day 5 of the prayer journal.

Here are my day 5 thoughts:
First I have never really taken time to reflect on the rich truths found Isaiah 50:4,5.  The notion that we need to expectantly seek God for Him to teach us is profound and something I need to pray for regularly.  And the reason is not just for my benefit but for others as it says … “that I may know how to sustain the weary with the word.”

Second, though not all of us are given the spiritual gift of “teaching” I do believe we are called to be teachers in some respect  (see II Timothy 2:2).

Third, it goes back to day 3’s devotion – the critical importance of listening.  We can only teach and share what we have heard and that simply involves listening.

How I Have Been Prodded to Pray for Our Church During Our "Prayer" Series

As our church engages during the month of August in a series on "Prayer" here is how I have been prodded to pray for our church.  I am praying that each Journey member would do the following ...

• Attend every message in this five-part series -- it starts here by making gathering and learning about prayer a priority.
• Use the Prayer Journal daily -- April King, one of our volunteer team members, put an incredible prayerful effort in putting this together -- anyone who has used it knows how spiritually impacting this tool has been.
• Read a book on prayer --we have resource table in the Guest Services area that will be there each week of the series featuring books suggested by our pastoral staff.*
  
• Commit to an hour of prayer during our week of prayer Sunday Aug. 23-- Saturday Aug. 29 -- it is  our hope to have someone praying every minute during that week -- you can sign up to cover an hour in the Guest Services area. 
• Attend one of the prayer gatherings from Aug. 23-27 -- there is something powerful about believers gathering together to simply -- PRAY!

*for my personal reading list on prayer click here.

For more the details of this series go to the Journey Community Church website.

My Sacred Space/Place

As a part of our series that we launched this past weekend simply called "Prayer" we gave each attendee a journal that coincides with the series content.  This week's theme is focusing on the listening aspect of prayer.  The reading was from Exodus 33:7-9,11 that speaks of how Moses went to the tent of meeting to connect with God.  The reading also presented a challenge to pick a place to meet with God regularly.  

For me that place is simply my at home office.  On my desk I usually I have a Bible, a journal, some type of devotional help, my computer (I will explain), a planner (I will also explain) and my ipod or iphone.  The reason I have my computer there is that at some point of my devotional time with God I take time to check out my friends Facebook status' and other friend's twitter updates.  I pick few from each and take few moments to pray for these friends or world situations that are brought to my attention through these means.  In addition I keep a planner there to write down any idea or to do item that comes to my attention so I do not become consumed with it.

In addition the reason I choose this place is because I have a good amount of resources, mainly books that I can have immediate access to.  Even on days where I take extended times of prayer I choose a more structured office type environment.  Where as others go tothe beach, or the woods or the dessert for me they are too distracting -- the way the wind ruffles my Bible pages, weird noises etc. 

Where do you go regularly to connect with God?

Spiritual Practices by Henri Nouwen

"Pray It Up" is a series on prayer that starts on the weekend of August 7 & 9.  In preparation for this series many on our programming team are reading up on prayer to not only prepare ourselves to be saturated as best we can on the practice of prayer, but also in an attempt to provide helpful resources for our congregation.

I have just finished reading Spiritual Practices by Henri Nouwen.  I have read several of his many works throughout the years including, Out of Solitude, Wounded Healer, Return of the Prodigal Son, The Way of the Heart,  Life of the Beloved to name a few and yet in this most recent reading I have found some of Nouwen's most practical insight in the area of spiritual disciplines specifically in the areas of prayer and reading our Bibles.  Check out chapters 5 & 7 respectively on those two practices.

I am sure our teaching pastor Ed Noble will have his own suggestions as to books to read during the series, but for me Spiritual Practices would be my suggestion.

First I love the way Nouwen describes spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation:
"Spiritual disciplines are the skills and techniques by which we begin to see the image of God in our heart.  Spiritual formation is the careful attentiveness to the work of God, our master sculptor, as we submit to gradual chipping away ofa ll that is not of God until the inner lion is revealed."  p. 17

This understanding undergirds how he encourages us to approach the various spiritual disciplines laid out in the book.  In additon the way the book is laid out has multiple applications.  We are encouraged to read it through once -- straight through.  Then a second time around taking a chapter at a time approach and utitlizing the personal application helps at the end of each chapter that can be done individually, in a small group setting or in conjunction with a spiritual director.

Here are some further thoughts from Henri that I hope will prod you to read this book:
"To pray unceasingly does not mean to think about God inn contrast to thinking about other things, or to talk to God instead of talking to other people.  Rather, it means to think, speak, and live in the presence of God." p.61

"The presence of God is so much beyond the human experience of being near to another that it quite easily is misperceived as absence.  The absence of God, on the other hand, is often so deeply felt that it leads to a new sense of God's presence." p. 79

"As long as we red the Bible or a spiritual book simply to acquire knowlege, our reading does not help us in our spiritual lives.  We can become very knowledgeable about spiritual matters without becoming truly spiritual people." p. 92

The Drift Toward Legalism

I am continually discovering how the drift toward legalism in how relate to God a constant battle.  Here is a journal entry that I believe captures my struggle:

May 14, 2009 (12:30am)
"It is interesting that I was just thinking about how I have journaled every day since by birthday.  Then it dawned on me that I had not done so yesterday (5/13/09)/  It was tempting to journal for the sake of it just to keep the streak going, yet that feed a legalistic mindset that I need to continually keep in check and it would have only served to feed my pride."

Does anybody else struggle like I do?

Now/here Spells Nowhere

I am currently reading Ruthless Trust by Brennan.  This morning as I was reading through chapter 11 "The Geography of Nowhere" this thought was presented that represents one of my greatest struggles.  Maybe you can relate and hope this will also encourage you to read this book.

"Now/here spells nowhere. To be fully present to whoever or whatever is immediately before us is to pitch a tent in the wilderness of Nowhere.   It is an act of radical trust -- trust that God can be encountered at no other time and in in no other place than the present moment.  Being fully present in the now is perhaps the premiere skill of the spiritual life.

More often than not, I do not hear the music of what is happening now because my mind ricochets between the past and the future." p. 150