SO WHAT NOW

So the decision has been made but a fear for any church who has a staff change of any kind is that the ministry which is obviously more important than any one staff member will be overlooked. I have trained students and leaders to do ministry and take the Gospel to the lost souls of our community and I pray that no matter who helms the ship that they will always obey the master and take the message to the lost. This message comes as the great commission. it is called great for a great reason.

MBC will do great things. They are poised right now to make a significant difference in this community. Please pray that the youth center which is nearing completeion will do all that I dreamed and planned for it to do. we have waited for 11 years for some relevant youth space for teens to hang out, connect and hear the Gospel. it is almost done and will enhance the delivery of a timeless message.

my resignation?

my heart is broken and my emotions are hurt as The leaders at our church asked for my resignation. I am somewhat speechless as i process this decision that came as a shock to me as well as I am sure many of you. According to them they do not feel my leadership is a "match" to where the church is going. So after 11 years of ministry they gave me a 24 hour notice to turn in my resignation and then a week to clean out my office.

Please pray for me and my family as this will probably mean we will have to move away from our home for the last decade. My calling is to youth ministry and it was decided that I will no longer be able to serve here in that capacity. I will still be around the community as i search for where God is calling me and my family. This will be especially hard and confusing for my kids so please pray for them as well.

We love all of you so much and cry at the thought of not watching you grow into what God wants you to be. as I have taught you for many years about faith and trust in God's plan I now get to practice on my own.

When God says "GO"

I am preaching on Sunday the 3rd and i am going to preach about stories. we all have a story, but some point in our life we have to recognize that I am not necessarily writing my story, but I am living it. Sometimes my real story is not the story that I tell others. At some point I allowed God's story to intersect with my story and I have never been the same. God's story....the Gospel... is an amazing, life changing story that we are told to tell. Told to tell...sounds funny.

When God told Philip to "GO" in Acts 8, he first went and waited for further instructions. Then when he got to the initial place of being sent he got more instructions. ( Acts 8:26) "Go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem..." Philip went and upon arriving God gave him the next step, "Go to that Chariot and stay near it" (8:29). I wish my instructions were that clear. Go there and do that right there. That, right there, in front of you, right there.

I (we) allow so many distractions and noise into my (our) life that i cannot hear the faint whisper of direction or even the loud, neon message. I know that I am to GO, that is easy, but now what is the question I (we) struggle with. But it is not really that difficult. As we go, look for the opportunity. It isn't rocket science, just shareing stories. telling the story of your life and how it intersected with God's story. When God says "GO" that is what he really means. simply to GO. the rest we will learn along the way.

What if...

What would our valley be like if students in the local high schools walked through the halls of their school and did not see people, but souls? What if they saw each person as an individual worth dying for? What if these students began to care for these lost souls that have no clue that they are worth dying for? What if these students began to care and then took it another step and began to tell these lost souls about Jesus, the savior of the world? This would change our valley from worshiping the gods of sports, hunting, music, media and other things and turn them on to worshiping the savior of the world. The Jesus that died for their sins and gave them access to God.

I recently saw the new Superman movie and one quote that stuck out to me was when Lois Lane told Superman that the world doesn’t need a savior. Then Superman takes her to a spot where she can see the whole city and then says something like, “then why do I constantly hear them screaming for one?” That was so powerful and so true. Our world says in so many ways that they don’t need a savior, but deep inside they are all screaming for help. (Romans 3:23)

Does God Exist?

If you have to tell God that you don't beleive he exists what does that say about how strong you believe in his Non-existence? If he doesn't exist that why or even how could you tell him you don't believe in him? Maybe it is written in each of us that our creator really does exist and wants us to talk with him and get to know him better. How are you doing? Thanks for making all this stuff? How can I help you today? Are you pleased with me today? Sorry for yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that,...

Go vs. Come

Why do we wait for those that are lost to come to us? The great Commission is becoming the Great OMISSION in our local churches as we create and produce incredible weekend services so we can invite our lost friends to COME to hear. That is great and not wrong at all. What is a bit wrong is how we are increasingly growing dependant on those weekend services to accomplish the Great Commission. We are supposed to GO (or more accuratley, as we are going) into the world and preach about Jesus. To be aware of the lost souls who don't know their value and their potential. Not just to INVITE, but to also GO, which means we need to be continually preparing our own lives, hearts and minds to be ready to share at any time. We need to be creative in how we take this life changing message, no this ETERNITY altering message to a people who don't know their worth or potential. It is way to valuable to simply wait for the lost to show up to a service when we are not garaunteed that they will live long enough to show up. Don't waste any opportunity, as i am guilty of doing, but instead take every opportunity captive and Give the gift of the Gospel.

Cargo pants

Just a thought about cargo pants. I see so many styles and versions of cargo pants and cargo shorts. I recenbtly purchased a pair of shorts at Value Village and was very excited at the color, style and the condition. Then, a thought. What in the world are so many pockets for? Why does any single person need so many pockets that they have to rename the clothing item after a shipping term, "CARGO"? So these pockets may be useful for various applications, but if you fill each pocket, some of which are oddly shaped and oddly placed, then your shorts would fall down due to the weight of the "cargo". If you feel you need so many items in your pocket to go with you at all times, there may be a seperate issue you may need to deal with. What do you really need in your pocket? Why can't you leave home with out it? Do you need to carry so many things with you that you might need to consider carrying a purse? Now i understand the occasional outing and you have a few items that you would not normally carry and might need for the trip, camping, hiking, etc.. But on a regular basis why? But most of us do not regularly utilize these pockets or even know the purpose for them. What is the draw? Why are they so popular? Does anyone really care?

Tell me what you normall carry in your pockets and how you use "cargo" clothes. would love to hear the feedback.

my girl

My daughter turned 1 year yesterday. her two older brothers, her mother and I are all very infatuated with our beautiful princess at home. She will control us all so easily with her beautiful smile and curiosity. The night before her birthday she and I went for a little walk up the hill behind our house. She sat buckled into the carrier strapped to my back and I huffed it up the steep incline and up the narrow trail pounded into the ground. As i worked to get us both up the hill safely and trying not to slip on the loose dirt under my worn shoe soles, Avery was enjoying the ride and singing. We got to the top and looked around and she was impressed, as was i, at the view of our neighborhood and the many dwellings and lives that are represented there. As we took the horizontal path that took us around the hill and down the other side Avery continued to sing with enjoyment of the ride and laugh at the view of our dog sniffing and frolicking in the weeds and sage of the hillside. Such peace at such a simple thing of riding on dad's back and walking. No worries, no cares, no stresses, just confidence that "Dad will take care of me and, wow look at the dog." Not knowing or caring that the next day will be her first birthday. What a reminder for us to just slow down and enjoy the ride with our father, our dad. He will take care of us and wow, look at the dog.

questions about ourselves

At what point does the pursuit of a sport become too much? At what point does the pursuit of improving a portfolio while a teenager become too much? At what point in the betterment of our status or our athletecism does it become too much? At what point does the pursuit of a scholarship over the pursuit of spiritual growth become a test of our faith in What God can / will provide? If we take the many opportunities for us to better our faith and act on those instead of trying to better our selves, would our lives become better anyway? What does bettering our selves get us when it is our faith that needs to be improved? When does the pursuit of self become sin? At the beginning.

Stupidity = ???

Galatians 2:21 "i do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ Died for nothing"... Yet does this give us permission to sin? If by obeying law I get nothing, then why obey it? If my rightesousness is by the death of christ then obedience is not necessary, right? May it never be, Christ died for me to redeem my soul, but i must live my life in gratitude. I must live my life in surrender to he who purchased it at such a high price. My life must be a refelction of the creator of life. To live a life of lawlessness is cheating my life of its full potential. My purpose is not to feel good, but to do good. My life is nothing with out the redemption of it through Jesus Christ's death on a cross for my stupidity and the stupidity of the world (assuming that we who sin behave in stupidity therefore stupidity = sin). I know in my heart and my brain that Christ did not die for nothing, but on the contrary he died for everthing.

Read Galatians and hear the passion of Paul for this suubject. First he defends his motive and then he lays into it with full passion about the jews for their apparent love for law and not for Jesus. Love it, learn it and let it lead you...

In addition...

Does anyone really read these? why bother, if it is my thoughts why would anyone really care what is said in my head. Which means if you are reading this you are in my head and reading my thoughts.....hey, get out of my head!

the most powerful blog in the universe?

today i wasted like 20 minutes to set up a blog that few if any people will ever read or care to look at. But maybe i could use this blog to put in the formulas i have disocovered that could cure cancer and bring world peace, then people would feel bad about not reading my Blog, the most powerful blog in the universe.