Danger of Routines

So I have convicted as of late about routines. Not all routines are bad of course like brushing your teeth which I hope you all did this morning but some routines can actually stump our creativity. As of late I have been stuck in a rut. I'm not for sure why and I can't put my finger on it. As I was reading a quote from Mark Batterson a light bulb when on in my head. Here is what he said. "Change of place + change of pace =change of perspective". Isn't that the truth. How many of know when you simply change the place you are at and change your pace you gain a new perspective on things. Yesterday I decided to go the lake and pray and read my Bible instead of spending my prayer time at the church or at home. What a refreshing feeling to be outside in God's creation and read His Word. I am going to make it a habit to change my place and change my pace. Whether that's studying somewhere other then my office, have meetings other then the church, do something with the family that is unexpected. I am going to try hard to not get stuck in a routine. I have found that God often speaks in times when we are not in our routines. I have heard God speak at camps, retreats, missions trips, etc. It is not that these places are all that special but it simply the action of getting out and getting a fresh perspective on things. If you are stuck in a routine and feel like you are going no where, take the challenge of doing something different. You never know, you may gain a new perspective on something and God may speak to you in whole new way.

Umbrella of Authority

Started our series yesterday on "Busting Mindset Myths." We talked about a difficult subject yesterday as we busted the myth of authority. Many people have given in to the myth that we don't need to listen or be under any authority. This is such a deception in our culture today and as we found out it is also a lie of Satan. God is the one who established authority and as Romans 13 states if we go against authority we are going against God Himself. The only time we are given permission to go against authority is if the person in authority is asking you to go against God's Word. Other than that we are told to be under authority. We also looked at the story of David and Saul and how David had two chances to take Saul's life but chose not to because Saul was the king that God had chosen as the authority. I truly believe that authority is like an umbrella. If we are under God's umbrella of authority, God's blessing and protection will follow. I have seen it time and time again that when people go outside the umbrella it always cost them something in the end. Let me recap the three ways we can get under the umbrella:

1. Pray for those in authority- We need to be praying for those in leadership.
2. Honor those in authority- Romans 13 tells us to give respect and honor to those in authority.
3. Submit to those in authority- This takes humility on our part but it is always God's way.

Let's not give into the myth that we don't need authority. Look to God's Word and know that authority is for our good and has been given by God.

Wild Goose Chase

Just picked up "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson this week. Many don't know this but Mark is an Assembly of God minister in Washington D.C. He is one of the most creative guys I've ever met and God is using him to influence thousands of people. They currently have church in Union Station at the theaters there and on Saturday nights they have church in a coffee house they built. I got the chance to meet Mark personally last year and take him out for some Starbucks and got the chance to have some one on one conversation. He is an extremely nice guy and has a heart to see the church go outside its walls to reach the unchurched. The "Wild Goose Chase" is definitely going to be a good read and I'm only in chapter four but I think this book is better then his last, "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." The "Wild Goose" is what the Celtic Christians used to call the Holy Spirit. The whole idea of the book is that as believers we need to listen to the Spirit, get out of our cages and begin to pursue God. When we begin to truly listen to the Spirit, life becomes an adventure. I know I have a few cages I need to get out of so I'm ready to get out and let the Spirit lead. Awesome thought!

I am really excited about our new message series starting this Sunday on "Mindset Myths." There are so many people that have different mindsets when it comes to spiritual and cultural topics. For the next four weeks we will be tackling four topics that I believe people have certain myths about. This will definitely be four weeks you won't want to miss so I will see you Sunday and invite a friends as well.

Heath and a cold night

We had great services yesterday as we were blessed to have Heath Adamson back with us for both services. If you were at the second service and missed the first, Heath preached a different message and you can check it out on the podcast. I am so amazed how God is using Heath to reach the public schools and using him in the area of signs and wonders in the church. Heath and I went to the same high school, was in the same youth group and even served together on staff at Berean Assembly of God in Des Moines. Heath has always had a passion for God and has been used by Him in incredible ways.

Last night we also had our annual picnic. It felt more like late October then September. It was cold and rainy but we still had a good turn out. We had some great food and wonderful fellowship. I also learned that I need to get in shape as I played basketball with some of the college guys and teens. Needless to say, I was out of breath.

Yesterday was a great day of being in the presence of God and hanging out as a body!

7 comes to town

What a great week we had with the Seven Project. Heath and his team did a great job speaking in the school and the night time rally was a huge success. We had 94 commitments to Christ at the night rally and over 126 teens attended. We had an arm wrestling contest between the schools and Monte won. It was a great time of fun and most importantly seeing teenagers come to know Christ. I was so proud of all the help we had at the evening rally. It went very smooth because of all the great help we had. Thanks for your prayers for this project and let's continue to pray that we will see many of these teenagers discipled for Christ.

Sunday

I think all the summer plans and vacations are over as we had a lot of people back this past Sunday. It was good to see the sanctuary full again! Sunday was once again a whirlwind of day, so here are my thoughts and reflections:

- Wrapped up the 'Move' series yesterday. I changed my message the last minute as I felt God wanted us to talk about the topic of faith. We took a look at the life of Abraham and how God took him to the very point of uncomfortable faith. The story of Abraham is amazing as you see how Abraham was moved from one faith to the next. Through and through Abraham learned to depend on God even when it was uncomfortable. My challenge to us all is, "What are we doing right now in our life that requires faith?" Good question for all of us to ask.

- Had nursing homes yesterday and it is always a joy to minister there. I had the people pick out the songs and I am embarrassed to say I didn't know half the hymns they chose. ( I just faked the words.) I need to brush up on my hymns!!!!

- Went to Diamond Life and grilled out hot dogs for the residents there. It was fun time to build relationships with the people at Diamond Life. They are truly special people.

- Went home after Diamond Life and watched my Browns get destroyed! The offense didn't look so bad but these guys are going to have to get some defense by next week. The Cowboys had their way on the offensive end.

7 Project Countdown

We are now less then a week away from the 7 Project coming. We start Monday at BGM, Tuesday to Tri-County and Wednesday here in Monte. We still need lots of help for the huge event. Here is the run down of what we need:

Set up Crew- Be at the school on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m.
Prayer buddies- These will be people that will lead the kids in the salvation prayer on Wednesday night. Please be at the school no later then 5:45 p.m. for training.
Registration help- We need people to sign the kids in for the evening rally.
People to represent CH- We need people wearing our blue and white t-shirts to hand out information about our church and new youth ministry.
Tear down crew- About ten volunteers to help tear down the equipment.

If you can help in these areas, please let us know. We can use all the help we can get. If you can't be there, please be in prayer. Pray that God moves and that many teens receive Christ into their lives.

Breakfast Club

We kicked off the Breakfast Club yesterday morning for the late start at the school. We had some great help and lots of cereal for the boys and girls. I think this is a great idea and a good bridge to build with the local school. Many parents don't have a place to take their kids during a late start so what an opportunity for the church to open their doors. By the time the kids ate their breakfast and watched Underdog it was time to take them to school. I'm looking forward to doing this again and looking for other opportunities we can build bridges into our community.

Past Sunday

Labor Day is over and it is back to the office. We had a good time with our family as we went to Des Moines and grilled out with my family this weekend. I don't get the chance to hang out with my sisters that often so it was good to see them. If you missed this past Sunday due to Labor Day plans, I want to encourage you to check out the message on www.communityhope.org. This past Sunday we continued our "Move" series with a message on 'service'. I really believe in the power of the body and how much we could accomplish if we all engaged our gifts together to expand the kingdom of God. At the end of the service we handed out cards with specific ministries that we could use help in. Again I want to thank everyone who already uses their gifts to help the church. We couldn't do what we do on a weekly basis with out you!

Are you ready for some football?

I'm getting excited for this years NFL season. I watched a little pre-season ball last night after Bible Study. Of coarse my favorite team is the Cleveland Browns. What is funny is I was never a football fan until we lived in Cleveland for a few years. I decided to start watching the Browns so I would have a conversation starter with some of our people. (Everybody was a Brown fan) What can I say, but I got hooked. I love football! Looking forward to crashing after church and watching some games on Sunday. Go Browns!

Doing what is right

I was reading in my devotion time this morning from 1 Kings 22 and I wanted to share with everyone a few things I got from this story. It is a story of a man who does what is right even when it is not popular. Here you have a story of two kings wanting to go to war because one feels a neighboring country belongs to him. Jehoshaphat king of Judah is very smart in saying, "We should inquire of God before we go to battle." The problem was the prophets that were chosen to speak for the Lord were prophets who didn't listen to God but listened to man. They wanted to make the kings happy. They gave a favorable report to the kings that if they went to war they would surely win. Thankfully there was one prophet who didn't listen to people but God. His name was Micaiah. Micaiah had a reputation of not always listening to people. Ahab didn't even want him called upon because he knew of this. I love what Micaiah says in verse fourteen, "As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me that I will speak." Micaiah was not concerned about what others thought. He was more concerned about what God thought. Micaiah spoke God's Word even though it was very unpopular.

There are times in life in ministry where I must speak what is unpopular. Whether that is speaking against sin or standing up for things I know that are unpopular. What is important is, is that I hear from God. I cannot be a people pleaser in my life. My tendency is to want to make everyone happy. Reality is, this is impossible. The same can be said for all of us. We must all realize that God's Word always comes first in our lives. Don't always listen to people's opinion or do what everyone else is doing. This can sometimes be unpopular with your family, co-workers and friends. But we must remember that God will bless when we do what He says.

Work Nights

We are back to work nights once again here at that church. Our new building is almost completed as all we have to do at this point is paint, stain and put in flooring. It is really cool to really see the end in mind. Just over one year ago this building opened up to us as a concrete building, garage doors and all. Now it is being used for Sunday School, fellowships and eventually our new youth ministry. We saw the miracle of God providing the $80,000 in just one year to pay this building completely off. God is surely amazing. I want to encourage you to be a part of putting the last pieces of this building together by joining us at our work nights. Our next one is this Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m. Get there when you can and we will give you your own paint brush. Pretty cool huh?

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from yesterday:

- It was great to get back in the pulpit. I really missed not preaching for three weeks.
- Started our series yesterday called "Move." My prayer over the next few weeks if for us to get out of our comfort zones and do something on purpose for God.
- My wife is now teaching children's church. She really has a gift in this area as we did kids stuff for the first eight years of ministry. Who knows, maybe we will see the return of Giggles the Clown?
- I have had a lot of comments about worship during the second service. God's presence was truly among us.
- Change of plans with the Back to School 7 Rally. Pastor Keaton made his return and did a great job filling in for the 7 team. We gave away a whole lot of Action Boxes. Now it is up to our teens to win their school for Christ. It is really cool to get together with other churches and team together so Christ can be exalted.

My timeline

This past Tuesday I was in Des Moines for a meeting with area pastors. For the next twelve months I will be learning about leadership and pastoring headed up by Tom Jacobs our District Superintendent. This past meeting we talking about how our past experiences affect how we lead today. This was an exercise I had already went through once with the breaking the 250 barrier group last Spring but it was good to once again see how my past affects how I lead today. I have been very blessed with a lot of good things in my life. I've had some hard times as a teenager and have had a season of lows in ministry but yet I have seen how God takes those things and molds us into the people He wants us to be. I have also learned that I hate conflict because of my past and I tend to be a people pleaser. I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO LOVE ME! I know that is impossible in ministry and I know God calls us to do things that not everyone will agree on. For example, God called Moses into the promise land and all his followers except for two said it couldn't be done. One of things I am learning is I have to be confident in myself and my leadership and what God is calling me to do and how to lead this church. If I am confident in this and I obey what God is telling me, He will do the rest. If you have never done a life assessment, I challenge you to do so sometime. Just start with your birth and start writing in the highs in your life and the lows in your life. It will reveal a lot about why you are the way you are.

First day of school

Today the kids are back in school. It is amazing how fast the summers go. Both our kids were pretty excited about going back. Olivia had her backpack packed all up on Monday. It seems to get easier and easier dropping them off. Jennifer didn't even cry this year which was a first. It is hard to believe that Olivia is now in third grade and Caleb is in first. Time goes so quickly! I'm just reminded how I need to cherish each moment with my kids because I know some day they will be gone and living their own lives.

Starting this Sunday we begin our new series called "Move". It has been three weeks since I've preached and I'm a little pumped about getting back in the pulpit. I'm very excited about this series as I really feel that these are messages God has laid upon my heart for us as a church. God is calling us to get up and move!

Farewell to a Friend

Today was Pastor Keaton's last Sunday with us and it was definitely a Sunday filled with a lot of emotion. I thought Keaton did an excellent job with his message just sharing from his heart what it means to have intimacy with God. The thing that stuck out the most is how we need to start seeking God's face more then His hand. As we begin to seek God's face, His hand will come naturally. I totally lost it at the end of the first service as I saw my daughter Olivia crying as she will miss Keaton dearly. Keaton will be missed by us all and we appreciate all he has done for us the last two years.

Prodigal Friendly Church

I was reminded once again this week by an article by Dary Northup why it is important that we should be a prodigal friendly church. You may know the story from Luke 15 where the young son runs away from home and ends up spending his inheritance. This son finally comes to his senses and decides to come home thinking that he will work for his father as a servant. To his surprise, his father welcomes him with open arms but yet his elder brother would not even acknowledge him as a brother. We must remember that Jesus was talking to the religious leaders of his day. They were the picture of the elder brother. This spirit of the elder brother is still amongst us today. It is important that as a church we do not allow this spirit amongst us. We must be a church that welcomes all no matter what their spiritual background is. Here are five things Dary Northup says is a important to a prodigal friendly church.

1. Appreciate diversity- from clothing, hairstyles, etc. Sometimes as Christians we get a cookie-cutter mindset of what a Christian is to look like.

2. Respect the spiritual journey of every person in the room- The church should be a safe place to ask questions, to disagree and to share opinions. We are all on a different journey with our walk with God.

3. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead people in lifestyle changes- Remember that we are not called to be the Holy Spirit in a persons life. When we try to clean a person up, it just brings confusion.

4. Church must understand the differences between absolutes, cultural expectations and preferences. Some Christians try to make our preferences Biblical absolutes then they are not. When churches place cultural expectations or personal preferences on a prodigal or the unchurched it places an undue burden that they may not be able to carry.

5. Prays for an authentic move of God in people in every church service- There are no gimmicks in the world that can compete with God's Spirit moving in the heart of a person. The prodigal friendly church prays for that move of the Spirit in people's lives.

Let us not have a spirit of the elder brother but continue to be a church that welcomes people and allows God to move in their lives.

Focus

Back in the office today and my prayer for today is "Lord, help me to focus." Being gone for seven days on a cruise and looking out at the beautiful ocean and now I'm looking out my window and seeing LP tanks. Quite a difference! In all seriousness, I have a lot to focus on right now. Please be in prayer for the following:

1. The future of our children's and youth ministries
2. Seven Project is just around the corner is so is our Back to School Rally
3. Wisdom and guidance for the direction of our church
4. Find and recruit new leaders for ministry

I know God is in control of it all but my prayer is that I can be the vessel that He can work through to see it all accomplished.