“Crazy” Perspective

This is my first blog in almost a year.  I felt like God wanted me to stop for a season until something really significant happened.  Last night, something very significant did happen- we were approved for rezoning by the City of Greenfield.

This is HUGE for many reasons.  It is huge because this is not an easy process.  It is huge because there are a lot of risks involved.  Most importantly, it is huge because God has spoken loud and clear to us.

Last January, our leadership sensed God calling us to take a step of faith and pursue a permanent location.  This was not what I thought we would be doing at this time, but God made it clear.  This meant that we would ALL have to take a step of faith by giving in a way that we have never given before.  We did this by taking part in a generosity initiative called “Crazy.”  We did this without knowing what the future would hold as we didn’t have a land or building at that time.  Once again, we did it by faith, trusting God had a plan.

The “Crazy” initiative was the best thing for us.  It challenged us to re-think our priorities, trust God in the area of our finances, and tested the temperature of our hearts for God’s mission in our community.  The great thing about it is that it is still doing that today.

Last night’s positive vote should speak volumes to us.  This is an incredible piece of land.  To have an opportunity to have complete highway visibility, off of a main road is truly a gift from God.  God has truly provided us with an amazing opportunity.

Let me put this in perspective- God is trusting our church with this opportunity.  For some reason, He has chosen us to have this incredible spot for this time.  This is a stewardship issue.    Will we be good stewards of what God has given us?  Will we use it for ourselves or will we use it to further His Story, His mission in our community/world?  Will we be willing to sacrifice, give, be a part of this process so God can accomplish all He wants to accomplish?

What started in January was a journey of faith.  It still is.  For God to open up a door like this for us means He wants to do something really SIGNIFICANT through our community.  Let’s take advantage of this opportunity that God has opened for us.  We can give ourselves to a lot of things in this life, but NOTHING is better than giving our lives to God’s mission.

Sunday Reflections

Man, we made it.  We finished up the “ABC’s of Financial Freedom.”  There are some series that change individuals and some that change whole churches.  This is one that I believe will change us as a church.

Here’s why:

-  There were many people who took steps to start honoring God with their finances.  When people start tithing, they grow.  When they grow, the church grows.  This church will grow because of it (I’m talking spiritually grow).

-  We took a step this series learning what it means to be generous.  Too often we equate generosity with feelings and giving a few bucks here and there.  God’s plan for giving leads to generosity.  His plan is bigger then feelings.  It’s bigger then giving every once in a while.  It’s a lifestyle of generosity.   We start with the tithe, and as our hearts become more open to God, it leads to even greater levels of giving.  I say that hoping this is true.  I want us to be a generous church in all areas of our lives.

-  We needed this series as a church.  Jesus said where your heart is that is where your treasure is.  Our giving as a church had been either stagnant or gone down over the last few months.  I say that not so much to bring up giving totals as much as too say that we needed to have our hearts re-focused.  Giving is a heart issue.  Giving has to do with our hearts and God.  We needed to let God deal with our hearts.  No matter what happens from here, we know that God did deal with our hearts.

We are ready for the next series now called “Suburban Legends.”  I am pumped because as a church in our new location, I finally feel like we are ready.  We are ready.  We are ready to send 45,000 mailers out.  We are ready for the new people God is going to send us.  We are ready to take the next step.

We needed the “ABC’s”, but I can’t wait for next Sunday.

Great job everyone for taking a next step with God.

Sunday Reflections-Money, Heart, Decisions

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Matthew 6:21- “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

Jesus talked a lot about money.  The reason being is that the number 1 competitor for our allegiance to God is money, material possessions, or stuff.  Money has that type of power and influence in our lives.  Andy Stanley says, “It’s a conflict you face every day: are you going to serve your stuff or are you going to serve God?”

Does God want your money?  No.  Does God want your heart?  Yes.  The hard truth is that God can’t completely have our heart unless He has our money because the heart and wallet are so strongly linked together.

This is why when people surrender their wallets to God it is such a powerful thing.  It’s not about “fund-raising” for the church, but when people make that decision, it’s powerful.  God gets what He wants- and that is our hearts. People get what they want…more of God, His blessings and provision, and a generous heart.

Today we had people make decisions about whether to give God their wallets by beginning to tithe or go above and beyond the tithe.  A lot of people made decisions to honor God with their finances.  It was powerful.  God moved because more people surrendered big parts of their lives to God today.  That’s why every time I have been involved in a well-done decision time in regards to money and God, it has been powerful.

I really believe as a church we grew today.  I don’t mean numerically, but spiritually.  God got a lot more of us today.  As a pastor, that’s what I care about.  I don’t care about the money totals, even though it is an indicator of our hearts.  I care that God gets more of our hearts.

I pray for all of you who took that step today and those who will be taking it in the future.  I am in this with you.  Watch God move as you give.  It’s awesome what He does!

Pastor and Money?

I hesitate to say this because I am a pastor, but I love teaching God’s principles for managing money.  Before I was a pastor, I was skeptical of pastors talking about money because of the scandal, mishandling of money and prosperity theology (plus there has been a lot of weirdness and bad teaching on it).  But as a new follower of Jesus, I had to decide if I was either all in with following Jesus or not, and that included following what the Bible said about tithing.

I decided that I wasn’t going to pick and choose what I wanted to follow.  I decided I was all in and I have never looked back.

I love teaching on money because:

-  Spiritual growth and giving are connected.  I am not one who said.  Jesus did.  It makes sense- why do some people get so upset when money and the church is brought up.  It’s a heart issue, not a giving issue.

-  Personally, I have more stories of God TANGIBLY working not only in my life, but also in other peoples’ lives when they tithe then any other area BY FAR.  I’m not sure why but my guess is because we are so tied to money that when we give that part of our life to God, He lets us know that He knows it, and blesses us for it.

-  Generosity is contagious.  When the church is generous, God moves.  The church is resourced to fulfill the mission of Jesus.  It’s able to meet the needs of its community.  It’s able to reproduce and start more churches and campuses.  God not only blesses us individually, but He blesses us corporately as well.  Generous churches are high impact churches.

-  Our giving makes an eternal difference.  When we give any money to an organization, we want to know it’s making a difference.  What’s better then seeing people make decisions to follow Jesus and see their forever changed.  I believe with all my heart that heaven and hell are real places and real people go to both (I hate the thought of anyone being separated from God).  Our giving allows the church to advance the mission of Jesus forward in our community and world.  The return is eternity.  There is no greater return in my opinion then that for my money.

I pray that you would follow Jesus completely and that includes financially.  That is one thing you will never regret.  That’s why as a pastor I like teaching on money.

Pass this along

Here is a great post from Pastor Perry Noble about personal growth.  I hope you get as much from this as I did.

#1 – Am I reading my Bible for information or transformation?  (James 1:22-25)

#2 – Am I allowing people or circumstances to steal the joy that Jesus promised to me?  (John 10:10)

#3 – Is there anything in my life that God is consistently dealing with that I am trying to ignore?  (Ezekiel 14:1-5)

#4 – Who are the people in my life that God has placed around me for the purpose of me sharing Christ with them and/or inviting them to church?  (II Corinthians 5:16-21)

#5 – Is there anyone I need to apologize to?  (Ephesians 4:25:27)

#6 – Is there anyone I need to forgive? (Ephesians 4:32)

#7 – Is there a sin I need to confess to others and ask for help? (James 5:16)

#8 – Am I fully utilizing the gifts and abilities that God has blessed me with…or am I simply choosing to waste my life?  (I Peter 4:10)

#9 – Do I know more lines from the movies that I love than verse from the Bible that I read? (Psalm 119:11)

#10 – Is there anything going on in my life privately that, if it became public, would cause me and/or the body of Christ to be embarrassed? (I John 1:9, James 5:16)

One more from Perry

Here’s another one from Perry.  I found myself in this way too much!  I hope you will join me and stop showing God your “but.”

God doesn’t want to see your “but!”

Your “but” is nasty…it is gross…it should be covered up and never shown…

Yet so often times we want to “moon God” and show Him our “but” when God’s Word is declared…

• “I know I need to plant a church…”BUT” I don’t have enough money.”
• “I know I need to take that step of faith…”BUT” I don’t know how things will turn out.”
• “I know I need to admit that I am struggling with sin…”BUT” I am afraid of what people will think of me.”
• “I know I need to share Christ with my friend…”BUT” they may label me and I may lose a friend.”
• “I know I need to put Jesus first in my finances…”BUT” I don’t think I can afford to.”
• “I know I need to end this dating relationship…”BUT” if I do then I may be single for the rest of my life.”
• “I know that God wants me to fight FOR my marriage…”BUT” the easiest thing to do is walk away and start over.”
• “I know the decision I need to make…”BUT” if I do what I know I need to do it is going to cause me to have to embrace the unknown.”

See what I mean…we always want God to see our “BUT!”…and yet He isn’t interested…because…

He sent Jesus to the earth for your “BUT!”

Jesus died on the cross for your “BUT!”

Jesus rose from the grave for your “BUT!”

And Jesus reigns OVER YOUR “BUT!”

So stop telling Him about your “BUT” – get off of your “BUT” and get on with what He has said to get on with!!!

No one ever accomplished anything great for God by showing Him their “BUT!”

He is able to handle your “BUT!”

So do whatever He’s telling you to do…and stop worrying about your “BUT!”

2 ways to get into “SHAPE”

Yesterday we finished up our “Everybody” series by talking about “SHAPE” (spiritual gift, heartbeat, ability, personality and experience).  God has given each of us a unique SHAPE for the purpose of being apart of His mission in this world.

I talked yesterday about 1 way we get into SHAPE.  That is by using our God-given SHAPE to serve in the local church.  Our first priority is making sure that God’s agenda is moving forward in the local church.  If the local church is healthy, this will have a ripple effect onto other things becoming healthy.

I’ll be honest- it saddens me when any person refuses to use their SHAPE to serve in the local church they attend.  I would guess that it also saddens God as well.

But there’s another way God wants to use our SHAPE.  He wants to use it outside the local church.  In other words, He wants us to see our life as part of His mission.  Whether we are at home, in the market place, out to eat, or doing whatever, it’s an opportunity for God to use us to advance His mission forward in this world.

So often we limit ourselves to just church.  God only works through us in church on Sunday and then we have the rest of our lives….God gave us our SHAPE not just for Sunday, but for everyday.  The more we allow Him to use our whole lives, the more exciting life with God becomes.

Here are some ways to use our SHAPE outside of church:

-  Caring for our neighbors that God has placed in our path.

-  Serving people at work when opportunities come up.

-  Reaching out to a person in our life that we know is hurting.

-  Giving financially to a family in need.

-  Praying for the people that you consistently come in contact with at the gym or some other place you spend time at.

I think you get the point.  What is your SHAPE?  Whatever it is, allow God to leverage that in your life.  Following Jesus isn’t just about Sunday.  It’s a life style of following Him wherever we are and whoever we are with.

Don’t limit God and watch Him use your life to make a difference.

Fall, football and “connecting”

Fall is here.  Fall means football (which my Hurricanes took it on the chin yesterday).  Fall also means people re-establishing routine.

Today was great.  We had a contribute “push” and it was awesome to see people take a step to serve on a team as well as connect in a Ridge Group.

Serving and connecting in a group is often seen as “this is what I’m supposed to do.”  As we talked about today, when people sit on the sidelines, it hinders God’s plan for not only their lives, but more importantly, for others.  There is a ripple impact from it.

Attending Sunday morning service ONLY limits our spiritual growth.  This is so much bigger then putting in my time to “volunteer” or go to a “Bible study” (both phrases I don’t care for).  Sure, I spiritually grow when I make a decision to use my God-given gifts to serve, but there’s more to it.  I serve and I am immediately connected to the MISSION of the larger community of Jesus.  It is no longer just about my spiritual journey, but it’s our journey on God’s bigger mission in this world.

The same thing happens when we connect to a group.  The journey becomes about “us”, and not “me”.  We are connected together on the same mission, not just me and you.  When it’s just me, I’m more concerned that I may not know enough, or am afraid to take steps because I might be walking into something I really don’t know much about.

Many of us don’t realize this.  It’s why most people who don’t step into serving somewhere and in a smaller group setting leave the church.  They never connect and it’s only a matter of time before they spiritual digress to the point of “church shopping” or quitting.

It’s also why people that are the most excited about God and the mission of the local church, are the ones who are most connected.  It’s an undeniable spiritual reality.

What does this mean?  If you aren’t connected to a serving team and group, do it.  Don’t settle for average when it comes to God.  God has so much for us then average.  He has what the Bible calls “abundant life.” That kind of life is found in being fully connected to Jesus, His community and His mission.

Great job Leadership Community.  You are all amazing.

Great job teams.  More people will find and follow God because of you.

Sunday Reflections

I knew Craig’s message would be challenging today.  Any time you talk about the spirit world, Satan, and spiritual warfare, there is a part of us that thinks “that can’t be.”

We aren’t used to thinking that way.  We shy away from talking about spiritual warfare and the fact that Satan is trying to keep us from living for God.  But without understanding this, it leaves our worldview incomplete.

If Satan isn’t real, then why do we need God?  We can just do it on our own.  If Satan isn’t real, and the spiritual battle isn’t real, then why do we need community with other followers of Jesus?  We don’t need them.  We can do it ourselves.  If Satan isn’t real, then why would we need to pray except for asking God for “things?”

The truth is our understanding of Jesus, the world and following Jesus is incomplete without understanding the reality of the spirit world.  Not only that, but the Bible talks a lot about it.

Here’s one of the main passages that I hope will encourage you this week: Ephesians 6:10-18  10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Stand strong this week.  Pray hard.  Don’t give in or up.  Don’t settle for indifference or anything less then what God has for you and the people around you.

See you Sunday as we start a new series “Everybody.”

PS- I just want to make a quick comment about spiritual warfare.  It’s important that we have a balanced view.  What I mean is that the Scriptures don’t teach that the devil causes every bad thing.  You spill milk while eating breakfast, the devil didn’t cause that.  That’s the extreme some people swing towards.  The other extreme is that there is no Satan or spiritual battle going on.  The truth is it’s somewhere in the middle.

Vacation

Here I blog on the last night of my vacation.  It was a great 2 weeks.  I have never taken a 2-week vacation before.  Honestly, I thought I was going to have a hard time with it.  I’m addicted to work, so to “quit” cold turkey for 2 weeks was going be a challenge.  I have to say that I loved it.

Here are a few highlights:

-  I didn’t check my email for 14 days straight!  It felt so good to disengage like that.

-  Donna and I went to a Brewer game with the boys.  Someone blessed us with great seats (about 10 rows behind home plate).  The only bad thing is that it was a day game and the temp was 90+.  If you sweat a lot, you are tracking with me.  If you don’t, you are wondering why it was a bad thing.

-  We mostly stayed around the house, but still were able to stay disconnected from work.  That has never happened before!

-  We have such good leaders and staff at The Ridge that it could keep running without me and never miss a beat.

-  To satisfy my type A personality, I made a list of things I wanted to get done around the house, and every one of them was accomplished.  Vision.  Goals.  Accomplishment.  Who says you can’t have that on vacation?!

-  I read some great books while on vacation.  I feel like I got my spiritual battery recharged.  One of the books, “Sun Stand Still”, was incredible.  I felt like God was speaking right to me.

-  We had 2 reunions during that time.  Man, time is flying by!

I will share this one story with you.  One of my “goals” was to have the shutters painted.  They were badly faded and we wanted to change the color from maroon to black.  There were some challenges to this- I’m not handy….I’m afraid of heights and we have a 2-story….and I’m not handy!

Two friends came over to help me with the project.  They were awesome.  They gave up over a half day and served.  After a few hiccups, the shutters got painted and our house is now transformed.

Our lives are a lot like that.  There is so much God wants to do in our lives, but none of us is very handy spiritually.  Not only that, we have our own fears and regrets and shortcomings.  We need people who will come along side of us, and help us in our spiritual journey.  We can’t do it alone.

I had 2 friends come over and as a result my house looks transformed (my parents drove right by it because they didn’t think it was our house!).  If you let some friends into your life to help you spiritually, God will use them to transform your life!

I can’t wait to see you on Sunday as we finish up our series on the Holy Spirit.