Category Archives: Mission

Bible Study, Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Mission, Personal Leadership, Questions, The Word

Leadership Tuesday

Each Tuesday, I’ll be posting thoughts, resources, and challenges to help develop our Leadership muscles. Today I wanted to share with you some of the questions I began wrestling with after reading Philippians yesterday.

As I read, I noticed that Paul is pleading with the church in Philippi to live in unity, have one mind, and to be singular in focus. As leaders, Paul is speaking directly to us. If you have some time today, please read Philippians before you read the rest of this post.

Here are 9 Leadership Questions that we each need to think about and pray through if we are going to be all that God desires us to be:

1) Am I praying with joy for those I lead? Philippians 1:3-5 – Paul prays with joy for those he considered partners in the gospel. You and I have to do the same if we want to be a true spiritual leaders of the people God has entrusted us with.

2) Am I praying for an increase of love and knowledge and depth in my own life and in the lives of those I lead? Philippians 1:9-11

3) Am I living in such a way that those closest to me will know that whatever happens to me- good or bad- Jesus Christ will be praised? Philippians 1:12-26

4) Am I looking to Jesus as my model of service and unity or am I simply trying to keep everyone around me happy and cordial? Philippians 2:1-4 – Jesus shows us what love looks like in public.

5) What am I complaining about? Philippians 2:14-16 – If we want to be different than the world around us, let’s start by putting the KIBOSH on complaining. In Inception, Leo DiCaprio’s character has a great line where he tells his team that he believes “positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time.” As a leader I have the responsibility to serve as an ANTIBODY within my sphere of influence to STOP INFECTION and DECAY (complaining, divisiveness) IMMEDIATELY. This starts with stopping the infection in myself.

6) Am I committed to the mission of following Jesus? Philippians 3:7-11 – As I read this passage I was reminded of Dallas Willard’s quote about THE COST OF NON-DISCIPLESHIP, He says, “Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly the abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10)” Failing to commit to Jesus is a bigger risk than following Him.

7) What am I holding on to in my past that is keeping me from experiencing NEW LIFE in Jesus? Philippians 3:12-14 – What ever this is, I must lay it down and move on toward who Jesus is call me to be.

8. What is something I can rejoice in today, right now? Philippians 4:4-6 – One thing that you can rejoice in is that what ever you are worried about- that thing that kept you up all night- you can take that to the Father in prayer. Let this truth give you peace and guard your hearts and minds. Praise Jesus!

9) Do I spend more time thinking about these things or do I spend more time focused on the junk that the world sends my way? Philippians 4:8-9 – Last week, the world spent too much time praising, laughing with/at, and deconstructing Charlie Sheen. Admit it, you gawked at the train wreck. Your neck got sore from staring at the flaming wreckage. Mine did too. This week, let’s do the opposite. Let’s spend time meditating on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

Thanks to Perry Noble for inspiring today’s post with his 21 Questions Leaders MUST Wrestle With from the Book of James.
2010, Best of..., Book Review, Books, Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Mission

Top 10: Books of 2010 pt. 1

1) Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
This was, without a doubt, my favorite book of 2010. I received an advanced copy over the summer and quickly read it twice. If you need a message to kick you in the pants, if you need something to stir up your faith and desperation for a holy and mighty God, then this is the message you’ve been looking for.

“This book is not a Snuggie. The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien.
I’m not writing to calm or coddle you. With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind. Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places of insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God’s truth can illuminate the divine destiny that may have been lying dormant inside you for years. In short, I’m out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential.”

“If you’re not daring to believe God for the impossible, you’re sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life. And further still: if the size of your vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God.”

“There’s nothing our world needs more desperately today—in individuals, families, businesses, churches, and communities—than God’s saving, supernatural acts. And he’s ready to act if we will be bold enough to ask, not just for a good day or a better life, but for the impossible. Then step forward to act in audacious faith. Each of us is called to be a Joshua—each in our own way, in our own circumstances, with our own God-given personality. As you’ll see in the pages ahead, you and I are called not just to have faith but also to regularly activate our faith by asking God for giant outcomes, taking giant steps. If we have the audacity to ask, God has the ability to perform. That’s how God turns his amazing promises into everyday reality in every generation—for Joshua’s and for ours. You and I may not see the same miracles Joshua did, but we serve the same God. His nature never changes. The same power that stopped the sun and raised Christ from the grave lives in every believer. God still demonstrates his power and supplies his provision in direct proportion to the faith of his children.“

Audacious faith isn’t some newfangled, extrabiblical variety of faith. It’s a return to the core of Christianity: trusting Jesus completely in every area of your life and setting out to devote your life wholly to revealing his glory in this world. Critical clarification: We are saved by grace through faith in Christ—period. Don’t look at the challenge to act in audacious faith as an add-on to this saving faith. It’s a call to press deeper into that faith, until it becomes more and more effective in your everyday life. The opposite of audacious faith: passive unbelief.

2) Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
The number 2 book of 2010 goes to an incredible story of discipleship and dedication to Jesus! You may know part of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s story but this book gives you the rest of the legend behind this amazing young pastor and his battle against the rise of the Third Reich. I want my son to read this book with me one day.

3) Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson
This was probably the most practical book of the year as it helped me change some habits that kept me from getting everything done that I needed to do. The book is one part instruction manual and two parts inspiration. Check out these two highlights:

Imagine you’re standing in a rental-car office. The room’s cold. The carpet is dirty. There’s no one at the counter. And then you see a tattered piece of paper with some clip art at the top of it pinned to a bulletin board. It’s a mission statement: Our mission is to fulfill the automotive and commercial truck rental, leasing, car sales and related needs of our customers and, in doing so, exceed their expectations for service, quality and value. We will strive to earn our customers’ long-term loyalty by working to deliver more than promised, being honest and fair and “going the extra mile” to provide exceptional personalized service that creates a pleasing business experience. We must motivate our employees to provide exceptional service to our customers by supporting their development, providing opportunities for personal growth and fairly compensating them for their successes and achievements … * And it drones on. And you’re sitting there reading this crap and wondering, “What kind of idiot do they take me for?” The words on the paper are clearly disconnected from the reality of the experience. It’s like when you’re on hold and a recorded voice comes on telling you how much the company values you as a customer. Really? Then maybe you should hire some more support people so I don’t have to wait thirty minutes to get help. Standing for something isn’t just about writing it down. It’s about believing it and living it.

Whenever you can, swap “Let’s think about it” for “Let’s decide on it.” Commit to making decisions. Don’t wait for the perfect solution. Decide and move forward. Decisions are progress.

4) Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft
Read this book and avoid being in the 70% of leaders who burn-out and fail to leave a meaningful legacy for anyone. Simple as that.

5) Church Planter by Darrin Patrick
Want to know what this book is about? Watch this video. Now, go change the world.

Advent, Mission, Sermons

You Are The Song That I Sing

Today I am preaching the second part of my Christmas series, Do You Hear? We will be looking at three of the Songs of Joy that accompany the birth of Jesus, the Savior. These three song-prayers are found in Luke (Luke 1: 46-55; 1:67-79; 2:29-32) and are sung by Mary, the mother of Jesus, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and a man named Simeon. What makes these songs so special is that each of them are marked with praise to God for all that He has done in the past and marked by joy for the promises that are being fulfilled.

Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon have spent their entire lives preparing for the coming Messiah. Now each of them was being asked to play a role in the Savior coming to earth. Their response speaks volumes to their level of faith and willingness to follow wherever God would lead them.

Mary’s song set about Magnifying God for his power and grace. Zechariah’s song Blesses the Lord and praises Him for sending His salvation for Israel and for the Gentiles. Simeon’s song is all about promises fulfilled and asks God to Release him to tell the world of his experience with the Savior.

What song are you singing today?

Faith in Action, Lauds, Mission, Prayer

God is God

Anyone ever ask you about God’s abilities? You know the classic question: “If God can do anything, can he create a rock so big even he can’t lift it?”

My question to them is “What is so big in your life- what is crushing you under its weight- that you don’t you don’t think God can handle”

“For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?” (2Samuel 22:32 NLT)

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17 TNIV)

“I love you, LORD, my strength.The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (Psalms 18:1-3, 16-19 TNIV)

We do not serve a God that is ineffectual. Our God is not small. Our God is large and in charge for He is mighty to save. Call to him in your distress- HE HEARS YOU!

Ethos, Faith in Action, Mission, Popular Culture, Religion, Remarkable, Stories, The Word, Thoughts

Penn Gets a Bible

I came across this video earlier in the week. A friend posted it on their Facebook page and I have been going over it in my mind all week. It is a video blog posted by Penn Jillette, the illusionist. In the video Penn, an atheist, recounts a conversation that occurred after a Penn & Teller show between him and a Christian business man. Watch the video below and then read my observations. (If you are reading this in RSS you may need to click through to see the video)

Ok, now for some observations:

Genuiness. The first thig that Pen noticed about this man was that he was GENUINE. The way the man complemented the show and spoke praise to Penn & Teller came across as real and from the heart. Penn also saw that this genuine nature wasn’t just evident in the way he praised the show. This man had a genuine concern for Penn’s soul. Having the character trait of being genuine with and about people was shared by Timothy in the Bible. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul writes that Timothy was a man who had real and genuine concern for the people of Philippi. Paul writes, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” (Philippians 2:19-22)

Boldness. Acts 14:3 says, “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time (in Iconium), speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.” Penn Jillette is a bear of a man. At 6’6″ he towers over most men and his booming voice looms large as well. Penn speaks his mind and is very animated when he talks. As nice as he seems most people would try to avoid any argument with this vivacious magician. However, it was the boldness of this man that seemed to capture Penn’s attention and his respect. It seems that Penn wasn’t the only one pulling off amazing wonders that night. God had a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

Love. Penn argues, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Penn, a dedicated atheist, believes that sharing your faith in Jesus Christ is ultimately an act of love and that keeping quiet about your faith is actually telling the world that you hate them and want them to go to hell. Think about that one for a minute.

One. In the video clip, you can tell that Penn is wrestling with the entire situation. He isn’t dismissive. He was touched. He isn’t defensive. He’s disarmed. He isn’t angry. He is thankful. One man. One incident. One gift. One conversation. That’s all it took.

“I know there’s no God and one polite person doesn’t change that… but I’ll tell ya, that was a very, very, very good man. And… that’s real important. And with that kind of goodness… it’s ok to have that deep of a disagreement. And I still think that religion still does a lot of bad stuff, but, man, that was good man who gave me that book.”

I’ve really been thinking about this video all week. How can I make an impact on others the way this man impacted Penn? I hope that I too can be GENUINE, BOLD, and LOVING to others so that God can use me to impact others in His name.

Book Review, Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Mission, Resources

Book Review: Primal

One of my favorite authors, Mark Batterson, has a great new book called “Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.” I got my hands on an advanced copy and finished reading it earlier this week. I want you to know that this is Mark’s best book yet.

The challenge of “Primal” is to get back to the basic element of Christianity. Len Sweet once remarked that the best picture of the church is that of a swing. The power of a swing comes from the point where we lean back and kick forward. In order for the church to make an impact in the future we must be willing to lean back- past all church traditions and dogmas- all the way into the arms of Jesus. When we do that, we can then move powerfully into the future with the Gospel message. For Mark, the essence of the Gospel message– the most basic element- is living out the call of the Greatest Commandment. That’s the heart of the Gospel. Well.. the heart, soul, mind, and strength of the Gospel.

If Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment, then doesn’t it logically follow that we ought to spend an inordinate amount of our time and energy trying to understand it and obey it? We can’t afford to merely good at the Great Commandment. We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.”

The book divided into 4 sections to highlight the different facets of the Greatest Commandment that Jesus brings to our attention. Mark “reimagines” these elemants as follows:

The heart of Christianity is primal compassion
The soul of Christianity is primal wonder
The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity
The strength of Christianity is primal energy

Mark’s power as a writer comes from his ability to weave his heart and passion for the things of God into every story, every bullet point, and every conclusion. You become enthralled in the quest because Mark is enthralled with the quest. Mark Batterson is the real deal. He is a loving husband and father who loves his church and wants to introduce everyone to his Savior. You will not be disappointed by this book.

Here’s a great challenge for you. Make “Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity” the first book you read in 2010. As we start a brand new decade begin by working out your heart, soul, mind, and body to reconnect to the Gospel of Jesus. Start 2010 as a part of the primal movement to rediscover the Greatest Commandment for your life.

Disclaimer:This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Bible Study, Discipleship, Ministry, Mission, Wrestling With Scripture

Matt Chandler’s Philippians Top 10

In this blog post from The Resurgance Matt Chandler writes the top 10 reasons he wanted to teach on the book of Philippians. Gotta love this list.

1) How the church began. Acts 16: Lydia is a wealthy Asian (Thyatira); the slave girl is an oppressed Greek, and the jailer was a middle class Roman. All were transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the diversity of that cast.

2) The book teaches that the gospel advances regardless of circumstance (Phil. 1:12-18). In an age where it is not uncommon to hear that you can put God into your debt by behaving, I thought this was extremely important.

3) Paul’s cry “To live is Christ and die is gain!” How could he not say that! Lydia was wealthy, religious, and empty; the slave girl was bitter, oppressed, and angry; and the Roman jailer was indifferent and cruel. All were lost in their lives. What else would you live for?

4) The book clearly teaches humility in the life of a believer. We can’t hear that topic enough (Philippians 2).

5) Paul ferociously outlines the reasons to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:1-11).

6) Then, he follows it up by teaching how to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:12-21).

7) Chapter 4 talks about what the heart and mind of a man of God look like. This is invaluable information as there seems to be some confusion on this matter.

8) Contentment is a gift more precious than jewels (Phil. 4:10-19).

9) It gave me a chance to remind everyone that Philippians 4:13 isn’t about playing sports, making the team, or being successful in business.

10) Because if I can help us be “the lights of this world holding fast to the word of life” I would humbly and gladly spend my life doing so.

link

Awesomenessness, Discipleship, Mission, Prayer, Summer, Youth Ministry

Mission Trip 09 Part 2

So I had just found out that the homeless shelter that we had planned to serve while on our mission trip was broke and on the brink of closing. We would no longer have a place to serve. That’s it. End of story. This was creating a giant black hole right in the middle of our mission trip.

When I was scheduling places for us to serve, a food bank in Atlanta had given me a list of non-profits that could host our group. I called the first one on the list: Project Open Hand.

Within 20 minutes we had scheduled time to deliver meals on Friday and Saturday and to pack meals on Monday for the clients of Open Hand.

Remember when I had prayed to God to step in a save our trip? He was about to deliver… big time.

On Friday & Saturday we delivered meals all over the city of Atlanta. We were welcomed into apartments and homes and we were able to pray with many of the families. It was an eye opening experience for all of us. We saw men and women of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and classes. We met disabled people and we met the terminally ill. It seemed that no matter what the circumstance, these people were thankful for the little bit that they had. Some even offered to pray for us! It was such a blessing. Of course, we met difficult people and some simply reached a hand out the door, snatched the bags of food, and were gone. These were few and far between though.

We overwhelmingly had an incredible few days at Open Hand. On that Monday, I think we pack closed to 3000 meals. That is not a typo – Three thousand meals for people in Atlanta. Only by the grace of God!

The whole focus of our trip had started out to be aimed directly at ministering and serving the homeless of Atlanta. We were still scheduled to do this on Saturday night and Sunday morning. However by Saturday afternoon I had begun to wonder whether or not we would still be able to do this in a meaningful way. Again, I guess I underestimated how God would answer our prayers.

To Be Concluded in part 3

Mission, Prayer, Youth Ministry

Mission Trip 09 Part 1

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Three weeks out from our mission trip to Atlanta I knew something was wrong.

I had been planning for this trip for the better part of the year. My desire was to take my teens to another large American city similar to the DFW area to work with homeless and those living below the poverty line. After talking with a few Atlanta ministers back in February I contacted a local homeless shelter and signed our group up to work there for the week of our trip. After Spring Break, I call just to reconfirm and iron out a few details. Everything seemed on track. We would work for the better part of the days in the shelter serving, meeting, and sharing with the men and women of the shelter. I was excited. My teens were excited. This was going to be a great trip.

Like I said though, three weeks out I wasn’t so sure. As we were returning from camp, while my teens slept in the van, I called the shelter again just to re-reconfirm.

“Who are you again?” the voice on the line said. “When are you coming? Ok, Someone will call you back.”

That day came and went without a phone call. The same story the next day. Something was up.

Very long story short… The shelter was nearly bankrupt. They had been cutting staff right and left. Our trip had been lost in the turmoil. They had no idea we were coming and they couldn’t promise to even have something for us to do once we got there. Oh snap!

Have you ever had a moment where the bottom dropped out? That is exactly how I felt. What were we going to do? Time was running out and the bulk of our trip was now, not just in jeopardy but, out of commission.

God, what are we going to do now? Father please help me, help us! You have to step in right now God!

If I had ever doubted whether or not God hears the prayers of the desperate I was about to be shown the power of what an Almighty God can do. Yes, he heard my prayer(s) but not even I could have expected how greatly these prayers would be answered over the course of our trip.

To Be Continued…