There are some really good books out there right now. Here are the last 5 I have read:
Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare To Ask God for the Impossible by Steven Furtick - this book is all about audacious faith - I especially love his Page 23 Vision. Furtick has one of the fastest growing churches in America in Charlotte, North Carolina. In only 4 years, they are over 6,000 strong (seeing 5,000 saved and baptized in their existence).
The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He doesn't Exist by Craig Groeschel - I know tons of people like this - been there myself at one time. There are people in between non-Christian and Christian - Christian atheists.
Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson - You can't control what life throws at you sometimes, but God can work in the midst of your breakdowns. Living God's will for our lives is essential to staying inside His plan for our lives instead of our own.
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan - Chan just resigned from his church and word is he is moving to an unknown country is Asia to get out of the limelight for a while. I hope he still writes and teaches in conferences while on sabbatical. Chan describes how the western church has treated the Holy Spirit like He has been in retirement. Great book on the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Church That Never Sleeps: The Amazing Story That Will Change Your View of Church Forever by Matthew Barnett - not a new book (2000) but a great story of the Dream Center (Los Angeles), an abandoned 400,000 sq foot building Matthew Barnett took over and now uses to house hundreds, feed thousands, train thousands in the workforce and ministry and impact downtown Los Angeles. I've been there (2000). It was amazing then and has grown tremendously since.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Serving Kids Like Christ Did
I had a great time serving at church tonight in our preschool ministry. Our Life Group served and my wife and I kept the toddler class. What a great time of serving and giving ourselves away so parents could enjoy their Life Groups and grow in their walk with the Lord. I am so thankful others do this for us as well! I'm thankful that my Life Group stepped up to the plate, loved those kids and families, and knocked it out of the park! When we serve each other, it is a true picture of Church. Each part does its share. We didn't just keep kids - we ministered to families - we were the Church - we loved on and helped kids get closer to Jesus. Our group had a blast and loved being with all the kids. How could anyone call it simply childcare or nursery - it was fulfilling ministry!
It wasn't without it's challenges - it never is! There is difficulty in anything worth while. There are obstacles and roadblocks you never saw coming. I know not everyone is called to children's ministry, but everyone is called to children. Jesus loved kids. The next time I hear someone complain it is their turn in the nursery I just may throw-up.
I saw the people serve tonight and fulfill 1 Peter 4:10, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." Thank you Harrison Life Group for being faithful stewards of God's grace and serving others with the gifts He has given you!
Let me tell you some things about three convictions I have about children's ministry:
If you want young families and kids in your church, you must make them priority with the money you spend on them. My kids love certain restaurants and certain stores. Why? They are kid-friendly. They spent money on attracting kids. It catches their eyes. It serves us as parents. It provides them a fun environment. We went to Disney World two years ago and are going back this summer. Why? Disney spent tons of money making it a place kids love. I love it that our church spends money making kids ministry fun, relevant, and creative for kids! If you have three things that need money in the church and you can only choose one, you always choose the kids and families. I love it that we have great plans now to expand, refresh, and refurbish a ton of our preschool and children's ministry to make it a place that screams "WE LOVE FAMILIES AND KIDS". Like Jesus said, let the little children come to me (Matthew 19:14). Those kids just didn't show up that day. They came with their parents, possibly their grandparents. These parents didn't put their kids in a room away from Jesus so the real ministry could happen. Jesus didn't say, "get that snotty nosed crying kid out of here." He said "welcome". He placed his hands on them and blessed them. These parents brought them to the very presence of Christ! Parents don't bring us our kids to babysit. They get that all week. They bring them to experience Jesus. We must bring our kids to the presence of Christ each time they step foot inside the church. Bring on the kids!
Speaking of fun, the second thing you need if you want young families and kids in your church is fun. I've always said if all you tell kids to do at church is to be quiet and sit down then that's what they are going to grow up to do - nothing. Church should be fun. Children's ministry should be fun. I loved playing with each new kid who came in tonight. Some were apprehensive and cried at first - it just happens when you are barely 2 years old. But as I got on the floor and played with them with toys or an activity, they moved from crying to smiling. We set the attitude of the room tonight. I love teaching and doing crazy stuff with 4-6th grade Kids Church on Saturday nights. For every object lesson you have, you need a game. Or, why not teach the Bible with a game. "Fun" and "Church" don't go together in some circles. We must do everything possible so kids don't grow up and hate church. Coloring pages and Kool-Aid won't cut it anymore. We must make it a fun place. We must find out what games and actvities they love and do them. We must make church the highlight of their week! My kids love coming to church. We don't drag them, they ask us when they get to go! I pray my kids never lose this. I pray we never lose this as a church.
Lastly, we have to do more than babysit. Kids have to learn something about Christ every time they come to church. Popping in a movie is the easy way out. Here are the two biggest questions parents ask at the end of a service - "Did you have fun?" and "What did you learn?" These two go hand in hand. Kids need to say, "I had fun when we learned this about the Lord." Kids need to learn about how to be disciples on their level. They need the meat of the Word, packaged in a relevant way, in portions they can digest. We don't keep kids - we disciple them! What kind of disciples do we make when we complain about having to serve them! Wouldn't it be silly if we complained when more adults come through the front door on a Sunday morning. Wouldn't it be silly if we as pastors complained about having to prepare services for them? We should desire no less for the kids. Jesus said whoever welcomes one of these kids welcomes Him (Mark 9:37). Did you catch that - when you welcome a kid - you welcome Jesus! Jesus also said you would would not lose your reward if you serve them snacks (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41).
I challenge other Life Groups to step up and serve in the preschool area on a Life Group night. I challenge others to get involved in AWANA or kids church. You'll join the few who get to say, "What an honor to serve. What a joy! What a difference I made tonight in the lives of kids and families."
It wasn't without it's challenges - it never is! There is difficulty in anything worth while. There are obstacles and roadblocks you never saw coming. I know not everyone is called to children's ministry, but everyone is called to children. Jesus loved kids. The next time I hear someone complain it is their turn in the nursery I just may throw-up.
I saw the people serve tonight and fulfill 1 Peter 4:10, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." Thank you Harrison Life Group for being faithful stewards of God's grace and serving others with the gifts He has given you!
Let me tell you some things about three convictions I have about children's ministry:
If you want young families and kids in your church, you must make them priority with the money you spend on them. My kids love certain restaurants and certain stores. Why? They are kid-friendly. They spent money on attracting kids. It catches their eyes. It serves us as parents. It provides them a fun environment. We went to Disney World two years ago and are going back this summer. Why? Disney spent tons of money making it a place kids love. I love it that our church spends money making kids ministry fun, relevant, and creative for kids! If you have three things that need money in the church and you can only choose one, you always choose the kids and families. I love it that we have great plans now to expand, refresh, and refurbish a ton of our preschool and children's ministry to make it a place that screams "WE LOVE FAMILIES AND KIDS". Like Jesus said, let the little children come to me (Matthew 19:14). Those kids just didn't show up that day. They came with their parents, possibly their grandparents. These parents didn't put their kids in a room away from Jesus so the real ministry could happen. Jesus didn't say, "get that snotty nosed crying kid out of here." He said "welcome". He placed his hands on them and blessed them. These parents brought them to the very presence of Christ! Parents don't bring us our kids to babysit. They get that all week. They bring them to experience Jesus. We must bring our kids to the presence of Christ each time they step foot inside the church. Bring on the kids!
Speaking of fun, the second thing you need if you want young families and kids in your church is fun. I've always said if all you tell kids to do at church is to be quiet and sit down then that's what they are going to grow up to do - nothing. Church should be fun. Children's ministry should be fun. I loved playing with each new kid who came in tonight. Some were apprehensive and cried at first - it just happens when you are barely 2 years old. But as I got on the floor and played with them with toys or an activity, they moved from crying to smiling. We set the attitude of the room tonight. I love teaching and doing crazy stuff with 4-6th grade Kids Church on Saturday nights. For every object lesson you have, you need a game. Or, why not teach the Bible with a game. "Fun" and "Church" don't go together in some circles. We must do everything possible so kids don't grow up and hate church. Coloring pages and Kool-Aid won't cut it anymore. We must make it a fun place. We must find out what games and actvities they love and do them. We must make church the highlight of their week! My kids love coming to church. We don't drag them, they ask us when they get to go! I pray my kids never lose this. I pray we never lose this as a church.
Lastly, we have to do more than babysit. Kids have to learn something about Christ every time they come to church. Popping in a movie is the easy way out. Here are the two biggest questions parents ask at the end of a service - "Did you have fun?" and "What did you learn?" These two go hand in hand. Kids need to say, "I had fun when we learned this about the Lord." Kids need to learn about how to be disciples on their level. They need the meat of the Word, packaged in a relevant way, in portions they can digest. We don't keep kids - we disciple them! What kind of disciples do we make when we complain about having to serve them! Wouldn't it be silly if we complained when more adults come through the front door on a Sunday morning. Wouldn't it be silly if we as pastors complained about having to prepare services for them? We should desire no less for the kids. Jesus said whoever welcomes one of these kids welcomes Him (Mark 9:37). Did you catch that - when you welcome a kid - you welcome Jesus! Jesus also said you would would not lose your reward if you serve them snacks (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41).
I challenge other Life Groups to step up and serve in the preschool area on a Life Group night. I challenge others to get involved in AWANA or kids church. You'll join the few who get to say, "What an honor to serve. What a joy! What a difference I made tonight in the lives of kids and families."
Thursday, December 30, 2010
When Things Don't Go As Planned
Ever have one of those days when things didn’t go as planned? Wish you would have just stayed in bed? All of us have had small things go wrong in our lives. They give us a small headache and slight discomfort. But, sometimes, it is bigger than burned toast and lost car keys. Sometimes, the world around you is falling apart. Even if you had a backup plan, it too can seem hopeless.
Sometimes the plans you had for your life are interrupted, shall I say blind-sided, by “dream-crushers”. Maybe the plans for your job, children, marriage have failed. Who would have thought they would be jobless at age 46? Maybe your perfect marriage of 20 years has been suddenly interrupted by adultery and divorce. Perhaps you find out that your kid has been on drugs or is even in jail? Sometimes bad news hits us between the eyes like a ton of bricks. Cancer. The death of a child. Three months, maybe weeks, to live. Everybody has dreams but it can feel like they have all been swept away in a moment when things don’t go as you had planned.
Maybe none of these things have happened to you. Maybe tragedy has passed you by. But maybe you still feel like your dreams will never come. Something always seems to sideline what you feel like is best for your life. The things we assume are going to happen to us in life don’t always happen.
A lot of times when we are faced with any kind of trial we are blown away. We assume that our plans and aspirations are what God intended for our lives. Why aren’t they happening? Why isn’t my “storybook ending” working out? When things don’t go as planned, we are left empty and spinning our wheels.
John 16:33 is an amazing verse. Jesus and the disciples had been doing great things all around them. The disciples are seeing their lives fulfilled. No longer are they fishermen and tax-collectors. No longer are they reject rabbis. They have purpose. But Jesus just rocked their world and told them He was going away. What! You can’t Jesus. Life is good. We are finding our purpose. This is not how things are supposed to go. Then, like only Jesus can, He comforts their grief. He says to them, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What was Jesus saying to them? The same thing He is saying to you and me today. Our purpose is found in Him but we have to remember to look to Christ as our only source of fulfillment. We will have trouble in this world - expect it. But Jesus offers peace. He has overcome the world. When Jesus said, “But take heart,” He was offering healing to a broken heart. He was giving peace to a disappointed soul. He was supplying hope in the midst of a storm.
Christ is our anchor when the world is tossing our lives back and forth. When our lives start to be rocked by this hurtful world, we need to remember to look to Christ’s cross as a reminder of what God has done to redeem our circumstances. God loves you. The plans for your life are trivial compared to the ones He has for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It goes on to say that when you call on God, He will listen. When you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.
Maybe you don’t understand what is going on in your life right now. But remember to trust God. Trust is what you need when you don’t possess understanding. If you are desperate for answers and relief, trust in Jesus. He knows the plan for your life. He desires to walk you through each step, including the painful ones. Remember the last part of Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” The suffering all of us endure in this fallen world can seem unbearable without the joy and peace that only Christ can bring. While we may be utterly desperate and unprepared when suffering comes, Christ is a solid rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Sometimes the plans you had for your life are interrupted, shall I say blind-sided, by “dream-crushers”. Maybe the plans for your job, children, marriage have failed. Who would have thought they would be jobless at age 46? Maybe your perfect marriage of 20 years has been suddenly interrupted by adultery and divorce. Perhaps you find out that your kid has been on drugs or is even in jail? Sometimes bad news hits us between the eyes like a ton of bricks. Cancer. The death of a child. Three months, maybe weeks, to live. Everybody has dreams but it can feel like they have all been swept away in a moment when things don’t go as you had planned.
Maybe none of these things have happened to you. Maybe tragedy has passed you by. But maybe you still feel like your dreams will never come. Something always seems to sideline what you feel like is best for your life. The things we assume are going to happen to us in life don’t always happen.
A lot of times when we are faced with any kind of trial we are blown away. We assume that our plans and aspirations are what God intended for our lives. Why aren’t they happening? Why isn’t my “storybook ending” working out? When things don’t go as planned, we are left empty and spinning our wheels.
John 16:33 is an amazing verse. Jesus and the disciples had been doing great things all around them. The disciples are seeing their lives fulfilled. No longer are they fishermen and tax-collectors. No longer are they reject rabbis. They have purpose. But Jesus just rocked their world and told them He was going away. What! You can’t Jesus. Life is good. We are finding our purpose. This is not how things are supposed to go. Then, like only Jesus can, He comforts their grief. He says to them, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What was Jesus saying to them? The same thing He is saying to you and me today. Our purpose is found in Him but we have to remember to look to Christ as our only source of fulfillment. We will have trouble in this world - expect it. But Jesus offers peace. He has overcome the world. When Jesus said, “But take heart,” He was offering healing to a broken heart. He was giving peace to a disappointed soul. He was supplying hope in the midst of a storm.
Christ is our anchor when the world is tossing our lives back and forth. When our lives start to be rocked by this hurtful world, we need to remember to look to Christ’s cross as a reminder of what God has done to redeem our circumstances. God loves you. The plans for your life are trivial compared to the ones He has for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It goes on to say that when you call on God, He will listen. When you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.
Maybe you don’t understand what is going on in your life right now. But remember to trust God. Trust is what you need when you don’t possess understanding. If you are desperate for answers and relief, trust in Jesus. He knows the plan for your life. He desires to walk you through each step, including the painful ones. Remember the last part of Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” The suffering all of us endure in this fallen world can seem unbearable without the joy and peace that only Christ can bring. While we may be utterly desperate and unprepared when suffering comes, Christ is a solid rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Complacency, Distractions, and Regret
Everybody gets stuck once in a while. I remember getting getting a lawnmower, tractor, backhoe, and bulldozer all stuck in the same day - don't ask. Anyway...I'm talking about getting spiritually stuck. Here are some tips on not getting your spiritual life stuck in 2011.
1. Complacency
Sometimes (we think) it is easier to stay stuck than to move forward. Change can be hard. Whether it is positive or negative change, it can be difficult to move forward through change. We get comfortable with familiar and detest the unknown. We tolerate instead of create. Don't be complacent this next year. Move forward.
2. Distractions
It is like Spiritual ADD. We hop from one thing to the next and never develop a discipline or full understanding in any area spiritually. What are the major things Christ wants to do in your life? Don't know? What has he called you to? What are you passionate about? What does His word say you should be doing? We avoid making major adjustments in life because we are too busy with insignificant ones. Stop avoiding and diverting your attention from God's main callings. What are you doing that really doesn’t matter at all? Don't let distractions keep you from God's best in 2011.
3. Regrets
I think this one only applies to 1 out of 1 people. Everyone has regrets, but they can leave you immobile and cause you to abandon your calling. Regrets can often overpower ambition and desire. Regret can leave you paralyzed and fearful of advancing. Don't let past failure keep you from future success.
If you don't want to stay stuck, then put your life in gear, get out of neutral and PUSH! Don't abandon the vehicle God has put you in because of complacency, distractions, or regrets. What shift are you supposed to make to get your life in gear? Pray this to get started:
"God, I desire to move ahead at your speed, in your direction. I desire to transition spiritually and do not want to become stuck."
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." - 1 Peter 1:3
1. Complacency
Sometimes (we think) it is easier to stay stuck than to move forward. Change can be hard. Whether it is positive or negative change, it can be difficult to move forward through change. We get comfortable with familiar and detest the unknown. We tolerate instead of create. Don't be complacent this next year. Move forward.
2. Distractions
It is like Spiritual ADD. We hop from one thing to the next and never develop a discipline or full understanding in any area spiritually. What are the major things Christ wants to do in your life? Don't know? What has he called you to? What are you passionate about? What does His word say you should be doing? We avoid making major adjustments in life because we are too busy with insignificant ones. Stop avoiding and diverting your attention from God's main callings. What are you doing that really doesn’t matter at all? Don't let distractions keep you from God's best in 2011.
3. Regrets
I think this one only applies to 1 out of 1 people. Everyone has regrets, but they can leave you immobile and cause you to abandon your calling. Regrets can often overpower ambition and desire. Regret can leave you paralyzed and fearful of advancing. Don't let past failure keep you from future success.
If you don't want to stay stuck, then put your life in gear, get out of neutral and PUSH! Don't abandon the vehicle God has put you in because of complacency, distractions, or regrets. What shift are you supposed to make to get your life in gear? Pray this to get started:
"God, I desire to move ahead at your speed, in your direction. I desire to transition spiritually and do not want to become stuck."
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." - 1 Peter 1:3
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