That's What He Said

One truth I know about the Bible is that if Jesus said it, He meant it. In my study of the Bible, I always like to look for quotes from Jesus. During this Easter season, I'm currently studying everything Jesus is recorded saying after the resurrection.

The Gospels tell us one of the most common phrases Jesus said after His resurrection was, "Don't be afraid." John 20:19 also captures Jesus as saying, "Peace be with you."

Why do you suppose Jesus said these things to His disciples and followers?

Certainly, they would have been at least a little shocked seeing him alive after the brutal crucifixion and burial in the tomb. Jesus would have expected them to be a little taken back. I think it's more than that though.

Fear and lack of peace are perhaps the two greatest enemies in a believer's life.

Fear to go where God is calling you to go...
Unrest about what's going to happen tomorrow...
Fear that prevents you from letting go of control and giving your entire life to God...

As followers of Christ, we need not have fear or lack of peace in our lives. God is the source of courage and boldness that we need to wake up every morning knowing that He is in control and we have eternal life with Him no matter what happens. God is also the source of our peace - a peace that goes beyond human understanding. We don't need our lives to be calm and without problems to have peace. The peace that God offers us isn't the removal of those problems, but peace in the midst of those problems.

If Jesus says we don't need to be afraid and that peace is being offered to us from the living God, then I believe it and I'll take it!

Favor

Not too long ago, I suggested to our staff/leaders that we begin to pray specifically for favor from God. Of course, I don't mean to infer that we weren't praying for God's blessings at City on a Hill Church. We were! But my suggestion was specific - that we begin to pray for favor.

I don't claim to fully understand the theological difference between blessings and favor or why it matters to God that these two things are different. I simply know that we've been experiencing blessings and favor in an abundance in the last several weeks. We've seen all kinds of things from increased giving to increased attendance to increased commitment to our Church.

We're not necessarily doing anything differently than we've ever done. This kind of favor can only be from the Lord God Almighty. I'm enjoying this so much!

Two Steps Forward

Wow! It's been an entire week since I blogged. Been a busy last few days...

I'm looking forward to seeing what God does over the next couple of weeks. This is a really big time of year for the Church. I believe the Lord has some big plans for City on a Hill Church. We have an opportunity to reach out to the neighborhood behind our church building tomorrow. We're going to extend some invitations packages that include some Easter candy and an invite with information about our free family portraits and egg hunt on Easter Sunday.

This morning, I received word that our Worship Pastor, Norm, came down with a nasty case of gall stones. He's going to be out of commission for a while. God, in His foreknowledge, already put into place a resolution for the absence of one of our leaders. He's burdened the heart of Winston, one of our young people, who has the gifting to lead us in musical worship this weekend. Man, I'm excited to be a part of that! One thing I've learned is that when God is in the midst of a situation like this, it usually means His power is going to be demonstrated in an amazing way. It's like we take one step back and then two steps forward.

I can't wait!

Another Great Weekend Ahead

This is one of those weekends that I absolutely just live for!

Tomorrow, we're hosting a Love and Intimacy Conference for the community of Culpeper. Carrie and I are going to lead a discussion on what love and intimacy should look like in a marriage, highlighting what the Biblical model of love and intimacy is, the biggest differences in how men and women approach love and intimacy and how to reinforce love and intimacy within a marriage. I really can't wait to see how God uses this conference to bless marriages in our community.

On Sunday, we're dedicating Hannah and Noah, two children from different families. I love seeing families transformed by the power of God and the commitment being shown by parents to raise their children in a home dedicated to the Lord. We're going to have lots of extra people at our service who will be there to support these dedications. That means opportunities for the Gospel to be presented and the Holy Spirit to move!

Can't wait!

Stripped Down

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
Hebrews 12:1 NLT

We need to get stripped down. The verse above reminds us that sin can weigh us down and slow us down. It also reminds us that there are things besides sin that can weigh us down.

Our "To Do" list may be too long.
We may have over-committed ourselves.
Our calendar is full with too many meetings.
Our vision has become divided with all kinds of peripheral events and chores.

Busyness is an enemy of our lives that often goes overlooked. Even if it isn't overlooked, it may not be getting the attention it deserves. It's not such a bad idea to periodically re-assess how our days are being spent.

This is such an important element when it comes to ministry. At City on a Hill Church, the ministries we offer are not programs. They are steps. In other words, they have a very specific purpose to get us from where we are to where we want to be. We don't offer ministries just to be able to say, "Yes, we have a _______ ministry." I would much rather refer someone to another church that offers that particular ministry instead of distracting ourselves with a ministry that God isn't calling us just for sake of having another ministry.

Strip it down. Keep it streamlined. Keep it as simple as possible. We can get a lot more accomplished this way and feel better doing it!

Despondency vs. Depression

Depression vs. Despondency. Those of us in ministry need to have a keen eye to discern between the two.

Jonah pleaded for God to take his life. Elijah did the same thing. What's the common thread? Both were in the midst of disobedience. Jonah was angry with God for His compassion on the people of Nineveh. Elijah had run in fear and was hiding in his misery.

Both were despondent, but not depressed. Depression is a medical condition that requires medical treatment. Despondency is a state of mind that almost always corresponds to some form of disobedience. Those of us in ministry, whether we like it or not, are spiritual healers to a degree. Thus, we need to do a better job of diagnosing and prescribing treatment in these cases.

What do you do for cases of depression? Easy - pray and recommend a good medical doctor or counselor. I think Pastors try and play roles that they aren't equipped for too many times. We're Pastors, not licensed counselors.

What do we do when we see despondency, though? That's just as easy really. We pray and encourage the person to begin walking in obedience to what God is calling them to do. In other words, stop throwing a pity party like Jonah and Elijah, get out there and do what you're supposed to be doing. Action is the best treatment for despondency.

Weekend Reflections

It was like the perfect storm. Over the last couple of months, several events were added to my calendar forming a whirlwind week. Every day I opened my Outlook calendar, this week loomed over me with dark shadows of what looked like the perfect storm brewing.

Out of town all day Thursday...
Celebrating Carrie's and my anniversary all day Saturday...
COAHC Sunday service in the morning...
COAHC TriBE Membership Class on Sunday afternoon...
Preaching at the Culpeper Lenten Service on Sunday evening...

Leading up to this weekend, I covered the weekend in prayer. I really focus on the importance of doing what I do with excellence. I simply don't like missing an opportunity to glorify God by giving less than 100%. And, man, did God show up in a big way!

It was a long time since Carrie and I had an opportunity to spend an entire day together uninterrupted by kids or ministry. From 9 am to 9 pm, we spent twelve hours in married bliss. It was so wonderful re-engaging one another in conversation beyond the quick "How was your day? How can I pray for you?" that normally takes place. God has blessed me with such an incredible wife who is everything and more than I could ever ask for.

My sermon was completely finished as of Friday night, so I didn't need to spend anytime on Saturday tweaking or revising as I normally do. Instead, God took me in a different direction for Lenten service sermon. It only took me a few hours Saturday night and early Sunday morning to get down on paper, so I still got five hours of sleep.

Sunday was amazing! God moved powerfully in our COAHC service. The message was difficult to preach, but the Holy Spirit used it to bring people into a new relationship with Him. That never gets old for me.

We had our first membership class and our Charter members on the books. We call it TriBE Membership. We're a Church family with characteristics of a tribe, and we focus on BElieving, BElonging and BEcoming. It's so great to have this aspect of our Church finally get underway.

Sunday evening was the climax to an inspiring day. Preaching at a community service with several other area Church leaders (ie, pastors and reverends) in attendance is always a daunting task. Preaching to folks who come from such diverse Church backgrounds is even more daunting. My preaching style doesn't exactly smack of tradition. Yet, the Lord moved powerfully in His Word and struck at the hearts of several who responded with a commitment to God at the end.

Praise be to God for a busy week... an inspiring week... a week when He took over, gave me the strength and energy to accomplish His work for His glory.

The Train Wreck of Sin

On September 18, 2008, a Southern California Metrolink commuter train collided head-on with a freight train killing 25 people and injuring 135 others. Why? Because the engineer who was responsible for hitting the switch to change tracks for one of the trains was sending a text message instead of doing what he was supposed to be doing.

You don't think your sin effects other people? Really? Besides the modern-day story above, take a look at Joshua chapter 7. That should get your attention.

This weekend at City on a Hill Church, we're going to continue our series entitled "A Closer Look at Sin." We're going to look at how our sin effects not only us, but more importantly, how it effects others.

Please join us @ 11am at City on a Hill Church.

Great Weekend Lined Up

We have a great weekend lined up for City on a Hill Church. On Sunday, we'll continue our series entitled "A Closer Look at Sin." We're going to look at the effects of sin in our lives. You may be surprised at the level of infection sin can cause.

On Sunday @ 3pm, we'll host our first TriBE Membership Class, where we focus on helping people transition from BElievers to BElongers to BEcomers.

On Sunday evening @ 6pm, I'll share a message at the Culpeper Community Lenten Service. The service is being hosted at Church on the Rise on Sperryville Pike. The message will focus on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-34).

My most favorite part of the weekend will be Saturday. On Saturday, my beloved wife and I will celebrate our 11th anniversary together with an entire day of uninterrupted indulgence of our love for one another. I can't wait!

Weekend Reflections

In spite of the nice weather outside, we had one of our biggest weekends ever at COAHC. Besides our Grand Opening, we had more in attendance than ever before. God's Spirit soared through lives as we took a closer look at sin, its source, its power in our lives and its effects. Over the next few weeks, we'll continue to tackle this topic with messages on the effects of sin on communities and we'll even take a look at some specific sins and how to overcome them in our lives.

Our ministry leaders are doing such a fantastic job at overseeing their specific ministries. I love being able to sit back and watch God move through them in powerful ways.

I'm watching our Church grow - not just in number, but, more importantly, in our spiritual maturity. Just as plants and humans grow in spurts, our Church is a living, organic Body that grows the same way. I can say with confidence, we're in a growth spurt. We'll probably go through a little discomfort, but it's all worth it in the end to become who He wants us to!

Leaders

When it comes to leadership, I'd much rather have someone who is under-qualified on paper but who has passion for knowing Christ, who is hungry to serve and grow and who is open to be molded by God's hands. The alternative tends to be someone who has a killer resume yet more focused on their experience and expertise than willing to simply follow God when it means getting uncomfortable.

Since I've been in a position to offer opportunities of leadership to others in ministry, I've often heard God whisper, "His qualifications aren't as important as his heart. Believe in him because I do." I've witnessed God use hands-on leadership experience to facilitate maturity and wisdom more effectively than any formal training or education.

Don't get me wrong. I definitely believe in formal training and education. It's an important part of the equation. But it's not the only thing, and it shouldn't necessarily be the most important thing.

In one of my former ministry opportunities, I served as a Youth Pastor. Immediately, God began bringing in college-aged young adults who could offer their time to be involved as leaders. Most, if not all of them, had rough edges. They weren't prepared to lead middle school or high school kids, but they were hungry to grow and willing to simply allow God to speak through them. I'm happy to say that they are still serving the same ministry years later and investing themselves into the lives of others potential leaders who could so easily be shoved aside.

No doubt, this is a difficult way to go. It requires time and investment in that person's life. And the fact of the matter is, it doesn't always work out. I've had my share of those stories. The reality is though, I've had many more success stories than failures. The transformation that happens before your very eyes and the blessings that come out of it far outweigh the risk and disappointment when things don't come to fruition.

When looking for someone to fill those staff positions, start by looking around you. Chances are there are some people nearby who God is ready to do some amazing things in and through if given an opportunity.

Manna From Heaven

Imagine yourself as one of the Jews who has left Egypt for the promised land. Now imagine being told that you were going to wander in the desert for the next forty years? One of the biggest concerns I would have is, "What am I going to eat? How am I going to survive?"

God provided.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you." Exodus 16:4

Who provided? God did! The One whose name is "I am" provided for the Jews back then, and He provides for you and me today as well.

Imagine if the Jews had to find food for themselves during those forty years. What would have happened if they relied on themselves instead of God's providence? God provides in ways that are not only meant to be miraculous, but also meant to teach us important lessons about who God is and our relationship with Him.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on brad alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV

This was also Jesus' response during His battle in the wilderness with Satan for forty days. God's point to the Jews as they left Egypt, to Satan as Jesus prepared for His earthly ministry and to you and me as we go through this thing called life is that we must have complete dependence on God.

What are you depending on for your daily bread? Are you relying on material wealth? a particular relationship? or perhaps just yourself because, after all, you're all you need, right?

Don't starve yourself today. God is Who you need at this very moment.