What's In a Name?

What's in a name? In many cultures, names mean a great deal. They not only identify a person, but they also describe a person. Isaac means "laughter" (Sarah laughed at the thought of giving birth at such an old age), Moses means "draw out" (Moses was drawn out of the Nile by Pharoah's daughter), Jacob means "deceiver" (He deceived his brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing), and Jesus means "Jehovah saves."

We're kicking off the Christmas season this year with a sermon series on the names given to the Messiah by the prophet Isaiah.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

Each one of these names are incredibly important when we realize the identity and role of Jesus in our lives. I encourage you to dwell and prayerfully consider each name in the next four weeks. Consider how these identifications and descriptions apply to the Savior and how He has impacted your life.

Coming Attractions

Sometimes there are sermons that I get more excited about than others. That's pretty normal for pastors. For example, the series that we are currently in at City on a Hill Church entitled Climate Change is a series of three sermons that are so near to my heart because the content contains the vision for our church and the role we're to play in our community.

I've been researching and preparing for another series that I'll be kicking off in January 2011. It's a series that will focus on the Apocolypse - the End Times. Initially, the series was scheduled for four weeks. It's going to be very difficult to cover all the bases in just four weeks. We may need to go longer.

I've never taught on this subject before, but I honestly cannot wait to preach these messages. Most pastors avoid the topic of the Apocolypse because the content is so difficult to understand and there are so many interpretations of what the end times will look like. For me, I can't ever remember spending so many hours preparing for a sermon series. It's worth it, though!

So, here's to a preview of coming attractions...

Fueling Up

Ministry has a way of draining every drop of energy you have. Elijah experienced it firsthand. But God has the solution...

All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."... He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

1 Kings 19:5-8 NIV

When you read this story, you see that Elijah was so exhausted, he prayed for his own death. He expended spiritual energy in his encounter with the false prophets on Mt. Carmel. He expended physical energy by killing the false prophets and then running for his life from Jezebel. He expended emotional energy by worrying about his people and his own life.

Elijah was fed supernaturally. God not only provided the sustenance, He actually did the cooking, too! Elijah was so strengthened by God's food, he traveled another forty days and forty nights. In this passage, we get a glimpse of what God can do for us when we're run down and have given all we have to give.

The source of our strength isn't in a retreat in the mountains. The source of our strength isn't in a weekend at the beach. The source of our strength is in God's food that He has provided through His Word. You and I have a recommended daily allowance of God's Word that not only sustains us through the ups and downs of life, but also provides strength for those very difficult times.

The next time you need supernatural strength, get fueled up with some supernatural food - your daily Bread - God's Word!

Say What?

Repeating our vision is something I never get tired of talking about to our church. It's a vision that was spoken to me by God's Holy Whisper before the church was launched. It was the reason why our family moved across the country to Culpeper. And it's the reason why our church has been so blessed over the last two-and-a-half years.

Last weekend, we kicked off a series entitled Climate Change that I preached our first three weekends back in August 2008. I preached them again as City on a Hill Church celebrated our first anniversary. Am I really that lost for material on which to preach? Not at all! As the spiritual leader of COAHC, I must continue to remind our people of why God has called us to be a local body in Culpeper and what we're supposed to be doing. I must continously cast our vision before our people so that we never lose track of the big picture for COAHC.

So why keep preaching the same messages over and over again? I read a great blog post today by pastor, author and church planter, Steven Furtick, that helps answer that question. In short, I can't preach the message enough!

This certainly won't be the last time COAHC hears how to influence the spiritual climate of a community!

The Main Thing

Being busy can either draw us closer to God or pull us away from Him. It's up to us!

I've had a lot of conversations lately with people who have a desire to grow in their relationship with the Lord, but who are letting their busy schedules stand in the way of discipleship. Work... Kids... Responsibilities... And, yes, even ministry... These are all commitments that overshadow our discipleship.

If there's one simple concept I remind myself of all the time, it's this:

Keep the main thing the main thing.

For me, the main thing is my relationship with Jesus Christ. That's it! My job, my family, everything else comes after my Lord. Guess what? That's exactly the way God designed it, too.

When we put Christ first in our calendars, something supernatural begins to happen. There is an increase in energy, creativity and efficiency to get done all the other things on our schedule. What's more is that there is peace about the things that can wait until tomorrow. Wouldn't it be nice to go to bed not worrying about what didn't get done today?

Let me encourage you this week to take a look at your calendar and make sure discipleship is included. Keep the main thing the main thing!