Clutter-Free Christianity

I was really excited to read Clutter-Free Christianity. For one, I love simplicity and we've made Christianity something that's way more complicated than Jesus intended.

Mainly it's a book about our hearts and our responsibility in the whole "heart-transformation process." While some of the book was just a rehashing of things I already know, the chapters on being content and prayer are worth the price of the book.

The best part of the book is the ending. The last chapter includes some practical questions that will guide you through the heart-changing disciplines that are discussed in the book. I'm all about doing something with what you know and the last section helps in taking the knowledge that you've gained in the book and putting it into practice.

The only negative about the book is that there are times when I can tell I'm reading a book by a Southern Baptist pastor. Not that that's a bad thing, but for some reason (my dysfunction) it makes me cringe. I think the guys a better writer than that (or he needs a better editor).

New Tags

The new tags I got today begin with the letters "DWF." Liz assures me it's not prophetic.

I'm giving it away

I've got a copy of Clutter-Free Christianity to give away to one of the three people who read this blog. So who wants it?

Taxes

Maybe it's just me, but I feel abused after paying my car taxes. See you at the corner of Church and Main... I'll be the one with the tin cup.

Quotes on Prayer

Remember, no one has time to pray; we hav to take time from other things that are valuable in order to understand how necessary prayer is. Oswald Chambers

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Martin Luther

We shouldn't limit our praying to situations when the answer seems probable; we should definitely also pray when the answers seem impossible. Robert Jeffress

We're worried

Matthew got this note from a girl in school yesterday. Notice how he responded with a yes. He's 5.

Some good quotes

Here are some great quotes I read this AM out of this book.

• The desire for more is like a thief that robs us of the enjoyment of th epresent moment.
• More. Newer. Different. Larger. Better They're all symptoms of a dissatisfaction that prevents us from enjoying the present.
• The opposite of more isn't less. Instead it's contentment.

Easter's coming

I'm really pumped about Easter. We're starting a series on Easter that we're calling What's so Great About Christianity?

We're going all out for this series. Heck, it's our first Easter as a church! We get to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection. In light of that, we NEED to celebrate.

So here's what we're doing: We're about to outgrow the theater that we currently meet in, so we're going to be moving to a larger theater (I think it will be #8... still @ Spartan 16). Frankie's putting together a series of videos that will be flat-out hilarious (all I can say is if Jesus made a sitcom...). The band is taking the next two Sundays off to get ready (we're going acoustic for the next two weeks... nice!). We're gearing the entire series to people who aren't Christians or who don't like Christians or who think Christianity is a waste (so for this series we won't be doing communion each Sunday).

But here's the deal: I'm scared to death! I am confident that God wants us to move to a larger theater... so is the rest of our team. I'm confident that it's time for us to do a series like What's so Great About Christianity? I'm confident that we need to do everything we can to invite people who are far away from God, disconnected from God or who think Christianity is a bunch of crap.

But what if it's a total flop? What if nobody comes to know Jesus? What if every single one of our invitations falls flat? What if nothing supernatural takes place?

You know what? All of my worries and concerns are about things that I have NO control over. I can't save anyone. That's God's job. I can't make people accept my invitation. That's their job. I can't force God to move. He moves when He wants for His glory, not mine.

All I can do is my part... and I'm going to work my butt off to do my part, and I want to challenge you to work your butt off to do your part. And just like Jonathan in the Old Testament, "Perhaps the Lord will move on our behalf." Wouldn't that be awesome!

Resources for Bailout series

Like I shared this morning, here are some GREAT resources that you can and should read:

Books:
Your Money Counts - Howard Dayton
The Treasure Principle - Randy Alcorn
Living Rich for Less - Ellie Kay
The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey
Money, Possessions and Eternity - Randy Alcorn
Fields of Gold - Andy Stanley

Web Sites:
www.crown.org
www.daveramsey.com

The bad, the broken, the hurt, the lonely

I came across something that reminded me how much I desire for Hub City Church to be a community for the bad, the broken, the hurt, the lonely, the imperfect, etc. Jesus was always caught spending time with messy people, with people who didn't quite fit in, with people who were at the bottom of the totem pole in thier society (sinners and tax collectors). I desire for those people to find relationships, acceptance and Jesus by being a part of Hub City.

Another great article from Francis Chan

This is worth your time.

One of our values

One of our values at Hub City is that when we do our part, God does his part.

I read this passage this morning. It illustrates the value that when we do our part, God does his part, over and over again. At the end of that passage is this verse: As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

One of my passions is to see Hub City be a body that is healthy, growing and full of love. But to get there, according to this verse, each part of our body must do its own special work, and in doing its own special work we will help each other grow, and the end result is a body that's healthy, growing and full of love.

Which leads me to this question: Are those of us that are a part of Hub City each doing our own special work? And, as the leader, am I doing my part to prepare and equip people to do their own special work?

Just some questions I'm working through this morning.

Cancelled... Bummer

A dangerous prayer

I was reminded of something we used to pray that I want to pray again, but am a bit afraid to pray: God overwhelm us.

I think that the disciples in Acts were overwhelmed by what God was doing. That's why they were filled with awe. That's why many people were added to the faith. That's why they saw the supernatural working of God.

I want to see that too. I want to be a part of that. Would you join with me and praying God overwhelm us.

We're all lost part 6

I’ve titled this series “we’re all lost.” I’m still thinking through this, but the reason I’ve titled it this way is because we’re all lost, or we were all once lost, or we could wander off and get lost. I mean, even if you’ve been following Jesus for 30 years, aren’t there times when you feel a bit disconnected, or away-from your Heavenly Father?

In light of what we’ve shared the past week, how are you lost? You’ve got a God who is searching desperately for you, who is coming after you or who is waiting patiently for you.

Or are you lost in your smugness? That’s the scariest place of all.

We're all lost part 5

There’s one character who in the final story who never gets enough attention: The older brother. You can read about him here.

He’s just as lost as his rebellious brother. The only problem is that he’s too smug to realize it. He’s arrogant. He’s selfish. He’s got this entitled attitude.

Unfortunately, I think this way too often describes Christians and the church in America. I could say more, but I don’t really think I need to.

The thing that really blows me away is that the father does nothing to convince the older brother to come in to the party. I’m still thinking through this, but it’s as if he just lets the older brother miss out on the party.

If we would just have had a billboard!

Maybe we could have been a lightning rod of controversy as well. Read this.

We're all lost part 4

The third story that Jesus tells in Luke 15 is probably one of his most familiar stories. You can read it here. What we see in this story is a son who intentionally rebels against his father and has to come back begging for mercy and forgiveness.

I think that this story illustrates what my understanding of the entire chapter has always been: Intentional rebellion against God. But I also have a new perspective on this story.

I find it incredible that this is the only story of the three where the person who represents God, in this case the father, doesn’t go after what’s lost. In the previous two stories the shepherd and the woman went after the lost sheep and coin. But in this story the father lets the son leave and then waits, and waits, and waits for the son to return home. And notice he doesn’t wait like we would, with anger and bitterness. He waits with compassion and love.

He doesn’t give up on the rebellious son. And when the son returns, what does he do? He ignores the excuses and throws another party!

Come back tomorrow for another thought on this third story.

We're all lost part 3

Continuing on with my new perspective on Luke 15, after the story of the lost sheep Jesus tells the story about a woman who has ten coins and she loses one. You can read it here. After she discovers that a coin is missing she does whatever it takes to find that lost coin.

Have you ever thought about that coin? It’s not like it intentionally rolled away. It didn’t get distracted by that crack in between the cushions on the couch. Actually, in all probability, it just fell off and got lost.

This makes me think about people who are born into regions of the world or families where there’s no influence of the Gospel. They didn’t choose to be born Muslim or Hindu or Agnostic or disinterested. They are just lost.

But notice that God, who’s compared to a woman, moves heaven and earth to find the person, who is compared to a coin. And when the lost is found he has another party!

We're all lost part 2

Here’s the new perspective on Luke 15 I’m thinking through. You can read the story here. Basically, in the first story Jesus shares, there’s this shepherd who has 100 sheep. One of the sheep wanders off, and he leaves the 99 to go after the one.

Do you know anything about sheep? They aren’t that bright. They’re easily distracted. They don’t intentionally rebel against their shepherd. They just see something cool and wander in that direction. Oooh… yummy green grass.

I think that’s a pretty good description of Christians. We’re under the control of the shepherd, but something distracts us and we wander off and God has to come chase us down. We don’t intentionally rebel against God. We just get distracted and wander off. There are all kinds of distractions: Money, fame, church, sex, worry, religion, insert your distraction here ________.

But what’s so amazing in this story is that God (the shepherd) comes looking for us. He actually abandons the others to go after the wanderer, and when he finds us he doesn’t yell at us and put us in time-out for wandering off. He throws a freakin’ party!

What if, in this story of the lost sheep, the sheep are those who are already followers of Jesus who end up wandering off or drifting away? What if those of us who are in, who are disciples of Jesus, can still get lost? Can you see how this is a new perspective (or maybe I’m just slow)?

(Now before you shoot down my theology make sure you read all the posts. Jesus tells these three stories as a package deal.)

We're all lost

Our Hub Group discussed Luke 15 last night. I love our Hub Group by the way. We had some great discussion. I’m really enjoying people opening up. But an observation by Allen gave me a completely different perspective on the three stories from Luke 15.

If you’re not familiar with the stories in Luke 15 go read the chapter now. Jesus is hanging out with this crowd of sinners and tax collectors. And this fact really ticks the religious leaders off. “Why is Jesus spending time with them and not us? (Unfortunately, there’s always been an “us vs. them” mentality… but that’s for another post). In response, Jesus launches into three stories: There’s the story of a lost sheep, a story about a lost coin and a story about a lost son.

So what new perspective do I have on these stories? Check back tomorrow and we’ll look at the story of the Lost Sheep.

Interdependent

Interdependency is when I am convinced, not that I have been told, but that I am convinced that I can't do what I'm supposed to do unless you do what you're supposed to do. I realize my responsibility, but at the same time I realize that my responsibility is contingent upon other people fulfilling their responsibility. - Andy Stanley

Love this quote. It's a great picture of a healthy team, church, and discipleship relationship. It makes me ask myself, "Am I doing my part?" It makes me ask you, "Are you doing your part?"

Where have I been?

Great question. It's been a slow blogging week. I know you've missed me.

I've waited until now to share this, but one reason it's been a slow blog week is because of something I'm doing for Lent. I've never been one to celebrate Lent, but I read something that challenged me this year. It was an equation shared by Mark Batterson: + + - = x. Make sense? Good! What that means is Addition + Subtraction = Multiplication. He explains it really well on his blog, but here's what it means for me and Lent.

For Lent this year I'm giving up reading other people's blogs. That might not sound like much to you, but I follow a good number of blogs and learn all kinds of great stuff from reading what I read. But I'm giving it up for Lent and replacing that time with some more reading in the Bible. The goal is to put more Scripture into my head so that I can better hear God's voice, live more obediently to him, and grow as a disciple of Jesus.

I've waited till now to share because, honestly, I didn't know if I could give up reading blogs. It's so easy to click my Bloglines header. But so far so good. Been reading through Nehemiah and Isaiah. Good stuff.

Sex Ed Resources

I have had a blast doing the Sex Ed series. Like I said over and over again, we live in a sexed up culture, and as a result, it's difficult to know what's true about sex and what's a lie. There are serious consequences to believing the lies. They take us to a place where we don't want to go. But the truth can set us free.

I know many people struggle with this issue, so here are some resources that might be helpful:
Struggling with Porn: www.xxxchurch.com
For before you're married: Going all the way,
For Newlyweds: Love for a lifetime,
For married: Celebration of sex, Sheet Music

A challenge

Are you a reader? I love reading. I wish I had more time to read more books. But the truth is most people don't like to read. That may be you (probably not if you're reading this blog). But I had this thought today that involves reading, and it may be a challenge to you.

Have you ever compared the amount of time you spent getting ready for, planning and preparing for your wedding to the amount of time you spent getting ready for, planning and preparing for the marriage? Most couples spend an exhorbant amount of time, money and energy planning the wedding, but very little time, if any at all, preparing for the marriage. So, what if, as an investment in your marriage, you read some books on marriage or relationships or how to love your spouse better this year? I can recommend some good books if you're interested. Got any suggestions for me?

Now think about parenting. Most people work hard to come up with a name for the little suckers, they take childbirth classes, they pack the suitcase for the hospital, they paint and decorate the nursery, but how many parents spend some time and energy preparing to do the hard job of parenting? I was really convicted by this thought. So, my goal is to read four parenting books this year. Just finished this one. It's fantastic. I'm looking for the next good parenting book. Got any recommendations?

So, what are you reading? Maybe, for the sake of your marriage or your kids, you should invest in a few good books, buckle down and read.

For all my crazy ultimate fighting friends

Frankie and Christian, this is you in 40 years.

The Temptation

We live in the south, which means we live in the Bible belt. There are churches everywhere. In my county there are +/- 500 churches. Which presents some problems.

Matt Chandler says, Many of us don't even know what church even is. Church is just songs and sermons. But that's not Biblical. That's not church. Church is a group of men and women walking together, covenanting with one another, to do life together for the glory of God, and for the sanctification of their souls in the fullness of him.

I know I've said this before, but church isn't just something we go to. It's something we belong to. It's something to be a part of. I would go so far to say that most Christians in our area go to church but do not belong to one. The temptation for Hub City Church is that we become just another church that people go to... and we could do that. But then I'd have to quit because that's not what I want to be a part of and it's not what Jesus had in mind for his bride.

When church is just something that you go to then it has no power, no vitality and no strength.

The church is a body that we belong to. That means that each part must live in constant interaction and relationship to each other part. But this is hard. Most of us don't know how to do this. Heck, I don't really know how to do this... but I'm learning. It's messy. It requires transparency and openness. It requires acceptance and forgiveness. It actually requires us to love each other (profound thought).

But wouldn't be awesome to create that kind of transformational, disciple-making community, in Spartanburg?

Video shoot

Just finished shooting a video of Sunday's sermon... in case I'm throwing up... which seems more likely now that Matthew's the third and final victim.

Kind of weird speaking/preaching to a video camera. I couldn't tell if I was connecting or if the camera was taking a nap.

Water your grass

One of the challenges I gave married couples last Sunday was to water their grass. In other words, invest in their marriage. I challenged couples to do things for each other that they used to do when they were dating. I challenged guys to shave, take a shower and wear clean underwear (or underwear without holes). I challenged them to date their spouse, to apologize to one another, to listen to each other.

I forgot one think that might be huge for some couple. Are you ready? It's profound. Talk. Talk to each other. Turn off the TV and talk. Maybe fast from TV for a week and instead use that time to talk with one another.

Water your grass.

Some prayer

I know I posted about Levi being sick... well, he still is... and Liz came home from work sick.... I would appreciate you praying that the sickness stops with her. We don't really need all 5 of us blowing chunks..., or at least I don't want all five of us to get it.

Fundamentally different

I'm a bit reluctant to post this, but it's something I've been thinking lately. This past Wednesday I got to share with a group of pastors in York a little about our story and who we are as a church. For some reason, at the time, I felt like I left something out of my talk, and it wasn't until my drive home that I realized what it was. Who we are as a church is fundamentally different than most churches (notice I said different, not better... that's a big distinction. Don't hear what I'm not saying.).

Our mission is to make disciples who make disciples. Everything we do fits under that umbrella. Discipleship as a program that we do in addition to other stuff. It's all we do. That's why everything we do fits into our process for making disciples. Pretty simple (not easy, but simple).

It's also a relational process. We're trying to be intentional so that everything we do leads to relationships. Some of my Idaho friends say it this way: Making Biblical disciples in a relational context. I like that.

Not sure if this makes any sense... like I've said before, this blog is often more for my processing than other's benefit. :)

Good addition to Sex Ed

My story is better than yours

So, Levi threw up all night. Fun. So, Liz decided to stay home for a while this AM with him. Well, she got a call that there was a fire at her office building, so she couldn't go into the office and is getting to work from home (like me!).

Vomit and fire. I dare you to top that today.

PS. Green beans make for really disgusting vomit.

PSS. Levi just said, "It's fun to throw up." He doesn't get that from me.

Honesty

I read this on Shawn's blog yesterday and it resonated with me. I have the same desire for our church, our team and our Hub Groups.

One of the other most important Ministry Team Values at [Hub City Church] is honesty. We practice and expect honesty from each other as a team. If loyalty brings leverage in a relationship, honesty brings loyalty--in the long run. However, the right kind of honesty on a team often brings SHORT TERM conflict. REAL honesty often rocks the boat. Total honesty can create awkward moments.
As some of you know, I believe one of the most damaging things that can happen on a team is when people are 90% honest with each other. I fact, I believe that most of the time, people share about 10% of their total honest feelings in conversations BECAUSE they don't want to to rock the boat. On our team, however, we practice and expect our team tell tell each other our "last ten percent." Let me know what you REALLY think. Tell me when I made you mad. Tell me when I hurt your feelings. Tell me what you REALLY think about my idea. Tell me how you REALLY think the service went this past Sunday. Tell me what you REALLY think about my preaching. Notice I said: "Tell ME". Not everyone else. That's where total honesty builds loyalty! If anyone on my team can be totally honest with me, they shouldn't have to go "vent" to anyone else! "Venting" is not Biblical and we don't allow it on ou team!
I'll grant you, not every team wants to practice the "last ten percent". Not everyone one wants to hear the last ten percent. However, I think that's because we're not used to practicing it anywhere else in our lives! Even in our own families! Here's the cool part, though: Total honesty fosters excellence. Total honesty helps me improve. Total honesty helps me make the best decisions possible. Total honesty helps keep a clean slate in our relationship. Loyalty and honesty: values of a great team! Our team!

8 Baby Steps to Adultery

Today we're in week three of this series we're calling Sex Ed and we're talking about Adultery. We camped out in Proverbs 5. Here are the 8 Baby Steps to Adultery that I talked about:

1. They enjoy common interests.
2. They share personal information.
3. They anticipate time together.
4. They hide the relationship from their spouses.
5. They flirt with minor arousing touch.
6. They invent excuses to call or meet.
7. They deceive their spouse with words and actions.
8. They engage sexually.
   

Prayers por favor

I'm about to take off with some of our team to Immersion 2. Would appreciate you praying for this time for us. We're going to plan, learn, develop and have fun. Thanks for praying.

What I've been reading lately

I have a confession to make. I like reading leadership books. The problem, however, is that I often come away from most leadership books with some disappointment, and an unexplainable unsettledness. That was not the case with Nancy Ortberg's new book. It is fantastic. Quite possibly the best book on leadership I've ever read. I was trying to figure out why I think it might earn that honor and here's what I came up with. While leaders are important, they aren't the superheros that other leadership books make them out to be. She talks about teamwork, collaboration, creating tension, and conflict. Honestly, the way she talks about leadership reminds me of this Rabbi guy who lead twelve nobodies to change the world. Great book. Definitely a must read.

So far I've read every book from Malcolm Gladwell. I love his stuff. Seriously, it's some of the most unique and thought provoking stuff out there. His latest book doesn't disappoint. The main point of the book is that success doesn't just happen. It's the result of being in the right place at the right time, being born in the right place at the right time, having the right resources available, perserverance, and 10,000 hours of practice. It's definitely caused me to rethink all those "out-of-nowhere" success stories. It's a great, fun read.

While I've got other books in the pipeline, I just started this book. I'm supposed to write a review on in for a local magazine (Roots). So far it's pretty interesting. I think I've got an idea for a No Perfect People Allowed part 2 series. You'll just have to wait until the fall to find out more about that.

What's God up to?

A lot of people are going through hard times right now. People are losing jobs. People's jobs aren't paying what they used to. Everybody's tightening their belts (except District 7). And to be honest, it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of hope on the horizon.

Here's a thought: When we're in a situation that we don't understand we're tempted to try and figure out how to get out of the situation... which is sometimes a good idea, but not always a good idea. Sometimes, that situation, is exactly where God wants us to be.

I think God is up to something. The difficulties you're facing now are part of your discipleship process. They are circumstances that God is using to refine you, grow you, make you more like Jesus. I know that doesn't make you feel any better, but it's true.

What if, instead of trying to figure everything out and trying to fix everything, you instead asked, "God, what are you up to in me? What are you trying to develop in me? What are you trying to shape in me? What are you up to?

God's always up to something. Too often we miss out on what God's doing because we forget that.

You know you want to be like us :)

Lewis and Keller on humility

Read a great article this AM from Tim Keller on humility. Thought I'd share a quote from C.S. Lewis that Keller included and a few thoughts from Keller.

If we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good--above all, that we are better than someone else--I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the Devil. -Lewis

Gracious, self-forgetful humility should be one of the primary things that distinguishes Christian believers from the many other types of moral, decent people in the world. But I think it is fair to say that humility, which is a key differentiating mark of the Christian, is largely missing in the church. Nonbelievers, detecting the stench of sanctimony, turn away. -Keller

Preach it Ed

I believe somewhere along the way we have become confused in thinking that it is our methods, marketing, programs, staff, and facilities that will grow the church. We've somehow forgotten the impact of God working through the Spirit of God to complete his intentions from the Word of God to serve as a catalyst for transforming lost sinners into becoming the redeemed people of God. - Ed Stetzer

churplanter.com tickets?

So, any of my readers out there have a few extra churchplanters.com tickets you want to give away? For free? If you could hook me up let me know.

Good stuff

I've been trecking through the book of Romans. Maybe it's just me, but often times I find Romans difficult to read. But this AM I read this. Definitely good stuff. Very encouraging. No matter what's going on in your life, what you've done, what you've seen, where you are, whatever... meditate on this for a while today. I am.

Where would you invest?

Just read an interesting article. It got me thinking about something.

I want Hub City to be known as a generous church. I most definitely don't want us to end up spending all of the money that people give on ourselves. Currently we give away 10% of whatever comes in to support two church plants and foreign and domestic missionaries. We also invest a huge chunk of funds locally through Movies in the Park and other local missions activities. I would love for us to get to a place one day when we're giving 50% or more of our income away.

So that leads me to this question: If you were in charge of giving 50% of Hub City's income away, where would you give it to? I'd love to hear your suggestions. What organizations should we support? What causes should we give to? Who should we bless? Who knows, sometime in the future something that you mention might be something we support.

Conflict is good... huh?

Very few people love conflict. Most avoid it. Those that do love it usually just like being able to pounce on somebody else so they can win and feel better about themselves. But here's a profound thought I came across the other day: What if conflict and conflict resolution are as important in our discipleship as prayer and Bible reading? I think that it might be, and as a result, since most of us avoid it or don't handle it the right way then we're missing out on an essential aspect of our discipling.

It's also something that's essential to healthy teams (churches). Nancy Ortberg says this: Great teams need spirited, unfiltered debate. They need it to clear the air, they need it to trust each other, and they need it to make important decisions worth committing to. Great teams need leaders who are comfortable with debate and actually require it.

It's said that the further up in an organization you go the less likely you are to hear the truth. I want people to tell me the truth. I want people to disagree with me and challenge me. I want to do the same to them. I think that kind of conflict helps teams grow. I also think that kind of conflict is essential to discipleship.

I've got to be honest. I'm feeling nervous about our new series that starts on Sunday. Sex is such a sensitive subject. So many people carry hurt and shame and guilt over stuff they've done or had done to them. I so much want to communicate both grace and truth (that's what Jesus did... just read John 1:14).

Don't get me wrong. I'm really excited about the series. It's a subject that the church needs to discuss, but it's a subject that needs to be discussed in the right way. I want to be a voice of hope. I want Hub City to be a community where people can be real and accepted and find healing, grace and forgiveness. I sure would appreciate your prayers.

Beginning this Sunday

Thoughts on yesterday

Yesterday was a really cool day for Hub City. We had one of our largest crowds ever. We had a bunch of new folks. We had a new couple in my Hub Group (which was fantastic... and Allen did a phenom job telling the story). It was fun having a full drum set (Jacob was rockin'). I got to play the wii with my boys. It was a good day, but at the same time, I left our gathering yesterday with a bit of an unsettled feeling.

I hate it when I get that "feeling" that something's not right, but I don't know what it is and I can't figure out what it is... you know what I'm talking about? Well, I took Henry for a walk yesterday afternoon and it hit me. It's nothing big, but I think it'll be pretty profound for our Gatherings. What I'm I talking about? I can't tell you, but this Sunday we'll test it out. Let me know if you notice a difference.

I've got to say. I really love being a part of Hub City. I love out team. I love my Hub group. I love what God's doing in people's lives. I love making disciples who make disciples. I love helping people hear from God and do what he says. I love creating a church that 20 and 30 somethings want to be a part of.

Bummer

The story didn't air last night. Sorry to those who stayed up to watch for nada. I must have been too much of a dork to put on air. Maybe they'll air it at a later date.

Prayer

I would appreciate your prayers. I'm about to be interviewed by Fox Carolina about our Sex Ed series. I'm a tad bit nervous. You can watch tonight @ 10 to see how foolish I sound/look.

Something to ponder

When was the last time God spoke to you about what He wanted to do and you were scared to death by it's magnitude? - Henry Blackaby

Together

I'm almost finished reading this book. It's possibly one of the best leadership books I've read. I will definitely reread it.

I came across this quote the other day that I've been meaning to pass along. On page 114 Nancy quotes someone who says, "We all know that we are better people when we get around each other."

Wow.

That's profound.

Think about who you hang out with. Are you better people when you get around each other? Think about who you work with. Are you better people when you get around each other? Think about the people who are a part of your church. Are you better people when you're around each other?

That's how it should be. That's the kind of work environment I want to be a part of. That's the kind of Hub Group I want to be a part of. That's the kind of church I want to be a part of.

Why?

I should have posted this yesterday, but why do we totally freak out when there's a dusting of snow on the ground? Why were schools cancelled all day yesterday? Why are the kids going to have to make up the day when it wasn't their fault that school was cancelled (and it wasn't the weather's fault either)?

It's like somebody sprinkled baby powder in my yard and so they cancelled school. I just don't understand. If you can tell me why I'd really appreciate it. :)

FYI: My boys had a fun day off of school and enjoyed playing in the dust.

Lovin' it

I really love this series we've been doing on Sunday mornings called TXT. The point behind the series is pretty simple: I want people to read their Bibles. I have been completely blown away with people's response. It quite possibly could be the most response I've every gotten from a series. KEEP READING!!!

I know it sounds simple, but I think that reading the Bible is one of the most important disciplines a disciple of Jesus can do. Going hand-in-hand, however, is doing what it says. Which leads me to a verse I read this AM out of Joshua 22:5. The Eastern Tribes had just finished their tour of duty helping clear the land west of the Jordan for their fellow Israelites and were now permitted to go back home. Before they left Joshua gave them this instruction: Be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in His ways, obey His commands, hold firmly to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.

What if that verse characterized our lives? What if, when people talked about us, they said things that were in that verse? What if we could be known as people who love the Lord our God, who walk in His ways, who obey his commands, who hold firmly to Him, and who serve Him with all our hearts and all our souls?

It's about hearing from God and doing what He says.

Thoughts on the modern church

I read this on Mark Batterson's blog this AM. It's worth reading:

I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace.

The 5 Rules of Cuddling

I know you've been wondering, well, Matthew (my five year old) just filled me in on the five rules for cuddling.

1. The light's must be off.
2. You have to talk.
3. You can cuddle in a chair or bed.
4. There can be no collapsing (ie. it must be a safe environment.)
5. You have to be snugly and cuddly.

Just in case you're wondering... now you know. :)

So true

One of my fave bloggers is Ben Arment. What he wrote here is so true.

Liz and I have been in Spartanburg for three and a half years. I think that over that time we've been able to develop relationships and put down "roots" that are leading to what we're a part of now. Movies in the Park was (and is) about putting down roots. Friendships are about putting down roots. Roots are key.

It's funny. Malcom Gladwell's new book, Outliers, also shares how sociological factors are key to a persons' success.

The right perspective

Confession time: I get discouraged pretty easily. When things don't go how I think they should go, when expectations aren't met, when there's relational strife... I get discouraged.

Intellectually, I know that this kind of discouragement is stupid. As a Christian I know that my hope shouldn't be in expectations, but in Jesus. But at the same time, I still get discouraged.

But I've discovered something lately. With the right perspective, discouragement isn't able to gain a foothold in my life. When I look at the big picture I don't get discouraged. When I keep the long view in front of me instead of the short term view I don't get discouraged. When I see conflict as the natural part of life and relationships (that's actually healthy if handled the right way) then I don't get discouraged. It's all about having the right perspective... but it's much easier to write about than do.

"...They did not consult the Lord..."

I'm reading through the book of Joshua right now. I love the story that you find in Joshua. Over and over again you see where the people of Israel hear from God and then do what He says (our definition of a disciple). Well, there's this interesting story in Chapter 9 where this group of Gibeonites makes a peace treaty with Israel. The Gibeonites are scared to death. They have heard how Israel has wiped out anyone and everyone in the land, so they resort to deception in order to save themselves. Who can blame them. I'd do the same thing.

They're pretty shrewd folks these Gibeonites. In order to make it appear that they are from a "distant land" they put on ragged clothes and sandals, take dry and moldy bread, and come raising the white flag to the Israelites begging for a peace treaty. Verse 14 says, "So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord."

It makes sense what the Israelites did. They looked at the situation, they looked at the circumstances, they looked at the evidence, and they made a rational decision. All the evidence showed that the Gibeonites were who they said they were and so the Israelites made the logical decision.

The thing the Israelites forgot was that they were God's chosen people. They forgot to bring God in on the decision. "They did not consult the Lord." Ouch.

This is a pretty powerful verse to me because so many times we make decisions based on what we can see. We make decisions based on the evidence that's in front of us. But we fail to "consult the Lord." We're told to "walk by faith and not by sight," but too often we leave faith out of the equation altogether.

This does not mean that we're to be stupid or irrational with our decision making. It just means that there's a God factor that we not only need to consider, but that we need to know and follow. God sees things we can't see. He knows things we don't know.

So what's my point? Don't be someone who fails to "consult the Lord." Don't just live by what you can see. "...they did not consult the Lord...," May that not be said of us.

The New Van

Here it is. The new Everette van. My only concern is, does orange go with gold? Wanna know my favorite part? It's got an auxiliary plug where I can connect my iPod. Yippee!

If you see us driving around be sure to honk, but if you hit us I might have to get violent! :)

Thanks to everyone who prayed that God would provide. Now we just need to find a new location that's the right location for Hub City's gathering.

Excuses

I've been a little slow in the blogging world the past two weeks... but I have a good excuse. First, we've been looking for a new van. We had two that we really liked get sold out from under us. We're still looking. Second, I've be working hard to find a new Sunday AM meeting location for Hub City Church. We've got a number of possibilities, but nothing is for sure. Leaving the theater was not our first choice, but it's not financially responsible for us to stay there right now.

I'd love your prayers over each of these issues. We need a van. We need a new place to gather.

Commentary

Here's the link to the article/commentary that was in the Herald Journal today. There was a really cool color picture of me in the paper that didn't make it to the website... which is probably better for you. And yes, I did quote a country song. Just trying to connect with the culture.

Speaking of the New Years...

I had planned a series of posts that had to do with three New Year's resolutions that you and I need to make, but I can't post them right now. Why? Well, two weeks ago I was invited to be a regular contributor to the "commentary" section of the Herald-Journal's Faith section. I had to send in a sample for editor's approval. Well, the article was my resolution series and they decided to publish it. It'll be in the paper tomorrow (Saturday).

I'm blown away, honored, grateful, and excited about this opportunity. I'll post a link after it goes live online. The only downside is they have to put a mug-shot of my face next to the article. I think that could hurt their image.

The Big 4

Even if you've been in a whole lately, you know about the Big 3. They were the lucky recipients of my money. :) But enough about cars and bailouts. The new year is a great time to evaluate your life. As someone who's passionate about making disciples who make disciples, I thought I'd share four habits that are essential to a growing disciple. I call them The Big 4. They are things that we do as opposed to things that we know. So what are The Big 4? Here you go:

1. Spiritual Disciplines. These are things like Bible reading, prayer, solitude, and fasting (I know, that's a dirty word). In my opinion this is the most important of the Big 4. Spiritual disciplines are essential to being a growing disciple. We see Jesus going off by himself to pray. He takes a 40 day fast before he begins his ministry. We see that he knows the Bible backwards and forwards. This is so important to me that we're going to be spending the first four Sundays of 2009 talking about one specific Spiritual Discipline: Reading your Bible. How's your discipline?

2. Community. You cannot do the Christian life alone. It's impossible. You need a community. You need relationships. We see this modeled in the trinity. We see this modeled in how Jesus discipled the 12. Real discipleship requires real relationships. Who are you doing life with?

3. Service. Most pastors limit this service to positions that are inside the church. And while those are important I think that service is more of a way of life than something you check off each Sunday. It's giving your neighbor a ride, making a friend a meal, helping someone who's less fortunate, plus contributing to the mission of your local church. Jesus did say that he didn't come to be served by to serve. Where are you serving? Is service a way of life?

4. Worship. Worship is a lifestyle. It's arranging your entire life so that it makes God look good. At the same time, however, I think it's essential for disciples of Jesus to worship together on a regular basis. Do you gather for worship regularly?

There you have it: The Big 4. Each is essential to discipleship. But even though each is essential and you can't go without one of the four, I've put them in order of importance... from my perspective. So how are you doing with The Big 4? How about starting the year off with the commitment to develop habits that help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.

Something for the new year

I've been taking some time off from blogging the past week and a half. Maybe later I'll tell you what I've been doing with my time. But I read this passage this morning and think it's a great mindset to have as we start the new year:

16 This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

And the number is...?

Yesterday, Hub City's entire offering was designated to go to Water Mission International. The numbers have been tallied. The count is in. You gave a total of $687.13!!! If I'm not mistaken, that's the largest offering we've ever taken in. I think that's pretty generous for our small community. Thanks to everyone for giving. What a great opportunity to make a difference in the world.

We're still tallying up the number of first time guests we had during December. We're going to donate $1 for each first time guest to Water Mission International as well.

In the paper... again!

I thought last week's little snippet was all the free press we were going to get, but there's a big article in today's Herald-Journal about our Advent Conspiracy. Pretty sweet! You can read the article here.

I'm really blown away by God's goodness and how he's provided these opportunities and granted us favor. He's provided another really, really cool opportunity, but I can't tell you about it quite yet.

I need to say to the community of people that make up Hub City Church: You all are awesome! It is an honor to be on this journey with you. Isn't it incredible that God has given us the opportunity to be a part of what he's doing in the world. I consider it a privilege to serve with you. It's great to do this with friends.

Watch this video

If you care at all about people going to heaven or hell then watch this video. Penn is an atheist (as he mentions), but is pretty profound in his comments. Love to know what you think.

We're in a season

Have you ever noticed that life is seasonal? It’s not just Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. All of life is seasonal. I was reading and came across these seasons in the life of a church.

Growth season: This is a time when everything is rosy. Attendance is spiking, giving is on the rise, programs are thriving, and the future looks bright.

Consolidation season: The goal during consolidation is to assimilate and support the people who showed up during all of that growth.

Transition season: This could be the result of staff changes, economic uncertainties, or facility issues that leave people feeling a bit off balance and uncertain.

Malaise season: In this season things are unusually somber, stale, and just plain stuck. There’s no buzz.

Reinvention season: This is when the leader announces that it’s time to put every ministry of the church under the microscope and discern whether it needs a face-life, an overhaul or a funeral—a necessary pruning exercise to make room for future growth.

I think it’s good to remember that life is seasonal. It’s also beneficial to acknowledge what season you’re in so that you don’t get stuck there. Each season is temporary (unless you get stuck—then there may need to be a funeral).

When I look at the above seasons I think we’re in two at the same time. Wanna guess which two?

Read this... seriously

Stop what you're doing and read this article. My prayer is the same as Francis Chan's:

May people see our churches and know that mere human beings could not have created what they experienced. May we seek the priorities of the early church and trust God to once again produce the fruit of the early church.

Hub City Christmas Shindig

I need your support

That's right, you need to come support me. I'll be a part of a panel discussion tomorrow night (Wednesday) after the viewing of this documentary. It starts at 7:30 at the Hub-Bub downtown. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity, but could use your prayers. I want to represent Jesus well.

Living Rich For Less - a review

Practical. That’s really the best thing I can say about Living Rich for Less. And when I say practical, it’s a good thing, a really good thing. I was blown away time and time again by all of the doable, easily understandable and practical advice. Everything is based on the 10/10/80 principle. Give 10%, save 10% and live on 80%. It’s a great financial plan to live by.

I especially loved the section on giving. I believe generosity should be one of the defining characteristics of Christians. She suggests many creative giving ideas. It’s worth the price of the book just for that section. But the entire book is helpful, relevant and an easy to read reference for the financially illiterate, financially secure and really, anyone who's breathing, so… go buy the book.

I’ve got two copies of this book to give away. I thought about doing a giveaway, but I’ve come up with a better idea. Since my passion is making disciples,I'm going to pass this on to a couple of families as a discipleship tool. So I’m going to give one book to Chris and Michelle for taking care of the church’s finances and leading the elementary stuff. The other book’s going to go to Josh and Kenzie. Josh is our worship leader and is doing a great job. After they read the book and put the info into practice maybe they'll give it away to bless someone else. Just ask nicely!

B-day time

Tomorrow's Nathan's Birthday. He turns 8. Tonight we're having four boys spend the night to celebrate. Liz and I may need prayer.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 4

I warning you again, you may not want to read this. I've been talking about Lies Christians believe about money. So far we've discussed Lie #1: It's all ours, and Lie #2: God doesn't care how I spend my money. I think I'll end this series with a doozy, one that's sure to incite, anger and offend. Lie #3: The New Testament doesn't command to tithe so we don't have to do it.

This is harmful on many different levels. First, it also flows out of Lie #1. Second, I think it's a poor handling and understanding of both the Old and New Testament's teaching about money. Jesus did say this. And, there's teaching on generosity all throughout the New Testament. Plus, while there are Old Testament laws that are tossed out (food stuff being a big one), nowhere does the New Testament toss out tithing.

I could write a bunch more on this, but my buddy Vince does a better job. He did a series of posts on this very subject last week. You can read them here, here, here, here, here, and here. It's worth your time.

I'm not hopping to start up an argument with these posts. That's a waste of time, mine and yours. What I am hoping to do is to get all of us to handle God's money God's way. Tithing is a part of that. I also know that in no way, shape or form did I deal with all the lies that Christians believe about money, but this is all I have time to address right now.

Root article

Following up the last post, Hub City Church is featured in Root's latest issue regarding Advent Conspiracy. Also, right below the article is a promotion for What would Jesus buy?, a documentary that's going to be shown at Hub-Bub on Dec. 17th @ 7:30. I've been asked to be on a discussion panel after the movie. Pray that I'll be salt and light. And, I'd love to see you there.

Interview

Did an interview this AM with Kim Kimzey of the Herald Journal about our Advent Conspiracy. Gotta love free press. If you get a minute I'd appreciate you saying a prayer for the article. Pray that God will use it.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 3

Yesterday I shared that the first lie that Christians believe about money is this: It's all mine. Here's Lie #2: How I spend my money doesn't matter to God.

Obviously, this lie builds off of Lie #1, but it needs to be called out. God does care how we spend His money. After all, it's His. And Jesus says this about how spending our money an indicator of the condition of our hearts.

Here's where this hits the road for me. I am convinced that if Christians would start handling God's money God's way then in one year we could evangelize the entire world, end poverty, provide homes for all the orphans in the world, give everyone clean water and much, much more.

Can you imagine? If Christians were the ones to step up and end poverty, adopt all the orphans and provide clean water for the entire world, can you imagine the reputation we would have? Can you imagine the influence we would have? Can you imagine how many opportunities we'd have to share the Gospel?

In one year we could change the world. But we, as Americans, think that our money is ours and we can spend it however we want... even when we're richer than 96% of the world's population. Even when there's such death, loneliness and spiritual need. Wouldn't it be cool to do something about that?

Then we can't believe the lie that we can spend our money any way we want. We need to figure out how to handle money God's way.

Warning: You may not want to read tomorrow's post. Just letting you know.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 2

So, what lies do Christians believe about money? Lie #1: It's all mine.

This is a big one. I actually think it may be at the root of whole issue. We live like, spend, and believe that our money is really our money. I hate to burst your bubble, but your money's not yours. Psalm 24:1 says, The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it. That's just one of the verses in Scripture that talks about this.

Nothing we have is ours. It's all a gift that God's given us. All of it: Money, house, cars, stuff, the junk we own, those china dishes that you got at your wedding that you never use, your baseball card collection, your retirement savings, your video games, your income... it's all His.

But He's given it to you so that you can be a steward (one who manages another person's property or financial affairs).

Why do we act like it's ours? Because we're selfish... and by-gosh-darnit, we're American! But it's His. That's the starting point to fighting the lies. It's all His.

Which leads to Lie #2... but that's tomorrow's post. Until then, order and read this book.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 1

I'm privileged to be able to get free books every once in a while if I promise to blog about them. Well, I got this book in the mail last week and started reading it today. It's very entertaining and I look forward to blogging about it in a couple of weeks. But it got me thinking about money.

I'm going to do a few posts on lies that Christians believe about money. This may develop into a series in the Spring. I'll warn you: I am sure this post will offend some people. Some of you may feel guilty. Somebody may want to egg my house (I shoot back... I promise). My goal is not to offend, make you feel guilty or get my house dirty.

I have strong feelings and convictions about this topic. I think that money, the way we spend money, our attitudes towards money and money's influence and power in our culture are important. I believe that this one issue does more to stunt our discipleship that almost anything else.

So, what lies to Christians believe about money? Come back tomorrow for Lie #1.

Advent Conspiracy Video

I'm really excited about this series. Hub City Church is doing something about the lack of clean water. We're partnering with Water Mission International by giving $1 for every first time guest at our gathering and by giving away our ENTIRE offering from December 21. It's all going to Water Mission International to help develop clean water systems for those who are without. Join the conspiracy.