The secret of being a disciple

The following article is a GREAT introduction to our Speak Freely series on prayer that's starting on Sunday. I thought is was so good, I posted the whole thing for you to read.

By Caleb C. Anderson

Want to help a new generation of men and women in your church grow more and more like Christ? The key to making disciples of the next generation doesn’t lie in following the latest trend or preaching the cleverest sermons. Instead the key to discipleship in the 21st century lies in a 2,000-year-old model.

If we are going to disciple a new generation, we must teach them how to be disciples. Most Christians I know aren’t really disciples. They don’t even claim to be disciples; they claim to be Christians. Nowhere in the book of Acts did a believer claim to be Christian – as if to brand their religious movement. No – they claimed only to be disciples of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

That needs to be our claim today. The younger generations are desperate for raw, authentic spirituality – even if it’s more demanding. To reach them, we need to do more than deliver messages about Religion vs. Relationship; we need to model them.

The staying life of the disciple
Disciples do not discipline themselves for discipline’s sake – like an overzealous military man, or a masochist. If we discipline ourselves, it is for the sake of the Discipling One. It’s for the sake of the Great Teacher, the God-man, the Humble King, whom we follow, with whom we stay.

Too many of our churches continue to emphasize the “habits” necessary to spiritual growth as the exclusive means of growing in Christ. Prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization, fasting, solitude and tithing are essential for growing Christians. These are foundational habits that every disciple embraces in one way, shape or form.

But they should never become an end unto themselves. Instead of listing these habits as prerequisites for discipleship, we should communicate that discipleship is fueled by ONE discipline, the discipline of staying. Once a disciple understands and begins to practice this one important discipline, the other habits will follow as paths to the ultimate goal – staying in communion with Christ.

Why did Jesus choose such average disciples?

I recently took my Jewish father-in-law to see The Passion of the Christ. When we walked out, he was fuming mad that Jesus had chosen such pathetic disciples. “Not one of them stood up for him!” Jerry exclaimed.

It’s true - Jesus’ disciples were average men, at best. Yet that was by design.

It was likely that those disciples had a good foundation of the Torah; it was not unusual for Jewish boys in their day to memorize large portions of Scripture. In their youth, they'd probably developed the habits of prayer, scripture memorization, religious dieting, etc.

But you don’t see Jesus speaking much to their Jewish regimen. You don’t see Jesus commenting much on their mastery of the Torah, or on their habits of choice. Do you know why? Jesus knew that the habits - and living life to the glory of God - were going to be the Holy Spirit’s job.

Just look at the apostles’ lives: they each left everything they had to come and follow Jesus. They stayed with Jesus all day, every day, unless he sent off them with some assignment. They didn’t do anything special during those three (or more) years. They just stayed with Jesus. That was the secret of their discipleship.

After the last supper, on their way to Gethsemane, Jesus gave his disciples explicit instructions - which they wouldn’t understand until later.

He said, "Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me." (John 15:4, CEV)

Can you imagine how devastated and confused the disciples were when Jesus was taken from them that very evening and killed the very next day? “He told us to stay with him - but the show must be over. The mission must’ve been thwarted. We can’t stay with him, or abide/remain in him, if he’s not here.”

So what did the disciples do? They panicked. Without the presence of Jesus, their learning, their hope, their new way of thinking, their new perspectives on life and God were all useless. They had nothing. Even after Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection for the first time in the upper room, Peter, James and John – Jesus’ main men – still didn’t understand the bigger plan, the bigger story. They went back to what they knew. They went fishing (John 21). When godly men are not staying connected to God they will slowly regress back to their old ways.

Finally, before Jesus ascended up into heaven, he looked at his disciples and said: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5, NIV)

Why was this instruction so critical? Have you noticed a trend with the disciples yet? Have you noticed a trend in your own life?

When the disciples are with Jesus, they have purpose. When the disciples obey Christ, they are blessed. When the disciples can communicate with him, they are content. And so when Jesus leaves, he doesn’t leave them alone. He sends his own Spirit to come and live in them and in us!

"To [the saints] God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27, NIV)

I am not the hope of glory; you are not the hope of glory; discipline is not the hope of glory. Christ in you is the hope of glory!

The living Spirit of the God of the universe, actively achieving his will in this world through the collective lives of his disciples – that’s the hope of glory. And we must dedicate our lives to allowing the Holy Spirit to have his way in us.

Living our lives according to the five purposes of God is going to continue to be the key to the church’s effectiveness in the next generation (the biblical purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions). Communicating those purposes in the simplest, clearest, most fundamental and relevant ways is going to be the key to a leader's effectiveness in the next generation.

As for the purpose of discipleship, it is a one-discipline purpose - staying connected to Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Make people passionate about that – about the power that resides inside of every saint – then teach them the value of the ancient habits that aid in staying connected.

Why we use invite cards

Disclaimer: I stole this post from Jay. :)

A few years ago, Thom Rainer reported in his book, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, that over 80% of people who do not attend church are at least somewhat likely to attend if they were invited by a friend. Over 80%! Yet, not nearly that many said they had ever received an invitation – if memory serves me correctly, somewhere around 30% said they had ever received an invite from a friend.

We have three tools for you to use to invite your friends: 1) The invite cards that are attached to the Connection Card. 2) Postcards at the Hub Table. 3) Evites (I'm going to send an evite out with each new series.)

Here are a few ideas on how to use them…

1. Make a list of five people, pray, and seek them out. Take them to lunch, have coffee, etc. & invite them.
2. Hand them to people you meet and say “I’d love to invite you to my church.”
3. Give them to neighbors, friends, and co-workers.
4. Put a stack at your office, store, or place of work.
5. Ask if you can set a stack out in a business that you frequent.
6. Ask if you can place a stack in your apartment complex clubhouse.
7. Leave them on tables at restaurants to invite your server…and tip them well!
8. Give one to your Starbucks baristas.
9. Give them out in the lunchroom or before class begins.
10. Hand them out in your dorm.
11. Keep a few in your wallet, purse, or car so you can step up when the opportunity pops up.

I’m sure you can add your own ideas to this list. The point is to leverage the opportunity to invite people to Hub City Church this Sunday!

What’s the worse thing that can happen? They say “no” or just throw the invite card in the trash. What’s the best thing that can happen? They say “yes”, hear the gospel, and surrender their lives to Jesus!

The “yes” is big time worth the invite!

The test

If I really believe "Jesus is Lord"...
• I won't worry about what others think; only what He thinks.
• I won't seek the applause of men; only His.
• I'll react to people based on His reactions toward me.
• I will begin each day with Him.
• I will spend lots of time with Him.
• I will seek to know Him personally.
• I will seek to partner in His mission throughout my day; not just accomplish my mission.
• I will seek to honor Him with my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• I'll end each day asking two questions: "How did I partner with Jesus today? How did I resist Him today?"
• I won't be so hard on myself.
• I won't worry about the future.
• I will give to Him first; not last.
• I won't worry about my church.
• I will live and share the Gospel.
• I will surrender my agenda to Him.
• I will love God.
• I will love people; as much as I love myself!
• I'll believe that ANYTHING is possible.
• I'll believe that I can overcome any weakness, addiction, or sin that plagues me.
• I won't live in the past.
• I'll realize that this world is not my home. My home is with Him.
• I'll embrace the fact that suffering allows me to identify with Him and lean on Him.
• I'll see people with His eyes. Compassionate eyes.
• I'll believe in people.
• Prayer will be the foundation of a relationship, not religious duty.
• I'll trust Him in every circumstance.
• I'll believe in His church. He died for it He is the Head of it.
• I will follow Him, and live for His mission in my life!

I can't wait for our next series

What you've been waiting for

What you've been waiting for... ok, maybe not. But here's the article I wrote in today's paper.

Proper Easter attire @ Hub City Church

Father/Son bonding

Today I got to take Nathan (my 9 year old) with me to the Soup Kitchen to help serve lunch. I thought it would be good father/son bonding.

I've got to say, Nathan blew me away with how hard he worked. He and I were stationed at the drink table. We put together a little assembly line with him filling the cups with ice and me pouring the drinks. He worked his tale end off for over an hour. He never complained. He was awesome. I was/am so proud of him.

Just had to record this for posterity sake. It was a great shared experience that I'll remember for a long time.

After we were done he asked me if I could get him out of school when I go back to serve next month.

Story of my life

"Sometimes the Lord leads u down a street 2 get u 2 another street 2 get u 2 a side street u wouldn't find any other way." - Mark Batterson

This is the story of my life.

Top Ten reasons to spend Easter with Hub City Church

Top 10 Reasons to spend Easter with Hub City Church:

10. No need to buy a new Easter outfit. It's come as you are casual.

9. No Perfect People Allowed. You'll fit right in.

8. Free Coffee!

7. No people dressed up like the Easter Bunny who could scare your kids
(we can't, however, make the same promise about the church staff).

6. Come at 10 AM for worship. Stay after and watch Clash of the Titans
in 3D.

5. The seats are REALLY comfortable.

4. We have a B.Y.O.J.B. policy (Bring Your Own Jelly Beans).

3. God loves you and so do we (but we do understand if it takes you a
while to love us back, we're an acquired taste).

2. When else can you get into a movie theater for free?

1. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

Did I offend you?

I don't intentionally try to offend people. If I do think I might offend you I try and give you a warning ahead of time. But there are times when something I say or something I do offends someone. It just happens. And I feel bad about it.

I was thinking about this and I came across this blog from Mark Batterson. It's a good reminder. I'd love to know what you think after reading it.

If I really believe "Jesus is Lord"...

I was working on my sermon for this coming Sunday and came across this from Shawn Lovejoy. I'll probably share it on Sunday too.

If I really believe "Jesus is Lord"...

• I won't worry about what others think; only what He thinks.
• I won't seek the applause of men; only His.
• I'll react to people based on His reactions toward me.
• I will begin each day with Him.
• I will spend lots of time with Him.
• I will seek to know Him very personally.
• I will seek to partner in His mission throughout my day; not just accomplish my mission.
• I will seek to honor Him with my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• I'll end each day asking two questions: "How did I partner with Jesus today? How did I resist Him today?"
• I won't be so hard on myself.
• I won't worry about the future.
• I will give to Him first; not last.
• I won't worry about my church.
• I will live and share the Gospel.
• I will surrender my agenda to Him.
• I will love God.
• I will love people; as much as I love myself!

Don't read these books

Seriously, these books will mess you up. I'm reading both for a second time.

Are you growing?

I've got a question for you: How's your spiritual life? Are you growing in your relationship with God? Are you experiencing more and more of God on a regular basis? Or, have things slowed down? Has your growth as a disciple hit a plateau?

Maybe you need to do a little self-evaluation. I came across the following questions today. I found them helpful and wanted to pass them on to you:

• When was the last time I became excited about something God showed me in his Word?
• Have I recently overcome a sinful habit or attitude?
• When did I last encounter Christ so powerfully that I didn't want the experience to end?
• When was the last time God used my life to bless someone ina a manner God had never worked through me before?
• Is my trust and confidence in the Lord growing? What is the evidence?
• How's my prayer life? Am I spending more time in prayer than I did before, or less? What have I been hearing God say to me in prayer? What kind of answers am I receiving to my prayers?

(These came from Richard Blackaby's book Unlimiting God.)

I'm having trouble

This is one of those weeks where I'm having trouble figuring out what God wants to say through me on Sunday. I would appreciate your prayers.

Trying to win... ooohhh... pick me!

I'm trying to win this book. If you click here you could win too.

The tension

My favorite band in the world is Switchfoot. They should be your favorite too. They really are incredible. But that's not the point of this post.

There's a line in their song Dare you to Move that really expresses how I feel at the moment. It says, The tension is here, between who you are and who you could be, between how it is and how it should be....

And right now the tension in killing me.

To My Hub Group

I read this post this morning and had to write something about you guys.

If you don't know, my Hub Group is about to multiply from one to two. We're having a Hub Group Baby. Most of the folks in my group will be going to start the new one. It's bittersweet for me for a couple of reasons.

First, the people in my Hub Group are my friends. Seriously. I so much love the people I've spent the last year with. They don't treat me weird because I'm a pastor. I am honored to call them friends. It's going to be tough not seeing them at 5 PM every Sunday.

Second, I'm so pumped about their new group. It's going to be great. They have such potential and everybody in the group has so much to offer. Seriously, if you're not in a Hub Group, you may want to join theirs. I am really excited to see how God is going to use this challenge to grow each of them.

So, to my Hub Group. I love you guys. You are my friends. You will continue to be my friends. You just can't show up at my house on Sundays @ 5 after this week. I can't wait to see how God is going to use you. I'll miss the pretzels. And somebody, make something with cinnamon in it for Jason. It'll do him good. Keep letting the Holy Spirit be your teacher as you discuss stories from God's word. And don't forget to invite new people into your group. You've got something great to offer.

The unthinkable

I think one of the things that I find most incredible and amazing about God is his ability and desire to forgive our sins. When I think about it I am blown away. It really is unthinkable and almost unbelievable that God would forgive us as he does.

Our problem, however, is that I don't think we actually believe that God forgives us. We think we need to earn forgiveness, pay penance or do something to pay for what we've done.

But that's not how God does it. If we confess, he forgives.

I think some of you needed to be reminded of this today, so I encourage you to read the following Psalms, spend some time in confession, and let God speak to you about how you are forgiven: Psalm 32, Psalm 51, Psalm 103.

Ananias

I know I've read the story of Ananias out of Acts 9:1-19 before, but this morning, as I read it again, I was blown away by Ananias.

I don't know much about the guy. He was from Damascus. He was a disciple of Jesus. That's about it.

What's amazing to me about this guy is his ability to hear from God and then his courage (in the face of fear) to be obedient to what God had told him to do. And as a result of his hearing and doing, Saul's sight was restored, he was baptized and he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

That's big because this "Saul" later became "Paul," the guy who wrote most of the New Testament and who spread the gospel throughout the Roman world.

God used Ananias because he was listening and obedient. You never know how God is going to use you when hear from him and do what he says.

St. Patrick

Thanks to Mark Batterson for the following story:

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is a little backstory on Saint Patrick himself.

At the age of 16, Saint Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he became a slave to the chieftain of Ulster. One night, after six years of slavery, Saint Patrick heard a voice, "Behold, thy ship is ready." He traveled two hundred miles on foot to a place where he knew no one and had never been. He wrote in his autobiographical account, "After this I took flight, and left the man with whom I had been six years; and I came in the strength of the Lord, who directed my way for good; and I feared nothing till I arrived at the ship. And on that same day on which I arrived, the ship moved out of its place."

Patrick made his way back to Britain, found his family, and could have lived out the rest of his life in relative comfort in the land of freedom. But in 432 AD, he had another vision. He saw a man coming to him from Ireland carrying innumerable letters. "And I read the beginning of the letter containing 'The voice of the Irish.' And while I was reading aloud the beginning of the letters, I myself thought indeed in my mind that I heard the voice of those who were near the wood of Foclut, which is close by the Western Sea. And they cried out thus as if with one voice, "We entreat thee, holy youth, that thou come, and henceforth walk among us." And I was deeply moved in my heart, and could read no further; and so I woke."

Saint Patrick went back to Ireland as a missionary. No outside religion had penetrated Ireland in a thousand years. Saint Patrick founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people. His ministry was so influential that he came to be known as the one who "found Ireland all heathen and left it all Christian."

What's got me thinking

Somebody, who shall remain anonymous, told me the other day that they were closing down their blog. I was saddened and asked why. Here's the response: I need to not cop out on real relationships by being open in a way that's easy for me.

I've got to say, that's a profound statement that's got me thinking. I wonder how often I "cop out" on real relationships and hide behind technology? I think it's easy to let email, facebook and twitter be "cop out" options. Sure, you're communicating, but it is through the safety of technology... and it's one sided... and it's safer.

Technology can help relationships grow, to a degree. But I don't want to let it be a substitute for something better.

I'm not giving up my blog, but I am going to think twice before emailing or facebooking people that I should be calling or talking to face to face.

Another good post to read

I enjoyed this post and wanted to pass it along. You can read it here.

Clocks and Prayer

Don't forget to set you clocks ahead one hour tonight. It's always a bummer losing an hour of sleep, but hey, there will be more daylight in the evening! I love more daylight in the evening.

And I would appreciate you praying for Hub City Church. Pray for our worship Gathering. Pray that God will move. Pray that God will speak. Pray that we will have the courage to respond in obedience. Pray that God will grow and mature us as a church.

My converstaion with Levi

I had the following converation in the car today with Levi, my 3 year old:

Levi: How did God make me?
Me: He used part of mommy and part of daddy to make you in mommy's tummy.
Levi: NO! Santa brought me in a basket.
Me: Oh?!?! I didn't know that. Just so that you know God made you and loves you.
Levi: Where does Jesus live?
Me: In heaven (Liz told him in his heart a few months ago and it freaked him out)
Levi: How long does it take to get there?
Me: I don't know.
Levi: I want to go see him.
Me: Me too.

Just had to share.

Writing

I read the other day that if you want to be a writer, or if you want to improve your writing, that you need to write something every day. But here's my question. What if you don't have anything worth-while to write? If you're a writer and you have suggestions or ideas please let me know.

How to grow spiritually

Spiritual growth is a process. Everyone of us begins as a spiritual infant. That's normal. What's not normal is if we stay infants. And what's unique about spiritual growth is that our growth rate depends largely on us. So if we want to grow spiritually, we need to do something about it.

I read the following quote this morning while working out on the elliptical. It's from Richard Blackaby:

God begins by giving each of us a "little." Perhaps once we become Christians God makes it clear He wants us to be baptized and to join a local congregation. So we do. Then God speaks to us about reading our Bible each day and spending time praying to Him. We find that enjoyable. Then God talks to us about tithing. We might squirm a little, but as we begin giving our money to the Lord, He blesses us, and we receive great joy from our investment in God's kingdom. The God leads us to share our faith with a colleague. That pushes us out of our comfort zone! Over the next few years, God continues to give us larger and larger assignments. Each time we obey, we mature spiritually.

I love that. Spiritual growth is a process of being obedient. If we won't be obedient to what God is telling us to do right now then we're stunting our growth. Obedience is key to spiritual growth. What's God telling you to do? If you want to grow spiritually you better do it.

Cultivate adventure

Last week I challenged couples to cultivate adventure in their marriages. Find something adventurous to do together. God uses those things to grow us together.

Today Liz and I found a house we want to buy in Hampton Heights. No, we're not moving, but just looking and dreaming is fun for us. It's a way for us to cultivate adventure in our marriage. There's an open house tomorrow afternoon that I think we're going to go to, just for fun.

BTW: I really would love to live in downtown Spartanburg. So if the right deal comes along....

Two quick reads

Once again, here are two posts from Mark Batterson that you need to read. You can find them here and here.

What I'm praying for Hub City Church

I thought I'd share with you what I've been praying for Hub City Church lately. I'd love for you to pray with me.

I am praying that we will see God move in and through us with power so that there will be no doubt that what is happening is of God. I am praying that when people come to our worship gathering that they won’t say, “that was a great sermon,” or “that was a great band,” but that they’ll say, “The Lord, Jesus, is an awesome God!” I’m praying that the Holy Spirit will convict of sin and convince of righteousness and that we will see many come to faith in Jesus every week. I'm praying that our church will have power and that the gospel will spread like wildfire, not because of careful planning, but by a movement of the Spirit. I’m praying that God will grow us in intimacy with him as we hear his voice and obey his commands. I’m praying that Hub City Church will look more and more like the radical, counter-cultural, revolutionary church that we read about in Acts 2-4. I am praying that God will build His church and that it will be an unstoppable force, empowered and sustained by the Holy Spirit.

Follow up

This is a follow up to my previous post. It comes from Richard Blackaby and he's talking about what sets people apart who God uses in supernatural ways.

• They have a profound personal intimacy with God.
• They are experiencing God's power in their lives in Biblical proportions.
• God is using them to accomplish far more for his kingdom than they dreamed was possible.
• They are experiencing the joy of the Lord to an unusual degree.

What might God do if that were said of us?

My desire

My heart so resonates with these words from Francis Chan.

I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed. I deeply desire that the Spirit of God would do things that I know are not of me and that cannot be faked for by human reason.

What I want for you

Just in case you're wondering. Here's what I want for you:

• I want you to be obsessed with Jesus.
• I want you to hear from God on a daily/hourly basis and do what he says.
• I want you to live your life, not depending on your own abilities, but on the Holy Spirit.
• I want you to love people, all people.
• I want you to accept the gift of grace.
  

You've got to fight

I'm working on stuff for this week's Hub City BS. One of the things we'll be discussing is stuff we'll fight about and stuff we won't fight about. I'm thinking of adding something.

I want us to fight for relationships.

Our tendency, when things get tough, when we get mad, and when our feelings get hurt, is to shut down, turn off or move on. Too often we bail.

But when we bail on relationships we're taking the coward's way out. Relationships are worth fighting for.

One more thing to remember here: Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:10).

Let's be known, not as people who fight against each other, but as people who fight for each other and against the one who is out to steal, kill and destroy.

Two great posts

Take a minute and read these posts from Mark. Let me know what you think. You can find them here and here.

The Tiger Rising

Nathan got a Barnes and Noble gift card for his birthday and this past Saturday we made the trek to B & N for him to put his money to good use. He really wanted this book called N.E.R.D.S.... Guess he wants to be like his dad.

There was still some money left on the card so I convinced him to buy The Tiger Rising. It's by the same author that wrote The Tale of Despereaux. He read that in class this year.

While he was reading his first choice I decided to check out The Tiger Rising. I couldn't put it down. It moved something inside of me.

What's funny is that this is the last sort of thing that I would normally read. It's a quasi-children's story (even though the themes are pretty adult). The only children's books I normally read are The Chronicles of Narnia (my favorite of all times) and Harry Potter.

This is a story that's worth your time. It's beautifully written. It's fun. It's moving. I'm reading it out loud to Nathan (something he hasn't wanted me to do with a book in years).

There's more I could say, but I think it would be best if you just read it.

Letters from a Pastor

I like Craig's writing. He's honest. He makes me think. He makes me laugh. I'm really looking forward to this series of blog posts he's doing this week called Letters from a Pastor. You can read his first post here. It's about how your words of encouragement really do matter. That is so true.

Hub City BS

In case you didn't know, Hub City BS (Basic Stuff) is this Sunday and next Sunday (Feb. 28 and March 7). It's where we share all it is that makes Hub City Hub City, things like vision, mission, beliefs, environments, values, why we do what we do, etc. And unlike the final season of Lost, all your questions will be answered... at least we'll try and answer them. At the end we'll share our family covenant and give you a chance to sign it.

But today, as I was preparing for Sunday, going over the content, looking over my notes, I was overwhelmed with how excited I am about Hub City, who we are, and what we're about. Just reviewing everything pumped me up.

I can't wait for Hub City BS. If you've never been a part of a BS before then sign up today.

My heart's cry

This Sunday my Hub Group is going to be looking at Luke 5. There's a ton of great stuff in that chapter, but as I was preparing I came across this verse:

²⁶And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

That's my prayer for anyone who comes into contact with anyone from Hub City Church or for anyone who's a part of anything that Hub City Church does.

What if, after every Hub Group, every worship gathering, every community event, every social event we were seized with amazement and glorifying God and filled with awe and saying "We have seen extraordinary things today." I'm praying for this.

But here's the clincher: We can't do this in our own power or on our own initiative. It's something that God does in us and through us and in spite of us.

I just read this from Francis Chan: When believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice.

May we live in the power of the Spirit.

Making the switch

Every once in a while I like to switch which Bible translation I use during my quite time. I made that transition this week to the ESV. It's most definitely a more literal translation and a bit more difficult to read... which is good.

Small changes sometimes help you see things that you've never noticed before. Changing the translation your familiar with gives God new opportunities to speak to you... or at least I find that to be true for me.

We're blessed with tons of translations of the Bible. Why don't you try switching things up.

The main thing, however, is to do whatever it takes to incorporate Bible reading, meditation and memorization into your day. By far, it's the BEST habit you could ever develop.

6 ways to kill your marriage

1. Don't Communicate
2. Forget Your Commitment
3. Be Selfish
4. Ruin the Finances
5. Don't have Sex
6. Don't Work at It

Church

In The Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch defines a church like this:

1. A covenanted community – a church is formed not by people just hanging out together, but ones bound together in a distinctive bond. There is a certain obligation toward one another formed around covenant.
2. Centered on Jesus – He is the new covenant with God and he thus forms as the true epicenter of an authentic Christ-ian faith…A covenant community centered around Jesus participates in the salvation that he brings. We receive the grace of God in him. But, more is required to truly constitute a church.

A true encounter with God in Jesus must result in…

3. Worship, defined as offering our lives back to God through Jesus.
4. Discipleship, defined as following Jesus and becoming increasingly like him (Christlikeness)
5. Mission, defined as extending the mission of God through the activities of his people.

So, what do you think? How are we @ Hub City doing?

Spiritual growth

One of the best parts of pastoring Hub City Church has been the life change I've seen. It's awesome watching God work in people's lives.

My passion is to continue to help people grow. I want to make mature disciples. I learned something pretty cool and profound about how spiritual growth happens.

Spiritual growth happens through commitments. We make commitments and then we grow. Usually we think we'll grow first, and then we'll make commitments. But it doesn't work that way. We make commitments first, and then we grow.

So what kind of commitment do you need to make today? The commitment to read your Bible on a regular basis? The commitment to learn how to hear God's voice? The commitment to tithe? The commitment to say no to the good things in your life that are crowding out the best things?

On Sunday I asked for a commitment from folks: If you're married, would you commit to invite God into your marriage? If you're single, would you commit to invite God into your future marriage and everything leading up to it?

Bamboo

I learned something about bamboo today. Do you know how to get bamboo to grow? You're about to.

You cut off a piece of bamboo from an existing bamboo tree. You plant it. You water it for a year. And nothing happens. You water it for a second year. And nothing happens. You water it for a third year. And nothing happens. You water it for a fourth year. And nothing happens. You water it for a fifth year. And nothing happens. You water it for a sixth year. And nothing happens.

Most of you would have quit watering by now, wouldn't you.

But in year seven it starts to grow, and when it starts it explodes. Bamboo can grow 90 feet in a week. It can grow three feet overnight.

The story of bamboo encourages me.

Snow pics

Love and War

Every once in a while you read a book and find out it was way more than you expected. This was that kind of book.

There are a lot of great books on marriage out there, but what makes this book unique is its take on marriage, that our individual marriages are part of the grander story of God and that God has a bigger plan for our marriage than us just being happy.

I think that one of the most profound themes to come out of this book for me is that God is going to use my marriage to make me more into the person he's created me to be. I've experienced this, but the Eldredge's are the first ones I've read that actually say that. There are so many other nuggets in this book. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you're married, you need to read it.

This is a book that I will recommend for engaged couples and newlyweds. This is a book that needs to be read and reread.

I'm such a fan of the content of this book that I'm going to have some copies available for sale at Hub City's gathering for the next few weeks. They will be a GREAT compliment to our After Vegas series. Every married couple at Hub City needs to pick up a copy and read it.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

An understatement

To say I'm excited about our upcoming series is a gross understatement. I've been wanting to do a series on marriage for a long, long time.

But why do a series on marriage? Especially when we have a church that's 50% single? That's a great question. I'll share two reason.

First, for those who are single, most people go into marriage with no idea what they're getting into. I don't know anyone who goes into marriage knowing what they're doing. Some are more prepared than others, but nobody really knows what they're doing. This series is going to help people be a bit more prepared by talking about the reality of marriage and what it's meant to be.

Second, for the married folks, I don't know anybody who's married who says that their marriage is perfect and that it's not in need of improvement. Actually, when I look around at married couples it seem so me that most folks are struggling. They need hope. They need help. This series is going to extend both of those things.

So here's my challenge to each of you: Make it a priority to attend every week of After Vegas. And bring some people with you. You know somebody who needs some help. You know somebody who wants to get married someday. Bring them.

I also highly recommend you purchase and read this book. We're going to have a few copies for sale, so you can buy one on Sunday.

Don't eat the mushrooms

After 28 days???

This is unbelievable. A man was pulled from the rubble 28 days after the hurricane in Haiti. I don't know about you, but I believe in angels.

From CNN:

"The man told doctors that someone was bringing him water while he was trapped, but doctors told CNN that he sounded confused and at times appeared to believe he was still under the rubble.

Connelly said the man must have had some water during the past month to have survived, but Connelly wasn't sure how he would have had access to it."

"Reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta said the 28-year-old man was severely dehydrated but that he survived because a man in a white coat brought him water time to time. Officials are checking the veracity of the man's story.

Gupta said the man "must have had water" to survive for nearly four weeks pinned in the rubble."

Need Marriage help?

Please, no oscar nominations. Just come Sunday for help.

Potential

I've been thinking a lot about potential lately. Specifically, I've been thinking about Hub City Church's potential.

I am so convinced, almost to the point of conviction, that we have more potential than we yet realize. I desperately want us to reach our potential.

But I've learned that you can't be passive and reach your potential. It takes a ton of amount of work. It takes every part doing it's part. It takes you. It takes me. It takes more than half-hearted commitment. It takes loving God with all of your strength.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through us. How are you going to be a part of this advancing of God's kingdom on earth? We need you all in.

Can't wait

This Sunday is the last Sunday of Primal. I'm really pumped about closing out the series talking about what it means to love God with all of our strength. I want Hub City Church to be a church that is GREAT at the Great Commandment.

Well, this morning I've been working on the first sermon for our next series, After Vegas. It's going to be a series on marriage for people who are married and for those who one day hope to be married.

Let me just go ahead and tell you, I am going to say some things about marriage that some of you have never heard before. I am going to make you really, really uncomfortable (I'm pretty uncomfortable just preparing). I will probably make some of you mad.

But I am confident that God is going to do something incredible in us over the next month or so that we talk about this. I think God is going to work in you marriage. If you're single, I think God is going to open your eyes to some things so that you'll be way ahead of the curve when you do get married.

Here's what you need to do: First, invite somebody to come. Do you know anybody who's struggling in their marriage? Bring them with you. Do you know somebody who's engaged? Bring them. Do you know somebody who's desperate to get married, but just can't seem to find that soul-mate? BRING THEM.

Seriously, I'm not about growing Hub City. I am about seeing lives and marriages transformed for the better. That IS going to happen during this series. (I can already see it working in my own marriage as I've prepared and planned.)

Second, go out and buy this book. One of the best books, if not the best book, I've ever read on marriage. It's a great compliment to what I'm talking about.

I feel like taking on the world

Was it just me or did anyone else want to stand up and cheer when you saw the preview of next week's Heroes where the puppet guy says to Silar, "But you're one of us," and Silar says, "No, I'm a hero."

Boo Yah. I feel like taking on the world.

And who else thinks Sayid is no longer Sayid, but is Jacob come back to life?

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then that's probably good.)

I have a dream

I have a dream. Basically it's the same story, over and over and over again. The context and characters are different, but the story's the same. I used to have the dream on Saturday nights. Then it moved to Friday nights. And then last night (Wednesday) I had the dream.

The basic premise of the dream is that we're having a worship gathering and we have this huge crowd there. All kinds of new people show up. Famous people show up. It's incredible. The place is packed (each dream takes place at a different place). But then everything goes wrong. Either the sound doesn't work, or I forget my sermon, or the band isn't there, or the power goes out or the people who are supposed to be in charge of things (like Frankie and Josh) just don't care.

It's really an awful dream. And I have it all the time.

But here's what I think. I'm not trying to freak anybody out or anything, but I do believe in Spiritual Warfare and I think that these dreams are Satan's way of attacking me, disturbing my sleep and causing me to worry.

And here's why I think that: He's not happy with what God is doing in and through Hub City Church. He's not happy with the life change. And he knows that we have huge potential to make disciples of many, many people. And he doesn't like it.

I think these dreams flow from my holy anticipation of what God might do. You can read a great article on holy anticipation here. I think Hub City has such potential. I think we've got leaders who don't yet know they are leaders. I think we've got ideas that could transform this community that are waiting to be put to action. I think some of our greatest ideas and leaders are in the harvest (in other words, they're not even a part of Hub City or God's family yet).

I would appreciate you praying for my protection when I sleep. But even more so, pray for God to do beyond what we could ask or imagine, in us and through us.

Angels

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of all the cultural talk on angels. Most of it is a bunch of crap that portrays angels in sissy ways or as pansy, cupid-like fairies.

But at the same time I do know from Scripture that angels are real. Even though this is true, I have never read anything substantial about angels. That's why Dr. David Jeremiah's book intrigued me.

What I love about his book is how biblical it is in it's take on angels (which is really the only way to be). Basically, angels are messengers who work on behalf of God. You probably knew that, but too often we get focused on the angels instead of God, which is a form of idolatry. What Dr. Jeremiah does so well is continue to turn the focus back to God while at the same time exploring all that the Bible has to say about angels.

If you've ever wondered about angels, what they are like, what they do, or anything else, then I highly recommend you take the time to read Angels. It clears up a lot of confusion about angels and paints a Biblically accurate view of these mysterious beings.

This book was provided courtesy of Random House and Multnomah Publishing.

Change

Every once in a while someone will post a comment on this blog or Hub City's blog that's of a post from 1-2 years ago. And since I've long forgotten what I wrote I usually go, "Huh?!?."

First, I am always amazed that anyone would read something I've written. Second, I'm a bit shocked that someone would scroll back though 1-2 years worth of posts. I'd rather watch Judge Judy. And I hate Judge Judy. Third, I am amazed at how I've changed over the years.

This whole change idea got me thinking. I'm glad I've changed. Change is a good thing. Seriously. If God is working in your life then you shouldn't be the same today as you were a year ago. You should be different.

My favorite part of planting Hub City Church has been seeing people's lives change. I've seen a lot of life change. I'm hungry to see more. I'm also hungry to see change happen in my own life.

That's all for now... I think Judge Judy just came on.

Pray for Matt

I know a lot of folks suffer from cancer, but Matt's story hits me hard because we're the same age, have the same number of kids, and we're both pastors (albeit his church is a tad bit larger than Hub City). Here's a great article I just read. I'm praying for Matt and his family.

Invasion

If this doesn't make you want to stand up and charge hell with a water pistol, I don't know what will.

What we call "Christianity" is an invasion.
The Kingdom of God is advancing into the kingdom of darkness, a campaign to ransom people and the earth God intended us to rule. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. All that was lost. If Christianity seems to you to be having rather less than a remarkable impact on the earth, it is because too many Christians have this idea that we are in a waiting game, that we are basically killing time until Jesus comes back and we all get to go to heaven. We are sitting around like people waiting to catch a flight. That is not what Jesus told us to do; he didn't say, "Now hold tight in those pews and twiddle your holy thumbs, I'll be back soon as I can." He said, "As the Father has sent me, I send you" (John 20:21).

This comes from John and Staci Eldridge's book Love and War.

Weekend Reflections

It was an interesting weekend, to say the least.

The weekend started off GREAT. Liz and I got to get away to The Red Rocker Inn in Black Mountain, NC. We ended up being the only guests that didn't cancel because of the snow, so we had the whole inn to ourselves. We had a very relaxing time, the dinner at the inn was incredible and we can't wait to go back. Thanks to Hub City for the gift.

The snow in NC was beautiful. We got about 9" of the fluffy stuff. I thought it might make travel down the mountain dangerous, but it didn't. Wish we could have stayed another night.

The weird part of the weekend was having to cancel Hub City's worship gathering. We've never had to do that before. It was for the best, but I won't pretend that I liked canceling. Frankie's working on an idea where we might be able to do something online if we have to cancel again.

Finally, last night Jaimee and Allen were gracious enough to let us have Hub Group at their house. Jason brought out the rhyming Bible, we shared communion and Jaimee shared a song. It was good and relaxing and nice to meet in somebody else's house for a week. I'm thankful for our group. If you're not connected in a Hub Group you need to be.

Now it's time to begin a new week. It's a bit slow getting started because of a two hour school delay... and Liz just called saying that sleet is predicted tonight....

A stumbling block

²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." - Matthew 16:23

I notice something this morning from this verse that I've never noticed before.

I can be a stumbling block to Jesus. Usually we talk about being a stumbling block to other people. But this is saying that we can get in the way of what Jesus is doing.

The way we get in the way is by having the wrong mindset, by having in mind the things of men instead of the things of God.

I don't want to get in the way of what Jesus is doing. I don't think any of us does. But I fear we get in the way all the time. Our minds are far too often set on the things of me. To make sure we don't get in the way we need to have our minds set on the things of God.

The best way to do that, by the way, is to read your Bible on a regular basis. What is God showing you through his word lately?

Stay Humble

These are great words from Mark Batterson:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." I Peter 5:5

Let me make a confession: our family watches American Idol. I watch it for my kids, of course! Here's an observation I've made during the try outs to get on the show. The judges almost always react negatively to contestants who are cocky. It turns them off. It's almost like they naturally oppose them. But the judges seem to love contestants who have a quiet confidence or don't know how good they are. In a sense, have almost as much to do with the contestants making the show as their pride and humility voice quality.

Pride is a turn off isn't it? It invites opposition. But humility is endearing. It invites grace. And it's not just true in the natural realm. That is a reflection of the spiritual realm.

If I had one piece of advice for leaders I think it might be this: stay humble. If you have pride in your heart, God will oppose you and it's awfully hard to do the work of God when God Himself is opposing you! Stay humble in the way you treat others. Treat them as more important than yourself. And stay humble toward God. Keep giving credit where credit is due. And make sure you spend time on your knees kneeling before Him. The leaders that God uses the most have well worn knees.

TMI

Maybe this is TMI, but it's too funny not to record.

Background: Levi has been using the big potty for a little over a week, but has always sat down to pee.

Scene: Levi need to go pee. I start to sit him on the potty, but he wants to stand.

Levi: I want to stand up and pee.

Me: Ok.

Levi: Leave.

Me: Ok.

Levi: I did it!!!

Me: Awesome! What made you want to stand up and pee?

Levi: Girls sit down and pee, and I'm not a girl. I'm a big boy.

Me: Where did you hear that?

Levi: Matthew.

Glad to know my boys have extensive knowledge of how different sexes pee. :)

Matthew's Bronking Bull Ride.MP4

I was jealous. Matthew got to ride and I didn't.

Wild Goose Chase

I was remined this week that following God is like chasing a wild goose. That's not a bad thing. It's what makes it exciting. It's what keeps us dependent on God.

In the words of Mark Batterson: Chase the Goose.

(BTW: He's got a great book on this very subject that's worth reading.)

When everything goes wrong

Yesterday was just one of those days. Actually, it was unlike any day we've ever had at Hub City. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. In the words of some of our regular attenders, "It was rough this morning." Maybe it was Allen andJaimee's fault since they weren't there.... :)

So last night I laid awake in bed thinking about what we could do to keep yesterday's train wrecks from happening again, and what can we learn/take away from yesterday's experience. I've got a few thoughts.

First, it is true that Christ's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. When we are weak, he is strong. I say this to say that no matter how bad we might feel about things, God, in his unique and amazing way, shows his power.

Second, flowing out of the first, we don't say No Perfect People Allowed for no reason. We mean it. We know we're not perfect. We mess up. Sometime's life is messy, and sometimes a worship gathering is messy. No Perfect People Allowed.

Third, in all honesty we can use the first two as an excuse. I'm am NOT saying that we are doing that, but it can happen. That means we need to figure out what we can do to prevent this in the future. We have to do our part. I firmly and passionately believe that. We need to work to do the best that we can do. That's just making the most of the gifts, talents and resources that God has given us. To do any less would be being poor stewards of what God's given us. I want us to do all that we can do. But I also think that we need to pray that God would do what only he can do. That's what takes things to another level. That's when things get supernatural. We passionately want God's favor on us and all that we do.

I've got to say this too: I'm not a "demon behind every corner" type of guy, but I do believe that we have an enemy who wants to do whatever he can to destroy, distract,disunify and discourage (like my 4 "d's"?). Anytime we try and do something for God or with God our enemy is going to do whatever he can to disrupt it.

So here's my conclusion: If you're looking for a perfect church with a perfect show, then Hub City ain't the place for you (actually, I'm not sure that there is a perfect place for you). But if you're looking for a real family whose trying to figure out how to love God, love each other and do life together, then I don't know of another church family that you'd want to be a part of.

Oh, and one more thing: I love Frankie and Josh. I think Hub City is privileged to have them as servant leaders. Me, on the other hand, you're just stuck with.

When everything goes wrong

Yesterday was just one of those days. Actually, it was unlike any day we've ever had at Hub City. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. In the words of some of our regular attenders, "It was rough this morning." Maybe it was Allen and Jaimee's fault since they weren't there.... :)

So last night I laid awake in bed thinking about what we could do to keep yesterday's train wrecks from happening again, and what can we learn/take away from yesterday's experience. I've got a few thoughts.

First, it is true that Christ's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. When we are weak, he is strong. I say this to say that no matter how bad we might feel about things, God, in his unique and amazing way, shows his power.

Second, flowing out of the first, we don't say No Perfect People Allowed for no reason. We mean it. We know we're not perfect. We mess up. Sometime's life is messy, and sometimes a worship gathering is messy. No Perfect People Allowed.

Third, in all honesty we can use the first two as an excuse. I'm am NOT saying that we are doing that, but it can happen. That means we need to figure out what we can do to prevent this in the future. We have to do our part. I firmly and passionately believe that. We need to work to do the best that we can do. That's just making the most of the gifts, talents and resources that God has given us. To do any less would be being poor stewards of what God's given us. I want us to do all that we can do. But I also think that we need to pray that God would do what only he can do. That's what takes things to another level. That's when things get supernatural. We passionately want God's favor on us and all that we do.

I've got to say this too: I'm not a "demon behind every corner" type of guy, but I do believe that we have an enemy who wants to do whatever he can to destroy, distract, disunify and discourage (like my 4 "d's"?). Anytime we try and do something for God or with God our enemy is going to do whatever he can to disrupt it.

So here's my conclusion: If you're looking for a perfect church with a perfect show, then Hub City ain't the place for you (actually, I'm not sure that there is a perfect place for you). But if you're looking for a real family whose trying to figure out how to love God, love each other and do life together, then I don't know of another church family that you'd want to be a part of.

Oh, and one more thing: I love Frankie and Josh. I think Hub City is privileged to have them as servant leaders. Me, on the other hand, you're just stuck with.

A sad story

A very sad story. One among many coming from Haiti.

Loving God with all your heart means having a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. I think God's heart is breaking.

Praying for God's lead on what we, as a Hub City family, should do.

The Male Factor - a review

I know what you're thinking: What is Jonathan doing reviewing a book that was written to women who work in a male dominated workplace? That's a great question. I don't have a great answer.

What I do know is that I've been a fan of Shaunti Feldhahn since I heard her speak at Northpoint Community Church. Her previous books have been helpful to both Liz and me. So I thought I'd give this one a try.

While being a bit long (I'm a fan these days of shorter books), this is a book that's worth reading... especially for working women. Here's a synopsis:

Many talented women today risk undermining their careers without realizing it, simply because they don’t understand how they are perceived by their male colleagues and customers. In The Male Factor, Shaunti Feldhahn reveals the inner reality behind men’s views — the unspoken expectations that no man would dare to publicly acknowledge, and no woman would learn from an HR department. These revelations include:

• Men’s unwritten ‘rules’ of the workplace
• How men perceive workplace emotion
• What common situations with female colleagues most frustrate men-- and why
• Why revealing clothing can sabotage a woman’s effectiveness
• Why some men think flextime is fine, but equal compensation for it is not

The Male Factor equips women with the information they need to make informed decisions and compete on a level playing field, which is important to me since I'm married to a wonderful working woman.

I was privileged to get a copy to give away on this blog. That's going out to Melanie Creel (I've been meaning to give it to her for weeks, but keep forgetting).

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

New family activity

Today I'm going to go buy a cheap calendar for each member of my family and we're going to start a Gratitude Journal. The goal is going to be to write down three things we're thankful for each day. I want my kids to have an attitude of gratitude. The only way for us to develop that in them is to be intentional about giving thanks.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this is going to pan out. I think it could be one of those foundational activities/habits that shapes, not only my boys, by Liz and me as well.

It's also a great way to obey 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Notes from Mark Batterson

I wish everyone of you could have been a part of my time with Mark Batterson this morning. The mini-conference was set up by Anderson University and was a part of their Young Leaders Workshop. Here are some notes.

• Don't let fear dictate your decisions.
• The enemy has two tools: Guilt and Fear.
• Failure could be the best thing that happens to you.
• The greatest experiences are those where we step out in faith.
• Are you living your life in a way that's worth telling stories about?
• Don't we owe it to our kids to live in such a way that we have stories to tell.
• God wants to tell his story through your life. You play an irreplacible part in God's story.
• No guts, no glory: When we don't have the guts to live by faith we rob God of the glory that's rightfully his.
• It took National Community Church 5 years to reach 250. Treat the small things like big things. We've got to be faithful with the small things.
• Bill Gates said, "We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in 2 years and underestimate what we can accomplish in 10."
• Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is hang in there.
• Pray for the favor of God. I want God to do for me what I cannot do for myself. Invoke the favor of God on your life, your family, your church, your community.
• Start every meeting by sharing wins: What good thing is God doing?
• Maybe movie theaters aren't a short term solution, but a long term strategy.
• A problem: We're not creating disciples. We're creating spiritual co-dependents.
• On Giving: The reason we need to grow is so that we can give more.
• On Small Groups: God will not grow our church beyond our ability to disciple people.

I needed to hear what Mark had to say. God spoke to me about some things. I came away from our time more excited about what God wants to do in and through Hub City than ever before.

Responses

I have been blown away by the response of people to yesterday's sermon. It's humbling and cool when God uses my words to speak to people. One email I got was from Shawna Simmons. I asked if I could share what she wrote. She said yes. It's a great example of doing something. And yes, it's in pink because, well Shawna wrote it. :)

Hey Jonathan! Loved your message today. Thanks. It's easy to say I liked it, it's harder to do something about it. Compassion is not really my thing and God has really been revealing to me that I need to work on that. I know God's been speaking to me about giving to http://reecesrainbow.org/ (an organization my sister supports and fundraises for). My nephew has Downs (he turned 2 yesterday) and my sis is an advocate for a baby named Shae w/ Downs. So, today i gave. This is small, I know. I've given before, on my own accord, but I feel confident God wanted me to give to this and I hadn't yet Thanks for the push.

Maybe I need a new job

Just wanted to share a post from Shawn Lovejoy that encouraged me today. You can read it here.

Last night's conversation

Scene: Liz is putting Levi to bed and getting ready to pray with him.

Liz: Levi, is there anything you want to tell God you're sorry for?

Levi: God, I'm sorry that I didn't know you were in my heart. I want you to leave now.

How different generations view work

I found this very interesting. Would love to hear your thoughts.

The Great Depression Generation - viewed their career with an emphasis on loyalty. They would work at the same job for the same company for 40 to 50 years.

The Builder Generation (born from the Great Depression to the mid 40’s) - saw their career as a means of making a living.

The Baby Boomers (born from the mid 40’s to the mid 60’s) - saw their career as the central focus of their life. Work became the definition of who they were.

The Buster Generation - finds work to be an irritant. It distracts them from what they want to do in life. They see work as a necessary evil.

The Millennial Generation (born from 1980-2000) - sees their work as a place to serve humanity.

From Crown Financial

Be brave, wait.

Look at this verse from Ps. 27:14 - Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

We don't usually associate being brave and courageous with waiting. We usually thing that being brave and courageous means going full speed ahead, all-out, no-holds-barred.

But David says that sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is to wait. I need to meditate on this.

One thing

If you could ask God one thing, what would you want the most from him?

In Psalm 27, David does that. Look at what he asks: The one thing I ask of the Lord--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple. Ps. 27:4.

In other words, more than anything, David wants God.

Makes me wonder, do I want God more than anything? Do you want God more than anything? I want to want that. I want you to want that.

Motivation

It's funny how God works and speaks sometimes. I've been thinking a lot lately about my motivation for doing things. Like, why do I want to write for the paper? Why do I blog? Why do I want to adopt? Why do I want to be the pastor of Hub City?

The list could go on, but each of those questions involves the question of motivation. What's my motivation for whatever I do?

If I'm honest, I don't always have the most pure motivations. Way too often I'm selfish and prideful and want people to put me up on a pedestal and tell me how awesome I am. Wow, when I read that last sentence I sound like such an egomaniac.

But here's what I want my motivation to be: God's glory and God's renown. I want them to be because I've heard from God and am being obedient to him. And so here's what I want my position to be: Humble, one of humility.

John the Baptist said that he desired to be less so that God could be greater. That's what I desire as well. It's just that I get in the way...

Mark has some great posts related to this that you should read: Here, here, and here.

That's good

I find the following quote is not only encouraging, but also has a lot to say to pastors and church planters.

"We knew that Google was going to get better every single day as we worked on it, and we knew that sooner or later, everyone was going to try it. So our feeling was that the later you tried it, the better it was for us because we'd make a better impression with better technology. So we were never in a big hurry to get you to use it today. Tomorrow would be better."

~Google founder Sergey Brin as told to Seth Godin in The Dip

Frustrating

I'm kind of in shock right now.

I'm not usually the recipient of so much anger, but this whole adoption thing and the article I wrote has brought out some vicious people.

I'm not sure why. Seems like people have better stuff to do with their time than to lash out at me. (Pray that I will respond with grace and truth.)

Which reminds me of something I've read in a number of places lately (specifically from Rick Warren and Mark Batterson... I just can't think of where I read them).

They said something to the fact of us needing to use our energies to do good instead of using them to criticize. I agree.

If things continue in this direction, however, I may have to hire security.

Article

You can read my first Spartanburg Herald-Journal article here. It's on adoption.

Read your Bible

I may post this same post multiple times over the next few days. It is so, so, so, so important. If you could do one thing this year that will have lasting positive value, what would that one thing be? I'll tell you what it should be. It should be to develop the habit of reading your Bible on a regular basis. Don't read a devotional book. Read the Bible.

If you're wondering where to start then you need to read this from Swerve:

If you’re looking for ways to encourage your church to read the Bible more this year, we’ve got some great new tools available at YouVersion.com. We just launched more than 20 free Bible reading plans, which are available on the website as well as all mobile platforms. Here are a few highlights:

• You can customize each plan by making it shorter or longer.
• Easily track where you are by checking off each day’s reading. We’ll also show you how far along you are with a percentage of completion.
• Your online and mobile accounts will synchronize your information, including your plan and your progress.
• If you’ve created a group for your church on YouVersion, you can select a plan to be associated with your group.
• Soon, you’ll be able to build a support system by opting in for accountability emails to you and/or a friend.

We hope these new reading plans help you and your church engage with Scripture in 2010!

Lucy Lane's Gotcha Day

This video got our attention and influenced us to choose All God's Children International for our adoption. I can't watch it all the way through without crying like a baby.

143,000,000 Orphans

For all those who work behind the scenes

Crying like a little baby

I don't know what it is, but I've been sort of anti-Christmas-songs this year. I just haven't wanted to hear them. Well, one came on the radio this AM. I was about to switch the channel, but stopped. It was one I haven't heard before by Third Day. It was all about adoption.

I was so moved that I almost had to pull my car over.

I am ready to move forward with our adoption. It would be so awesome to have a little girl celebrating Christmas with us next year.

I'm going to go cry like a baby again.

Holly Jolly Christmas Offering Update

Hey everybody. Merry Christmas.

I just wanted to update you on the amount you gave to The Holly Jolly Christmas Offering. Are you ready? Here it is: $1053!!!

That's awesome! Thanks for your generosity.

Just in case you missed out there is still time to give (some of you said you forgot to bring it with you). You can mail your gives to PO Box 55, Moore, SC 29369. Mark them "Holly Jolly Christmas Offering." Alongside that, any year end financial gifts need to be postmarked by December 31. You can also give online here.

Also, don't forget that we're not meeting this coming Sunday. Enjoy some time with your family and friends.

Have a Merry Christmas. It's an honor to be your pastor.

Jonathan