Ash Wednesday

I'm really excited about how many folks from Hub City are participating in Lent this year. This is a new experience for me. I look forward to seeing what God is going to do to prepare us.

I read the following about confession on Mark Batterson's blog today and wanted to pass it along. It was a good read for the start of this time of Lent.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. It's a day of repentance. I think of it as a day for deep cleaning. Every once in a while you needa deep cleaning on your carpet or your teeth, right? I think the same is true spiritually.

Did you know that Martin Luther used to spend up to six hours in confession? When I first read that I remember thinking that either he had lots of sin to confess or I don't know the first thing about confession. I think it's the latter. I think shallow confessions result in a shallow appreciation of God's grace. Many of us have never spent more than six minutes in confession!

When I spend a little extra time in confession I find that God drills down to my motivations. It allows God to sanctify the deep parts of our hearts and minds.

Lent Guide: Ideas and Fasting

Some general ideas for Lent

Inward and Personal Disciplines

Is there something that has become too important in your life, something that has been impacting you negatively? Can you give that up (or a portion or aspect of it) for Lent?

Spend time in solitude and quiet (without TV or music) each day.

Read a book for inner growth. Consider something stretching like Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen or Eugene Peterson.

Read through one of the Gospels between now and Easter.

Begin to keep a journal of prayer concerns, questions, reading.

Find a way to go to bed earlier, get enough rest and rise earlier.

Make a list of people with whom you need to be reconciled. Pray for them and let Jesus guide you in your thinking and feeling toward them.

Make a list of the priorities in your life at the beginning of Lent. Revisit at the end. Still the same?

Forgive someone who has hurt you.

Outward and Social Disciplines

Visit a "shut-in" neighbor, a rest home or someone sick.

Write a letter of affirmation once a week to a person who has touched my life.

Go to coffee or dinner with someone you wouldn’t ordinarily.

Say "NO" to something that is a waste of money and time.

Give that money to something or someone else.

Work through the Weekly Fasts below

Consider Isaiah 58 and pray through the next 40 days as to what God is really looking for from you.

As a way of being accountable:

Share your intentions for Lent with your housemates/family, with your homegroup or a friend.

Weekly Fasts

(Fasts begin Monday and end Saturday- Sundays are “Feast” days when in celebration of the goodness Jesus brings, we break our fasts. Either do each fast for the week and only for that week or consider letting them build on each other, so that by the end of Lent, you are doing all five weekly fasts at the same time.)

Week One: Sweets, Treats and Self Indulgence

This week, resolve to spend nothing on yourself but what is absolutely necessary. Buy no new clothes or gadgets, books or music, don’t go to the movies or buy coffee or candy. Eat cheaply, save money (or give what you would have spent on coffee, treats, entertainment for the week to Kiva or someone else in need).

Keep journal entries of what happens inside when you deny yourself something you’ve become accustomed to or something you really want. How does it affect you? Why?

Week Two: Food/Meals

Pick either a type of food (like meat or carbs or even “solids”) and fast from them for the week. Or alternately, pick a meal (like breakfast or lunch) to skip on a daily basis. If you skip meals, spend that time you would have spent preparing and eating food in doing something else: Prayer, or reading Scripture, or serving others, perhaps finding a way to bless someone with each of those blocks of time, even if it’s just time spent listening to them.

Keep journal entries of what it’s like to go hungry, even if it’s just for one meal. What is it like to begin to assert some mastery over your body these past two weeks? How does your body/mind respond to that?

If you forgo a whole category of food, consider: What is it like to deny a craving? Is it easy or hard. How does that craving grow the more you deny it? Does it eventually become easier? Why?

(As with all fasting, please consider your health and talk to a doctor before engaging more advanced fasts like fasting from solids)

Week Three: Television/Music/Media

This week, forgo the usual shows. In fact, turn off the TV altogether. Drive without the radio. Leave the iPod at home.

What is it like to increase the silence/decrease the media inputs into your life? Do you miss it? Does it make you anxious? Relaxed? Something else? What does your reaction to this fast tell you about your connectedness to media?

Keep journal entries of what silence does for you, what missing certain shows/events means. Spend the time listening for the still small voice of God.

Week Four: Social Media and Internet

Turn off Twitter, Facebook, blogs, news- check and answer work emails and nothing else. Put a Lent “Out of Office” reply on your personal email letting people know you’ll get back to them next week.

Keep journal entries of what it’s like to unplug and disconnect- to not obsessively check email/Facebook, etc. Do you feel disconnected... or free?

Week Five: Time

Go out of your way for others this week. Fast from indulging yourself time-wise.

Get up a half hour or an hour earlier.

Make it a goal this week:

To bless someone else through your words or actions daily

Once or twice, to give someone else the gift of your listening ear- resist the urge to share yourtroubles and instead focus on someone else and helping to share theirs.

Commit this week to doing something for someone else- help a friend move or paint, serve the poor, stop and help a stranger even if (especially if) you are in a hurry to get somewhere.

Keep journal entries of what it’s like to spend your time on others.

Lent Guide: Readings

Daily Reading/Contemplation

Week One Readings

Simplicity

Day 1

Read: Matthew 6:19-34

Consider: In what ways have the things you own ended up owning you? Where could you simplify if you only had the will to do so? What are we really saying to God when we place such an importance on things? When we worry?

Pray: That your worry would melt into trust, that your desire for things would be redirected into a desire for God and His kingdom.

Greed

Day 3

Read: Luke 12:13-21

Consider: Why does Jesus talk so much about money?

How is an over-emphasis on material things corrosive to our souls and our world?

Pray: That God would show you where and how you are overly concerned about and tied to money, possessions and acquisition.

Relationship

Day 5

Read: John 15:9-17

Consider: What has been the story of your relationship with Jesus? How has He pursued you? How have you pursued Him?

Pray: The God would help you know, feel and lean into the love of Jesus for you on a daily basis.

Week Two Readings

Sin

Day 7

Read: Matthew 18:5-9

Consider: In what ways does sin have a grip on you? What do you know you need to let go of, but have been unwilling up to now. How might your unwillingness to deal with that affect others?

Pray: That God would search your heart and point out to you anything that needs to go, be let go of, be crucified in your life.

Rules

Day 9

Read: Matthew 23:23-24

Consider: Do you think doing certain religious things (like fasting or observing Lent) or even not sinning makes you a better person? What’s more important?

Pray: That God would use Lent to form you, to humble you, to convict you of your priorities and convince you of your place in serving others.

Judgment

Day 11

Read: Luke 6:37-42

Consider: Who do you end up feeling most judgmental about? Why?

How can we be passionate about the truth of the Gospel and convinced of the rightness and health of life in the way of Jesus without coming across as a complete ass? If you were wrong about something how would you want someone to approach you?

Pray: That God would soften your heart towards others and most specifically- show you the “specks” in your own eye.

Compassion:

Day 13

Read: Matthew 9:35-38

Consider: When was the last time you felt moved by compassion? What did you do because of your compassion? Are you truly moved by compassion if no action follows?

Pray: That Jesus’ prayer would be answered- that more and more people would be moved “out into the fields” to not only heal and love, but to preach the Gospel with words and deeds. Pray that God would show you your place in that.

Week Three Readings

Worry

Day 15

Read: Luke 12:22-28

Consider: Do you worry about things? What place do possessions have in your heart? How easy or hard is it to trust God to give you what you actually need?

Pray: That God would decrease your desire for more and more... and increase your desire for and trust in Him.

Hatred

Day 17

Read: Luke 6:37-42

Consider: Who are you enemies with? Why? What would it look like to lay that down, give up what you think they owe you and instead forgive?

Pray: That God would show you how to love even those you don’t like.

Friendship

Day 19

Read: Matthew 9:9-13

Consider: Who are you friends with? Why? What would it look like to intentionally seek out people who need you to be their friend?

Pray: That God would show you someone you can be a friend to in a way that others couldn’t.

Fear

Day 21

Read: John 14:15-27

Consider: What are you most afraid of in life? What do you want to say to God about that? After spending some time listening and reflecting, what do you think He wants to say to you about that?

Pray: That God would give you peace, trust in Him and the ability to see your fears through the lens of His presence alongside you.

Week Four Readings

Status

Day 23

Read: Mark 10:35-45

Consider: What did Jesus think about self-promotion? What do you think about it? How would you rate your desire for status and acknowledgement?

Pray: That God would show you clearly your need to matter and all that you do to get that need met. Pray that you would feel the love and acceptance of God, because of Jesus and His life and death on your behalf- not your performance.

Pride

Day 25

Read: Luke 20:45-47

Consider: What does having others’ honor and respect do for you? What are you willing to do for it? What blinded the people Jesus was talking about to their character defects? What blinds you to yours?

Pray: That God would reveal areas of pride and self-righteousness to you and what you can do about them.

Criticism

Day 27

Read: Mark 3: 1-6

Consider: Do you think you tend more towards criticism or encouragement? Which is easier for you to engage in? Which do you desire more of in your life?

What do you think your criticism might be saying about you?

Pray: That God would help you control your tongue and that your words would build others up, not tear them down.

Results

Day 29

Read: Matthew 12:33-37

Consider: What kind of “fruit” has been coming out of your life recently? What are you rooted in? What are you feeding yourself? Does the one have anything to do with the other?

Pray: That God would help you do what leads to good results in your life.

Week Five Readings

Generosity

Day 31

Read: Luke 12:29-34

Consider: Does worry impede generosity? What are we forming in ourselves when we worry? What are we forming in ourselves when we choose generosity? Pray: That God would show you how and where to be more generous.. and if it’s hard, why this is hard.

Service

Day 33

Read: John 13:1-7

Consider: What do you think it was like for the disciples to see Jesus humble Himself this way? What’s it like for you? What work is beneath you? What would you absolutely never do for someone else if they really, truly needed it? Why?

Pray: That God would help you understand what the disciples had such a hard time getting.

Apathy

Day 35

Read: Matthew 21:28-32

Consider: Have you ever told God you would do something, felt Him stirring you to care and act about a certain situation and then failed to follow through? Why? What keeps you from putting your values into more consistent action?

Pray: That God would again stir your heart for others- that he would show you where and how you can make a difference.

Joy

Day 37

Read: Luke 10:17-21

Consider: What brings you joy? What do you really need to be happy? What stops you from remembering that?

Pray: That God would realign your ideas of what it means to be “happy” and filled with joy- and that you would be both of those.

Lent Guide: What is it?

I came across this prayer guide for Lent. Maybe it can be of help to some of you as you enter into this time of preparation. I have three posts that contain the whole guide.

What is Lent?

Lent, a period of 40 days (not including Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter was originally a period of preparation for those to be baptized at Easter. It later became a time of penitence and self-examination for all Christians. In some ways, it is meant to reflect the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting and resisting temptation prior to His ministry.

By celebrating Lent, we follow Jesus into the wilderness, resist temptation, pray, and proceed “on the way” to Jerusalem, and the cross of Good Friday.

Our Lenten journey is one of repentance, that is, changing directions from self, self-serving patterns and an myopic focus toward the others-focused way of life of following Jesus. We follow Jesus in laying down ourselves for others and trust that the power of that raised Jesus from the dead is enough to guide us in repentance and renewal. The intervention of God’s gracious Spirit makes life-long changes become possible. Turning from the old self at Lent and experiencing a dying of old ways prepares us to truly experience the joy of Easter.

The following outline for this period of prayer and reflection is intended to assist you as you along the way. It is not meant to be followed legalistically. But we often need help in focusing on what is truly important and in laying aside distractions... and this guide

is designed to provide that help.

Use as much or as little of this as seems appropriate for you. Remember that we are in the season of Lent and our praying has repentance (turning from the wrong towards the right) as its focus.

So, repentance is a two-fold spiritual discipline.

First, it is an acknowledgment of our sin as it shows itself in the different aspects of our being, wrong thinking and attitudes, wrong affections and aspirations, wrong behaviors and actions.

Second, it is a turning from our sin to Christ for forgiveness and strength to change and grow to be more like Him. It is a sober reflection upon our condition, which leads us to faith and fresh trust in and leaning on of the finished work of Christ.

The reflection of Lent on our sin, our brokenness and all the ways we are tied to and contribute to the brokenness in the world should serve to increase our gratitude and wonder at the love of God.

May this time work that in you, and in our community as a whole.

Two must haves

I’m reading through Proverbs again this month. Today I was reading in chapter 3 and these verses jumped out of the page at me.

³ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
⁴ Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

Loyalty and kindness. If you think about it, loyalty and kindness really do open the door to favor with others. You want to be friends with people who are loyal and kind.

I want to be known as someone who is loyal and kind. May that be true of you as well.

Are we a friendly church? I hope not.

My friend Charlie read me something to me today that I thought was really good. It basically talked about the difference between a friendly church and a relationally intentional church.

Friendly churches are nice to new people but don't really go out of their way to get them connected and involved. Friendly churches say they value relationships, but really they only value the people who are already a part. Friendly churches value surface, shallow friendliness. To get involved or connected in friendly churches you have to break through the church-language barrier, the dress-code barrier, and the unspoken-rules barrier, until you become an insider.

A relationally intentional church, however, goes out of their way, not only to make people feel welcome, but to build real relationships with people. A relationally intentional church has a clear plan and process for getting people connected and involved. A relationally intentional church goes the extra mile for new people. A relationally intentional church is made up of people who will move out of their comfort zones and comfortable circle of friends to connect with and involve new people.

I don't want Hub City Church to be a friendly church. I want us to be a relationally intentional church.

Values and Purpose

It's my habit to make the most of my time at the gym by reading a book. I usually like to read business/management books while at the gym. I'm not sure why a physical workout goes hand in hand with business and leadership principles, but hey, it works for me.

Right now I'm reading Jim Collins' book Built to Last. Today I read about how visionary companies have core values and a purpose that they stick to when things are good, when things are bad, when they're making money, when it seems the wheels are falling off.

It got me thinking about Hub City's purpose and core values. I thought I'd share them and then would love to get your input.

Purpose: We exist to make disciples who make disciples. This will never change. It's what Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew 28:18-20.

Core Values: People, Biblical Authority, Grace. I could probably include more, but those are the essential, non-negotiable core values. I'll explain them:

• People: We value all people because God values all people. Going hand in hand with this is relationships, because you can't really value people that you don't know.
• Biblical Authority: We believe the Bible is true and that we should submit our lives to it's authority.
• Grace: There's so much to say about grace. It's the one thing that all of us want more than anything. Going hand in hand with grace is acceptance. We want to out-accept the world. Jesus did that.

So now it's your turn. What are your thoughts? This is who I want us to be. It's who I think we are. What do you think?

Plan B

I need to begin by saying that Plan B is a good book. I think there are many people who need this book. In fact, I plan on recommending it to someone this weekend. For me, however, it was too long. I had trouble getting into the book and staying engaged with it. I hate to say that because I think it's a book that a lot of people need to read, but I just want to be honest. (Can you tell I don't like saying negative things about books?)

The best thing I can say about this book is that it offers hope. Hope is one of the things that's lacking in so many people's lives. We need hope. It's found in trusting Jesus.

I'd recommend you read the book and let me know your thoughts.

Tough Subject

This Sunday we're finishing up our Relationships 101 series by talking about one of the toughest topics I've ever spoken on: Divorce. There is so much emotion and baggage that's tied to this subject. I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous. That's why I'm just focussing on what Jesus said about the topic in Mark 10.

I'd appreciate you praying for me and for Hub City. Pray that God will bring healing and hope. Pray that God will strengthen marriages. Pray that I'll say what he wants me to say.

Thanks.

What I learned today

This morning I had the opportunity to spend a little time with Bishop Augustin Ahimana. He's from Rwanda and is in town at the invitation of All Saint's Church. I am so thankful for Charlie, All Saint's pastor, for inviting me and Hub City to be a part of Augustin's visit.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with Rwandan history, but in 1994 there was a genocide that resulted in over a million Rwandans being killed in 100 days. It's horrific.

Augustin's family were a part of those who were killed. His current wife's first husband was murdered. His first wife died of a brain tumor. He has 11 children, three of whom are children they've adopted who lost parents during the genocide. He lived as a refugee in Congo because he was discriminated against and not allowed to get an education beyond elementary school. His life experiences qualify him to teach me, and you, some things.

Here are a number of learnings and observations from my time with the bishop.

• He talked about seeing the hand of God at work in restoring and reconciling Rwanda. One of the most powerful evidences of the hand of God is the forgiveness, restoration and reconciliation that is happening. Parents are going to visit the murderers in prison who have killed their children and they telling them that now they are their children. Women are marrying the men who killed their husbands because of the forgiveness that's taken place. And we get mad when someone gets our order wrong at Burger King.
• He shared how the church was complicit, and in some ways responsible, for the genocide. People would run into sanctuaries for shelter and church leaders would allow them to be killed. Some of the church leaders were the ones doing the killings. As a result, the church lost all credibility. After the genocide the church (all churches, no matter what denomination) came together and publicly repented and apologized for their role. This opened the door for the church to gain back credibility and become a force for healing and reconciliation. It makes me wonder what we, as the American church, needs to apologize for.
• He mentioned how we're really good at building our little kingdoms, our little churches, at the expense of working together to build The Kingdom of God. Theological differences don’t matter. Methodological differences don’t matter. What matters is that people are broken and sinful. They need salvation. Salvation comes from Jesus. Healing comes from the gospel of Jesus. I don't want to waste my time building my little kingdom. This was very convicting to me. What we are a part of is way bigger than our individual churches. May God break us in this area.
• Having lost so many family members and seen such injustice I sensed absolutely no bitterness towards those responsible for the genocide. None. It was unbelievable. Afterwards, Charlie said that we have no joy because we won't forgive. That is so true.
• Finally, Augustin mentioned that Jesus is his life. I wonder how many of us could say the same thing? We substitute so many other things for life. We need Jesus.

Act first. Feel later.

As you are undoubtedly aware, yesterday was Valentines Day. Now, you either hate the day or love the day. Me, it's a fun time to celebrate the love I have for Liz.

And yesterday I did good. Personally, I think I did real good. I got Liz 2 dozen roses (thanks to Whole Food's super great special) and cooked a nice supper for her and the kids (a new shrimp creole recipe that we will definitely make again... also thanks to Whole Foods for having their jumbo shrimp on special). After both of those things I felt so in love with Liz.

It's not that I wasn't in love with her before. There's just something about doing loving things that leads to loving feelings.

This reminded me of something that fits right along with this Relationships 101 series that we're doing at Hub City. Most of the time we act loving only when we feel loving. But that's the wrong order. Feelings come and go. They can't be trusted. But something happens emotionally when we do something loving for our spouse. Loving feelings come.

So here's my challenge. Do something loving for your spouse whether you feel like it or not. It will improve your relationship.

The Problem

Problems are good. Problems are opportunities. We want problems because problems cause us to improve, get creative, think bigger, depend on God and find a solution.

We've got a problem at Hub City. Actually, I'm sure we've got a ton of problems. We're no where close to perfect. But this is a big problem that's been consuming my thoughts lately. It is a problem that we can fix. Here it is:

First time guests aren't coming back.

Did you know, that over the past year we've had so many first time guests, that if just 50% of them would have moved from first time guest to members of the Hub City family then we'd have doubled in size (actually, we'd probably be more than doubled)?

Let me be clear, this isn't about size. This is about us doing our part to be good stewards of the people God sends us. Most of these first time guests aren't a part of a church anywhere, so we're not stealing folks from other churches. These are people who need to be a part of a church where they can be discipled. We have a responsibility to do our part to get them involved and connected.

Having someone move from a first time guest to a part of the Hub City family requires threethings: God needs to do his part, we need to do our part, and they need to be open to doing their part (coming back, getting involved, etc.). We can't do God's part and we can't do their part. But we had better be doing our part.

I think we can get better at our part. That's where you come in. I'd like your input. What ideas do you have for turning first time attenders into members of the Hub City family? I seriously want to hear from you.

LINE-UP Principle

I just read something really good. It addresses a specific problem that we're dealing with at Hub City. I'll post about that problem later, but first, check this out. It's called the LINE-UP principle. It's a plan/system for being intentional to reaching out to and connecting with new people. It's also a great way to develop new relationships. Let me know your thoughts.

LOOK for someone you don’t know.
Every time you come to church, instead of concentrating on your friends, make it your goal to extend God’s love to someone you don’t know. What do you do when you find someone you don’t know…?

INTRODUCE yourself.
“Hi, my name is ______________. Have we met before?” (If not, “Nice to meet you.”) Once you’ve introduced yourself, ask the other person questions. We all love to hear ourselves talk, so let the other person talk.

NEVER sit alone.

This is the Eleventh Commandment. We talk about "relationships" and “Community” often, and in order to be in community, we ought to sit together. So once you’ve introduced yourself, say, “I’m going into the theater now. Can I invite you to sit with me?”

ENGAGE in conversation.

Before the worship service you’ll meet some people around you. Once the church service is over, engage them in conversation (once again, by asking questions, not by talking about yourself.)

USE Hub Groups.

Everyone wants to be in relationships, but they don't know where to go or how to get connected, or if they do, they are usually a bit apprehensive. So once you’ve engaged in conversation, say, “Hey, I'm in a Hub Group that meets __________. I’d like to invite you to be my guest. It’s free, it's fun, it's been impactful in my life. You'll get to know some other folks too.”

PRACTICE the 3/10 Rule.

The 3/10 Rule is, talk with three people you don’t know during the first ten minutes after the service. Most of us want to talk with our friends, but if our friends have been coming for awhile, they’ll still be here ten minutes after church. Whereas all newcomers will be gone in the first ten minutes unless someone engages them in conversation.

Personally, I think this is great. It's a great reminder. It's something that I want all Hub City folks to be doing. It will help us be the most accepting and loving group around.

Redefining God

I thought I'd pass along something from David Platt. I hope it makes you think a bit on this Monday.

Across the country the “faithful” quote, unquote “are redefining God, dissatisfied with conventional images of an authoritarian or paternalistic deity. People are embracing quirky, individualistic conceptions of God to suit their own spiritual needs.” We say “Yes. That is what the culture is doing. No, it’s what the church is doing. We have this dangerous tendency today to create God, redefine God, to be what he want him to be. And really we create a God who looks a lot like us. He’s a nice, middle-class American God. And he looks like us and he thinks like us and he’s comfortable with our lifestyles. He’s comfortable with our self-saturated lukewarm faith. He’s comfortable with our apathy. He’s comfortable with half-hearted devotion to him. He’s comfortable with materialistic indulgences. He’s comfortable with all those things because we are. And we fashion a God who looks a lot like us. Don’t miss the danger here. If this is the case then when we gather together in this room every Sunday or the church that you are a part of, gather together for worship, and you sing songs and you lift your hands out to God, this God that you’ve created, the reality is you’re not worshiping God. You’re worshiping yourselves. And even when we are known as a people who worship in the church the reality is the object of our worship has been grossly mis-defined.

Don't miss it

Relationships. They are a part of all of our lives. They are a gift from God... well, sometimes. Othertimes they seem to be a curse. But what if we could actively do something that would improve our relationships? That's what we're going to talk about for the next four weeks at Hub City Church. Don't miss it.

Relationships 101 - Beginning Sunday

The Bible as a mirror

One of the things that excites me more than anything are stories of people who are developing the habit of reading their Bibles daily. Many folks at Hub City are doing that. Like I've said before and will say again, reading the Bible daily is by far the best habit you could ever develop.

Well, I read a great perspective on reading the Bible in Mark Batterson's book Soul Print. He compares Scripture to a mirror.

Mirrors come in all sizes and shapes. Sometimes it's a prophet who helps us see the blind spots in our lives. Sometimes it's an epiphany that pulls back the veil and reveals the glory of God in new ways. But the greatest mirror, the mirror that gives us the truest reflection of ourselves, is Scripture.

The best form of self-examination is simply reading Scripture. Or maybe I should say, meditating on Scripture. After all, the Bible wasn't meant to be read. It was meant to be meditated upon.

The book of James likens the Bible to a mirror. Meditating on it is the way we can get an accurate picture of who we are. And it not only reveals the sin in our lives. It also reveals the image of God in us. As we meditate on the Bible, the picture of who we are in Christ develops like a Polaroid print.

When I was a kid, our family used to frequent a restaurant called White Fence Farm. There was always a wait, but I didn't mind because the waiting room was like an amusement park. They had games to play. They had a car museum. And there were crazy mirrors, like at carnivals, that would distort your face and figure. I'd spend fifteen minutes contorting myself into every shape imaginable.

In a sense, every mirror is a crazy mirror except Scripture. Scripture is the only perfect mirror because it reveals how our Designer sees us.

I could quote more. Use Scripture as a mirror. Read it. Meditate on it. Let God speak to you through it. It is the BEST habit you will ever develop!

Soul Print - A review

I'm a big fan of Mark Batterson's books. I am an even bigger fan now after reading Soul Print. It is such a good book. I feel as if he crafted each sentence with an incredible amount of insight and wisdom. It gets the award for my most highlighted book. There are just so many great statements.

Most books start off good, but then fade as you get half-way through. Not so with Soul Print. It gets better and better. In fact, the last two chapters may be the best of the entire book. I was disappointed that I had finished it.

What makes this a must read for you is that it speaks clearly into our culture. What I mean by that is that there are issues, struggles, idols, and problems that are unique to Christians in America in 2011. Soul Print addresses those. I would share what some of them are, but really don't want to spoil the reading for you because you NEED to read this. Besides, Mark is such a good writer that I don't want to mess up something that he says so well.

One more thing that I have to mention is that Mark comes across as extremely humble. It's such a refreshing trait that makes me respect him and his writing all the more. But don't take my word for it. Read the book for yourself.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Trust

This quote from Mark Batterson's Soulprint is a great reminder for employees who want a promotion, staff who want to be the point leader, and the second-stringer who wants to start:

If God can trust you to do the right thing when Saul is on the throne, then He can trust you to do the right thing when you're sitting on the throne.

Teachable

There are two types of people in the world: Teachable and non-teachable.

A teachable person is open to learning and developing even if it might hurt a bit. They don't shut off constructive encouragement. They follow through on the advice they've been given. They know they don't know it all. Invest in these people.

A non-teachable person is closed to learning. They may seem open to learning but in reality, they don't want to hear anything that goes against their pre-set plan or direction. Don't waste time on these people.

I want to always be teachable. I want that for you as well.

A big shout out to Heidi C. who Liz and I spent some time with this AM. She was so teachable. I loved how open she was to letting us speak into her life.

Belief before behavior, or the other way around

I was having breakfast with Bryan Scott this morning talking about life and following Jesus and gym memberships.

One thing we talked about was how behavior influences belief. If our behaviors don't line up under our beliefs we change what we believe rather than changing the behavior. We don't like the cognitive dissonance. We don't like the guilt. But we like the behavior, so we change what we believe.

Take for instance sex before marriage. The Bible is against it (that may be a lightbulb for some of you). God's not against it because he wants you to be miserable. He's against it because he knows that purity paves the way to intimacy. But you want to have sex outside of marriage. It feels good. So, rather than give up sex you change what you believe about the Bible. "God didn't mean that. That's outdated. But we're eventually going to get married." You get the drift.

But following Jesus is about lining up our behavior under what we believe. I am confident that if we, as Christians, would begin to do that the world would be overwhelmed by our lives and we wouldn't be able to keep people away from the Church. But that'll never happen if we keep fitting our beliefs up under our behavior.

Sunday.

I'm sure you never think about this topic but it's something I think about every week. Here it is: What make for a great Sunday?

Sunday's for me revolve around church stuff. There's early morning sermon review, the worship gathering, talking with the church family, contacting folks that were absent, reviewing for Hub Group, having Hub Group... it's a busy day. And I usually have what's been titled a "holy hangover" from Sunday.

Yesterday, in my opinion, from my perspective, was a really good day. I started contemplating this AM about what made yesterday good. Here's my list so far:

• We had seven first time guests. Having new people always pumps me up.
• Two of those people ended up going to someone's Hub Group last night! Getting new people connected to Hub Groups is huge for me and for our mission at Hub City.
• People laughed a few times during the sermon.
• I was able to speak without looking at my notes too much. I know that's lame, but it's always a goal of mine.
• I was able to have some really good conversations with people.
• The theater looked really full. I'm not crowd focused but I believe we've got something that's worth being a part of and I don't want anybody to miss out.
• The outreach project sponsored by the Guerrilla Lovers team that made Valentine's for kids in the hospital. It was so cool seeing so many people participate.
• Another good offering. We're not about money. I hope you know that. But what you do with money indicates where your heart is at. Also, it takes money to do ministry.
• GREAT discussion and participation in our Hub Group.
• Seeing people step up in leadership roles (i.e. Kevin in leading this spring's Garage Unsale).
• Having someone else tell the story in Hub Group. Stephanie did an awesome job.

Those are a few reasons why yesterday was good.

BTW: Our new banner is up outside the theater! Pray that God will use that to allow us to reach and disciple more and more people.

Missionaries to the city

A guy came up to me this morning at the gym to introduce himself. I had on my trusty Hub City Church t-shirt, which he recognized. He's a minister at a local church and wanted to meet me because he had heard about our church. That always scares me.

Well, come to find out, what he had heard about Hub City is that we are a church that's a missionary to our city. I thought that was really cool. We have a reputation, at least in this guy's eyes, of being missionaries to our city.

That is a passion of mine. I want us to be a church that's known for being for Spartanburg, that's making Spartanburg a better place to live, work and play.

We've got some things on the calendar already:

• Garage Unsale in April
• Movies in the Park in May, June, July and August
• Guerrilla Lovers Projects throughout the year
• ______________________ (Our best projects haven't even been thought of yet. Share your ideas and let's go!)

Stay tuned for more info on each of these projects and how you can be a part. We are missionaries together reaching Spartanburg and the world one person at a time for the glory of the one who put skin on and moved into our neighborhood.

Thinking

I'm a big fan of thinking. Sometimes I think that thinking is a lost art. I love Vince's post on thinking. Read it.

How can you set aside more time in your life to think?

Will you pull with me?

I heard Vince Antonucci share a stat the other day that's kind of depressing. He said that 8 out of 10 new churches shut down before their third birthday. I'm not sure where he got the stat, but from folks I know I believe it. It's kind of depressing.

He likens starting a church to trying to pull a stationary truck up a hill. It's tough to get it rolling and then when you get it rolling, if you stop pulling, even for a second, it'll roll back down the hill. I like his description. Starting a church is hard.

He goes on to say that one of the ways to keep that statistic from becoming a reality is to get more people pulling the bus. I'd say it this way: There's got to be people, other than the pastor, who are carrying the load of the new church. If it's all on the pastor's shoulders then it's almost a lost cause.

Carrying the load can mean a number of things. It involves taking ownership. It's means sacrifice. It means taking responsibility. It cannot happen without deepening relationships.

I'm so thankful for the Hub City family that is helping me carry the load. You know who you are. Thank you! I'm honored to be working along side you. You encourage me more than you know.

But I also know we have a way to go. We have such potential. With that being said let's get to work pulling the truck.

Consumption

Warning: Personal Post.

I read a great article this morning titled Can Christian Consumers Ruin Pastors? You should read it and you should ask yourself: Am I a Christian consumer?

I'll be honest, I've felt this pressure from people. There are people who don't like how I speak so they compare me to the famous preacher that they listen to online each week and "gently encourage" me to talk more like him. Others want to do ministry so-and-so because they read about it working in a mega-church somewhere. The list could go on, but I'm convinced that the motivation behind these statements is a consumer mentality. It's an "all-about-me" approach to spirituality (I say "spirituality" because Christianity is inherently the opposite of a consumer mentality).

This consumer mentality is a cancer to churches. It's an unnecessary burden on pastors and it hinders the people from truly being the church.

We have a lot of great people who are a part of the Hub City family who aren't consumer Christians. They keep me going. I'm thankful for the people who love me and accept me for who I am and who encourage me to maximize my gifts and calling.

Consumers drain me. They cause me to question my gifts and calling. The problem, however, is that most consumers are blind to what they are doing. They can't see beyond their limited view of the world.

So what's the cure? I think we need a change of heart where we think of others before ourselves, where we're less about what we want and more about serving others. I think we need to ask ourselves about our motivation. Why do I like what I like? Why does this (whatever it is) make me mad? What is my motivation? Is it about me? And then we need to be in relationships with others who have the courage to speak up when our Christian consumerism rears its ugly head.

Family Traditions

Quite possibly my favorite family tradition is Friday pizza and movie night. Almost every Friday we have home-made pizza and rent a movie and just chill as a family.

Tonight it's The Sorcerer's Apprentice with the family and Dinner with the Schmucks after the kids go to bed.

What family traditions do you celebrate? Now's a great time to create some for your family.

Read more

I think you should read more. That's what I'm trying to do. I've read some great books lately. Here's a list of what I've read over the past month:

• Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels - Great book on church leadership
• Real Life Discipleship by Jim Putman - This book puts words to Hub City's discipleship process. A must read.
• Dead Heat by Joel Rosenberg - I'm not usually a fan of Christian fiction and this book was just ok (got it off my father-in-law's shelf), but sometimes reading fiction gets my creative juices flowing.
• The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons - Great book. I wrote a review a few weeks ago. This book did a lot to help me grow spiritually.

And here's what I'm reading now (or am about to read)

• The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw - Fantastic book. I'm almost finished with it. My generation could learn a lot from the greatest generation.
• The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark
• Decision Points by George W. Bush
• Soulprint by Mark Batterson
• Teenage Boys by Bill Beausay - Nathan just turned 10, but adolescence has already begun. I must prepare.

I guess I'm in a reading mood. I'd encourage you to get in a reading mood too. It'll help you grow and learn. I heard someone say one time that "Leaders are Readers." You're a leader somewhere, so read!

Anything out there that you'd recommend?

Unconditional Love

Another book I'm reading right now is Decision Points by George W. Bush. I started it this AM at the gym. So far it's a captivating book. I wanted to continue my time on the Elliptical machine so I could read more. On page 8 Bush makes an incredible statement:

When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.

That's powerful. There is enormous power in unconditional love. I want my kids to know that they are loved unconditionally. I want our community and world to know that they are loved unconditionally.

It reminds me of one of my life's guiding principles: People don't choose their friends, they gravitate towards acceptance, therefore I want to be the most accepting person alive.

Open social networks

I'm reading a fascinating book right now called The Rise of Christianity. I just read the following quote:

The basis for successful conversionist movement is growth through social networks, through a structure of direct and intimate interpersonal attachment. Most new religious movements fail because they quickly become closed, or semiclosed networks. That is, they fail to keep forming and sustaining attachments to outsiders and thereby lose the capacity to grow. Successful movements discover techniques for remaining open networks, able to reach out and into new adjacent social networks. If we are to better understand and explain the rise of Christianity, we must discover how the early Christians maintained open networks--for it would seem certain that they did. (pgs. 20-21)

Here's why this sticks out to me. I thing that we, as a church (Hub City Church), need to be intentional about keeping open social networks. So, for you personally, how are you doing at keeping open social networks, or is your life just about the friends and community that you already have? And then, for us as a church, how can we make sure we discover and implement techniques for remaining open?

A new thing

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

Good encouragement/reminder for today

Is It Possible You Practice Idolatry? by Rick Warren

The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. Mark 4:18-19 (NLT) "Now, listen carefully, when something crowds God out of my heart, you know what it's called? It's called an idol." As we discussed yesterday, God wants more than just a little piece of your heart. He wants your whole heart. Jesus talked about how easy it is to let your heart become so overcrowded that you have no room for God. He says there are those who hear God's word, but they become overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get, and eventually the stress strangles what they heard - so nothing comes of it. This is why some people can go to church week-after-week and year-after-year and yet there is little change in their lives. The seed that is planted through the Word on the weekend isn't able to grow because there is no room in the heart. Now, listen carefully, when something crowds God out of my heart, you know what it's called? It's called an idol. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in my heart. And the Bible says there should be no idols in our hearts. Idolatry doesn't mean you have a little statue that you kneel before and pray. An idol can be your career. An idol can be your boyfriend. An idol can be making money. An idol can be a dream. An idol with can be your marriage. Anything that is more important to you than God is an idol. The Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God!" (Psalms 46:10 NLT) Here's a rough translation: sit down and calm down. You can resign as the general manager of the universe and it's not going to fall apart. You may be so busy putting irons in the fire, that you're about to put the fire out. Jesus is telling us to get rid of the clutter in our hearts and make room for his pervasive presence in our lives.

One Decision

Here's a great post from Mark Batterson that's timely for making the most of 2011.

I'm a big believer in the power of one decision. You are only one decision away from a totally different life. I think we get overwhelmed by the thought of making massive changes so we don't make any! But you don't have to make big changes. You need to make small changesand then consistently follow thru on them.

Here's one decision that will revolutionize your spiritual life: read the Bible daily.
Here's one decision that will revolutionize your health: go to the gym 3x/week.
Here's one decision that will revolutionize your mind: read one book a month.

What one decision would revolutionize your body, spirit or mind?

The Next Christians - a Great read

When I first heard about this book I knew that I wanted to read it. I love learning about trends among Christians and the Church, especially the Church in America. What I expected was good news about where the Church and Christians were going and some good stories about what they are doing, and some bad news about where we're still falling short. The Next Christians contained all of that, but I got so much more.

For me, this turned out to be a book that helped me grow spiritually. Specifically, Lyon's six characteristics of Restorers gave me a great picture of how things should be in my life. I was specifically challenged and moved by the chapters on Called, not Employed and Grounded, not Distracted. The book is worth reading just for those two chapters.

I was also appreciative of his discussion of the full Gospel. There is much talk about the Gospel, but very little definition of what the Gospel actually is. I love the idea that the full Gospel involves Creation, the Fall, Redemption and Restoration. We usually leave out Creation and Restoration, and that is one reason why I think folks are disinterested in Christianity. We're not sharing and living out the full Gospel.

This book is an easy read with great stories. I highly recommend it. This book was provided courtesy of Blogging for Books.

An opportunity to be generous

I am really looking forward to our second annual Year End Gift Offering that we'll be receiving this Sunday, Dec. 19, at Hub City Church. I know it sounds strange to be looking forward to an offering, but I believe that generosity breaks the hold that greed has over so many of our lives. And many of the Hub City folks are going to go all out with their generosity.

Here's where the offering is going to go towards this year:

• Year End Gift Offering. We'll be receiving this offering on Sunday, December 19. The goal is $4000 and we're going to split whatever comes in evenly between four ministries.

1. To purchase medical supplies to help bring an end to the Cholera epidemic in Haiti.
2. To local ministries like The Have and Celebrate Recovery.
3. To reach out to our community through new signs and Guerrilla Lover projects.
4. To purchase needed equipment to make our worship gathering even better for the unchurched and disinterested

So here's what you need to do. Ask God what he would have you or your family give, then do what he says. I challenge you to give your biggest gift to God this Christmas. That's what my family is planning to do.

You can also give online at www.hubcitychurch.com or by mailing your gift to PO Box 55, Moore SC 29369.

More, more and more

I've been thinking a lot lately about organizational growth, specifically church growth. Now I know that the idea of church growth is offensive to some people, but all healthy organisms grow. My questions revolve around this main question: How can we grow in a healthy way? I don't think cancerous growth is healthy. It's fast, it can get big, but it's dangerous. But I do think that healthy growth is important. With that in mind, I came across this quote.

JIM COLLINS
On "the undisciplined pursuit of more"
"Regulate growth, regulate reach. Do we have all our key seats filled with fantastic people? If the answer is no, we must resist growth until all those seats are filled with fantastic people."

He says it another way in his book Good to Great. It's all about getting the right people on the bus, in the right seats, with the bus pointed in the right direction.

So, are you in the right seat on the bus? If not, where would you be a better fit?

The best time for an invitation

Read this stat today. Here are theTop Five Times People Are Open To Considering Matters Of Faith…

• #5 – After the birth of a baby (28%)
• #4 – After a natural disaster (34%)
• #3 – After a major national crisis i.e. 9/11 (38%)
• #2 – During the Easter season (38%)
• #1 – During the Christmas season (47%)

So what's my point? Invite someone to Hub City this Sunday. Who knows, they may say yes.