Fading West

You can thank me later, but first you need to download Switchfoot's new album, Fading West. 

Not only are these good songs, they are saying some good things, some things that all of us need to hear. 

Some thoughts on sin

I’ve been thinking about sin a lot the past few weeks. That’s weird, I know, but I thought I’d share some of my thoughts in bullet form.

• Sin takes us down a path that leads away from God.
• Sin steals our joy.
• Sin causes us to disconnect from the people who care about us the most.
• Sin promises more than it can deliver.
• This Quote from A.W. Tozer: “A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God. This is man's greatest tragedy and God's heaviest grief.”
• Sin leads to regret, but oftentimes this regret doesn’t show up till later.
• Sin enslaves us.

That’s why we need to confess our sin. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sin that God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleans us from all unrighteousness. No sin is too great that it can’t be forgiven.

It’s not to late to repent, turn around and change directions, but one day it might be. You don’t want to get to that place.

Finally, you can’t conquer your sin on your own. You need someone who can love you, pray for you and ask you the tough questions. It’s interesting that James 5:16 says that when we sin we need to confess our sins to one another so that we will be healed. Forgiveness comes from God, but healing from our sin and its impact in our lives comes from confessing it to other people.

What are your thoughts?

Your prayers matter

I got an email the other day from Matt Crosland. Matt and his family are Wycliffe Missionaries in Papua New Guinea. In spite of the fact that he’s a Gamecock fan, Matt is a really cool guy with a neat family.

I am pretty sure it’s tough being missionaries in Papua New Guinea. Adventurous? Yes. Tough. You bet. While on the field this past year they’ve faced one challenge after another. Frankly, most of us would have packed up and gone home if we’d faced what they’ve faced. And then to top it all off, last week they found out they had been robbed. And then two days later they were robbed again.

There’s not much I can do sitting in my office thousands of miles away from the Crosland’s except to pray, so I shot Matt an email just to let him know of my prayers. He responded a day later with this: I can’t tell you how important it is for us to have people praying for us. We truly believe that it effects what happens here.

A lot of times we’re tempted to think that our prayers don’t matter. But they do. That’s why James, the brother of Jesus, writes: The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.

Your prayers matter. Make prayer a habit. I know that you have so much on your plate, but you’re not too busy to pray. Pray for Matt, Tiffany, and their 6 kids (with another on the way).  Pray for your church. Pray for your family. Pray often and about everything. Your prayers matter. 

Some shocking news

Instead of posting a screen shot of the temperature outside and complaining about the cold, I am choosing to share another reason why I dislike winter.

Static Electricity.

Yes. You read that right. Static Electricity.

Every winter my body becomes a mobile power plant. I am confident that if Duke Energy could harness the static electricity produced by my body alone that we could power the states of South Carolina, Georgia and half of Florida. 

It's shocking, I know.

This reason alone is justification for a move to some warm Caribbean island.

If only there was a solution to my electrifying problem. I've tried rubbing down my clothes and jackets with dryer sheets, humidifiers, copious amounts of lotion...all to no avail. 

Anyone out there who can help a brother out? I would be eternally grateful. But I probably won't shake your hand because I'd probably shock you.

Let Hope In

Someone mysteriously mailed me a copy of Pete Wilson's new book, Let Hope In, right before Christmas. Whoever you are: Thank You. It was a great book.

The book is all about putting the past in the past. Most of us live in a way where our present and our future are determined by our past. In other words, our past isn't our past. It's still our present. And as a result, there's a blockade between who we are and who we could be.  

But while our past should shape us it should not determine our present and future. 

If you're still letting the past control your present then I encourage you to check out this book. I think it's $2.99 on kindle right now, which is a fantastic price.

From the Secret Life of Walter Mitty to Lion Chasers

Yesterday, the Hub City Church family, and my family, stayed after our worship gathering to watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

I have no idea why this movie hasn't done well at the box office. It is fantastic. Maybe we Americans have too short of an attention span. I don't know. But it's a movie worth seeing. And it's worth seeing because most of us are just like Walter.

As a kid Walter had dreams. He was going to backpack across Europe. He was "rad" on the ole skateboard. He was going to be something and do something.

Then his dad died, he had to get a job at Papa John's, and he quit living. He just went through the motions of his job as a negative account manager (he cataloged and processed film negatives for Life Magazine).

The only real living Walter did was in his fantasmic daydreams. 

Then everything changed. He lost a negative (for you young whipper-snappers, this is the thingy that comes out of a camera that you develop into a picture). In order to find this lost negative, number 25, he took off to Greenland, then to Iceland (via a short swim in the frigid Arctic ocean and boat ride), eventually ending up in Afghanistan, only to discover that the negative had been with him all along, albeit hidden. 

I may be crazy, but I think each of us who are followers of Jesus have a hidden treasure. The mundane of life blocks it from our consciousness, but it's there and it's from God.

It's time we stop daydreaming about living. It's time we put an end to living vicariously through our kids or some TV show, comic book hero or movie protagonist. It's time to grab life by the mane and become lion chasers.

For the next seven weeks at Hub City Church we're going to discover just how to do that.  

Commitments

When I think about where I want to be one year from today one thing I know for sure is that I don't want to be the same person I am today. I want to grow. I want to be more Christlike. I want to love more, grow in holiness, be a better dad and husband, be a better pastor, and be closer to the person that God created me to be.

Unfortunately, those things don't happen without some intentional work on my part. Goals are one way to move from the person I am to the person God created me to be. But  setting goals is only half of the equation. 

I once heard Rick Warren say that we grow by making commitments. I have to commit to do certain things that will move me from the person I am to the person God created me to be.

For the past two weeks I've been thinking about a few simple commitments that I think all of us need to make for 2014. These simple commitments pack an enormous punch.

• Commit to regularly attend and participate in your local church. Stop being hit-and-miss. Your church needs you and you need your church.
• Commit to consistently be involved in a small group. We weren't created to do life alone. 
• Commit to tithe. This one act of obedience will transform your entire life.
• Commit to read your Bible on a daily basis. Pick a Bible reading plan and stick to it.

The thing that makes these small commitments so powerful is that they all have a cumulative effect. Like compounding interest, they build on one another and transform us over time.

What commitments are you going to make this year? 

Goals

I'm not a big fan of New Year resolutions. Most of us make them and then break them 24 hours later. But goals, on the other hand, can be powerful in making the new year a better one than the previous year.

I don't know where I first learned this, but for a goal to be a goal it needs to be S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific: You need a specific target for the goal.
• Measurable: There needs to be some measure of success to know that you're actually achieving the goal.
• Attainable: You have to be able to attain the goal. It can't be some lofty, pie-in-the-sky dream.
• Relevant: It needs to matter and not be a waste of time.
• Time-bound: There must be some time-frame or deadline related to the goal.

Let me give you some examples:

• This year I'm going to use a youversion Bible reading plan to read through the Bible in a year to grow spiritually.
• This year I'm going to exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week to stay healthy. 

You get the picture. 

So what goals do you want to set this year. I've set a few. This blog is one of them. I want to blog at least three times a week in an effort to process my thoughts and disciple Hub City Church.

I want to leave you with something I read in Rick Warrens Devotion this morning about goals. After you read it take some time an come up with a few goals of your own.

God Has a Plan for 2014. Shouldn't You? by Rick Warren

“[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.” Ephesians 1:10 (GWT) Goal setting isn’t just a good idea for productivity. It’s a spiritual discipline, like prayer, fasting, giving, and reading your Bible. In fact, goal setting can be an act of stewardship as you attempt to make the most of all God has given you. You can waste your life. Plenty of people do it. To make the most of your life and invest it in a way that outlasts you, you’ll need goals. You’re either someone who makes things happen or watches things happen — or maybe you have no idea what’s happening! Those who make things happen are the people who change the world. Even God sets goals. The Bible says, “[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.” Ephesians 1:10 (GWT). God didn’t sit around and let the history of the world unfold in a way he found appropriate. He planned history. God has goals for the Church. God has goals for every facet of the universe. History is moving to a climax. There will be a judgment day, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. History is moving toward that goal — because God planned it that way. If God plans, so should we. God wants us to be like him in all facets of our lives, including goal setting. I’ve heard people say, “I’m not going to plan. I’m just going to trust God and go with the flow.” That’s not spiritual; it’s stupid! You shouldn’t go one more day without making plans for this year. Otherwise, you’ll drift through 2014 as you’ve likely done in previous years. If God has a plan for the next year, shouldn’t you?

You will have trouble

Back in college I memorized something Jesus said in John 16:33. The second part of the verse says this: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Think about what Jesus says here. He promises trouble.

Thanks Jesus.

He knows we live in a fallen world, and being his follower doesn't get you a pass. You will have trouble. It's a promise.

But Jesus doesn't leave it there. He goes on to say: Take heart! I have overcome the world.

Even thought we're promised trouble in this world Jesus also lets us know that he has overcome the world. 

But honestly, "Whoop-tee-do, Jesus. What good is that to me?"

I'm glad you asked because that's where the first part of the verse comes into play:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus says that in him you may have peace. It's the in him that's the most important part of that verse. 

We are to do life in him. That makes all the difference. 

This Christmas, as we remember that God became one of us so that we might know him, let's also remember to do life in him, because in the midst of this world where we will have trouble, we have a savior who has not only overcome the world, but who promises peace to those who are in him. So let's stay there.

My binge drinking dog

My dog, Henry, is a binge drinker. He'll drink two to three bowls of water at a time. It's strange. I think he has a problem. But then last night happened.

Last night we discovered that Henry got into Matthew's Halloween candy: Nerds, Laffy-Taffy, Smarties and Sweet-tarts.

It appears that candy makes dogs thirstier than normal, so last night Henry had more water than normal, probably four to five bowls. This heavy drinking caused him to wake up at 4 in the morning needing to go out. But I'm asleep at 4 AM, so Henry, after holding it as long as possible (at least I assumed he tried to hold it), let pee leak all over my bathroom... every rug... dribbles on the linoleum floor... lots of pee... everywhere. Not what you want to find when the dog finally woke me up at 4:36.

And guess what? Candy must also make dogs have to poop more. By 8:30 this morning Henry had pooped 3 times with each poop filled with an assortment of candy wrappers.

I am seriously considering finding Henry a new home. 

I apologize for the gross post, but this was a story that needed telling.

Awe and wonder

Every single time I read the beginning of the book of Acts I am slapped in the face by how often it says that the early church, and the residents of Jerusalem, we in awe and wonder of what God was doing.

That's what I want for us. I want God to move in such a supernatural way in and through us that we are left in awe and wonder at the greatness of God. I am praying for that. I think you should pray that too.

I'm also asking: Am I doing anything that might be getting in the way? Are you?

Because of what God is doing may someone write Acts 3:10 about us one day: They were filled with wonder and amazement.

I think you're insane

For the past two weeks at Hub City we've been talking about how we can position ourselves for growth. The first week we talked about how growth always requires risk and faith. Yesterday we said that our capacity for growth determines our growth potential. But there's something else that I've been thinking about that's an essential ingredient for growth: Change.

Most everyone has heard the definition of insanity: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again hoping to get different results.

I think if many of us were honest we'd have to admit we must be insane because we do just that: We keep doing the same things over and over again yet we still hope we'll get different results.

But growth never happens apart from change. And while change is hard and uncomfortable and risky it opens the door for growth to be a possibility.

God created you to never stop growing. Change is an essential ingredient for that to happen. 

So, what needs to change in your life in order for you to grow? I'd hate for any of us to continue in our insanity.

Can I have more

Yesterday Hub City transitioned from one to two worship gatherings. I think things went very well. My biggest surprise of the day was how everyone who came to the early gathering was on time. Actually, they were early. That was cool.

In light of this new step in the life of Hub City I want to share an article that I read last week from Rick Warren. It's relevant and shares what it is that I think we need most of all right now.

Why You MUST Develop More Leaders

• BY RICK WARREN

• IN LEADERSHIP · RICK WARREN

• — 17 OCT, 2013  

• If you want your church to grow, and if you want the Kingdom to grow, you’re going to need to develop many more leaders. In the early church, an interesting turn of events happens when the apostles shift from simply preaching to releasing leaders.

  

The Bible says in the early chapters of Acts that God was “adding” to the church daily. Shortly into the life of the Jerusalem church, there arose a conflict between Hellenistic Jews and Hebraic Jews over the care of orphans and widows. The apostles asked for leaders from the church to be pointed out and then they released seven men to oversee a new area of ministry. Suddenly, the terminology changes from God “adding” to the church to the church “multiplying.”

Out of Acts, chapter 6, we can take away at least seven lessons for churches that want to grow by empowering and releasing more leaders.

1. A growing church is a Biblical idea.
It says, “In those days the number of disciples were increasing.” If a church is not growing, it is often because something is unhealthy. Healthy things grow. Unless the community is already saturated and everyone reachable has been reached, a church must diagnose what is breaking down in the leadership development process. We’ve said that if there is one person who doesn’t know Christ, we’re going to keep growing. A growing church is biblical.
2. Church growth causes problems.
Acts 6 says that there were “rumblings of discontent.” That’s true in any church. Sometimes people come to me and say, “Pastor Rick, we’ve really got a problem in this church.” I want to say, “Which one? I’m aware of about a couple hundred. Which one are you talking about?” They say, “You may not recognize this but there’s this need.” Of course we recognize it. We live with it day and night. But leadership development takes time, so there are always holes to be filled in any growing ministry.
3. Problems are always unmet needs.
It says “The Greek speaking Jews claimed their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.” We would like to think that everyone in our church’s membership is together in the priority of seeing more people come to Jesus, but even Christians get distracted when there are unmet needs in their lives – real or imagined. When you experience a leadership problem in your church, it almost always flows out of someone’s unmet need.
4. Pastors cannot do it all.
Their response to this need was, “It wouldn’t be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” It’s a legitimate need but it’s not one that God called us to meet. Spiritual leaders cannot remain spiritual leaders long if they aren’t spending adequate time at the feet of Jesus seeking wisdom, direction, and vision.
5. Spirit-filled believers assist the pastoral staff.
They said, “choose seven men, full of the Holy Spirit and we’ll turn the responsibility over to them.” It’s interesting that if you read these names in Acts 6 – Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus – you find that they are all Greek names. And these men cared deeply about the needs of the Greek believers in the early church.
6. The pastors are to focus on praying and teaching.
He said, “We will give our attention to prayer and teaching of the word.” I once had to make a covenant with Saddleback Church. If the people would take on the work of the ministry, I would make sure they were well fed. That’s been my goal since that time. The ministry of Saddleback outgrew me a long time ago. Obviously I can’t do all the ministry. I can’t even do a fraction of the ministry. But I can make sure that you’re well fed.
7. The result of lay ministry was more growth.
It says, “This proposal pleased the whole group so the word of God increased rapidly (multiplied).” There was mobilization. In many churches, all you’re expected to do is attend and give. But those are really two minor issues related to what God really wants to do in your life. We have allowed our spectator-oriented culture to influence the church.
But God teaches us to mobilize every person for ministry – pastors and staff are to equip all believers for the work of the ministry. We have to mobilize every member for ministry. This is leadership development. And this is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission.

Good Idols

If you are a part of Hub City you need to be in a Hub Group. If you're not you are missing out. I love what happens in Hub Group. This past week we were looking at the really strange story out of Genesis 22 where God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

We talked about how Isaac had become an idol to Abraham and how God is serious about us having no other God’s before him, and that God has no problem whatsoever asking us to sacrifice those things that get in between us and him, even if those things are important in our lives.

And then Liz said something that is worth sharing. She said that not all idols are bad things. Sometimes an idol can be a good thing, but it’s a good think that’s taken God’s place in our life.

Isaac was a good thing. He was the fulfillment of a promise. He was Abraham's one and only son. But Isaac had become Abraham’s idol.

We left Hub Group committed to asking: What idols do we have in our life? I think it would be good for you to ask the same question as well. Let's not allow the good to get in the way of our great God.

746

In the five years that Hub City Church has been in existence we've have 746 people attend one of our worship gatherings at least once. 746!

Actually, that's not completely accurate because that only reflects adults that filled out connection cards. So the number is a tad bit greater.

When I saw that I was pretty amazed. God has graced us with the chance to speak into the lives of 746+ people. Tat's a lot of people.

But I think there are more people that God wants us to disciple. There are more people that God wants us to impact.

That's one reason we're moving from one to two worship gatherings this coming Sunday. As the graphic says, the new times are 9 and 10:30. 

I'm pumped about this next step in the life of Hub City and I want all of you to be a part, so be there and bring a friend or two.

What do you think?

What do you think God thinks about when God thinks about you?

That's the question we're going to answer this Sunday as we conclude our Contagious series.

If there's anything that's unmistakably clear as you read through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament, it's that Jesus was a contagious person. Everyone wanted to be around him. People who were nothing like him liked him and he liked people who were nothing like him. 

Which means, if you were to meet Jesus, he would like you. And you would like him. 

Which is why, even if you don't like church, you need to be at Hub City this Sunday at 10 AM so that you can discover what God thinks about when God thinks about you.

See you there.

Obedience - The "why" behind the "what"

If you want to know the main reason we’re moving from one to two worship gatherings it is because this is something that God wants us to do.

What’s funny is that this isn’t necessarily what I personally wanted to do. Just like planting Hub City five years ago wasn’t something I wanted to do. I wanted to do anything other than plant another church. But if I’ve learned one thing in following Jesus for the past 34 years it’s that obedience should trump desire and feelings 100% of the time.

Moving from one worship gathering to two worship gatherings is an issue of obedience.

We say all the time that we want you to hear from God and do what he says. That’s the exact reason we’re moving from one worship gathering to two worship gatherings. 

See, Hub City Church is Jesus' church. It's not my church. It's not your church. It's not our church. It's Jesus' church. He calls the shots. And while we don't always get the execution right, we're always trying to make sure we're in step with what God is telling us to do. 

That should be the goal of your life as well. Obedience always opens the door for blessing. Honor God and he will honor you.

Space - The "why" behind the "what"

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but there’s just something about Americans and space. Not outer-space, but personal-space. We like our personal space. Which means we don’t like to sit close to people.

That’s why sociologists and people who study crowds have come up with the 70% rule. The 70% rule says that when a room is 70% full it is perceived to be 100% full, even though there are empty seats.

Here's how the rule impacts us: The theater we meet in for worship is a unique environment in that not all of the seats are usable seats. So, of our usable seats, we’ve been bumping up against the 70% rule for the past six months.

All of this means that we need to create more space. We can’t bring more seats into the theater, but we can start a second worship gathering. And that’s what we’re doing on October 20^th. We’re moving from one to two because two are better than one.

I have to say one more thing because this space issue is something that we’ll bump up again in the future and you can do a few things to help us make the most of the space with have. If you’re a part of the Hub City family you can help us maximize our usable rows by doing these three things. First, scoot to the center of the theater. Second, fill in the empty seats. Third, sit in the HD section, down front. Doing these things will open up seats for guests.

I believe that as we create space we give God the opportunity to fill that space. And this is another “why” behind the “what.”

The "why" behind the "what" - Options

The Big News is that Hub City is moving from one worship gathering to two worship gatherings. This week I'm giving you a glimpse of the "why" behind the "what."

One of the reasons we are making this change is to give people options. Everybody loves options. Some people like to get things done early in the morning so they can have the rest of the day to play. Others would rather sleep in and prefer a later time. 

I know a few people who would love to be a part of the Hub City worship gathering, but because of their work schedule they’ve been unable to participate. That all changes with a 9 AM worship time. They can come to the earlier gathering and still make it to work on time.

Options are good. And now we have two options that people can choose from to be a part of a Hub City worship gathering. 

Come back tomorrow and I'll talk about the space dilemma. 

The "why" behind the "what"

Yesterday I made an big announcement at Hub City's worship gathering. Starting October 20th, we're moving from one worship gathering to two worship gatherings. 

We are excited about this next step in the life of Hub City.

This week I'll be posting some reasons that will help explain the "why" behind the "what." 

We think that two are better than one. Check back all week to find out why.