roadie journal #4

hopefully you enjoyed the info and stats from the last post on Costa Rica. now, lets talk about some crazy huge waves.

if you're not knowledgeable about surfing, thats ok. Costa Rica is known as one of the top surfing destinations on the globe, b/c it consistently produces good (head-high or higher) waves year around and the water temperature stays around 75-80 degrees all year long. so, surfing was definitely a huge item on our agenda for the trip. we (my brother Seth & I) were able to surf 5 straight days on the Northwest coast, just south of Tamarindo and Nosara. the four beaches we surfed were Playa Cameronal, Playa Carillo, Playa Samara & Buena Vista. Carillo and Samara were pretty small b/c they were tucked away in a bay type beaches. Cameronal & Buena Vista were seriously fierce. these waves are so different than what i'm used to on the east coast of North & South Carolina. in Costa Rica, the waves are so powerful and strong. the waves were consistently over head-high, which means over 6ft tall. not only are they tall, but they're really really long. also, the waves break about 250-300 yards away from land, so its extremely hard to paddle all the way out past the breakers. it took us 10-15 minutes just to get to the spot we aimed for. the waves come in as "sets," which means they travel together, so to speak, at different times. so, every 5-8 minutes a set would come in. if you were too close to the beach, you would be demolished by the waves repeatedly crashing on you. if you were too far out, you would miss the waves.

at one point, Seth was caught too far in, so he jumped off his board to dive under a massive wave, but his leash broke. the leash is the chord attached to your ancle that keeps you connected to your surfboard. so, he was a couple hundred yards away from the beach without a board, in deep water, trying to stay afloat and swim in while huge waves were crashing on him, taking him under the water. fortunately, he made it in, but stayed out for the rest of the morning. i can't imagine how those guys on tv surf 40-50ft waves. even the 10-12ft waves we were facing seemed deadly. needless to say, this was a crazy experience that i could talk about all night. to close, nature is fierce and amazingly powerful. God is even more amazing to put it all in motion with the word of His mouth.

our God is awesome!! hope you enjoy the pics.

roadie journal #3

2 days after the Seattle trip, i met my family back home in Myrtle Beach and we flew out to Costa Rica. i don't know what it is about foreign cultures, but i'm really drawn to them. i've only been out of the country 3 times (twice to Costa Rica & once to Nicaragua), but i have a real sensation for traveling and experiencing new and different places.

Costa Rica is a somewhat "3rd World Country" or even "Developing Country," a term used by our missionary there, and it is located right in the middle of Central America, with Nicaragua on the north border and Panama the south. it has a annual income per person of $12k US dollars with a population of approximately 6 million people, 2&1/2 million residing in the San Jose area. also, it is approximately half the size of South Carolina and produces beautiful people, beautiful mountains, over 100 volcanoes (only a hundful are active), beautiful animals, rain forests, beaches and steep cliffs. the common language is Spanish. Most of the younger children and students are learning English in school, but you wont be able to get by without knowing a few Spanish phrases. The food is different, but good if you're not picky. there are some modern conveniences in the metropolis of San Jose, but most of the country living is rural without air conditioning, hot water or internet. all the houses have walls surrounding the property with bars on the windows and sometimes barbed wire on top of the fence. your things will be stolen if they aren't watched or protected. in the city, every house is connected wall to wall, without a yard or trees. it is very different than North America...quite a culture shock.

all in all, i love it. if you've never been outside the States, you need to do yourself a favor to travel and open your eyes to the other countries around the world. you will be humbled and very grateful when you return to your suburbian 2 story house with a 2 car garage, a yard, multiple vehicles, air conditioning, hot water, wireless internet, tvo, theatres, malls, Walmart, and safety.

tomorrow i'll chat about the enormous waves!! Seth and i almost died.

roadie journal #2

so, my visit to seattle washington was really sweet. this was the first time i had been to the west coast and the first time i had been furter west than minnesota. it was quite a venture. first, i went alone, so there was not any company, other than my iPod. the plane ride from detroit was 4&1/2 hours, which is a long time to be on a plane, stuck in a tiny little seat. nonetheless, it was good and safe traveling.

the culture of seattle is quite different than my normal culture of the south. seattle is a "post-christian" culture. it is not normal to "go to church." most people are against any sort of organized religion, so churches and christians are often ridiculed and even hated. this is so different from the south. down here everyone has been to church before or is open to church because there's a church building on every corner. so, in seattle, the "shot in the dark" approach of evangelism (tracts, door to door, street witnessing, etc) is not effective at all. it truly requires christians to be missional in their daily lives and let people experience a relationship with someone who has been radically changed by the gospel.

as far as the nature and climate of seattle go, the evergreen trees are cool like the ones you see in paintings. there's a lot of water and boats around because of the Pugit Sound that surrounds the city. it seems like everyone has a boat. they're everywhere! it's also very mountainous with mountain ranges on every side and Mount Ranier in the distance. every day it was about 35 degrees, and it snowed while i was there too. one afternoon the bottom fell out w/snow and in 2 or three hours there were 3 inches of snow on the ground. it was sweet!

all in all, i loved seattle and the people and the culture and the nature. it was an amazing trip that will be influential for the rest of my life.

roadie journal #1

2 weeks ago, i traveled to the West Coast, across the great USA, for the first time to visit a church and a city in Washington State. the church was Mars Hill Church, and the city was Seattle. The whole trip was a pretty crazy experience, b/c i stayed with people i didn't really know that well (but were really great people), and b/c i was in an environment i didn't know that well either. my best friend on the trip was a Garmin GPS car navigation system. wow. it was amazing...i seriously would've been crazy lost w/out it.

anyways, i've been tracking w/Mars Hill for about 1 year now, and i think they are one of the most biblically solid and culturally relevant churches i know. usually a church will be great at one and pour at the other. why?? many many reasons. however, for ten years mars hill has had an amazing influence and impact in one of the most unchurched, post-christian cities in America. they are truly a missional church that is centered on Jesus. Many churches say they are "centered on Jesus" in their mission statement, but often times "what's on the wall is different than what's happening down the hall." essentially, some churches have crafted a great vision or mission statement, but its nothing more than a cute saying that no-one follows. in contrast, everything at mars hill is about Jesus & the gospel. you wouldn't have to read it on the wall to know it. if you want to know more about truly being missional, check out the book, the Radical reformission by Mark Driscoll, preaching pastor at mars hill. ...more on Seattle tomorrow.

seattle & costa rica

in 2 days i experienced one of the craziest geographical tranistions ever!! last monday i was in snowy seattle for the weekend visiting Mars Hill Church, and on wednesday i flew out of myrtle beach to sunny Costa Rica for a family vacation. right now i'm in this tiny town on the pacific coast named Samara, and i found a small interent cafe in the village. its crazy here!! i love it though. the waves are ginormous. i'll right soon about both experiences when i get back to the States.

"pura vida"
-pure life

in New Jersey

this weekend i've been in the lovely state of New Jersey. most of the time it gets a terrible reputation from those who drive through on the major interstates, but few actually drive the countryside to understand why it is named "The Garden State."

i'm visiting one of my best friends that i met in college, Ed Viola. He's a pastor of a small church here in South Jersey. its been a glorious visit, and we've had the opportunity to play hockey this week, go to a Flyers game, play "air soft," discuss theology, study the scriptures, sip egg nog, and much more. friends are a wonderful blessing.

stuffed

i'm completely stuffed...even still at 10:30pm because it's Thanksgiving and i ate way too much (you know exactly what i mean). its really been a great day. you cant beat hanging out with your fam all day, sitting around, watching tv, and stuffing your face. thats hard to beat:)! more and more i'm learning the joy of rest. God has definitely designed us to have a time of rest. i'm thankful for a ton of things today. God is so great!! i'm blessed.

swing dancing

for some reason, this week has brought another "first time" my way. last night i had the unbelievable opportunity to go swing dancing for the very first time. it was definitely the most fun i've had in a long while. i was very apprehensive before i went b/c i've never really danced before, and b/c i was taught growing up that "dancing is bad and worldly!!!" :) well, some dancing may be "worldly," but this was not. i went with a new friend i met a couple weeks ago at a bible study, and she's been swing dancing for a couple years now. last night we showed up early for a lesson with about 50 other people, and then the real dancing began immediatley after. truthfully, it is pretty easy to learn (if u have any rhythm). the coolest thing about the night was that there were about 150 people there and you could dance w/whoever you wanted. and...i finally used the infamous line, "may i have this dance?". i danced with at least 30 different girls!! am i allowed to say that?? oh well, they were all very cordial and nice. i didn't get rejected one time. if you've never been, you definitely have to go!! all ages and all types of people were there. it was a blast!!!

turkey shoot

Tonight i attended my first ever "Turkey Shoot" in Dunn, NC with one of my closest friends, Stephen Wagoner. for those of you who don't what this is, we didn't kill any turkeys. in a nutshell, a "turkey shoot" is a bunch of rednecks who get together around thanksgiving and shoot their shotguns for target practice. you take turns shooting at a target, and see who comes the closest to the crosspiece. whoever wins gets a free frozen turkey. i know, weird. maybe i should do some more research and figure out how the whole thing came into being, and why.

Growing up in South Carolina, i have to admit that i have some redneck in me...and somehow, i actually won a turkey tonight. pretty cool. i don't really need a turkey, and i don't know how to cook one, so i figured i would give it to a needy family that would love to have a turkey for thanksgiving.

proverbs 3:5-6

ok, i believe crisis in our lives causes certain scriptures to take on stronger, more personal meanings. what i mean is, when your circumstances match up with a scripture passage you've read or heard, it takes on a whole new meaning in a bright new light. for instance, in my life right now, i've got a huge decision to make that will permanently determine the course and direction of my life. i've been going back and forth examining all the minor details of the options and scrutinizing the value of them both. so, recently the verse entered my mind that i memorized when i was a kid, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths (proverbs 3:5-6)." truthfully, it was pretty convicting, but at the same time it was a breath of fresh air. if i trust God...with ALL my heart, He will direct my steps. i don't think that means i need to sit on my bedroom floor with my legs crossed, humming and waiting for God to talk to me. but, i should investigate the options He's placed in front of me, and ultimatley realize that He make the final call and decision on the matter.

john

recently i've been pleading with God for strong faith. when my faith is weak, i feel so pathetic and useless...maybe thats a sin. however, i've been reading through the gospel of John, following his account of the works and teachings of Jesus. its been quite wonderful. tonight i read a couple chapters and was very encouraged. i try to imagine what it must have been like to be there and see Jesus, and watch his miracles, and listen to his teachings. it had to be a crazy experience. anyhow, i definitely recommend reading through books of the Bible. it has done wonders for my faith and walk w/God.

18 missions trips in 1 year

ok, so i attended this missions dinner tonight at Summit Church and they discussed the upcoming missions plans and opportunities the church will be involved with in the future. this is crazy, but they will be leading 18 short term & long term missions trips over the next year. crazy!!! its was pretty awesome to see their global vision for the gospel. i was pretty stoked, and i'm definitley open and close to going global this next year and possibly for life. we'll see...its in God's hands.

broken

yesterday was quite the experience for me. i attended a church in Durham called The Summit Church. this was the second time i've attended here, but it was the first time at their new location. for some reason, i was broken from the first song and throughout the whole day. when i say broken, i mean humbled, open, stripped of pride and a mediocre life. i don't know if God has ever done something like that to you, but its a wild experience (kind of like snake handling...j/k). if it sounds like a bad experience, its not. its a great thing b/c you know God is working in your heart and mind. it was actually a refreshment and rekindling of the fire. i can't say what caused it other than God's planning. it wasn't a certain song or electric guitar solo that sparked the move of God in me, but was rather just God dealing w/my life and calling me to something great with Him. you should check out the summit at http://www.summitchurch.cc

confession

yesterday, i called one of my best friends and said i have an enemy of the gospel that i need to talk about. this enemy was a personal sin of mine that was an idol that i've began to worship. if you think i'm crazy, you worship idols too. i'm just admitting it.

this wasn't fun at all, but rather, it was really hard to get the gut to admit my sin. after a few minutes of contemplating the problem, we spent some meaningful time encouraging one another.

why confess?? well, God has established the church to be a community that experiences life together, in the good times and bad, in struggles and harmony. when we isolate ourselves w/out meaningful relationships, we set ourselves up for disaster. confession & repentance are absolute necessities for the Christian life.

what idols do u have?? maybe you should call someone about that...

its been too long...

for the hundreds of you who daily check my blog, i appologize for my 2 week sabatical from the blog world:). really, i've been traveling for several days in North and South Carolina, but i'm back at my temp home here in charlotte. by the way, charlotte is a great place.

i got to spend almost a week w/my fam in myrtle and we had a glorious time together fishing, surfing, talking, going to church together, eating together, and other stuff. i love family. i hate to think what life would be like w/out my family. i love them. they love me. the other night, i sat down w/my parents at their dining room table, and for a couple hours we discussed God's leading in my life. it was so great. i don't have secrets w/them. i don't think i'm smarter than them, but we have a great relationship where they give me great advice and counsel on things in my life. it was great.

i spent this past weekend in columbia, sc, w/a great friend named Paul Ditoma. we got to spend 4 days of felowship and community and encouragement together, it was great. i also visited CIU (Columbia International University) Seminary on Monday and Tuesday. this is one of the schools i've applied to and may possibly attend in the future. its a great place w/a great mission, "To know Him and to make Him known." wow!! thats so awesome. there all about Jesus and making Him known across the globe. freakin sweet!!

welcome back. its good to be back:). tomorrow's post i kinda crazy!!

grace & peace

on the inlet today...

well, today i'm in lovely myrtle beach, chillin w/some of my distant family and friends...who happen to be staying in a beach house at the point of Garden City Beach. honestly, its been a heavenly day. this morning i woke up and went surfing even though the surf was flat. then i headed for the beach house and took a dip in the pool. after the dip, i took a walk on the beach where i saw 2 sharks that were about 6 feet long (yikes...same water i was surfing in this morning). now, i'm chillin on the patio waiting of the Frogmore Stew to get done. what a day...wish i could share it with you! peace

what a line-up! ...& a new Guinness World Record

so, day 1 at Catalyst was pretty sweet!! Steve Fee is definitely one of my favorite worship leaders!

here's the line-up of speakers we heard today:

• Andy Stanley
• Patrick Lencioni
• Francis Chan
• Rick Warren

i was seriously inspired and challenged...wish we had time to chat.

also, i was part of setting 3 new Guinness Book World Records today which include:

1. the most amount of soap bubbles blown at once

2. the most amount of frisbees thrown at once

3. the most amount of soap bubbles popped by frisbees at once

needless to say, it was a crazy day. more tomorrow!

catalyst 07

tonight i'm sitting in my atlanta hotel room with my dad and my friend (shane browder), and we're eagerly anticipating tomorrow morning, the beginning of Catalyst 07. Catalyst is a conference that is put on once a year for next generations leaders...primarily focussed on church leaders who will take the gospel of Jesus to the world. so, we're pretty stoked b/c its an amazing conference that includes incredible speakers, lots of people (11,000), and tons of fun stuff like setting new guinness book world records...crazy stuff. i'm sure there will be some sweet stuff to blog about. check back in the next few days!!

27 Points from Acts 29 (15-21)

(continuation from earlier post)

15. A good understing of the gospel requires a good understanding of the character of God and the character of man.

16. Counterfiet Gospels: Formalism, Legalism, Mysticism, Activism, Biblicism, Socialism.

17. Four interwining factors forming the Practice of Ministry:
a) Theological Reflection
b) Cultural Analysis
c) Historical Perspective
d) Strategy Formation

18. Develop weekly routines in your schedule for your wife, family, & study such as Date Night, Sabbath, Pajama Day w/Kids, Movie Night w/family, Breakfast w/Daddy, Family Worship Time, etc...

19. Your wife is the most powerful person in your life.

20. Roles of the Pastor: 1st-Christian, 2nd-Husband, 3rd-Father, 4th-Pastor

21. Don't touch the secretary or the money

27 Point from Acts 29 (8-14)

(this post is a continuation post from a few days ago)

8. (for pastors) Have a weekly questioning time of accountability with your staff on the areas of sin, attitude, moral purity, discipleship, evangelism, family, etc...

9. Memorize more scripture, especially passages like 1 Corinthians 15:1- & 1 Timothy 1:13-14

10. Preach Jesus. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

11. Preaching Prep & Scheduling Ideas: when is your most creative time? when is your most reflective time? when do you study best? when is a good time to plan your preaching?

12. Determine the Open-handed and Closed-handed theology you will hold for your church and its leaders, and then determine the same for what churches and organizations you will partner with.

13. Healthy theology should be the main driving force in your church, not pragmatism.

14. 4 Stages of the Bible ("the EPIC of the Gospel")
a. Creation
b. Fall
c. Redemption
d. Consumation

mark driscoll

last week i got the opportunity to meet one of my favorite pastors in the country. His name is Mark Driscoll and he pastors Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. the name "Mars Hill" comes from Acts 17 where Paul stands before the heathens and declares to them who God really is.

I love driscoll for a number of reasons, but i'll list a couple here:

1. He preaches Jesus like no other person i've ever heard. He is incredibly bold and unashamed and immensely gospel/Jesus-focussed.

2. He has an amazing knowledge of Scripture and Theology, yet at the same time he is very relevant to our modern culture.

3. He has a special gift from God of communication.

4. He's freakin funny.

If you've never heard him preach, you have to check him out. here's their website link http://marshillchurch.org/

one of the greatest quotes i've ever heard

its been a long time since i've heard this quote...too long. a couple days ago i was on perry noble's blog, and i read this quote and was awestruck with the thought for most of the day. here it is:

"What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you couldn't fail?"

wow! think on that for a while.

27 Points from Acts 29 (1-7)

this past week i attended a church planting conference called "Acts 29." it is a network of churches/pastors that are all about Jesus and making His name and gospel great in our world through planting gospel-centered churches. Here are 1-7 of the 27 points that were really impactful for me personally.

1. The mission of the church is to live out and spread the epic gospel of Jesus to the world.

2. The mission and the church are one entity. they are not separate.

3. Everyone (even me) has parts of their soul that desperately need to be rescued by the gospel, by Jesus.

4. Dead mentors are the best. they don't care about what you think, and they aren't worried with pleasing you. so, read!

5. Gospel-centered theology is meaningless without living a gospel-centered life.

6. Preach the gospel to yourself daily, and return to the source of the flame...the cross.

7. Memorize the gospel, Meditate on the gospel, Pray the gospel, Sing the gospel, Remember the gospel, Study the gospel, Practice the gospel.

iPhone

doesn't everybody have a crazy huge urge to drop your current cell phone contract and go get an iPhone today....or am i the only one?? what is it about the phone that has me so captivated?? it's ridiculous! in my mind, i've almost justified paying $400 for the thing. am i losing it?? wow.

possible application...when we're consumed and captivated by something, we'll go to all kinds of crazy measures to obtain it, no matter the cost, b/c we value and treasure it.

hmmmm...

theater church

yesterday i attended a good church here in charlotte called Mosaic Church. the interesting thing about their ministry is that they hold their sunday worship gatherings in a movie theater at the mall. wow! i would say its been effective for the gospel in reaching the people here in the north suburbs of charlotte. praise God!

...you just have to be careful not to put your head back and get too comfortable:)

one book, one sitting

yesterday i was reminded of one of my favorite things to do. i love to sit down and read through and entire book of the Bible in one sitting, undisturbed. if you've never done that, it's quite fascinating.



have you ever received a letter from someone and skipped the first three paragraphs, read the fourth, and then skipped the remaining two?? of course not. or, have you watched the show "24" in the middle of the season without seeing the previous shows?? you'd be completely lost. however, we do that most of the time with the Bible. i'm not saying you have to read an entire book of the Bible every time you open it. but, if you want to get the whole point of the author, and see how the logic unfolds, it's best to read the entire thing through at one time. i know thats kinda hard to do with Isaiah or Deuteronomy, but its great for books like Ruth, Daniel, Jonah, Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, and the other short epistles.



i read Galatians all the way through yesterday, and it really strengthened me. also, it was pretty cool to understand Paul's points and arguments and instructions. Galatians is the bomb! its all about Jesus and His triumph in the gospel!



try it this week some time!

without faith...

today, i was reading along in one of the many books i'm reading (or trying to read) right now called "Chazown." i know, kind of a crazy title for a book...and it doesn't even seem english. well, you're right. the term is the hebrew word for "vision" in the OT. so....while i was reading along, something triggered my mind (Holy Spirit) with the thought of faith, and i was immediately taken to a familiar passage for me in the Bible, found in the book of Hebrews. Chapter 11 verse 6 says this,

"And without faith it is impossible to please him (God), for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

in my mind it was like a scene change in a play, where the curtains are opened and you can see the next set. in a moment, immediately i realized my current situation & faith, and i was struck to the core with the thought of pleasing God. i'm sure you can imagine your current situation and your faith also.

i soooo want faith in everything i do, to never wander or stray or become weak in my faith...but, the truth is, i'm there way more than i wish to be. i haven't found the formula to strong faith yet, but i beg and plead with God to strengthen my faith in Him to the point where i'm confident, unmoveable, firmly planted like the tall tall cedar tree...where no wind can shake or move me.

guys only

ok fellas....this may be a weird post for the afternoon of labor day, but more than likely it will be relevant to you in a matter of minutes or hours. for some reason we have this great drive put in us by God for visual and physical satisfaction found in the opposite sex. it is great within the context for which God created it...marriage. however, lust is coveting the forbidden. when we desire something that is not ours, we lust. there is one great help for me w/my struggles w/lust, etc. it is found in the Bible in Galatians 5:16. it reads, "walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." almost always when lust enters my mind and begins to control me, it is because i am not walking in the Spirit. i am not letting the Spirit control my mind. walking in the Spirit comes from deep meditation and communion with God & the Word. notice the progression also...walking in the Spirit must come first, and then we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. i hope this is encouraging to you. i hate when i fall into lust because it is robbing God of His glory in my life, and also because it has the power to ruin God's plan and goals for my life. lust is not worth the loss of all that. keep it real bro's and fight for joy...in God, not lust.

what a beautiful day

well, today i was back home at myrtle beach, spending time w/the fam because my birthday is this weekend. and of course...i went to the beach. Mom and i were running some errands and we met my sister at one of our favorite lunch locations, River City Cafe. they have great food and it's oceanfront in Surfside Beach. while we were there, i was reminded of 2 great scripture passages.

"Who [God] has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand..."
isaiah 40:12

The ocean is so, so massive and Isaiah tells us that God measured out the amount of water for the seas in the hollow of His hand. Holy Cow!!!!!! also,


"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If i would count them, they are more than the sand..." Psalm 139:17-18

David says in this psalm that God's thoughts to us are more than the sand. WOW again!! i love in scripture where we find the paradox of a sovereign and personal God. He is awesome!

shane & shane concert

last night i went to a Shane & Shane concert here in Charlotte at a weekly city-wide young adults gathering called "charlotte ONE." If you aren't familiar with Shane & Shane, they're a christian band that plays really unique accoustic type stuff (unbelievable guitar).

the coolest thing about the concert was that it was really a worship service. i was so thrilled b/c the entire night was seriously centered on Jesus. that's kinda rare for some concerts. the band was continuously talking about the gospel and what that means for someone who is "in Christ" and no longer under the curse of the law. Scripture was mentioned throughout the whole night, but there was on verse that really stuck w/me, Galations 3:13.

it says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." Satan tries to beat us down sometimes by telling us we're worthless and terrible at living righteously. we mess up alot. BUT...when we couldn't keep the law, someone came and kept it completely, and actually fulfilled it. His name is Jesus, and when we put our faith in His death for us, God the Father allows Christ to be our substitute and righteousness. He no longer sees our shortcomings and failures, but rather sees Christ in us!!! wow!

think on that today and let the gospel change the way you view Jesus and yourself!

journey through the scriptures

right now i'm currently doing a study through the book of 1 Corinthians. today was sweet!!!! if you get the hunger, check out chapter 8.

the idea of the chapter is there are 2 "knowledges" in the Christian faith. one is a deeper/mature knowledge of God and Jesus, realizing there is no other god but God (this brings much freedom and liberty in the Christian life knowing that our identity is Jesus Christ...not the things we do or where we go). the other knowledge is a weak knowledge, not bad, but an immature/young knowledge of God (not yet fully understanding the gospel and our identity in Jesus).

so, Paul says, those who have the strong knowledge of God/gospel, do not use your freedom to do something that would cause your weak brother to trip/stumble. Paul also says at the end of the chapter, "if food [offered to idols] makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." we should be on guard, not to please the legalistic folk, but rather to take much caution w/our liberty, so our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ do not stumble over something we say or do.

my favorite part of the chapter is verse 6: "yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."

the loudest church i've ever been to...

so...during my current nomad days, i'm attending 2-3 different churches each weekend to see what's out there and experience different styles of church. today i went to one of the craziest, hooked up, off the wall, unbelievable, loud, "out there" churches...literally, my ears were pounding as i left the service this morning!!

Elevation Church started less than 2 years ago w/less than 20 people, and now there averaging over 2,400 people in attendance each week at their 2 campuses in 2 suburbs of Charlotte. the most incredible thing about the new church is they're growth is largely due to people who are unchurched and putting their faith in Jesus and now attending regularly. they've had close to 600 people accept Christ in approx. the last 6 months...INCREDIBLE!!! they're really experiencing a "move of God."

it was quite an experience!! check them out at http://www.elevationchurch.org/

my new friend jack

so, as i type, my new friend jack is putting his tiny paws all over my laptop, pleaing for attention. he's a 5 month old malti-poo (spelling??). right now i'm living with two of my best friends, Patrick and Crystal, who got married 2 years ago, and they bought this little dog who i'm stuck with as they go to work. blahh...

i admit, he is a little cute, but i'm not a big fan of small annoying, spoiled dogs who bark, yelp, pee on the carpet, crap on the floor, wont leave your sight, and act as if they own the universe. i'm not bitter...unfortunately, i cant be b/c Jack is God's creation. if you're wondering where the name "Jack" came from...Patrick and crystal named him after Jack Bauer on the tv show "24." what a blessing.

i hope this was inexchangably encouraging and deeply moving for you today!!

peace, love Jesus

prayer & fasting

currently, i'm reading a great book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, by one of my favorite authors, John Piper. It is a plea to pastors to not follow a worldly mindset of our calling and try to be professional CEO's of the church, but rather to be Spirit-filled biblical pastors. it's kind of a wakeup call for me b/c there's so much great technology and leadership advancement in the church (which is good), but it leads me sometimes to follow a worldly philosophy on my calling rather than a God-centered biblical philosophy.

so, the chapter i just read has motivated and compelled me to intensify my prayer life. this is the weakest area of my spiritual fellowship with God. i wish prayer was natural habit for me and i could spend an hour or two a day in prayer, but it's not. so, i'm making it a discipline to start each morning with a prayer time for no specific amount of time, but i'm aiming for 30 minutes. this is not a legalistic demand i've put on my favor with God, but rather a spiritual discipline that i hope will turn into a lifelong habit.

Here are some great quotes from the chapter in his book:

"A pastor who feels competent in himself to produce eternal fruit knows neither God nor himself. A pastor who does not know the rhythm of desperation and deliverance must have his sights only on what man can achieve."

"The proper goals of the life of a pastor are unquestionably beyond our reach. The changes we long for in the hearts of our people can happen only by a sovereign work of grace."

A. C. Dixon, "When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend on education, we get what education can do; when we depend on man, we get what man can do; but when we depend on prayer, we get what God can do."

"I know that the reason so few conversions are happening through my church is not because we lack a program or staff. It is because we do not love the lost and yearn for their salvation the way we should."

wow! we'll see what happens...through prayer.

worship and the gospel

"the degree of our worship will always be determined by the depth of our understanding of the gospel."

what is worship?? worship is a response to whatever we value most. we worship at ball games, at the movie theatre, at the restaurant, in the car, at home, in school, at work, pretty much everywhere. worship is a 24/7 thing that is so much more than singing. you can tell what you worship by checking what is the object of your affection (values). all people, of all times, of all places are all worshipers.

what is the gospel?? well, thanks for asking. We (all people) are pretty much wicked, unrighteous sinners that can never get to God on our own...not even a chance, b/c He is a holy God that cannot dwell w/sin. (this is hard for americans to grasp). our punishment for degrading the fame and glory of God is separation from Him forever. the only way to get to God is to be perfect and keep the whole law. so, we're doomed. however, Jesus (God the Son) came and entered human history to live the perfect life that we could not live (He kept the law perfectly and actually fulfilled it); then He died the death on a cross that we should've died. Then, He rose from the dead, conquered sin, and gives us eternal life that we don't deserve. wow!

the degree of our worship to God will always be based on our depth of our understanding of the gospel. if i don't deeply understand the gospel, than i will never deeply worship God.

the unexplainable

How cool would it be to be a part of something that couldn't be explained. most of the time, i get the outcome i planned or hoped for. i took the right steps and followed the process to produce the product i was desiring. i think most of our lives and churches look like this.

However, wouldn't be exciting to say, "Wow, i don't know how that happened." or, "Wow, God must of done that b/c we weren't expecting that to happen." Too often we're relying on our own talents and skills to produce what we desire. church success too often can be defined by cool music, a great communicator, a nice facility, etc. Instead, i want to be a part of a church that is unexplainable, and where God is the only logical reason for why something happened. lets move out of the rational, predictible philosophy, and hit our knees, begging for God to move in a way that is unexplainable.

jude25??

jude25 comes from a scripture reference in the bible found in the book of Jude, verse 25. it reads,

"to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen"

this verse parallels the passion of my life, which is knowing my God and Savior Jesus, and making Him known. i remember a few years back when i finally tasted and saw, for the first time, who God was, and what He was like. i didn't see Him literally, but rather spiritually through His word. For some crazy reason, God decided to make Himself known to me. it was a crazy time in my life. it was kinda like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, and looking across that great divide, feeling rather small, but at the same time feeling so wonderful to be able to see a sight so huge. its the same way with God. anyone who truly sees how awesome God is, can only feel humbled and small. but at the same time, would feel so enthusiastic because of sharing in the view. the bible refers to Him as glorious, majestic, dominating, authoritative, and eternal. i hope God would open your eyes also to see the wonder of who He is...its an awesome sight!