A commercial message from Jesus?

So the big game is tomorrow.  The Super Bowl.  The game itself may or may not be interesting but one thing you can certainly count on to be interesting are the commercials.  Companies will spend millions of dollars trying to get their “message” out about their products.  Some of the commercials are funny and some are down right hilarious.  Here’s a crazy thought, what if Jesus decided to run a Super Bowl commercial?  What would it’s “message” be?  I’m no marketing expert but I think I have a few ideas.  It may go something like this:

-Stop worrying about Coke vs. Pepsi, and start worrying about eternal life vs. death without me.

-Stop trying to decide which bottle water is the purest and best, and start worrying about

the millions of people that have no water to drink at all.

-Stop fretting over which snack food has fewer calories, and start worrying about the millions of people that have no food to eat.

-Instead of trying to cure the common cold with all those over the counter medicines, try curing AIDS, and eradicating polio and malaria.

What kind of buzz would that commercial get?  Would we believers, much less non-believers, really pay attention to that commercial?  Would Jesus’ “message” get out? Would we believers transform the world by doing what Jesus said?  Tough questions.  

Unfortunately I’d say we (myself included) haven’t done so good following these or similar instructions He left us in the Bible  - - His first “commercial message.”                                 

Investing in the Kingdom of God

I took a concept from Mark Batterson and applied it to Radiant Life.

If you purchased one share of Coca-Cola when it went public in 1919, how much do you think it would worth today? Hold that question.

This past weekend we approved our 2009 budget for Radiant Life Fellowship. As covenant members, we also were able to decide where we wanted to invest $23,000 in missions. We want every Radiant Life-er to be a shareholder in what God is going to do. By the way, it's not too late. You can always join Radiant Life as a covenant member. What's stopping you?

We need a paradigm shift when it comes to giving. We don't have to. We get to. We naturally think that the more we give the less we'll have. Not true. God can do some amazing stuff. It comes down to the law of measures: "With the measure you use, it will be measured unto you." I believe that. I've experienced that. And I'm gonna preach and live that, even in a tough economy! Each week, we set out what we call a JOY BOX where people from the Radiant Life Community get to invest in the Kingdom mission given to us. Whoa!

I like to think of giving as buying stock in the kingdom. And the truth is that those kingdom shares will earn compound interest for eternity. Talk about a Return on Investment (ROI). Eternal dividends!

I did a little research to put it in perspective. If you purchased one share of Coca-Cola stock in 1919, and simply held that one share, by the year 2000 it would have split into 4608 shares. And that original $40 investment, if you kept reinvesting the dividends, would have been worth $7 million. Whoa! To further your pain, if your great-great grandparents had purchased one of Asa Candler's original shares in 1892, that $100 investment would be worth $7.34 billion. Whoa! Whoa!

Here's the bottom line: we'll never regret one ounce of energy, one second of time, or one penny of money invested in the kingdom of God.

I often think of the band of sisters in Luke 8 who supported Jesus. They got in on the Initial Public Offering (IPO). They were the original shareholders. What a return on investment! But nothing has changed. Sure, we're talking about the North Mecklenburg area (your neighborhood) not Jerusalem, Israel. But it's all about advancing His kingdom and doing it in a place appropriately named Radiant Life Fellowship.

Breadcrumbs

Jacob and I spent some time last night with Shane Claiborne. He's written a couple of popular books, including "Irresistible Revolution" and "Jesus for President".
We met in a tent around what is called the NODA area of Charlotte.
I'd like to comment on some of the stuff Shane touched on and hope it helps clarify our leadership role in Radiant Life Fellowship. I'll do this in several posts.
Shane is a guy who lives a sort of Jesus-following-monastic-communal-justice and peace way of life. He tells lots of stories related to The Simple Way of living. He's single. He lives communally (with lots of other people who share everything). He lives simply (grows their own food, etc). In college, he and some friends had the wild idea of going to live with and serve alongside of Mother Teresa in Calcutta. That wild idea actually became a reality. After some time, Mother Teresa challenged them to "go find their own Calcutta" so they did. That's where The Simple Way came into life.
One of the things he (Shane) hears a lot is "You are such a hero for giving up so much to follow Jesus in such a radical way." His response is something we all ought to ponder. "If you think I'm heroic for what I left behind, you don't know the pearl I've found."
That struck me as something profound. As Jesus followers we were called to leave something in order to follow our Rabbi. The stuff Jesus calls us to leave behind is nothing short of everything. He calls us to die to ourselves. Jesus says anyone who can't leave it all behind to follow me, is not worthy to be my disciple. That's radically living by faith.
According to Scripture, you can't enjoy the "pearl found in a field" until you go and sell everything in order to buy the field you found the pearl in. Why did Jesus expect such a radical response to His call? It could be because He knew that following Him required full devotion. It wasn't going to be easy and whatever we tried to hang onto would only distract us from depending on Him.
Is your way of living that much different than the world's way of living? If people who observe you, never heard you say a word, would they know you are a radical Jesus follower? In Luke 7, John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) is in prison. He's on death row. He sends his disciples to ask Jesus 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'"
21At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Jesus answers with "Why don't you tell Me what you see?" Shane said it like this: "Check out the breadcrumbs Jesus left behind where ever He went. The marginalized, broken, people were healed, forgiven, loved and invited into the family of God...and they followed Him. The Gospel spreads not through FORCE, but through FASCINATION."
As the radical Jesus-followers of Radiant Life Fellowship, what kind of breadcrumbs are we leaving behind?

Letting Them Go With Grace

Every once in a while, it seems like a few faithful people leave the church. They often say things like:

* We just don’t get time with you anymore.
* The church has gotten too big.
* Things have changed.
* It's not the church, it's me.

I wish I could lovingly express:

* I hoped your involvement in the ministry was based on much more than your time with me.
* Aren’t you excited God is using our church to reach people? Would you rather we don’t reach people and stay small?
* Isn’t it great things have changed? Would you rather freeze in time?
* Isn't part of the church's job to help us grow? So if it's not the church, then maybe you're not ready or willing to grow.

Some faithful believers simply find it tough to be a part of a changing church. Some find it very difficult to be a part of a church plant.

Many pastors fight to keep them in church. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it is a mistake. While I try to express my genuine love, if the people are always going to be disappointed with the direction of the church, I’ve found it is better to let them move on.

I try to always speak well of them. I try not to take it personally. I try to always show them the love of Christ with each encounter. And I try to continue to move the church forward.

Follow the Leader

Follow the leader.  Did you ever play that game as a child?  Sometimes it was easy to follow your peer while other times it was not so easy.  Why?  What makes a leader easy to follow?

Like you, I have been in churches where the leaders were not so easy to follow.  They mistake leadership for control.  These leaders make major decisions without seeking the advice of others (maybe even God) and try to control every aspect of the church.  These leaders want to be sure they get the credit for the increase in tithes or for picking the color for the new carpet in the sanctuary.  They lead their flock but very few “want” to follow.  I’ve also been in churches where the leaders inspire followers.  They are not worried about who is in control of certain programs/committees or who gets credit for the new carpet color choice.  These leaders listen more than they talk, they trust their fellow church leaders to do their work as unto the Lord, and during an average week they pray longer than they preach.  

To be an effective church leader you must follow the example of Jesus Christ.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20 NIV.  Peter and Andrew barely knew who this man was but they dropped their nets and followed him.  There was something about Him that made them “want” to follow Him.  As we read scripture, it is easy to see what leadership qualities He exhibited that made people want to follow Him.  He cared about the hurting, the poor, the sick, and the least of these.  He gave God the credit and glory for the many miracles He performed.  Jesus prayed so often and long that his disciples would fall asleep.  He even gave us an example of how to actually pray.  He spoke the truth even when it was not popular and called folks out when they were doing wrong (just ask the Pharisees).  Jesus, who could control the world He helped create (remember how He calmed the sea and wind) knew He could not control or change what had to be done on the cross.  His tremendous example to the disciples led them to proclaim Him even unto their own deaths as martyrs of the Christian faith.

I am so happy to be a part of a church staff that focuses on following “the leader”, Jesus Christ. Through our time praying together, sharing dreams and visions together, working out problems together, and worshiping with our members together - - we continue to look to Jesus for our example of leadership.  As a staff we are trying to follow Jesus’ example of feeding the hungry, tending to those hurting and in need, as well as making disciples of others.  Please pray for us, your church leaders, as we continue to keep Jesus in the center of Radiant Life Fellowship and in the center of our own lives.  Pray that we will be the kind of church leaders that people “want” to follow because they see Jesus in us.                          

A Verb

Think about this...
Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb.

The "How Are You Doing" Revolution

Yesterday, I realized how important it is to sit face to face with those you love. I tend to assume that my 'well-honed' perceptions are reality when it comes to people. When I sit down in front of someone and we have time to talk (and I actually listen more than I talk)...then, I begin to get a better view of what's reality.

Perceptions and Reality. That's a tension that all of us live with. Sometimes we get paralyzed because of some perceptions we carry about someone. We hold a few pieces of the puzzle in our heads (about someone) and then make conclusive judgments about what we think they are thinking. And if my perception of someone is that they might reject me...or I have been a disappointment to them... or they will possible hurt me, then I tend to avoid them. I pull back. Hide. Gloss over just enough that if they called me on it, I could deny it. At that point I live in fear and a relationship is not healthy. If I find myself distancing myself from a friend because of my perceptions (without any face to face time with that friend) then I could be sabotaging a great relationship because I'm afraid to test my perceptions.

My perception-creating brain is warped. I don't always get it right. Most of the time I am far from reality. It's clouded with sin, self-centeredness, lies, hurt, wounds, self-protection, insecurities and other dark stuff.

I believe it is vital for us to reach out to each other regularly. We can't be the church to the community around us until we are the church to each other. Face to face time is ideal. It starts with prayer...and quickly follows with actually setting up the face to face time. If you are wondering where do I start when I get to the face to face time, start by looking them in the eyes and asking "How are you really doing?" Then position yourself to listen, probe, respond, empathize, sympathize and therefore prove that Love wins.

Someone, in our church, did that for Jenny and me last week. It was so refreshing to be listened to. We could say whatever we wanted and we knew we were loved. That's a beautiful thing. Would you consider joining the "How are you really doing" revolution with me?
Chris

Clarity on our Security

Something I recently read and made it more applicable for us...
Being a Church Planter is not easy. People are always watching. Many are full of grace. Many are full of judgment.

As a church planter (which I would consider everyone who calls Radiant Life as their church a Church Planter) you will be wise to prayerfully develop a deep sense of “security in Christ.”
* When your kids are secure in Christ—peer pressure weakens. When your kids are not secure in Christ—peer pressure increases.

* When you are secure in Christ, your need for human acceptance decreases. When you aren’t secure in Christ, rejection kills you.

* When you are secure in Christ, you easily obey the voice of God. When you are not secure in Christ, you constantly fear the opinions of people.

The more God blesses your ministry, the more negative voices you’ll attract. Years ago I was stinging from some painful perceptions that a couple of people had of me. God used my wife to build my security in Christ.

She asked me (already knowing the answer), “Are their perceptions true of you?”

“No.”

Then she said with deep faith and assurance. “People’s opinion of us doesn’t change Gods’ opinion. Live for the opinion that matters.”

Well said.

What insecurities do you need to overcome? How are you growing more secure as a church planter @ Radiant Life Fellowship?

Persistence

Another article I found interesting.

I came across a fascinating study this week. Can't stop thinking about it. Priscilla Blinco did a study involving Japanese and American first graders. She gave them a very difficult puzzle to solve. The American children lasted, on average, 9.47 minutes. The Japanese children lasted 13.93 minutes or 40% longer.

Any one want to guess who has higher scores on standardized math tests?

Fascinating study with interesting implication. The argument is that we might give IQ more credit than it deserves. Persistence quotient might be a better predictor of success! How long are you willing to try something before giving up? Successful people, in every arena, aren't just smarter. They try harder and try longer.

We've got some neighbors who we've tried to have over since we moved into the neighborhood. Finally, this Friday, they are coming over for dinner.

Check out this past week's sermon: "Clarity: The odds are against us"

Don't take no for an answer! Try, Try again. It's not over till the fat lady sings. I don't care what aphorism you quote. It's all about persistence. Keep trying! Then try some more! Persistence and Risk-taking are key ingredients for church planters.

Creating Culture

Here's an excerpt from and article I recently read. Thought it was a good leadership lesson for us.

Making Desks out of Doors
I just read an interesting expose on Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com.

I found one anecdote fascinating. Amazon originally rented office space on Seattle's skid row. And the offices were sparsely and cheaply furnished. Bezos himself worked at a makeshift desk that was made from a cheap wooden door purchased at Home Depot and sawed off two-by-fours. What I found interesting is that other employees followed his example and built their own desks the same way. In the process, frugality became part of the Amazon culture. And that frugality is epitomized and symbolized by a makeshift desk.

In 1996, Amazon brought in $16 million in revenue. Three years later, annual revenues had gone up a hundredfold to $1.6 billion. And by it's 10th anniversary, Amazon.com passed the $8 billion mark.What's interesting is that, despite their exponential growth, Amazon's culture continued to self-perpetuate. Ten years into it, with 12,000 employees, you could still see people sitting at desks built from doors!

I'd said it a thousand times: creating culture is the most important and most difficult task of a leader. In fact, the only thing more difficult is changing culture. But the good news is that culture is not a mystery. It is living out your core values in meaningful ways. It is communicating your values in memorable ways. And that boils down to small actions that make a big difference. Things like making desks from doors!

Promises kept

Has a friend every broken a promise they made to you?  Have you ever broken a promise you made to someone?  As humans we are not always able to keep our word, but fortunately we serve a God that does keep His promises.  

I was reminded of this fact while recently reading the story of Noah, again.  Now I say “again” because I have heard the story of Noah since I was a small child but as I have grown in my spiritual journey the story has taken on a different significance to me.  As a child I was fascinated with the animals, the rain, the giant boat, and the rainbow.  As an adult, I now realize how obedient Noah was in this whole “build an ark” thing.  And as I re-read the story “again”, I was struck by God’s promise to Noah after all was said and done.  Actually the Bible calls it a covenant between God, Noah, and his descendants (that’s you and me by the way).  Genesis 9:11 says, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And in Genesis 9:16, God says,

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (NIV)  The rainbow was given as a visible sign of a promise God made to all living creatures.  It is a promise that He has kept since that day with Noah, which was several thousand years ago lest you need reminding.  Just a few weeks ago I was delighted to see a beautiful rainbow after a long, dreary day of rain.  I have many “long, dreary days of rain” in my life but God’s promises always come shining through when all is said and done.      

Another promise that Jesus made was this, “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 (NIV). What an awesome promise and certainly one we want to share with the world around us!  Those verses are yet another example of scripture I have heard since childhood.  In fact, John 3:16 was my Preschool classes Bible verse for the month of December. Although I have had that verse memorized since I was their age, teaching it to them was a great reminder of God’s love for me and His promises to me.  

Take time this week to remember God’s promises to you and your family.  And then think about whom you can share His promises with this week.  They may be experiencing many “long, dreary days of rain” in their life or they may need a reminder of just how much God loves them.  Don't hesitate to point out the promises He has made to them and that God is a promise keeper!

Hospitality

Below is a copy of my latest Life Journal. I post it for 2 reasons.
1) To encourage and remind you to be in God's Word regularly.
2) To introduce the idea of HOSPITALITY into the conversation. I want to explore what hospitality might look like to a Radiant Life-er today.
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SCRIPTURE
Genesis 18
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say."
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs [b] of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread."
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

OBSERVATION
I couldn't just pick one of these verses. This whole scene in interesting to me. Abraham is like 90+ and we pick up the story where The Lord comes to visit Abraham as three strangers. You'll notice all the action words used to describe Abraham's response to his new guests.
Abraham:
looked & saw,
hurried from where he was,
went to meet them,
bowed down in respect,
gets them water, food and makes a way for them to clean themselves.
hurried
prepared
I am struck by the way Abraham showed hospitality to these strangers. He noticed them. He moved toward them. He made room in his life for strangers. He provided for them. He was thoughtful to think of their needs.

APPLICATION
A year ago, I would have not characterized my life (and our family) as having the gift of hospitality. We were inspired and blessed by those who obviously exercised their gift of hospitality, but we never thought we could actually do/be that. It's too difficult. It costs too much. Too much work to prepare to have people in your house. It makes us too anxious. We never felt like we could relax AND have people coming over to our house. Plus, who would want to come hang out with our family? We had young kids. We'd rather go over to someone's house who loved being hospitable. Look what God can do. We now host strangers in our house on a weekly basis. Most of these people were strangers to begin with and now have morphed into close friends. Our family made a conscience decision (not an easy decision) to open our home to our neighbors on Monday nights. We were primarily hoping for people who would not consider themselves Jesus followers of church attenders. Over the last 6 months of doing this, we have gotten a lot more comfortable with the exercise of living a life of hospitality. It's become a beautiful part of our family life. One application I have from this is that I want to communicate in our staff blog about lessons learned from practicing the ministry of hospitality. It's really a lost art that I want us to recover.

PRAYER
Father, without Your hospitality, I would not have been offered the invitation and the gift of being a part of Your family. Thank you for noticing me and including me not only as Your friend, but as Your adopted son.
Because of Jesus, Amen.

F.A.Q. About Covenanting with Radiant Life Fellowship

F.A.Q. About Covenanting with Radiant Life Fellowship
Covenant Membership is an annual recommitting of ourselves to God and His purposes in this world. Learn more by reading our Covenant. Anyone can Covenant with Radiant Life Fellowship at anytime. The annual time to re-commit to our covenant will be the season of November through January.

What requirements are there for covenanting?
All followers of Christ are invited into covenant with us at Radiant Life Fellowship through the following procedure:
1. Prayerfully interact with others who are already in covenant with RLF and personally commit to the content of the covenant
2. Sign the covenant and place it in the Joy Box
3. Annually renew the covenant commitment in writing

How are Persons in Covenant held accountable?
The people of RLF would be self regulating. We would keep each other accountable in loving relationships of mutual submission. We would be served by leadership, Life Groups, Serving Groups, and other small communities taking care of one another. We have nothing but each other and the Spirit of God!

How would the leadership and staff be held accountable?
Leadership would ultimately be held accountable by the church, as a whole, through the elders it selects and to whom it submits. The elder team would hold the leadership accountable through its oversight of the Lead Pastor. The Lead Pastor, in turn, is responsible to give leadership to the developing staff and to hold them accountable through other capable leaders.

What is the difference between membership and covenant?
Both models are Biblical. Paul develops the term 'member' in his letters. Those in the Christian community are all considered 'members' of the body of Christ. 'Membership', however, has lost some of its usefulness in our culture. One can be a member of the YMCA, the country club and a fan club, etc. At RLF, if we adopted the membership model, it would come to suggest a small number of people who think about the business of the church but wouldn’t include the untold other numbers of people who are on the journey with us.

Why should someone, who attends, covenant?
Why bother? For us the real question would be, "Why should we be part of a church?" Committing your life to Christ and to others in community is what it means to be church. Formally signing a covenant is simply a way of declaring that this commitment to Christ and his church is, in fact, a serious reality in your life.

How do we decide where we should get involved? How do we divide our service between local and global?
When there are so many needs world wide, especially outside of America, this question is important. We will want to build a history of addressing the most forgotten and forsaken people, places, and issues. Unfortunately, our world has no lack of such issues both locally and globally. This will be what we seek together to discover how, specifically, God wants to use this new church plant to expand His Kingdom.

Who is the covenant between, me and God or me and this new church?
Both. As one people, we covenant with God. As a local expression of God's Church, we covenant together with each other. This means we covenant with each other and with God.

What responsibilities will covenant members have?
Among other things, covenant members will be moving toward living out the 6 DIRECTIONS. Covenant members will vote on: annually budget, location change or changes in the constitution and/or by-laws.

an apology for theology

So obviously I'm not too big into the blogging thing--I'll try to work on that.

I'm reading a book by a chap named Helmut Thielicke (how'd you like that name) called A Little Exercise for Young Theologians.  The whole book talks about how most people today are afraid of the word Theology and think that somehow it gets in the way of "true faith."  If you've ever asked the question about how many times and which way is the proper way to be baptized, you may have concluded your thought with, "Who cares?" and moved on.  If you've ever asked, "Do we make our own decisions (free will) or does God plan our every breath and move?" then you've already dealt with theology.  Even if you've wondered, "What happens to me when I die?" you have acted as a theologian.  Any question dealing with anything that goes beyond the life we see, feel, taste, touch, and smell deals with theology.  You are a theologian!

Don't worry...there's nothing wrong with you.  You are in good company.  Everyone wonders.  Coincidentally, everyone's a theologian.

Theology is just the study (-ology) of God (theos-God in Greek).  We study God without even trying; everyday, every person we speak with and think about.  God's image is in every person; we are all image bearers.

Sometimes, seminary students like Chris, Eddie and I (see photo) get caught up in these big questions and forget about the fact that theology has to do with the study of God in our lives.  We think too big for our own good.  Or, we stop thinking about God in terms of our own good and start to argue about things that don't really have to do with living our lives today.  If we ever get too big for our britches, please remind us that theology, like good preaching and Bible study, is to help God's people live out God's will and bring God's kingdom.

I'll leave you with the thought that actually led me to start this post; it's a quote from Helmut's book:

"...the discussions of theological students (seminarians) often seem weird to a man growing older.  They make an impression upon him like that of a fight among shadows behind which there is no real bodily life." (pg. 30)

Challenges for a Church Planter

It's a rainy week, this first full week of January. Kids are back in school (reluctantly). I'm back at work (finding a spot in a local coffee shop) to work on my Life Journal and ponder how God wants me to lead His church @ Radiant Life Fellowship.

My mind is flooded with a wide range of awe and wonder, mixed with fear, disappointment and insecurities. In bullet-point fashion, here are a few of the things I pulled out of my mixed bag of ponderings.

1) Gratitude. To God for the wife He picked out for me. I know it's because my parents and Jenny's parents were praying for our spouses since we were both very young.
2) Pride. God-like pride in our family. What a blessing.
3) Blessed. To have journeyed into a church plant with such beautiful, wonderful, fun, generous, loving, honest people--church planters, themselves. I love them.
4) Hurt. It's hard not to take it personal when someone you care about, have a relationship with (and have invested in) says (after coming to our church for a while) "Your church is just not for us at this time." Maybe they don't say it that bluntly, but the sentiment is the same. It hurts and there's no way around it.
5) Surprised. I guess I'm a dreamer. I had this idea (and it was based on lots of conversations) that planting a church would "free the caged bird" (so to speak) that I had observed was locked up inside so many of the people around me. Including me. People who have tremendous potential, desire, will, drive, motivation and guts to break heaven wide open. But are stuck on the church treadmill, finding value and significance in doing church instead of being the church.
6) Wondering. How do I crack the codes? How can I do a better job of communicating (and showing by example) where I sense God is leading our church? How can I crack the code to get these church planters of Radiant Life Fellowship to confidently be the church among those who are not yet Jesus followers? What's the best use of my time, resources, talents and leadership when it comes to leading Radiant Life Fellowship?
7) Insecure. With certain friends we've journeyed with for over 12 years in youth ministry, the moment I shared my dream of planting a church (like it could become a reality) there was an instant change in our relationship. Things we enjoyed in a friendship that was based on mutual love, respect and experiences all of a sudden seemed to be eclipsed by questions of "What do you believe about..." and "What kind of church...". Some close friends moved themselves from insiders (related to our family and planting a church) to casual observers from a distance. I realize just how many insecurities I carry with me based on what others "might" be thinking.
8) Dependency. All this has forced me to my knees as I ponder the question that God keeps putting in front of me -- "Am I enough?" God seems to be asking me: "Chris, do you really believe (and live like) I am good?" "And if so, am I enough for you?"
9) Fear. I live with real fears even though I know in my head that I should "fear not". I find that my Joy is in direct proportion to my fear.
10) Desire. I desperately want to live a life that matters and catches the eye of God. I want to risk more. Love more. Give more. I want to do something significant, with my one and only life, for the Kingdom of God.
11) Hope. Change is possible. God is on the move. Tomorrow does not have to be just an extension of today. I appreciate the gift of Hope.

So, there you have it-A mixed bag of stuff...now, somewhat, unpacked in front of you.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

Spiritual Depression

Reading Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ classic Spiritual Depression would be a strong way to start the new year.

The title can be a little bit deceiving. It’s not merely a book for those with a pronounced sense of spiritual depression. It’s a book for all Christians—for the daily spiritual depressions we all face this side of heaven.

Lloyd-Jones ends his second chapter with these challenging and refreshing words:

Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression? The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: ‘It is finished, it is covered by the Blood of Christ’. That is your first step. Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you. What you need is not to make resolutions to live a better life, to start fasting and sweating and praying. No! You just begin to say: I rest my faith on Him alone...Who died for my transgressions to atone.

A resolution I need to keep

Have you ever read a book, only a few pages every week or so, and your reading of it was so sporadic that you could no longer follow the story? Have you ever put a puzzle together and gotten close to the end and realized you were missing a dozen or so pieces that would make the puzzle incomplete and fragmented?  Well for many folks the Bible can be like that.  What I mean is, for many Christians the Bible is something that they only read on Sunday morning. They read it when the pastor tells them to turn to Genesis 37 or they look up Isaiah 51 in their Sunday School class.  When the Bible is read this way it can seem like a fragmented book that does not have any application to our lives in the year 2009.  But what if you read the whole thing, cover to cover?  You would read the “hottest” fiction or non-fiction book that way wouldn’t you?  Why not the Bible?  

In this season of resolutions, I have resolved to read the entire Bible this year.  I have done this before and it is amazing how the story of God, His plan, His people, and His Son all makes sense.  My wonderings of  “how could brothers sell one of their siblings into slavery?” or “what in the world is Isaiah talking about?” begin to make sense when I see the “big picture.”  The Bible is a “big picture” book.  It is 100% true and once I begin to read it cover to cover, I start to see what God’s plan was (and is) and how we humans have and continue to mess up royally.  It helps me see why I need Christ as my Lord and Savior, and how the Bible does apply to my life in the year 2009.  As the oldest of three children, I remember a time when I would have sold my younger siblings to anyone that wanted to take them (it was buy one, get one free at my house).  I am happy to say I did not have any takers and that now I fully appreciate my two siblings - -  but in a some small way I can relate to Joseph's brothers in Genesis 37.  When I have felt like my world was crashing down around me and I simply didn’t understand why, I too have needed the Lord’s comfort and reassurance - - much like the faithful few did in Isaiah 51.  And there are tons more of “life application” moments within its pages.  

If I have time to read the “hottest” fiction or non-fiction book, then I certainly have time to read the Bible. Here is what I am asking God to do for me while I read His word this year:  

-I am asking God to reveal Himself to me in a new and fresh way.  

-I also want to take to heart the “life application” moments I need to have so clearly pointed out to me by Him.  

Would you join me in resolving to read the entire Bible this year?  It will be well worth your time.          

Integrate the Bible into our Daily Lives

As we begin 2009, there’s no better time to get a fresh perspective and realign our priorities. For many of us, that includes finding new ways to integrate the Bible into our daily lives. HOW you choose to integrate time for reading God's Word (The Bible) into your day is not as important as THAT you are reading it.

There are more tools today to enable people easy access to read and study the Bible that at any other time in history. The biggest hurdle is having the courage to make it a priority in your life.

Below are some tools I use:

My Life Journal -- I blog out my Life journal online. Check it out. My hand writing is not too good, but I can type...so that works for me. The Life Journal I use has an online component that let's me read today's Bible reading. I use the S.O.A.P. method of Journaling explained below.
S for Scripture
Open your Bible to the reading found under today's date of your Bible bookmark. Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. When you are done, look for a verse that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal.
O for Observation
What do you think God is saying to you in this scripture? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. Paraphrase and write this scripture down in your own words, in your journal.
A for Application
Personalize what you have read, by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation of a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write how this scripture can apply to you today.
P for Prayer
This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.

*Read Online
*Listen online

YouVersion -- A revolutionary online Bible that enables community and collaboration like never before. Organize - YouVersion empowers you to organize the content that's important to you! Share - Simply share meaningful content with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Community - YouVersion makes it easy to connect and collaborate with others. Contribute - With YouVersion you have the power to share your content with your closest friends, family, or anyone online!

Both these tools have a one year reading plan where you’ll cover the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice this year.

You can use your mobile phone to read the Bible no matter where you are. Find the YouVersion.com that works for you while you’re on the go:
* Web-enabled mobile phones: (http://m.youversion.com)
* iPhone (http://www.youversion.com/iphone)
* BlackBerry (http://www.youversion.com/bb)

If this seems a little overwhelming, take it slow and keep it simple. No matter how you decide to do your devotions, the important thing is to show up for your daily appointment, because God is always waiting for you! Invite friends to join you in this journey and you’ll have built-in accountability along with enhanced learning along the way. As we read God's words, we begin to see how God responds to things. Doing daily devotions re-patterns the way we think and transforms the spirit of our minds. Then when we face similar situations as Jesus did, we begin to respond in the same way.

Would you consider joining me this year by making this (reading our Bibles and spending quality and quantity time with our Savior, Lord, Lover and Friend - Jesus).
Chris Thompson