Love the unlovable!

A great majority of my life has been used to judge others.  To look at the bad guy (in my eyes) and say how dare he. 

I have also spent a great of my life observing others doing the same thing and think if he would just simply talk with him and not throw spears they might find resolve and not just tangle back and forth over nothing.  It's a battle in my own heart between knowing whats good and actually doing it.

Funny thing is that when i have come into to contact with those poeple personally i sit and talk with them, sometimes for hours, why?  Because when i begin to look at someone the way i know Jesus looks at them my perspective on life, people, and judgement change.  Jesus always attracted the worst people (samaritan woman with multiple partners, adulterous woman about to be stoned, Zaccheus the tax collector, and more.)

I guess it's a maturity thing as a man trying to follow Christ and look intnently as He does atthe situation.
There's alot of people that need an example of Christ love.

brokeness!

2 Samuel 11-12:
David does something that should have never happened.  He was in a place he should ahve never been.  Matter of fact he should have been at war.  It was spring time and everyone else was gone.

Psalms 51:
Do you see over a year later how broken david was.  The things that happened brought him to a spot where everyone of use needs to be with God. He was so miserable up until he became broken, hince Psalms 51.

The question you have to ask yourself, does God let you remeber your sin.  Answer, yes.  I know it says as far as the east is from the west, but that's you being forgiven, not you forgetting.  Remeber David was broken after a year later.  He lets you remember so you don't do it again.  

Why Haiti?

Missions trips are being made by the day.  Donations by the minute, and God is still being praised by the moment.  This has not even begun to find resolve, but what haiti needs mroe than anythign is prayer for a God who loves to move and to make Himself known more than ever. 

I realize more than ever in this stage of my life that from the rubble and devistation, God reveals Himself and hundreds if not thousands more find Him.  The fact is is that Haiti is majority a black magic, witch craft, and vodoo worshiping society.  So does God want to change that, oh yeah!

successful, admired by others, and being prosperous...

We are never more vulnerable to sin than when we are successful, admired by others, and prosperous, as King David tragically discovered.

I have learned that satan no longer attacks just me directly.  He goes for my home.  He knows that work is booming then i go home and hope for a joyous and peaceful time with my wife, so he goes after her all day knowing that she may not be sharing in that same joy as I.  He's incredibly merceless.

Being admired by others is sometimes dangerous as well.  for some it builds a big head,  others a distraction, and others pride.  Maybe what's worse is the possibility it take glory from God.  Some can take it though and be fine.  David learned the hard way.

A big one for me as a High school pastor is when my ministry is really excelling, he seems to hit the parents of my high school young adults.  The most common thing i hear is your grounded from church, (WHAT)!  This leads to students being mad at parents and then comes strife in the family and there comes family falling away form the Lord because they think all that church stuff is to blame.

David did great things, by learning hard facts.

Unity is awesome!!!

Food for thought!

"But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?" I answer, 'What if He knows Prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God's idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need - the need of Himself?' Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer. So begins a communion, a taking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer, yea, of existence itself in its infinite phases. We must ask that we may receive: but that we should receive what we ask in respect of our lower needs, is not God's end in making us pray, for He could give us everything without that: to bring His child to his knee, God withholds that man may ask."


- George MacDonald

It's gonna cost you!

I heard a line that said "I'll take the Jesus that gives me a car, house, and a bank account."  He was making mention of the dangers of the prosperity gospel.

He has a good point!  There will be times of prosperity in ones life, but the bible does not state that we will somehow be materially, or monatarally blessed in this life.  Spiritually yes!  If we were to be so blessed in this life then what Peter writes in his first apistle contradicts prosperity.  He claims that an inheritance will come.  we know an inheritance is for the future.  It doesn't necessarily show up now.

It's a dangerous thought to think well that's why Jesus came so where's mine.  He has called that you pick up a cross and follow Him.  Way out the details of what that cost then present a valid arguement of prosperity and the gospel.

When you cling on to the things of this world you automatically degrade that which comes in the next, JESUS.  

Peter's sent men out who knew this well which is why today there are many churches in Asia.  It wasn't prosperity that drew them to the field, but Jesus.

Mary the myth. click on it!

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2009/12/23/mary-the-myth-the-reality/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Mark driscoll did a great job with this post regarding the mother Mary and the myths behind.  He said it better i could so click on the link!!!

Lifehouse Generate HIGH!

PERFECT IMPERFECTION!!!

Our next series is on how the outside world perceives Christians.  we are not perfect, but are often times thought of as holier than thou, or self righteous, or perfect, judging, snoby, the list goes on and on.  We are are going to try to rebuke the typical sterotype of the little house on the prarie style church and let people know we are a hospital for some sick, degenerate, and average people.

Dave Robbins i'm expanding on your tweet!

The cost of discipleship and following Jesus Christ to the end.  Matthew 24 is just the beggining of hard times.

Matthew 24:13 "but the one who endures to the end will be saved.  It's going to be a hard road for Christians, but know this, for the rest of your life proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and savior will come with cost, and those may be as extreme as your life, or parts of life, or someones elses life the fact is we should already have lost our lives as Christ followers, therefore having nothing left to loose.
 
Just a thought on the cost of Christ following

I once heard someone say that our joy is robbed becasue we give our money without our time!

People don't want to give their money to something that's not tangeble.  Generate High just had a feast for Thanksgiving where 200 people ate a full on buffet with some of the best deserts ever.

 When we sent out the request for help in this event not one person out of 30 said how much money do you need, they said what could i make.  We had people tell us if they were staying or just dropping off their food?  Out of all the people that brought food, drinks, ect only 5 didn't stay the whole night, (they had kids to watch). 

The resaon those people stayed was not to be noticed, but to be used.  They brought the food, cleaned up after, and stuck around for the joy of the moment.

All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. - John Calvin

people are yearning to be used to help bless others.  By the way we had so much leftovers we went and feed the homless at the park the next day.

Have a name calling competition with Jesus, see what happens!!!

Having a name calling competition with Jesus may be the best way to figure out who you are.

Matthew 16:15-18 “He said to them who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” “And Jesus said to him blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Simon Peter called Jesus the messiah and later Jesus said to Peter “I also say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not overpower it”. You see Peter didn’t know himself until He knew Jesus.

He said your Jesus the messiah, well then your Peter the rock, (Peter means rock in greek).
The church is built on the statement of Jesus as Lord, that's the rock!

Jesus is begging for a name calling competition and wants to hear us call it out.

Last night heaven and earth collided with worship!

I can't wait to go home to heaven, but until then worhsip experiences like last night will definately suffice.

At Generate HIGH last night we had an all worship night that was absolutely amazing.  I had never seen more hands raised, more people on their knees, or more voices singing out then I did last night.  I guess a good word to describe it is passion!

With that was an incredible communion time/prayer, great job Jarrid for bringing "Ahavah" to our attention.  The kenya video inspired us for our next changing the world event as a Generate High family.

What really got me though was towards the end of the night everyone in the room flooded the front of the stage and when hands were raised it looked like a sea of people begging for Jesus. 

This never gets old.  10 people came forward to be prayed for, give their lives to Jesus, or be baptized.

150 letters went out last night to many who Aly and I know and love so much and that's when it got so emotional for me.  If you guys read this i hope you know how much giving those letters meant to me.  Love you all so much!  Can't wait for round two tonight.  

I AM GRATEFUL!!!

This morning we opened up in prayer with the words "because of you"...  I can say that because of you (Generate HIGH) My wife and i can laught, love, hug, and cry with a great joy in our hearts.

This week I was inspired to write a letter.  These letters are to the many High school students that attend Generate HIGH tuesday nights.  It's a letter of love and inspiration because my heart has been touched.

I looked back from this past year and realized one of the greatest influences in my life is this group.  They have moved me and inspired me in ways that I never would have realized without them.  I don't even think they tried to move me, they just show up worship, and i'm blessed.  I am truly grateful for their hearts and devotion to God.

One letter goes to the Girls and another to the guys as they have each poured somehting unique into my life.

I love all you guys!  I'm so proud of you!

In awe!

I was happy then, now i'm just in awe of her.  Rejoicing in the wife of my youth.

PERSONAL!!!

I enjoyed the most beautiful hike with my wife and dog yesterday.  Saturdays often create time for her and I to reconnect with eachother and God. 

I can say i don't know why He would choose to bless us like that, but the fact is we felt like David in Psalms 23.  we walked down that mountian feeling all the things expressed in this chapter.  We felt like we knew Him more, felt safer in His arms, felt rested although an intense hike, Felt like nothing could overpower us, saw beauty on a differernt level and ultimately grew closer to one another in the presence of His creation.

Tony Wood once said that "a change of place + change of pace = change of perspective.  Never felt more ture.

Fact is life gets busy, but what are willing to do to recconect with Jesus?

Ps:  I love my wife!

Visitation Vs Habitation

Visiting someone’s house is alot different than habitating there. Visiting involves 1 maybe 2 meals + shower + bed + other stuff. Habitating there involves 3 meals a day + snacks+ Shower(S) + TV + Toilet + laundry, you get the point.

You know what's amazing in churches; Christians get visitations by God and angels all the time Hebrews 13:2. Remember how good those feel. You get empowered, shake a leg, cry, and go crazy in a good way. Then because it's only Visitation In hours, minutes, or even seconds it's gone.

What about the habitation? 1 Corinthians 3:16 says He dwells in you as you are a temple. The habitation of God is everlasting and available every single day you breathe. Could you imagine the difference? Is it better having God for a day, or having God every day?

The challenge is to conquer the issue that keeps habitation of God from happening. And you cannot conquer until you are ready to confront. Go get em Tiger!

For more encouragement read about Benaiah 2 Samuel 23:20

Habitation Vs Visitation!

This hurt bad.

I bruised my tailbone jumping off these stairs Tuesday for Generate HIGH.

I landed on the bag just fine, but had no idea that 2 girls had been laying on it previous to the jump so the all the fluff was gone, so from 10 feet up i landed right on my tailbone.

ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!

Nevertheless a great sermon illustration and great night.

I played the whole thing off well. no one even knew.

It's a progression thing!