Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

A Good Sign

I have an intense dislike for the messages that I read on a lot of church signs. A lot of messages on church marquees are very weak attempts to be clever or witty which end up failing miserably.

But then last night, I saw a church sign that ranks as one of the best I've ever seen. It wasn't an attempt to be cute. It didn't rhyme. It wasn't goofy. It simply expressed a biblical truth.

The sign said, "We invite defeat when we remember what we should forget."

That truth stopped me cold, because I've done that in my own life. I've remembered what I should have forgotten, and it took me down. If you're honest, you have done (or are currently doing) this in your life, too.

It happens when we allow the guilt of our past to constantly hang over our heads. The sins of your past have the power to come back to haunt you, if you allow it. The guilt of a lifetime of sinful choices, or maybe just one especially horrible choice, can strangle you spiritually.

By remembering your sinful past, you can convince yourself that God cannot use you. You can begin believing that you'll never amount to anything, spiritually speaking. You can force yourself to feel like a scumbag…all the time.

It's possible that I just described how you feel right now in perfect detail. If so, then let this Word from God invade your heart.

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:34b, NIV)

If you are in Christ, God has not only forgiven your sins…he has forgotten them. How does an all-knowing God forget? I don't know, but he said in the Bible that he forgets our sins.

Why do we think that it makes us "super spiritual" if we constantly remember our past sins, never allowing the guilt of those sins to leave us? That's not spiritual. That's stupid. We are remembering something that the Lord himself has forgotten.

I'm not suggesting that we don't remember the lessons we learned from our sinful past. Remembering the impact of immature decisions helps us grow toward spiritual maturity. But guilt is a very different animal. Guilt doesn't attempt to make you better. Guilt doesn't lift you up. It drags you back down.

Today can be the day that the shackles of guilt are broken in your life. God has forgiven, and forgotten, your sins. Ask him for the power to help you do the same.

Edmisten Veterans

On the day when America honors its veterans, I wanted to give some blog love to the vets in my family.

I want to thank my grandpa, even though he is no longer with us. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II. Our world would look vastly different today were it not for the service of so many from his generation. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. I want to personally thank my Pappaw for his service.

I want to thank my uncle, for serving in the U.S. Air Force. Some of your friends didn't serve their full hitch, but you did. Thank you, Uncle Richard.

I want to thank my brother, Jeff, who served in the U.S. Marines. You chose the most intense, grueling branch of our military. You have said that you are better for it. I hope you know that our country is better for it as well.

I want to thank my dad. Dad served in a special ops unit of the Marine Corps during the height of the Vietnam War. Due to the unpopularity of the war, many soldiers came back to their homeland and were greeted with boos instead of cheers. I pray our country never returns to those dark days. Whatever your opinion of a current war, let's honor and respect the ones who had the courage to answer their country's call. Dad, you served our country with courage and honor. I honor you today.

A special thanks to all the Edmisten veterans…and to anyone else who has served or is currently serving our country. I pray God's blessing and favor on you and your families.

The Monday Morning Drag

That's how I got to the office this morning. I had to drag myself in because I'm so tired. Yesterday was a non-stop day from 6:00 am – 8:00 pm.

But you know what? This is an awesome fatigue that I'm feeling! Yesterday was an incredible day at ACC! Attendance was busting. Our worship was on fire. The message drilled peoples' hearts. (If you missed the message, it should be up on our website later today.) It was a stellar, and tiring, morning.

My afternoon was filled with extended family commitments. Then last night, I led the second session of Ground Floor. The discussion was off the chart…which meant that it was exhausting for me. On a scale of 1-10, the intensity of last night's session rated an 11. God was moving. It was obvious. But I left totally drained.

The sum total of my day yesterday is exhaustion. I'm dragging today because I gave everything I had yesterday. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Sunday Can't Come Soon Enough

I'm always excited about Sunday. But then there are weeks where the excitement reaches a fever pitch. There are those weeks when I know that God has given me a Word to share that is going to rock people.

This is one of those weeks. If Sunday doesn't come soon, I'm going to explode. I've got a white-hot Word for you, ACC.

Phillips is Golden

Congrats to Brandon Phillips, the Reds' second baseman. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove award this week, which signifies that he is the best defensive second baseman in the National League.

“His range and his athleticism and his arm are special,” said Red's manager, Dusty Baker. “He is so good he could almost be a tumbler.”

Phillips was completely shafted when he didn't win this award last year. But good things come to those who wait. This year, he led all NL second basemen in fielding percentage at .990 (seven errors in 706 total chances). His 78-game errorless streak (April 10 to July 8) was second-longest in the majors this year.

This won't be the last Gold Glove that Phillips wins. Here's hoping that he wins them all in a Reds uniform.

Two Alarms

From Mark Batterson's blog…

For what it's worth, I think we need two wake up calls every day. Whenever I have an early trip or important meeting I try to set two alarms. That insures that I'll wake up.

We need two alarms each day. A physical alarm and a spiritual alarm. We need to wake up our bodies. And we need to wake up our spirits. Too many of us let our spirits sleep Monday to Saturday.

So here's an idea. Why not create a worship playlist for your commute to work or work out at the gym or early morning office routine? We need those songs to saturate our spirits.

Get to ACC this Sunday!

You do NOT want to miss this Sunday! I am dead dog serious! (That's pretty serious.)

God is going to do something BIG starting this Sunday at ACC. We're kicking off a brand new series called Freedom!, and God is going to rock our socks off.

Let me ask you a question…when it comes to your finances, do you feel free? (I'll wait until you stop gritting your teeth.) The obvious answer for most of us is no. When it comes to money, we feel like we're anything but free.

Sunday, we're tackling this head on. And we're starting by seeking the freedom of God regarding our debt. It is going to be some serious straight talk. If you're overly sensitive about your debt, then you will be offended.

But if you're ready for God to move in your life, he will set you free.

Election Reflection

It's over. No more campaigning. No more speeches. No more political commercials (finally!). It's done and America has chosen it's next president: Barack Obama.

Some reflections…

$8.00

That's how much your vote today was worth to the presidential candidates.

This has been the most expensive presidential campaign in history, topping over $1 billion dollars. The campaign spending works out to about $8.00 per voter.

Christmas '08

Last week Brian and I did a lot of planning for this year's Christmas series. We took our rough draft to our creative team today for more input, ideas, etc.

This series is going to sparkle. Even though it's not completely finished yet, I can already tell you that Christmas at ACC is going to knock your socks off!

It all starts on Sunday, November 30. It culminates at our Christmas Eve service. You don't want to miss a minute! Trust me!

Feliz Navidad!