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

Post-Sermon Comments

I'm still reflecting on yesterday's message. I walked in the door, knowing that I was preparing to preach a very hard-hitting, uncomfortable, offensive message. I had been anticipating and dreading it all week long.

There were a couple of moments while I was preaching that I almost changed some of my wording. I almost changed it on the fly in an attempt to "soften" the message a little bit. But I didn't. I preached from the script I had written…nearly word for word.

There were moments yesterday where you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Our auditorium is carpeted…and I still think you could have heard a pin hit the floor.

But after the message, it wasn't quiet at all. Here is a small sample of comments I received at the door and via email.

"That was awesome."

"You're fired." (That one came from an elder, so it raised my eyebrows for a second!)

I'm not sharing any of these comments to pat myself on the back. I didn't want to preach the message God gave me. The thought of wimping out crossed my mind. So instead, I simply prayed for God to move me aside and preach the message Himself. And I believe He did.

If you missed the message, check it out here.

An Offensive Word

I know a lot of Christians who are offended by certain words. They hear a particular word, gasp in horror, and are completely, utterly, and totally offended.

There is such a thing as offensive language, but that's not the point behind the title of this post. I'm talking about an offensive word…from God.

That's what I'm getting ready to preach this Sunday. We're talking about the encounter of Jesus and the rich young man in Matthew 19.

This story contains a seemingly ridiculous command from Jesus. And the truth it expresses hits like a sledgehammer.

Honestly, there shouldn't be a Christian in America who is comfortable with this story. The only way we could be comfortable with it is to water it down…change the story to fit our western worldview.

But when you see the story as it was written…when you come to grips with the truths expressed in this story…it is uncomfortable.

Maybe even offensive.

God has given me an offensive word to preach on Sunday. I don't mean a word that would have prompted your mama to wash out your mouth with Ivory soap. I mean that God has given me a message that is guaranteed to offend.

How do I know this? Because it has offended me. I don't like the ramifications of the truth in this story.

So how do I respond to this? I pray for God to change me before I ever set foot on stage this weekend. If this message doesn't come from a changed heart, it will be a futile exercise.

I believe that God is going to rock the house at ACC this weekend. I seriously do. I know that a lot of people will be uncomfortable and offended. But I also know that, if we follow the leading of God's Spirit, we will be changed.

And if lives are changed, then the offensive Word of God has accomplished its purpose.

Hospital Reflections 4

A fourth, and final, post as I reflect on our son's hospitalization last week.

As I was rushing Nicki and Brock to the hospital, the thought of losing Brock ran through my mind a few times. They were in the backseat and I was driving (quite fast). I couldn't see them in the backseat. I could only hear the sounds that Brock was making. And those sounds were terrifying. The thought of my son dying was more than I could handle.

Now that I've had time to process this, one thought in my mind is predominant over all others…how must God have felt when Jesus was heading for the cross?

I thought my son might possibly die. God knew for certain that his Son would die. I can't even imagine.

If there was anything in my power to stop what was happening to Brock, I would have. I would have done anything, but it was out of my control.

God, on the other hand, could have stopped his Son's death. He could have intervened. It was well within his power to stop it…but because of his intense love for you and for me, he didn't. He let it happen.

God knew his Son was about to die. He knew that he could stop it. And yet he let it happen. All because he loves us.

…God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:8b-10, NIV)

BRRRRRRRR……

Brings to mind my favorite line from the movie Cool Runnings.

"It's not so much the heat, but the humidity that'll kill you."

Hospital Reflections 3

A third post on some reflections from our hospital experience last week.

My wife and I are a team. When it was time to kick it into gear, we both stepped up. When one would waver, the other was strong. We leaned on each other the entire time.

The experience made me incredibly thankful for the strength and the tenacious commitment of my wife. I stand in awe of her at times. She's the strongest woman I know, bar none.

And together, we make a pretty impressive team.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12, NIV)

I felt that "cord of three strands" last week.

Nicki + Me + God = A Strong Team.

Feeling very thankful for my wife today.

Hopsital Reflections 2

A second post on some reflections from our recent hospital experience with our one-year-old son, Brock.

God is so faithful. That's one of the biggest reminders I had through last week's experience. I can't recall ever praying so much in such a short period of time. Not long, drawn out, flowery prayers. Short, gut-level honest prayers.

I don't know how many times I prayed something like…

"Lord, protect Brock."

"Lord, heal him."

"Lord, please do something…anything."

That's about all I could say. My mind was swirling. I was scared to death. And I was in no position to "make it sound good." God received prayers from me that were messy, disorganized, and desperate.

And he answered them.

Maybe we should focus on more honesty and less "religiosity" in our prayers. God is a loving Father who just wants to hear from his kids. And he wants to help his kids when we call out in need. He's not concerned with the form or function of our prayers. He just wants to hear our voice…and he will respond.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 4:7, NIV)

Brock Update

A lot of you have asked for an update. We took Brock to the G.I. doctor today.

The long and short of it is that they believe that Brock had a pretty intense stomach virus. The constant heaving and pressure on his stomach/esophagus caused some tears, which bled into his stomach. Hence the vomiting up blood.

Now the fun part…it could take anywhere from a week to 3 months for him to fully recover…and that's if he doesn't contract another stomach virus or some such illness.

And, as if we weren't enjoying ourselves enough, Ryan now has a stomach virus, high fever, etc.

I always try to keep my blog super-positive, but honestly, I'm just whipped. It feels like my family has been dropped to the mat over and over again in the last week. And it feels like there is no end in sight.

If there is positive news, it seems that Brock's ordeal is nothing too serious. It may take a while to recover, but he will recover. I'm trying to keep that in mind. The ER doctors were sufficiently worried last Monday night. It was nice to see no sign of alarm on the doctor's face today.

That's all for now. I may sound like a broken record, but I appreciate your prayers for my family. Specifically, please pray that…

1. Brock's healing will pick up significant speed and that he doesn't contract anything else while his body heals.

2. Ryan heals up from his illness.

3. Nicki and I can stay well and find a way to get some sleep. That hasn't happened for most of the last week.

Hospital Reflections 1

Last week, we rushed our one-year-old son, Brock, to the ER at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was vomiting blood every five minutes or so. This went on for almost six hours. It was an incredibly frightening experience.

We ended up spending two nights in Children's Hospital. Now, while he's not completely well, I'm happy to say that Brock is significantly better than he was a week ago. We don't know why he started throwing up blood. We have some follow-up appointments (beginning today) that will hopefully give us some more answers.

This week, I want to reflect on this whole experience via my blog. It's a good way for me to process things that I learned or was reminded of through this experience.

First of all, our friends and family are unbelievable. There are way too many people to thank by name. We had visits, phone calls, and countless prayers offered on our behalf. So many have offered to help us with anything we need. And every person absolutely means it. They would be there for us at the drop of a hat. At one point, I remember thinking, "Wow. A lot of people really love us."

We are blessed beyond measure by the support network we have. Our families stepped up huge for us. Our friends were right there with us. It brought a couple of Scriptures to mind.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17, NIV)

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:10, NIV)

To all who did anything for us…called…visited…encouraged us….prayed for us…thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. We love you all.

A Work Produced By Faith

One of the theme verses of our staff is 1 Thessalonians 1:3. "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (NIV)

I shared this verse in a staff devotion a few months ago, and we all agreed that we don't struggle with the "labor prompted by love." We all love God, our church, and our ministries very much!

We also don't really struggle with "endurance inspired by hope." Sometimes there are junk seasons of ministry, no doubt. But we have endured them and we live to fight another day. Our staff is pretty tenacious when it comes to endurance.

The one we all trip over sometimes is the first one that Paul listed in this verse: the "work produced by faith."

We have a very talented staff at ACC. Sometimes, a little too talented. Our staff is talented enough that we could do our ministry on our own power.

Melanie can pull off a slam-bang children's event on her own talent.

Brian can lead an amazing worship service because he's that good.

I can preach a powerful message and never pray about it once.

That's pretty scary. It's scary when someone can do their ministry on their own power…and no one would ever know the difference. No one…except God.

It is sinful and stupid to do things on our own power when God so desperately wants to empower us. So now, the question among our staff is: "Is this a work produced by faith or a work produced by me?"

If the answer is "me," then we don't go any further until the "me" changes to "faith."

A Bold Church

My buddy, Joel Young, is the lead pastor of a new church plant in northern Kentucky: Horizon Christian Church.

Joel recently listed ten characteristics of a bold church on his blog. Too good not to share.

1. A bold church is never afraid to fail.
2. A bold church is not easily discouraged.
3. A bold church thinks outside the box.
4. A bold church is never comfortable knowing that there are people in their city who don’t know Christ.
5. A bold church pushes boundaries.
6. A bold church never says, “That’s good enough.”
7. A bold church gets criticized.
8. A bold church will be attacked by the devil.
9. A bold church changes people’s lives.
10. A bold church keeps God’s will and Word at the forefront of their decision making.