Mother/Daughter Lunch
Apr/090
The registration deadline for ACC's Mother/Daughter Lunch at the Holiday Inn Eastgate is this Sunday. All the details are available here:
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Apr/093
Our staff is celebrating a big win for our church today! I can't necessarily go into great detail, but suffice to say that it's huge! We've been sending emails around to one another celebrating the victory.
And we have sent all the glory straight where it belongs…to God. God moved what appeared to be an immovable mountain. And we're giving him the glory for it.
A lot of times believers are very good at praying for something…but not so good at thanksgiving. When our prayer is answered, we can't forget to thank God for it.
I will celebrate before the LORD. (2 Samuel 6:21, NIV)
Make the Most of It
Apr/091
Today marks the end of April, which means that 2009 is already 1/3 over. I realize that it's impossible to actually calculate this, but it would seem that 1/3 of the opportunities that you and I will have this year are in the past.
What did you do with them?
Before you gloss over the above question too quickly, you should know that squandering opportunities is a sin.
The Bible says, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5, NIV)
Nowhere in that verse do I see a suggestion. It's written as an imperative…a command. God commands us to make the most of every opportunity. Especially when it comes to impacting people with the gospel (note the first part of the verse).
How many opportunities have you seized this year? How many have you squandered?
Here's the good news…you've got 2/3 of the year left. Make the most of it.
Here She Is
Apr/091
As promised, here's a pic of my new niece.
She definitely gets her good looks from the Edmisten side of the family. :o)
Stay There In Ephesus
Apr/090
Steven Furtick writes my favorite blog on the planet. He's a great preacher, but I think he's an even better blogger. Recently, he gave me a brand new perspective on this seemingly innocuous verse.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer… (1 Timothy 1:3, NIV)
It's a fairly safe assumption that Timothy didn't want to stay in Ephesus. On multiple occasions, the Apostle Paul urged him to stay there. We rarely have to urge someone to do what they already want to do.
Secondly, his mission in Ephesus was tough. Confront older men who were teaching false doctrine and set them straight. Nothing easy about that.
But Timothy listened to his mentor…he stayed in Ephesus.
Do you feel like God is urging you to stay in a place that you'd really rather leave behind? Is he calling you to persevere when you would rather get-the-heck-out-of-here?
Stay there in Ephesus. Hang tough. Keep fighting. Don't throw in the towel. Until God releases you from your Ephesus, persevere.
Mara Lynn Case
Apr/091
I met my new niece for the first time today. My sister, Lori, and her husband, Jason, welcomed their little girl into the world this morning around 3:30 am. Mara Lynn Case weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long.
They told me that the name "Mara" means "eternally beautiful." Very cool. Although I had to remind them that it's very close to the Biblical name "Marah," which means "bitter" (Exodus 15:23).
After holding her, I think the first meaning of Mara's name fits her best. She couldn't be more sweet…or more beautiful. I'll try to post a picture or two soon.
Congrats Jason & Lori.
Welcome to the family, Mara. Your Uncle Mike loves you very much.
Ministry Intensity
Apr/091
I have a much more intense approach to ministry now than I did when I began working at my first church. The reasons for this intensity are varied, but a lot of it comes down to some core beliefs that I have. It is likely that none of this is going to be news to you, but here are some beliefs that spur me toward intensity.
I actually believe that…
- God changes lives. I have conversations with people every single weekend whose lives are being radically transformed by the power of God. I'm not exaggerating…I have these conversations every single weekend, without fail.
- the gospel is true. It's not a myth or a fantasy. And it's not one of many avenues to God. The gospel declares that Jesus died for my sins and rose again to seal my victory. And that is the only way I can have access to God.
- Jesus is coming back. I don't know when. But I see nothing in Scripture that says that Jesus can't come back today. I'm not one of those wingnuts who claims to know exactly when Jesus is coming back. That is a direct contradiction of Jesus' own words (Matthew 24:36-44). The coming of Christ could be a millennium away. Or, it could just as easily happen today. I'm going to spend every day I have serving Him.
- God will hold me accountable for my ministry. This has helped me tremendously, because it's allowed me to be less concerned about what people think. Criticism goes with the territory in ministry. (I talked extensively about this in my message on Sunday.) And it still hurts…don't misunderstand me. But ultimately, I won't stand before any of my critics to answer for what I did or didn't do in my ministry. I will stand before God to give an account (Hebrews 13:17).
- hell is real. And yes…I actually believe that people outside of Christ will spend eternity there. This knowledge has pushed me to levels of ministry intensity that I didn't even know were possible. It's a tragedy that more saved people don't really believe in hell. They might believe in the idea of hell, but it isn't real to them. If it was real to them, they would feel a sense of urgency and intensity that is sadly lacking in many believers' lives.
- heaven is going to be awesome. I don't just care about helping people avoid hell. I want to do more than sell fire insurance. I want to see them hunger for heaven. I want to see them become so passionate for Jesus that their life's goal is to see Him face-to-face.
Honestly, ministry used to be a lot easier before I began to approach it with such intensity. I could just punch in, do my thing, and then punch out.
But the more that I began to own these truths, the more intense I became about ministry. It's tiring…actually, it's exhausting. And it can be very frustrating.
But these truths keep me coming back for more.
Track Meet Reflections
Apr/091
I didn't know that some thoughts from a Jr. High track meet would rock my world. Leave it to my friend, Shawn Young. I read this on his blog recently. It hit me so hard that I'm posting it here. Yeah, I'm doing it without his permission. Sue me, Shawn. :o)
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There seem to be two types of track parents: Those who stand along the track and yell, and those who wait at the finish line and hug. And this is a Middle School track meet- keep that in mind.
During longer races, you'll always hear parents and coaches shouting at kids from the sidelines. Occasionally, they are shouts of support ("you're doing great, keep it up"), but most of what you hear is more militant in nature. I can understand wanting to help kick start a surge of adrenaline, but I don't see how it's effective in the long run to constantly remind them that they aren't measuring up.
I think the runners want to know that someone is waiting at the end to give them affirmation that they ran a good race. That positive reinforcement gives them even more to race for. That confidence makes them want to do their absolute best.
I think we all have a capacity to be that support for someone. Whether it's a sporting event, or just a difficult season. When we have someone supporting us at the end, we are stronger for the next time. And ultimately, the race is bigger than we can imagine- and the finish line is more spectacular. And the person waiting at that finish line definitely loves you.
Town Hall Reflections
Apr/092
A snippet of my notes from Town Hall for Hope…
-Fear is not a Fruit of the Spirit.
-The Bush White House bailed out stupidity.
-The new administration stimulated stupidity.
-"Commerce without morality will destroy us." (Ghandi)
-Sometimes life is not fair.
-We need to love people enough to allow them to fail. If failure is chasing you, you'll run toward excellence.
-"Success is merely a pile of failures that you're standing on." (John Maxwell)
-Work like it depends on us. Pray like it depends on God.
-For many Christians, prayer is code for, "I don't want to face reality."
-You can pray while you're working.
-Our current economic situation is nowhere near the Great Depression. It's not even the worst recession since the Great Depression.
-Find a financial adviser with the heart of a teacher. If they try to sell you something, leave.
-Is inflation coming? If Congress doesn't slow down. They're burning money.
-Gold is the Snuggie of investments.
-Three things to do if you're struggling with hope:
1. Take action.
2. Don't participate in loser talk.
3. Learn to give again.
Four Hours
Apr/090
Four hours until Town Hall for Hope.
If you're sick of the gloom and doom message in the media and in Washington…if you're ready for some practical, Biblical hope regarding your finances…then I'll see you tonight at 8:00 pm.
Actually, you ought to arrive a little early. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Dave Ramsey will begin speaking at 8:00 pm sharp.
Get all the details here.
Bring on the hope.
