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

I'm a Pastor

Telling people you are a pastor is like saying, "I am a cannibal…wanna have lunch?" (Erwin McManus)

God's Good Plan

Man, my buddy, Aron, kicked me in the teeth with this post! You need to read it…but do so at your own risk.

God's Good Plan – Aron Kirk

Want to Stop a Move of God?

One of the biggest hinderances to seeing God move are the preconceived notions we have in regard to the things He "can't" do! (Perry Noble)

Town Hall Tomorrow

A final reminder…ACC is hosting Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope tomorrow night at 8:00 pm.

You can get all the hopeful details here.

You can let us know that you're coming here.

If you don't live in the Amelia area, you can find a Town Hall host site in your area here.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the doom and gloom that I keep hearing in the media and from our politicians.

But on the other hand, I don't want to hear some pie-in-the-sky false hope.

I want real, Biblical, common sense financial hope.

And I'm going to get it tomorrow night.

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

I'm honored to be part of a nationwide blog tour for a new book this week. The book is 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osborne.

Larry is a teaching pastor at North Coast Church in Vista, California. As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed.

Here is the main question of the book: Are urban legends and Sunday School myths ruining your faith?

Many Christians believe these "urban legends" because it's what they've always believed. They have heard it from previous generations of believers. They've heard it taught in Sunday School. Maybe they've even heard it preached from the pulpit. So, naturally, they believe it.

One problem, though…these beliefs aren't supported by Scripture. They are myths…spiritual urban legends.

Larry rips through ten of these "urban legend" beliefs. You've probably heard a lot of these beliefs. Maybe you've even bought into some of them.

1. Faith can fix anything.
2. Forgiving means forgetting.
3. A godly home guarantees godly kids.
4. God has a blueprint for my life.
5. Christians shouldn't judge.
6. Everything happens for a reason.
7. Let your conscience be your guide.
8. God brings good luck.
9. A valley means a wrong turn.
10. Dead people go to a better place.

In each chapter, Larry shines the light of Scripture on each of these beliefs. And in every case, they just don't stand up. (For the sake of clarity, the dead people Larry refers to in belief #10 are people who are outside of Christ. That one raised my eyebrows until I read the chapter…which is probably exactly what Larry intended to do.)

I know that this probably rocked somebody's world. Maybe you have firmly held onto one (or more) of these beliefs. Maybe almost everyone you know believes it, too.

To lift a quote from the book…"Just because 'everyone believes it' doesn't make it true."

I really loved Larry's authenticity in this book. He shares very openly about personal struggles, such as his wife's battle with cancer. His honesty was refreshing.

But the best part of the book was its clarity. Larry doesn't use complicated religious jargon. No big theological terms or complicated doctrines to unravel. Even if you are a brand new Christian (or not a Christian at all), this book is totally within your reach. Larry isn't out to confuse us. His goal is to help us understand God's Word more clearly and apply it more freely in our lives.

Pick up Ten Dumb Things. It might be the smartest thing you do all day.

Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe – Larry Osborne

Be All There

I did something really stupid the other day. I know…you're shocked.

I stopped at a red light…looked both ways…and proceeded to turn while the light was still red. The only problem was…I made a left turn. (For those who are driving impaired, turning right on red is cool. Left on red…not so cool.) As I drove away from the intersection, it hit me…I just broke the law.

I looked around and didn't see any police cruisers. So unless that intersection has the cameras that capture you doing something illegal, it looks like I got away with it.

But this whole thing still really bugged me. I didn't set out to break the law. I didn't intend to turn left on red…but I did it anyway.

Why?

Because my mind was on other things. I was so deep in thought about everything that I had to do that I allowed myself to become distracted. Thankfully I didn't get a ticket. Even more, I'm thankful that I didn't cause an accident.

This whole thing really reminded me of something. I'm not a good multi-tasker. And by the way…neither are you. I know, you may have convinced others, and even yourself, that you can focus on more than one thing at a time. But here's the truth…you can't.

Sure, you may be able to get by with a divided focus…but do you really want to spend your life just getting by? If you do this consistently, different areas of your life will begin to suffer.

Here is a phrase that I try to remember…wherever you are, be all there.

If I'm at work, I'm all there.

If I'm playing with my kids, I'm all there.

If I'm loving on my wife, I'm all there.

If I'm driving my car, I'm all there.

Obviously, I'm not infallible in this "be all there" principle. My red light story proves that. I need to improve on this. But I'm working on it.

How about you? Are you "all there?" If you're not sure, let me help you out.

If you're at work but you spend hours on Facebook, you're not all there.

If you're at home with your kids but you constantly check your email, you're not all there.

If you're on a date with your spouse and all you talk about is your children, you're not all there.

Not as easy as it sounds, is it? Practical application of this principle takes work…but it's worth it.

Wherever you are, be all there.

My Bride's Birthday

If you'll indulge me, I want to give a little blog love to my wife on her birthday. Today, Nicki turns 30-something. She is officially one year older than me today.

Actually, she's only four months older than me, but I do greatly enjoy those four months. I'm reminded of an old country song…"older women are beautiful lovers." Do you think she would find that funny…or romantic…or irritating?

Actually, one of the things I love most about my wife is that she gets my weird sense of humor. We kid each other mercilessly at times…it's one of our love languages. (And yes, over the years, I've learned what lines not to cross. And so has she.)

Love ya babe. You're the best. Happy birthday.

Thief #2 – Disappointment

This weekend, we're rolling into the second installment in our Identity Theft series. We kicked off this series on Easter Sunday by talking about one of the most powerful weapons that Satan uses to steal our identity…guilt.

This Sunday, we're talking about another way that the thief can steal our identity…disappointment.

The question is not, "Will we be disappointed?" Disappointment is a clear reality in our world. The question is, "Will we allow disappointment to rob us of our identity in Christ?"

I wrestled with this message BIG TIME this week. I kept trying to get into my "writing groove," but I just couldn't do it. It's like God simply would not allow me to finish writing this message. He forced me to work through some heavy duty stuff. He had to change some things in me before I could finish writing this message. But now…I'm ready to PREACH!

ACC, God has a word that you need to hear this weekend.

Tripping Over Grace

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."

As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33, NIV)

The Gentiles, who were not the people of God, were saved by faith.

The Israelites, who tried to attain salvation by legalistically following the Old Testament law, were not saved because they tried to do it on their own power.

In verse 33, Paul makes a reference to Jesus, calling Him “a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”

Why do people stumble over Jesus? Because they stumble over grace.

People stumble over grace because it can’t be that easy. Surely I have to do something. Surely I have to earn my salvation somehow.

When we buy into this belief system, we cheapen grace by believing that it isn’t enough to save us. This diminishes the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. So we really do “stumble” and “fall” over Him because we don’t believe the cross is enough to save us.

Our salvation equation is: the cross + good works = salvation

God’s salvation equation is: the cross = salvation

This is reminiscent of Galatians 2:21 – “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (NIV)

I never want to set aside God’s grace by believing that I can work my way into heaven. The only hope I have is Jesus’ death and resurrection. And if I trust in Him, Paul says in verse 33 that I “will never be put to shame.”

Are you spending way too much time and energy trying to make God love you? Trying to earn your way into heaven?

If it feels like you aren't going anywhere…you're not. In your effort to be saved, you've tripped and fallen headfirst over grace.

Town Hall for Hope

Today is Tax Day in the U.S. (If you forgot about that, you're probably flipping out right now. Sorry to be the one who gives you a panic attack.) While never enjoyable, paying taxes can be an especially nasty thought given the current state of our economy. It's just one more reason why people are thinking, talking, and stressing about money.

ACC is hosting a can't-miss event next week. We are an official host site for Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope. If you're tired of the emotional roller coaster…if you're ready for some hope regarding your finances…you need to be there. Dave will be offering a Biblical, common sense perspective that is sorely missing in our culture today.

It all happens next Thursday, April 23 at 8:00 pm.

You can get more information here.

You can let us know that you're coming here.

If you don't live in the Amelia area, you can find a host location close to you here.