Everyone is a V.I.P.
Jul/090
Interesting experience last week.
I went to two Reds games. One game, I sat in the Diamond Seats. Something I NEVER thought I would do, but my friend, Pasquale, hooked me up with a ticket.
The other game, Nicki and I sat in regular seats. Not bad seats, but not Diamond Seats.
The contrast between the two experiences was striking. When we sat in the Diamond Seats, the staff at the park catered to our every whim. Everyone fell all over themselves to serve us. Whatever we wanted, we got it. We were the most important people in the whole park. At least that's how we were treated.
At the second game…we were just fans. No different than anyone else in the park that day.
The obvious difference…the Diamond Seats go for $230 a piece. (No, I did NOT pay for my seat! I would never have been there had I been required to pay for it.)
Nicki and I paid…well…a lot less than that for our game.
Money determines the level of service a person receives. That's a proven fact of life in our culture.
But the church is called to be decidedly different. When someone walks into our church, we serve them. Regardless of their economic status…we serve them. They get our very best effort, whether they are wearing an Armani suit or clothes from Goodwill. It just doesn't matter.
The Bible says it more eloquently than I can.
One thing I love about our church…everyone is a V.I.P. We don't treat people different based on their income. We don't cater to those who can "put cash in the coffers." What someone wears is of no consequence to us.
I can honestly say that everyone who comes in our door gets our very best effort. We will serve them. We will minister to them. We will love them.
After all…they're a V.I.P.
Will It Last?
Jul/090
I was surprised over the weekend to hear that former NFL quarterback Steve McNair had been shot to death.
"Air McNair" played in the NFL for 13 seasons, racking up over 31,000 passing yards. He was selected for the Pro Bowl three times. He led his team to the playoffs five times, including one Super Bowl appearance.
As I perused his career statistics, one thought kept coming to mind…this doesn't matter now. Not one of the stats listed above matters anymore. Steve McNair has crossed the line that we will all cross one day…the line into eternity. And at that point, all of the accolades, all of the achievements, all the stuff that we've been worrying about and striving for will not matter anymore.
I know nothing about Steve McNair's faith. I know that he was a charitable, giving person. He was a tremendous servant following Hurricane Katrina, and I give him much credit for that. However, I will not even begin to presume that I know what his (or anyone else's) eternal state will be. That is up to God, and God alone. The one thing I do know is that none of his football achievements matter anymore.
As you evaluate your life…how much are you doing that will last? Are you chasing after a temporary prize? Are the achievements you are striving for temporal…or eternal?
Much of what consumes our mind, our time, our focus, our energy, and our passion is temporary. It will not make a dime's worth of difference in eternity.
The only things that we do that will matter in eternity are the things we do for God's Kingdom.
This poem, written by C.T. Studd, is old, but still incredibly relevant…
Only one life, 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last.
Demons
Jul/090
We're wrapping up our Angels & Demons series this weekend by exploring what the Word of God says about demons.
I'll be honest…some of you are going to be WAY uncomfortable. You might even have a hard time buying what I'm bringing. But I've got the Bible backing me up all the way.
We're going to blow it up this Sunday.
Pray for Criticism?
Jul/090
This sounds completely inverted from what a normal person would want to do, but here is what I'm pondering today:
Should I actually pray for God to bring criticism my way?
I hate criticism with everything that is in me. I have shared publicly that I don't handle criticism well. I've learned a lot over the years. I'm a better handler of criticism now than I used to be. But I'm still far from perfect in this area.
I don't know anyone who likes criticism. So the logical thing to do would be to pray for God to shield you from criticism. Who would ever pray for God to bring criticism into your life?
Consider these words of Jesus:
Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:26, NIV)
As I thought about this teaching, God brought this truth into great clarity for me. According to Jesus, if everyone always speaks well of me, I am not standing for the truth.
Jesus said that people praised false prophets. False prophets who said what people wanted to hear…not what they needed to hear. False prophets who exchanged the truth of God for the approval of people.
If everyone always speaks well of me…if I am never criticized…then I am a pathetic excuse for a preacher and I am a horrible example of a man of God.
On the other hand, listen to this teaching of Jesus:
Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, becasue great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23, NIV)
When we are critcized because we are following God's will for our lives, that should be a catalyst for joy. Jesus points out that people harshly criticized the true prophets of God. Prophets who were willing to tell people, not what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear.
Which brings me back to my original question…should I pray for God to provide criticism in my life?
Actually, I think a better way to approach it is this: pray for God to give me the courage, strength, and wisdom to live for His glory…and then view the inevitable criticism that follows as proof that I'm doing something right.
Amazing Volunteers
Jul/090
One more post about last week's Sports Camp.
Our volunteers at ACC are unbelievable. It took a ton of committed people to make last week happen.
So many of our volunteers left work early each day. Fought rush hour traffic to get to our camp. Worked hard all evening long, with almost no break. Went home and ate dinner around 10:00 pm. Then went to bed, just to get up and do it all again the next day.
They did all that for two reasons…
1. They love God
2. They love kids
Love was the fuel that made our engine run last week. And in keeping with that theme, let me say this…
I love our volunteers!
If you served in any way last week, THANK YOU! I'd love to list every volunteer individually, but that would make this post a mile long. But I do absolutely mean this…if you served at Sports Camp in any capacity…you are awesome! Thank you so much!!!
Last week is one of many reasons why I am so proud to tell people that I'm the pastor at ACC.
A Little Weather Story
Jul/092
Something really amazing happened at Sports Camp last week regarding the weather.
We had been praying since September that we would have a dry week for our camp. Rain would really, really throw a wrench into things.
Before camp on Thursday night, the skies opened up. You wouldn't even believe how much it rained. Roads were flooded. There was a severe thunderstorm warning an hour before our camp was set to begin. There were tornado warnings in neighboring counties. It was a big time storm. We decided to forge ahead with our camp, knowing we could go inside the township building at the park if we needed to.
We held our worship time inside, not knowing if we could play sports outside at all that night.
I kid you not…the skies cleared at the exact minute that we needed it. The sun came out. We didn't even hear a rumble of thunder the rest of the night.
At one point, the radar indicated that there should have been a storm right on top of us. Instead, we had sun.
You will never convince me that God didn't direct those storms right around us. It's one of the clearest and most immediate answers to prayer that I've ever seen.
