Mike Edmisten

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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!

Tomorrow is the day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. The last day of political campaign commercials. Who hasn’t been yearning for that day to come?

Oh yeah…we’re going to choose our next president, too.

There is a ton of passion on both sides as this campaign draws to a close. The pundits and pollsters have already declared Obama the winner. But remember that they’ve been wrong before…like in the last presidential election. I’m choosing to wait and see who will prevail after the votes are counted.

But regardless of who wins, I think that we need to remember a few things here on Election Eve. Both candidates have been running campaigns about “change.” Regardless of who wins tomorrow, there are some things that are not going to change.

1. God will still be in charge. God will still be the sovereign Lord of all during an Obama administration. Ditto for a McCain presidency. For the Christ-follower, this election needs to be kept in perspective. I’m not suggesting that it’s not important. It is. You need to vote and make your voice heard. But after the election, keep this in mind…whoever wins the presidency will lead our country for a maximum of eight years. God has been the sovereign ruler over his creation since the dawn of time. Not much of a comparison there.

2. The church will still move forward. Jesus promised the the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. If the powers of hell cannot overthrow God’s church, then whoever moves into the White House next year is of little consequence. The church will still march forward. The gospel message will still expand. The mission of the church will not be thwarted.

3. The next president will not be our savior. Some people have dubbed Obama as “the messiah” due to the religious-like devotion he has stirred up among his supporters. Others have suggested that McCain is the one who can save us from our many woes. The truth is that both of these men are just that…men. Neither one of them can save you.

There is one Savior of the world, and his name is not John or Barack. His name is Jesus. All the throngs of people who have pinned their every hope and dream on their candidate are going to be very disappointed. Neither one could possibly deliver what some are expecting. Barack Obama is not the messiah. John McCain is not our savior. That position has already been filled, and there are no term limits on the Christ administration.

If you’re a disciple of Jesus, then I realize that none of this is news to you. But it’s still a good reminder to keep this election in perspective.

Had an interesting discussion with our worship band today after our first service. They were pretty bummed. The consensus feeling seemed to be that our band wasn’t on their A-game during our first service.

If you were at first service, you probably didn’t even notice. But the band noticed. And they were none too happy about it. In fact, they were noticeably upset about it.

Why?

Because it wasn’t great. It was good, but it wasn’t great. And they were unwilling to settle for good.

Please understand this…it has nothing to do with people noticing how good they are. It has nothing to do with wowing people.

It has everything to do with doing their very best to lead people to the throne of God in worship. It has everything to do with giving God the very best they have.

Personally, I think the band came roaring back in second service. But it was an interesting time as I talked to them between services. On the one hand, I wanted to encourage them. On the other hand, I was glad to see that they were unwilling to settle for less than their best.

ACC, let me ask you something…does it bother you when God gets less than your best? It bothers the band that leads you in worship every week.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.