Trying to figure out...

I don't know about you, but for me church has changed! I remember going to church as a kid and it being something special. I would dress up, and by that I mean putting on my three piece suit with a clip-on tie and head out the door with my mom. (My suits were always hand-me-downs! My favorite was my pink suit. :) ) I remember sitting in Sunday School and listening to stuff I didn't understand...all of it lecture based and then heading to 'big church' to sit with next to my mom. We would sing a few songs from 'the book' and then take communion. I always like to sing, but not so anyone could hear for fear of embarrassment. I really couln't tell you much about any sermon I ever heard in church. I couldn't even tell you one sermon text, or topic either...

Today, I find myself as the preacher who prepares and spends much time thinking and praying about 25-35 minutes I will share on Sunday mornings. At times I think back to those childhood days and getting nothing, and I think/pray to God..."Is there really any true impact?" I don't dress up anymore, and by that I mean no suit and tie! I feel not that I should relax in church, but that my daily/weekly life should match my Sunday mask! So I decide that my appearance has nothing to do with my relationship with God. But at the same time I don't want to be a slob, because I don't think my daily life is slob-ish!

As a preacher, I also want to create a sense of change of what church was as a kid, to what I believe should impact my life and those around me. I think the atmosphere should be about living in the reality of the presence of an incredibly HOLY GOD! (That was a mouthful! - grammatical people - give me a break, please!) Yet, I do see this problem within the church today. A problem with making my life count for Jesus' sake. It seems to me that something hasn't just gone wrong, but that believers must not fully, totally, truly believe. Obviously, if we did our commitment level would be tremendously different. But it's not. Why? Maybe, we have created too much of a 'buddy god', instead of an omniscient (all-knowing) God. Maybe we have conjured up a soft god, instead of an omnipotent (all-powerful) God. Maybe we have thought of a temporary god, instead of an omnipresent (all-present/everywhere) God. When I see these areas we have slipped from, I understand why the generation before me held or hold on so tightly to 'its church'.

However, I don't think that we should keep a system that just 'functioned' for the sake of having something functional! I believe also that what has happened in the churches isn't because we walked away from the way 'our parents did it', but I think it was set to happen because we 'did church' because it was a habit, not about a holy relational God...

Going Deeper Seminar

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!! Have you heard? On the weekend of October 10th-12th, we will be having a “Going Deeper Seminar”. I know that everyone is busy…I know that you have a million other things to do…I know your ‘honey-do’ list is just as long as mine (if not longer!)…I know, I know, I know. I also know that the things of this life pull us from what is best for us! But do you know what this weekend is about. It is about God’s best for you! I can I tell you that this will be an incredible weekend like no other. We have people praying about this for three weeks leading up to the “Going Deeper Seminar.” Why? Because I believe, and so does Dean Trune, the speaker and many FCC people, that there is POWER in PRAYER!!! We are dedicating this weekend to HIM, for the purpose of strengthening who we are as HIS dearly loved children. This weekend is about you and God! My list of to do’s will always be long and waiting on me and so will yours. Will you do me and yourself a favor? Will you put everything aside for just one weekend and see what God can do? Then you can pick right back up where you left off…if things are ‘just the same’, but my guess is that after this weekend you will never want to go back to ‘normal’ again. I believe that through this weekend great things will come. Transformation will take place, lives will be change in how they live, and God will be glorified. Don’t you want to be a part of that?
So what do you say? Can you give FCC one full weekend? What if it changes your life forever?

Praying that you will be there,


David

Target Practice

Soon the leaves will begin to change colors and Fall will be here. During this time each year, I find myself regaining composure; I guess because of all those Youth Ministry years. It was to me – January - the beginning of the new year (school year!) I think for a lot of us it is the same way. Summer is over and we are getting back to our regular schedules - things begin to slow down (yeah, right – at least in our minds.) But it is obvious because church attendance typically picks up from where it left off in early May!
With this in mind, I want to tell you about our next Sunday morning series. We will be looking at the book of 1 Thessalonians. The title of the series is “Target Practice”. Paul’s letter is to Christians in Thessalonica, but his letter is not like the letter to the Corinthians (which we just finished.) Instead, Paul writes to encourage them to keep living like they had been. Simply put – “Stay on Target.” We want to stay on target as we seek to live as people who “Seek First HIS Kingdom.” In order to stay on target we have to keep living as a Christian…we have to keep practicing. So to do this we must have ‘target practice’! We will spend the next 6 weeks talking about how we can stay on target.
Are you ready for practice? We will ‘practice’ our ‘Aim. We will be “Sighting in the Target” [1:2-10] – (what is the target?), “Aiming for perfection” [2:1-16] - (What is the bull’s eye?), “Aim for the Goal” [2:17-3:5] – (What does encouragement looks like?), “Aim to fill what is lacking” [3:6-13] – (What do Christians do after choosing Jesus as Lord?), “Aiming for a holy life.” [4:1-12] – (What do I do with a holy life?) and the last week we will look at “Aim for the future” [4:13-5:11] – (Why spend time aiming for the target?)

On your mark, get set, AIM!

God gave the Church!

I am over-whelmed when I think of God’s plan to make HIMSELF known through the Church on the earth. I am humbled while proud! I can not think of a greater honor in life than living for HIM every moment of everyday.
God gave the Church…to touch the world with HIMSELF. Have you ever thought about that? God gave the Church…to show HIS Love. God gave the Church…to end hunger. God gave the Church…to bring joy. God gave the Church…to heal marriages. God gave the Church…to bring order to the chaos. God gave the Church…to show us Jesus. God gave the Church…to teach us HIS Word. God gave the Church…to honor the KING. God gave the Church…to teach worship of HIM. God gave the Church…to you and to me.
WOW! So I wonder if God gave the Church…then what should I do!
God gave the Church… so I should go to church for HIM. God gave the Church… so I should learn to worship HIM. God gave the Church… so I should honor the KING. God gave the Church…so I should learn HIS Word. God gave the Church…so I should see Jesus. God gave the Church…so I should have a life of order. God gave the Church… so I should have a healthy marriage. God gave the Church…so I should have joy. God gave the Church… so I should be fed. God gave the Church…so I should love HIM. God gave the Church…to feel HIM in the world.

In the Beginning, God created, then rested…

“In the beginning” is such a common phrase to hear when the topic of God and the world’s formation comes into conversation. Another thing we hear often is…“and on the seventh day God rested.” What comes to our minds when we hear that “…God rested.” A dangerous thing to think is that God took the day off! We must understand that if God took the day off, then we would cease to exist! “So from what did God rest,” you may ask? HE rested from creating! HE continued to work through HIS Creation. HE continued the rotation of the Sun, moon and stars (earth, too!) If the earth slowed down due to God resting, we might all get whiplash! Not really! (We’d just die – that’s better, right?) So if God rested from creating on the seventh day, was it a stop of creation all together or does HE stop just every seventh day or what? And if God just rested on the seventh day then what is HE still creating. Scripture shows us a few things that shed some light on what God is doing, realizing these things should bring us to more awe of HIS love for us.
The first thing I want to draw your attention to is found in the book of Lamentations (3:22-23) “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed. For HIS compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Concerning this passage, J.F. Walvoord & R.B. Zuck in The Bible knowledge commentary writes… “God offered a fresh supply of loyal love every day to His covenant people.”
Every day God is working – working on HIS love to you and I. The picture I want to give you is not a created love every day, but a continued love, a compassionate love.
Next, look at Amos 4:13 “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.” Wow! Is that incredible or what? God creates the wind. Lately, we have had an abundance of rain. I have noticed that almost every day after the big rains we have had, God brings windy days to help dry up the soaked land. What an amazing God we have, who renews (recreates) HIS love for us every day along with a fresh wind (Is this a reminder of the Holy Spirit?) God is still working not resting!
One other thought about what God is doing (working, creating) for us…Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” Keith Green, gospel singer, wrote “If it only took God 6 days to make earth, and HE has been working over 6000 years on Heaven think how great it must be.” I don’t know if I totally agree with the theology of that statement, but do you see the incredible thought process of God working for you, your greater good. This place will be gone one day – I can’t wait for the finished product, my true home.
Finally, my last thought, God cares too much about you and I to sit back and rest. HIS love compels HIM to give us HIS best every day. The seventh day God rested from all HIS work, but a new week started the next day and HE went back to work for HIS creation! God is in love – powerfully in love with you! May you rest in that thought!

Once upon a time, God took vacation…

Once upon a time, God took a vacation. HE was tired of running everything, and decided it was time HE took HIS two weeks. So God planned HIS vacation all out. So, HE decided HE would go and see the Seven Wonders of the World on HIS vacation. Since, HE did create it, HE thought it would be nice to go back and visit. While HE was there HE spent a little more money than originally planned, but HE justified it and thought to HIMSELF, “I’ll just hold out my tithe a week or two!” I will understand – hope the church will too! Since God was having such a great time HE decided to stay a little longer on vacation and HE spent a little more money on things HE really didn’t need, but want’ to enjoy – after all HE did deserve it. When HE did finally get back home, it was late Saturday night, so HE thought to HIMSELF. “I am so, so tired, I think I will just skip Sunday School and Church altogether.” After all, I did go last month! So God took vacation from Church as well, this happening after missing the two weeks while on vacation. HE didn’t go to church while on vacation, because it wasn’t ‘HIS’ church and HE thought HE might feel uncomfortable going somewhere else, so HE didn’t bother. By this time, the next Sunday was going to be the end of a sermon series that the preacher had been preaching about. HE thought, ‘I missed out on most of this series already, so I will go next week.’ By this time, God had taken vacation from life and church for a month. It was only the first month of summer. The second month of summer came and by this time God kind of liked having the extra time to HIMSELF away from HIS church family. HE didn’t have to deal with messy people and their messy lives. HE didn’t have to listen to their grumblings about church and physical ailments. God said to HIMSELF again, ‘I think I will go back in the Fall, when everyone else goes back to church, too!

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t take vacation from you? Let’s remember since HE doesn’t vacate you, that you will make a commitment to not vacate HIM or HIS family!

Ministry!

I have in my office a few different quotes that help me keep my perspective in ministry. One is from Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." - the importance of prayer in minstry. The second one is a quote from Wayne Smith in a sermon titled - 'Playing Hurt': "Ministry is the calling of an inadequate man, to an impossible task for an indefinite period of time." My translation of this: In my ministry I will never be good enough, nor will I ever have 'arrived' to perfection - I must stay humble. In my ministry my job can never be done on my own ability - I must serve through the power of the Holy Spirit. In my ministry I will never be finish - completing the job - I must press on, regardless. The third and final quote I have hanging above my desk: "Make no small plans. For they have no power to stir humanity's blood." - Daniel Burnham, a 19th century architect. When I struggle - these keep me centered. God is always for me in my ministry and He never leaves me to fend for myself. My job is always for HIS honor - "the foolishness of preaching..." I need to dream big, to bring others along and see the incredible God I serve.