It was a great day today! I love Sundays @ LifeBridge! Here's some thoughts...
Another day with more first time guests! One was a young lady, brought by her dad, in the 18-23 year old category. She told me she loved it and would be back next Sunday! The coolest news... she indicated on her registration that she had become a Christ follower today! Our attendance continues to grow... nearly 100 more per week in the last three months, but it is the individual that God sees! This young lady is an example of His love for each person.
Speaking of the 18-23 year old category, our heart is to reach the next generation, which includes birth through the "20 somethings"! As I looked around today, I saw quite a few in the "20 something" age range! Let's be willing to do whatever it takes to reach our children and grandchildren, passing on the torch!
The new sermon series started today... "Where's The Line?", focused on knowing the "Clear Boundaries" laid out in the Bible. I hope we got it... God has drawn some very clear lines, do's and don'ts, in His Word for our protection and good! When we make choices in life, and life is the sum total of all our choices, we must first consider these clear black and white commands. I can hardly wait to finish the next two Sunday sermons in which I will give "Guiding Principles" for the so called "gray areas".
This coming Sunday afternoon I'm going to do something that will be a first for me! I'll be conducting a wedding in Ripken Stadium at home plate!
I love and appreciate pastors! I have quite a few good friends who have a fire in their hearts for shepherding God's church! These servants of God labor, sometimes in very difficult and discouraging situations, faithful to their calling. Pray for and encourage a pastor this week!!
One of my good friends, Pastor Jim Howell, (Victory Villa Baptist Church), is going to Saddleback Church in Orange County, California this week for a conference. I really look forward to hearing how God spoke to him when he returns. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church has been a key influence in many pastors lives, including mine!
I really want to hear from you this week... hit the comments button at the bottom of this post and tell me how Sunday went for you!!!
Change is sometimes perceived as a dirty word! It's very scary to some people.
However, God is all about change! He sent His Son to die for change! He wants to change our relationship with Him from a non-existent one to an eternal one. He wants to change us to become like His Son.
Change is good when it means improvement. We all need improvement at some or most levels! Those who choose to only maintain status quo are really losing, going backwards. Some people make that choice and there is a reason why...
Change usually involves moving out of our comfort zone. When we decide to change physically we usually have to sweat, get tired, and endure sore muscles from exercising.
That is a picture of any kind of change in our lives. It comes with a price. It means we must be willing to temporarily be uncomfortable while we are being stretched and improved. But the payoff is well worth the price!
Those who opt only for the comfort zone are actually opting for much less than the best, even failure!
It's uncomfortable to...
honestly examine ourselves.
admit a need for improvement.
stop doing what we've always done or do it differently.
start doing something we've not done before.
ask for help or be accountable for something.
But, as I have said many times before, "Hard on the front end, easy on the back end... easy on the front end, hard on the back end!" If we are willing to do the hard things first, the things that bring positive change in our lives, then we will enjoy the benefits on the back end.
What do you need to change in your life? What needs to happen, or what choices need to be made to see that change come about?
Do you have a story of a change you've made in your life recently? Tell me about it!
Change is absolutely necessary for progress! God is so interested in change that He sent His Son to die so that we could be changed forever! In yesterday's post, I talked about the need for personal change.
In every arena of life change occurs. Business, technology, entertainment, and health care are just a few examples of rapid change. Recently I read an article about change that is happening at my favorite fast food resturant, Chick-Fil-A! Even though it is working just great at the moment, they are upgrading their popular menu in order to continue to meet customer expectations and to stay ahead of the competition. They are not settling for today's success or for doing what is familiar and comfortable.
BIG QUESTION... are our churches changing for progress??? We have the unchanging Message, the Word of an unchanging God! However, the methods for delivering that unchanging Message must change in order to stay current with the language and culture of the times. We don't drive to church in a horse and buggy, we don't use out houses for restrooms, and we probably have air conditioned buildings! We wouldn't go to a foreign country and preach in English, ignoring their culture. But we do cling to old, comfortable, familiar ways that have nothing to do with being biblical! We are current in style and methods all the way up through the 1950's, hoping to reach people in 2008! Doing things the same way, expecting different results is the definition of insanity!
Most godly pastors want to reach people. The challenge is to do the uncomfortable, and even for some, the dangerous... change things! We need to pray for pastors, that they would have the courage to begin the process of ongoing change in order to reach this lost and dying world! The risk is worth the eventual outcome... people changed for eternity!
At LifeBridge Church, we are in a constant state of change for several reasons...
We never have it completely right, we can always improve.
The culture is constantly changing so we adapt to keep current with it's changing language. (Remember, we want to speak the unchanging Message in an understandable way!)
Growth brings a need for updated infrastructure, more leaders, different programs.
Is there ever push back or resistance to change? OF COURSE! But the price is worth the prize! The alternative... stay the same and eventually die! Check out a few churches in your neighborhood to confirm that fact!
Since 1868 Memorial Day has been observed in some form. It originally began as a remembrance of the soldiers who died in the Civil War, but eventually evolved to include all wars.
It is now observed the last Monday in May after Congress passed the National Holiday Act of 1971.
Those of us who didn't live through World War I & II have a limited perspective. I checked out the military death statistics for each major war up to the present, including the Iraq war...
World War I... 116, 708
World War II... 416, 800
Korean War... 36, 576
Vietnam War... 58, 217
Iraq War... 4, 080
Well over a half a million soldiers died in the two World Wars! Since then, more than 98, 873 have died in subsequent conflicts. Those numbers don't include all the MIA's and wounded. Some were wounded so drastically that it changed their lives for the rest of their time on this planet! No statistic can adequately measure the emotional damage suffered by soldiers and their families.
Someone has wisely said that freedom isn't free! All the way back to the Revolutionary War, hundreds of thousands have died to give and preserve what we enjoy today!
I fear that too many take this freedom for granted in our current culture. I want to encourage you to take a moment this Memorial Day weekend to stop and thank God for the great freedom you enjoy and for those whose sacrifice made it possible! When you get a chance, find a veteran and thank them also.
I am a grateful, unashamedly patriotic, citizen of these great United States of America!It is here that I have the freedom to worship and proclaim the Gospel openly!
If you have a relative or friend who has given their life for our country, feel free to honor them here!!! Hit the comment button below this post...
Here are a few thoughts that are bouncing around in my head...
This being Memorial Day weekend, I am remembering my Dad and his service for his country in the Korean War. Dad spent 16 months in Korea. He served on the front lines and then did something just as dangerous... he drove a supply truck. He told me stories of being under fire while driving a truck with a "governor" on it, something that limited how fast he could go! Dad enjoyed talking about his time in the military in his later years. I enjoyed hearing about it!!!
I wrote about CHANGE this week in this blog. Change has to be an ongoing process for us to be continually improving, whether personally, in business, or in our ministries. At LifeBridge Church the leadership has adopted an acronym we picked up from someone else that helps us... ABE... Always Be Evaluating!!! We should never become complacent or satisfied completely with where we are presently! If we are continually evaluating, looking for areas that need positive change, we will be positioned to change for the better!
I planted nine tomato plants in my back yard yesterday morning! A dear lady in our church gave me ten of them again this year, as she has for the past several years! Nine survived to be planted. Last year was not a good year for my tomatoes. I am expecting a bountiful harvest this season! It's good to watch something grow and produce fruit right before your eyes!
I am excited about the upcoming service at LifeBridge on Sunday! I look forward to the great worship music, the interaction with lots of people, the one, cool, special, Memorial Day, surprise we have planned, and the opportunity to preach about five things every believer needs to be a better decision maker in life!
Finally, I am ripped about this summer! I can't wait to get started on "One Prayer" in June and "One Life To Give" in July, not to mention "The Afterlife" the first two weeks in August! Get ready!!!
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May, 2008
, focused on knowing the