Choices

So far this past month we as a church have been going through the book of Genesis, looking the foundation of our earth, our religion and the scriptures. We have entitled our series, "New Beginnings." Not because this study is "new" or its thoughts are "new," simply because God gives us new beginnings everyday in our lives and we seek to live like he desires us to. In tern, we should desire to be a people with our hearts and thoughts in the right place. Ultimately, we are all on a journey in our lives to be the people that God has called us to be. This journey implies that we wake up everyday prepared to travel, prepared to move, prepared to live every part of our life in the right way.

It has been quite the turning point in my life when I realized that I'm on a journey, in every part of my life. When I arrive, a new journey is set before, just as the world around us is constantly in a state of change, our lives are not the same today as they were 5 years ago, nor will anything be the same 5 years from now. If we want to be God's holy people, the journey starts today, and continues tomorrow. As we follow this path, change is inevitable and each day, each step gets us closer to our goal, or further away from it based upon how we choose to live.

I over heard Bill Long, the CEO of Winco, talking to one of his managers. He made this simple analysis of his company, "If we aren't growing, we are dying." That thought has stuck with me throughout time. The truth in that simple phrase is eye opening and devastating. Ultimately if we are just seeking to maintain something, it will eventually die. Sadly, that is the way many of us treat our relationship with God. If I just do the basic duties, tenants of my faith, I will be okay. Yet, time and time again I have seen so many people become comfortable in their faith, lose interest and fall.

How do we avoid this fate? Well, I think it is simple. Each day we just need to recognize it. The first steps to the recovery of any addict is recognizing the issue. Each day, when we wake up, we must recognize that we are continuing on a journey to be the people God wants us to be. A few thousand years ago (or so), God called Noah to build an Ark. He gave him the dimensions, supplied the wood and gave him a year to complete the project. I have to think, the idea of an Ark was quite the nonsense. Really an Ark makes no sense, no rain has ever been seen, and in the lives of these people, thousands of years, their has never been a flood that would necessitate such a huge boat, if they had ever seen a flood or a boat for that matter.

Noah had to get up every morning and make a decision to work on this Ark. He pulled himself out of bed, strapped on his boots, and made a decision to continue his work. In the same way, we are choosing to live our lives completely different from the way this world does. We wake every morning and have to choose our Holiness. The decisions we make are counter culture to the world around us. We are as different as Noah was to the world around him. Are you prepared to wake every morning and choose Holiness?

Adventures in Ministry

I was blessed this week to speak at a youth revival in Idaho. It was an exciting time for all of us as we dug into the Spiritual "Battle." We looked at the Battle for Holiness, the Battle Within Ourselves and we focused on How God Doesn't Fight Fair. This is literally the core of Battle, Jesus says in John 14, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." You see, he's already won! The battles we face, have nothing to do with the outcome of the war. It's over, it ended on the cross on Calvary. So, this battle is not about winning, it's about "becoming all that God has called me to be." (Phil. 4:12b)

Wow! If you really stop and think about it, that should make us even desire to battle more diligently. The thought of already being labeled victors should drive us to be more like Christ, our King. The idea that we are going to win should cause us to stand with confidence, the armor of God in hand, prepared to accept any challenge.

How incredibly awesome!

ae

Boise State ranked #5

I know I sure am curious to see what the outcome would have been in a Florida vs Boise game but I guess we will all just have to wonder.

Check out Dan Wetzel column on Yahoo. . . .

It is always a touchy subject. People squirm and eyes bug out every time name Jesus Christ is mentioned. Truthfully when you talk to someone about Jesus you never know what you are going to get. Some people have say he was an alien, others say he was a man, some say he was enlightened, some say he was a prophet and others of course say he is God. So, what are we to say, who side do you stand on? What Jesus God, or merely man? Was he from Mars or born of virgin? Does it even matter?

Well, the truth is, it does matter. It matters more than you know. Really, by saying who Jesus is, points and directs us to his motive. What was his purpose for being here? Let me give you an example. Lets say Jesus came from Jupiter, an extra terestrial from another planet. He arrived on the scene for the purpose of what? Pointlessness. He lied and decieved us and he is by no means a person worthy of following. All this talk about going to the Father and preparing a place for us. All this talk about saving the world. All this talk about being the Way Truth and Life means nothing if Jesus is an alien.

Had Jesus just been a man, we are left with some serious issues to discuss. For instance we have to deal with the fact that Jesus outright claimed to be God. He not only claimed it, but did nothing to stop others from saying it. In John 4 Jesus is chillin out with a gal at a well. He dives into her life and shares with her truths about God. She says to Jesus that when the Messiah comes he is going to clear this all up and Jesus reply to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Well, if Jesus were human, he must have also been a little delusional. Not only delusional, but a little suicidal as well. When confronted with this same question facing death, he also continued to back his claims as God. (Mark 14:61-62) Not only that, but the Jewish leaders of that day wanted him to be killed, why, for blsphemy, for claiming to be God. If Jesus was a man he was delusional, decietful and suicidal. He doesn't sound like a great prophet, or a great man to me at all. Unless of course, he was GOD!

John explains this quite clearly in John 1. Jesus was with God, he was God and he became flesh. In the book of Philippians Paul describes Jesus as having the very same nature of God and being equal with him and leaving his Godliness to take the form of a human. Jesus is God.

It is also important that Jesus is God simply because he is the only worthy sacrafice. Let me repeat that again. If Jesus was not God than his death on the cross was basically meaningless. Nothing more than a martyr. Jesus death was far more than that. He took on the sins of the world, a perfect sacrafice. The sacrafice of God. That is why Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." As God he was an worthy sacrafice. As man, he was just another crazy hung on a tree.

Some would say that I am exclusive and closed minded. No, God is exclusive and closed minded. It's his world, he could have saved us however he wanted to but he didn't. He sent Jesus part of the us from Genesis 1:26 to earth to live with us as an example, to show love and grace and to die for our sins. So that God would be glorified. He could have changed up all of history, taken back all the promises made and prophecies that spoke of who this Messiah had to be. No, God was very clear about who the Messiah would be, it would be God. Immanuel, "GOD WITH US." Not, some guy, or an alien from Pluto. Jesus had to be God.

ae

Fall From Grace?

It has been a challenge for me to understand the happenings this last week with Pastor Haggard from New Life Christian Church in Colorado. Read about the story here. It is sad and disappointing on so many levels. His prominence makes this story that much more devastating but the truth is, he is not alone. Every year I hear of another pastor I know personally, who is caught in his sin his secret life exposed, a family devasted, a church blindsided. What have we learned? What can we learn?

The first thing we can learn, is that pastors are people too. They are still tempted, they still have good days and bad ones. They struggle just like anyone else. By no means is that an excuse yet we should not be surprised, sin is sin. Pastors are tempted and have just as much opportunity to sin as anyone. The position they hold does require the church handle it properly. As we see in 1 Timothy 3, the leadership of a church is held to a much higher standard and must be held accountable for and removed from their position. A sinful pastor is no longer "above reproach," and the church needs leadership they can trust. Pastors must be ministered to in these circumstances but must be removed from their leadership roles.

The next thing we need to learn, if you are in ministry and in sin. GET OUT! If the reports are true, Haggard has had an ongoing relationship with another man for three years. That is a long time. There are a lot of people that are or will be hurt by this sin. It would have saved himself and his church a lot of heartache and humiliation had he been honest with his struggles years ago. He lived a lie, denyed accountability and lived in sin. If you are in ministry, don't lie to yourself, your sin will harm your church and the longterm effects can devastate. Get out of ministry now!

I also think about Pastor Haggad's lack of accountability. Not that he didn't have others around him that he could talk to, he may have. Yet in the midst of it all, he chose not to be held accountable. We all need someone we can trust, someone we can share those deep dard secrets with. Some one who can hold our feet to the fire and cares enough to love us as when we need it most. Few people and even fewer pastor's have someone like this, but we all need it, and we should all be seeking it.

The next few months and years are going to be hard for Haggard's church and family. Sin like this is devastating. Gay activists are calling Haggard to "come out of the closet." Ministries across the country are asking, "why?" Pastors a like are devasted and heart broken to see another one fall to temptation. Another battle lost. We should all be praying, not only for Haggard and his church, but for the leadership of our church's and churches across America.

A Relevant Gospel

There is always a lot of talk about the Holy Spirit. Infact the subject has often divided church's and separated denominations. The debate rages on about the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit as well. I am not here today to debate either of these issues but to bring perspective on the work of the Holy Spirit in our every day lives to reach the world around us.

The day of Pentecost was an exciting day. Thousands upon thousands of people gathered for this Jewish holiday, from nation upon nation. In Acts chapters 1&2 we see the disciples waiting just as Jesus had told them to. Then swoooosh, the Holy Spirit ascended upon them and they began to speak in many of the languages of the people around them. Everyone heard they way God wanted them to hear. Not only were the words spoken in their language, but the Holy Spirit also presented the Gospel through the apostles that struck a chord with the culture that surrounded them. Peter spoke a sermon that pierced their hearts, another work of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I wonder if the church in general has lost touch with the culture around us, and maybe we are failing to listen to the Holy Spirit in this manner. I have tried hard many times to consider what it is that the church needs to do to reach those around us, maybe were just not speaking thier language?

Rob Bell, a prominent speaker and church leader has put together some very powerful videos, called Nooma videos. One of these videos speaks of our relationship with God like a symphony, with every part being in tune, playing the right notes to move us. A song the world does not understand. Yet for some reason, our song fails to even get their attention, or even spark their curiosity. No one wants to buy our CD.

I don't have all the answers. The truth is, I see a need for churches across America to make Jesus relevant. We must meet the culture where they are because they are not coming to us. The problem is, I'm not sure what that looks like. Is it music style? Is it programing? Is it outreach? Is it service projects? Is it outreach? Is it Sunday School? Is it 40 days of purpose? Is it food drives, potlucks, or Roundup Sunday's? Is it in the Men's ministry, the youth ministry, or the children's ministry? Is it in the church or outside of it's 4 walls? Truthfully I don't know. What I do know is that if we are not careful we could lose a generation.

Let us all call on the Holy Spirit, to show us how to reach our lost cities. Let's focus on ministry outside the box, let's make Jesus relevant. If not you than who?

Today, October 28th is my birthday. Birthday's are fun and enjoyable, infact let me tell you about my birthday this year. I got one pulled over on me. Can you believe it? My wife, for some time, has been planning a birthday surprise and sure enough, I was surprised. I pulled into the Pinnochios pizza and thought I recognized a few cars, then upon walking through the door I heard a loud SURPRISE! and that suprise was for me. It was the largest birthday party I have ever had, about 60 people showed up to party on my birthday. It was extremely special.

Tonight I will most likely be spending my birthday the way most men should, steak, football and pigs in a blanket. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Deep Thinking. . . .

Here is a very interesting blog by Gary Shavey from the Resurgence.com. He dives straight into the issue of abortion and tackles the faulty idea of "pro-choice." It takes some brain power and a few minutes to read, but I think you will dig it.

No Such Thing as Pro-Choice

aaron

Counter Culture

This is a very difficult subject for me as a pastor. To be honest, I truly think that the church has often times failed to reach the culture because of the fear we have of it. I have a problem when the church, or people of the church, choose to hide from the reality around them. We have created a "Christianized" subculture, so that we never need to deal with the reality around us. There is Christian News, Christian Music, Christian TV, Christian coffee shops, you name it, we have our own brand. Now, non of these is bad. I prefer my youth to listen to positive music, and wholesome TV but we have to be careful that we don't surround ourselves only with Christian things and tell the rest of the world to go to hell.

Truthfully we are not called to look like the culture around us. We are called by God to be different, to be "aliens." John reminds us throughout his letters that world hates us, and that we are not supposed to be people of the world. Yet, he also calls us to be in the world and showing the love of God to those around us. Jesus perfected this as he ate with sinners. He was a strong example of someone who lived in the world, or culture, but was not of the culture that surrounded him.

We are coming onto a heavily debated holiday. The holiday of Halloween. The truth is, the foundation of this holiday is purely pagan. Many look at this as a reason to stay away from being any part of this holiday. I, on the other hand, look at it as such a wonderful opportunity to show the love of Jesus to people who have no idea what they are celebrating. This day we will have the opportunity to meet hundreds of people we would not normally associate with, hundreds of people that would not normally knock on our door and I would suggest we should not take this day for granted.Here are a few ways that we can affect our culture positively for Christ during Halloween:

1. Dress positively. I look forward to my daughters wanting to be princessess because that is exactly what they are, and there Father in heaven is the ultimate KING. Dress like a character from the Bible, or like Superman. (I love the line in Superman Returns when Jesus is over looking the city and he asks Lois if she hears anything, she cannot, but Superman hears the world calling out for a Savior)
   
2. Put an advertisment for your church's Children's program in with their candy. I always remember the house on my street that gave out apples. Com'on apples on Halloween. That's rediculus, but she was so nice about it, I had to get on every year. Sometimes things besides candy can be uplifiting.
   
3. Host a get together at your house, or at the local church. We have a family in our church who has invited every child from all three classes at their school. What an awesome outreach, what a great reason to get together. Most families are looking for a safe enviroment to enjoy Halloween, lets provide it.
   
4. Have fun. No one likes a fuddy duddy. Truthfully, most people don't even understand Halloween. What they can understand is your love and caring for them.
   Be a light to your world, don't hide your light. What Would Jesus Do? I bet he'd take his love to the trick-o-treaters, shouldn't you!
   

aaron

What a trip. The last few months have probably been the wildest time of my life. After accepting the position as pastor of the Church of Christ in Cottage Grove my life has dramatically changed and I must, it has been a wild ride. Regardless what happens, I must say this has been a decision that I will not regret. In a nut shell, I have a unique opportunity to take a church back to the effectiveness it once had in a city that needs Jesus. What a trip.

The first thing that needs to happen with this church is an attitude focus. For so long we have not done the things that it takes to prepare yourself for ministry. We are focusing our attention on building our love, our faith and our ultimately our unity. God has never asked us to maintain anything, the church is called to move forward, to take ground in the name of Jesus. Yet, we have to approach this with a clear sense of unity and oneness because no one will accomplish this task alone. This task will only be accomplished if we are unified in the God of seek to make a difference in this world around us.

This church is well known for the many things it has done in the past. The many ministers, teachers and prominent Christian leaders that have come from this church is amazing. That is not the end of it though this is only the beginning. We are joining together to move forward, to take ground in the name of God. What a powerful testimony we have yet share, the same testimony so many of us have known in the past of this church.

So, sit back and lets see what happens. Here is the journey.

It is a pretty disturbing thing to think about the world around us and try to grasp what it all could possibly mean. Really, is there a place for God amongst the hearts of those in America? If so, how can we tap into that need? What a self sufficient people we have become. God calls but we can hardly hear him over our game boys and ipods.

This week we are going to be discussing the importance of missional ministry for everyone in our church. We all have been given a mission and pray that we are all willing to accept and are all willing to live like we have a mission.

Having a missional mindset is very difficult for most Christian people, in fact I would say, for people in general. We are all self centered and self pleasing. We look only at how things effect us, not others. This idea really hit me recently with school shootings. People throughout the country have had mixed reactions to the violence. Most consider how this has effected them and their family. I wonder if we should consider how this effects the world and the people we live around every day.

"Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven: But Nobody Wants to Die," is the title of new book by David Crowder. An interesting thought. Without reading the book I venture to guess this is a common thought for the average person. In order to spend eternity with God, we are all going to have to go through some kind of pain. The same could easily be said for our lives here on earth. Sin = pain and we are all faced with pain everyday. Are we willing to die to ourselves and throw out our selfishness and be a people on a mission to change this world for God.

People all around us are going through there own devistation. People suffering loss, people in pain, people confused, people lost. We have a unique opportunity every day, to share the love of God to everyone around us. Are you willing share this love of God, are you willing step out of your comfort zone, to die to what makes you comfortable, to share the love of God to hurting people? I am afraid that is what it is going to take, death. A death of selfishness.

Understanding God's Call

So, what is there to understand about God's call. It seems very plain in the Old Testament, apparently God told people what to do and by golly they did it. I then begin to wonder, does God have the wrong number for me, is he getting a busy signal, or am I just not listening in the right places? I am constantly running into people and youth pastors in this same predicament. Confused about what the future holds and long to have God make a plain way.

I do believe that God does have specific callings for people, but in general, God has also given us the tools to be able to make those decisions for ourselves. He tells us to do what is best for our families. He wants us to do what is best for the church. He wants His work to move forward. Unfortunately a lot of times we are not comfortable making the "right" decision, so we simply don't make a decision about it. Then we excuse our lack of action on waiting for God to show me what to do.

I also believe that God will bless our decisions if they are made in good faith. In other words, God blesses us for giving it our best shot. He knows are hearts and our work is weighed with that in mind. As you grow in God, you may see that those decisions weren't always the best, but God still blessed your willing heart.

Lastly I also believe God shows us his will upon the failure of our best intentions. An idea that could have worked, that should have worked, completely flopped because God was never a part of any of it. Our biggest most meaningful lessons are taught when we fail. Never look at failure as a dead end, but the beginning of a more intense ministry and relationship with God.

Even in the Old Testament, God didn't speak to everyone. We should not be surprised when we don't hear an audible voice tell us what to do. In the same breath, do not ignore the voice of God in your prayers, in your thoughts, your ideas and especially in scripture. He has made things clear to us and will continue to do so as we get to know the heart and the mind of our Lord.

I love visiting churches. It is very interesting to see the dynamic another church can bring to the overall mission of the church. I was thrilled to visit a church this Sunday that provided me with some insight on how our church can best minister and be a beacon of light and hope. Hear are some of the interesting things that struck me.

1. The worship was a great blend of new, contemporary and older hymn type songs. We sang songs I remember from the hymnal, songs from the contemporary array, and a couple of newer worship songs that I have not even heard.
All of these songs were well lead and mixed with scripture. The service itself was about an hour and a half, which I much prefer and about 30 minutes of that was music. Many churches have moved to more of an extended music time during worship, and I do believe music is a huge part of our culture and if we want to be a church of relevancy it is something to take a deep look at.
The most impressive part of worship was the overall quality. From the instruments to the lead and even up to the screen, it was all high quality. The sound was well blended and loud enough from the front to the back. The leader knew the songs very well and wore a wireless mic which allowed him the freedom to move and worship with us. Great use of music in the service.

2. The leaders of the church were very obvious. From the elders, to the associate pastor, each wore a name tag with their name on it so that they were known and available. Each name tag had a name and a title which allowed no confusion as to whom you were talking with and as a visitor it allowed me to see who was doing and available for what. Name tags seem so commercial and my first reaction to them was a little squeamish, but all in all they are a good idea if there is some confusion as to who leadership is, especially in larger churches.

3. The sermon was topical and lacked application. I really appreciate when a preacher can give some serious application to the lives of his people. I have found application very difficult to come by when preaching a topical sermon. I much prefer to see a guy take God's Word and preach from it. People in our churches need to go home with a clear understanding of the word and how it applies to their lives. They need encouraged and challenged. I didn't feel that.

4. Linger Longer. This was an incredible tool. This church had a fellowship hall directly connected to worship center. After the service, about 20 pizzas were made available for anyone to come in, eat and linger longer. This was a great way to encourage the fellowship of people and allow them a hot meal. What a great idea and ministry to the church.

All in all it was a very eye opening and encouraging visit. God is working in our communities and I pray this church continues to reach out and be a beacon of hope and light to its small community.