Random selections of other blogs. Note: I am not responsible for content on other blogs.
Part three of our “Held Hostage” series at LifePoint Church focuses on how Jesus can enable us to deal with addictions. You don’t have to be held spiritually captive – there is hope. And that hope is found in Jesus Christ. Join us this Sunday (March 15) as we explore what the Bible says about living victoriously over addictions.
Over the past two weeks I have had a number of conversations with parents, particularly dads, who are having a tough time with their daughters. Not in a run-away-from-home-get-pregnant kind of way. More like ... helping them deal with bullies, disappointment, motivation. Typical things that every kid goes through but not every parent is prepared to deal with.
Several years ago I read the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters and it has helped me with raising our own two daughters. The basic premise of the book is that strong dads will raise strong daughters. To help your daughter grow and mature, dads must focus on their own behavior, values, and example. It's a great book and one I highly recommend.
I'm now into my third week of morning workouts. While grazing the aisles at Costco, I came across the "3-in-1 Exercise Ball" in a box. It's an inflatable exercise ball and three DVDs -- with an elastic band and a web that wraps around the ball. One morning I'll do Pilates and the next day I'll do cardio and strength training. Although I'm beginning to miss my belly, I am feeling better with each day.
In April at LifePoint Church, we will starting the 60-60 experiment. This is an idea that I first came aross in a book by John Burke. The book is called Soul Revolution and it describes how Burke's church did the 60-60 experiment. What is the 60-60 experiment? It's attempting to think about God every 60 seconds for 60 days.
Yesterday's message on overcoming worry generated many good pieces of feedback (it didn't hurt that I put Alfred E. Neuman's picture over my own). In doing a bit of research into the idea of worry, I came across an old book by Dale Carnegie: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
It may not help you win any friends or influence any people ... but it might help with a bit of worry.
What, me worry?
Most of us know we shouldn’t worry. We know full well about the ill-effects of stress on the mind, body, and spirit. We don’t like living fearfully, wondering what’s around the next corner.
It’s also a fact that most of us worry from time to time. What we worry about may change, but the results are the same: worry doesn’t solve a thing.
Irritability is a sign that worry may be lurking beneath the surface. If you find yourself snapping at those you love, ask yourself if there’s something you’re worried about. When we choose to hold on to our worry rather than deal with it, those negative feelings and emotions will find a way to be released -- often in ways that only cause more problems.
So what do we do? One common response is medication. We are an overly medicated society, much of it due to the increase of stress and worry. Another option is to do nothing. Or, even worse, to feed our worry by worrying even more.
The best response is found in God’s Word:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Worry is a symptom that we are focused on our ability to handle a situation. The way to handle worry is to know when to hand a problem or a decision over to God. When you do, you can have confidence that he is able to make your path straight. In other words, God is able to handle whatever may come your way.
The Barenaked Ladies have been one of my favorite groups for about 10 or 15 years, I'm not quite sure since time flies when you're having fun. A few days ago I found out they had released a children's album and bought it today. It's a blast! As fans of BNL know, they can twist a great phrase and are also talented musicians. Here's a link to the album:
Snack Time by the Barenaked Ladies
I've recently begun to listening to podcasts from Nelson Searcy, a pastor who started a church in New York City. One of the concepts he challenges is the idea of church planting -- preferring to call it "church launching" instead. The idea is launch with momentum rather than planting with a small group of people. It's an interesting take and he's written a book (and does seminars) about it.
Many Christ-followers have a list of people they want to see enter into a relationship with Jesus. Yet many of these same Christ-followers struggle to find a way to communicate what they believe. A few years ago I came across this book:
Becoming A Contagious Christian
It's by Bill Hybels (from Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago) and it's an easy-to-read book that helps Christians became contagious Christians. In other words, it helps us to become better at reaching out to those that we love and care about.
In April we will be starting the 60-60 experiment at LifePoint Church in San Diego. The idea is to think about God once every 60 seconds for 60 days. I came across the idea in a book by John Burke, a pastor in Austin, Texas. I'm looking forward to seeing what God can do when a group of people focus on him.
I've uploaded three new podcasts -- two from our previous teaching series on "Chasing the Lion" and the first installment of "Held Hostage."
It’s been one year since I had Lasik surgery performed on both of my eyes. That’s twelve months without glasses, not having to worry about walking in the rain, and being able to read the clock while lying in bed. I spent thirty years wearing glasses. To tell the truth, it still seems hard to believe.
At first, it was strange to not have glasses. I would put on a t-shirt and reach for my glasses -- and they wouldn’t be there. But after a while, old habits begin to loosen their grip as they’re not needed anymore.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. We form habits which have the potential to enslave us. Many people are held hostage by the sins of bitterness, worry, addictions, anger, or lies. We become used to having them around, so much so that we adapt the rest of lives around them. It’s like a person wearing glasses -- we instinctively reach to take them off without even thinking about it.
But now that I’m one year into a new set of eyes, I can say that habits can change. A person in spiritual captivity doesn’t have to remain a captive. Jesus Christ has the power to set the captive free.
As we study the five areas of captivity this month, my prayer is that you will experience the life-changing power of Jesus in a way you’ve haven’t before.
In my life with coffee, there have been several significant hinge moments. The first was being given my very own Mister Coffee maker when I went away to college (thanks to my brother, Rod). I could brew my own coffee in the convenience of my dorm room. Thankfully the water from the sink wasn't toxic. The second hinge moment came when I discovered a coffee grinder and began grinding my own beans - first with the aforementioned Mister Coffee and then with a Krupps machine. The next hinge moment in my coffee story was the birth of the coffee shop and espresso drinks.
Thanks to a friend of mine (Tina), the most recent improvement in my quest for the perfect cup of coffee has been the use of a french press. She came to a Bible study at our house for LifePoint and nearly fainted when she saw me using a regular coffee maker. The next week she brought over her french press and I've not used a coffee maker at home since.
So ... today I'm reading our local paper and there is a story about local coffee roasters. I've been to one -- Caffe Calabria. But what caught my eye was the mentioning of a man who has developed a home roasting machine. It's the Behmor 1600 and it was invented by a local San Diego guy. You can roast up to a pound of coffee at one time.
Now all I need is $300 and a way to find green coffee beans ...
I was a youngster in elementary school when several Americans were taken hostage in Iran. It was the late 1970’s and I didn’t pay much attention to the news. I was drinking coffee, but watching the news was not high on my list of things to do.
But I do remember when the hostages arrived back on American soil after being freed by their captors. I remember watching them and wondering what it must have been like to have been help captive for so long -- and then to be set free.
There are hostages all around us. In fact, you may be a hostage and not know it. Or maybe you do ... but don’t know what to do about it.
The type of captivity I’m talking about is spiritual captivity. Although there are no visible chains around our ankles, the captivity is just as real. That’s why we’ll be starting a new teaching series on March 1 entitled “Held Hostage: How to be set free by the power of Jesus.”
We’ll walk through together what the Bible says about five common battles that have the ability to hold us hostage:
I've been thinking a lot lately about how to jump start things at LifePoint and have been brainstorming ideas. As I was in the midst of typing out an email to someone about LifePoint, I received a phone call on my cell phone from a young lady who works with Acquire the Fire, a ministry geared towards teens. My first thought -- Uggg, a telemarketing call.
Instead, she simply asked if there was anything they could be praying for in regards to our church. I shared two things and she asked if it would be alright if she prayed right then! Who can turn that down?
I hung up the phone and nearly cried. God's timing is always perfect.
As a general rule of thumb, I’m not a big fan of musicals. There is just too much singing. Of course, that’s why they are musicals. There are a few exceptions to my rule of thumb and among them is “Les Miserables.”
It’s the story of a man seeking to redeem himself for his past sins. Jean Valjean, a former convict, is given a second chance on life by the forgiveness of a priest. Later in the story, Valjean finds himself keeping a promise to dying lady to look after her daughter. This promise takes him to Paris, a city that is in the midst of the French Revolution. Cossette, the daugther, falls in love with one of the Revolutions’s student leaders.
Surrounded by the French Army, the student revolutionaries vow to fight on. The spirit is captured in the song, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
Suffering losses as cannons explode all around them, a single leader steps out and sings:
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!
Will you stand up and take your chance? It’s a call to risk, to sacrifice. It’s also a call to experience life in a way that you can never experience by staying on the sidelines.
The path to spiritual maturity is simple: get involved. Get in the game. Start praying on a regular basis. Set aside time to read and meditate on God’s word. Begin inviting people to church.
You’ll experience a new level of spiritual growth.
We returned to San Diego to start LifePoint Christian Church in 2005. In 2007 I began working a second full-time job in order to allow the church time and space to grow without the burden of paying for a full-time pastor. Since then I have worked as the ecommerce manager for Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct. I thought I would share a few random observations, for my three readers out there ...
1. Working two jobs is tough. Physically, emotionally, etc. I have a much greater appreciation for those who must work two jobs in order to make a living wage. I also have a greater awareness of the need to be in better physical shape.
2. Working full-time outside the church means less time devoted to church stuff. It's basic math. Working 45-50 hours at a day job means that much of my pastoring must be down at night and on weekends. This includes writing my messages on Saturday, something I never would have done otherwise. It also means that I feel unable to do all the things necessary to help the church grow.
3. Working full-time outside the church can be a blessing. Being an "undercover pastor" in the workforce has its benefits. I get to hear how people really feel about church without them dressing it up because they're talking to a pastor. I also have the opportunity to show how a Christ-follower handles stress, challenges, and opportunities.
4. Being bi-vocational requires a good team of volunteers. Church plants live and die with volunteers. Working outside the church means that I must be able to effectively recruit and inspire volunteers.
5. Working outside the church is a low-cost way to plant in high-cost areas. If a pastor is able to work in the marketplace, it dramatically reduces the amount of seed money needed to start a new church. This can allow for more churches to be started where working capital might be limited.
6. Working two jobs is not a long term solution. Ideally, I would like to be a full-time pastor again. For the church to move through different stages and into greater growth, full-time attention will be required.
7. Wherever I am working, I am working for God. Having been in the marketplace as well as the pastorate, I can see this principle at work in both places. I choose to make the most of every opportunity.
Well, I told you these would be random.
OK, maybe I'm a bit slow but I finally visited hulu.com today after our drummer at church told me that's where he watched episodes of shows he missed at their regular schedule. Last Monday we flew back from Denver and I was a bit wiped out ... hence, I fell asleep before 24 came on. No worries -- I watched the entire show (and only about 2 minutes of commercials) this afternoon on my laptop. The sound and video were excellent. Next step? Buying an S video cable to run from the laptop to the HDTV. I may be hooked on hulu.
In the spirit of Guy Kawasaki ... I may become a hulu.com evangelist.
It's been about a week or so since I've last posted anything so I thought I would fire wild and random updates at all of you. Tonya and I went to Denver for the weekend and I was the guest speaker at Mountainview Community Christian Church in Highlands Ranch. You can find a podcast of my sermon on their website (you'll even see a small mugshot of when I had glasses). I preached at all four of their weekend services -- once on Saturday and three times on Sunday morning. Each sermon was a bit different ... I'm never quite sure what's going to come out until it comes out.
Mountainview is a church plant that began in the 1990's and has grown to well over 1,000 people. The founding pastor, Jim Phillips, is still there and the church continues to move forward in reaching people for Jesus.
While in town, we ventured up to downtown Denver and took a few pictures of Coor's field (the home of the Colorado Rockies). Since it was closed, all we could do was take pictures of the outside of the building. Downtown Denver has a lot of public art on display. It's a pretty downtown.
On Sunday night I was able to meet up with an old high school buddy that I hadn't seen since graduation (1987). He's bald now but by choice. We had a good time remembering old times and talking about our lives since high school. We played on the high school basketball team together and our dads would sit next to each other and talk. It was good to be together.
Tonya's parents came out to watch the girls while we were gone. Hannah spent Friday night at the junior high CIY (Christ in Youth) conference in Anaheim. That meant Hope got Nana and Grandpa all to herself, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
I'm going to post a few pictures below that I snapped with my phone. I might post a picture or two of Coors field if I gather the emotional courage to do so.
