Give Up What You Love

I ran across a great quote today; it went something like this, "There comes a time when you have to give up something you love in order to gain something you love more.

"When I heard this quote I immediately began thinking about the church in America. In the context of the church, giving up what we love can be a challenge. Often people love their preferences; their songs, their icons/monuments, their methods. We love our parking spot, our seat in the sanctuary, and we love the familiar. But if we love those who don't know Christ yet, then we must love our preferences less.

Let me rework the quote a bit, "There comes a time when Christians must love their preferences less and their Savior more." Or perhaps this, "There comes a time when Christians must mature and grow up and give up their preferences in order to save those who are lost."

While the "religious" folk moan and complain that their little trinkets aren't where they placed them in the church people are dying and going to hell because we don't give a rip. We'd rather attempt to keep everything the way we like it and fight over little issues than strategically reach sinners. What if churches were as passionate about Jesus as they are their traditions?

Our passion at Farmland Friends Church is to see changed lives; to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We must love that mission more than we love our preferences and playing church. "There comes a time when you have to give up something you love in order to gain something you love more."

Isn't that what Jesus did for us? He gave up the glories of heaven because He loved us more. I'm sure He loved being in heaven but He loved us more, so He put aside His preferences (see Matthew 26:39) to gain something He loved more - you and me - sinners.

Give Up What You Love

I ran across a great quote today; it went something like this, "There comes a time when you have to give up something you love in order to gain something you love more.

"When I heard this quote I immediately began thinking about the church in America. In the context of the church, giving up what we love can be a challenge. Often people love their preferences; their songs, their icons/monuments, their methods. We love our parking spot, our seat in the sanctuary, and we love the familiar. But if we love those who don't know Christ yet, then we must love our preferences less.

Let me rework the quote a bit, "There comes a time when Christians must love their preferences less and their Savior more." Or perhaps this, "There comes a time when Christians must mature and grow up and give up their preferences in order to save those who are lost."

While the "religious" folk moan and complain that their little trinkets aren't where they placed them in the church people are dying and going to hell because we don't give a rip. We'd rather attempt to keep everything the way we like it and fight over little issues than strategically reach sinners. What if churches were as passionate about Jesus as they are their traditions?

Our passion at Farmland Friends Church is to see changed lives; to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We must love that mission more than we love our preferences and playing church. "There comes a time when you have to give up something you love in order to gain something you love more."

Isn't that what Jesus did for us? He gave up the glories of heaven because He loved us more. I'm sure He loved being in heaven but He loved us more, so He put aside His preferences (see Matthew 26:39) to gain something He loved more - you and me - sinners.

I'm Terminal

Today I performed the funeral of an 88-year-old member of our church. For many years she had suffered with Alzheimer’s; today she is free from the prison of her mind and body. I really don’t look forward to performing funerals, that is one part of my "job" I really don’t like. I’m sure you don’t like attending funerals either. But there is something so beneficial about funerals - it forces us to take a look at our mortality.

The fact is, I’m terminal; you’re terminal too. One day we won’t be here anymore. The death rate has been hovering somewhere around 100% for some time now. I’ve told people before that their best investment is in life insurance. You will die (unless Jesus comes back first) so life insurance is the only 100% guaranteed investment you’ll ever make.

Deep down we know that one day we will die. But there is something about us that wants to ignore that fact, so we suppress that thought and push it down so that we don’t think about it. So today I’m embracing the fact that one day I’m going to ‘kick the bucket’. That thought forces me to embrace every moment that God gives me.

We count our lives in years but God tells us in Psalm 90 to number our days. The truth of the matter is that all of us are just one heartbeat away from eternity. This life is too unpredictable and way to brief to live it without Jesus Christ at the very center of our lives.

I’m sorry to break it to ya’ but one day you are going to be checking out of here. So in the meantime live this life – don’t just exist, really live. Live this life for the ONE who holds your eternity in His nail pierced hand.

I'm Terminal

Today I performed the funeral of an 88-year-old member of our church. For many years she had suffered with Alzheimer’s; today she is free from the prison of her mind and body. I really don’t look forward to performing funerals, that is one part of my "job" I really don’t like. I’m sure you don’t like attending funerals either. But there is something so beneficial about funerals - it forces us to take a look at our mortality.

The fact is, I’m terminal; you’re terminal too. One day we won’t be here anymore. The death rate has been hovering somewhere around 100% for some time now. I’ve told people before that their best investment is in life insurance. You will die (unless Jesus comes back first) so life insurance is the only 100% guaranteed investment you’ll ever make.

Deep down we know that one day we will die. But there is something about us that wants to ignore that fact, so we suppress that thought and push it down so that we don’t think about it. So today I’m embracing the fact that one day I’m going to ‘kick the bucket’. That thought forces me to embrace every moment that God gives me.

We count our lives in years but God tells us in Psalm 90 to number our days. The truth of the matter is that all of us are just one heartbeat away from eternity. This life is too unpredictable and way to brief to live it without Jesus Christ at the very center of our lives.

I’m sorry to break it to ya’ but one day you are going to be checking out of here. So in the meantime live this life – don’t just exist, really live. Live this life for the ONE who holds your eternity in His nail pierced hand.

Hypocrite Salad

I'll bet you can never guess where I ate lunch today - that's right, the Chocolate Moose. I've never eaten there this much. The staff and I ate there at noon today. I ordered the taco salad with chicken. As the waitress took my order I asked her to "hold the olives, onions, and tomatoes, please". She asked, "Would you like sour cream and salsa". I said, "Yes, I would, thank you". She replied, "So, you don't want onions or tomatoes but you'll have salsa which has onions and tomatoes?" "Yep, that's right, I'm a hypocrite." That led to a discussion around the table at how deep my hypocrisy runs. I don't like tomatoes but I love ketchup. I don't like onions but I'll eat onion rings, with lots of ketchup by the way. When our waitress came back she passed everyone's food to them and saved mine for last, "Here's your hypocrite salad sir." - - It was yummy.

How about you? Are you hypocritical with your food? Confession is good for your soul; be sure to leave a comment fellow hypocrites.

Hypocrite Salad

I'll bet you can never guess where I ate lunch today - that's right, the Chocolate Moose. I've never eaten there this much. The staff and I ate there at noon today. I ordered the taco salad with chicken. As the waitress took my order I asked her to "hold the olives, onions, and tomatoes, please". She asked, "Would you like sour cream and salsa". I said, "Yes, I would, thank you". She replied, "So, you don't want onions or tomatoes but you'll have salsa which has onions and tomatoes?" "Yep, that's right, I'm a hypocrite." That led to a discussion around the table at how deep my hypocrisy runs. I don't like tomatoes but I love ketchup. I don't like onions but I'll eat onion rings, with lots of ketchup by the way. When our waitress came back she passed everyone's food to them and saved mine for last, "Here's your hypocrite salad sir." - - It was yummy.

How about you? Are you hypocritical with your food? Confession is good for your soul; be sure to leave a comment fellow hypocrites.

Highlight of My Day

The higlight of my day today had to be my afternoon break. Tammy and Shelby came by the church to see if I wanted to go get some ice cream uptown at the Chocolate Moose. The weather was great today, it had to be in the 60's and ice cream really hit the spot at 2:45 p.m. This is a photo of Shelby out front with a couple of "stuffed moose" (I cut part of the moose's head off, sorry about that Mr. Moose). I had ice cream with peanut butter swirls and peanut butter cups, Shelby had the cherry moosetrack ice cream, and Tammy had a cherry sprite. Shelby was kind enough to share her cherry moose tracks with me. "Take as much as you like daddy." "Thank you sweety, I will"... As I was eating 3/4's of her ice cream I was thinking, "it just doesn't get any better than this." Hands down, this was the best part of my day.

Highlight of My Day

The higlight of my day today had to be my afternoon break. Tammy and Shelby came by the church to see if I wanted to go get some ice cream uptown at the Chocolate Moose. The weather was great today, it had to be in the 60's and ice cream really hit the spot at 2:45 p.m. This is a photo of Shelby out front with a couple of "stuffed moose" (I cut part of the moose's head off, sorry about that Mr. Moose). I had ice cream with peanut butter swirls and peanut butter cups, Shelby had the cherry moosetrack ice cream, and Tammy had a cherry sprite. Shelby was kind enough to share her cherry moose tracks with me. "Take as much as you like daddy." "Thank you sweety, I will"... As I was eating 3/4's of her ice cream I was thinking, "it just doesn't get any better than this." Hands down, this was the best part of my day.

Post Preaching Ponderings

I felt this morning's services went very well again. The team of staff and volunteers that we have at Farmland Friends Church is absolutely amazing. Dennis P. and Brian C. rock - give them some electricity and anything with technology and they can make it happen. With a projector, some plywood, and a little creative juices they had a whole galaxy whizzing by us on one of the side walls within 15 minutes. Our worship teams continue to get better and better every week. It really feels like we are hitting on all cylinders right now. I'm going to miss focusing on this great big universe that God has made. Any more than 2 weeks would just get way too long. So long to "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe." Hello Christmas season messages.

Next Sunday the Kidz will have the worship service with their Christmas program, "Candy Cane Lane". To be honest, I'm looking forward to having a week away from the pulpit just to regroup my thoughts and prepare a couple of Christmas messages and then hit it full steam on December 24th with the new series "GLORY".... (just a minute the phone is ringing)...

... I'm back. Just got off the phone with my good friend James Pinkerton. James and his wife Tonya live in California, near San Diego. Shout out to my west coast homey - James ;-) Man, I miss playing golf and talking theology with James. It was good to reconnect with him again, even if it was just on the phone.

Anyway, it's getting late I'd better get back to watching the Colts beat up on the Eagles... thank God for TiVo.

Post Preaching Ponderings

I felt this morning's services went very well again. The team of staff and volunteers that we have at Farmland Friends Church is absolutely amazing. Dennis P. and Brian C. rock - give them some electricity and anything with technology and they can make it happen. With a projector, some plywood, and a little creative juices they had a whole galaxy whizzing by us on one of the side walls within 15 minutes. Our worship teams continue to get better and better every week. It really feels like we are hitting on all cylinders right now. I'm going to miss focusing on this great big universe that God has made. Any more than 2 weeks would just get way too long. So long to "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe." Hello Christmas season messages.

Next Sunday the Kidz will have the worship service with their Christmas program, "Candy Cane Lane". To be honest, I'm looking forward to having a week away from the pulpit just to regroup my thoughts and prepare a couple of Christmas messages and then hit it full steam on December 24th with the new series "GLORY".... (just a minute the phone is ringing)...

... I'm back. Just got off the phone with my good friend James Pinkerton. James and his wife Tonya live in California, near San Diego. Shout out to my west coast homey - James ;-) Man, I miss playing golf and talking theology with James. It was good to reconnect with him again, even if it was just on the phone.

Anyway, it's getting late I'd better get back to watching the Colts beat up on the Eagles... thank God for TiVo.

Big Worries? Bigger God

I'm currently reading "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groschel. Craig confesses, "I worry almost all the time." In his chapter on worry he writes, "Worried about money? Deal with your debt. Write a budget. Save. Do something. Are you worried about someone finding out about your secret affair? That's a legitimate worry. You can do something about it. It's time to come clean... If you can do something about your worries, by all means, do, and do it in God's wisdom and power... However, if your worry is completely out of your control, stop playing the what-if game. Learn and think about God's promises. Give your concerns to God - then don't take them back."

Sometimes worry and stress drag my mind away from focusing on God and what He wants me to be thinking about. Last Sunday in our series "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" I talked about just how huge, enormous, gigantic, massive, glorious, etc. our God is. God is big and we are small. And when we have a comprehension of how BIG our God is then our spirit can begin to rest. Too often we are worried about all of the details and we are trying to control the world and everything it. Rest creeps into our soul when we realize that our great big God is in control.

Do as Pastor Craig says, and when there is a worry that you can legitimately take care of - do it. But when there is a worry that is completely out of your control realize that your great big glorious God has everything under control. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Big Worries? Bigger God

I'm currently reading "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groschel. Craig confesses, "I worry almost all the time." In his chapter on worry he writes, "Worried about money? Deal with your debt. Write a budget. Save. Do something. Are you worried about someone finding out about your secret affair? That's a legitimate worry. You can do something about it. It's time to come clean... If you can do something about your worries, by all means, do, and do it in God's wisdom and power... However, if your worry is completely out of your control, stop playing the what-if game. Learn and think about God's promises. Give your concerns to God - then don't take them back."

Sometimes worry and stress drag my mind away from focusing on God and what He wants me to be thinking about. Last Sunday in our series "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" I talked about just how huge, enormous, gigantic, massive, glorious, etc. our God is. God is big and we are small. And when we have a comprehension of how BIG our God is then our spirit can begin to rest. Too often we are worried about all of the details and we are trying to control the world and everything it. Rest creeps into our soul when we realize that our great big God is in control.

Do as Pastor Craig says, and when there is a worry that you can legitimately take care of - do it. But when there is a worry that is completely out of your control realize that your great big glorious God has everything under control. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Happy Thanksgiving

Well Mom did not disappoint. This year once again the stuffing was the most talked about thing around the table. You can't tell from this picture but this stuff was bouncy. Edible? No. - Fun to play with? Yes.

For the fifteenth year in a row we told Mom just to buy the Stove Top Stuffing out of the box - less play, more 'yum'. Everything else was absolutely great. But this Thanksgiving I'm thankful I didn't have to eat any more than one bite of that stuffing.Enough ripping on Mom (love ya' Mom).

I'd better get to bed; Tammy has it in her mind that I should go shopping with her tomorrow, along with all the other insane people in the stores. I think she wants me to play fullback plowing through the crowd for her. I agreed to go but I have a feeling I'm going to regret it. Pray for me; if you never see me again it's because I got trampled by swarms of crazy folks with sale signs $$ in their eyes.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well Mom did not disappoint. This year once again the stuffing was the most talked about thing around the table. You can't tell from this picture but this stuff was bouncy. Edible? No. - Fun to play with? Yes.

For the fifteenth year in a row we told Mom just to buy the Stove Top Stuffing out of the box - less play, more 'yum'. Everything else was absolutely great. But this Thanksgiving I'm thankful I didn't have to eat any more than one bite of that stuffing.Enough ripping on Mom (love ya' Mom).

I'd better get to bed; Tammy has it in her mind that I should go shopping with her tomorrow, along with all the other insane people in the stores. I think she wants me to play fullback plowing through the crowd for her. I agreed to go but I have a feeling I'm going to regret it. Pray for me; if you never see me again it's because I got trampled by swarms of crazy folks with sale signs $$ in their eyes.

Thanksgiving Surprise

Thanksgiving is tomorrow; I worked out extra today so that I won’t feel so guilty tomorrow when I’m packing in the calories. Tammy, Shelby, and I will be heading out to my folks place in Bargersville, IN. and enjoying a good part of the day with my parents and my sister’s family. Meals at my Mom’s house are always very interesting. She has this unique ability to turn a simple basic dish into something from another planet. You’ve heard of old people putting stuff in their Jell-O like fruit and even the occasional carrot – Mom thought she’d give celery a shot… I wouldn’t suggest it. I won’t soon forget the year we had bright green stuffing – mmmmmmm.

I am anxiously awaiting sinking my teeth into some moist turkey, and I get the added entertainment of seeing what Mom has up her sleeve this year. That's what I love about her, she will always keep us entertained and talking for years to come.

I do have one question I want to pose for any unfortunate individuals that happened to read this blog. What do you prefer "lumpy" or "smooth" potatoes? I’m a "lumpy potato" man myself. Leave your preference in the comments.

On to a completely different topic. I was reading Perry Noble's blog this morning and he gave a link to here. Very eye opening and a great reminder as a pastor to guard my heart, mind, and my time. I've always known that pastoring is challenging and stressful but I had no idea that for every 20 people who go into the pastorate only one retires from the ministry. Ouch.

This Thanksgiving I'll be thanking God that I am in the ministry and working with a great team of folks at FFC. Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Surprise

Thanksgiving is tomorrow; I worked out extra today so that I won’t feel so guilty tomorrow when I’m packing in the calories. Tammy, Shelby, and I will be heading out to my folks place in Bargersville, IN. and enjoying a good part of the day with my parents and my sister’s family. Meals at my Mom’s house are always very interesting. She has this unique ability to turn a simple basic dish into something from another planet. You’ve heard of old people putting stuff in their Jell-O like fruit and even the occasional carrot – Mom thought she’d give celery a shot… I wouldn’t suggest it. I won’t soon forget the year we had bright green stuffing – mmmmmmm.

I am anxiously awaiting sinking my teeth into some moist turkey, and I get the added entertainment of seeing what Mom has up her sleeve this year. That's what I love about her, she will always keep us entertained and talking for years to come.

I do have one question I want to pose for any unfortunate individuals that happened to read this blog. What do you prefer "lumpy" or "smooth" potatoes? I’m a "lumpy potato" man myself. Leave your preference in the comments.

On to a completely different topic. I was reading Perry Noble's blog this morning and he gave a link to here. Very eye opening and a great reminder as a pastor to guard my heart, mind, and my time. I've always known that pastoring is challenging and stressful but I had no idea that for every 20 people who go into the pastorate only one retires from the ministry. Ouch.

This Thanksgiving I'll be thanking God that I am in the ministry and working with a great team of folks at FFC. Happy Thanksgiving.

Mind Bending Theology

We were sitting at supper the other day and my 3 year old, Shelby, said out of the blue, "If I was born when Adam and Eve was, I'd jump out of the bushes and scare them - - and then I'd tell them not to eat from that tree." She's so smart. Wouldn't that solve a lot of things - no original sin. Then I got to thinking about the TV show "Heroes" again. There is a hero on the show by the name of "Hiro" and his special skill - he can bend time, meaning he can go back in the past. If such a thing were possible he could go back to the Garden of Eden, jump out of the bushes and try to convince Eve not to touch that stupid tree - that would be awesome... Sometimes I let my mind wander a bit too much :-)

Mind Bending Theology

We were sitting at supper the other day and my 3 year old, Shelby, said out of the blue, "If I was born when Adam and Eve was, I'd jump out of the bushes and scare them - - and then I'd tell them not to eat from that tree." She's so smart. Wouldn't that solve a lot of things - no original sin. Then I got to thinking about the TV show "Heroes" again. There is a hero on the show by the name of "Hiro" and his special skill - he can bend time, meaning he can go back in the past. If such a thing were possible he could go back to the Garden of Eden, jump out of the bushes and try to convince Eve not to touch that stupid tree - that would be awesome... Sometimes I let my mind wander a bit too much :-)

Change or Die

This evening I was watching "Heroes" (yes, I'm a Heroes geek). My thoughts were sparked by the opening lines... "We are, if anything, creatures of habit, drawn to the safety and comfort of the familiar. But what happens when the familiar becomes unsafe…"

We are creatures of habit and we look for the comfortable. We serve a God of comfort but all too often comfort is our God. If you’ve noticed the title for my blog is "changeisgood4u". I believe that change is necessary for growth to occur in all aspects of our lives, but the familiar and comfortable are too often enemies of progress, and no where is this truer than in the church.

The following thoughts come from Erwin McManus’ book "An Unstoppable Force"...

If you don’t like change, you’d better not become a Christian. Once you belong to Jesus, change is inevitable. Our whole Christian experience is an experience of change. It is an experience of putting off the old and putting on the new. Repentance is change, conversion is change, regeneration is change, transformation is change, and sanctification is change.

When we move into talking about the local church we seem to lose our handle on this truth. We tend to think of the need to change the outside. Our communities need to change; our city needs to change; our nation needs to change; the world needs to change. Everybody needs to change except the church.

Communities around many churches have changed dramatically, yet the church has stayed the same. And while the transition has been taking place the local congregation has either been unaware or unconcerned.

The church was designed by God Himself to thrive in our radically changing environments. But it requires the church to adapt to the culture that it finds itself in. In the realm of the natural world adaptation is the difference between living and dying; I believe it is the same for the church.

Too often we have been content to keep our traditions and loose our children. At the core of so much of the resistance the church is experiencing is the preservation of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is one thing to have a preference; it is another to demand that one’s preferences be honored above the needs of those without Christ.

Change needs to occur to thrive; God wants us to remember what He has done in the past, but He demands that we not live in the past. Isaiah 43:18, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!" Our memories of God’s activity in our past are to propel us into the future.

We serve the changeless God of change. He is the God of creativity, imagination, and revolution. When traditions trap us in the past, they stifle the imagination, bring an end to creativity, and make innovation impossible.

While God instructs His people over and over again to remember all His great deeds, He doesn’t call us to live in the past. As Erwin McManus says, "We must leave the past, engage the present, and create the future."

Ok, I’ll hop off my soapbox labeled "change". What do you say; is change a good thing/bad thing/neutral? Obviously some changes bring about pain, and people can change for the worse. What changes are necessary for us to make in order to thrive in our local ministry context? What is the latest change that has occurred in your life? Share your thoughts...

Change or Die

This evening I was watching "Heroes" (yes, I'm a Heroes geek). My thoughts were sparked by the opening lines... "We are, if anything, creatures of habit, drawn to the safety and comfort of the familiar. But what happens when the familiar becomes unsafe…"

We are creatures of habit and we look for the comfortable. We serve a God of comfort but all too often comfort is our God. If you’ve noticed the title for my blog is "changeisgood4u". I believe that change is necessary for growth to occur in all aspects of our lives, but the familiar and comfortable are too often enemies of progress, and no where is this truer than in the church.

The following thoughts come from Erwin McManus’ book "An Unstoppable Force"...

If you don’t like change, you’d better not become a Christian. Once you belong to Jesus, change is inevitable. Our whole Christian experience is an experience of change. It is an experience of putting off the old and putting on the new. Repentance is change, conversion is change, regeneration is change, transformation is change, and sanctification is change.

When we move into talking about the local church we seem to lose our handle on this truth. We tend to think of the need to change the outside. Our communities need to change; our city needs to change; our nation needs to change; the world needs to change. Everybody needs to change except the church.

Communities around many churches have changed dramatically, yet the church has stayed the same. And while the transition has been taking place the local congregation has either been unaware or unconcerned.

The church was designed by God Himself to thrive in our radically changing environments. But it requires the church to adapt to the culture that it finds itself in. In the realm of the natural world adaptation is the difference between living and dying; I believe it is the same for the church.

Too often we have been content to keep our traditions and loose our children. At the core of so much of the resistance the church is experiencing is the preservation of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is one thing to have a preference; it is another to demand that one’s preferences be honored above the needs of those without Christ.

Change needs to occur to thrive; God wants us to remember what He has done in the past, but He demands that we not live in the past. Isaiah 43:18, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!" Our memories of God’s activity in our past are to propel us into the future.

We serve the changeless God of change. He is the God of creativity, imagination, and revolution. When traditions trap us in the past, they stifle the imagination, bring an end to creativity, and make innovation impossible.

While God instructs His people over and over again to remember all His great deeds, He doesn’t call us to live in the past. As Erwin McManus says, "We must leave the past, engage the present, and create the future."

Ok, I’ll hop off my soapbox labeled "change". What do you say; is change a good thing/bad thing/neutral? Obviously some changes bring about pain, and people can change for the worse. What changes are necessary for us to make in order to thrive in our local ministry context? What is the latest change that has occurred in your life? Share your thoughts...

I'm Pregnant...Again

Well, week 1 of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" is done. Worshiping at FFC was a blast today; the worship team sounded great and we all got a glimpse at how BIG our God is. Back to work, time to prepare for message # 2 of the series. I can’t wait to deliver it; God is huge and He has created a massive universe to simply declare His greatness.

I’ve recently read "Refining Your Style" by Dave Stone and somewhere within the book he quoted an individual as saying basically… Preaching is like being pregnant, you work and work to "deliver" the message on Sunday only to find out that you are pregnant again on Monday.... I think I'm craving pickles and ice cream.

I'm Pregnant...Again

Well, week 1 of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" is done. Worshiping at FFC was a blast today; the worship team sounded great and we all got a glimpse at how BIG our God is. Back to work, time to prepare for message # 2 of the series. I can’t wait to deliver it; God is huge and He has created a massive universe to simply declare His greatness.

I’ve recently read "Refining Your Style" by Dave Stone and somewhere within the book he quoted an individual as saying basically… Preaching is like being pregnant, you work and work to "deliver" the message on Sunday only to find out that you are pregnant again on Monday.... I think I'm craving pickles and ice cream.

God is big!

Tomorrow we begin our series on "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" series. I’m looking forward to sharing facts about how big this universe is. For example, our Milky Way Galaxy is 100,000 light years wide. (A light year is 5.88 trillion miles). Our galaxy is only one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Astronomers estimate there are between 125-500 billion galaxies, and that is just in the universe that we can see. God is huge! My goal tomorrow during the service is to paint a picture of just how big our God is so that we can put Him in proper perspective as we worship.

God is big!

Tomorrow we begin our series on "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" series. I’m looking forward to sharing facts about how big this universe is. For example, our Milky Way Galaxy is 100,000 light years wide. (A light year is 5.88 trillion miles). Our galaxy is only one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Astronomers estimate there are between 125-500 billion galaxies, and that is just in the universe that we can see. God is huge! My goal tomorrow during the service is to paint a picture of just how big our God is so that we can put Him in proper perspective as we worship.

Confessions

I'm reading a book right now by Craig Groeschel, it is called "Confessions of a Pastor". I'm enjoying the book and the breath of fresh air that comes from a pastor just being "real" and dropping the mask. I can identify with many of the chapters/confessions that Craig lists:

I can't stand a lot of Christians
I have to work hard to stay sexually pure
Most of the time I feel incredibly lonely
I hate prayer meetings
I worry almost all the time
Sometimes I doubt God
I feel completely inadequate
I stink at handling criticism
I'm afraid of failure.

I thought I'd share with you a few added confessions of my own:

Sometimes I don't like being around people
The "super religious" drive me nuts
I often wish I were smarter

How about you? What would you add to Craig's list of confessions? Be sure to leave a comment.

Confessions

I'm reading a book right now by Craig Groeschel, it is called "Confessions of a Pastor". I'm enjoying the book and the breath of fresh air that comes from a pastor just being "real" and dropping the mask. I can identify with many of the chapters/confessions that Craig lists:

I can't stand a lot of Christians
I have to work hard to stay sexually pure
Most of the time I feel incredibly lonely
I hate prayer meetings
I worry almost all the time
Sometimes I doubt God
I feel completely inadequate
I stink at handling criticism
I'm afraid of failure.

I thought I'd share with you a few added confessions of my own:

Sometimes I don't like being around people
The "super religious" drive me nuts
I often wish I were smarter

How about you? What would you add to Craig's list of confessions? Be sure to leave a comment.

When can we go to heaven?

My three-and-a-half year old daughter, Shelby, is so cute. She's beginning to grasp some concepts about God and she is asking those really thought provoking questions.

Like a good husband I took my wife, Tammy, to Panera (her favorite place to eat) for the billionth time. Panera has a nice atmosphere, I'd just like more food on my plate:-) As we were sitting down to eat Shelby said in a super excited, loud, 3 year old voice, out of the blue, "I can't believe we get to go to heaven!!" She was so excited about the thought of being in heaven. She wanted to know when we could go. I was thinking, "sweety I'd love to go now too... I know I'd get more food around God's banquet table."

Shelby's excitement about being in heaven was an excellent reminder of the fact that this earth is as close as I'm ever going to get to hell. From here it only gets better and I can't wait either.

When can we go to heaven?

My three-and-a-half year old daughter, Shelby, is so cute. She's beginning to grasp some concepts about God and she is asking those really thought provoking questions.

Like a good husband I took my wife, Tammy, to Panera (her favorite place to eat) for the billionth time. Panera has a nice atmosphere, I'd just like more food on my plate:-) As we were sitting down to eat Shelby said in a super excited, loud, 3 year old voice, out of the blue, "I can't believe we get to go to heaven!!" She was so excited about the thought of being in heaven. She wanted to know when we could go. I was thinking, "sweety I'd love to go now too... I know I'd get more food around God's banquet table."

Shelby's excitement about being in heaven was an excellent reminder of the fact that this earth is as close as I'm ever going to get to hell. From here it only gets better and I can't wait either.

Long Day - Big God

I just got back from church a few moments ago. Another one of those loooong days. I must admit, I love what God has called me to do. I work with an awesome team of people and I am continual amazed by the dedication of our volunteers who serve and minister so faithfully week in and week out. We must have had 25+ folks at the church tonight plugging away, working on making next Sunday's service the best that it can be for our "great big God." They inspire me to "keep on keepin' on".

This Sunday (November 19th) I will be preaching a sermon called, "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe". We are looking up and out into our universe and discovering just how big and glorious our God is. How awesome, that this enormous, gigantic, huge, God would let me be in on what He is doing in history.

Long Day - Big God

I just got back from church a few moments ago. Another one of those loooong days. I must admit, I love what God has called me to do. I work with an awesome team of people and I am continual amazed by the dedication of our volunteers who serve and minister so faithfully week in and week out. We must have had 25+ folks at the church tonight plugging away, working on making next Sunday's service the best that it can be for our "great big God." They inspire me to "keep on keepin' on".

This Sunday (November 19th) I will be preaching a sermon called, "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe". We are looking up and out into our universe and discovering just how big and glorious our God is. How awesome, that this enormous, gigantic, huge, God would let me be in on what He is doing in history.

Church on Fire

The Church on Fire, it sounds like that would be a name for a church... (Yep, just googled it - there's several churches by that name:-) But that's what we thought was happening this morning at 9:00 a.m.

It smelled a little funny in the church building this morning, sure enough, when the fine folks from the Farmland Fire Department showed up they found an electrical transformer melting. No one hurt, no major damage, just another average day at Farmland Friends Church.

Church on Fire

The Church on Fire, it sounds like that would be a name for a church... (Yep, just googled it - there's several churches by that name:-) But that's what we thought was happening this morning at 9:00 a.m.

It smelled a little funny in the church building this morning, sure enough, when the fine folks from the Farmland Fire Department showed up they found an electrical transformer melting. No one hurt, no major damage, just another average day at Farmland Friends Church.

As If:

As if I didn't have enough to do. With a growing church and increasing demands; I've now decided to start blogging. What's wrong with me?

I'm sure as I continue to write this blog it will begin to take it's own unique shape, filled with thoughts on church, Christianity, books, preaching, my opinions, and well - my life... God help us all :-)

As If:

As if I didn't have enough to do. With a growing church and increasing demands; I've now decided to start blogging. What's wrong with me?

I'm sure as I continue to write this blog it will begin to take it's own unique shape, filled with thoughts on church, Christianity, books, preaching, my opinions, and well - my life... God help us all :-)