Turning it around

So excited about what God is doing in my life. I'm in school now at Warner University and feel alive. Thank you Jesus!

In limbo

A Lot has occurred since my last post.

I became a father.
I lost my job.
I began questioning the direction of my life.

I suppose that it's normal to question what God wants you to do when your world is turned upside down and then inside out.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

The Value of a Relationship with Jesus

The Truth

"But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody."

-Bob Dylan

I think religious people get upset when you suggest that all they really care about is money. I know I care about money. In fact all of us care about money. Our whole lives revolve around getting more of it so we can exchange it for other stuff. I hear a lot of talk about our capitalist society and how that is the American way. I don't know if that's a good thing. The pursuit of wealth is obviously a flawed one, like chasing the wind you can never get enough or ever be satisfied if money is your desire.

Sadly it is the desire of many Church's who have bought into the lie that they need more of it. I hear preachers on TV asking for money and leveraging the Gospel to get more money. They say things like "If you give you will be blessed with 10 times the amount you gave" If they really believed that they would give away all their money to the people watching.

Don't get me wrong, I think you need to be wise with your money. In the Bible what you do with your money is a reflection of your heart. What we invest in, reflects what we really care about. God doesn't want your money, he wants you. Jesus said, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." The model of the Church should follow this. Don't worry about money, you can't take it with you anyway.

What my wife and I learned when we turned off the TV

Rachel and I have been cableless since late July. We decided to give up our cable so we could afford to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Here are Five things not having cable taught us.

1. We communicate more.
Rachel and I noticed that we have been praying together more, sharing about our day more and growing more in our relationship. It's amazing how much television can steal from your relationships.

2. We get more done.
I can't even tell you how many hours I must have wasted watching things that I wasn't really interested in watching. I think all of us have been 15 minutes into an infomercial thinking to ourselves "I have better things to do, but I can't help but learn about this new food processor". We noticed that when the TV is off more chores get done and we aren't pressed for time like we used to be.

3. Real giving should cost something
Sure we miss it, and that's the point. Every time I want to turn on the TV to watch the Cubs lose I remember that I can't because a little boy is getting the food and education he needs to have a better start in life. This is a small price to pay for the betterment of our fellow man. It's really the least we can do.

4. We read more and listen to more music
I have read so much more since we got rid of cable. Also Rachel and I have started going back to the Library (remember that place?) Yeah, you can get books FOR FREE! Also I have more time to pull up some music and just listen. It's also great to dance with your very pregnant wife!


5. We are more connected
And not just with each other. We are more connected with our friends and relatives. It's so easy to lose track of relationships when we let the TV suck our life away. Also I don't fret about all the negative stuff in the news and with the internet I'm still connected to the news without all the fluff. Plus I don't watch commercials...

That's it folks. God has given us relationships, and intimacy can only be built when we invest in those relationships. Unplug from the world and plug into the heart of God.

Matthew 21:43

A review of Northpoint Online.

I got to the Church about 4:30pm to get everything set up to watch Northpoint Online in our auditorium. As I sat there getting the screen ready and put on some music. While listening I go a feeling that this was the first thing I have ever done in Ministry where I had no expectations and it felt really good. I sat in the Church alone with the lights dimmed and put my feet up on the pew in front of me. I listened to Andrew Phillip as I heard the rain begin to hit the roof making an almost rhythmic serenade of water and music. I just sat in that empty room staring at a blank screen. It is moments like this in ministry that really give me opportunities to evaluate what exactly I'm doing. As the Worship Started I had one student there and two more followed. It was just the four of us watching a worship band in the middle of our Church. We watched and at the end of it one of my students said it was like having Big Stuf camp at our Church.

And really that was the best description I can give for Northpoint Online. It was like having a really cool Church service on the screen. The only thing that felt kind of strange was the Worship. I don't know what it is about music but live bands are just...well, live. Don't get me wrong, Steve Fee and his worship band are one of the best at what they do. The new Song Glory to God is a great song and one of my favorites. To be honest though I would rather have the Steve Fee band or a great band on a screen leading worship than many of the worship bands I have seen.

The message Andy gave was great and spoke plainly to the matter at hand. I am always impressed in the way he can make it seem like he is talking to a room of 5 people. It's personal and well thought out. Anyone who knows me knows that Andy is somewhat of a hero of mine. Not that I idolize but when I see someone who has natural talent combined with a great work ethic and desire to always get better, it's impressive.

I can see this service grow well beyond the four that came to watch. I can see it become something that is not really controlled but something that is organic because the spirit of God can not be contained to a building or an hour of Church. This is something that any Church could take advantage of if they were willing to keep their hands off of it. What I mean is provide a place for people to just come and watch and that's it. There is no prep. Plug and play video teaching has become a more common practice but this is something a little different. Northpoint Online gives you the ability to attend, to be present and not be caught up with trying to get things done. It also gives you the freedom to just build relationships. This I feel is probably the most beneficial thing about NPO.

After the Service the four of us headed to the most spiritual place we could think of "Taco Bell". We sat, joked, ate and had a good time. I saw in that moment that maybe Church should be more about moments like this.

We didn't have hundreds attend, we didn't have people baptized in the dozens, we didn't have re dedications. We did however have some good conversations and perhaps the start of something that only God can do if we are willing to just log on, and connect.