PHILIPPIANS... EVERYDAY!!

Okay... So, today I posted a "tweet" (from Twitter, for those who still don't get it, lol) asking folk to join me in reading Philippians everyday for the rest of this month. I did anticipate a big response... and I'm excited to see people from Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, the Eastern Shore of MD, (of course), Virginia, and the DC area (of course) all getting pumped up to faithfully read God's Word! I believe - in some not too small way - all of our worlds will be rocked. You watch and see. ;-)

So, why Philippians... and why now? Well (for those who haven't followed my blog), I've been going through a "personal wilderness" of sorts... and have really been down in the dumps for much of the last few months. But I just finally said to myself, "Self (for real, that's what I said!), this is crazy. Just because you're going through doesn't mean that God is through with you... GET UP, and face God!" Well, I'm from Takoma Park and I don't know all there is to know... but I do know that you can't face Him without getting in His Word. So, I decided to do just that... but not just do it - but JUMP INTO it! Then I thought, "Hey, maybe others would like to journey with me on this!" So, I put it out there on Twitter & Facebook... and, wouldn't you know it, people began to respond... BIG time!

So, here's what we're doing: we're reading through the ENTIRE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS every day... there are only 4 chaps, so don't complain... it should take you all of 15-20 mins to do. Keep a little notepad of what God is saying to you... then, on FRIDAYS, post ONE SIMPLE THOUGHT that the Spirit has used to impact your life that week. Put it in your status, and let folk comment to death on it. Invite others to do the same, and then go comment on their pages. If you blog, post a short devotional or something (send me your blog address and I'll get it out there, too!). The point is for the Word to become a contagion in our lives, as we get others interested in reading - and living out - God's Word.

Hey, look... I'm pretty much still in my wilderness, but I'm not letting that stop me. I've been going through... but I'LL BE COMING OUT. And when I do... my guns will be blazing, and my heart will be strong.

I'M READY FOR GOD TO ROCK MY WORLD! WHAT ABOUT YOU??? ;-)

Journey Through James!

Can't wait til Sunday... we begin our Journey Through James message series, ON EASTER SUNDAY! "What," you may ask, "does James have to do with the Resurrection?"

You'll have to come out and see. ;-)

But I'm looking forward to it... I love teaching through books of the Bible; and James gives us quite the portrait of what real Christianity looks like: how to deal with temptation, how to handle our tongues, having real faith, not showing favoritism, prayer that moves God, humility... an array of issues that need to be addressed in our lives!

So, hopefully you'll make it out... this Sunday. Eat with your fam... and then bring them to Mosaic's gathering... let's hang out and hear what Jesus has to say to us through his brother, James! ;-)

Even a Caveman Would Get This...

Have you ever prayed that God would "make His will clear" to you? Have you ever wondered, "What does God want from me?" I've prayed that at times... and have pondered at times why things aren't a little more clear... then at least I'd know which direction to head. That's normal (and, btw, God does make His will clear to us... He doesn't play "Let's keep 'em in the dark!" games)

But there are some times, when we read a verse or passage of Scripture... and God speaks to us as though through a trumpet!!! There are alot of passages in the Bible where we don't have to ask ourselves, "What does this mean? What does God want me to do with this?" We read the passage, are wow'd by it's clarity and conviction, decide to look for another passage to read, and... almost instantaneously... the Holy Spirit says, "Don't even try it... you know what this is about." (Haha! I just LOL'd when I read what I wrote... but isn't it true???)

That's how THIS PASSAGE hit me... it is SO CLEAR... God says, "Wanna know my will? Here you go! Chew on this!"

There are some things that we just don't have to pray about. Clear... as crystal. Some things really are simply black and white.

This is one.

Ponder on that passage... chew on it. Then read this... and this. And you tell me: What does God want?

Let the Bible Change Your Life! Pt. 3

So far, I've given the first three P's of having our personal devotion time in the Bible in this post and also this one.

Here's the fourth one:

#4 - PRACTICE: Apply to your life what God has shown you in His Word. Living out the Scriptures is difficult for even the most mature Christian... but we will never experience life change if aren't intentional in putting into practice the things we are learning on a daily basis. James, the brother of Jesus, warns us to "be doers of the word, and not just hearers... otherwise we are only fooling ourselves" (Jam. 1:22).

Interestingly, the Greek word for "hearer" is a word from where we get our English word "auditor", one who doesn't fully participate... like a person who "audits" a class. That person only pays a portion of the tuition cost, is not accountable for doing homework or taking tests... they don't even have to show up to class! They're auditing... and they're only responsible for the information! What they do with it, is up to them!

James says, "Don't audit through what you're learning in the Bible! Fully participate! Get involved by putting the principles and precepts into practice! Because if you don't... you're only fooling yourself."

Be a DOER OF THE WORD... not just a hearer. Put the Word into practice...

...and watch it radically transform your life!

Let the Bible Change Your Life! Pt. 2

Yesterday, I gave the first "P" (Position) in approaching our reading of the Bible, if it's going to change us from the inside out... here are the next two:

#2 - PRAY: Ask God to meet you in the Scriptures. This seems like such an obvious thing, doesn't it? But the truth is that oftentimes we jump right into our devotional time without pausing to ask God to reveal His truth to us. It's not a sin if we don't pray beforehand... but we wouldn't think of driving somewhere we've never been, without at least a contact number for help just in case we got lost, right? Yet, we have the Author of the Scriptures who longs to sit with us and help us to understand what He's written! We don't have to wait until we "get lost" and can't find our way... He's willing to "ride" with us, leading us to where He wants us to go.

What an awesome thought: the God of the universe... who made me and knows all about me... gave me a book so that I can get to know Him. And because He created me, He knows exactly what I need... He's just waiting for me to pray, "Lord, open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths of Your Word" (Ps. 119:18).

#3 - PONDER: Reflect on what I’ve just read or studied. Is there a truth here to learn? What does God want me to know about Him through this passage? Is there a command here to be obeyed? Is God, through this Scripture, prodding me to DO something? Is there a sin to repent from? Is there something I should STOP doing? Does this passage shed light on an area of my life that I need to get straight? How I’m treating my spouse… how I’m working on my job, or doing my schoolwork… how I’m handling my finances… how I’m maintaining my sexual purity… how I’m using my words?

Too often, we read the Bible, then set it down and don’t think anymore about it the rest of the day. But what if we just took one prevailing thought from what we read, and carried it with us throughout the day? What if we took one verse, and made that our memory verse for the week. You know what would happen? We’d fall in love with the Bible... we wouldn’t be able to stay away from it! We’d be like the prophet Jeremiah who said, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jer. 15:16).

Can we really honestly say that God’s Word is our “heart’s delight?” That only comes by meditating over and over on what God says, and allowing Him to burn the truth of His Word on our hearts...

... that only happens when we let the Bible change our life.

Let the Bible Change Your Life!

This past Sunday, I preached a message that might've been... in my opinion... one of the most important messages in the history of our church so far. Now, that's a big statement... but when you consider the importance of the subject, I don't think anyone could really disagree. It wasn't a "deep" message; yet, it was a message that many of us don't put into practice... and, as a result, we don't experience the type of life that God has designed for us.

Every Christ-follower would say they read the Bible... yet our lives, our families, our communities are not changing. We may be "getting in the Word", but is the Word getting into us? Or... are we simply fooling ourselves? (James 1:22)

There were 5 points in the message... 5 P's... that will help us to get the most out of our daily time in the Word (and, just to be clear, I'm not even talking about Bible study here). I'll share the points over the next few days.

#1 - POSITION: We have to position, or align, ourselves to the authority of the Bible. THIS HAS TO BE FIRST! We approach the Scriptures too casually sometimes... but if the Bible is going to transform us from the inside out, we have to approach it for the authority that it is. This is God's Word... and He didn't give it to us to consult us... but through its teaching, to conform us to the character and image of His Son. He doesn’t ask us our advice as to what’s best for us… He tells us... and He calls us to choose what is best so that we can experience life the way He's designed it for us. And when we neglect His Word, we skip His wisdom and counsel to our own detriment.

God's Word revives us and makes us wise (Ps. 19:7), and it brings us joy and gives us insight (19:8). His Word lasts forever and is totally righteous, because God has exalted above ALL THINGS His name and His word (Ps. 138:2).

Now, you're probably saying, "I know all this..." Okay, um, right. But how does it affect your life? Here's a quick test: if you can remember the turning point in Sunday's Super Bowl or the theme of the last two episodes of Oprah or The View... but you can't remember the last thing God said to you from His Word... um, I'd say the Bible could probably stand to be elevated in your life just a tad. :-)

If it's life change we're after, we have to position ourselves rightfully to the Bible... and that position is aligning ourselves under the authority that God has given it. Let the Bible change your life.

HIS Word!!

Forever, Lord, will Your Word remain!
We sing glory to Your name!
Glory to Your name!

Forever King, of eternal fame!
We sing glory to Your name!
Glory to Your name!
-- from "Your Word", by the Parachute Band

I'm convinced there is a famine of God's Word at the present time in many churches.

I know... hard statement. But TRUE statement. That's not judging anyone at all, just stating the facts (of which I'm checking and challenging myself, as well). Sometimes... as pastors and preachers... we're so concerned to "deliver a good talk" or "get all our points right" - or, if we're really honest, impress people - that the Word of God remains shut up within us... we've proclaimed our own word, with no power from the Almighty.

I've been guilty of that... it's an easy trap to fall into. I want God's power to anoint my lips... His Word to flow through me unhindered... to break the chains of sin and to transform lives...

... starting with my own.

Hit Me One Time!

Isn't it amazing how you can read a Scripture time and time again, over a long period of time... and still have it hit you in the gut? That's what THIS verse did to me today... especially in light of the fact that I'm teaching through the book of Ruth, and in chapter 4 we find Boaz redeeming Naomi and Ruth... even though he might have to risk endangering his own property. Their redemption - especially Ruth's - was so valuable to him that no cost was too high for Boaz to pay.

And that's what Jesus did for us: He paid the ultimate price in order to secure our redemption: it cost Him HIS VERY LIFE!!! A King's ransom was paid on our behalf... to set us free.

"The ransom for a life is costly..."

Now, THAT will preach! ;-)

Word of God, Speak!

This morning, I took my 4-yr old, Seth (the one who thinks he's Michael Jackson) to preschool... we were running a little late, but got there in time for the pledges: to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. It was so strange... I'd heard the Christian flag and Bible pledges before (I went to a Christian school most of my grade school/high school years), but it had been years since I'd last heard them. And I began to dwell upon those words from one of the pledges: "I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I will hide it's words in my heart, that I might not sin against God."

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy Word...

Oh, that believers, especially pastors, everywhere would take those words to heart! We can say them with our lips, but our lives often reflect a different reality... and so do our churches. We're committed to innovation, we're committed to church growth, we're committed to the latest leadership books, we're committed to a whole lot of things... and we preach nice, clear messages that have one point, we have great music... but are lives being changed because of the preeminence of the teaching of the Word of God?

I'm all for clear, practical, relevant teaching... I'm all for innovation... I'm all for awesome (even spectacular) worship... but if we aren't getting to know God through His Word, and allowing His Word to take root in our lives and transform us... and then allowing that to overflow to our people on Sundays... all we've done is burn alot of energy... and alot of money.

Word of God, speak... let it pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see Your majesty
To be still and know that You're in this place
Please let me stay in rest in Your holiness
Word of God, speak!

Reflections...

* We finished up the series ALL IN on yesterday... spoke on "What An ALL IN Church Looks Like", from Acts 2:42-47... probably my favorite passage in all of Scripture!

* Maybe one of the biggest principles of Scripture that we miss in today's church is that God is a miraculous God (Acts 2:43)! Whether it's restoring sight or restoring a broken marriage... healing the terminally ill or healing a racist heart, God still works in incredible, unimaginable ways! (and don't send me any crazy comments on not being "Pentecostal"... neither am I!!!) He didn't begin to show His miraculous power in the New Testament... it's a thread that runs throughout all of Scripture... and it's a thread that should still be evident in the lives of His people. If we really take Him at His word, our lives (and our churches) will be unxplainable!

* Sometimes we focus so much on the "latest" technological innovation in worship, or the "best" outreach strategy, or how we can we can really "wow" people with our creative environments (and ALL of these are both good and necessary), that - if we're not careful - we can forget how very badly we need the touch of God on our ministry! It is always THE LORD who adds growth to our churches (Acts 2:47). However, if you don't use the creativity, innovation, and strategies that He makes available to you, your services will suck and your church won't grow much. :-)

* I'm realizing more and more that creating environments for people to do life together is essential for ministry. The early church spent a whole lotta time together! (Acts 2:44, 46)

* One key principle of the early church was that they devoted themselves (Acts 2:42) to some basic things early on: the apostles' teaching (learning to live out the life of Jesus), fellowship (community... doing life together, including sharing meals and celebrating communion), and prayer (spending time talking AND LISTENING to God). The part we usually miss out on is that they "devoted THEMSELVES"... they didn't have to be pulled, prodded, or poked - they made a very conscious and intentional decision to passionately pursue spiritual growth! Why do we often see the opposite? Rick McKinley gives a very good reason in his book This Beautiful Mess: "One of the biggest challenges to following Jesus... is not a lack of direction, but a lack of desire. Most of us don't really want to do it." That about sums it up! Usually, the main reason why we don't pursue growth... is because we don't want to put forth the effort. Tight... but true. ;-)

Play Your Scales!

Scales are the foundation for anyone who wants to be a good musician. I had been playing the piano since I was 3 years old when I auditioned for the Univ. of MD's piano department out of high school... and the the very first thing they wanted to hear from me was scales. As a music performance major there, I was expected to practice at least 40 hours a week, and at least 10 of those hours were expected to be spent practicing my scales. The great Polish concert pianist Paderewski once said, "If I skip one day of practicing scales, I notice it in my playing. If I skip two days, my coach notices. If I skip three days, the world notices it."

For Christ-followers, spending quality, uninterrupted time with the Lord is like playing scales... it is foundational to living a productive and purposeful life. It doesn't matter whether you've been a believer for a month, a year, or 20 years... having an alone time with Jesus is crucial. Doesn't matter whether who you are or what you do... you can't miss out on your daily quiet time.

You can skip one day, and maybe nobody will notice but you. You skip two days, and maybe only those closest to you will notice. But when it becomes a habit to skip out on your quiet time... we all notice. Because it's foundational to your life... to MY life. Jesus said, "Without Me, you can do nothing."

Patience grows thin...
Vision becomes less clear...
Anger rises more often...
Temptation is given into more consistently...

Don't skip out on your daily alone time with Jesus... play your scales!

The Words of a Friend

Up early today... it's 5:07am, and I've been awake for about 2 hours. I laid in bed, praying until about 4:30... then I got up and read this passage. The book of Joshua is one of my favorites in the entire Bible, and God is really speaking to me from it...

You know, it's easy to become fearful when you don't see clearly what's ahead of you... It's easy to become discouraged when others who've gone before you have been successful leaders... and you wonder, "Will people follow me the same way?"

But this morning, my friend Joshua reminded me to "not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Powerful words...

We Run Our Mouths Too Much!

Steven had a great post today... and it convicted me BIG TIME!!!

Although I don't spend a lot of time criticizing Joel Osteen, I know there have been times when I've been guilty of being over critical of him, as well as of other preachers with whom I might not totally agree theologically or philosophically. But the truth of the matter, as Steven pointed out, is that we're on the same team! We wear the same jerseys, have the same coach... when I score, you score (if you're part of the Body of Christ). That's just the way it is. And we forget that we have more in common than we give ourselves credit for... see this.

Yet, too often, we run our mouths about ministries and preachers that may not cross their theological "T's" or dot their methodological "I's" the same way we do! Not only do we talk about them, but we tend to run their names into the ground. And, believe me, unbelievers see it... and hear it... and they take note: "Glad I'm not one of them."

Thanks, Steven, for reminding us to use our mouths for praise and not to promote ourselves at the expense of others.

Lessons from Hannah

Yesterday at Mosaic, we gleaned some "life lessons" from a mother in the book of 1 Samuel named Hannah... but we didn't target mothers only. Instead, we tailor-made the message for everybody.

The two main points we lifted from chapter one was that 1) Hannah leaned on God during difficult times. She had to deal with the social stigma of being unable to conceive (a major issue in those days), as well as with a "crazymaker" (her husband's other wife) who was making her life miserable. We all have difficult people in our lives, and we all have difficult situations that arise... the question is how are we handling them? Do we always vent to other people, or await patiently on God for victory?

The second thing we looked at is that 2) Hannah lived open-handedly before God. What she longed for and dreamed of most (a son)... she was able to open her hand and turn it over to God. Ironically, what we love the most, we often hold onto the tightest... and have NO DESIRE to let it go... whether it be possessions, property, or people... or a career, a dream, a new direction in life. And when we take that stance, then this thing becomse AN IDOL... because we hold it in higher value than we do God Himself. But we fail to realize that God wants to take our dreams (if they're legit, he gave them to us anyway) and make them more than we ever could imagine. Hannah wanted a son... God gave a servant. Hannah wanted posterity for Elkanah... God gave a prophet for His people. I'm sure she never imagined what her dream would look like in God's hand instead of hers...

Because of how she lived, Hannah left a poweful legacy. How are we living, in order for people to remember us after we've gone off the scene?

What will our life's definition be?

Mother's Day Message

Can't wait for this Sunday! I'm really looking forward to sharing the message God has laid on my heart... probably not your "typical" Mother's Day message. We'll look at the life of an awesome mother from the Bible, but the "life lessons" will be for EVERYONE PRESENT. ;-

Brian and the guys have been crankin' it, so expect more of the same this Sunday, as well! DON'T MISS THIS WEEK!! Bring your mom, dad, uncle, neighbor, best friend... just bring somebody and expect them to hear from God this Sunday!

Can't wait to see you there... ;-)

Hmmm...

Well, well...

I seem to have ruffled a few feathers with Tuesday's post...

EVIDENTLY, some have a problem with the fact that I said that it was "evident" that the young man who killed all those people at VA Tech had never met Jesus.

Okay... one the one hand, you're correct: I didn't know the young man... and can't know for sure whether or not he was a believer. Someone even made the inference in their comment that because he was Korean, there was a good chance he was Christian (I tweaked that a bit, but read it for yourself...)

Now, I mean no disrespect - especially to any who may have known the young man personally - but the Bible has A WHOLE LOT to say about what constitutes what a Christ-follower does and does not look like. Here's a sampling:

Look here...

... and here...

Check this out...

... and finally...

Now, I could go on... but I won't... so, that's just a SNIPPET of what the Bible says about the matter. So, if you're upset, don't get mad at me - I didn't write the letter; I'm just carrying the mail...

Now, I will say this to all of you who ARE Christ-followers (I shared this with a friend earlier today): If you and I will get serious about being salty and well-lit Christ-followers (see this passage), we would do the kingdom of darkness some serious damage, and have more of an impact in the world...

And no one will have to WONDER whether or not we know Jesus...

Imus: Funny or Foolish?

Don Imus lost his syndicated radio talk show, because of racially-insensitive and basically rude remarks that he made regarding the Rutgers' Women's basketball team. MSNBC gave him the boot yesterday... you can read the full article here. Ok... so, I've heard alot of different thoughts on the matter: "

"He deserved to lose the show!"

"Well, he did say he was only joking..."

"Now, CBS should fire him!"

"Well, he did apologize to the team..."

"C'mon... the NAACP makes a big deal out of everything. If you just say, 'The sky is black,' you're in trouble with them!"

Ok, Darren... what's your take? Here's my take:

When you act foolishly, you deal with the consequences. Enough said... but I'll say more.

The issue isn't whether or not he was joking, or even whether he apologized or not... the issue is that he made a really asinine and stupid remark ABOUT AN ENTIRE RACIAL COMMUNITY, and he has alot of influence because of his position. Had it been a private comment, it still would've been wrong but he wouldn't have had the backlash. And Imus has been known to make really stupid and insensitive comments before, too.

Bottom line: it speaks to a bigger issue of what's really in his heart.

Check out what Jesus says about careless words here. Strong words...

Even Madea says, "When somebody shows you who they really are... believe them!" :-)

'Nuff said.

Don't Even Worry About It!

Ok... so now we've got another DaVinci Code thingy going on, huh? And I'm sure there are Christ-followers everywhere ready to go ballistic. And I guess I understand that, because when you love somebody, you don't want people messin' with them...

So, sometimes Jesus lovers have a tendency to go medieval when people start trying to make Him look bad. But you know what I've found? Jesus can take much better care of Himself than we can! We don't need to picket or boycott or anything like that... all we need to do is KEEP PREACHING JESUS!!

Sure, let's help them get their facts straight...
Let's tell them what the Word says...
Let's keep proclaiming the fame of His name...
But let's NOT worry about foolish and false accounts about people finding His bones...

Because, I guarantee you, He's not worried about it... He's alive and doing very well, thank you! And He's continuing to transform the lives of countless numbers of people who have embraced His death AND resurrection!

The resurrection of Jesus is a FACT... whether people believe it or not.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying" (John 11:24).

Great Quote!!!!!

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

--THE BIBLE, Romans 5:6-8