Archive | February, 2012

What it was all about

13 Feb

OBEDIENCE … TRUST … REALZING WHO GOD IS AND WHO I REALLY AM …

Those are what our four week emphasis on financial freedom was all about.  And too many of you thought it was all about money …

For the most part, people HATE it when preachers preach about money.  And, honestly, I don’t know too many pastors who LOVE to preach about it.  But that is really NOT what it is all about.  If you looked deeper than the surface on this one, it is about OBEDIENCE.  It is about having the right relationship with God, which puts EVERYTHING ELSE in our lives into the proper perspective.  If we see God where He rightfully is, NOTHING ELSE COULD POSSIBLY BE ABOVE HIM.  Not the plans we have for ourselves.  Not the ideas we have about money and stuff.  Nothing.

My prayer for Ebenezer is that we will all put God where He rightfully belongs in our lives.  And if we seek Him first, seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, all the other things will be added in the right places in life.  And that is a promise from Jesus Himself!!

If you missed any of the four-sermon series, you may find the entire thing HERE:

http://vimeo.com/channels/236240

Just begin with God’s Ownership and work your way forward!!

Challenges

8 Feb

Life is full of them … If you are LIVING life, you will face challenges.  Tests of your mettle.  Opportunities to succeed or fail.  And if you are running from those, you are running from life itself.

I look at where both of my children are in life, and they both face great challenges.  And they seem to face them well:  With resolve and faith.  Don’t get me wrong:  I know my kids aren’t perfect.  But they both are in places in life where the challenges are coming and they are stepping up to the plate. They are, and many of their friends are in the same places and doing the same things!  And that’s good!

 

Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way!!

6 Feb

I was talking to a friend yesterday about missions … and he was on a roll.  He said something that rings true, no matter how you slice it:  When it comes to missions, you either need to GO, SUPPORT IT, or MOVE ASIDE (Get out of the way)!!!  He’s right!  There are only three positions on this issue … Now, in the community that is a group of people focused on Christ (a church), we will try to carve out many positions and perspectives.  That is natural because we are a GROUP of IMPERFECT PEOPLE.  But there are really ONLY three valid responses.

Life in a church really is the same way.  You SHOULD either lead, follow, or get out of the way.  Truth is, you can do much more than these:  You can be a sniper, that takes shots at things from afar.  You can be completely apathetic, and not care if the place burns down around you.  You can be an arm-chair coach, that questions every call and critiques every play.  (Reminds me of the guy that sat a few rows behind us at Clemson games that SWORE he could beat that team with a bunch of 8th grade girls.  He was a REAL joy.)  You can be a comparison shopper, that always knows of a church that does it much better than the one you are a part of.  You can be bitter about the past.  You can be doubtful about the future.  You can question the abilities of those God has called as leaders.  You can do a variety of other things that do not focus on God.  ORRRRRR ….

You can acknowledge the fact that your church IS NOT perfect, but be glad God has given you a church family.  And you can jump in and LEAD … jump in and SERVE … be a part of the SOLUTION, not a perpetuator of the PROBLEM.  There are problems in every church.  The Lord KNOWS Ebenezer has it’s share of problems!  Why are there problems in every church?  Because NO CHURCH IS PERFECT.  Every church is made up of imperfect people.  So, you can ask God “Where can I make a difference?” and when He shows you, jump in and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Part of the SOLUTION, not a perpetuator of the PROBLEM.  Which will you be?

Today’s sermon

5 Feb

That Little Chap who follows me

5 Feb

If you know me, you know how much I love basketball.  Back to that thought in a minute.

I’ve been sitting here at my desk trying to recharge for 11am service (if I dare say this, morning worships really zap me.  But I love them!!).  I glanced over at a poem I found YEARS AGO.  Never could find the author of this poem then, but I keyed it in, printed it, and put it in a place on my shelf where I would always see it.  Why, you ask??  Read it and see for yourself:

That Little Chap Who Follows Me

A careful man I ought to be,
A little fellow follows me,
I do not dare to go astray
For fear he’ll go the selfsame way.

I cannot once escape his eyes,
Whate’er he sees me do, he tries;
Like me, he says, he’s going to be,
The little chap who follows me.

He thinks that I am good and fine,
Believes in every word of mine
The base in me he must not see,
The little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go,
Through summer’s fun and winter’s snow,
In building for the years to be
The little chap who follows me!

I put that on my shelf YEARS AGO when Drew was still really small to remind me of one of the most important jobs God gave me:  Being a dad!!  The poem is about a little boy, but this applies to Krissy, too!  In my call to ministry, God has called me first and foremost to be HUSBAND to my bride (whom I love deeply) and FATHER to my children (whom I also love deeply). We all need those reminders that there are very special people in our lives that develop and grow BASED ON HOW WE LIVE AND WHAT WE SAY!!!

 

This morning, on a whim, I google this poem and FINALLY discovered who the author is …

Hall of Fame former basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins, the late John Wooden!!!  And, quite frankly, that makes it even more special to me!!

Being more like a kid!!

2 Feb

Jesus was a busy guy … Frequently on the move, teaching here and there, healing, wrestling with the Pharisees and Sadducees,  fighting the devil … Busy, busy, busy!!  At least, that was the opinion and viewpoint of the 12 disciples.  Their Blackberrys were CRAMMED with texts, appointments, and obligations.  And they saw their job to keep Him on track!!  (HA!)

In Matthew 19 we witness an interesting exchange …

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

All of these people were bringing their children for Jesus to bless … to spend time with them … to care about them.  “HOW DARE THEY!!  He is SOOO busy!!  (And, they didn’t even bother to clear this through Disciple Central or get it on the calendar!!)

Again, HA!  Jesus redirected all of it by reminding them:

1.  Children ARE IMPORTANT!!  (In their society, kids were little better than property)

2.  The Kingdom of Heaven BELONGS to such as these!!!

Jesus taught that we ALL need a child-like faith.  One that doesn’t assume our preconceived notions or thoughts on God OR on each other.  One that is able to trust … just trust … with no strings attached.  One that will just enjoy the time with Him without getting caught up in the pressures we put on ourselves.

So, here is your challenge:  DON’T OVER-THINK IT!!  TRUST GOD WITH YOUR ALL!!  BE MORE LIKE A KID!!

I double-dog dare you!

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