Archive for August, 2007
Eyes LOCKED! August 24, 2007
I took Charisse to her crib the other night–but before I put her down I decided to spend a few minutes with her in the rocking chair. I am not even sure what I was saying–but all of a sudden she opened her eyes really big and just stared at me.
To be honest–I got lost in that moment. She didn’t look away–she didn’t even hardly blink–she just stared right at me and I nearly melted right there. There is NOTHING that pleases a father more than when he has the undivided attention of his child. I will have to say that up until this point it was probably the most special time I have had with just she and I…and I felt SO connected with her.
Walking out of her room down the steps I felt the Lord whisper to me, “Hey Perry, that is what I want with you! Not some ritual…but an intimate connection.”
From time to time I get caught up in “having a quiet time” just to say I had one? Sure, a verse or two will stand out to me…but if I am not careful I will forget that my time with God in the mornings isn’t about a spiritual to do list–it is about a connection…a connection that I need and God wants.
God doesn’t want our lip service–He wants our undivided attention. And that is SO hard in today’s society–everything competes with our time with Him…ESPECIALLY technology. I just know that what I experienced with my daughter was REAL…and the Lord used it in my life to show me that I need to take my walk with Him to the next level!
Then I was reminded of Jesus–the Bible says in Luke 5:16 that He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed–translation–He got alone and LOCKED EYES with His Father…amazing! We see this again in Mark 1:35 where the Bible says that the first thing in the morning Jesus went to a solitary place to lock eyes with His Father…and the result was direction and power. (See Mark 1:36-39)
BUT–I believe the most intimate and challenging time Jesus had with the Father was in the garden of Gethsemane where we see Him praying in Matthew 26:36-45 one of THE most unselfish, sold out prayers EVER recorded in history. Translation–when we LOCK EYES with the Father there is NOTHING that we are not willing to do for Him!
My prayer lately has been that I will have my eyes LOCKED–focused on Him! It blows my mind that He wants that–and I know I need it!!! I never want to merely offer God lip service–He knows my heart. My desire is to LOCK EYES with Him and then to do whatever He asks…how about you?
My Bible Journey August 23, 2007
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted what the Lord has been showing me in Scripture–here are some highlights from God’s “rocking Perry’s world” tour out of the book of Isaiah!
- Isaiah 1:18 – This is what Jesus did for me!
- Isaiah 1:19-20 – It really doesn’t get much more simple than this!
- Isaiah 2:2-3 – Looks like God has a plan for LARGE CROWDS of people to come to him!
- Isaiah 2:22 – EVERY leader needs to memorize this verse!
- Isaiah 7:3 – God told Isaiah to take his son along with him while doing ministry…dads, we are called to LEAD our children!
- Isaiah 14:24 – God has a plan, He isn’t trying to figure this thing out!
- Isaiah 22:8-11 – Making plans without God is stupid!
- Isaiah 26:3 – My thought life is SO IMPORTANT!
- Isaiah 27:6 – God wants His people to be fruitful!
- Isaiah 28:29 – YES! I have NEVER made a mistake when I have obeyed God–it’s when I go against Him that I screw up!
- Isaiah 29:13 – God knows who is and who isn’t real!
- Isaiah 29:17 – Another one of those darn verses about the people of God being fruitful!
Those are just a few of the verses that have stood out to me so far–some of the main ideas that God has taught me in Isaiah are…
- He has an opinion on EVERYTHING! He doesn’t just address Israel–but I think He deals with pretty much every nation on earth at the time.
- He is Sovereign! He controls the universe…the reason Babylon and Assyria invaded Israel was because He made them!!!
- God hates pride!
- God desires for NOTHING He created to be stagnant…He desires fruitfulness!
- I cannot mess up by listening and obeying–I just can’t!
- Listening to God is THE MOST important thing I can do for my family and this church!
“I Don’t See How Someone Can Worship God With A Booming Sound System.” August 22, 2007
I have made it a point on this blog to say that I have given up visiting the sites of certain “watchdog” Christian organizations…now it seems I am going to have to give up something else…Christian talk radio! (With the exception of Tony Beam and Dave Ramsey!)
I was driving home the other day and was listening to an interview with a pretty popular fellow in Christian circles–he was being asked about worship and he said, “I am not trying to be a cantankerous old man, and I have thought about it…and I just don’t see how someone can truly worship God with a booming sound system.”
I nearly ran off the road! I could not believe my ears…and he went on to say, “We have forgotten how to worship God with hymns–we need to bring them back–that is true worship…not some of these modern praise choruses that simply repeat themselves.”
It has taken me several days to calm down about this dudes comments…and I have several thoughts concerning his opinion…
#1 – Is there one particular worship style that can be dictated to everyone?
When he made his comment about the worship and sound system I said out loud, “Who in the heck are you to mandate how I worship?” I have literally been moved to tears in our worship services before and have experienced the presence of God in ways that I can’t even describe–and yes, the sound system was BOOMING!
Different worship styles work for different people–and all of them are necessary! And just because something doesn’t particularly fit with my methodology doesn’t mean that it is wrong!
#2 – What did the early church do before hymns?
Seriously, if hymns are the only true way to worship–then how in the world did people worship for the first 1500 years of Christianity? I mean, heck, they didn’t have a book where they could sing hundreds of songs–1st, 2nd and last verse only!
#3 – Is it wrong for a song to repeat itself?
As I read the book of Revelation the angels seem to be pretty obsessed with singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Do they have it wrong? In Psalm 136 the writer seems to be overly obsessed with, “His love endures forever!” I guess this guy from the radio show can inform the Holy Spirit inspired author when he gets to heaven that something like this is just a little too emotional!
#4 – Is it wrong for music to be loud?
In reading Scripture I see many occasions in the OT where the Bible says that the sounds of the celebrations were heard far away! I also see David (a man after God’s own heart) saying in the psalms to worship the Lord with drums and cymbals (both of which are loud!) In Revelation 7:9-10 we are told that the singing in heaven is going to be loud! I think its time the church STOPPED looking like a funeral parlor and started acting like the tomb is EMPTY!
#5 – Is innovation right for one generation only?
As I listened to this guy I could not help but think about recent church history. In the 1970′s and early 80′s one of the most innovative things a growing church could do was to have an orchestra. AND for some churches–THIS WAS A BATTLE! Seriously–churches split over this very issue–some people were so offended that ANY instrument other than a piano or organ (neither of which are in Scripture for the true literalist out there) would be on stage.
These guys fought that fight–they stood for “innovation,” yet they are the ones who seem to be most resistant to it today! (This really challenges me to embrace the next generation!)
Go back a little further in church history–when churches first began introducing piano’s in the worship services it was considered “worldly” and “sinful,” today it is common. Once again people fought that fight–at one time it was new and innovative.
Heck, many of the hymns were actually bar tunes rewritten with Christ centered lyrics to minister to those far away from God. The “Christians” of the day were most likely turned off by the way people tried to reach out “to those pagans.” NOW it is common!
It seems to me that those who fought the fight in their lifetime would actually embrace those who are thinking of fresh ways to carry Christ to the world–not resist them.
Just my two cents…
This Weekend… August 21, 2007
I was reading the book of Isaiah the other morning and came across Isaiah 12:3 and FROZE!
I don’t know if you’ve even been reading the Bible and, all of a sudden a verse hits you and you just about lose it…but this verse MOVED me!
Why?
Simple–it is what I am praying for this weekend…that we will draw from the wells of salvation. I am realizing more and more every hour that goes by how potentially powerful this weekend will be!
I said at the beginning of the month that the Lord put it on my heart several months ago to pray that we would see 1,000 people come to Christ in August. Folks–it’s happening…we’ve already seen over 400 people step across the line of faith…and this weekend there are a couple of things to be praying about/for.
The first is our youth event called PULSE that will be taking place on Saturday night. It’s going to be off the charts! Our youth staff here at NewSpring Church is incredible…I LOVE THOSE GUYS…and that have put together an event that has one goal–TO LIFT UP JESUS! (Alden has some more details here!) YES…there will be some REALLY awesome prizes…I can’t wait to see what the Lord does.
The second is Sunday! Folks–we are expecting between 10,000 and 11,000 people this weekend…and we KNOW that God is going to do something amazing. I am asking everyone to do several things…
PRAY!!! I have said this before…I will say it again…NOTHING is more powerful than a church rallied around praying for something that is already in tune with God’s heart!!!
INVITE!!! Get people here on Sunday…no matter what it takes!
CONSIDER!!! Consider what? Either coming to either 4:15 or 6:00. I know to some I sound like a broken record…but we had almost 3,000 in our 11:15 service this past Sunday! At least for the next week or so…sleep in and come on Sunday evening.
I cannot emphasize how important this is!!! I am seriously asking as many as possible to completely rearrange their day for at least this one week so that we can accommodate people as possible.
AND…I will go a step further and ask that some consider making a permanent change to the 4:15 or 6:00 service. I will say it again…unchurched people are MOST LIKELY to show up at either 9:15 or 11:15…and we need to do all that we can to provide space for them. It’s as easy as sleeping in on Sunday and then coming at night!!! A guy said just the other day that he recently made the switch and LOVES IT!
BE NICE!!! If you do come at 9:15 or 11:15 this Sunday–be nice!!! :-) The lines will be a little longer–keep in mind though that it is about people meeting Jesus and not beating the other church to the restaurant!!! :-)
WOW…I was up at 4:00 this morning just thinking about Sunday…and we had a creative meeting a couple of hours ago to talk through the final stages…AND we made a change or two that is going to be incredible! I CAN’T WAIT!!!
Impacting A Community August 21, 2007
Folks…as I sit here at my computer I am literally blown away at the results of the food drive that our church just did.
I said last week that with a church our size we should NOT aim at just filling up one food pantry in our community…but that we should go for filling up two.
I THOUGHT WAY TOO SMALL!!!
Jake Beaty, our Outreach Pastor, just sent me an e-mail with the following:
- We completely filled up 4 organization’s food pantry’s…Salvation Army, Soup Kitchen, Haven of Rest, and Anderson Interfaith Ministries.
- We filled a storage room at the Salvation Army waist high with food.
- When we got to the Soup Kitchen, their pantry was completely bare, and when we left an hour later, it was overflowing.
- We unloaded 1 – 7’x 24’ moving truck and 3 – 6’x12’ trailers and Paul Marshall’s pick up truck that were all completely full of food.
- It took 11 guys 5 hours to unload everything.
- 2 trailers were so full that we could not move them last night and the base of the trailer jack of one of them was buried in the asphalt (b/c of the weight of the food in the trailer.).
- It is amazing the difference a church can make in a community when people will work together and give generously toward a common vision and purpose.
YEAH GOD!!! NewSpring…this is just the beginning of the impact the Lord wants us to have in this community! By participating in this food drive we were able to take Jesus to the world. Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-46 that those who truly know Him are generous in meeting physical needs in His name.
I know there are tons of needs in our community…and I praise God that through your incredible generosity we were able to make a major investment in four wonderful organizations that do so much for the under-resourced. Way to step it up!!!
Getting Naked For God! August 20, 2007
From time to time in reading Scripture I will come across a passage and think, “OK…is that REALLY in the Bible?” SO…in my journey through the Bible I came across Isaiah 20 the other morning…and this has to be one of the most unusual passages in Scripture. I had several random thoughts…
#1 – Did God REALLY Say That? (Isaiah 20:1-2)
Picture yourself as Isaiah…you have a pretty successful prophetic ministry going on, things are going well, and then all of a sudden God comes along and says, “Hey man, I’ve got a REALLY creative way to communicate what I am about to do next.”
Now I imagine Isaiah getting pretty excited about this until God says, “My creative way of communication includes you taking off all your clothes and walking around for three years.”
Personally–this is where my excitement would have ceased. Just being honest! Let me put that thought on pause though and ask this question: What if some of the bloggers that were around today would have existed back then? Can’t you just hear them now?
- “I can’t believe someone who claims to know God would do something like that!”
- “That is one of the most irreverent things I have ever seen.”
- “There is no way he is a Christian.”
- “There goes another one of those people who are trying to water down the word of God.”
You get the picture don’t you? BUT…(or I could say butt)…from the looks of things here–God is into communicating His word in a creative manner–and sometimes that communication goes against what the traditionalists would consider to be acceptable.
It’s funny–there HAD to be people taking shots at Isaiah, calling him all sorts of names–when in actuality he was one of the ONLY people in that time who actually heard the voice of the Lord.
#2 – Did Isaiah Really Do That? (Isaiah 20:3)
YES HE DID! DANG! Just being honest again…I am not sure I would have obeyed God on this one. Seriously, I would have had to have had some ID from Him if He would have asked this of me. I am willing to do some crazy things…but walking around in my birthday suit…I am thinking I might have to draw the line there!
BUT (butt) – Isaiah did, he was obedient, radically obedient…even to the point where he was willing to endure criticism and ridicule…all because he was willing to listen to the Lord and then do exactly as He said.
I say this to encourage the pastors and church leaders out there who are willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to reach those far from God. If you keep reading this text (Isaiah 20:4-6) God had a message to communicate through this event. Yes, it was very creative. Yes, it made people VERY uncomfortable! And yes, God used it to speak truth…and I am sure NO ONE ever forgot this–EVER!
In the past we have pushed the edge here at NewSpring Church to communicate God’s Word in creative ways…and at times we take shots from that…usually from those who, to be quite honest, aren’t reaching anyone.
What do we do? IGNORE IT! Seriously…as a pastor I understand that I have TWO MAIN PURPOSES in life…to LISTEN to the Lord and then do EXACTLY as He says. I can promise that nothing will EVER take place here at NewSpring Church unless the Lord directs it–that’s just how we roll!!!
And to my friends out there who are doing specific series…like on sex or relationships and such…GO FOR IT! And if people continue to e-mail you, telling that you are a “reprobate” and that you are going to hell…I am sure they said the same thing about Isaiah!!! Remember…as long as you listen to and obey the Lord–THEN you can rejoice in that!
One more thing…I can pretty much promise that God has NOT told me to get nude!!! (I heard that Amen!!!) BUT…we’ve got some creative things heading our way in the next year that will raise an eyebrow or two!!!
Sunday Night Reflections August 19, 2007
There are days as a pastor when you wonder, “Why in the world do I do this?”
TODAY WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE DAYS!!!
In fact, today was one of the days I was saying on my way home, “This is why I do what I do!” I will be honest, I am more tired than I have been in a long time…and my head hurts REALLY bad…but days like today PUMP ME UP in regards to what God has called me to do.
First of all–thanks to everyone who participated in our food drive. WOW! Folks, I can’t tell you how proud I am of our church. You guys stepped it up BIG TIME…so much so that we had to unload one of the food trailers because the amount of food that you guys put in it nearly caused the tires to explode! It looks like we are going to be able to fill a couple of food pantries in our community through your amazing generosity!
Secondly–we had over 8,000 at church today. The second service was SLAMMED…we even had people sitting in the atrium. Tony has some thoughts about the service and some pictures here.
Thirdly–the entire Clemson football team showed up today, as well as several of their coaches. I have always respected Coach Bowden and the stand he takes for Jesus. I have been in his office and right on his desk is a Bible that is literally falling apart…it has been well traveled. I automatically thought when seeing it, “If your Bible is falling apart then your life is not!”
Fourthly (is that a word?) – I was moved in every single service today when hundreds of people literally poured forward to write down the name of the people they are going to bring to church with them next week. Folks…I cannot even begin to communicate how passionate I am about those who are disconnected from God making that connection with Him through Jesus!
Fifthly - Let me say this again–GET PEOPLE HERE NEXT WEEK! I honestly think it will be one of the most simple presentations of the Gospel we have ever put together. AND…if possible…please either come to the 4:15 or the 6:00 service!!! We are praying for HUNDREDS of people to receive Christ.
That is about it for now…I am tired and ready for bed…I love you guys!