We serve a God who is a MASTER at calling those who are not “qualified” to do things that seem “impossible!”

I believe that when a person becomes obsessed with the character of God by reading the Word of God and then gets empowered by the Spirit of God…that person is unstoppable and his/her potential is unlimited as long as they will dare to continually follow Jesus and refuse to play it safe!  (See Zechariah 4:6-7)

(A quick note on this…you’ve GOT to make sure you’ve heard from God and are not simply getting ready to do something and then begging Him to work!)

I believe God puts dreams and visions in our hearts that are so HUGE that it causes great desperation for HIM and HIS power…thus leading to the world seeing what HE can do through us rather than what we can do “for Him!”  (The bigger the revelation the greater the desperation!)

I believe we are all GIFTED to make an impact on the world and NOT simply sit and watch it pass us by.

I believe we are ALL EMPOWERED to make a difference…that fear and timidity does not come from Him, but the power and discipline to execute what He has called us to does.  (II Timothy 1:7)

I believe that YOU are NOT an accident…that He created you with a divine design in mind…that His plans for your life are GREATER than you could imagine, and that by surrendering to HIS plans is the GREATEST freedom on the planet.

I believe that they KEY to discovering what it is that God wants for us is found in Proverbs 3:5-6, that we’ve got to trust Him with EVERYTHING…and if we “hold out on Him” we are actually holding out on ourselves.

I believe God’s plan for your life will not always be easy…but He will always be with you.  (Isaiah 43:1-3)

So…what is it that God is calling you to do?  OR…put another way, “What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you could not fail?” (I blogged about that here!)

Life is short…we should get to the end of it with NO REGRETS…so…GO FOR IT!!!

“Nope,” she said.

“What,” I asked, “you are not going to give daddy a hug?”

“No-sir-ree” she replied.

“Why not,” I asked.

“Because to give you a hug I would have to get out from under my blanket and I am comfortable right now…so you’re going to have to wait,” she said.

I had this thought a few seconds later…I wonder how many times I’ve done the exact same thing to God.

He calls me to Him and I refuse to move because, well, I am comfortable…and moving would cause me to have to live out Luke 9:23-25.  I can remember one of THE most uncomfortable things HE ever commanded me to do was start NewSpring Church!

• It did not make sense…
• It did not work out financially on paper…
• I had ZERO experience…
• I was 28 years old…
• I was engaged to be married and didn’t want us to start our marriage off homeless…

The list of reasons could go on and on…yet in my heart I knew that He was calling me to an uncomfortable step in order to conform me more and more to Himself.

So…quick question, what is it that He is calling you to lay aside that is a “comfort” for you in order that you may move closer to Him?

As my friend Pete said a few weeks ago…God has NEVER asked any of us to do anything that is easy!  However, laying aside our comforts and taking up the cross He leads us to take ALWAYS leads to a victory that we could never even imagine.

Saying that…the recent problems with the iphone 4 have been interesting to watch.

Basically…there was/is a design flaw.  (I can see/hear the Apple evangelists screaming “you don’t understand” as I type this!)  The antenna was placed into the phone in such a way that it is concealed; however, the design of this phone also lends to the antenna being covered up and calls being lost/dropped.

SO…Apple called a HUGE conference last Friday and announced their solution – they are going to provide free cases to cover up the phone (that will force the user to hold the phone differently, thus “fixing” the problem.)

As I watched this scenario develop I sighed (NOT because of the phone deal, I have a Blackberry…it works really great.)  The reason I think this was a really bad idea is that it didn’t address the problem…it just covered it up!  At the end of the day the product is still flawed, no matter how “pretty” the cover that the iphone users get!

We do the same thing SO many times as followers of Christ…we try to cover up the problem instead of dealing with it.  (Isaiah 29:13)

We cover up the fact that we are addicted to porn by refusing to repent…instead we go to church and sing as loud as we can, thinking we can “cover up our problem” rather than dealing with it.

We cover up the fact that we are dating someone that we know God doesn’t want us to be with…instead we justify what we are doing by at least getting them to come to church with us.  We won’t “deal” with our disobedience…rather we try to cover it up with our made up morality.

We cover up the fact that we are living in disobedience by surrounding ourselves with people who will affirm our dysfunction rather that lovingly call us out.  (See Hebrews 10:24-25)

We tell Jesus that we will follow Him…that we will do “whatever” He asks–but then He hits on “THAT” issue, you know, the one we’ve always struggled with…and instead of dealing with it, repenting, asking for help–we begin to cover up our sin with religious phrases and copying and pasting Scripture.

I really could go on and on here…but the question is this (for all of us) – is there anything that you are trying to cover up that God is specifically trying to deal with?  Because…the thing I’ve learned about God is that HE is relentless, He is AFTER our hearts…and our rituals and religion is worthless in His sight if we are refusing to submit and obey to what HE is saying.  (See Ezekiel 14:1-6)

I know its hard when God comes after our hearts…and PRIDE is a reason many people choose to cover up their sin rather than confess it.  People FEAR the consequences of confession; however, the consequences of concealing our sin are SO MUCH GREATER than the consequences of confession.

God didn’t send Jesus to die on a cross so we can cover things up but rather so that we could confess, repent and THEN live in freedom!  (Romans 8:1)

BTW…Jon’s post on “Maggots” goes along tremendously with what I just wrote about…you should read it–CLICK HERE!

I’ve made a list that helps me when I tend to freak out…

HE IS…

• Sovereign…He reigns over everyone and everything and has never been stressed out.
• Unstoppable…and so are those who follow Him.
• Holy…perfect, which means everything He wants/desires for my life is so far greater than anything I could have thought up.
• Consistant…I don’t have to worry about Him being in a bad mood.
• GREATER than any temptation the enemy throws my way.
• Better than anything the world has to offer.
• BIGGER than any sin/failure in my life.
• Gracious in that He knows every stupid, foolish, sinful thing I’ve ever done (or will do)…and yet He loves me anyway!  (Romans 5:8 ALWAYS amazes me!)
• ALWAYS there with me…He has NEVER walked away from me.  He doesn’t always deliver me from the fire…but He has ALWAYS walked with me through it!  (See Isaiah 43:1-3)
• Faithful…if I fail to see His faithfulness in my past I will probably not recognize the fruitfulness of my future.  (Philippians 1:6)
• The ONE who pursues me…even on the days I tend to walk away from Him.
• RELENTLESS…He NEVER has given up on me!
• PASSIONATE…His passion and zeal that the Scriptures reveal cause me to be in AWE.

I could go on and on…the point being is that when stress comes it is an awesome opportunity to KNOW HIM.  SO…if you are stressed out, freaked out and feel like you are about to give out…then “check out” for 10 minutes from your busy life, sit down with a piece of paper, make a list of who the Scriptures say that HE IS…and focus on that rather than your circumstances.

Just a thought…but it sure has helped me!

Don’t do it!

Don’t quit!

Galatians 6:9 is true about you!!!

I don’t know about you…but I have several quotes in my office, things I look at to challenge and inspire me…here is one I thought I would share because, well, it’s Monday!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt

WOW…I can’t believe I just typed that sentence.  It really does seem like just yesterday I was having my 10 year old birthday party at McDonalds (I had a crush on the McDonalds party girl!)  And now I’m 39…when did THAT happen?

People always ask, “what do you want for your birthday…what are you wishing for?”  So…here’s several things that I’ve written down.

#1 – I really want to know Christ, to hear His voice clearer than I’ve EVER heard it before.  To KNOW what it is like to be completely filled with and consumed with HIS HOLY SPIRIT and follow Him with reckless abandon!

#2 – That I will be the GREATEST husband on the planet, that I will pursue Lucretia for the rest of my life, that I will do all that I can to make her feel beautiful, honored and special.  That I will honor the vows I took on April 8,2000 and that I will NEVER allow the church replace her as the love of my life.

#3 – That I will be an amazing father to Charisse…that I will be the kind of dad that, one day, after she moves away and has a family of her own, that she WANTS to come back around and see me rather than doing so because I make her feel guilty if she doesn’t.  I want to lead her well…to honor what God says in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 by teaching AND modeling for her what it means to follow Jesus.

#4 – To continue to lead NewSpring Church–to break up our unplowed ground (see Hosea 10:12)–to see over 100,000 people gives their lives to Christ…to see WHAT can happen in a church WHEN people are completely sold out to Him, refuse to play it safe and do ANYTHING SHORT OF SIN to reach people for Christ.

#5 – To be a friend…one that loves, trusts, forgives and believes the best about people.

#6 – To be a great boss, a leader worth following…one that refuses to use people, manipulate by fear and/or throw his integrity away because he desires self gratification more than honoring Christ.

#7 – To continue to pour into pastors and church leaders…it KILLS me to see so many struggling and giving up on what God called them to do…and I feel God wants me to do all that I can to try and reverse that trend.

#8 – To write at least four books.

#9 – To go to Italy…seriously–Florence, Venice and Rome!!!

#10 – To own a Cadillac Escalade…I know, I know, that’s incredibly materialistic and all that jazz…but, it’s my dream car!  (Black with leather interior…just in case you were wondering!)  :-)

#11 – WHATEVER…seriously, for the rest of my life I want to be “that guy” who is willing to do whatever God calls him to do.  I believe that there’s more in store for me…that His plans are greater than mine and my best days are still ahead if I will just continue to listen to His voice, make war on sin and try to live out John 3:30 to the best of my abilities.

Then I see him/her…that person in the crowd that has that look on their face that says, “I really want to believe what you are saying…but I can’t because…”  And then comes the list of how wicked they’ve been and how they are probably the only exception to the fact the Bible says God completely forgives.

Reality is…God has an amazing plan for your life right now.  Unfortunately, too many people are too close to their past to fully understand their potential…how gifted by God they really are!

When we embrace who Christ is…what He’s done…and what He’s called us to do (confess His name and repent of sin) then the possibilities are unlimited as to what Christ can do in and through us.

He’s NOT through with you!  He’s still got a plan and purpose for you…don’t allow your past to be the prison that prevents you from the amazing potential that is yours in Christ.

If you don’t let your past die then it won’t let you live!  Whatever happened….God KNEW it was going to happen before He ever created you…He’s NOT surprised by it, still loves you and still wants great things for you.

So…confess, repent…and when the devil comes at you with your past then bawl up your fist and punch him in the freakin’ throat!

“I don’t have time to maintain these regrets!”

LIVE!

No matter how hard I pray, no matter how much I study, no matter how passionately I teach, no matter how many systems we put into place and no matter how hard I cry…there will always be people who choose to ignore God’s truth and walk away.

AND…that’s not necessarily always my fault.  (Or yours!)

Don’t get me wrong…I am always looking for ways to improve what we do around here.  I always want to give God my absolute best.  I want to see as many people meet Jesus and follow Him for the rest of their lives as possible.

BUT…for me (or you) to think that just become some refuse to follow Christ…or some follow Him for a while and walk away is always OUR FAULT is from the enemy.

Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that some people won’t even hear the Word…they will come to church, say something like, “maybe one day,” or even “that crap doesn’t work” and leave.

Jesus also taught that some people would receive the Word, spring up quickly…but then fade away because they had no root.  (This is the person that receives Christ, shows up at everything the church does for the next six months and then disappears and becomes impossible to contact.)

Jesus then taught that some people would receive the Word…but then allow the worries of life to choke it out of them.  They become more obsessed with money than with Jesus.

Then He taught that SOME seed falls onto good ground and produces a crop.  (AND…not every seed produces the same level of harvest…different subject for a different time.)

What I am trying to say to church leaders is this…Jesus didn’t promise ANYONE a 100% success rate.  And for us to ALWAYS take people leaving and/or falling away as something that we did wrong will eventually lead to fear, depression and an unwillingness to take steps of faith that might make others uncomfortable.

We should NOT use the fact that Jesus said some will fall away as an excuse to be lazy…but neither should we allow it to make us feel guilty when we know in our hearts that we’re doing exactly what Jesus has called us to do.

Our temptation will always be to internalize and personalize every perceived failure in this area…and we just can’t let ourselves go there.  (Pastor Steven, once again, had some great insight on this here!)

Hope that encouraged someone today.

#2 – You often allow your mind to drift towards what else you could do OTHER than ministry.

#3 – You feel like a “ministry machine” that does what you do out of guilty obligation rather than out of an overflow out of your own intimate walk with God.  (In other words, as Bill Hybels says, “the rate at which you are doing the work of God is destroying the work of God in you!”

#4 – You begin to make decisions based on what is the easiest rather than what you KNOW God wants you to do.

#5 – You become increasingly critical of churches, people and ministries that you feel God is blessing more than you.

#6 – You can’t remember the last time you actually opened your Bible to comune with God rather than trying to find a sermon/Bible study.

#7 – Your begin to view the staff you serve with as your servants rather than God’s servants.

#8 – You use delegation as an excuse to be lazy.

#9 – You can’t remember the last time you and your spouse had a conversation that was not church related.

#10 – You can’t remember the last time you spent time with your children…and enjoyed it.

#11 – You begin to doubt the power of God in your life and the life of others.

Pastors…church leaders, I believe if six or more of these signs are true about you right now then you need to TAKE A BREAK…we don’t just “get healthy” by praying about it…we’ve GOT to take action.

Five steps I recommend…

#1 – You can read my post from yesterday if you haven’t yet…it has to do with getting healthy.  (Here is the link.)

#2 – You can read Wayne Corderio’s book, “Leading On Empty.”  One of the BEST BOOKS I’ve EVER read!  (Here’s the link.)

#2 – You can read my friend Anne Jackson’s book, “Mad Church Disease.”  GREAT insight from a great lady who experienced ministry burnout.  (Here’s the link.)

#4 – Go see a counselor!

#5 – Take a vacation!

(To those in my upcoming coaching network…the entire first day of meeting is basically how to get healthy and do ministry…can’t wait!)