Throttle the crap out of it.

Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." (Luke 9:62 The Message)

This stuck me as the most profound thing that I have read all week. You can't put off God's kingdom till tomorrow. It makes me think of another Bible verse in Joshua... "Choose this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." (Personal Paraphrase)

When we choose our agenda instead of God's kingdom we really choose not to serve the Lord.

I want to put God's Kingdom in my today. I want to seize the day and throttle the crap out of it so that when I go to sleep I know that God is happy with me. I want to go to sleep know that what I did will result in people loving Jesus more or that people will come to say YES to Him for the first time. Even if the result is not instant I want to see it happen out of what I do.

How can we do this consistently? Thats for another day. Peace!

Theme Verse

From Pastor Mark Batterson's blog:

I decided to begin the new year by reading the book of Joshua. And one verse has become a theme verse for this year.

Let me make a confession: I don't feel like I spent enough time in the Word of God this past year. Based on my conversations with other pastors, I think most of us feel like we don't pray enough or read the Bible enough. And as a pastor, Bible study can become a professional endeavor. It is so easy to study the Bible for the wrong reasons. I can study it looking for what God wants to say through me instead of what God wants to do in me.

Joshua 1:7-8 says:

Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.

If I'm reading this right, the key to success is studying the Bible. I know that sounds simplistic. But that is where we draw the strength and courage to do the things that will make us successful. Scripture isn't just inspired. It inspires! It is the source of strength and courage. And success is the byproduct.

Now here is a thought. I don't think the Bible was meant to be read. I think it was meant to be meditated. Meditation is a thoughtful or prayer reading. I came up with this little mantra few years ago: reading without meditating is like eating without digesting. If you don't meditate you lose all of the nutrients.

I'd encourage you to meditate on this verse and the Holy Spirit will inspire you. The end result will be a more intentional and consistent consumption of Scripture. And if you study His word, God promises success.

Here's to a successful 2008.

He came out swinging.

I loved this from Pastor Steven Furtick:

I’m ready to come out swinging.
(That means I’m fired up, and this entry could get ugly.)

The other day, a lady said something to my wife that made me sick to my stomach upon hearing about it. Literally.

She was talking about how she visited Elevation with her family over the summer.
So far, so good…

In fact, she continued, they have visited “just about every church in Charlotte, looking for the church that’s perfect for us.”

Uh oh…
My wife doesn’t have much tolerance for church hopping Southerners.
Neither do I.

Then the woman made one of the most absurd comments I’ve ever heard from a churchgoer, even here in the Bible belt. That’s saying a lot.

“I wanted to let you know that there’s one praise song, I can’t remember the name of it, that ya’ll do better than all of the dozens of churches we’ve been to in our church shopping quest.”

Ma’am, if you’re reading:

Who do you think you are? Simon freakin’ Cowell?
Have you reduced the worship of a holy God to a singing competition?
To see which band can cover Chris Tomlin to your exact standards?

What do you think this is? Shopping mall Christianity?
Like one church is Abercrombie, one is Hollister, and the other is GAP?
Don’t even use the phrase church shopping in my presence.
Jesus bought you with His blood. You don’t get to cheapen that by shopping for the church that perfectly scratches your every itch.

Jesus didn’t die on a brutal cross so we could sample different church varieties like a party platter.
“I go to Church A some weeks, cause I like the music there, but I like the preaching better at Church B, and my kids like Church C, but my friends go to Church D. So I hit ‘em all.”

This is madness. It makes God sick. And it makes you a spiritual bastard.

The Church is the bride of Christ.
Quit sleeping around and pimping her out to satisfy your own personal preferences.

The church is a battleship, not a cruise ship.
Pastors and leaders are generals to equip you for battle in the trenches, not cruise directors to make your stay more enjoyable on the Lido deck.

To all of you who are currently searching for a church to belong to, that’s cool.
Sometimes it takes time. And you should take your time making such an important decision.

But how about adjusting your criteria for church selection to reflect the will of God more than your likes and dislikes?

How about praying: “God where can you best use me?” instead of asking “What’s in it for me and my kids?”

How about considering where you can best accomplish the mission of the Son of God:
Seeking and saving what is lost.
Building the Kingdom.

Not protecting your pet doctrine, singing your favorite song, or sitting in your reserved seat.

If this entry ticked you off, it’s probably because you’re guilty and God is convicting you.

If you’ve been attending Elevation for a while, and are a Christian who is already going to heaven, and are treating our church like American Idol, waiting to decide whether you will vote us in for another week based on whether you like the show this Sunday, please find somewhere else to take up space.

We need your seat.

Otherwise, roll up your sleeves, invite your unchurched friends, plug in as a volunteer, give financially, pray for God’s continued favor, and let’s rock this city.

Snow is Cold

Daily Bible Reading

John 7:16-18

So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.

This is from todays daily Bible reading.

Many of us have a message about Jesus that we sometimes (I hope!) make an attempt to share with others. We also have a message or an understanding of God's Word and what it means. After I read this I asked myself, is my message my own or does it come from God who sent me out to speak His message.

I know a lot of people... me and Airen planning out Christmas presents showed me this clearly. I also know a lot of people that are not Christ-followers in any way. When I look at the messages that Jesus brought to the people AND the way He treated people I begin to understand what God's message is to those that are far from Him.

Think about what comes further in these... some people talk about Jesus to others, and they do so because they want glory for themselves. It's an easy trap to fall into. There is a lot of prestige attached in Christian circles for being a "soul-winner" or whatever lame word we have for that same idea at the moment. The Bible never excuses having bad motivations for good actions.

This also challenges my understanding of how I exegete (interpret) God's word. (See my first post)

First off, many people interpret God's Word for their own glory. IE: They take what a verse really means and then take their opinion (Blend on HIGH for 2 minutes) to make the scripture justify their stupid choice/decision/action.

The funny thing is that these people never fool people that are actually doing God's will. This is not a surprise considering Jesus said that.

We should be careful with how we manipulate what God's says. I get a feeling that if I don't like being misquoted, God prob ally likes it even less.

If we want to honor God. We need to be speaking His truth.

But don't forget to speak it in love.

Oh Chair! How I miss thee!

My faithful office chair died today.

Sadly enough it died with me in it. So now my butt hurts.

The chair is dead. Long live the chair!

Parking: A Common Mistake.

Lovin it.