Thursday, December 25, 2008

Answering Questions #3

Question #3 in this series has the potential to stir all kinds of emotion as we discuss it. It is one of 'those' subjects that just tends to rile people up. Here is the question: How do you approach someone living in a life of sin (homosexuality) that talks like they believe in Christ and are alright (in their mind) with their salvation? Let's start here -- First of all, The Bible is clear that homosexuality is sin (see Romans 1). Also, The Bible is clear in places like Galatians 5 that, regardless of the sin, anyone who is blatantly rebellious to God's law by practicing sin in an unrepentant manner will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Therefore, while I do not claim to know who is in or who is out, I fear greatly for someone who justifies their sinful lifestyle and claims that their "belief" in Christ will allow them in the gates.
At The Bridge, we take Jesus at His word that salvation comes to those who "repent and believe the Gospel." To really believe in Jesus, we must have the correct Jesus identified. The Messiah, the King of the Universe, has given His all to bring the good news to us; therefore, he deserves our obedience and love in whatever He asks of us. If we have been involved in a lifestyle of sin when we come to faith, we have one choice -- leave it. To refuse to do so denies Him as God and proves that we never believed Him on His terms to begin with. That does not mean that this will be easy, especially in the case of homosexuality, but "all things are possible" with God.

I have a feeling that the unrepentant homosexual in the question would possibly agree with all of that. His or her problem is that they have not recognized their sin as sin. While we can, with gentleness and respect, point out that Bible does declare homosexuality as an abomination before God, the Holy Spirit and the 'never comes back void' Word of God will have to do their thing for this person to identify himself/herself as an unrepentant sinner. While we have a role to play, God is the one that comes and 'cuts to the heart.'

A further note on homosexuality ==
I can assure you that as the lead pastor of a quality, Biblical church, I have no 'homophobic' bents. Homosexuals are welcome in our church or in my home anytime. Also, I will admit that the immature church has terrorized this sin more than others, so some of the bad feelings about the church by the gay community are warranted. However, to be clear I view this sin as no more egregious than others, but the activists, even inside the church, make it seem that it is picked on. The reason for this is that this is the only group of sinners that I know of that are organized. I am not aware of the "adulterer's rights groups" or the "extortionist's church organization." Only the homosexual community lobbies Christian denominations and churches for acceptance. This comes from the fact that these folks have been deceived into believing that their sin is not sin, and, therefore, they believe that they should be pastors, teachers, and elders within the church. I love these folks, but on those points we will never agree, and that will not happen at The Bridge.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Answering Questions #2

Sitting in front of a warm fire on Christmas, I am flipping through some fantastic questions that our church has given the pastors to answer. The one that has caught my eye is this one because I will be preaching the answer from Luke 18 in just a few weeks. Here is the question: If God has a plan & will (He is sovereign), why do we ask God to heal (etc.) if He is going to do what He wants anyway?
I hear this person asking if everything is pre-ordained or if we can sway God to intervene by praying. Let me answer this with scripture; Jesus speaks:
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:1-8 ESV
Previously in the Bible, persistent prayer by the saints had changed God's mind, so my advice to the current saints is to petition God with great boldness and persistence about what you need. Behind the question, I hear some possible frustration that this person maybe prayed for a loved one's healing and God did not act. Maybe He did act -- He asks us to trust Him that He knows what is best. That can really test and grow our faith.

What God wants is our company, our attention. I think he loves spending time with us. We must spend time in earnest prayer. God is faithful; it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. His giving of the Kingdom may just not always look like we want it.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

You May Have Not Seen

I try and make myself an open book so that people who I do church with see just how whacko I really am. I posted this on Halloween at Tim's Journal.

Conquering Addiction is unbelievable -- the single best discipleship tool that I have ever seen.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Answering Questions

I have decided to take some time over the holidays and blog some answers to these questions that Ben has coming in from our church that are pressing on people's minds about their faith. Since I know that there are more people nationally and internationally that read my blog than my own church, I am not worried about messing up the sermons that we are going to do from these questions. Here we go: Is it okay to drink alcohol on occasion? The quick answer to that is "yes." Otherwise, Jesus sinned because we know he drank wine and we know that he was sinless. I am very open with my personal stance on this. I have an occasional glass of wine with a meal like authentic Italian chicken Marsala that just calls for the perfect wine to compliment. If you are eating chicken Marsala and not cooking a beautiful white wine into the sauce, you need to call it something else because that is just wrong. Flat out, a sip of an alcoholic beverage is not a sin.

Let's go just a little deeper though. The Bible states on multiple occasions though that drunkenness is a sin, and we are to put sin to death. Often, when people come to Christ, they continue drinking to the same degree that they drank before their regeneration. That is a problem. I believe that God teaches us that he wants us to be clear-minded for a couple of reasons. The first is that we are to be focused on Him. If Biblical Christianity is truly a call to 24/7 worship, how effective of worship can we engage if our mind is clouded by alcohol? We cannot pray without ceasing and make the Word of God a jewel of our mind if we have just knocked down a six pack. Have you ever tried to let the "Word of God dwell in you richly" after too much to drink. It cannot be done. We are to be clear-minded in our worship and sanctification. Alcohol limits our correct, intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The second reason for have a clear mind is so that we make good judgment in avoiding sin. I am a little more likely to linger on the "Victoria Secret special" on TV after a little too much alcohol than not. That gives the devil a fertile playground. I am a little more likely to say things that do not honor Christ when drinking. Just think into your past and think how much you would have limited the major sin in your life if you had not drunk enough to fog your judgment and you had gone to bed (by yourself) at 10:00.

I, personally, do not drink in public because our slightly misguided western Church-world frowns so hard on anyone who drinks alcohol saying anything on behalf of God. Misguided or not, if someone grew up in a Baptist or Pentecostal background sees me drinking one glass of wine with my dinner in public, they have probably written me off as someone who can speak on the Gospel with them. I want to have voice so I respect their feelings and just make it a non-issue. I also do not want to cause a "little one to stumble." This stance is not hypocritical because I never say that all drinking is wrong and then have a glass of wine at home.

I do not believe that most church-goers do a good job with temperance on this issue. If they bring their pre-conversion attitudes about drinking with them into the new relationship, repentance is probably needed.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Harsh Stands for Christ?

Sorry, I have not posted in a while. Preparation for Conquering Addiction is a lot of work and we have had little things like ordination, baptism, membership, building a building, and finals at MAC taking a bit of time as well. Fun stuff though. Some of us have been discussing how harshly to take on the public in the name of Christ. I think sometimes while Christians are protesting abortion clinics, there are 3 young teenage girls in their immediate circle that are pregnant or living a lifestyle that could cause pregnancy and the protester is so busy protesting that he/she misses creating a relationship that could love these young ladies toward Christ and some Christ-like decisions. I am not saying that we should not make large public declarations on behalf of Christ, but we should not do so at the exclusion of paying attention to the OTHERS that we supposed to love from the Great Commandment. Maybe this story will provide my point:
About 4 years ago, MAC took a stand about not letting any churches use their facilities, not even to rent like the regular public is allowed. This was explained as separation of church and state. It is a horrible misread of the constititution and had I took a harsh stand representing all churches, I would have won in court. Instead, I protested very softly and then went about my business. In those 4 years, the Bible has been openly discussed in the athletic department, I have counseled many faculty members as they have experienced pain and difficulty, about a dozen students have come to know Christ, and the school donated $30,000 worth of seats to our church the other day, and GAP was actually allowed to use a room for CA -- none of which would have happened had a taken a hard line and brought in the ACLJ and sued the school for violating constitutional rights because they would have been watching their 'enemy' like a hawk. Sometimes it is better to drop the hard line and focus on people instead.

Jesus does not aak us to win every battle in His name; he asks us to love Him and others more than ourselves. A court case here would have been done in my name and for my pride's sake much more than for His. There are times to step up and make history in Christ's name; I just did not think this was one of them. And I think He is honoring my decision.

However, when I retire....


Don't forget to invite folks to church Sunday and let's honor Christ in a big way on His birthday.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Ordained

Ben, Andre, and I are going to be ordained on December 6. Interesting stuff considering I have never considered myself very pastoral. I found this article that says a pastor's life is only worth $250 to a Hindu extremist. Click Here --
$250

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Crazy Love

Are you frightened that I think like Francis Chan? I stole these quotes from Chan's book Crazy Love off of Perry Noble's blog. By the way, if you don't know who Francis Chan or Perry Noble are, you are watching too much TV. Turn it off and check out our recommended blogroll on The Bridge website. Do some reading.
Here we go:
-- “His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words cannot contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” (DANG!!!)
-- “Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?”
-- “I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered.”
-- “Jesus’ call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a “Christian” without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.”
-- “Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” (DANG!!!)
-- “But we need to realize that how we spend our time, what our money goes towards, and where we will invest our energy is equivalent to choosing God or rejecting Him.”
-- “…you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin.”
-- “Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to other believers.”
-- “We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide.”
-- “If a guy were dating my daughter but didn’t want to spend the gas money to come and pick her up or refused to buy her dinner because it cost too much, I would question whether he were really in love with her. In the same way, I question whether many American churchgoers are really in love with God because they are so hesitant to do anything for Him.”

I think that people think that there are requirements of the heart for Francis Chan, or Craig Groeschel, or Tim Gray and a different set of requirements for your heart in terms of your commitment for Christ. I am afraid that the Bible does not allow for such a thing. Our personlities and callings may look different (Praise God for you), but the commitment of the heart is no different. I hope that makes you uncomfortable. I hope that I look crazy to you.

By the way, if you are married Perry just posted some great sex suggestions on his blog.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Word of God Speak

God tells us in His Word (Isaiah 55) that His Word never comes back void. What does that mean? That means that when IT is read and / or correctly interpreted, IT will produce a change of in the hearts of the listeners. That is an amazing phenom. We saw it today. Lot's of Bible -- lot's of movement among the listeners.

People are being pursued by Christ because He loves them so much. I love this!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Send IT -- Missional

Last Sunday I mentioned how missional our church is in SENDing IT. I thought you might like to see a list of the mission SENDing IT the people of The Bridge have done. This is AMAZING!
Melissa James -- twice a missionary to China and also to Chacocente, Nicagaragua.
Jon Bird -- Currently in Honduras (his 12th trip there) on a medical mission for Christ, also has served in Indonesia after the Tsunami, in Chacocente, Nicaragua, the Darfur region of Sudan, in Uganda, in El Salvador, & Kenya
Lisa Bird -- leaves for the Congo on Thursday; Chacocente, Nicaragua; Uganda; El Salvador; Kenya; 5 times to Honduras
Duane Rosener – Chacocente, Nicaragua
David Werning-Board Member of Latino Life Ministries-served in Mexico several times & built a church in Colosio, Mexico. Helping to build the sprung for The Bridge.
Lisa Werning-Board Member of Latino Life-built church in Colosio and continues to serve in Mexico (planning a trip this winter to oversee some work on the church). Worked in an orphanage in Nicaragua, World Changers in Canada, served as a Bible study teacher in State Women's prison (Memphis, TN) for 6 years, Table leader for Conquering Addiction class.
Heather Nozea – Full-time missionary in Haiti
Brian & Natalie Hurst -- currently foster parents for a Bridge attender as she allows Christ to focus her life; preparing to go back and serve an orphanage in Mexico; Chacocente, Nicaragua
Juanita Gray -- served in Mexico; currently taking care of many widows and orphans as Biblically commanded; co-founded GAP.
Ben Durbin -- served in Chacocente and Honduras; co-founded GAP
Cheryl Guthrie - prepares food for the hungry at a moment's notice.
Chris Guthrie -- set his business aside for a month to supervise the building of The Bridge.
Meg Reiner -- helped to set up the Walk to Emmaus program in Kenya; helped to build fresh water wells in El Salvador; Chacocente, Nicaragua; co-founded GAP; board member of Project Sunshine
Sarah Winch – Chacocente, Nicaragua
Roger Durbin – Did mission work in 21 states from a traveling bus.
Lance Smith -- ordained pastor, member of The Bridge -- preparing to plant a church in Bangkok Thailand, this will be his second church plant in that country.
Andre Ong -- ordained pastor, member of The Bridge -- preparing to be sent into mission as a US Army chaplain. Takes care of dozens of needs with free Biblical counseling.
Angela Ong – takes care of dozens of needs with free Biblical counseling.
Jerry Weems -- does Prison Ministry worship services at the Farmington prison.
Kathie Nelson -- formed Maple Street ministry; Chacocente, Nicaragua
George Vessell – on-line ministry site that gets hits from all over the world
Stephanie Jenkins -- Ontario, Canada; Pine Bluff, AR; Desloge, WC Coordinator; Steeleville, MO
Chris Holmes – Chacocente, Nicaragua; Ukraine
Judy Schubert – Chacocente, Nicaragua; PPRC in St. Francois Co.
Marcia Buckley – Honduras
Tammy Durbin – has met hundreds of “least of these” needs thru the St. Francois Co. Partnership; co-founded GAP; joined Roger in that bus.
Joe & Tina Hogan – started a food drive ministry
Julie McDowell – Chacocente, Nicaragua
Mike & Tammy Bracken – mission work to the Farmington Children’s Home
Tammy Holmes – PPRC
Tracy Upchurch -- Chacocente, GAP
Lana Wickham – Haiti, Ministry that collects shoes and clothes for overseas missions
Peggy Lee Porter – Haiti
Barb Sharp – Mexico
Kelley Gray -- Chacocente, Nicaragua
Tim Gray -- Chacocente, Nicaragua

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Sunday Nights Thoughts about IT

What am I thinking?
-- Building a building is tough. Some of our neighbors don't like us much. In a way, I don't blame them. They had a nature preserve with beautiful deer and wild turkey coming up and eating in their yards. I hope that they will have a realization that we are a positive factor for our community and for the Kingdom of God. We need to pray that God heals hearts there. We did not try to hurt these folks, but they are feeling that way right now. We need to keep reaching out to them. Keep loving them. Christ's love will prevail.
-- Two major stumbling blocks to completion. We must run 3-phase electricity to the facility. That is a difficult (possibly expensive) process. Please pray. Also, the heating and cooling has been a difficult matter. Looks like we are close to a solution there. Please pray.
-- Now on to stuff that matters. One reason that completion of the building is so crucial is that there must have been 100 children under 10 years old in the two services today. And they were VERY well behaved. I did not notice them at all as I preached. But it is time for them to have their own space so that they can develop their relationship with God.
-- More stuff that really matters. God has been unbelievably clear with His teachings through this study of Luke. He is teaching us the true Gospel -- the Gospel that takes our heart by storm. I hope that our people are really hopeful because that is what the tough teaching from Scripture really provides -- HOPE. I think that some of the sugar-coating that goes on out there provides some false hope. The Word is amazing because I am seeing people who look more like Jesus all the time. I can't wait to hear from Ben on Luke 15.
-- I had fun today. I feel comfortable that I am not a Pharisee. My heart cries out for all of the folks who are living some moralistic outer shell "Christian" experience, but it is just plain fun to watch God truly change hearts
-- I love Jesus. I love leading in His Kingdom. I want to follow Him.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Making Christ-Centered Disciples

I asked my cell family last night what they thought as they heard the Ephesians 5 commands to husbands and wives. Here is the response from one of the members:
"Christ surely died for the church as I would for my wife. Sometimes it is a lot harder to live for my wife than to die for her. Christ did so much for us with his life as he did with his death. In my opinion.what he didnt do was lie, cheat, hide from or abuse the church. I haven't read a thing he did for himself. At age 12 he sought his father's will. Loving my wife as he did the church is a tall order. I can love her more than just dying for her; I will love her with my life and honor our God. I will try to love my wife as Christ loves the church."
I think they are getting it!

That is so honest to admit that sometimes it is easier to die for someone that to live for them. Interesting stuff!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Satire in the Church

In their drama at our Worship Celebration last Sunday, Mike and Tammy Bracken introduced us to the folly of our marriage relationships using satire. The definition of satire is "a literary work in which vices, follies, etc. are held up to ridicule and contempt." In other words, like with any figurative language, a person who saw that drama should not take any particular thing done or said too serious except the overall theme that we are really dumb in the ways that we handle our interpersonal relationships in marriage.

In Tammy's script we have no problem seeing the satire in Mike saying that she had never been in the kitchen in seven years (I am sure that she snuck in there a little), or that he had NO idea what a submissive wife looked like. But when the satire turned to 'running to a beer cooler' or 'where to stick a thermometer,' we want to jump back into the literal world and think that maybe they should not have said that. The WHOLE thing was satire and so no one should think that Mike and Tammy or The Bridge support drinking beer in excess or using thermometers as weapons in a marital dispute. NOTHING in that skit was meant to be taken seriously because it was ALL satire. The question is, "Were we irreverent?"

In the midst of creative fun that has a point, we have to be very careful not to disrespect God. God is to be revered; He is to be 'set apart.' We are to be "Holy as He is Holy." The Bridge will never take lightly how serious God is about His Kingdom. The question is, "Did the satire cross the line into disrespect?" If so, we humbly apologize. That was never the intent.

The use of figurative language is always a little dicey. Jesus used it a lot. I cannot tell you how many bad sermons I have heard trying to explain the "camel through the eye of that needle" because the preacher did not understand Jesus' use of figurative language. He directly meant through his hyperbole (exaggeration) that it is impossible for a rich man to set aside his wealth and give a full commitment to Christ to get into heaven. However, at the same time, he shows that it is hugely possible for the rich man to get into heaven because with God all things are possible. These preachers who over exegete that text are really struggling with Jesus use of figurative language. Ken Davis goes so far as to think that the disciples roared with laughter because they understood his hyperbole and his point and probably thought the image of that camel was very funny.
One could make an argument that satire has no place in the church because a "little one" might not get the figurative language and think that The Bridge supports drinking, etc. They just don't understand the satire. That could be a valid argument, but where does that stop? Do the drums whose beat create "sexual passions" come out next? Some think so.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

IT Thoughts on Biblical Submission

Five Biblical Principles Concerning Wife's Submission from The Excellent Wife by Marcia Peace

1. A wife is to be submissive to her husband in all things unless her husband asks her to sin.
2. A submissive wife is not afraid to do the "right thing."
3. A wife is to be submissive even if her husband is not a Christian. Editor's note: See #1.
4. A submissive wife does not dishonor the Word of God.
5. A wise wife will seek training and counsel on submission from a godly older woman.

Examples of #1 (must respectfully disobey due to asking wife to sin):
"I forbid you to go to church."
"I forbid you to talk to the children about God."
"I want you to participate in immorality / pornography."
"I forbid you to reprove me."
"Do not tell anyone about my sin. I want you to lie for me."

Comments on #3 as promised:
"When a Christian woman is married to an unbeliever, her responsibility is to live a godly life and respond to her husband with respect. Her attitude should be one of being for him and not against him."
"Sometimes, a wife with an unsaved husband is miserable and frustrated because she may have an idolatrous view of what she thinks her marriage should be like. she might say to herself, 'I'll never be happy unless he becomes a Christian.' Her frustration may be the result of not getting what she wants. Instead of being frustrated, her heart's devotion should turn from her idol of wanting a Christian marriage to devotion of the Lord Jesus Christ in worshipping and serving Him. He alone knows if, when, and how her husband will become a Christian."

Tim's Comments: I usually counsel that there is relatively little chance that an unbelieving husband will call on the Lord by his wife bashing him or trying to coerce him into becoming a follower. However, she can play a huge role in leading him to the Lord by allowing her transformed godliness love him and nurture him well. We must remember that love includes loving Biblical rebukes, but smashing the husband's face with a Bible only makes him bleed while his soul is in danger. The wife should graciously prioritize her schedule to go places with him and his friends. However, she should always draw the line at participating in any personal sin. Even this should be done with respect. The Bible is clear that our love to our unbelieving spouse is a key to them possibly repenting and believing the Gospel. Obviously, basically these same principles are true for a husband that has unbelieving wife.

Maybe later this week, we will provide some tough teaching for the husband from The Complete Husband.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Christ Centered

The Reveal study was all about trying to figure out what creates Christ centered people. I think the #1 flaw around the American church is that after conversion, most churches teach and believe that it takes a long time for someone to become Christ centered. This may be a matter of semantics because , at The Bridge, we define a Christ centered person as someone who has placed their full faith and trust in Christ or is WILLING to do whatever Christ asks of him/her. They have truly repented (turned from their wicked, selfish ways and are seeking God with all they have). This person may not know where to find the book of John in the Bible yet, but when they find it, they will be obedient to God's teaching. The Christ centered person may fail a lot, not know everything, and may not be ready to teach, but are failing less, are teachable, and willing to mature quickly toward high levels of service.

The Bible does not allow for two calls on our life -- one for salvation, and then a later call to be a Christ follower (which I see as synonymous with Christ centered). There is one call -- to repent and believe the Gospel and to drop our nets of self-centeredness and follow Him. Then, the repentant, teachable man or woman sets out on becoming more like Christ day after day -- open to God's incredible transforming Spirit and working very hard on their own to study, learn, and serve. Admirers of Christ do not mature because they have not yet been cut to the heart. Followers of Christ (disciples) mature because they are working on Christ's agenda and not their own.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Willow Creek Plans


Okay! I am officially a little nervous about speaking at Reveal. My section is a part of a 45 minute interview format that two other pastors (one from Pennsylvania and one from New Jersey) and I will speaking about how we grow Christ-centered disciples by going out and BEING the church instead of people coming to church. In other words, we give the church leadership away as every member becomes both a minister (a priest) and a missionary. I am the middle section of the interview and mine is the longest (these folks cannot believe how our cell families function as small churches). Mine being the longest is not necessarily good because we do not have any notes with us, and I am getting old and cannot remember long sequences of thought anymore. I am excited though because I get to mention the magnificent Gospel of Jesus Christ to thousands of people. Surely I won't mess that up! They get a kick out the fact that we have twice as many people come to church as live the little town that our church sits in. We are the only portable church that was selected also -- the only church dumping beer and cleaning just so we can have church.

It has been fabulous interacting with the tremendous staff at Willow Creek and these other 12 pastors are unbelievable. What creativity -- what passion for God and His Word. I have learned a lot from just all the preparations to go. All of the churches have had to work as a team -- what a novel idea -- the church functioning as a team. I do hope that I remember that one crucial thought that I have had is that I have noticed recently different cell families working well with each other to accomplish taking care of people in need. If you understand how our church functions, that is like different churches coming together to help someone. That is a model for what Christ wants to see in ALL churches. This territorial crap has to stop.

Our team that will be attending is up to 8 as Milford and Nancy Gibbs have decided to join us on the trip. They will join pastors Steve Tousseau of Community Covenant and Kendall Hughes of First Church of God in Leadwood (both of them serve on our oversight team), Kim Massey, teaching pastor Ben Durbin, and of course Kelley.
If you would like to pray for me, I will speaking at 11:00 on Wednesday in the Big Auditorium at WC. I sure would appreciate it because this is quite an honor, and I am not sure if this washed-up ball coach is up to the task. What is really exciting is that I get to talk about the fine folks of The Bridge and the great job they are doing at following King Jesus. That is what people want to hear about.

The picture above is at Catalyst today. It shows our fine young leadership on the couches of the front row getting ready to worship with Steve Fee and hear from Andy Stanley, Steven Furtick, and Craig Groecshel. Good stuff!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Thoughts on a Friday Morning

Sorry that I have not blogged in a few days, but I have been rewriting all of the church documents and getting them approved by the our Board of Elders, rewriting all of our membership classes, and writing our Board of Elder and Pastor Ordination interview questions. That may not sound like a lot of fun to you, but I have really enjoyed it as it has afforded a lot of time in the Bible (since we can do nothing that does not have Biblical warrant), and a lot of time thinking about the best ways to help our people to Believe IT, Grow IT, Send IT. I recommend to all of you church leaders out there to periodically look at your documents, your trainings, your vision statements and see if they are current with what God wants you focused on. We have changed our website, so you can easily see a lot of the updates at www.bridgelife360.com.

Ben and I have been wrestling with something for quite a while now. We know that to truly help change our community, to truly be salt and light, to truly wipe out some of the pressing issues, we need a strong working relationships with other churches. We have that with 3 or 4, but there are 118 in the county. We want to partner with them, but we don't think that they have a high view of us. We need for you to pray that the hearts of the pastors and leadership will have their heart softened toward working together to really impact St. Francois County for Christ.

We know that we are brash and bold with our vision, but that does not mean that we have not approached our assigned task without humility. The Apostle Paul was successful in spreading the Gospel because he was powerful in the Holy Spirit while he was personally humble. I am asking the Lord to make sure that we have that combination right because our church can only make a dent in the serious problems of our community, but many churches together can win the county for Christ. That is all we want to see happen.

We had a tremendous cell family meeting last night. There were lots of laughs and lots of Bible moments. There is nothing like authentic community. So authentic that I got flipped off by a church member last night. Wow!

Monday, September 22, 2008

It's All Because of Jesus

I have to be really careful in the upcoming weeks. There are so many exciting things coming up that I am dizzy. The Bridge just this month will kicking off the Great Adventure Project at the Community Supervision Center, our 22,000 square foot building will rise into the skies, and I will have the opportunity to tell the world about the discipleship of our church to thousands of church leaders at the Reveal Conference in Chicago. Wow! Plus God has brought us literally a hundred new folks in the last few weeks to get to know, tell about the Gospel, and start helping them grow in their faith.

As exciting as all of that sounds, I have to be careful. I must continue to seek the Lord while He may be found, to focus on His word, and to remember that while I was yet a sinner, the spotless lamb out of sheer love took my sin and bore it for me. I must remember to abide in His presence. I must remember that I have been loved and are loved to degrees that I cannot even begin to understand. I must remember that my response must be one of humble obedience and a passionate return love. I must remember to love others. I must remember that all of the above excitement is caused by Jesus and is about Jesus.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Colossians 1:15-23

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Lance Smith from Sunday

I thought that God showed up in a big way through Lance Smith on Sunday. He had some of the best lines I have ever heard in a sermon such as:
"They are subject to a Kingdom that they cannot see, and
they serve a King that they do not know."

and

"It is good thing that Moses and God never got mad at the Israelites on the same day."
Moses would get mad at them and step aside and say, "Go ahead God, they are maddening -- smoke em." God said, "No, no Moses." On other days, God would ask Moses to get out of the way because he was going to wipe them out due to His frustration with them and start over, and Moses would say, "Please no Lord, our enemies will scoff." Good thing that they were never mad on the same day.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

IT at The Bridge -- Laser Focus & Community

In Chapter 4 of IT, Craig Groeschel says that IT churches are focused on a “limited set of targets.” IT churches do not try and do everything – they have laser focus. They know what they are called to do, and they go after IT with tremendous vigor. God blesses faithful churches with IT – “His mysteriously awesome presence, power, and peace."
He then talks about the dangers of ministries losing IT because they get arrogant and focus on something (too many things) other than what God is blessing. Sometimes that happens. Leaders figure that if God blessed the small focus, surely He will bless a bunch of new ministries. They get distracted and IT slips away. We will have to make sure that we do not attempt to do everything. In Luke 10, Martha is trying to do everything when Jesus visited. Jesus rebuked her for being worried about everything. Mary had laser focus and that was what Jesus was looking for. If our church is interested in not having IT, we will take on everything.

At The Bridge we will always only have five ministries: 1) hopefully, the best Sunday morning worship CELEBRATION around, 2) hopefully, the best children’s ministry around (Bridge Kids), 3) hopefully, the best youth ministry around, 4) a CELL ministry that creates disciples, 5) a GAP ministry that fills needs in two international ministries and our target ministry in the local area. That is it; that is our laser focus. There are hundreds of other ministries that have validity, and some of our cell families may become involved in them on the side, but as The Bridge, those are the five that we will attempt to do very well for the glory of God. We will help other churches start men’s ministries, women’s ministries, singles ministries, car ministries, etc., but those five are all that we will ever sink money and staff into. The clearer our vision becomes, it is easier to guard what God calls us to do. To be great at a few things and experience IT, we will have to say ‘no’ to many quality things.

Ministries that have IT, enjoy IT together. There is an unmistakable camaraderie. If the leaders do not have IT, IT will have to be faked. Friendships matter. Staffs need to enjoy each others company and be committed to each other and trust each other. They must be friends. They cannot just put up with each other. Cells must get close and trust each other. Laughter is huge! Staffs and cells with IT love each other. They do life together. Are you meeting with people that you are doing life and ministry together with in social settings? You should go shopping together, to sporting events together, to trainings together. The development of team IT takes time. Craig suggests that you should give refrigerator rights. That means someone can walk in your house and eat out of your refrigerator without asking. Teams from other walks of life should envy our refrigerator rights. Doing life like this creates IT.
There is a problem because America wants to be independent. People do not think that they want to be interdependent. There is no IT in independence. God intended for us to rely on Him and to rely on each other. Not doing either kills IT. Read Ephesians 2:19-21 and see what it says about our interdependence. Read it in the New Living Translation – what does that say to you?
You cannot experience IT alone.
God wants you to share IT.
You will experience IT best when you live out authentic community with God’s people.

Some staffs and some CELLS have IT. When staff members only focus on their particular area of ministry, they kill IT. When a cell family ignores the other members of its cell or worse yet all of the needs of the other cells, they kill IT. Read 1 Corinthians 12 and see what God says about interdependence.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Saturday IT Thoughts

This has been quite a week as our excavation for the new Sprung building has really taken shape over the last few days, and I am really excited to hear Lance Smith speak from God's Word over SEND IT and the Suppan Suwaan church in Thailand tomorrow. We finished up a very spiritual, Biblical set of Elder interviews this week with our current Board of The Bridge. I am extraordinarily impressed with how far these people have come in their discipleship with Christ in the past three years.

Then, on Wednesday night, I attended (with the Board, Jon Bird, and Murphy Thomas) the debate between Christopher Hitchens and Danesh de Souza at Powell Symphony Hall on the existence of God (God on Trial). The crowd was split rather evenly and Hitchens was a superb villain as he is passionate about his distaste for Christianity and all that it entails. Danesh was brilliant and witty, but the evening was not a stunning knockout. The secular humanists that were present to support the atheist Hitchens are deep into "for although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images...Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not be done. They have been filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity" Romans 1:21,22,28,29). There was very dark thinking present in the room, but Danesh shined some light through the darkness with the true Gospel. Hitchens main attacks came against some of the historical failures of the Catholic church which have some validity, but these failures do not hold the true Church in contempt. Danesh is Catholic, and he is obviously one of the Catholic church's successes. I did find myself appreciating Hitchens though because at least with him we know what we are dealing with. He is very outspoken in his opposition to the true Gospel of Christ. Many of these midwestern chair 3 Bible-belters who think that they are in the Kingdom make making disciples quite difficult. The secular-humanist's rejection of the Gospel is angry and misguided, but at least it is overt and honest. It was really interesting to see liquor served by PSH at this event and many delving deep into it before the debate began. There were many of the seculars drinking heavily (and probably some closet-Baptists pretending to be atheist - HA) before the debate. The atmosphere was tense and spiritual warfare was thick, but I do not think the presence of IT was recognized except by those who came with IT. However, the Gospel was presented and IT never comes back void, so who knows.

Secular-humanists can recognize IT when there is time to develop a relationship. Kelley, Justin, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Isaac Grimm's blog last night as he described how he and his travel partner (the beautiful Melissa Sandoval) perceived their encounter with our Chacocente team. Isaac is a magnificent writer, so I suggest that you take your time and read his blog on their trip experience where they ran into the "Missourians." Isaac's Blog on Chacocente.
Isaac's Blog on Bridge Medical Clinics. Isaac & Melissa were blatant secular-humanists from the east coast who outwardly denied the Bible as truth when we first meant, but who knows what effects IT has had on them now.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

IT Stuff from Craig Groeschel -- 2

Craig cut to the chase by giving the best explanation that he could, IT is what God does through a rare combination of these qualities found in his people:
 Passion for His presence
 A deep craving to reach the lost
 Sincere integrity
 Spirit-filled faith
 Down-to-earth humility
 Brokenness
Wow! Did you see yourself in there?

In Chapter 4, Craig discusses how foolish it would be for a church to have no vision. “Without a God-given vision, our ministries will never have IT.” It is exhausting to serve in a vision-less church. People are busy, but no IT business ever gets done. MINISTRIES THAT HAVE IT ALWAYS HAVE A CLEAR VISION. The people know the vision, believe the vision, and live the vision. Has our church clearly defined our vision?

Craig proposes that there are three levels of vision buy-in:
1. The people believe in the vision enough to benefit from it. Consumer mentality. People come to church because they like it. Church is for the people.
2. The people believe in the vision enough to contribute comfortably. People will contribute as long as it is easy. Happy to help if it does not interfere with their other priorities.
3. The people believe in the vision enough to give their lives to it. These people realize their lives are not their own. They belong to Jesus. They understand that they are a part of greatest cause on earth.
There is no IT in #’s 1 & 2, but IT flourishes in #3. The cause of Christ is the greatest cause on earth.

So now we have chair 1, soil 4, and vision 3. That is where you want to be!!!!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

IT Stuff from Craig Groeschel -- 1

Craig Groeschel says in Chapter 1 of his book, IT, that IT is caused by off the charts excitement about Jesus. When they started their church, LifeChurch.tv, the initial meetings were held in a garage with 75 green felt-back chairs, a closet for their children’s ministry (they would bring the kids out of the closet at some point in the service), an overhead projector, and a guy named Jerome that changed the transparencies that only had three fingers on one hand due to a drug deal gone bad. The whole production was lit with a floodlight purchased from the local hardware store for $19.95. However, they had IT, and so new people came by the dozens because they were attracted to IT, followed by hundreds, followed by thousands. That is a similar story to what we have experienced at The Bridge. At this point, from what you have heard about IT, and what has happened to IT at The Bridge, what do you think IT is?
Craig also talked about that IT sometimes seems to be random even among their own organization at their church. They have 13 campuses at LifeChurch.tv and there appeared to be explosive IT at times among some of their campuses. During the last year, all of their campuses experienced explosive growth and discipleship except one – the one that he taught at live. There seemed to be a randomness and an ebb and flow to IT. He pointed out that the good news is that: if you don’t have IT, you can GET IT, and If you have IT, you can lose IT. The former-Baptists can relax; he is not talking about salvation. There are saved people who at times appear not to have IT.

C.S. Lewis said, “The perfect church would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.” It appears that some churches that have magnificent facilities, a lot of money, and every advantage do not have IT. Sometimes when we visit churches we feel like we are not dressed in the right clothes or whether we even qualify to receive a bulletin. There may be a lot of people there, but when we leave, we never experience IT. Sometimes the beautiful cathedral churches don’t have IT, but some small poorly lit, poorly equipped churches like Pastor Pedro’s in Nicaragua have huge IT. New, excited believers die if they stay in these places. Craig tells the story of the first time he experienced IT as a new believer. It was at a Bible study / prayer meeting at college that was simply built around an electric excitement about the majesty of Christ and the power of the Gospel. He, then, attended his first church with IT. The people were warm and ECSTATIC to express what was in their hearts. The preacher almost actually glowed; his words from scripture pierced hearts. This church had Craig at , ‘hello.’ They had IT. He wanted IT. He needed IT. And he got IT.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Paying Staff Well

Just wanted to remind folks at The Bridge that we are in this thing for the long haul. Our goal has always been to create a Biblical community where long term relationships are essential as people learn how to love God and love other people. As I look around the country (and I do look), the best churches at getting this done keep their top staff people in tact for a long period of time. Matt Chandler is going to stay at The Village in the Dallas area for a long time (http://www.thevillagechurch.net/), Steven Furtick is committed long term to Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC (http://www.elevationchurch.org/), and I am in this for the duration at The Bridge. There are hundreds of others and it is important to note that these pastors are not in this to move to a bigger and better church. They believe that God has called them to revolutionize the communities that they planted churches in. These churches need to pay their senior leadership well enough that there should never be a day when that pastor is sweating how he is going to pay his bills. You might be interested in this article that shows the average amount that is paid for quality church leadership: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080819/church-pastors-pay-rises-to-more-than-80-000.htm.
While it is true that I have so far never accepted a nickel in salary so that we could get this church up and running with all of the ministries needed to deliver the Great Commission to St. Francois County, there may be a day when I will need to. But even if we are not talking about me, we must pay our God-supplied quality staff well enough to let them know that we want them here long term for long term growth and relationships. All of the leaders at the best churches in America share that philosophy. I can assure you that none of the current leadership at The Bridge is in this for the money, so we need to be diligent and take care of those who have been called to lead God's flock. We need to tithe faithfully and then be cutting edge in taking care of a quality staff. It is sure sign of a church that does not have IT for the membership to be constantly moaning about what any particular staff member makes when the people who set such things are doing so by Biblical and God-centered selfless attitudes. Our church has not done that, but we are going to have to up the ante here someday soon from a fledgling church plant to an established Kingdom factor in all areas including this one.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Reflection

I was just thinking back to this time last year when God was really pushing us to set aside our personal agendas and serve others. Think about all of the amazing things that God has done through his servants since then. Remember Bridging Back where we took an entire week's offering and gave it away to our attenders just to give it away to people in need. Remember Advent Conspiracy where our attenders spent less on Christmas presents and focused more on Christ, then gave thousands of dollars to Project Chacocente. There have been dozens of electric bills paid, cars fixed, jobs found, prayers for healing lifted, and many other random acts of kindness here locally thru GAP. Then, 25 people put together enough money over and above their tithe and building gifts to travel to Chacocente, Nicaragua to serve some people in need that they had never met. We will have relationship with these people for the rest of our lives; they are siblings in Christ. Now, our big focus is to sacrificially give of our time and money to build a spiritual epicenter for our county, our Sprung building. People have already sacrificially given enough to buy 10 acres of prime land on the 67 corridor. Our epicenter will be located 11 minutes from every corner of St. Francois County and will be the perfect location to go and "feed the hungry, give cups of cold water, heal the sick, visit the prisoner, provide shelter to the homeless" -- all of the things that Christ commands in the Great Adventure of Matthew 25. It looks like the start date for construction will be October 1.

I believe that we are the quintessential missional church. Our Great Adventure Project that is about to get off of the ground in a big way (it has already been responsible for all of the above ministry) is going to be a model for the evangelical church world. God asks us to risk big for His sake, and so we are going to keep pushing the bar of risk to fulfill the mission that He has challenged us with in the Great Commission.

Matt's Poems

My cell family is very diverse. We range from 83-year-old widows to 28-year-old ex-cons. We have married people, divorced people, joyful people, and downtrodden people. We have very spiritually mature and some that are not even sure about the existence of God. We have carpenters, pastors, social workers, welders, teachers, housewives, and folks retired from careers but not from the church.

Matt Phillips is one of this magnificent group of people. He went to prison when he was in the military and he wrote some poetry while he was there. I thought you might enjoy reading his work.

"His Hands"

In His hands,
Is a place of protection
to take away our fears.
A place of comfort
to wipe away our tears.

With His hands,
He provides us strength
to carry us through.
He gives us guidance
in all the things we do.

By His hands,
He created every thing
from His throne above.
He was nailed to the cross
to show us His great love.

His hands,
Redeemed us from the grave
and gives us eternal life.
Cleanses us with His blood
and makes us snow white.


"What I Went Through"

In my home town you rejected me,
My brothers were ashamed.
You tried to confine me
Claiming I was insane.

I did the works of my Father
Before your very eyes,
Yet you called it blasphemy
And thought I told lies.

I was chased from your towns.
My head, it was sought.
You wanted to imprison me
For the Word that I taught.

With a kiss on the cheek
You turned me over to the guards.
Thirty silver coins,
You claimed as a reward.

I was cursed at and spitted on
Sentenced by my own children.
Flogged many times by the whip
My body was stricken.

My hands and my feet,
To the cross were nailed.
While you laughed and joked,
Mocked me and yelled.

Crown of thorns on my head,
Blood soaking in my hair.
My chest was collapsing
While I gasped for some air.

Broken, battered, and bruised.
One step away from death.
I slowly closed my eyes
And took one last breath.

My love was much stronger
Than the pain I went through,
But the choice was all mine,
And I did it For you!

Matthew Phillips

Monday, August 11, 2008

Loved

I feel extraordinarily loved by our Father today. I always know that He loves me, and I always sense His presence. His love is overflowing today.

I sat with a man last night that needs God's love very badly. He has made a wreck of his life with a series of bad decisions. The Good News is that Jesus Christ can wipe away that past and make him a new creation in a split second. I pray that God's grace and mercy fall on this man today.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Debit Card Machines in the Church

OK. I am wrestling around with something weird today. That happens to weird people, I guess. I just read an article that 40% of the group of people that tend to come to The Bridge are headed to never using cash or writing a check in their daily lives. They basically will do everything online electronically. So, I am starting the conversation with our staff about putting a debit card machine in the welcome area of the new facility. This is a risky adventure because it is so cutting edge, but the study thinks that churches that do not provide this option may be costing themselves as much as 30% in their giving, and that number is going to skyrocket as checks and cash become more antiquated.
Since we do so much training thru the Treasure Principle and Crown to have people either destroying their credit cards or being ultimately disciplined with them, I am torn in my feelings about this issue. If we think and pray very carefully about this though, could our extensive training actually allow us to do this? Offering envelopes were a very controversial new tool in the 1890's, and I think that we will look back on this 30 years from now and laugh that we ever hestitated to do it. We are a cutting edge church that teaches strong Biblical concepts and that includes our worshipful giving to God. Could it not be just as worshipful to swipe a card as write a check? What is the difference really?
My sister gets criticism from her pastor about giving her tithe from her online banking account. She tells him that since we are commanded to give a certain percentage of gross income to the local church that this process helps her in the spiritual discipline and worship to do so. He is struggling not seeing the gift hit the gold plate that they pass, but why could it not be just worshipful to click a mouse as it is to write a check and plate it? Interesting question.
There is also the danger that the general public will be suspicious that we are only interested in people's money, but if they hang around and give us a little chance they will see that is quite honestly a ridiculous notion.
We will not be putting them on the ends of our rows of chairs or on the altar, but I am feeling like this probably needs to happen. Please pray about it, and let's talk real soon about what you hear from God. The WCA will put the $1500 technology in for us free, so there is no investment. I think that this is probably going to happen and it will feel strange for a little while, but then it will feel just like the envelopes that we no longer think anything about.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Thoughts on our Staff Change at The Bridge

Hey Everyone!

Just got back into the good ole USA from a tremendous time of service, worship, and renewal with many of God’s children in Chacocente, Nicaragua! I am forever a changed man from our experiences there and you will be hearing about that for quite some time. Keep in mind as you read these things that I am writing from the perspective that our lives are rather easy. By contrast, some children woke up this morning living on a three square mile dump breathing smoke from a living hell – an actual physical hell. I now have seen them, touched them. Most of them are content to be there, so I would be a little selfish to think my problems are really that bad.

Life, obviously, went on here at The Bridge while our delegation was down there. We knew that there was a chance that Alan Berry would accept a position at another church while we were gone, but the stark reality of the news was still full of emotion for me as I am sure it was for you. Alan and his entire family have been crucial in not only the birth of The Bridge, but in my personal spiritual development. Here are some personal highlights that will be forever etched in my mind:
1. Alan & Marilyn were some of the original 12 or so who felt called to get the church started. It is no small thing to set aside our lives and commit to such a large task.
2. Alan baptized my son, Justin. That will never be forgotten.
3. Alan preached such eloquent words as we buried my father. That will never be forgotten.
4. Alan, Marilyn, and Abbi were fantastic in their love and care in the moments after Lester’s death. Alan led the singing of “How Great Thou Art” as Dad entered heaven. That will never be forgotten.
5. Alan is a better preacher when asleep than I am on my best day. I learned a lot about how to be a pastor from him. Those lessons will not be forgotten.
6. Alan & Marilyn are very special to me. Their children are also very special. My family spent many unforgettable moments with them. Abbi is one of the brightest, classiest young ladies that I have ever met. Alana Grace has some of the funniest lines that I have ever heard, and her moment of concluding the song “Slow Fade” before the 4 chairs talk is forever etched in my memory. And everyone knows that I have a special affinity for Boone. I hope to still be able to bring a “big ole truck” over and pick him up for rides around town. Who can forget Boone coming on stage in the first ever Bridge celebration service as the “guest preacher”? I think he was only 4 years old at the time.

Not long ago, apparently Alan began feeling a call to return to Memorial Church to continue his ministry to the Lord. He sought a position there, applied for it, and when the leadership there offered a position, he accepted it. None of that would have happened without God allowing it. The only action that the Board of Elders at The Bridge took was to accept the change in employment immediately upon it happening. That move changed the timetable by only about four days. I can assure you of this – the leadership at The Bridge is in complete unity on mission and vision and has never acted in the last months without unanimous consensus including our decision last week.

Now, we all have a choice of how we react to this difficult situation. I, personally, am choosing to not react with any bitter thinking; instead I am choosing to spend my time praying that Alan & Marilyn be very blessed in their new ministries. They are two of the most talented people that I have ever met in my life and can do great things to bring glory to God, so I support them in doing so.

The last nine months have been very difficult. The leadership of the church was never interested in being secretive about the work that went on to get the ship righted and headed in a focused direction, but some shield was necessary and Biblical to avoid gossip and to allow each of you to serve the Lord undistracted. Until about three weeks ago, I really believed that God was going to straighten this thing out, and so we have been very careful not to talk too much about it since we believed that complete reconciliation was the course. I admit to losing hope a couple of weeks ago. However, I can assure you of two things about the leadership of The Bridge through this entire thing – mistakes may have been made along the way, but every moment was covered in submitted prayer and the Bible was never set aside as we approached each new day.

Let’s look at some Bible to see that there is Biblical precedence for what has happened here. In the 15th Chapter of Acts, Paul and Barnabas are preparing for the second missionary journey and here is the account of what happened:

“36Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

Paul and Barnabas were both pillars of the new, young church. They were both submitted, Godly men. They had a disagreement and parted company. God blessed both ministries and I BELIEVE THAT BOTH MEN PRAYED FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE OTHER’S MINISTRY. There was not bitterness and strife or the Lord would not have blessed both ministries after the parting. If you read right before this passage, Paul and Barnabas worked side by side to create a tremendous movement in the church, so everything that has happened so far at The Bridge has been real. It has not been in vain. God has shown us that these things happen, and he turns these types of situation into lessons in His Glory. Here is the commentary on this passage from the Life Application Bible:
“Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply over Mark. Paul did not want to take him along because he had left them earlier. The disagreement caused the two great preachers to form two teams, opening up two missionary endeavors instead of one. God works even through conflict and disagreements. Later, Mark became vital to Paul’s ministry (Colossians 4:10). Christians do not always agree, but problems can be solved by agreeing to disagree and letting God work his will.”

I think that is Godly advice for our day.

I will be happy to come and answer any questions that you may have either as an individual family or your entire cell family. You have access to me 24 hours a day 7 days a week as we work through this. Please use the access.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Taking Up Cross Daily

How about this daily sacrifice?
A visitor to our church this morning felt moved by the Holy Spirit to go on the mission trip. At that moment, we were less than 24 hours from departure for Chacocente, Nicaragua. God has made this happen. He is actually going!! Are you kidding me?

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tomatoes

Kinda ironic that I used garden tomatoes as an illustration last Sunday in the sermon. I just went by and picked a couple of tomatoes that Dad planted before he died. Somehow, he is bearing fruit even after he has gone. Just had them for lunch; fresh tomatoes never tasted so good.
Just a side note, we took a little trip down to see Justin who is doing an apprenticeship on car body and engine work this summer. We discovered that Dad owned a whole bunch of cars that we did not even know about. Funny stuff. Now we have to find titles for them. HA!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Weekend to Remember

There are just THOSE weekends. I witnessed a lot of people connect with God in a fresh way this weekend. Men at the Cross was really powerful and a lot of confirmation about the direction and vision of our church. Every talk emphasized the fact that true belief in Christ and our call to discipleship happen simultaneously and that every person in the Kingdom should simultaneously be a Paul (mentor) and a Timothy (mentee -- is that a word?). You know what I mean.

Here is how we talk about discipleship on our "What We Believe" document that you can find on our website at www.bridgelife360.com:
We believe …that there are not two experiences in our Christian life – a call to salvation and later a call to discipleship. Jesus said, “Throw down your nets and follow me” to the original disciples and he makes the same request today to every believer. The call to believe and to committed discipleship occur simultaneously; therefore, “The Bridge” promotes a high commitment to the five purposes of the church (connect, grow, serve, share, & worship) as revealed in our 3 C’s (Cell, Celebrate, and Contribute). The Bridge does not expect perfection, just a willingness to commit to a powerful Spirit-driven life.

We saw a lot of men (some from The Bridge) acknowledge this call to discipleship and mentoring (two of the top focal points of The Bridge).

Then, I don't know what happened yesterday in our Celebration service at The Bridge. The word fell among some fertile soil, I believe. I saw people become transformed right before my eyes. It was powerful. God is demanding, but He is worth the cost. Write and tell me some of your journal entries from the sermon and the worship of our Lord through song. It was a blast! BEAUTIFUL JESUS!!!!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Quandary

Got caught in a quandary on Sunday while preaching the Gospel. I have always wanted our children to be present in our church service so that they learn how to worship and how to respect God, but I used some language that probably was a little hard for parents to explain why I used it. I am sure that these children are not allowed to use it around the house, so now they may be confused as to how I can use it from the pulpit. The choice of language was effective for making my point; however, I may have caused a little one to stumble (hoping that the millstone will not fit over my fat head). That is a quandary -- one that probably deserved some more prayer in advance.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Disciplined Man & Woman

"The undisciplined man or woman has no compelling voice with people!"
Shawn Lovejoy

It is very important for chair 1 followers of Christ to be disciplined in all areas of their lives. This includes our physical health and appearance. When we are in shape, we have more energy to serve the Lord and His people, we will be able to serve Him longer, and we will have more voice with people. Meg Reiner and I have had lots of requests for us to share our food lifestyle changes that we have developed. I have some heart disease and she is hypoglycemic, so we have motivation to be disciplined in our food approach. Her diet is a little more strict than mine on choice of meats, and mine is a little more strict on saturated fat, but they are very similar. I just decided that I would print what I basically do, so that you could consider complete life change. This is not a two week diet. It is a complete commitment to lifestyle change. This is written to drop weight which I am no longer interested in doing, so the amount of protein and calories that I take in right now is higher than what you are about to read.
Here we go!

Shopping List --
Grapefruit and a selection of other fruits that you like -- bananas, grapes, apples. Don't buy more than you can eat in week or so. Don't want to waste. Be careful about canned -- usually sugar.
Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter
Some type of 100% natural jelly -- like an all-fruit.
Get two different whole grain breads -- ex. sliced bread & Thomas bagels -- If it says enriched on it, put it back.
Buy a box of Talapia, chicken breasts, and a few pounds of turkey burger, and turkey bacon
Some turkey lunchmeat
Lots of salad stuff.
Fresh or canned mushrooms (anything fruit or vegatable can be used except corn and potatoes) No starch allowed.
Whole wheat pastas -- Rotini, angel hair
Tomato Sauce
Italian Seasonings
Anything that you like in spaghetti or lasagna
Fat Free Cheddar and Mozzarella (Made with skim milk)
No Fat Butter "I can't Believe its not butter" Light or a similar
Whole Wheat Flour
Eggbeaters (Big carton, this is a staple)
Log Cabin sugar free syrup
Blue Bunny Yogurt -- Completely sugar free, No LIGHT yogurt (they contain sugar)
Raw Almonds
Kashi granola bars
If you are not afraid of Splenda, get a healthy supply. If the chemicals scare you, go to Mother Earth and buy Stevia packets to do any sweetening.
Couple of gallons of skim milk.
Cheerios or some other completely whole grain (no sugar) cereal
Whole wheat tortillas are very good.
Big jug of Virgin Olive Oil
Whatever kinds of vinegar you like, I use a lot of balsamic and red wine.

7 Meals a day
1. Early Breakfast (As I call it “pre-coffee”) -- 1/2 Grapefruit
2. Big Breakfast -- Most important meal -- do not miss. Lots of options. 1. Eggbeater omelet, slice of toast, light butter spread or 2. French toast (eggbeaters & sugar free syrup) & a couple of pieces of turkey bacon. Be creative with anything off of the list. Do not miss this meal (you will overeat the rest of the day without this one). If in a hurry, bagel with peanut butter and all-fruit jelly. If you are trying to rip weight fast, watch calories. At least 30 minutes of brisk exercise 5 times a week. Little more than that to rip quickly. Be careful not to get too sore.
3. Mid morning (about 9:30 or 10:00) May have to prepare ahead of time. Options -- 10 almonds, or a sugar free yogurt, or a Kashi bar. Don't skip this.
4. Lunch -- Salad (watch salad dressings, if you like olive oil and vinegar (put a little Stevia and light salt on there and it is great) okay to put one of the above meats on the salad. Or a tortilla stuffed with any of the meats and fat free cheese. Watch chips, there are very few that are truly whole grain. Kashi makes some decent ones. I make my own chips with the whole grain tortillas. A sandwich (no mayonnaise) is fine if made off of the list. Meg and I go thru a lot of the natural peanut butter because we are not trying to lose weight. Be careful with it while you are trying to rip some pounds.
5. Mid-afternoon (very important) a bundle of grapes or a banana, or any of the snacks from the list. Nuts are really good -- just watch the calories.
6. Dinner -- decent portion anywhere off of the list. Grilled chicken breast, rotini in olive oil, asparagus. or spaghetti with whole grain pasta, turkey burger, italian seasonings, and tomato sauce, season to flavor.
Grilled fish & sides (you should not have any trouble eating small portions; you have already eaten 5 times today - HA).
No desserts -- fruits work.
7. Late evening (if you go to bed at 11:00, do this at 9. If at 10:00, at 8. Bowl of cheerios or other whole grain/no sugar cereal (skim milk). Or a banana. This will keep you from a late night binge that will shut down your metabolism.

Weight loss in this is caused by metabolism. If you cheat once (like going out to eat and just ignoring the rules), you will set the metabolism back 7 days. 7 days basically wasted.
No white sugar
No white flour (anything with the word enriched in it will kill you)
Limit salt
No starch (potatoes, or corn)
Watch saturated fat
You can have lean red meat once a week.
You want some protein and complex carbs, not simple carbs
Lots of whole grains and fruits and vegetables
Read carefully; these food people sneak in sugar and white flour. Watch things like "Made with whole grains." Lots of time, it is made with enriched white flour and there are a few whole grains thrown in. Lots of things that look good for you like cranberry juice have tons of white sugar added. Only natural juice only.

Kelley has a great lasagna recipe that qualifies under the diet. Cottage cheese is okay on the list.

Last thing -- drink lots of water. More than you ever thought that you could. Actually, just get used to having water around and sipping on it. It actually limits your hunger.
I am sure that you have lots of questions, but that will get you started.

We honor the Lord with our discipline.

This is a challenge and can actually be fun. It is a little pricey and requires thinking ahead. If you travel around at a fast pace during the day, you will have to prepare and take things with you. Quick stops at fast food can be deadly.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

The Village

Just got back from The Village -- heard Matt Chandler preach on Luke 8 and the Parable of the Sower. I am not going to be very pleasant company for a while. I am feeling a call to preach expository for a while, so this summer we will probably just start running thru some book of the Bible and watch to see if people "have ears to hear." We know that some people will be changed just like we saw them changed at The Village right before our eyes because God's Word never returns void. People were visibly broken and built back up by God's Word and then His Grace.

The Grays Do Dallas

God has pretty well taken away my desires for the luxuries of the world. I thought at one time that I deserved exquisite things because I worked hard. I know that God prospers me only to prosper the Kingdom, but once in a while it is nice to be spoiled a little. MAC has paid for my family to come to Dallas for the weekend and we are staying in an executive suite at the Anatole Hotel (where President Bush stays when he comes to town); we are here for the national athletic director's conference. I am currently enjoying a fantastic cup of coffee in the executive lounge on the 25th floor overlooking downtown Dallas. All of the food and drink in this lounge is comped and the view and amenities are unbelievable. I am looking at the Belmont Stakes on the biggest tv I have ever seen while sitting on a plush leather couch. I would never take money away from feeding the less fortunate or from our building fund to do this, but if you don't mind, I am going to enjoy the moment -- as a matter of fact I will God praise for it. In just a few minutes, we are headed to the 5:00 service at The Village (Matt Chandler's church and I am really excited -- this 33 year old is changing the world with his hard-nosed presentation of the Gospel) and then off for some authentic Mexican food. I hope the hotel comps Tums or Rolaids as well.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Audio Blogs

One of the best things that has been going on at The Bridge is putting together these audio blogs that have been running on KFMO (AM 1240) radio each morning at 8:50 and on the church blog at http://www.thebridgechurch.blogspot.com/. I did some work on the Great Commandment and the first 4 commandments of the '10' this past week. Usually, we rotate speakers each week, but I will continue with the last 6 commandments next week.

Not sure why I want to do that. I am finding out that I break God's law too easily.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Monday Mind Dump

1. I heard that some people got up and walked out of our Celebration yesterday while Betty's video played. I have many thoughts about that. Betty was rejected by the church while she was lost and a slave to her sin. It was truly due to God's miraculous grace that she found Him in the midst of church people (small 'c'). I thought about that a lot as I worshiped with the believers at the Bonne Terre prison a couple of weeks ago. I was in the midst of murderers (according to Jesus I am one because I have been angry with my brothers), sex offenders (once again I am one since I have lusted), and many other violent criminals, and I never saw anything except fellow children of God. It did not matter to Jesus what they had done when He came to save them, and so it cannot matter to me either. Amazingly, it did not.
Great job Ben & Betty! That is what the church needs -- real, transparent, authentic. KUDOS!!!!!!!!
2. It is Memorial Day and my father was a war hero. I miss him!
3. My mentor, Yon, turned 60 yesterday. That is unbelievable! He does not look any different than when I met him 25 years ago in Bonne Terre. That means he either looked really old then, or very young now. He does not read my blog, so I will leave it at that. The food was fantastic at the party; it was a little preview of the Banquet.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Rain is Here

In my sermon today, I talked about how the storms, the rains (tough times), come to the just and the unjust. Well, the Lord did not need to send confirmation so quickly. As we were celebrating the magnificence of hope in Jesus Christ, the second member of my cell family was going home to be with God and we did not even know it. Bill Sharp has made his move to heaven -- the rain is intense.

My most important role at The Bridge is the one as a cell leader. The beauty of this family is that we get close, really close. It has been an unbelievable honor and pleasure to watch Bill go under a complete spiritual overhaul in the last year. He loved God and he made himself an open book and teachable by Scripture. This had been just absolutely fantastic. But, I am frustrated, and this hurts. Two dear men, full of love and wisdom, gone in a week. This is a storm. But our house will stand because it is built on the rock.

The Trampoline

I believe this morning was one of those visits from God that we can't afford to just slide into the recesses of our minds. Hopefully, you received the message from God with a great spirit. The basis of HOPE is peace with God, which is achieved from being made "right" with God through a submitted relationship with Jesus Christ involving a repentant heart. I really recommend that you spend time with your spouse, your mentor, and/or your cell family on what you heard and experienced today. There is a lot of victory in flushing this out more. Check out Angela Ong's comments below for further insight into idols of the heart and the trampoline. On a humorous note, Flavio (our Italian exchange student who lives a stone's throw from the Vatican) asked me last night what I was speaking on today. I told him "Hope," but he thought I said, "Pope." He proceeded to tell me in no uncertain terms that he had no interest in hearing about that. I said, "No, Hope." He thought that would be fine. HA!

Angela's thoughts:
Since the whole talk is about repentance and where that repentance should lead us, I think the most valuable question for someone to ask himself is whether they have correctly applied the Gospel to their life. If there is a lack of fruit in one's life, this question becomes foundational.

James MacDonald put it this way - "In every believer's life there are times when he glimpses just for a moment, how desperately lost he really is. During those seconds, the abundant mercy and amazing grace of our loving God dawns upon our forgetful minds. Right at that moment we understand deep within that God's grace cannot be abused or ignored. Such grace should fuel our passion to be like Him."

So if one doesn't first see their own depravity and have such a response that change is required, it sure is a sign that they have at the very least become dull to the Word, and at the worst have deceived themselves into believing they are securely saved. Without grace, and that kind of grace always produces change, they have no assurance of salvation. That's a frightening place to be.

Some questions to ask at that point would be:
Do you emphasize the love of God over the justice of God to lessen your own sense of responsibility?
Have you been cultivating a desire to hear truth about the love of God more than other biblical truths because it lessens your sense of responsibility to be holy?

For those busy about church work:
Do they stay active in church activities and ministry while they have unresolved issues they have not repented of?

From Darren Patrick's talk:
Has something or someone taken title to your heart besides Jesus Christ in your happiness, meaning and purpose?

When you are a Christian, you really want these things exposed. If you donʼt, you either are not a Christian or you have some serious sin going on.

People donʼt worship well corporately because they donʼt repent well privately. So they just come to be religious.

Please give us some response. This is some really real stuff.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

My Two Dads

Some of you wanted to see my tribute to Dad in writing, so here you go.
My Two Dads

Since my conception (not my birth), I have had two Dads.
– One of them is physical and was named Junior Lester Gray;
– the other one is spiritual and goes by many names:
– Yahweh, Jesus, Jehovah, the great “I am”, Lord, (Grandma Bessie would call Him) the Holy Ghost – the list goes on.
– As of this week, the physical one has become spirit through what we call death.
– Because that Dad had a personal relationship with the Spirit one, they are talking right now --
– And they are forming a plan for both of them to come back in their physical bodies at the Final Resurrection.
– Because Lester, my magnificent Dad knew Yahweh (the magnificent Dad) well, he now has no pain in his heart, no arthritis in his hip, no pain or tears or sorrow – actually he has not really died, just experienced a tranformation.
– He lives on to build another Chevy another day.
– Today I do not ride in a Limo as a mourner; I drive a 57 Chevy in tribute to one of the finest men to ever live.

The spiritual Dad said in the Psalms that he wove me together in depths of the earth before the beginning of time and that he knit me together in Mom’s womb and I praise him for that;
I am proud to have the blood of the physical one flowing thru my veins.
My “Creator of the Universe” Dad said that it is appropriate to thank him and sing praises to His name today on this occasion;
my “creator of a household” Dad is happy with his “well done good and faithful servant” praise that has been bestowed on him in the last few days.

Yeah, My Two Dads --
One of them commanded “Do Not Lie” – the other one hit me in the neck with a belt if I did.
One of them said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” – the other one modeled that for me everyday.
The heavenly Father told me if I trust in His son and follow his law, things will go well with my soul.
My earthly Father told me if I do right and follow His law, things will go well with my behind.
With one of them, “if I was 10 minutes early, I was late; with the other, I had to move quickly toward Him so that I was not late -- Bad deal to miss the wedding feast.
One told us to remember His broken body and shed blood when we ate bread and drank wine; the other one sweat a lot from his brow to be able to afford the bread and wine.

I think when they both walked the earth, they looked a lot like Clark Gable – for you youngsters that’s Gone With The Wind – you might want to watch it sometime.
One died and came out the grave alive so I could live, the other one was smart enough to sit on his flack jacket in WWII and keep some shrapnel out of his important parts, so I could live.
Because of his heroism there are monuments to the physical one in Washington DC and in this room;
there is a monument to the spirit of both of them in my son, Justin – who was fortunate enough to know both the Dads well.
To one I cry out “ABBA, Father” -- the creator of my soul; today I just cry because I will miss the other.

The one on earth made sacrifices his whole life so that I could have a better one.
The “famous one” made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could live forever.

Dad! As bad as I hate to see you go – I will miss you.
I know our other Dad – the Dad – is in complete charge. He is taking care of you just as you did such a fabulous job of taking care of all of us.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving my Dad so much that you sent your son to die on His behalf and mine.
Dad, you were awesome and it will be awesome to see you again on the other side –
Thank you and Farewell!

Funeral Day

This weekend is all about glorifying Christ and honoring Dad. I have a feeling that today's presentation will do both. I miss that dude already and I know that I will cry some today (probably in the middle of my comments), but I am not overwhelmed with sadness. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the midst of all this. I bet 30 people out of the hundreds that came to love us last night commented about how they were uplifted by being there. That was the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit of the Living God!

I hope that people listen closely to what is said today. Our hope is built on nothing less that Jesus' blood and righteousness!!!!!!! I love all of you who have loved my mother really well. She is going to be a little lonely but will never be alone. OK, gotta go get a couple of classic cars ready to honor Lester. Let's worship.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

How Great Thou Art!

I think we have started a new tradition at The Bridge of singing people into heaven. Yesterday, Mineral Area hospital got a dose of what St. John's got last year when Jeff Steven's went home and we sang him in with "Amazing Grace / My Chains are Gone"; well, Dad got his favorite "How Great Thou Art" as he went to be with Jesus. It brought back memories of him recovering from heart surgery during a PK event and we held the phone up so he could hear 14,000 men sing it with true worship and fervor. Dad cried in his hospital bed then, but he did not cry as the worshiping hosts of heaven joined in with the worshipers on earth for this edition. He has no more pain in his legs, back, or chest -- no more tears or sorrow. He is walking around with his mother, Bessie, and catching her up on the new grandchildren like Keegan and Kyle. Hopefully, he will remember their names -- HA! If not, I am sure Jesus will fill him in. Do you think that the angels are allowed to let him know that the Cards beat Colorado last night in his honor? Hug your kids today. Tell everyone that you love that you love them. Dad was praising God for Halle Durbin's arrival and joking about Albert Pujol's mad dash home one minute yesterday and singing with the heavenly hosts the next. He died in my arms and I will miss him. This physical life is fragile. But we have hope because of How Great Thou Truly Art.

Monday, May 5, 2008

What a Night!

Recently, I was excited when Lance Smith asked me to come and speak to his chapel service at the Bonne Terre Correctional Institute. If I had not already spoken about Christ to death row at the Potosi prison, I would have been a little nervous. I really had been looking forward to ministering to these men. Last night was the night and man, was I in for a shock. I was the one that got ministered to. I expected about 15 or 20 men and I would go in and give the 4 chair talk and they would receive some important message from God. I never anticipated almost 100 men -- and a band -- and faces of anticipation and praise -- and immediate reation to the calling of the talk to a willing life of discipleship. They did not blink an eye when I told them that a relationship with God required complete repentance and a willingness to "go anywhere, do anything, at any cost for you, my King." These men receive a lot of pressure from other inmates for their faith, but they are ready to change that section of the world. Some of them will get out and have an incredible impact on the outside world. They will be welcome at The Bridge (especially the dancing a/v/worship director, Korleone).
Their level of worship was one to be admired. I was amazed by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. I love The Bridge, but this was the best worship level I have experienced in a long time. OK, OK -- the Night of Praise was pretty awesome. What I am trying to tell you is that this was really special. There are men in our community not quite the same today -- I am one of them.

Question on Gambling

I had a question posed on the Biblical stance on gambling, so I thought that I would share my response with you. It is kind of a mind dump, so give me a break on the disorganization.

The Bible does not directly address the term gambling, so we look for Biblical principles and use our common sense that God gave us to come up with some answers.
Here was my discussion.

1. Some of the problems with recreation gambling are very similar to drinking alcohol; while not necessarily evil, it is bad stewardship of God's resources.
2. $5 on the lottery can easily become $10 and so on and so on. Easy to become addicted. Playing once a week is addiction. Addiction is idolatry and, therefore, sin.
3. Gambling in public can be a stumbling block to both believers and non-believers witnessing the act.
4. What every person really needs to analyse is why did he does it. If there is a hint of that he wanted to win and willing to put his trust in a game of chance over putting trust in Christ to take care of your needs, it is blantant sin. We all kinda work on this "I deserve for things to be easy. I deserve for things to be fun." That is false -- what we deserve is a cross and God will bless at His discretion and for His glory, not our comfort or recreation.
5. 1 Timothy 6:6-11 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

There is a lot of evidence that the griefs from verse 10 right there are well documented. Losses mount up and damage is extreme.

6. God spoke through Isaiah about the nation of Israel putting trust in fortune rather than Him. I have never looked at these comments in a large context. Here is how God dealt with the Israelites on their gambling issues and looking to Fortune as their guide in Isaiah 65:11-12 --
"But as for you who forsake the LORD
and forget my holy mountain,
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

I will destine you for the sword,
and you will all bend down for the slaughter;
for I called but you did not answer,
I spoke but you did not listen.
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me."

I think in this case the placing of trust in Fortune is a mirror of a heart that is far from God. All hearts far from God are destined for the sword.

Proverbs 16:33 says this:
"The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD."


7. Basically, gambling is covetness. There is a pool of money out there and we don't trust that God will give us a sufficient amount of it to be able to live in Biblical contentment (or it is greed because we think that we deserve to live better), so we attempt to increase our material ability without Him. God does not use gambling to issue His wealth. He will always choose solid distribution methods.
8. We need to take our resources and "love our neighbor" from the Great Commandment.
9. The church would have to refuse the money from a lottery win if we knew of the source. When churches have accepted gambling money knowingly, God has put them out of business. Would we enact church discipline on someone who wanted to give lottery winnings to the church? I don't know about church discipline, but it would be a little embarrassing having a member accepting a big lottery check.
Commentary from gotquestions.org:
"Many people claim to be playing the lottery or gambling so that they can give the money to the church, or to some other good cause. While this may be a good motive, reality is that few use gambling winnings for godly purposes. Studies show that the vast majority of lottery winners are in an even worse financial situation a few years after winning a jackpot than they were before. Few, if any, truly give the money to a good cause. Further, God does not need our money to fund His mission in the world. Proverbs 13:11 says, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” God is sovereign and will provide for the needs of the church through honest means. Would God be honored by receiving donated drug money, or money stolen in a bank robbery? Neither does God need or want money that was "stolen" from the poor by the temptation for riches."

I guess we could take the approach that 'Satan has had that money long enough." HA!

This is a pretty solid commentary: --
Click Here.

gotquestions.org:
"Gambling is a difficult issue because if it is done in moderation and only on occasion, it is a waste of money, but it is not necessarily "evil." People waste money on all sorts of activities. Gambling is no more or less of a waste of money than seeing a movie (in many cases), eating an unnecessarily expensive meal, or purchasing a worthless item. At the same time, the fact that money is wasted on other things does not justify gambling. Money should not be wasted. Excess money should be saved for future needs or given to the Lord's work - not gambled away."

Thursday, April 24, 2008

A Batty Cell Family

My cell family had some tremendous worship time and was deep into the Bible tonight when a large animal flew into the room through an open door. We thought it was a bird and tried to stay focused on one of the best meetings we have ever had (people were really opening up and learning about our transcendent God; Peggy Lee Porter was doing a great job leading), but we were having to duck the flying creature and we lost our focus. We tried talking in the dark, hoping the creature would fly back out (how stupid was that). Finally, we decided that we were done until there was a capture. Jason Roney smacked the behemoth with a broom, and when Chip Peterson tried to pick it up with a towel, he yelled, "It's a BAT!", and it slipped out and started flying in 300 mph circles again. Finally after two other failed attempted including everyone raising there hands (looked like a Pentacostal meeting gone bad) to divert the creature out of the door, "Roger Federer" Jason hit it with a forehand again, and "Big Game Hunter" Chip captured the beast and released it outside. I have never laughed so hard in my life. People were hysterical (the women were hilarious once the identity of the perpetrator was made)!! We actually refocused on some things that mattered, but what fun, and the bat actually lived.