Pastor Steve Davis

Powerful Perfume

2011-08-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

I was doing some editing on my upcoming e-book and came across something I wrote years ago that really speaks to what I'm dealing with today. (And in case you're curious, it will be in the e-book Transform(180). 180 daily readings filled with encouragement, challenges and humor, designed to reignite your passion for God and revolutionize your spiritual journey. Hopefully I can have the complete e-book available on Amazon sometime in October.)

Powerful Perfume

Focus Text: Mark 14:1-6

Key Verse: "It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor." (5)

Comments:
You know, that argument sounds good. Wouldn’t it be better to use the money to help poor people? Let’s face it, dumping something expensive on someone’s head is awfully close to a waste of money even if that someone happens to be the Son of God.

Well, it may sound logical, but it’s wrong and for a couple of reasons.

First, it misses the point concerning where money comes from. God’s still not poor. And don’t forget that when financial challenges arise, it’s normally a case of Him working to raise our faith level more than us trying to raise our finances.

And second, the question misses the idea of importance. We spend hours arguing over nickels in church budgets. We fund things because we’ve always done it. We raise allotments because a group spent all we gave them last year. We cut amounts if giving drops.

And we miss out on doing God’s work, not because He’s not willing to finance it, but because we’re not willing to ask the important question first. “What does God want us to do?”

See, if God wants it done, He’ll provide for it. But we’re not willing to take the time to even ask Him. It might ruffle a few feathers or force us to live by faith instead of by comfortable tradition.

But if God says to pour out some perfume, pour it out. Because the real bottom line isn’t in finances.
It’s in obedience.

Prayer:
[Father, help us to always let Your will guide our spending. And help me to trust You to do whatever You ask.]

Letters from a Birmingham Jail

2011-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

While I hate to admit it, I’ve never read Martin Luther King, Jr’s, “Letter from a Birmingham jail." Until today.

Seemed appropriate, considering the holiday and all. So I finally read it.

And it is magnificent. Great arguments, brimming with both academic excellence, emotional pull, and above all, Biblical foundation, as one minister (King) responds to a public letter from a group of clergymen opposing King's efforts in Birmingham, efforts that landed him in jail.

I’ve pulled out a few of my favorite excerpts and reproduced them below. I hope you enjoy them and I hope you then go ahead and read the whole thing. It’s rather long, as he admits, but well worth the reading.

...

I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns: and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom far beyond my own hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.

...

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

...

When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; … then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.

...

A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.

...

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God.

...

I'll close with Dr. King's long but powerful assessment of the Church. That last short paragraph certainly looks prophetic almost 48 years later

There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent–and often even vocal–sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

A Social Network Christmas

2010-12-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

Blogging Mad

2010-12-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

I know better than to blog mad. But today, I’m making an exception.

I pastor a church filled with military personnel. Every week we pray corporately for literally dozens of men and women from our church who are deployed, and I personally pray for them daily. They are noble individuals, carrying out their orders with dignity.

Too bad I can’t say the same for the government they represent or the Church in America which is turning a blind eye.

This morning I opened the daily e-version of The New York Times. The lead story? With New Violence, More Christians Are Fleeing Iraq.

Believe it or not, it’s a new story, at least “new” in the history of the Church. Christians have lived in relative safety in Iraq for hundreds of years. Until the US invaded Iraq. Now a second consecutive president is choosing to ignore something that is just short of religious genocide. In a country we occupy.

And it’s not the only place. It’s even worse in the other nation where our military are risking their lives. Afghanistan is poised to execute a Christian for, well, being a Christian.

The New York Times has noticed--at least in Iraq--and is speaking up. When will our government?

And when will the Church in America start screaming so loud the government is forced to hear us?

Too Light

2010-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. (Isaiah Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)

Too light a thing.

How often do we attempt things for God that are "too light"?

How often do we discount things as impossible that are, in reality, just about right?

Is it possible one reason the world doesn't believe is that we spend all our time on things that are too light? Things that don't let them see just how awesome our God is?

And what's "heavy" enough? Try taking salvation to the entire world. Try the "end of the earth." Try not settling for reaching a small percentage of our community. Try reaching everyone. Try not just impacting Ft Bragg. Try impacting every military base.

Try something that's too big for us but just right for God.

[Father, help me to not settle for "too light" things.]

Christmas Turmoil

2010-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

If this is true, what does it mean if my mind and emotions are in turmoil?

Yep, it's a gauge. It means my mind isn't set on God.

And the answer?

Try harder? Get cracking on that to-do list? Nope, wrong answer.

Right Answer: Set my mind on Christ. Refocus on God. Realign my thoughts with Him, my being in His presence.

Simple when you think about it.

Funny/sad thing is, this time of year, when our thoughts should be most centered on Jesus, is when we find ourselves in the most turmoil.

Question: What helps you escape the turmoil and re-focus on God?

2010-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!...

3The Egyptians are man, and not God,
and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. (Isaiah 31:1, 3 ESV)

Sounds basic. Trust God, not people and resources.

But it's not easy, and the Bible can even make it challenging, seeming to encourage you to count the size of your army before going to battle.

The answer, I'd guess, is Gideon. Count your troops, and take note of your resources. But not to decide whether to do something, but rather to determine the best strategy to use to do what God has called you to do, using the resources He's provided.

Too often we wait for additional resources instead of figuring out how to attack utilizing the resources He's provided. Moving forward with what He's provided, trusting Him to provide the rest en route.

So, what do you think? Is there something you've put off doing because you don't have everything you think you need instead of seeing what God want to do using what you already have?

Getting Christmas Right

2010-11-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

Remember when Christmas used to be about Jesus?

Yeah, me neither.

Even when I was a kid, Christmas preparation was about the toy section in the catalog and staying awake all night waiting for the stuff to appear under the tree.

Been fighting it my whole life.

So, I like that Youversion.com has a special Bible reading plan just for Christmas. It's different Bible readings every day between now and Christmas. You can get the details here:

Rediscovering the Christmas Season

I'm signing up for it today and encourage you to do the same.

Maybe with a few more years of training, when my ears hear "Christmas" my mind won't think "Cool stuff!!"

Maybe it will think "Jesus".

Why Doesn't God Answer?

2010-11-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

That may be the biggest question people have about prayer, at least the "normal" stuff of prayer. Isn't God listening?

The answer, believe it or not, is often No. There are ways we can stifle our own prayers, making it so God doesn't listen.

That's what we'll be looking at Sunday as we conclude the Supernatural Series. (And yes, we will probably have this series available on DVD or download.)

Contagious Generosity

2010-11-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:24-25)

Generosity.

Over the past few years I've worked to become much more generous. And a funny thing has happened. People have become much more generous with us.

I used to begrudge giving things away. And people apparently begrudged giving to me.

But now we overtip waitresses and give gifts for no reason except to share blessings. And through other people God has poured blessing into our lives.

Turns out this Proverb is true. Who'd have guessed it.

iPreaching???

2010-11-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Don't know if you've noticed, but I've been preaching from an iPad the past couple weeks. And if so, you may be wondering why.

Well, the primary reason is because it's way cool.

I don't mean it makes me look cool. No device is that powerful. Plus I try my best to keep it from being obvious.

What I mean is, it's the coolest device I've seen for speaking notes. The size is great, I can just scroll down as I go, and if I want to change something between services, it's just a touch and a few taps away. No reprinting my notes then rubber banding them in the pages of my Bible. Or scrawling them in the margins and hoping I can read my handwriting later.

My only concern was, well, aren't you supposed to carry a Bible when you preach?

That one had me for awhile. But then I remembered I've been using electronic Bibles for almost all my reading for over a year. When I go into my reading room to spend private time with God each day, what I use is a smart phone or a Kindle or an iPad. I'm even journaling electronically now using the iPad and Evernote.

So, preaching from the iPad seemed like the logical next step.

But what do you think? Is preaching from an electronic device obvious or blasphemous?

BIG

2010-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Why don't we ask God for big things, for God-sized things? Or more to the point, when we do ask Him for big things, why do they so rarely happen? I mean, He said ask for ANYTHING, including impossible stuff, and it would happen. (See Matthew 21:20-22)

Well, I think we're doing it wrong. And that's what we'll be talking about Sunday as we continue our Supernatural series and look at The Passion it takes to get the big prayers answered.

And in case you're curious, I've had to live this one for awhile, too.

And the Survey Says…

2010-11-17T08:22:00.000-08:00

Man, we got some great responses to the surveys we’ve done over the past couple weeks. Spout Springs has some amazingly passionate people.

First, thanks for all the positive feedback. The “things we like” responses far outnumbered the suggested “ways to improve.”

And second, since the responses were so great, I thought I’d take a little blog time and respond to a few of them.

The most common suggested improvement area was music. According to the survey, it’s too loud, too soft, too fast, too slow, needs more hymns, needs some rap music (that was me), needs more soul and needs more variety.

Finding musical balance is always a toughie, but now that I’ve finally gotten my nose out of the planning, you’re going to see Patsy and her team do some amazing things. They’ve already added about six new songs and more are coming. And if the volume in the 10:00 or 11:30 service is a little loud for you, remember that 8:30 is the softer service.

We also got some questions about missions. We don’t publicize this enough, but we give 10% of our income to missions, ranging from a monthly donation to a local ministry for hurting people (Martha's Place), to percentages we give to local, national and international missions. If you’d like the breakdown for this year, just shoot me an email. Next year's budget including the mission's breakdown will be out in a few weeks as well.

We also try to balance local and international emphases. We just finished our international push for Operation Christmas Child, and now we’ll begin our annual push to help the hurting in our community with Coats and Cans starting Sunday.

Additionally, our Connection Groups regularly help out in the community. Last Saturday, my connection group got together with another group and we spent the morning working at Cameron Boys Camp for troubled youth. Other groups regularly work in soup kitchens, shelters, and other helping-hand style ministries.

One question we always get is, why don’t we do Sunday School in addition to Connection Groups? Well, we do provide a couple groups on Sunday mornings, but one reason we don't do Sunday School is space. At the 10:00 and 11:30 services, there is literally not a free classroom in either building. Once we get the new portable building in place, the children’s ministry will immediately expand from its crowded current situation to basically fill that entire building as well. (And if you’d like to donate to help us get that building moved, we’ve had some setbacks because of the recent break-ins and could use a few thousand dollars more to get the building moved.)

(By the way, some of the questions we got are answered in our First Steps and 101 Classes, so if you haven't taken those, I'd encourage you to jump in.)

Finally, the first week we asked about service times and it looks like the current times are probably the best bet. We’ll probably only do the latter two services on December 26th, and may re-start the Saturday night service sometime in the future, but for now the three we have seem to be working.

Thanks again for the responses. In addition to what's here, we got some good ideas for improvements that you should be seeing in the not-too-distant future.

And thanks again for doing your part to make Spout Springs the amazing church it is.

Little Bro

2010-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

My little brother was just named Employee of the Year for all the sheltered workshops in West Virginia. I’m quite proud.

Not just for this one award, but for a lifetime of breaking down barriers and transforming the way people think.

See, Kerry has Down Syndrome.

When he was born in 1968, people didn’t take Down Syndrome kids out in public. Matter of fact, my parents were advised by doctors to put him in a special facility since they said he’d never be able to function in society.

That was the first barrier. My parents broke that one down. Not only did they bring him home, they took him out. Kerry grew up on softball fields, in church, wherever my parents went. And taking a hyperactive Down Syndrome child places isn’t always a picnic.

Throughout his life Kerry has refused to conform to preconceptions. People wanted and expected a quiet, compliant special-needs child. So, when Kerry started elementary school, he spent the first semester in trouble and on suspension. He was suspended frequently his first few months in junior high and in high school for the same reason.

But after a while, people quit expecting him to act like special-needs child and learned to appreciate him as a warm, outgoing person who loves to talk and never forgets anyone’s birthday. (I mean, anyone.)

When he left elementary school, his teachers cried. They did the same when he finished junior high. And when he graduated high school, I cried. Because when he walked across the platform, his senior class gave him a standing ovation.

Then he went to work at the sheltered workshop. Want to guess what happened next? Yep. Suspensions, disciplinary measures, and eventually, acceptance and acclimation. From troubled employee to employee of the year.

Not so much because Kerry changed but because Kerry has this habit of changing people.

(Click here for pictures of my family at the award ceremony.)

What It Looks Like

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm featuring an anonymous guest blogger. So anonymous I don't even know her name or what she looks like. (I think it's a her.)

She filled out the Notes section of our bulletin and dropped in in the offering basket.

"I've never seen a church constructed as this one... Seems to take you to another world... The preacher is funny.

"I don't agree with some statements, but I am keeping an open mind... I cried ... LOL ... Could be my way of saying I need faith and love, since I guess I haven't had it in so long... Too many trials in my life..."

My past few blogs have been about reaching adults. I'm filing this note under "What It Looks Like."

Four Keys To Reaching Adults

2010-09-24T07:45:00.002-07:00

Finally, part three of our blog miniseries on reaching adults for Jesus.

We started out challenging the idea that if we don’t reach people before they are eighteen we never will. (Read Part 1 here.)

Then we examined who is the most important person in reaching adults. (Read Part 2 here.)

Now we can look at the final question: How?

In his excellent article, “How Outsiders Find Faith”, author Mike Fleischmann gave four key truths to reaching adults.

First, it’s a Process. Adults who were not raised in Christian homes rarely come to faith quickly. It’s usually a series of events over a period of time.

Second, it’s often Circumstance Driven. The majority of adults who come to Christ report doing so in the midst of a significant transition or crisis, and often tell their faith journey in terms of the significant life events that occurred along the way.

And third, the Timing Can Be Vague. Rarely is the focus of their faith experience the specific time when they came to Christ, but rather the process. And over ten percent “of committed Christians from unchurched backgrounds cannot identify a specific time or place where they accepted Christ.”

Which leads to the non-negotiable fourth key word for reaching adults with the Good News: Patience. God controls the circumstances He uses to lead people to faith. Our job is to be there, acting as a spiritual guide as people work their process and God works His process in them to bring them to Himself.

(I wrote an article for LeadershipJournal.net about this subject a few years ago. If you’d like to read it, it’s here.)

Too Late To Reach Them Part 2

2010-09-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last blog, we rebuffed the idea that “if we don’t reach someone for Christ by the time they are 18, we never will.” (Read it here.)

Which raised the question, if it’s really possible to reach people after 18, what do we need to do? What’s our part?

Turns out, it’s primarily about who and how.

Who

For people raised in Christian homes, ‘who’ is simple. It’s all about the parents. “For people raised in Christian homes, 80 percent identify their parents as one of the most important influences.” (1) For believers, the key influencer for a child’s faith is not their youth worker or their children’s teacher. It’s almost all about Mom and Dad.

But here’s the kicker. While 80% of that group mention their parents, people who come to faith from outside the church almost never cite their parents as a major influence. And they rarely cite a pastor either. “What made the real difference with the unchurched were personal relationships. The majority who find Christ, look back and say that it was a friend who influenced them toward faith.”

In other words, when it comes to adults coming to Jesus, the who is you.
So if there are adults you know who aren’t following Jesus, they’re probably not waiting for a religious professional or a catchy ad or the perfect sermon.

They’re waiting for you.

Next blog, we’ll tackle How.

(1) All quotes are from the article “How Outsiders Find Faith” by Mike Fleischmann. You can read the whole thing here.

Too Late To Reach Them?

2010-08-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

The statistic is omnipresent. 85% of believers accept Jesus before their 18th birthday. So if you don’t reach someone for Jesus by the time they are 18, there’s an 85% chance you never will.

That statistic always seemed wrong to me. It always seemed like people came to Christ at all ages.

Turns out my feeling was on the mark.

The 85% statistic is right—but according to Mike Fleischmann, only for people who grew up in homes where “both parents were Christians with either a high or moderate level of spiritual activity.” For other people, the statistics are far different. Less than a third of Christians in this group accepted Jesus before their 18th birthday. The majority (57%) come to faith between 21 and 50. Which, if my math is right, leaves a significant enough percentage to mean we can keep reaching people for Jesus throughout their lives.

Of course the question is, how?

Well, I think that’s a subject worth saving for the next blog (or two).

(And if you don’t feel like being patient, you can read the article I’m quoting from here. It’s long, but well worth reading.)

Behind the Times?

2010-08-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Someone gave me a subscription to Time Magazine last year, and as it ran down, Time wanted me to re-up.

Now, the odds of that happening were pretty low. Magazines are an outdated, dying communication medium. I get so much info online through e-newsletters, blogs, Twitter feeds, etc., that I don’t need information from a source that can only guess at what I might find interesting.

But their “enticement” is what really interested me.

For renewing my subscription, they were offering (are you ready) an “Ultronic 7-in-1 Casino Game Player.” You know, the kind of handheld video game that was cool back when, well, back when magazines were relevant.

Today I can download ten better games on my Blackberry for free or nearly free—and my friends with iPhones or Droids can choose from dozens.

An outdated communication medium (a magazine) trying to attract customers by offering an outdated toy.

Made me wonder, though, as a church are we trying to attract potential believers to an outdated presentation of God’s ever-relevant Good News. And are we using obsolete communication tools to do it?

It also challenged me. Times change (even if Time Magazine doesn’t.) Communicating to an ever-changing culture means we have to change, too.

And if we choose to attach ourselves too tightly to the methodologies that are working today, in ten years we’ll run the risk of being just as irrelevant as a 80’s handheld electronic game in a smartphone world.

Chosen or Volunteered

2010-08-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

A tenth of the people from the other towns of Judah and Benjamin were chosen by sacred lots to live there, too, while the rest stayed where they were. And the people commended everyone who volunteered to resettle in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 11:1-2 (NLT)

Well, which was it?

Were they chosen or did they volunteer?

Actually, both. God called them through the ancient practice of casting lots, but the people had to choose to obey.

Same thing today.

God calls us to act, to serve. My decision is to obey or not.

So, the question is, what is God calling me to do today? How is He asking me to trust Him enough to obey?

And am I staying close enough to Him to hear and submissive enough to obey?

The Moving Blog--and a New One

2010-07-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Realized recently that I moved the blog and never told anyone here. And now I've added a second blog.

The original blog has transmorphed into both my thoughts and stuff I find interesting enough to repost. It's called "If You Think About It..." and can be found on Posterous.

The second is an evolution of the last blog I posted here. I'm working on a book I think I'll call "In Your Own Handwriting." In the process of development, I've created a website with a blog and forum called "My Own Handwriting." It's here.

By the way, if you never made it to the other sites, you haven't missed a lot. I've been busy, on vacation, and sick a lot recently so most of the Posterous posts are me reposting things I found interesting. And MyOwnHandwriting.com has been up a grand total of two days--and I just posted the first blog. Things should be picking up on both soon, though.

So come on over to one or both. The more the merrier.

In Your Own Handwriting Intro

2010-07-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a book and decided to post the Introduction here for comment, criticism and ideas on where you think it should go. FYI, the book's primary target is 18-25 year-olds raised in Christian homes, though others may find it helpful as well.

Imagine if everything you’ve ever learned was placed in three-ring binders.

All you know about math, history, the Internet, video games, the opposite sex.
Everything.In binders stacked all around the room, each one labeled with the subject matter.

As you look around, you see a folder labeled “Faith,” and you pull it out from its stack and open it.

Sure enough, it’s your faith journey. From the Bible stories you learned as a preschooler to the sermon that got your attention in ninth grade. It’s all there.
Then you notice something: None of it is in your own handwriting.

Some is in your mom or dad’s handwriting. Some in your pastor’s or youth leader’s or priest’s. And while you don’t recognize it for sure, the story of David and Goliath is possibly in the handwriting of the person who first taught you that story in elementary school.

Here’s the thing. This is normal.

Most of us absorb our faith from the people around us. And as we reach our late teens and early twenties, we often find that the faith we possess isn’t really our own.

It’s the one given to us by others.

Which brings us to a challenge and the reason for this book.

When it comes to faith, one size definitely does not fit all. No one else’s faith—even someone you love and respect dearly—won’t work for you in the long haul. It will fall apart in difficult times and will keep you spiritually uncomfortable for the rest of your life. Or lead to you living a marginalized faith, or living a life entirely without faith.

And that’s where this book comes in.

This isn’t a book to convince you to replace the faith you inherited with the one I espouse. This is a guide book to help you personalize your faith. Make it your own. Take out the stuff that doesn’t fit you. Add in some things that fit you well. Forge an authentic Christian faith that matches your passions and personality.

Help you re-write your faith in your own handwriting.

The "Too Passionate" Email Exchange

2010-05-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

I do not understand how you can answer a question about immigration from a "Biblical" perspective, and totally ignore the hundreds of scriptures that tell us to care for the alien. You might want to worry less about what Glenn Beck says and more about what the Bible says about a difficult issue.

Steve Davis

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Steve,

Can you give any scriptural support for the idea that it is acceptable to illegally enter another country? Can you give any scriptural support for the idea that we are allowed to break the law if it is for a compassionate reason?

Of course we are to care for aliens, orphans, widows, the poor, etc., but that does not make it right for a person to break the law. The issue of what to do with an illegal alien once he/she is in the country is another matter. The focus of our article is - is it right or wrong to enter another country illegally?

Sincerely in Christ,

Name withheld)
GotQuestions.org

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Thanks for the reply.

Of course there are no scriptures that say it is okay to break the law. By the same token, when I see someone who is obviously an "alien" I have no way of knowing how they got here. My job, then, is to live the other dozens of scripture verses that teach me how to deal with an alien on an individual basis. For you not to mention our Christian responsibilities, despite overwhelming Biblical evidence, in my opinion just feeds an anti-Hispanic bias that is insuring many Hispanics who are here legally will never darken the doors of our churches.

And, by the way, the answer you gave is also way too simplistic in dealing with a complicated issues. What is the proper Christian and government response to someone who has been here illegally for fifteen years, was smuggled across the border by his parents when he was twelve. Who married another illegal alien and the two of them now have three children--all of whom are US citizens--and has in all other respects been a solid "citizen." Is it best to deport him and his wife and put the kids in the foster care system? Deport the three US citizens? Provide a simplified path for this person to become a citizen w/o leaving the country? It's a complicated question and one that must be informed by the scriptures you chose not to include in your response.

Thanks for listening.

Steve

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Steve,

Thank you for your comments. But again, I have to say, the focus of our article is - is it right or wrong to enter another country illegally? The issue of what to do with an illegal alien once he/she is in the country is another matter entirely.

We could do another article on "What does the Bible say about what a country should do with illegal aliens within its borders?" but it is highly unlikely that we would undertake such a task.

Sincerely in Christ,

(Name withheld)
GotQuestions.org

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So, you intentionally narrow the target so you can ignore overwhelming Biblical evidence that is really at the heart of the issue. How, exactly, can I be sure that this is the only issue you choose to treat this way? Are there other questions you have skewed so as to give an easy answer instead of encouraging your readers to wrestle with difficult questions? And what is your response to "How did you encourage the church to treat the alien, the fatherless and the widow?" which is among the most common standards God gave for how to judge a person's (or a nation's) faith.

Steve Davis

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Steve,

At this point, it is time to end our dialogue. It is clear that nothing productive is going to result from it. In no sense did we "narrow the target" so we could "ignore the heart of the issue." If we were delve into every issue that is related to this one, an entire book would have to be written. We answered the specific question "What does the Bible say about illegal immigration?" If you are going to judge our specificity as seeking to avoid what the Bible says, you are too passionate about this issue to have a constructive dialogue.

Sincerely in Christ,

(Name withheld)
GotQuestions.org

Cribs: Rethinking Family

2010-05-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

We’re starting a brand-new series this week and I’m getting excited—and scared.

See, God is taking me down a new thought path.

For way too long, we’ve implied in our teaching that if we can create the perfect home environment and be the perfect parents, we can raise perfect kids.

Problem is, there are no perfect homes, no perfect kids, and definitely no perfect parents. So how do us screwed-up parents living in screwed up homes make it work? Do we have a shot at raising solid kids who follow Jesus and live purpose-filled lives?

I think so.

And if you join us this week (or starting next week on the iCampus), we’ll look at how I believe we screwed-up parents can raise kids who just maybe will be less screwed up than we are.

Heading for the Mission Field (Sort of)

2010-04-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve always wanted to go to Africa on a mission trip. So far, it hasn’t worked out. And I’m sure that’s true for many people.

But now World Vision has a temporary solution. They’re bringing the mission trip to us (or at least, very close to us.)

Beginning next Sunday, and continuing for a week, The World Vision Experience: AIDS will be Cary, NC, just south of Raleigh.

The Experience is “a 2,500 square foot interactive exhibit that invites visitors to "step into Africa" by hearing, seeing and walking through an African village to personally experience the lives of children affected by AIDS. The stirring audio tour and captivating photography will transport you into the life of an African child and give you a new perspective on the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time... AIDS.”

Tickets are free but I’m betting the experience will be priceless.

More details are here, and I’m going to do my best to take my entire family on a mission trip to Africa next week. Anybody want to tag along?

* * *

(On a side note, I’ll be continuing to post my blog on this site, but I’m also posting a lot of interesting articles and links at my Posterous site. You may find it useful to check in there once in a while, or even subscribe and get in on the discussions.)

Is Online Real?

2010-04-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

I’m reading a book The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community and just hit a really interesting section. First, the author (Jesse Rice) quotes Shane Hipps' four components of community:

1. A Shared History
2. A Sense of Permanence
3. Proximity
4. A Shared Imagination for the Future

The question many people are asking now is, Can online “community” meet all of these criteria? Are Facebook Friends and people who follow you on Twitter or IM or text you real friends?

Rice’s response caught my attention:

“Younger generations, as well as an increasing number of people throughout the lifespan, would say relating to the ‘real’ world is not an experience of either ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ quality. It is simply another way of relating. … In other words, for a growing number of people—especially those from younger generations—‘community’ is not understood as a dichotomy between ‘real’ or ‘online’ relationships, but as a composite of both.” (p. 170)

I know in my life, the distinctions are blurring. Some of my closest friends are close because our online interactions have strengthened (and sometimes created) the ‘real.’ And when I attend church online, it may not include everything the live experience contains, but is definitely ‘real.’

I’d really love to get your opinion on this one. Would you consider your online community ‘real’? Is there a line between your online friends and your ‘real’ friends, and has that line blurred over time? And should the church be encouraging online community or simply using it to push people to ‘the real thing’?

(As an follow-up, I asked my two older daughters, 16 & 15, if they had any close friends with which they were not connected online. Both said No. And as I thought about it, I have fewer and fewer close friends with whom I do not share an online connection of some sort, and more and more close friends with whom I am only connected online.)

Reflecting on Easter

2010-04-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

We had a huge Easter Sunday. I mean HUGE. So what should we do now? Well, at the risk of alienating the anti-alliteration crowd, here are four suggestions gleaned at least somewhat from what the Israelites did after their big day crossing the Jordan River.

1. Savor (Josh 4:1-7)
Take time to enjoy the victory. Remember where we’ve come from and stand amazed at what God’s accomplished—and enjoy that He did it through us. (In case you forgot, not quite four years ago our church launched with 90 people. This weekend we had 1076. And if you can’t celebrate about a dozen people accepting Jesus, you need a joy checkup.)

2. Study (4:21-24)
Big wins offer big lessons. How did our systems hold up with the influx of people? (Quite well, it seems.) Where do we need to focus our attention as 1000 goes from a big Sunday to a normal one?

3. Seek God (5:13-15)
This weekend didn’t happen because we are the coolest church (or the uncoolest), have the best band, the best preacher, the best systems (because we certainly don’t have either of the last two), or even the most sincerely committed people . This weekend happened because we’ve created a place where God can change lives—and He shows up every week. If we lose touch with Him, it won’t matter how well we do the other stuff. (Here’s a good blog on the subject.)

4. Soar
For most people, crossing a flood-swollen river on dry ground would have been the high point of their lives. Not for the Israelites in the book of Joshua. For them it wasn’t even the top event for the month. Jericho was in sight.
And while I don’t know what God has in store for us in the future, here’s the text message I got from a local pastor (Michael Fletcher of Manna Church) who works with a lot of churches:
"1000! BIG day! Huge milestone. When that happens, something happens in the church and its leader. Can't explain what, but once you touch it, touching it again and then crossing it becomes a lot easier.
"Get ready."

All About the Threads

2010-03-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Saw a shirt last night I really liked—except for the $100 price tag. (It's not nearly as garish as the photo makes it look.)

Hard for me to think of a shirt being worth that much. I mean, thread is thread.

Except in one case.

In Exodus God has an Israelite craftsman make some special thread. He does it by beating out a flat sheet of pure gold, then carefully cutting out the threads, one at a time. (Exodus 39:3)

Special thread. Only used for special things. Most of the time, it’s more strategic than structural, the embroider on a priest’s garment or the detail on his sash.

But toward the end of Exodus, we discover its primary purpose. It is braided together into two cords and the cords are used for a single function—they hold the breastpiece, symbolic of the people of Israel, next to the heart of the priest (who is God’s representative).

I hope you caught that. God values his relationship with his people so highly, that the only appropriate symbol for the connection is a rope of pure gold. Wow.

As Easter approaches, often I get so caught up in God’s desire to reach new people, I forget just how much He loves us “old-timers.” How crazy He is about me.

Leave it to Him to use an overpriced shirt and a priceless thread to remind me.

LifeSprings WV Update

2010-03-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd bring in a guest blogger this week, Chris Flynn. Chris announced his call to ministry this past summer--and within a few weeks his company moved him and his wife Alicia to one of our LifeSprings church planting target areas. (God is so cool.)

Anyway, here's his latest update:

Pastor Steve,

I have a new development here in WV that I have to share with you. We visited a church on Saturday night in Cheat Lake with the co-worker that I told you about and my project manager. I was a little hesitant about inviting my boss, but felt led to do so. It turns out he has been attending this same church for several weeks. We all went to dinner afterwards and had an awesome, open conversation about our backgrounds and genuine faith in Christ.

My boss told me that the PM for our electrical subcontractor is a pastor. This blew my mind because on Friday he and I had discussions about finding a place to live in my neighborhood! I caught up with him today and told him that I attend Liberty and gave him a little background on my story. He is currently attending and working with a church similar to ours in Cheat Lake. He has just moved to the area from Colorado. He describes himself as a bit of church developer and has a great deal of experience in building churches, both physically and spiritually. He is well versed in construction and disciplining people to achieve their full potential. The church in Cheat Lake is the 4th Calvary church that he has worked with.

All of this is nearly unbelievable to me as I watch God continue to bring people into my life with the same mindset and heart for Christ that Alicia and I share. My co-worker, boss, and now electrical subcontractor (he is full-time here onsite) are all a part of the glorious plan that God has for WV and is revealing to us one step at a time. These are all people that are passionately in love with Jesus and I continue to be amazed at how God is surrounding us with them. I don't know what's next, but I will be sure to let you know as God continues to reveal his plan in his time.

In Christ,
Chris

The Problem with Foxholes

2010-03-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Foxholes get a bad rap. People talk about how dangerous it is in foxholes.

Not totally true. See, the reason soldiers dig foxholes is because it’s safer in the foxhole than out of it.

In the foxhole you can keep your head down, lay low and be (relatively) safe.

Danger comes when you stick your head out of the foxhole or leave the foxhole to advance on the enemy’s position. Sticking your head out gets the enemy’s attention, potentially drawing his fire. Climbing out of the foxhole always gets his attention and always draws fire.

Which brings us to Easter. (What, you thought I was talking military strategy?)

Easter is one of the times each year that churches like ours don’t just stick our heads out of our foxholes, we blatantly attack the enemy’s positions. In our case we do TV ads and road signs and t-shirts and hold multiple services and do whatever it takes to tell lost, frustrated people that there is a God who cares deeply for screwed-up people like them—and us.

And when we do that, we can count on upsetting the enemy.

But he rarely attacks the entire group. He tries to pick us off one at a time with weapons we may not expect. Frustrations and annoyances. Temptations. Obstacles.

And his biggest weapon of all, misdirection. Getting us to focus on the sacrifices we’re having to make instead of the lives God’s wanting to touch.

So, if you’re planning to go all out for God these next few weeks, expect problems. Annoyances. Challenges.

And as much as possible, consider them good things.

‘Cause the devil wouldn’t be firing at you if you weren’t ticking him off by getting out of your foxhole.

Whatever

2010-03-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

It may be the most annoying word out there.

It wraps “I don’t care” in a parka of condescension and adds a dollop of “Don’t waste my time.”

All in one word.

Whatever.

There’s a big problem when the word is aimed at things we should care about. Hurting people. Lost people. Okay, almost anything to do with people.

There’s an even bigger problem when you realize that we were created to care. Whatever isn’t just a denial of value toward others; it’s a denial of our own purpose.

And it’s just flat sad when we realize that it’s almost halfway to its own solution. All we have to do is add two words.

What am I willing to do to help people? Whatever it takes.

What will I do to make sure people hear about Jesus? Whatever it takes.

What am I willing to give up? Whatever it takes.

Is it worth giving a portion of my income, maybe even ten percent? If that’s what it takes.

Is it worth going to a different service (say 5:30) instead of the most comfortable one for me? If that’s what it takes.

Is it worth showing up a little early, volunteering for a ministry, using my talents for God, or asking my friends or co-workers to church? If that’s what it takes.

Funny how a couple words can make all the difference between living up to our purpose—or watching others fail to find theirs.

And is your response Whatever or Whatever it takes?

What Happens to Mighty Warriors

2010-02-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

“Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God.” Psalms 52:7 (NLT)

One of the reasons we don’t trust God is because, to be honest, we don’t need to. We can accomplish a whole lot using our own strengths, our own abilities, our natural gifts.

But there are problems with that.

Self-reliance brings pride which leads to destruction.

Self-reliance also brings stress. There’s a tension that naturally creeps in when the results are primarily up to me.

And self-reliance brings limits. The limits that are intrinsic to who I am. The extent of my abilities defines the extent of my accomplishment—even if I’m trying to accomplish it for God.

But God-reliance is different. God-reliance leads to fulfillment not destruction.

It produces peace, not tension.

And if I’m relying on God, there are no limits to the results, because God has no limits.

That’s what happens to “mighty warriors who do not trust in God.” We never do great things with God because we can do pretty good things without Him.

Maybe that’s why it’s been called “the Curse of Competence.”

Kill It Good

2010-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

"If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13 (NIV)

“Put to death.” Okay, I get that. Means “kill.”

“By the Spirit.” That’s the part I don’t get. I know (theoretically) how to kill by gun, starvation and poisoning. But how do I kill by the Spirit?

Not really sure, but here are some thoughts on the part I play in being an accessory to the non-crime:

1) Drag it out in the open. (1 John 1:9) By hiding sin, I’m protecting it. So quit pretending like it’s not there and let the light shine on it. (Maybe even confess it to others.)

2) Pile on the positives. (Ephesians 4:20-32) The Bible says to replace negative behaviors with positive ones. Quit feeding the misdeeds and let the Spirit starve them to death.

3) Run away. (2 Timothy 2:22) The Bible says to flee temptation. Don’t play with it; let the Spirit kill it with loneliness.

4) Have patience. (Philippians 2:13) I know, we hate patience, but if the Spirit is doing the killing, we have to let Him do it in His time.

Looking For Plan C

2010-01-31T15:01:00.000-08:00

Used to be, when weather got bad, churches had two options: a) meet in spite of the weather or b) cancel services.

Not anymore. As most of you know, this week, confronted with dangerous road conditions, we decided to choose c), something totally different. I got in touch with a pastor friend in Arkansas who broadcasts his service live over the Internet. Then his tech people and our tech people got together and next thing you know, Spout Springs Church and Brand New Church were worshiping together.

Some of our people used the live feed on our iCampus, some jumped over to theirs where they joined quite a few Brand New Church people who were also forced to stay home because of bad weather.

I even got my neighbor, who doesn’t attend church, to attend our house church.

Which leads to the question, are there other areas where we need to start looking for Plan C? Other areas where technology can increase our options and give us a greater ability to advance God’s Kingdom? Increase our effectiveness in making disciples? Reach more people?

I know from now on, we’ll always be looking for Plan C.

New Third Service Time!!

2010-01-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

Big news Spout Springs Church! With the crowds of people who’ve been attending Spout Springs, we’re going to add a new third service starting on Sunday, March 7th.

Of course, the big question is What Time?

Well, that’s up to you.

We’ve narrowed it down to either do 1 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. But we’re not asking you to vote; we’re asking you to commit.

See, we’re adding the new service to open up seats in the 9:30 and the 11:15. So, whichever service can get the most people to commit to attend it for the first six months wins. And it you’re willing to say “I’ll attend either one but my favorite is _____” or “I’ll serve during one of the current services and attend _____”, your vote counts double.

So, email your commitment to office@spoutspringschurch.com or post it on either the church's or my Facebook page in the next 2 weeks, and may the better time win.

Haiti Response

2010-01-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

If you’re like most people, the news and images come from Haiti are hard to even comprehend. And for most, there is a sense of frustration and a nagging question, “What can I do?”

For most of us, going isn’t option, but giving is. Because of our connection with WorldVision, Kim and I were able to make a donation to an established group which already had people on the ground in Haiti.

A couple other groups to consider would be Water Missions International, who provides clean water, a key need, and Baptist Global Response who are trained specialists in going into situations like this one and getting things done. (And yes, those are links you can click on to contribute online).

But we also want to give as a church. We have a budget fund designed for this type of thing, and we'll be giving from that. But a disaster of this magnitude calls for an even bigger response, so this Sunday 10% of our entire collection will be given to Haiti relief (in addition to the 10% we normally give to ministries outside our local congregation).

Of course, money isn’t going to solve the problems in Haiti. Those are God-sized problems. Thankfully, we have access to a God-sized God who hears our prayers. I encourage you to pray for the people, the government, the infrastructure of Haiti, as well as the foreign workers on the ground.

Because the God I serve likes to take impossible situations and do amazing things.

A Couple Quick Things

2010-01-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is a letter I sent out this morning. Wanted to put it on the blog, too, to make as many people aware (and able to give feedback) as possible.

As we dig out from last night's massive snowfall (anybody seen my shovel?), I thought I'd shoot you a quick update on a couple of things, specifically, Baptism this Sunday and adding a Third Service.

Sunday Baptism

This Sunday we are going to do a baptism immediately after the 11:15 service. Now, if you've been putting it off for whatever reason, here's your chance to get the new decade off to a great start.

Just bring a change of clothes (I don't think you want to drive home wet) and a couple towels. You can either change right after the service, or wear what you want to be baptized in and change afterward. (And if you come to the 9:30, and just can't make it back after the 11:15, we could probably squeeze in a couple baptisms between services.)

If you can get there a little early or email us to let Pastor Rick know your intentions, that would be great. And if you could write out a brief description of your spiritual journey and either bring it or email it ahead of time, that would be great, too.

See you then. And praying a bunch of people are ready to announce their intentions to follow Christ this year.

Third Service

We had to cancel the Saturday service for a number of reasons, but as attendance last week showed, we're going to need to add a third service at a different time sometime pretty soon (probably by March). Here are three options:

1. Add a 1:00 p.m. service to the existing schedule.

2. Redo the entire schedule with services at 8:30, 10:15 and 12:00.

3. Add a 5:00 p.m. service on Sunday. If we did this, we'd probably shorten it to an hour and give it a younger feel, maybe with more youth in the worship team. It would still be for adults and use the same sermon, but have a slightly different flavor overall.

We would love to hear your opinions, but especially if one of these is likely to get you to move from 11:15, either out of preference or a desire to help us reach more people for Jesus.

Thanks for everything you do to help make SSC such a special place!

Should We Start Worrying Yet?

2010-01-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

I’m not an alarmist. But I try to keep my head out of the sand (and in the Bible) at the same time. And when I saw this video from Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, I wondered: Should we start worrying yet? (Content warning: Bleeped & *'d profanity.)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

The Best F**king News Team Ever - Tiger Woods' Faith

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Now, first off, it’s funny stuff. I LOL’d all over the place. And, I’m not opposed to making fun of Christians. We often deserve it.

My problem isn’t the humor, it’s the attitude. When did suggesting that Christianity is the best religion move from being an idea to be challenged to an attitude worthy of ridicule? (Listen to the audience’s response to Brit Hume’s statement.)

At what point will we have we moved from making fun of religion to mocking God (the One the Bible says will not be mocked)? At what point do we start worrying about our nation?

Now, I’m not going to blame the next natural (or manmade) disaster on the wrath of God. But when our culture openly mocks anyone who dares say Christ is worth following, I am going to wonder how long we’ll be able to sing “God Bless America” with a straight face.

What Did You Think of My Book?

2009-12-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, one of my favorite professors gave me a signed copy of his new book. Yesterday, I finally pulled it off the shelf and started reading.

Which could potentially save me from an extremely embarrassing situation. I mean, what if I had run into my prof during the time between him sending me the book and now? What could have been one of his first questions to me: “What did you think of my book?”

“Um, er, gulp, mmmmm….”

Of course, I’m only pulling it out now because it deals specifically with a topic I’ll be teaching about in February (Prophecy, in case you’re curious).

Now here’s the thing. How would you feel if you get to Heaven and run into Malachi. “What did you think of my book?” He asks.

“Um, er, gulp, mmmmm…” you reply.

Or, even worse, you’re talking with God. “What did you think of that book I gave you? The one I inspired so you’d know Me better and be better equipped to live in the universe I created?”

“Um, er, gulp, mmmmm…”

Don’t you think, if you’ve never read The Book--all of it, front to back--2010 would be a good year to finally pull the whole thing off the shelf and get to reading?

I mean, “Um, er, gulp, mmmmm…” isn’t an answer any author wants to hear—especially not the Author.

If you’re ready to start, there are a number of great reading plans here, here, and here. Or, if you want a plan on paper instead of online, we have a plan I developed available on the info table at church (and if you live out of the area, let me know and I'll email it to you).

Hold the Line

2009-12-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, life just sucks.

And it seems like the suck-y-est times come on the heels of the biggest victories.

One reason for that is that God needs to prepare us for the next challenge—and training is never fun.

But I was talking to a local pastor this week who pointed out another reason.

See, every victory we have is a defeat for our enemy. In a sense, we’ve taken ground from him—and he wants to take it back. Whether the victory was a new commitment to follow Christ, a sudden ability to conquer a bad habit (read: “sin”), or a new ministry opportunity we decide to accept, Satan wants us to surrender that territory back to him. So he comes at us guns blazing.

Which should actually encourage us during the discouraging times. I mean, if we weren’t getting victories, wouldn’t Satan just leave us alone? And if God didn’t have bigger challenges in store for us in the future, would He focus on training us now?

Maybe that’s why Paul insists we “be thankful in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). We can be thankful for the victories Satan’s trying to overturn, and rejoice in the challenges God’s preparing us for.

Even when life sucks.

Organized Chaos 2

2009-12-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

Last week, I wrote about the importance of structure and organization in advancing God’s Kingdom, concluding by saying, “That’s why 2010 is really going to be about tightening our focus and building our organizational structure so we’re more ready than ever to do what God is calling us to do.” (To read the complete blog post, click here.)

And of course, the organized people followed up the blog with an extremely annoying question: How?

I guess maybe I could lead the organizational charge—as soon as I figure out a way to ditch the title “The King of Chaos.”

Or in their spare time, the existing staff could take up the challenge. (That loud noise you heard was Nancy crashing into her desk as she fell over laughing at the thought of “spare time.”)

We could hire a staff person to tackle our organizational challenges. (And that noise was coffee shooting out of JJ’s nose as he tried to figure out where in the budget we’d find the money for that.)

Maybe we could locate all the naturally organized people we already have and sic them on the problem. Except, of course, that we tried that. We found some of the organizers—but we weren’t even structured well enough to get them, well, organized.

So, what’s left? How about a consultant? A highly trained, experienced person with years of experience, who we could never afford to hire for real, but who would agree to help us out for about a third what he charges his corporate clients.

Now that’s an answer we can live with. And so, starting early next year, Bud Wrenn (who led our highly successful Vision2Reality conference) will be coming down about three times a month to help guide our church from disorganized chaos to, well, organized chaos. (The man’s not a miracle worker).

Will it take a lot of our time and focus? Yes. Will it be expensive? A little.

But not nearly as expensive as missing out on the opportunities God has for us because we weren’t organized enough to respond to them.

Organized Chaos

2009-12-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Church Math. That’s the title Tony Morgan gave a recent blog post. And one of his computations really caught my eye:

“fewer constraints = less creativity”

At first a few people (including me) thought he’d typed it wrong. “You mean ‘more constraints = less creativity’.” But Tony insisted that he meant what he typed.

I could think of two reasons he might have said it.

One, when people have limited resources they are forced to be more creative. Our church has been a poster child for that truth.

Another reason, though, is that creativity needs constraints. I’ve said since we started the church that the only way for us to succeed is for the King of Chaos (that’d be me) to surround himself with organized people.

But we don’t just need organized people; we need organization. We need structure.

Structure enables people to plug into ministries easily, get trained, and feel confident they are being productive and helping advance God’s Kingdom.

Structure enables people to focus on tasks (including creative tasks) with fewer distractions.

Structure allows people to work toward a destination instead of worrying about what the destination is (or if it even exists).

Structure lets people work at ministries knowing that that when an assignment is completed, someone else is ready to build on what been done instead of tearing it down because it was the wrong assignment in the first place.

Structure gives people the great assurance that what they’re doing is a key component in the process of doing great things for God.

That’s why 2010 is really going to be about tightening our focus and building our organizational structure so we’re more ready than ever to do what God is calling us to do.

The Heart of Worship?

2009-11-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was at a chapel service at Liberty University recently when the worship leader pulled out what he called “an older” song (one from the 90’s): “The Heart of Worship”.

According to the song, the heart of worship is focusing on Jesus. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Then I came across this verse:
Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel. 2 Chronicles 5:10 (NLT)

The Ark of the Covenant was the Israelites’ worship center. It was in the very middle of the Temple, in the Holiest of Holies. The heart of worship, as it were. And the only thing in the Ark were the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, God’s call to obedience.

If we’re wanting to get back to the heart of worship, from a Biblical perspective, is it about emotion or obedience?

Of course, it’s made even clearer in 1 Samuel 15:22. To obey is better than sacrifice. And don’t forget, for the Israelites, sacrifice wasn’t about giving up stuff. It was the ceremony that sat at the center of … (Anybody got a guess here?)

Yep, worship.

So, if you’re wanting to take your worship to another level, it doesn’t start with being more sincere as you’re singing on Sunday morning (or Saturday evening).
It starts with following God’s commands seven days a week.

Vision 2 Reality

2009-11-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

Every strength has a corresponding weakness (or two). One of my biggest strengths is my ability to dream and see the long-term big picture. The corresponding weakness is that I have a lot of trouble translating that vision into concrete “next steps.”

That’s why we’re hosting a Vision 2 Reality Conference this weekend.

The conference will start with me outlining the vision for what we believe God wants to do in and through Spout Springs Church over the next few years. Hundreds of lives transformed, new sites planted, incredible new opportunities, and a Family Enrichment Ministry (which I’ll outline for the first time on Friday evening) that is going to blow you away—and I believe save countless marriages.

Then we’ll learn how to move from that vision to the steps we need to take to turn the vision into reality.

Along the way we’ll help people decide what is the best way for them to serve, work to develop strong ministry teams, and even discuss the challenges we’ll face along the way.

The whole thing will be led by Bud Wrenn, who literally wrote the book on church planning. At its release, Innovative Planning: Your Church in 4D was the number one book at Amazon.com in the area of church leadership. (Rick Warren wrote the forward.) And yes, we will have the book available at almost 50% off.

We’ll start with dinner at 6 on Friday, with the conference running from 6:30 to 9, then 8:30 to 12:30 on Saturday.

The good news is that it’s not too late to sign up. But don’t wait too long. We’ve only got room for about a dozen more adults. Just email office@spoutspringschurch.com with the number of people from your family who will be attending. (Childcare both days as well as supper on Friday and breakfast on Saturday are provided.)

Hope to see you there.

Strange

2009-10-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

I rarely blog about a new teaching series, but I’m totally cranked about this one.

And I’m sure it’s not what you’re expecting.

For the next few weeks we’ll be looking at one of the strangest books in the Bible, Ezekiel. It’s a book filled with four-faced creatures, wheels with eyes, dry bones coming to life, rivers sprouting up from nothing. And most importantly, it’s a book about finding hope in seemingly hopeless situations.

In a world that considers faith to be foolishness—and those who live by faith to be fools—it’s a book that meets us where we are. But just like God always does, it doesn’t leave us there. It lifts us to new heights, new visions, new callings. New hopes.

We’ll start this weekend and you don’t want to miss a single message. You can get a head start by reading the first two chapters of Ezekiel—in all its weirdness.

Then get ready for a great ride through a very strange book.

I can’t wait to get started.

Discipline And Unconditional Love

2009-10-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I questioned the concept of disciplining children by withholding love and acceptance. I said our children should never wonder whether we love them and fully accept them just as they are. (Remember the last word of Proverbs 3:12.)

The question is, How do you do that?

Well, I’m not the world’s greatest expert, but I think it can help to focus on actions/consequences instead of crime/punishment. In other words, during discipline our talk should be about “You did X, and the result/consequence of doing X is Y,” not “I can’t believe you did that! I’m so disappointed!”

And while it can’t always work this way, things work best if the child already knows the consequences before the offense is even committed. (And it works even better if the child has already agreed to the appropriate consequences prior to the action as well.)

The value of this form of discipline is that it makes it easy to maintain love and acceptance even during discipline. “You’re receiving this discipline not because I’m mad at you or don’t love you. This is happening because I love you and you need to learn that actions have consequences.”

Will you be able to stay that calm and always discipline this way? I don’t know. I know I don’t always succeed. But it’s a good model that sure beats making your child question your love—and their value.

Hanging With Happy Hookers (and Unhappy Pastors)

2009-10-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Went on my semi-annual sermon retreat earlier in the week. Last year, I was pretty much alone at the lodge, but this year I shared the facility with two groups.

One was a bunch of pastors from throughout the Southeast. The other group made decorative rugs using special hooks. And yes, they call themselves hookers.

I noticed two things.

One, the hookers were happy. They were doing what they loved with people who loved it, too.

I think the best way to describe the pastors would be “weary.” Nice guys, but tired. It was obvious why they called their event a “retreat” while the rug makers were attending “camp” in the same building.

I could relate to the pastors. I was on a "retreat" too, and I’ve been “weary with doing well” quite a few times. It’s a byproduct of working in my strength instead of God’s power. (One of the evidences of doing things in God’s power is joy.)

Second, the rug makers really wanted me to join their group. When I showed the slightest polite interest, they were ready to get me my own starter kit and hand me a hook. The pastors, on the other hand, weren’t really looking to add members—or even help the rug makers discover the joy that is only found in Jesus.

Hopefully, by the end of their retreat, the weary pastors were showing more joy—and more interest in helping the rug makers become Jesus followers. But for those first two days, I knew who I wanted to hang out with.

And I wonder if we would reach more people for Jesus if we were less like the preachers and more like the hookers.

Rhythm or Relationship?

2009-10-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, changing one word changes everything.

See, I’ve always had issues with our constant use of the term “Relationship with Jesus.” For one thing, it’s not used anywhere in the Bible. That’s not necessarily bad, but it can be an issue.

For another, it makes my “Jesus-Is-My-Boyfriend” warning light flicker just a little. Outside of church we use the word “relationship” almost exclusively in a romantic way. Facebook doesn’t ask if you’re romantically involved. It asks if you’re “in a relationship”.

And finally, relationships don’t have leaders. They’re mutual admiration societies, with a goal of each person making the other happy. But Jesus is my Leader. And while He does bring me joy, both of us share the same purpose of bringing glory to the Father, not warm fuzzies to each other.

Well, that could all just be one of my issues, but during the message this past weekend, another thought began to evolve, a thought that was strengthened in our Connection Group. What if, instead of a relationship, Jesus wants us to be in rhythm?

Picture yourself and Jesus in a row boat, each with an oar. In this boat, it’s not about Jesus making me happy. It’s about me matching the rhythm and pace Jesus is setting. We’re working together to accomplish the Father’s will, but my part is to keep my eyes on Him, to stay in tune with Him. To match His rhythm. I get my joy from being in synch with Him, not from what He’s directly doing for me. (Which is why I can have great joy even when life is crappy.)

And as I reflect on it, “rhythm” is a much better description of my walk with Jesus than “relationship”. When things go wrong in my walk with Christ, it’s not a “relationship” issue. (“Have you told Him how that makes you feel?”) It’s that I’ve gotten out of rhythm with God’s Spirit. The problem isn’t fixed by “restoring the relationship” (which implies to me that both sides need to work on something). It’s fixed by me stopping what I’m doing that is out of synch with God and making my rhythm match His. “Be still and know that I am God” kind of stuff. Worshiping to align my will and ways with His.

So, what do you think? Which image better reflects your walk with God? I don’t know about you, but from now on I think I’m going to spend a lot more time talking about rhythm than relationship.

Fave 9 From The Nines

2009-09-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I wrote about The Nines web Conference and promised some follow-up video links. Well, the videos are online, so I decided to blogCheat this week and post the links to my favorite nine videos from The Nines Conference.

Of course, being a naturally generous person {insert guffaw here} I ended up picking ten. You can call one of them a bonus. If you were one of the presenters and I didn't pick your video, I was probably in the bathroom or Taco Bell (which explains the bathroom thing) when yours ran and I haven't had a chance to view it yet. And I've intentionally included some people you've probably never heard of--and they're just as good as the ones you read about every day.

Keld Dahlman

Perry Noble

Scott Hodge

Reggie McNeal

Greg Surratt

Naeem Fazal

Steven Furtick

Len Sweet

Pete Wilson

Larry Osborne

If you want to browse the rest of the videos to pick your own favorites, the main page is here. But make sure to come back here and comment with your faves.

By the way, if you like these videos, you do NOT want to miss our own leadership conference, "From Vision to Reality" November 7th and 8th at Spout Springs.

The Red Zone

2009-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Don’t look now, but it’s here!

In the church calendar, there are a couple times a year that are crucial, times when everything comes together—or everything falls flat. I call them the Red Zones, six-to-eight-week stretches in the Spring and Fall when guests are most likely to visit our church.

In the Spring, the Red Zone is March and April. In the Fall, it’s from the first of October to the middle of November. It’s the time when we have the opportunity to impact the maximum number of lives for Jesus.

Last year about this time God led us to set some audacious goals and embark on some seriously scary mission opportunities, looking ahead to this Fall’s Red Zone.

Well, it’s here and the goals are in sight.

And what do we need to do? One of my favorite sayings is “Pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on you.” And that’s not just smoke. God tends to answer the prayers of those committed enough to go all out for Him.

So pray and invite your neighbors. Pray and do your ministry to the absolute best of your ability (and if you’re not involved in ministry, volunteer this weekend.) Pray and tell everyone about our iCampus that debuts in October. Pray and go the extra mile to make sure every guest feels like they’ve found a new home.

Football fans will tell you that how a team performs in the Red Zone is a great indicator of whether the team will win the game. Since our church started, we have a history of rising to the challenge of each Red Zone.

Let’s do it again and see what kind of victories God has in store for us this year.

The Greatest!

2009-09-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

“I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” Luke 7:28 (NLT)

I’ve been a Christian for a while. I’m a pastor and a pastor’s kid. And sometimes Jesus just doesn’t make sense to me.

Like here. I mean, if I’m reading this correctly, I’m greater than John the Baptist.

That makes absolutely no sense to me.

So, I tried to figure it out. Could it be because God’s Spirit lives in me? Well, no. John had God’s Spirit from before he was even born.

Well, what else could it be?

Best I can figure, it’s about community.

John may have had God’s Spirit, but his followers did not. John flew solo.

On the other hand, we’re on a team, a team full of people who are (at least supposed to be) full of God’s Spirit. And because of that, this Spirit-led, Spirit-filled team can accomplish more, can grow closer to God, and can have greater impact than the solo “Voice Calling in the Wilderness” ever could.

If (I say if) we’re willing to play as a team.

A Great Day of Learning

2009-09-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Finishing up a great day. www.Leadnet.org put on an incredible conference — dozens of leaders taught for nine minutes apiece. Back-to-back videos all day long. (Not saying you have to like it, but I loved it.)

Over the next few days (as soon as the videos are linked from the site), I’ll point you to some of my favorites. In the meantime, let me give you the notes I took from Reggie McNeal’s talk on a Missional Renaissance in the church.

Reggie defines the Missional church as “The people of God partnering with God in His redemptive Mission in the world.” And he clarifies it phrase by phrase:

• People of God
The church is a who, not a what.

• Partnering with Him
The church doesn’t have a mission, the mission has a church.
Ask people regularly, “How can I ask God to bless you?”

• In His redemptive mission
Everything sin broke, God is reconciling.

• In the world
We are not the point.
Where you are is your place to bless.

Stay tuned over the next few days for links to some of these great (and short) teachings.

Oops

2009-09-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, I’m reading in 2 Kings and find where Elijah calls down fire from heaven and kills a bunch of soldiers, then parts the Jordan River and walks across. That’s where I said “Oops.”

See, a few weeks ago I was preaching about Elijah and said that after he prayed for rain on Mt. Carmel, he never performed another miracle.*

Like I said, Oops.

Here’s the “news that isn’t really news”: Pastor Steve makes mistakes. Even when he’s preaching.

The good news? There may occasionally be mistakes in my sermons, but there are no mistakes in God’s Word. Whatever it speaks about, it speaks with complete accuracy.

And when it speaks into our lives, it always nails us.

* The point I was making still stands, but the one statement was wrong.

Student Ministries/Tech Pastor Job Description

2009-09-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Rapidly growing young church seeking energetic, passionate person to lead student ministries and provide support to technical teams.

Expectations:

• Lead student ministries (5th grade and up). Focus is on helping youth connect with God, with others, and with the person God created them to be.

• Develop leadership teams to assist in ministry. Must be willing to invest time in developing leaders both in ministry skills and spiritual maturity.

• Oversee and act as Direct Report for all technical ministries including video production for Internet Campus, sound and lighting for weekend services, web-site management, and computer networking. Focus is on developing and maintaining teams.

The ideal candidate will be proficient in at least one of the following:
• Video Production
• Graphic Design
• Web Development
• Sound Mixing
• Computer Network Management

• Position reports to Senior Pastor and must be able to actively support the vision of the church and the Senior Pastor.

Spout Springs Church is a three-year-old church, currently running over 600 in three weekend services. We have a strong military presence (over 80% military). While our church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, we have members from all backgrounds, including Assemblies of God, Presbyterian, Mainline Denominations, Catholic, and many with no religious background whatsoever. Flexibility is a must.

Respond to pastorsteve@spoutspringschurch.com

Only One Exception

2009-08-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

After writing last week’s blog about living for God except, I came across this verse.

“For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.” 1 Kings 15:5 (NLT)

Except.

Of course this single “except” led to the loss of a baby, the death of one son, the rape of a daughter, and eventually the death of King David’s favorite son as the son was trying to overthrow his father’s kingdom.

A single little “except” can lead to a world of trouble, pain, and loss. It can cripple our ministry, destroy our ability to tell others about Jesus, and crush our families.

This morning, I read the counterbalance to “except” :

“But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NLT)

The solution to the problem of “except” is to live for Him.

With, of course, no exceptions.

No Exceptions

2009-08-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

It may be the most dangerous word for a Follower of Jesus.

Except.

“Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the instructions of his father, David, except…”*

It doesn’t take an English teacher to know “all, except” isn’t “all”. And ignoring some of God’s teaching meant Solomon’s kingdom was going to completely fall. **

Of course, the real question isn’t about Solomon, it’s about me. What’s my ‘except’?
Am I following all of Jesus’ teaching as best I can, or are there one or two things (little things?) that I’m doing even though I know I shouldn’t? Or not doing even though I know I should?

Well, while it may not bring down a kingdom, it will hinder my relationship with God and limit my ability to serve Him. And if I want to be a fully committed follower of Jesus, I have to follow Him fully.

No exceptions.

* 1 Kings 3:3
** After his death, but it still fell.

Church Online: Is It Real?

2009-08-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Our Internet Campus is almost a reality. Soon, we'll have military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan worshiping with us online, as well as people in WV and, well, you never know.

A lot of people wonder, can God really change lives through online church. Well, how about I let someone else answer that one?

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2009/08/13/why-church-online/

A Matter of Perspective--and Life

2009-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. Matthew 28:15 (NLT)

Two groups were witnesses to the Resurrection, the women who came to anoint Jesus’ body and the men responsible for guarding it. Both groups were terrified by the event (Matt. 25:4, 8). The similarities end there.

The women saw and accepted. The guards saw and rejected.

The women went and told others who also (mostly) believed. The guards shared their doubts with others, empowering their disbelief.

So here’s the question. I claim to be a spiritual witness to the resurrection. By my words am I encouraging belief or disbelief? And even more importantly, by my actions am I encouraging acceptance or rejection?

On thing is for sure. If I claim that God’s Spirit lives in me, it should show in my life, my words, my love. And if not, then I’m probably leading more people to doubt God’s power that to embrace it.

More Thoughts On Prayer

2009-07-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

While I was preparing Sunday’s message, I read again about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. And I noticed something.

When He began praying, Jesus was in agony. I don’t know if the Son of God was ever scared or confused, but if He was, this is it. His stress was palpable.

Then He prayed, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." Matthew 26:39 (NLT)

Here’s the thing. God didn’t literally answer that prayer. The suffering came and Jesus left the garden knowing that it was coming. But when Jesus was done praying He was re-aligned with the will of His Father. (Remember, Prayer is not about acquiring stuff from God, it’s about aligning ourselves with God.) Jesus emerged from prayer a confident Savior, at peace with God’s plan and His part in that plan.

And that’s what prayer is about.

* * *

In case you missed it, here are some key thoughts on prayer from Sunday’s message:
• God often withholds the answer to a prayer until you are properly aligned with Him. If you’re not properly aligned with God, you won’t properly use what you get from God.
• God is often using your need to align other people as well as yourself.
• He also uses other people’s needs to align you.
• That means sometime your prayers are not being answered because He’s still working to align another person
• And sometimes another person’s prayers are not being answered because He’s still working to align you.

* * *

Finally, here’s a great message on prayer that really helped me in preparing for Sunday. I don’t agree with everything the dude says, but he gives some great insight.

Big Picture, My Picture

2009-07-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went off teaching and preaching in towns throughout the country. Matthew 11:1 (NLT)

When it comes to developing leaders, we tend to miss in one of two directions.

On one hand, we sometimes resist training new leaders because it takes up too much of our time. Which is a recipe for failure since we have a constant need for new leaders.

Or, we train someone to do a task, then (temporarily) abandon our position to serve as an assistant (or on-the-field coach) to the person we just trained. Our ministry suffers and they don’t get a chance to really test their own wings.

But Jesus did it differently. He didn’t follow the guys around, carrying their bags, handling the logistics for their meetings, helping them succeed while His own ministry went dormant.

Jesus understood the concept of Big Picture, My Picture.

My Picture is the understanding that I have work to do. That God has called, gifted and prepared me for ministry. And if I don’t do it, it probably won’t get done.

The Big Picture is that we have to be training new leaders for God’s Kingdom. Constantly.

Jesus understood both. He constantly trained new leaders but fulfilled His ministry during the process.

And what’s the key to Big Picture, My Picture? Two words Training and Trust. We have to train our potential leaders for success, then trust them to succeed. Training means they are prepared to lead without us. Trust means we’re prepared to let them succeed (or fail) on their own.

Sure, it’s a tough balance. But real success in leadership development only comes when we keep both pictures clearly in focus.

The Church of Mayberry

2009-07-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Spent a few hours in downtown Mt. Airy, NC today. In case you aren’t from North Carolina, Mt. Airy is the birthplace of Andy Griffith and at least to some degree the inspiration behind fictional Mayberry.

Doesn’t take more than a couple minutes in Mt. Airy to figure out the connection. You arrive on Andy Griffith Parkway, drive past the Andy Griffith Playhouse on the way to downtown, where you’ll find Floyd’s City Barber Shop, Opie’s Candy Store, and an endless stream of Barney Fife photos, many life-sized.

But for some reason the whole town reminded me of something else. Trying to put my finger on it. Maybe you can help.

• The town is caught up in how things were done 50 years ago. Plenty of old-timey washing machines and antique stores. No Internet cafes. And I might have been the only person Twittering my experience.

• Lots of places to buy vinyl albums, cassettes, and even 8-tracks. Didn’t see many iPods, didn’t hear much current popular music.

• There was an obvious lack of people in their twenties. There were grandparents, and parents (like Kim and me) who drug our kids there. The only kids enjoying the trip were the ones who’d been previously introduced by their parents to the ways of Mayberry.

Frankly, I’m a little worried about the future of Mt. Airy, as the older folks pass and fewer and fewer young people really buy into “the way Mayberry’s always done it.”

And if I could figure out what it is that the town reminds me of, I’d be concerned about it, too.

Spout Springs Sayings Part 3

2009-06-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

Recently we’ve been looking at some of the sayings you’ll hear a lot at Spout Springs. But today I want to clarify one.

On a regular basis I mention that obedience proves our love for God, that God sees that love and responds with a greater revelation of Himself, which drives us to love Him even more, which calls us to greater obedience, which means He reveals even more of Himself, and so on, and so on.

But this morning I saw something in my quiet time that I don’t think I’ve emphasized enough. It’s in 1 John 4:

This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

If we’re not careful, we can start thinking that we’re the ones pushing the Obedience-Love-Revelation wheel. But love, the thing that drives the process, starts with God. My love for God starts with God’s love for me.

I don’t have to be afraid that I’m not loving God enough. He starts the wheel moving with His amazing, unbelievable, unfathomable love for me. My love for God isn’t something I generate. It’s merely me reflecting His love back to Him.

In other words, while the obedience wheel is (in my opinion) the key to spiritual growth, God is the One who starts and keeps the wheel rolling.

Soul Fighting

2009-06-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. 1 Peter 2:11 (NLT)

So much for ‘victimless’ sins. No matter the impact on others, whenever you sin, you’re a victim.

Of course, Satan hides that card very nicely.

‘Rebellion’ is fighting against the man, not yourself. Sexual sin is about pleasure. Pride is disguised as building self-esteem.

But every blow for your self-esteem that is not based on your relationship to God is a hammer to your soul. Fighting the man gives you the black eye. And the pleasure of sexual sin—whether private or public—never measures up to the pain.

I Only Do Three Things

2009-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Looking at another one of our catch phrases at SSC, this time, it’s one you may not have heard—-unless you’re part of the Sunday morning setup crew. Then you hear it almost every week: “I only do three things on Sunday. I unlock the back door, I turn on the Coffee Shop ‘Open’ light, and I preach.”

I unlock the back door because everyone comes in the front and it often gets forgotten (though someone has beaten me to it the past couple weeks). I turn on the Coffee Shop ‘Open’ light because the people working in the shop are too busy to notice it (and they can’t see it anyway). And I preach because, well, that’s what I do.

But why keep saying it? Well, there are three things I’m communicating each time I repeat it.

• Keep your work load manageable. Too often we let one or two people try to do everything. But we’re all better off if everyone has a small number of tasks—and does them very well—instead of doing lots of things poorly.

• Stay in your lane. Do your job and let other people do theirs. When we step into someone else’s lane we discourage them. Do someone else’s job too often and pretty soon it’s your job—and they may stop doing anything.

• Every job is important. Preaching gets people’s attention. But that Coffee light is important, as is the work of the people under the light, and the greeters at the door, and the nursery workers, and the, well, you get the picture. “I only do three things” highlights the fact that every other thing that gets done on Sunday morning (or Saturday evening) is done by someone other than me, and usually by a volunteer.

Get Off Your Butt

2009-05-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

There are a few expressions I use repeatedly in our weekend teaching and I thought it might be cool to take a few blogs to look at some of them. Of course, “We’re all screwed up” is the most famous, but I wanted to start with one of my other favorites: “Get off your butt.”

I know, it’s not typical pastor-speak, but a) I’m not your typical pastor and 2) some things are so important I want to be sure everyone is paying attention. Too often we think serving is an optional part of following Jesus. But “Get off your butt” is a none-too-subtle reminder that you can’t follow someone while sitting still.

There are three reasons the message behind “Get off your butt” is so crucial that I’m willing to offend a few people to get it across.

1) It’s what you were made for. The Bible is very clear that we were created to serve God. If we avoid service, we are avoiding the thing that will bring us the greatest fulfillment in life.

2) The Church relies on it. Like every church, Spout Springs is a volunteer organization. A church our size relies on a handful of paid staff to lead the entire church. But it takes over ninety volunteers a month just to run our KidzWorship ministry. Volunteers make the church run. Matter of fact, the Bible teaches that the purpose of the paid staff is to equip the volunteers to get the real ministry stuff done.

3) It’s our chance to change the world. Some of our church people have very important jobs, some not-so-important. But no job is as important as our opportunity to redirect people’s eternity, to help them lead the full life Jesus has for them, and to advance God’s cause of justice and mercy on the earth.

How important is serving? Well, Pastor Rick thinks we should quit using the word volunteer, since once we sign up to follow Jesus, serving isn’t really optional. Don’t think I’m quite ready to abandon the term, but I’ll probably never quit challenging people to get off their butts.

InnovateChurch 2009

2009-05-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I won free tickets to take our staff to the InnovateChurch conference in Lynchburg, VA, so Monday we loaded up and headed north. It was an incredible three days. I can’t possibly share everything we learned, but here are a few bullet points that I brought home.

• Don’t Get Distracted. Eric Geiger taught that churches tend to drift toward complexity and away from their core message and mission.

• Don’t Sell Out To Sell Your Book. It’s okay to plug your book at a conference. Unfortunately, one of the speakers (who I won’t mention) was so busy shilling for his book it distracted from his presentation. And no, it wasn’t Francis Chan.

• Don’t Forget the Bible. Francis Chan, was, as always, amazing. Frankly, there’s no way to sum up what he said, so you’ll just have to go to the link below and listen for yourself.

• Don’t Be Colorblind. Mark DeYmaz challenged us to look around at the racial and cultural makeup of our church, and become more intentional about embracing diversity.

• Don’t Take Prisoners. Perry Noble never pulls his punches. And he hit us between the eyes with three questions our churches need to ask:
o What is it that God wants to do in my church?
o What are the barriers that stand in our way?
o What do we want to celebrate? (We celebrate changed lives.)

This is the message to listen to right after Francis Chan. But make sure you get your testosterone booster shot first.

• Don’t Get Off Base (But Do Get Off the Pot). Greg Surratt told us “It’s okay to sit on the pity potty, just as long as you don’t stay until you have ring around the hiney.” He also reminded us to 1) base your preaching on the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 2) base your confidence on the fact that God has chosen you, and 3) base your hope on the fact that you are on the winning team.

If you’d like to hear any of this messages (and you really should), they are all online and free at www.innovatechurch.us. (You can fast forward past the introductions if you’re in a hurry.)

By the way, some of the guys at the conference are well worth a Twitter follow, including Perry Noble, Greg Surratt, Ed Stetzer, Matt Fry, and Jonathan Falwell. (And don’t forget to follow me, too.)

A New Way To Look At New

2009-05-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

When it comes to dealing with new ideas, people naturally fall into one of two groups.

Some people equate “new” and “evil”. They tend to believe that if it was worth thinking up, someone would have thought of it years ago.

The second group (to which I belong), thinks “new” and “cool” are synonyms. “If it ain’t broke, break it.” (Wait ‘til you hear the idea I’ve got for a new Sunday evening service for the tech-savvy teens and twenty-somethings.)

But there is a third group which is probably the ideal. They don’t naturally lean toward new ideas, nor do they lean away from them. Instead they lean toward the Bible. In the Book of Acts, we encounter a group of people like that in a town called Berea.

The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. (Then) they searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did some of the prominent Greek women and many men. Acts 17:11-12 (NLT)

Open-minded when it comes to new ideas, but Biblically-grounded in analyzing those ideas. That’s the group we all should strive to be part of.

So if you’ll pardon me, I need to dig into the Word a little to see if that new Sunday service fits the Bible’s criteria for authentic worship.

Keep The Change

2009-05-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, things are going great at Spout Springs Church. Attendance is way up. We baptized ten people at First Wednesday—for the second time this year. Lives are being transformed.

So what should we do now?

Change something.

Seriously. And I’m not talking about just changing to accommodate growth. I’m talking about looking for ways to shake things up.

The tendency, when things are going well, is to pull out the cliches. Stay the course and don’t rock the boat. But it’s easier to make changes when things are going well—and you have the ability to analyze the changes without the anxiety of need (or desperation). You can take your time and make positive course corrections, added useful things, deleted things that have outgrown their usefulness.

Otherwise we may end up in the rut of repetition and the coffin of comfort.

So, don’t be surprised any time you see changes at Spout Springs. Because all it takes to turn a rut into a grave are a couple end pieces.

(Here are a couple other blogs to get the brain pumping:

http://www.edyoungblog.com/2009/05/change-change-change.html

http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/05/06/the-new-traditional-church-music/)

SSC’s iPOD

2009-05-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting (and becoming friends with) one of the pioneers in satellite (or multi-site) church ministry, Geoff Surratt. He gave me some great ideas as we move toward launching our LifeSpringsWV ministry.

One of the key concepts was something they’d used at Seacoast Church, conveniently acronymed as “iPOD”. The idea behind it is to provide “freedom within fences” for the satellite congregations. It starts by asking, “What makes our church unique?” These are the things we must transfer to the new sites, the non-negotiables as it were. From there we can decide what things are optional and what are absolute no-ways.

Here’s the iPOD breakdown, along with a couple examples. What I’d like to get are some opinions on what you think fits in each category.

I = Initial. These are the things the campus must have at startup. For instance, it would be very difficult for a church to be part of “us” and launch without a dynamic children’s ministry in place, without friendly First Impressions and Hospitality Teams, without an authentic worship experience.

P = Priority. While a church could launch without them, there should be a plan in place to provide these types of things within the first six months. An example of this might be Connection Groups, assuming the new site didn’t use Connection Groups to build a core prior to launch.

O = Optional. New locations can choose to use these or not. Connection Groups are non-negotiables. However, the way a local site chooses to implement them (long-term vs. semester-based, topic-based vs. sermon-based, etc.) could vary based on the needs and makeup of a specific location.

D = DON’T! If a church does this, it’s not a LifeSpring church. Poor quality? That’s a don’t. Music that doesn’t relate to the intended audience? Don’t. Unfriendly? Don’t even think about it.

So, those are some examples. What do you see as fitting where in SSC’s iPOD?

(For more info on our multi-site motivation, see "Moving Beyond Spout Springs")

Who Wants A Miracle?

2009-04-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Jesus asked, "Must I do miraculous signs and wonders before you people will believe in me?" The official pleaded, "Lord, please come now before my little boy dies." John 4:48-49 (NLT)

We preach against selfishness, but we’re all still selfish. And God, loving us beyond our comprehension, uses that selfishness to draw us to Himself.

See, the dude wasn’t interested in “a miracle.” He was consumed by the needs of his little boy.

He didn’t care if it attracted attention or not. Didn’t care what anyone thought—religious leader or common farmer or fisherman. He didn’t care if it drew a crowd or chased one off. All he cared about was his son.

And while we don’t like to admit it, today people don’t really care about the hoopla or the show or the entertainment.

They care about their hurts, their needs, the emptiness inside. They wonder if Jesus can help. That’s why they come to church.

And our job isn’t to put on a show and hope people come. It’s to show people where our hope comes from.

Sure, we try to be entertaining. (The alternative to “entertaining” is “boring” after all.) But people will only come so long for the bling. While we have their attention we’d better make sure we point them to the One who can satisfy their needs.

Looking Like Jesus

2009-04-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Let's get back to this morning's issue: What are the marks of a true follower of Jesus?

As I thought about it, I came up with what I think are the three main questions (and a few supporting ones) we need to ask ourselves.

Question 1: Is my Personality becoming more like Jesus’ Personality? If you’re curious, I think the best Biblical description of His personality is in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient, love is kind, etc. But His personality was also sinless and worshipful. Is God removing sin from my life and replacing it with His character and a desire to be in His presence?

Question 2: Are my Priorities becoming more and more like Jesus’ Priorities? Am I becoming less self-centered and more others-centered? Do I love my neighbor like I love myself? Am I concerned with the welfare of the weak, helpless and mistreated? And does that concern translate into proactive service?

Question 3: Do my Passions mirror Jesus’ Passions? Am I driven to bring glory to God? To bring people to God? To give up my life to help others find true life? And am I exercising true faith (aka, willing to take risks and be uncomfortable) to accomplish these things?

Okay, I don’t exactly get an A+ myself on that test and I see lots of areas where I need to get to work. But here’s the kicker. As I look back over my life as a Jesus Follower, I can see God growing me in all of these areas.

But if I showed no real progress in any of these areas over my lifetime as a “Christian”, would it really be accurate for me to call myself a Follower of Jesus, whether I’d spent those years in church or not?

Am I a Christ Follower or Just a Church Member?

2009-04-08T03:37:00.000-07:00

In a recent sermon I said something to the effect that “If someone ‘made a decision for Jesus’ when he or she was eleven, but there was no life change and the person hasn’t been in church since, we shouldn’t kid ourselves by saying that the person was a Christian who just wasn’t living it. We need to admit that the person is not a follower of Jesus and get busy praying and sharing our faith with them.”

But then God pushed me into some more thinking about the problem. What if everything I’d say was true but the person had remained in church? In other words, are there people in our churches who have conformed to the church culture but had never been transformed by God’s Spirit?

I’m afraid (terrified actually), that our churches may be full of people who have mistaken “acting like a Christian” with being a follower of Jesus. They know the lingo, are comforted by the rituals, even enjoy the music (traditional hymns or contemporary choruses), but don’t know Jesus and aren’t being transformed by God’s Spirit.

So, my next question is, what are the marks of a true follower of Jesus? How can I tell if I’m a Jesus Follower or just a church member?

I'll post my thoughts later. For now, what do you think?

Faith, Timing, Risks, and Trials, Part Two

2009-04-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

On the same day I read about the Israelites not going to the Promised Land, I read about the crucifixion. And something odd struck me.

Sometimes we think the wrong person got “lucky.”

Go back to that day 2000 years ago. There were four people intimately involved: Jesus, Barabbas and two thieves. Originally, Barabbas was to be the centerpiece of a holiday crucifixion. Execute the rebel to remind the natives that Rome was in charge.

Our natural tendency would be to say that of the four, Barabbas was the one who got lucky. I mean, he was bumped off the center cross and Jesus literally died in his place.

But was he the lucky one?

Maybe not. See, best I can tell, Barabbas may have lived for many more years, but there’s no record of him becoming a follower of Jesus (and I’m sure if he had, somebody have written it down). So he may have lived a long life, but he’s probably enduring an even longer eternity without Jesus.

Which isn’t true of one of the “unlucky” thieves.

Sure, he died on a cross. But he died next to Jesus. And unlike his hostile fellow thief, he recognized Who he was next to. Instead of walking away to a life without Jesus, he entered eternal live with the promise, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

So, tell me again, who was the lucky one?

Which brings us to our lesson to remember. Be careful about running away from problems, challenges and hardships.

Sometimes our blessings come through a cross.

Faith, Timing, Risks, and Trials, Part One

2009-04-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

I read two seemingly unrelated Bible stories earlier this week. But God showed me a common thread. I’ll start with the Old Testament one now, save the New Testament one for a separate post.

In the Old Testament story (Numbers 13-14), the Israelites followed Moses (and God) out of slavery in Egypt and were about to enter into their Promised Land. But they rebelled. Lost their faith. Wanted to turn back.

The enemies were too powerful, the obstacles too great.

So they rejected God.

The result? Instead of facing the battle—and getting God’s reward—they spent the rest of their lives wandering in the desert.

God’s indictment was strong:
“As surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the LORD's glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they tested me by refusing to listen.” Numbers 14:21-22 (NLT)

Frankly, that scares me.

See, our church has seen God’s glory. We’ve participated in His miraculous actions. Which means whenever He says “Do this” we have no excuse. We must obey even if the challenge is bigger than anything we’ve faced so far.

I wonder how many people throughout history have seen God work powerfully in one situation, then chickened out at the next challenge and spent the rest of their lives wandering in a figurative desert.

That’s not the life I want.

But there’s only one way to avoid it. Listen carefully to God and go wherever He tells us to go.

No matter how scary the obstacles.

(**If this sounds a lot like what I spoke on for First Wednesday it's cause it is the same thing. Part Two won't be.)

Basics on Twitter

2009-03-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Wanna know more about Twitter? Here's somebody else's blog on it. Matter of fact, the blog is by a guy I follow on Twitter.

Of course, being a blog, part one is at the bottom of the page, part 2 at the top And if you sign up, be sure to follow me. I tweet the funniest things, and there's a button in the right hand column that will hook you right up.

Getting Started With Twitter

Curiosity Killed the Kohathite

2009-03-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was reading in Numbers this morning about my favorite tribe, the Kohathites.

What? You’re not a fan?

Well, you should be. They were a sub-tribe of the Levites, first cousins to the priests. And they had a fascinating job. (Numbers chapter four has the details.) Whenever the Israelites moved through the desert—which they did frequently—the Kohathites’ job was to transport all the coolest stuff: the Holy Altar, the incense burners, the lampstands, even the Ark of the Covenant.

Their life work was to transport these objects from one location to the next. At age thirty they were promoted to active duty. At age fifty they retired. For twenty years they carried the cool stuff.

And here’s the kicker. They never saw any of it. They never touched any of it.
If they did, they would die. Immediately.

Before the community travelled, the priests would go in and carefully wrap the objects, making sure the carrying poles were easy to get to but no parts of the sacred objects were visible. Then, the Kohathites would move the items to the next site, where the priests would unwrap everything and re-construct the Tabernacle.

A Kohathite would spent twenty years carrying objects without ever really know what it was he carried, never fully understanding the glory he transported.

By the way, has God ever asked you to do something and you didn’t really know why?

Well, sometimes I think that’s because the full knowledge is more than we can handle.

And sometimes, it may be that God gets the most glory when we obey without Him having to explain “Why”?

Sex Links

2009-03-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some links related to this weekend's messsage (I've added a few since the original post):

First, here's the link to the article I quoted from Camille Paglia:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009/01/14/obama/index2.html

And, since I didn't really get a change to discuss same-sex marriage, here are a few articles that can help with researching the topic.

http://www.gotquestions.org/homosexuality-Bible.html

http://www.gotquestions.org/gay-marriage.html

This is a technical article comparing the lifestyles of same-sex couples to married couples:
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS04C02&f=PG03I03

This one isn't a great article, but the last quote is the dead on:
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/11569940/

And here's the article I posted first. Not sure it's the best job possible (which is why I added the other ones).
http://www.ncfamily.org/FNC/0903SF.html

By the way, if you missed the message, you can listen to Saturday's version here. (Thanks Amanda!)

Total Request Live

2009-03-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, it looks like the Total Request Live Series is going to be more challenging than I’d imagined. Sure, the Q&A time was fun, but look what we’ll be exploring over the next few weeks:

March 14-15: Famine (Why do innocent children starve?)

March 21-22: Sex (Some things are not nearly as much fun to talk about as to, well…)

March 28-28: Truth (Detangling Truth from Myth and answering a bunch of questions we didn’t get to during the Q&A)

April 4-5: Guilt & Forgiveness (Can God forgive me if… and can I ever forgive myself?)

See, quite a challenging series.

Ready to roll?

And The Application for Churches Is???

2009-03-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Want another reason why we're working on an iCampus (in addition to the satellite church applications)? How about trying to stay with or ahead of what's happening in our culture.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/board-up-the-vi.html

(Response to a full-day e-fast, two blogs in one day.)

Web Campuses Work

2009-03-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, ignore the dude's name, but a great testimony...

http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/03/04/web-church-works/

Think Fast

2009-03-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

In preparation for our new Saturday Evening Service, we’re encouraging all our people to fast from our First Wednesday Service until Friday evening. Since many of our people have never participated in a fast, here’s a little information and some suggestions.

Literally, fasting is “an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, esp. when voluntary and as a religious observance.” (Dictionary.com) Broadly, it is often interpreted as abstinence from anything we find valuable, similar to “giving up something for Lent.”

Here are three options you could consider for the two-day fast.

Full Fast

If you are of good health (and have fasted before), you could go ahead and do a full fast, going without food for the entire 48 hours. Water is allowed. Most people drink some fruit juices during fasts that last longer than 24 hours.

Daniel Fast

A Daniel Fast is taken from the Biblical book of Daniel, chapter 1. Daniel and his friends, most likely in order to avoid eating meat sacrificed to idols, spent ten days eating nothing but fruits and vegetables. This would include water and fruit juices. Many people take this an extra notch and eliminate preservatives during the fast.

Sacrificial Fast

This is fasting from something other than food or from a specific food. The key to this really working as a fast is that it needs to be something you’ll miss. That way, every time you’re reminded of what’s missing, you’ll take that reminder as a cue to pray.

Personally, I’m planning to combine all three types of fasts. I’m hoping to begin a 30-hour “Full” fast after lunch on Wednesday. That evening, I’ll begin a 24-hour Sacrificial fast from all things electronic (which is going to be harder than the food). When those end on Thursday evening, I’ll join my wife for the rest of her Daniel fast.

Whatever method you choose, I encourage you to join our church in fasting in preparation for our new service, reminding ourselves on Whom we’re really depending—and Who ultimately deserves all the glory.

The Gap

2009-02-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30 (NLT)

What about Ezekiel? Why couldn’t he rebuild the wall or at least stand in the gap?

Well, for one big thing, he wasn’t there. God had moved him out of Israel.

And he wasn’t the only one.

As part of God’s judgment, He had removed from Israel all the people who were capable of leading the nation back to right living. There were no people left willing and able to stand in opposition to the country’s move away from God. There was no one proclaiming the Word, no one to keep the people from lurching their way to judgment.

Which is, by the way, good news for us. See, I am very concerned about the direction America is headed. Sometimes to the point of admitting defeat.

But while our nation may be heading in the wrong direction, there are also lots of people standing in the gap. Lots of pastors proclaiming God’s truth. Lots of churches (like ours) affirming God’s standards and proclaiming God’s mercy.

So, while it may not exactly make me giddy with optimism, it does leave room for hope.

There are still a bunch of us standing in the gap.

The Gap

2009-02-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Taking Twitter To a New Level

2009-02-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, you may have thought you'd seen it all. How about Twitter surgery?

Looks like social networking is here to stay, and finding its way into places we hadn't even considered. Even churches.

Question is, are you plugging in or tuning out? And can your ministry ever be as effective as you'd like (even personal ministry) if you stay unplugged?

(By the way, we're kicking off our new Saturday service on March 7th with "Total Request Live." My sermons that weekend will consist of answering tweets and text messages sent in live from the congregation during the service.)

More on iCampus

2009-02-11T15:09:00.001-08:00

Want to know more about iCampuses (or Web Campuses)? Here are a few more links:

These are a few sample iCampuses. Note that there are definite "church times" when greeters and even campus pastors are available.

NewSpring Church

BrandNew Church

LifeChurch.tv

On a more informative note, here's a little about the results they're getting at an Australian Church iCampus (no tech), and some Notes from an Internet Campus Webinar (lots of tech).

Finally, there's even an article on a new tool that lets people chat on an iCampus even though they speak different languages. (Think of it like Trek's Universal Translator.)

iCampus

2009-02-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I mentioned the concept of an iCampus (or web Campus). For those looking for a little more info, here are some links that give delve a into NewSpring Church's iCampus courtesy of Tony Morgan.

General Desciption of the NewSpring Web Campus.

Tech Description

Pirates 4 Jesus?

2009-02-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better to enter heaven half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. Matthew 18:9 (NLT)

I know, it’s hyperbole, overstatement used to make the case.

But that doesn’t mean I can ignore it or undersell it (which is what I tend to do.) The opposite is true. Jesus was trying to make a BIG point.

While Jesus didn’t want his followers to be a bunch of eye-patched pirates, he did want us to take sin—especially our own personal sin—very seriously. Gouge-Your-Eye-Out seriously. Saw-Your-Hand-Off seriously.

Doing whatever it takes to eliminate sin in our lives, not justifying it or minimizing it or getting comfortable with it. Not ignoring teaching like this but attacking the sin in our lives with every tool we have at our disposal.

Maybe not actually using those two particular tools, but attacking sin with the same commitment and determination it would take to literally wield a handsaw or an eye-gouger.

Father, help me hate the sin in my life as much as you do and attack it in every way I can.

And If They Can Do It...

2009-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

If you'd like a little more info on that church I visited in Arakansas last week, check out this article. I don't think I'd gotten all the details right, but the key point is that they serve the same powerful God we do.

Drawing a Crowd

2009-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

It’s an occupational hazard. Teachers like crowds. The more people in the crowd, the greater the potential impact of the teaching.

Problem is, for years now, people have been saying that to draw a crowd you need to soften the message. You can whip them into shape once they’re committed to attending.

Three problems with that. First, how do you get people to commit to anything using soft teaching? Isn’t commitment a hard thing?

Second, that wasn’t Jesus’ experience. Check out this lesson following some of the hardest teaching we have in the Gospels:

After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Matthew 7:28-8:1 (NLT)

Sounds to me like the crowds didn’t come because Jesus softened the message. They came because He challenged them with difficult truths. (Not difficult to understand; difficult to live.)

And not only was soft teaching not effective in Jesus’ day, it’s not the driver in ours either. Some of the fastest growing churches in the country are led by guys who don’t even know how to soft-peddle the truth. People like Perry Noble and Steven Furtick preach it hard—and people are drawn.

So, while I try to make my teaching understandable and relevant and even funny, don’t expect me to make it soft.

You may find yourself laughing until it hurts.

President Obama

2009-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

I watched some of the Inauguration and coverage afterward. And I don't care whether you agree with the man politically or not, if you didn't feel at least a little bit good about America, something might be wrong.

When I was born (as Obama alluded in his speech), Obama's father wouldn't have been able to order lunch at some lunch counters in DC. How incredible is it that, in basically half of a lifetime, our country has moved to the point where is not just a possibility but a reality that a black man could be President?

There are a lot of things wrong with the United States, and I doubt any one man can do a lot to fix it. And I'm sure partisan, selfish, misguided politics--from both sides--will resume their dominant position soon, probably before the day is out. And I'm not naive enough to believe the new President won't be in the middle of it.

But for a moment, when a black man took the oath of office in the very mall where slaves used to be sold, it felt really good to be an American.

'Life' movement evolves

2009-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to Sunday's message, here's an article from USA Today:

'Life' movement evolves
Christians have taken up a fight for global good, targeting human trafficking and the sex trade industry that tortures souls around the world. Consider this a new face of the "pro-life" movement.

By Tom Krattenmaker

Continue Reading

Community, 21st Century Style

2009-01-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Why are we working so hard to plug into online communities like Facebook and Twitter and Blogs (Oh My)? Because more and more people are already in those communities.

On Sunday, I said Hi to Jennifer as I walked past. It was one of her first weeks here, but she'd joined the SSC Facebook Group weeks ago (before attending SSC) and had become my Facebook "friend" on Saturday. Her first week here she was already part of our community--while many people have been here for months and still feel like outsiders.

Sure, we have (and will continue to have) multiple opportunites for people to connect, from Family Support Teams to Connection Groups to Ministry Teams. But don't discount the value of online community. Joining the church Facebook Group or following me on Twitter are probably the two fasted ways to really connect at Spout Springs Church.

And in 2009 we'll be looking for ways to enhance online community, not replace it.

Facebook and Twitters and Blogs, Oh My!

2009-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

The world is changing so fast, it’s almost impossible to keep up. Just as some people are coming around on cell phones, text messages and email, here comes a whole new wave of communication technologies.

Suddenly, pastors aren’t writing columns for the monthly newsletter, they’re blogging brief essays (or cool links) all week long. Churches don’t have directories, they have Facebook pages. And if you want to take it to a whole new level, Twitter let’s you keep up with people’s movements all day long.

And I’m doing my best to keep up, blogging a couple times a week (at www.PastorSteveDavis.info), Twittering a couple times a day (at http://twitter.com/stevedavis1). And when it comes to learning the names of our church people, nothing beats my personal or our church Facebook pages.

But it’s not about keeping up with technology. It’s about using every available means to accomplish God’s work. Blogging lets me teach in bite-size nuggets. Twitter will let me bring people along on my spiritual (and personal) journey. And Facebook gives us a great tool to create community in a high-speed and high-tech world.

So, if you’re still sitting on the shore, trying to get up the nerve to jump into the digital pool, come on in. The Twitter’s fine.

Why So Many Stars?

2009-01-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

I’ve been getting the question a lot recently. Why so many stars?

I mean, there are stars we can’t see with the strongest telescopes on earth. Stars hiding behind stars, so that we’re still learning about the design of our own galaxy. Entire galaxies of stars (that would be millions) that are merely pin pricks against the blackness when viewed by the orbiting Hubble Telescope. There are probably galaxies whose light won’t reach earth before Jesus sets up His final Kingdom—even if He doesn’t kick off the process for another thousand years or so.

And the question is, Why? Why did God make all those stars?

For a long time, my primary response was, “He was just showing off, helping us get a glimpse of His power and glory.” If He could make all those stars, how big does He have to be? (Pretty big, huh?)

Then today I was reading Psalm 8 and found out I was missing it by a little bit.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you have set in place—what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5 NLT

Don’t know how many times I’d read that but didn’t catch it.

It’s not that I was totally wrong. God did make all those stars to show off how great He is, but there was an even higher purpose. He did it so we’d be left speechless by the fact that a God that great loves us. We’re so tiny when compared to His creation—but God has placed us in charge of that creation.

So next time you’re checking out a starry sky, realize the stars are sending you a message, a message you could use to rewrite a famous children’s song:

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the night sky tells me so.

Loudly.

Spout Springs Leadership Summit

2009-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you’re wondering, what exactly is the Spout Springs Leadership Summit (and why should I come)?

Well, the Summit is a lot of things. For one, it takes the place of our Quarterly Leadership Meeting. That means that throughout the Summit, ministry leaders will be giving reports to catch people up on what’s going on their ministries.

It’s also a “Catch the Vision” time. I’ll be fleshing out the details of some of the more exciting things that we’re planning to do in 2009, from children’s ministries and portable classrooms to updates on Saturday Services and LifeSprings WV.

But the real focus is on Leadership development. I’ll be leading a seminar to help everyone learn the four types of planning that are needed in a growing church and for which type each individual is best suited.

We’ll also spotlight leadership within ministries. Every ministry will have a chance to get together and discuss what they’ll need to do as part of the church’s overall vision for ’09 and also how to apply the four planning styles to make the ministry even more effective.

All in all, it should be a very exciting time, and one you don’t want to miss whether you’re a key leader already or are just thinking about getting involved. And did I mention meals and childcare are provided?

So, sign up now. You do not want to miss this.

Living Micah 6:8

2009-01-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

A column by Nicholas Kristof that makes me ask the question, how do we live Micah 6:8 (see previous blog) toward this:

The Evil Behind the Smiles

"As long as 14-year-old girls are being jolted with electric shocks to make them smile before sex tourists in Cambodia, the abolitionist cause for slavery has not been completed."

Read the rest of the column here. (Free registration may be required.)

Disclaimer: I normally read the NY Times to make sure my blood pressure stays at an appropriately high level, but Kristof (as far as I know not a Jesus follower) challenges me to live my faith in the real world in ways no believer currently does.

Another Auld Lang Syne (or something clichéd like that)

2008-12-31T13:58:00.000-08:00

I guess it’s time for the clichéd New Year’s Resolution Blog. You know, where I tell you how great God has been in 2008 and how you ought to resolve to live for Him more next year. Maybe then write about reading your Bible more or getting more involved in church or (gulp) tithing.

Well, God has been amazing in 2008. But instead of me using that to tell you what resolutions you should make, what if I just let Him have the last word and you do with it what you like?

Okay, here goes, from Micah chapter six, verse eight:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly

and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

What Can We Do About It?

2008-12-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

According to the Bible's book of Malachi, God hates divorce. Well, after over a dozen years as a pastor, I’m coming around to His point of view. Divorce sucks.

Of course, I also hate screwed-up marriages and people forced to endure those affronts to His nature. (Marriage is intended to be a picture of Jesus’ relationship to His people, so a bad marriage isn’t just emotionally trying—it’s a form of blasphemy.)

Strong words, I know. But I’m ticked.

I just found out a college buddy is getting a divorce. One of my family members has the kind of marriage that makes my stomach hurt. And who knows how many of the marriages in our church are in trouble? (I’m sure it’s way more than I know about.)

Good marriages aren’t rocket science. Challenging, yes. Complicated, no.

But with each successive generation of people who learn about relationships by watching their parents’ broken marriages, good marriages get more and more difficult to find.

So, what’s the church to do? How can we do a better job training people to have successful marriages? (I know they’re possible—I’m in one.)

Your ideas would be appreciated because I’m pretty sure one sermon series a year isn’t cutting it.

Penn Video

2008-12-21T05:09:00.000-08:00

Excellent (and thought-provoking) video from magician and atheist Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM

It Must Be Love (Even If I’m Still Uncomfortable With the Word)

2008-12-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

I came across an extremely challenging quote from John Piper recently:

“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”

It made me do some soul-searching, but I came to a surprising conclusion. See, I’m not one of those highly-emotional people when it comes to religion—or much of anything else. Passionate, yes. Emotional, no.

I don’t say, “I love Jesus” (or anyone else) easily. Matter of fact, I usually distrust people who say it easily, almost flippantly. I tend to be analytical about everything, including faith. I’m not even one of those people who is anxious for Jesus to come back. (There’s so much work left to do, so many more people to reach.) Frankly, I figured I’d fail the Piper test.

But as I pondered and dug down deep, I got a shock. For me, not only would it not be heaven without Jesus, it would still be heaven without all that other stuff but with Jesus.

I wouldn’t call it an emotion. It’s not like that. But after all these years spending time with Jesus each morning—and learning to (inconsistently) live in His presence all day—a longing has developed. Not a longing for an emotional event, but for a person. To no longer see Jesus “in a mirror darkly” but to know as I am known. To have the full dose of Jesus’ presence instead of the nibble I get now. And that realization made me feel good.

Not emotional, but good.