Praying what you preach.

The talk this weekend at Crossing Church was amazing. It really got me thinking about planting and harvesting. So I wanted to talk about 3 seeds that I want to plant in my life this week, I hope you will too.

First is Preaching. Everyone who calls themselves a Christian has the responsibility to preach. Preaching simply by talking. Talk about what Jesus has done in your life and share how much His love has changed you. Preach.

Next is Practicing. If you are going to preach, you had better make sure to practice what you preach. Your life should be a reflection of what you profess with your mouth. This part is a little harder - it means you have to put in the work of living out what you say, not just paying lip service.

Last is Prayer. If you are going to follow Jesus and try to live like He lived, you should be in constant conversation with Him asking Him to share with you how He did it!! You need to ask God to change you and empower you to do the practicing after the preaching. Prayer is the thing that brings the first two into line and makes them work. Without prayer, you are doing it on your own and when you do it on your own it will not work.

So, now here is the challenge I have for all who just read this blog:

Will you preach? Will you talk to your friends and loved ones about Jesus? Will you invite them to your church so that they will hear how much He loves them and wants to do life with them?

Will you practice what you preach? Will you set an example worthy of wanting to follow?

And finally, will you pray? My wife and I are committing to pray at least a half an hour each day this week for the city of Zimmerman, the Zimtown campus, the Zimtown volunteers and leaders, and for lost people who don't know Jesus.

I firmly believe that God blesses you when you talk to people about Him, serve Him with your life, and seek Him and His wisdom and guidance. No, wait, I know He blesses you when you do this.

So join us in prayer this week and pray that He fills our church with people who need HIM! Plant the seeds of Preaching, Practicing, and Praying.

Zimtown Thank You!!

I just wanted to take a few minutes and thank all the people who volunteer to serve and do stuff around the Zimtown campus to make it happen each week.

Thank you!! Without your hard work and dedication to seeing people meet Jesus each week the Zimtown campus would not happen. You are all amazing, keep up the hard work. What you are doing is making a difference in Zimmerman and making it one of the hardest places to go to hell from.

Good Job, I look forward to serving with you all each week, you are the highlight of my week. I am truly blessed to have you in my life and to serve you and serve with you, keep it up!!

Stormy weather.

Ever feel like Jesus asked you to do something and when you obey all hell breaks loose? It feels like a storm is raging in your life and you are headed toward destruction? Ever feel that way? I have.

There are times when I feel like I am doing the right thing and everything is falling apart, waves are crashing, wind is howling, and there is not a chance I am going to survive.

The disciples had one particular experience like this. Mark ch. 4: Jesus tells the disciples to hop in a boat and go to the other side of the lake. They all hop in and part way across a storm hits, not a little one either. Wind is blowing, waves are coming into the boat, death seems imminent.

Where is Jesus? He's in the back of the boat, snoozin'. He just got done serving, and preaching his guts out and he is tired. So the disciples really freak out, they wake him up and ask if he even cares that they are gonna die!!

You see up to this point the disciples have only had a glimpse of who Jesus is. He is a great teacher, a miracle worker, an amazing leader. But he is about to reveal the most awesome thing about who he is.

He stands up in the boat and says the wind and waves "Peace, be still!" Then it is dead still, a great calm comes over the water and waves.

You see, I think a lot of us forget one huge thing about Jesus, he is God!! Up until now the disciples just kind of looked at him as a really great man. But he is so much more, he is also God.

Psalm 65:7 (speaking of God) 'who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves'.

It is at this moment that Jesus' followers realize that Jesus is much more than just a mere man. They know that only God can still the waves and the wind like this. Jesus looks at them and asks "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"

The disciples look at each other and are filled with great fear and say, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

So where is your faith at today? Are you rowing frantically trying to figure out what is going on, or are you realizing that Jesus is God and with a word he can calm the storm? Have faith, Jesus allows you to go through storms so that you can see one thing, He is God, don't forget that.

Keep the faith!!

I was thinking that sometimes it is really hard to always be faithful. Sometimes it just seems like life is kicking you in the teeth and all you can do is let it happen.

It is times like these when I think of Ephesians chapter 6:16, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." You see, life gets really hard sometimes, you lose your job, a loved one dies, you get sick, bad things happen. The first thing I want to do when life gets hard is doubt that God loves me and that he has blessings in store for me, in other words, I put down my shield.

In battle, one of the most important things you have is your shield, it keeps you from getting shot!! I want to challenge you today, if you are getting shot at, to keep your shield up. Stand on what God promises you and march forward through the onslaught, believing what scripture says. God will protect you, he does love you, he wants good for you!! Lean into him in times of trouble, don't doubt his love for you, he will see you through.

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

We don't always know why things get hard or what the results will be, but God does. Trust him with your future he will deliver you. Don't allow yourself to get shot by dropping your faith, keep moving and trusting in his Word.

Confidence.

Hey, I know it has been a while since I have blogged anything, so to get back in the swing of things I thought I would make it a quick one!!

Genesis Ch. 5 "... When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them..."

Sometimes I really struggle having confidence. I think at some point in every one's life they struggle with this. I just want to remind you today, that you were made in God's image. That means you are an amazing creation! You have the ability to do awesome things, just like God.

There is a story in the book of Genesis where all the people get together and and decide to build a city and a tower that will have it's top in the heavens. Now I don't have an hour or so to get into the wrongness of what they are doing or why it happened, but, one thing I find really interesting about this story is what God says about these people.

And the Lord said , "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing will now be impossible for them." (emphasis added)

Now, of course, in this story the people were not doing God's will. But, the amazing thing God says, before he confuses all their language so they can't finish their city and tower and make a name for themselves, is that nothing will be impossible for them. You see, God created us to do amazing things.

Now we live in a fallen world and often times man uses his God given abilities to do evil, like in the story of the tower of Babel. But the good news is we can use the abilities God has given us to do many amazing, Godly things.

If we use our abilities to do good things, unlike the people in the Babel story, God really does bless what we do. Just remember God created us in his likeness, and blesses us when we bear his image well!! You really do have the power to do the impossible when you follow God's will for your life!!

Have confidence!! God blesses!!

Leading by following.

I read Joshua this week and it made me think a lot about leadership. I think a lot of times in life we feel like the task before us is so impossible that there is no possible way we can do it. In my life I have often times allowed fear and anxiety to rule over me and I have missed out on some huge things because I was too scared to step out of my comfort zone and take a chance.

I think for a long time that is the biggest reason I didn't want to follow Christ fully with my life. I was scared to lose something. I thought I would miss out on the fun stuff in life. When I finally did fully step out in faith and give it all, I realized the stuff I thought was fun wasn't really all it was cracked up to be.

So when I started to follow Christ, he began to allow opportunities in my life to arise that really stretched me out of my comfort zone. A lot of the time I was still too scared to take a chance and trust that God would provide for me so I didn't act. But, the times that I did act, I saw that God came through in huge ways and always provided everything I needed to do what he was asking me to do. Through that process of not allowing fear to rule me but following what God was asking me to do I began to grow. I became closer to God and trusted him more and started to worry less. I started to take chances, fight down fear, and step out of my comfort zone to do things I thought were impossible for me to do.

If you are struggling with fear, struggling to grow, I would say what is God asking you to do that scares you? Just do it!! Push against that fear and break through it. Be ruled by God and not fear!! The only way you will overcome fear is to smash into it head on, trusting in God, and break through it. If God asks you to do something, it is because he knows you can do it.

There are so many times when I have done things and looked back and gone, wow that did not get accomplished because of me, I couldn't have done that without God. God will provide the strength you need. 2nd Corinthians 12:8 ..."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.

You see, if you follow Christ well, you will lead well. All it takes is to be obedient, and you will overcome fear, He will work through you. You just have to do what he asks, He does the rest, He provides the strength in your weakness.

So, back to Joshua ch 5:13-6:21... The Israelites are coming up to Jericho, the city has like the most fortified strongest wall ever seen by them, and here is this guy with standing there with a sword. This is Jesus by the way (commander of the LORD's army). And the LORD tells them to walk around the city and basically play marching band music and yell real loud and the wall will fall down.

So, I don't know about you, but I would be a bit nervous, but ok, I'll do it. They do it, and as anyone who went to Sunday school knows the wall dropped like the ball on New Year's Eve, done all over but the crying. Strange, but see, all Joshua had to do was follow and he led well.

If God has called you into leadership in any capacity and you wonder how you can be successful. I would say it is as simple as be a good follower!! You don't have to do it on your own, that is not what God ever calls us to do!! We need to follow well, then we can lead well. This means you first follow Him, if you are at work you do what your boss tells you to do, provided it's ethical... etc. If you are leading at church you follow the leaders God has placed over you.

I have been blessed to work with some really great leaders. Eric Dykstra, the lead pastor at The Crossing has taught me a lot about leadership and I am grateful that God has allowed me to be in a position to learn and follow. If you lead at a church, make sure you honor those God has placed over you. Don't bad mouth them in any way in front of others, if you got a beef take it to the person you have the beef with. If you don't like something going on at church, don't gripe all over the place, take it your leaders...

Leaders follow well, they don't look at the people they are leading and complain about what they have to do. If Joshua had went back to the Israelites and said, this guy with a sword just told me we have to go play marching band music and yell loud to win the day, that is so dumb, I can't believe it. Oh well I guess we better do what he says... Who would have followed him? I would be like, screw that, if you don't have faith I'm not putting my neck on the line to follow you!!

Leaders have a huge responsibility to lead well. Some day I hope to hear Jesus say, well done good and faithful servant, because I served and followed well.

Celebrate the wins!!

Okay so I was just thinking how when often times we make resolutions and don't keep them. I thought one way I could keep going with them is to make sure to celebrate those moments when you actually see the fruit of your labor.

So the other day I totally reacted in a calm way to a situation that I would have normally became angry. And it made me think that all the work and prayer I have been putting into not getting angry about stupid things has actually started to pay off in small ways. Praise God, he does answer prayer and changes you through it.

So I am gonna take this moment and thank Jesus for once again reaching into my life and changing me for the better.

I think it is really important to celebrate when we see God working in our lives. So many times I get caught up in how crappy I can be, that I forget that Jesus says I am forgiven and when he looks at me he sees a child who he loves and is good.

Stop believing the lies!! Celebrate the good things, and do away with the bad. God will change you, just make sure when he does you notice and thank him, and then celebrate!! I think it is amazing that over the course of a Christian's life God changes you to be more and more like Him.

So don't give up, celebrate the wins - even if they seem small, and keep pushing yourself to be more like Christ. Follow his example, read the bible and pray that he changes you.

My verse for the last week that has really spoken to me is Luke 6: 46-49 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

What have you built your house on? When times get hard do you fall apart? Make sure if you say you follow Christ you read his word, and then do what it says. Life is hard make sure you build a good foundation!! Let Christ be your rock.

That's all I got!! God is good!!

Refuse To Have Enemies.

So one of the big things I am working on in 2010 is not getting angry, in a bad, not so useful way. One of the biggest wastes of my time is when I let what other people do bother me. Seriously, think of how many times a day you let people make you upset. Someone says an off handed comment about you, a tailgater in traffic, sometimes even your family does it, for example there have been several times when my kids have said less than kind statements about me. And we let it all ruin our day.

What if in 2010 we followed the advice of scripture? What if we prayed for our enemies? What if we forgave people immediately without hesitation or even a reason to? What if we put others before ourselves?

I think a lot of times we are so prideful that we forget that God calls us to love our enemies, pray for them, and think of others as better than ourselves.

Colossians 3:8-10 'But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.'

If you have said yes to Jesus, then you have a responsibility to work hard at not getting angry, to not saying bad stuff about other people. We are called to put on the "new self", that is who we are in Christ - NEW!! Don't do the old stuff that revolves around yourself, strive to become who God wants you to be.

There are things that we should get angry about: poverty, starving children, victims of injustice, bullys, domestic violence, drunk driving, the list could go on forever. I've made a decision to not get angry about stupid stuff while the rest of the world literally goes to hell.

I am challenging myself to let go of stupid anger, and to make a difference in the world. I want to challenge everyone else to get angry the right way. Give to the poor, help earthquake victims, give a homeless guy a sandwich and a Coke rather than shaking your head at him. Life is so short and I don't want to waste another minute of it cursing the guy out who just cut me off in traffic. Refuse to have enemies, instead of finding ways to have them.

Witness Protection Program.

Did you ever see one of those movies where someone goes into the Witness Protection Program because they testified against organized crime? The whole deal is this, you fear for your life and you won't say anything unless the government gives you a new identity and starts your life over again in a different state with a new house and job.

So let me ask you this: Are you in the Witness Protection Program?

I was reading Genesis Ch. 20 today and Abraham did this thing where because his wife is good looking and they are going somewhere they have never been before around people they don't know he tells everyone that his wife is his sister. What, really? And not only that, it's not the first time he's done it.

Ok, so my first inclination is to say he is just dumb. But then I think, I do this all the time. I tend to kind of lay low and feel out a situation and make sure I feel real comfy before I ever reveal that I follow God. Why? Same reason that Abraham gives to Abimelech: "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'"... (Gen. 20:11). I think often times we jump to conclusions about people, like they will think I'm crazy, or weird, they will make fun of me, so we don't truthfully, fully represent who we are.

Peter did the same thing. About 5 minutes (give or take) after he told Jesus he would never deny him, he's going Jesus who? Not sure who you mean, you must have me confused with someone else!! I think we all go through this, especially as new christians. There is good news though. Peter went on to become one of the greatest leaders in the history of the church. No he wasn't perfect and he still screwed up, but he learned it is better to not pretend.

You see we are all called to be witnesses. But if we put ourselves in the Witness Protection Program and people find out who we are in a different way other then from our own mouths we are not very good witnesses at all. Be brave, take a risk!! In the end, when Abraham came clean about who his wife really was, things went much better for him. Read the story!! Don't jump to conclusions about how you think people will react, you just never really know. God will not let your life get wrecked because you stand up for who he is and for who you are.

Learn from Abraham and Peter, God can do awesome things through you, but it will never happen unless you check out of the Witness Protection Program and be yourself!!

New Year Resolutions

Okay so I'm not much for New Year resolutions. In fact I don't think I've ever done them in any sort of earnesty. Here it goes though:

• I am going to spend more quiet time with God. Time spent alone, away from distractions, just talking and listening
• This one is linked to the previous one, I will spend more time listening to God. This has always been one of the hardest things for me. I will try to just concentrate on hearing his voice and not get distracted by my brain. Gotta pray more for that one!!
• I will let go of un-righteous anger. There is a right way to be angry and a wrong way to be angry. I will get angry at the things I should and not at the things I shouldn't.
• I will not let fear rule in my decision making.
• I will take more risks in 2010. Jeremiah 29:11; "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Well there it is, I could sit here and think of a million more things but those are the main four I will concentrate on for the next year.

Gonna keep this blog post short and sweet, hope you all have a great year!!