August 31, 2010
Parenting Beyond Your Capacity
I am a parent. When my boys were born, no one handed me a manual to tell me what to do. Most of just do what we saw our parents do. Some times that works out and some times it doesn’t.
Parenting is hard, exhausting, amazing, and sometimes baffling, work. Each child is different. Each child responds differently, has different interests, and has a completely different personality. Each parent brings to the table a history, their personality and quirks, and the season of life’s frustrations.
Here at Pontiac Bible Church, we want to be a church with a heart for the family. We want to help parents live out the Biblical mandate to train their children to Love God and Love Others. We want to give our parents tools and resources that will help them as they shepherd the sheep that God has given them.
One of those tools is a book by Reggie Joiner and Carrey Nieuwhof called, “Parenting Beyond Your Capacity.” We are making these books available to any parent in our congregation for just five dollars.
Joiner and Neiuwhof make the case that you can’t teach parents everything but you can concentrate on teaching them five core family values.
Over the next week, I’m going to explore these core values. Over this next year, I’m going to teach these values to our teams and to our parents. My prayer is that one year from now, most of our parents will be able to identify and apply these values to their parenting.
Here they are:
Family Value 1: Widen the Circle
Family Value 2: Imagine the End
Family Value 3: Fight for the Heart
Family Value 4: Create a Rhythm
Family Value 5: Make it Personal
Jeff Foxworthy, yes the comedian who tells the “You might be a redneck” jokes, wrote the forward and says,
“A hundred years from now, your great-grandchildren probably won’t even know your name. No one will care about the awards you won or how much money you made. The only thing that will matter is what kind of children you left behind and their influence on subsequent generations.”
That’s what we want to help our parents with - the word is “legacy.” Stay tuned for a week of family values that will change the way you think about raising your children.
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August 30, 2010
Mud Bowl Mania 2010!
“I thought it was just going to be a pool with a little dirt it in” - a wide-eyed student looking at the Mud Pit.
Yesterday we had Mud Bowl Mania 2010. Over 100 student, leaders, and parents attended our Back 2 School event. It was the soupiest, most wonderfully disgusting mud pit I’ve ever been in. We played tug-of-war, relays, steal the bacon, and leader mud sculptures. We had a bonfire and hot dogs. It was fantastic!
Dennis and David Moore actually brought a fire truck out and put about 5,000 gallons of water on our pit and then used the hose to clean people off! It was hilarious!
Thanks to all the leaders that made Mud Mania 2010 a success. You know you are and I hope I know how much I enjoy serving with you guys!
Check out my Face Book, and soon, the PBC website, for lots of pics.
Our next major event is Circle Up, a family camping “trip” in PBC’s back yard. This event is Friday September 17 to Saturday Sept 18. Bring your family, a tent or camper, and we’ll supply the rest.
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August 28, 2010
The Deal with Zeal
Pastor Brian will be preaching on the “deal with zeal” tomorrow. Take a moment and read Romans 12 a couple of times and ask the Lord for some boiling faith!
Here’s something I wrote last year concerning zeal:
“Can I share a secret? I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to maintain my zeal for the Lord sometimes. I do get lazy and I’m often discouraged. I find myself getting in ruts in my spiritual life. Maybe it’s just me? What do we do when our fire starts to flicker? Well, according to Paul, we “keep our spiritual fervor.” But what does that really mean? This is a great word picture that really doesn’t come through in English.
The Greek word “fervor” means the sound that water makes when it comes to a boil. It can also refer to the glow of metal when it is super-heated. [Put water on to boil] Jesus is interested in followers who boil in the depths of their souls for Him. He is calling disciples who are bubbling over with excitement at the prospect of living the great adventure of faith. Not just a some-of-the-time excitement but a continuous, inner attitude of enthusiasm. It’s the opposite of stagnation. Paul is saying that a dead, lifeless Christianity is an oxymoron.
The church I attended in Mississippi had a “revival” every spring. A special speaker would come in for a series of nights and the church would get fired up again. During a time of prayer for the revival, one of our high school students stood up to speak. Every eye turned to him because you never really knew what Matt was going to say. He didn’t disappoint. He said, “Revival. Definition - to bring back from the dead. Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to bring our church back from the dead every spring?” And the he sat down.”
It is our desire at PBC to have a spiritually alive family of faith! We don’t want to have to have “revivals.” We want to experience revival! Would you pray with me that God uses His Word to bring about true revival at PBC?
Watch the David Crowder Band lead “Undignified.” It’s time for us to stop worrying about what others think about us, what the world thinks about us, and just dance with full abandon before the Lord of ZEAL!
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August 27, 2010
The Radical Experiment
Recently, I read “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream” by David Platt. The Young Adult Connection small group has been studying this book and it is changing the way they look at their faith, the world, and Jesus.
At the end of the book, he challenges the reader to engage in a one year “radical experiment.” This experiment consists of five parts:
1. Pray for the world. Every day, pray for a certain country or people group who have not been reached with the good news of the Gospel.
2. Read the whole Bible. If you read three to four chapters a day, you will finished the whole Bible in a year. It can ben done and, as Christians, we must learn to feed ourselves with God’s Word.
3. Sacrifice my money for a specific purpose. Platt suggests you spend your money in a way that is Gospel-centered, church focused, and meets specific needs.
4. Spend time in another context. As Craig Groeschel says, “Change of place + change of pace = change in perspective.” Jesus was serious when He said GO and make disciples of all nations. It could be the inner city of Peoria or Perth, Australia, wherever God leads you go. Platt suggests giving 2% of your year to a mission trip. That’s about a week.
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community. In other words, stop church hopping and shopping and commit yourself to a local body of believers. Plug in, get involved, join a small group, use your gifts and talents, and try to be there as many Sundays as possible.
Honestly, when you think about it, these things aren’t very radical at all. They are things we should be doing any way but our culture conspires to distract us with “success” and achieving the “American Dream.”
What would it look like if our entire church committed to do these five things in the coming year? Do you think our effect on our community would be enhanced? Do you think more people would understand what it means to be a Christian?
Which of the five would be the hardest for you to do?
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August 26, 2010
Two are better than one
Sunday afternoon, after all the Praise in the Park festivities were winding down, Marty Cotter helped me close all the windows in the theater. About a year ago, my wedding ring cracked. I know I need to get it fixed but it’s hard for me to even think about taking it off. While closing a window, somehow my ring got snagged and pulled apart just enough to pull a fold of skin in between the the two parts.
I jumped off the chair, ran in circles around the the theater, and finally went outside and sat down in the grass. I was trying the pull the two sides of the ring apart, but every time I tried, I just made it worse. The more I pulled, the more skin was trapped. I was on the verge of tears.
Marty thought it was a splinter. He ran out after me and once he saw what was going on, he backed up and said, “Whoa!” I told him to grab one side and I would grab the other and we would pull apart at the same time. It worked and my ring slid back into place. My finger still hurts but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
So what’s the learning? First, I know. I need to get my ring fixed.
But more importantly, two are better than one. It’s true and it’s Biblical.
Solomon said it this way:
““Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!” (Ecc 4:9-10)
There was no way I was going to be able to solve my problem alone. I needed Marty’s help.
Similarly, you are not meant to live life on your own. You need brothers/sisters to walk beside you, to listen to you, to challenge you, and to love you.
We are created for community but many people chose to live in isolation.
Do you have an accountability partner?
Are you involved in a small group?
Are you living life in community?
Do you have friends that will challenge you to live your life for the Glory of Christ?
Do you have a friend that will rescue you when your ring attacks you?
Remember, two is better than one. Today, take steps to move into community. It will change your life!
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August 25, 2010
I’m Only Jesus
Flipping through the channels tonight and came across a song that was amazing. This video is a little cheesy, I couldn’t find a live version yet, but you’ll the get the point. It’s called “I’m only Jesus” by Tim McGraw. This is the sort of song I wish we could begin our service with on a Sunday morning!
Enjoy!
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August 25, 2010
How do you Hear from God? (Part 7 )
Boing! Boing! Boing!
Do you know that sound? It’s the sound of your prayers bouncing off the ceiling. Or at least, that’s how it seems.
Over the past week, I’ve shared with you five questions that you need to ask yourself when you think you’ve hear a “whisper” from God. Remember, prayer isn’t just about talking, it’s also about listening. And sometimes it seems that God is silent.
Bill Hybels writes,
“But what about when you feel like heaven has fallen strangely silent and months go by without a single word from above? What do you do when it seems that God has stopped speaking, despite your deep desire to hear from Him?”
He goes on to list four culprits that are usually to blame:
* Pray fervently and frequently for God to improve your hearing. Ask for a heart like Samuel’s who said “Speak Lord for your servant is listening” (I Sam 3:10)
* Reduce the noise in your life. Turn off the TV. Take out the ear buds. Get alone and practice listening for God’s voice. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” When’s the last time you were truly still and quiet?
* Fill your heart and mind with the Scripture. A lot of promptings from God comes through His Word and He will remind you of Scriptures you know. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your Word is a lamp…”
* Confess any sin quickly and completely. Sin can hinder our prayers and the ability to hear God’s voice. Want some good news today? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
Now, find a quiet place, tell God that you are there to listen, open your Bible, confess your sin, and listen. Anything you think God may be telling you, write down in a journal. Then, ask the five questions:
1. Is this actually from God or is the burrito I had last night?
2. Is it Scriptural?
3. Is it wise?
4. Is it in tune with your own character?
5. What do the people you most trust think about it?
Anyone want to share a time when they heard a prompting from God?
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August 24, 2010
How do you Hear from God? (Part 6)
“He who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” - Proverbs 13:20
Bill Hybels gives five “filters” for hearing God’s whispers in his new book, “the Power of a Whisper.” When you think you’ve heard a prompting from God, what are the steps you can take to make sure it’s actually God and not the burrito you had last night? The fifth question to ask yourself is…
What do people you most trust think about this?
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14
When you think God is trying to tell you something, go to a person you trust and respect. Hybels calls this the “Godly counsel” test.”
“Whenever you sense God is speaking to you, find two or three veteran Christ-Followers - preferably people you know well and who are further down the spiritual path than you are- and take some time to describe the situation to them in detail….then listen openly and attentively to the answer you receive, because they just might save your hide.”
About twelve years, I started having dreams about a girl I dated in high school. They weren’t “bad” dreams; she just kept showing up night after night. I started wondering if God wasn’t prompting to contact her and share the Gospel with her. I went to a mentor of mine and laid the whole thing out for him. He immediately stood up from his chair, came around his desk, laid his hands on my shoulders and began to pray. He prayed that satan would leave me alone and get out of my dreams!! Once we talked through it, it became crystal clear these dreams were not from God at all.
Do you have a trusted friend that you could talk to you about God’s whispers? I’ve met with Milt Hanson every week for over five years. I know that if I need Godly counsel, Milt is always there.
I think one of the most important words that Hybels used is “openly.” Listen to the counsel you have sought out “openly.” Many times people seek out my wisdom and then, when I tell them, they get angry because it’s not what they wanted to hear. If you are seeking our wisdom, then you must be willing to hear whatever answer your mentors give you.
Some time ago, a former student called me and asked me for wisdom about a relationship issue. I told him that I thought he had his wires crossed and that he was making a mistake. He actually asked several people and they all told him the same thing. Then…he did exactly the opposite of what we told him! Unfortunately, he experienced disastrous results.
So, if you sense that God is telling you something, seek out a few wise counselors and bounce it off of them. It could save you from a lot of heartache!
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August 23, 2010
How do you Hear from God (Part 5)
Continuing with our discussion of how to hear from God, we come to filter number four -
Is it in tune with your own character?
Hybels calls it the “wiring test.”
He writes, “I caution people against running headlong into a field that is totally foreign to their wiring patterns, their education, their expertise, and their experience in life thus far. It’s not that God can’t endorse a dramatic 180-degree turn. It’s just that typically when He does so, it gets affirmed in a variety of different ways.”
If you are an accountant and you feel called to be a lion tamer, it probably isn’t from God!
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August 22, 2010
Praise in the Park 2010
This morning, we had one of my favorite service all year - Praise in the Park. We have one service at the Vermillion Theater and today we heard from three of our missionaries - Rebecca Cox, Shiann Poshard, and David Grimes. It was great to hear how God used them and changed them through their missions experiences. I led our praise time and I love having everyone sing together. The band did a great job and our sound and light crew was excellent. We had a picnic afterwards and there was an amazing spread of food, thanks to the Murphys!
Thank you to everyone who helped make this morning an amazing ministry event!
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August 21, 2010
How do you Hear from God (Part 4)
Is it the wise thing to do?
That’s the question we spent an entire semester talking to the high school students about last year. It’s the question that Andy Stanley says is the “most important question ever.” It is also the third “filter” of how to know you are hearing from God from Bill Hybel’s new book, “The Power of a Whisper.”
First you should take time and get quiet and ask God if the prompting is really from Him.
Then, consult the Scriptures because God will never contradict His Word.
The next question - is it wise?
Much controversy surrounds the building of a mosque and Islamic community center at the ground zero complex. As Obama pointed out, it is certainly within their rights to build anything they want on private property. He also pointed out that this country was founded on the belief that people have the right to religious freedom. On those two things I agree.
But…
Is it wise? It will not build a bridge but cause more division. It could also provoke violence. In short, it’s not a wise idea.
When someone tells me that they are going to quit their job so they can be a professional poker player because that’s what God wants, I’m very weary. Dr. Frank Pollard defined wisdom as “sanctified common sense.” That just doesn’t seem wise to me.
Several times, couples have asked me to marry them. When I find out that they’ve only known each other for a coupe of months, or even a couple of weeks, I alway caution them to slow down. Most of the time, the couples get angry but it is better to do it the wise way and wait a while.
Hybels writes, “God’s direction rarely violates the wisdom test. Be sure that you’re not sidestepping what is wise in favor of acting quickly on whispers. If God indeed is in the plan, it will likely not involve blatant unwise action.”
As we taught the students, asking the question, “Is this a wise thing to do? is a great first step!
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August 20, 2010
How do you Hear from God (Part 3)
I was not expecting any appointments that morning, but when the man walked in my office I knew there was something wrong. I was working for a psychiatric hospital and running one of their outpatient centers. The man nervously accepted the invitation to come into my office and have a seat. I asked him a simple question, “What can I do for you?” His answer startled and surprised me.
He said, in a matter of fact tone, “God has told me to kill someone.”
I cleared my throat and asked him if he knew who it was he was supposed to kill.
It turns out it wasn’t me. In fact, he did not know the identity of the person he was to kill. But he said that God would tell him.
I didn’t waste anytime and replied, “You know, God and I are close and I’ve read His love letters to us. He makes it pretty clear that He doesn’t want us killing each other.” I thought that answer would defuse him. I was very wrong.
He went on to explain that after he had killed this person it would come out that the person was a “wicked” human being. He was to be the “agent of God’s wrath.”
At this I excused myself and leaned in to my secretary’s office and quietly instructed her to call the police.
Did God tell this man to kill? Or was he mentally ill?
We have been looking at the “power of a whisper,” as Bill Hybels calls it in his new book. Yesterday, I introduced filter number one for discerning if it is truly God speaking - getting quiet and taking the time to ask of this is actually God speaking and not the burrito I had last night. The second filter is similar.
When we get what we think is a whisper from God, we need to ask another question as well:
What does God say in His Word about this?
Bill writes, “…I ask myself if I could imagine Jesus doing whatever the prompting is suggesting I do. If I can’t envision Jesus following suit, I fear my wires somehow must have gotten crossed. Check every prompting you receive against the thematic teachings of the Scripture. Messages that contradict Scripture are not from God.”
More than one time I’ve heard a spouse say, “God told me to leave my husband/wife…” It doesn’t take a Bible expert to know that’s not from a God who says, “I hate divorce!” (Malachi 2:16)
Listen, wait, and check the Bible to see if what you are hearing is actually from God.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at filter number three – “Is it wise?”
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August 19, 2010
How do you Hear from God? (Part 2)
The last couple of days, I’ve been writing about how to hear from God. Bill Hybels gives five things we need to consider when listening for God’s voice.
The first “filter” is to simply ask the question, “Is this prompting truly from God?”
When we feel like we’ve heard a “whisper” from God, we need to take the time to ask is it from God or just the burrito I ate night.
Bill writes,
“God, is the message from You? Does this square with who I know You to be? Is it aligned with Your attributes?”
I hear people say , “God told me…” We need to cautious with this statement and take the time to discern if it is God and what He’s saying.
Tomorrow, “filter” two.
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August 18, 2010
The Power of a Whisper
I just finished reading “the Power of a Whisper” by Bill Hybels. Bill is the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in the northwest suburbs. He has been a mentor to me for nearly my entire Christian life. I’ve read almost every book he’s written, listened to countless sermons, visit Willow whenever I can, and attend conferences there as well.
His new book, which I would highly recommend, is about “hearing God’s voice.” I’ve been asked by several people recently, “How do you hear from God?” They expressed their frustration with prayer and the feeling of not hearing anything from heaven. I always ask, “How does one hear from God?” They usually stare back at me in confusion.
We know that God speaks, and that He still speaks today. He guides us through circumstances, coincidences (God way of remaining anonymous), other people’s words, and, most of all, through His Word.
God Word, the Bible, is a love letter written to us. It is “living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)
Let me give you a word picture:
Many of you know that Shiann, our spiritual daughter, was at camp all summer. What if I decided to send her a short letter every day while she was away. Every day, I give her some encouragement, some challenge, some comforting word.
At the end of the summer, I could ask her, “Hey, how did my notes help through this summer?”
How do you think I would feel if she said, “Oh yeah, those letters. Um, I kept them in a box. I’m planning on reading them later.”
How would I feel? I wouldn’t be so much angry as disappointed. Every day, that note had the power to help her but she didn’t read it so she never heard the words.
Make sense? God has given us His Word. As we read it every day, He speaks to us. He directs us, comforts us, and challenges us. But if we don’t read the letter, we don’t get the message.
Not reading at all. That’s one danger. Another danger is reading for information and not really listening to God. Let me explain.
I’m a teacher. That’s my spiritual gift. If I wasn’t a pastor, I would most like be a high school history teacher. (Think Robin Williams in ‘Dead Poet’s Society”). I have to be careful that when I read His Word, I’m not reading to get some cool lesson to teach others. It’s the difference between inspiration and information. The Word needs to speak to my heart first then I can teach it to others.
God can, and does, speak through other means but you must have discernment about these messages. He can speak through a friend’s words of comfort or rebuke. He can speak through circumstances. Or He can speak in a gentle, quiet whipser (see I Kings 19:11-13).
But how do you know that it’s really God?
Over the next five days, I’m going to give you Hybel’s “five ways to tell if this whisper is from God.”
I hope this will help you to start getting quiet and listening for God’s voice!
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August 17, 2010
Don’t forget your S.O.A.P.
Sunday night, the students met for their own time of prayer before the adult community back 2 school prayer night. We did something a little different.
I recently read Wayne Cordeiro’s book “The Divine Mentor” and have become convinced one of the most important things we can do for students is to teach them how to feed themselves spiritually - how to read and study the Bible for themselves.
You would be worried about someone who only ate one time a week. Sadly, that’s what many people do. The only time they open their Bible’s is when I say, “Turn with me to…” Then we wonder why the church is so weak and ineffective.
The solution? Teach the students, and their parents, to self-feed.
On Sunday night, we spent ten minutes reading Philippians 2 three times quietly to ourselves. It was so cool to see students spread out all over the youth room really reading this passage carefully and thoughtfully.
Then we gave them a handout that explained S.O.A.P. This is a concept that Wayne Cordeiro taught me through his writings. After reading Philippians 2, we then asked what one Scripture stood out to us.
Scripture - there were thirty verses but one or two really stood out. We wrote that verse(9s) down.
Observation - why did we write that one down? What going on in that verse? In that context? In that chapter? Do any of the particular words stand out? Why?
Application - How does this apply to our lives right now? How can this verse help us to live more like Jesus today?
Prayer - then we wrote down our prayers to ask God to help us apply what we learned.
I then had the students get in groups of fours and fives and share what verse they wrote down and why. It was incredible to hear all the different ways God’s Word spoke to each of us. Nearly every set of verses in chapter were chosen but for different reasons. Many of us, including me, chose “Do everything without complaining or grumbling…” (Phil 2:14-15) I’m try to live that out this week.
I challenged the students to show their sheet to their parents and explain it to them. I’m going to teach the parents this method this fall.
I also challenged the students to try to do this every day. If they were to do it every day, then in a year they will have really applied 365 verses to their lives. Even if they only did this once a week, that’s still fifty+ verses! I guarantee that you will be different if you try this!
At the end of our time, I showed this video by Francis Chan. Watch this, and ask yourself the question, “Is He your role model?”
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