This is a question posed to me by a few people lately and I wanted to try and tackle it.

It’s a strange dilemma, if I’m honest, I still feel a bit nervous when inviting people to church. It reminds me of what it felt like when asking someone to the big dance.

“What if they say no?” “What if they think I’m weird?” “What if they laugh at me?”

All those kinds of things run through my mind. And yet, the more I talk to Christians the more I find I’m not alone. Many of us struggle with that nervous tension. It would be easy to talk ourselves out of inviting people to church if it weren’t for this one truth: Everyone spends eternity somewhere. Yes, I’m one of those crazy people who still believes in Heaven and Hell. And yes, I also believe Jesus is the only way to God, because He is God.

All that said, I’ve learned some things over the years about how to invite people to church. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will accept your invitation but following these few suggestions can definitely help.

1. Have a place worthy of your invitation. If you aren’t excited about your church and desperately hoping your friend, neighbor, spouse and/or co-worker will attend this Sunday, why are you still there?

2. Be specific. The following rarely works: “You should come to church with me sometime.” It works about as much as, “We should do lunch sometime.”

You have to be specific. “Will you join me this Sunday for the 11 am service at our church? I can pick you up around 10:15, we’ll get some coffee along the way and then go to lunch afterwards. How’s that sound?”

3. Be an expert about the Family Ministry environments at your church. If you are inviting parents with kids, the single most important issue on their mind is, “Will my kids be safe and will they like it?” Do your homework and let them know you’re already thinking about their kids. Email them information about the kids programs. Tell them stories about how much your kids or your friends’ kids enjoy the church. (If you aren’t sure the kids enjoy your church’s family ministry environments, please see point #1.)

4. Leverage the church’s website. More and more churches are trying to help you invite your friends. Check out their website, Facebook page, etc.

5. Don’t give up. My experience is that I have to be persistent and keep inviting. I can’t tell you how many times friends of mine have said they were coming to church on Sunday only to cancel on Saturday night. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be defeated. Hang in there. Keep inviting them.

This isn’t about church attendance. It’s about eternity. And when eternity’s at stake, we can push through the awkward tension knowing that we’re simply doing what Jesus did – reaching out to those who are far from God.

So, who are you inviting to church this Sunday?

Favorites

This is a completely random post. I thought it would slightly entertaining, light, and fun. Here are a list of a lot of my favorites:

FAVORITE “FAST FOOD” RESTAURANT – McDonald breakfast
FAVORITE “SIT-DOWN” RESTAURANT(s) – Sushi
FAVORITE MLB TEAM – Los Angeles Dodgers
FAVORITE NFL TEAM – Pittsburgh Steelers
FAVORITE COLLEGE TEAM – Oregon Ducks
FAVORITE NBA TEAM – Los Angeles Clippers
FAVORITE TV DRAMA – Heroes
FAVORITE TV COMEDY – Big Bang Theory
FAVORITE REALITY TV SHOW – Survivor and The Biggest Loser
FAVORITE NEWS PROGRAM – Don't really have one
FAVORITE MAGAZINE – Don't read magazines
FAVORITE BOOK – Mere Christianity
FAVORITE “NON-CHRISTIAN” BOOK – The Reagan Diary
FAVORITE “CHRISTIAN” SONG – Just Be Help by Casting Crowns
FAVORITE “SECULAR” SONG – Anything Eric Church
FAVORITE “ON MY IPOD WHILE WORKING OUT” SONG – Fast and Loud
FAVORITE “COUNTRY” SONG – Eric Church
FAVORITE “WORSHIP” SONG – 10,000 Reasons
FAVORITE ALBUM – Canons - Phil Wickham
FAVORITE CHRISTIAN ARTIST/BAND – Wickham
FAVORITE RAP ARTIST – dont listen to rap
FAVORITE ROCK ARTIST/BAND – not sure
FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST – Eric Church
FAVORITE BOOK IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – Luke
FAVORITE BOOK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT – Isaiah
FAVORITE FONT – TNR
FAVORITE ICE CREAM – Coffee
FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR – Opening Day for Baseball
FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL SPORTS MOVIE – Rudy
FAVORITE MOVIE TRILOGY – Matrix
FAVORITE 80s ACTION MOVIE – Topgun
FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIE – Dumb and Dumber
FAVORITE CHICK-ISH MOVIE – A Walk to Remember
FAVORITE ARTIST – dont have one
FAVORITE NAP TIME – anytime is a good time for a nap
FAVORITE SOUND – crack of a ball hitting a bat
FAVORITE GADGET – Galaxy S5
FAVORITE CONVENIENCE – DVR
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME SYSTEM – Galaxy S5
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT – South Lake Tahoe

Those are just a few of my many favorites...

The Sun

The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system. It has the diameter of about 1,392,000 km, about 109 times that of Earth. About three quarters of the Sun’s mass consists of hydrogen, while the rest is mostly helium. Less than 2% consists of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, iron, and others.

The Sun is approximately 149.6 million kilometers from the Earth. At this distance, light travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes and 19 seconds. The energy of this sunlight supports almost all life on Earth, driving Earth’s climate and weather.

I am amazed by the Sun.

I remember when I was living in Minnesota and a massive snow storm came in leaving 6 inches of snow on the ground and freezing temperatures. To be nice I thought I would try shoveling snow for the first time ever. I checked the weather before going outside and saw that the temperature was a cool 15 degrees, so I bundled up and went out to brave the cold.

As I was shoveling the snow off my driveway, something caught my eye. Despite the 15 degree weather (well below freezing), the Sun was actually melting the snow. As insignificant as that may sound, I was amazed that the Sun was stronger than the surrounding circumstances.

I was reminded of a simple, yet profound truth…

In the same way, Jesus (the Son) is stronger than my surrounding circumstances…even if it seems improbable or impossible. I know it is a bit cheesy and cliche, but truth is truth. And this truth hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday.

If you happen to be reading this and you are going through a difficult season, know that Jesus is stronger than your surrounding circumstances. No matter what you are going through, the Son is stronger.

A Fathers love

Being a foster parent is hard, rewarding, frustrating, awesome, gut wrenching, and the hardest thing one could ever do. I love the little things that I can do to make sure they are supported and maturing like they should, like helping them learn to walk, "talking" with them, clapping my hands, showing them how to blow kisses, smiling at them, the list could go on and on..

I love going in to their room during nap time or bed time and watching them sleep. I see their little faces so innocent and cute, it melts my heart. Tonight I was laying in bed and thinking that this is how God must view us while we sleep. See I go in to check on them to make sure they are ok, not awake and needing something, and to see they are comforted, which if you have ever seen a child sleep I have to wonder how they are comfortable. I feel like this is what God does while we are sleeping, we may not know He is there but His presence is in our room and He is standing next to the bed falling in love with us more and more, just like I do with the twins.

Today we took the kids to the beach for the first time and I was walking with one of the twins holding his hands balancing him while he walked on the sand. I let go one time and he fell and just looked at me like help me. When I held both his hands again he started walking, I think this is how we are with God sometimes, He is helping us through life and when we fall we need to look to him for help. He is always there we just need to ask. But being the adults we are we think we can do it ourselves. I don't need God because I can do it by myself I need God because I cannot do it by myself.

I understand the term a fathers love more and more by the day. I would do anything for these kids, much like our Heavenly Father did everything for us. Thinking of God like this makes gives me a deeper appreciation for everything He has done for my life. I don't deserve anything from Him but yet he gave me his best, His son Jesus. I just want my life and fatherly love to reflect the love and grace that my heavenly Father has shown me.

Weight Loss Journey update

The last four weeks has been up and down. Ive lost weight but not much. Im down to 304!!!! Christal and I have totally revamped our diets. We have cut out white grains, only eating whole grains, more veggies, and no sugars. We have started working out a lot more, even taking a weekend trip to Yosemite and planning other trips on the weekends to go hiking.

Im learning that the weight loss journey is full of ups and downs, but the important thing is not to get down when things are down and not to far up when things are up. Goals are a very important part of this journey also. my goal by the end of february is to be down under 300 lbs. 2 weeks to lose 5 lbs is very do able.

The big goal is set for next year in the summer time. I want to get into shape and train to hike up Half dome. I know it seems like an insane goal considering christal and I did the first .8 mile of the long 8.2 miles to get there trek and I almost died (ok not really but I almost quit about 4 times). But as I was looking at half dome this weekend all I thought to myself was I want to be at the top of that thing looking over the Yosemite valley. Cant wait!!!!

Other good news is I dropped a whole pant size, I have been wearing a 42 waist for as long as I can remember but on sunday I got new pants that were a size 40! Im so pumped and cant wait to get into the 30's!

weight loss journey 1-12-13

Has it been over a year since I posted? Wow?!?! What a year though. I have moved 2 times, left my pastoral position, started attending a new church, and most importantly got married!!!! 

I write today for 2 reasons: 1, I said I would blog more and 2, because I miss blogging. I guess Im blogging today for accountability reasons, thats three reasons but its my blog so whatever. I am at a point in my life where decisions are getting bigger and bigger. I cannot think of just myself anymore I have to think of my family. I need to get healthier in many ways.

The first way is I need to get healthy is to lose weight. I want to come back on this blog this time in 2014 and have lost 75 lbs. Its a lofty goal but none the less its a goal I have and really want to see it happen. My wife deserves a healthy husband and I need to do it for myself. In the future when kids start coming I need to be healthy for them. It is my job to teach my kids how to lead healthy, productive lives. 

I know its a taboo thing to talk about but if Im going to truly lose the weight I have to make it a public thing. The thought of putting my weight on this blog scares me and motivates me. so without further ado my starting 2013 weight is 316. At the time of writing this blog though I am now 311.2!!!! Already on the right track! cant wait till next week when I can share more of my weight loss journey and update on the weight lost!

top 10 fears

Found an interesting website that lists the top 10 fears in America today. Here’s the list:

1. Speaking in public
2. Snakes
3. Confined spaces
4. Heights
5. Spiders
6. Tunnels & bridges
7. Crowds
8. Public transportation (especially planes)
9. Storms
10. Water (as in swimming & drowning, not drinking)

_____________

What I know about fear:

• Fear paralyzes.
• Fear often keeps you from doing what you are supposed to do and often makes you do things you are not supposed to do.
• Some fear is healthy (For example, being afraid to tickle fight a grizzly bear is healthy.)
• Let your fears be replaced by confidence in God’s plan for your life.
• “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Outsmart the Enemy

Here’s something I’ve observed about the cycle of temptation and sin:

When we are tempted to sin, Satan’s primary strategy is to convince us that it’s not a big deal, and that God won’t really care if we do it.

After we’ve given in to the temptation and committed the sin, Satan flips the script. Now his chief aim is to make us believe that what we’ve done is so bad, God no longer wants anything to do with us.
This is why your first inclination after a spiritual failure is to run and hide from God. The last thing you feel like doing after blowing it is approaching God through prayer, or through any other means, for that matter.

But a thorough confidence in the grace of God and the power of the cross can help you turn the tables, and beat the enemy at his own game.

Instead of allowing your sin to drive you away from God, let it drive you to Him in repentance.
Because it’s precisely in those moments of failure that you need God’s presence the most.

After a spiritual defeat, don’t wait for the feelings of guilt and shame to go away before you go to the Lord. Receive the guilt as a gift to remind you how deep your need for God’s mercy really is. After all, you’re no more worthy of His love on your best day than you are on your worst.

Steve-ism number 1

You may be asking yourself, “What is a Steve-ism?”  A Steve-ism is simply a thought on life that my brain has found to contain truth.  You may not agree with every Steve-ism.  If that is the case then you should develop your own (insert your name here)-ism.  Enjoy.

STEVE-ISM #1:  PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.

Yes, I truly believe that people will always end up doing what they want to do.  This hypothesis has only come after lots of self-reflection and observation of human behavior.  Since ole’ Adam and Eve messed up way back in Genesis 3, humanity has been infected with the disease known as selfishness.  (By the way, Genesis 3 is on page 3 of my pocket Bible.  Seriously, couldn’t humanity go a little longer without jacking up God’s plan?)

Let’s look at a simple scenario that might put some meat on the bones of this Steve-ism.

Say one night you want to go out for dinner.  You jump in your car after making that decision and head towards town.  You are by yourself so you think, “What do I want to eat?”  The entire thought process is about you and your desires.  You ultimately decide that you want to eat Taco Bell and you go get it.  This is a basic example of somebody doing what they want to do.

I can hear the skeptics now, so let’s modify the scenario.  One night you and your significant other decide to go out for dinner.  You both jump in the car after making that decision and head towards town.  After looking at all the options, you declare, “I want Taco Bell.  That sounds good.”  Your significant other responds, “No, not really.  I really want Wendy’s.”  You being the perfect significant other decide to selflessly eat at Wendy’s for the evening.  Before you think I already proved my own theory wrong, let me explain.  You did want to go to Taco Bell.  However, you wanted to make that person happy MORE than you wanted to go to Taco Bell.  You still did what you ultimately wanted to do the most.  That is an example where pleasing people is what you want to do over your own selfish desires.

One more scenario:  A teenage guy gets interrupted by his parents during his nightly four hour conversation with the girlfriend.  The parents angrily threat grounding him from the phone, Ipod, car, computer, tv, and breathing if he doesn’t immediately hang up the phone and clean his room.  He drudgingly gets off the phone and cleans his room.  He obviously would rather want to stay on the phone with his girlfriend.  His girlfriend would rather he stay on the phone.  His parents want him to get off the phone.  However, this rebellious punk obviously wasn’t motivated to do what his parents wanted simply because his parents wanted him to do it.  His motivation to do what he did was to stay out of trouble.  So what he ultimately wanted was to stay out of trouble more than his desire to do what he wanted or more than his desire to please somebody his girlfriend.  Still another example of somebody ultimately doing what he wanted to do.

The cool thing is that as we grow in our relationship with God, God begins to change us.  His desires and what He wants starts to become our desires and our wants.  Through being transformed and renewing our minds (Romans 12:2), we start to slowly value, cherish, and desire what God wants more than what we want.  Talk about a life change!  That is good stuff.

There you go – Steve-ism #1.  People do what they want to do.

Chew on that a while.  Tell me what you think.  I can handle it.

Are You Listening?

I was reading Exodus 3 & 4 earlier this week.  This is where Moses encounters the burning bush.  For the longest time I have been intrigued by this moment.  It has gone way beyond an entertaining VBS story in my life.  It amazes me.  It baffles me.

To be honest, I have struggled with this chunk of God’s Word – not with its reliability but with my personal encounters with God.  For the longest time I would read this and get frustrated because I wanted God to communicate to me like that.  I even prayed for it – to hear the audible voice of God.  I wanted so bad to wake up one morning, stumble out of bed, and find a burning bush on my way to the bathroom where God would audible tell me what to do with my life and give me specific instructions.  Have you ever wanted this?

As I have grown and matured more in my faith, I understand more why God did not answer my prayers.  Do I believe it is possible?  Absolutely, with God all things are possible.  However, I believe God was calling me to have more faith and broaden my horizon of how I listened to Him.

I learned during that process that God does communicate to you and me on a consistent basis (probably more than we can ever realize).  I have learned to listen better.  I have learned that there are many “burning bushes” – instruments of God’s voice – in my life.  Here are four ways that I now listen to God’s voice:

• Through people – I hear God’s voice through mentors who I trust, through close friends who know me and love me, through the teens I work with, and even through strangers.  Some of you reading this right now have probably been used by God to speak a God-given, truth-filled word to me. 
• Through doors opening & closing – God often communicates to us through Him opening and closing specific doors in my life.  I know God has called me to be the youth minister in Fairfield.  One of the reasons I know that is because He opened a door for me to do that.  God has not called me to be the starting right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers because He has not opened that door in my life.
• Through God’s Word- In my season of praying and being frustrated with not hearing God’s voice, I had a light-bulb moment where I finally understood that the book that too often sat on my bookshelf collecting dust had God-breathed words for me.  The Bible is one major way God communicates to us today.  It is not some old history book, but a divine book that gives light and speaks truth.
• Through peace- I hear God’s voice through feeling peace – especially during times when I should not feel peace.  It is like He is gently whispering, “thata boy!”

How about you?  How do you listen to God’s voice?  What are the “burning bushes” in your life right now?  I would love to hear how you translate the voice of God in your life because I know I can learn from you.  Finally, if you are struggling right now – like I did and like so many others do – with not hearing God’s voice in your life, do not be discouraged.  He is there.  Maybe the problem is not that God is not talking, but maybe we are not really listening…

The Bible

The Bible…

Contains 66 different books

Has an Old Testament with 39 books

Has a New Testament with 27 books

There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible

There are 31,173 verses in the Bible

There are 807,361 words in the Bible

Knowing all these interesting facts may make you a baller in Biblical Trivial Pursuit, but are these facts life-changing? Do you look at the Bible as a history book full of interesting facts to memorize or do you look at the Bible as the perfect, infallible Word of God? How do you respond when you collide with the Bible?

Check out these two very different responses to the Bible:

Centuries ago the Prince of Granada was sentenced for life to solitary confinement in one of Madrid’s ancient prisons. Apparently, the authorities feared he might aspire to the throne. During his imprisonment he was given one book to read – the Bible. Over the next 33 years, the Prince apparently read the Bible hundreds of time and read it with painstaking care. But when he did after 33 years of imprisonment, and the authorities began going through his cell after his burial, what they found was striking. All over the walls of his cell, they found that he had etched in the soft stone notations such as these:

The eighth verse of the 97th Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible; Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter “J”; the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest; no word or name of more than six syllables can be found in the Bible.

It is incredible that this man spent more than 33 years carefully studying this one book that has been described even by its critics as one of the most amazing pieces of literature ever written, and all he got from his study was a few isolated pieces of Bible trivia. (from The Ministry of Nurture by Duffy Robbins)

Compare the Prince with the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8…

In Acts 8:26-40 an Ethiopian man was traveling home in his chariot reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The man needing help understanding what he was reading asked Philip to explain God’s Word. Through looking at the book of Isaiah, Philip told him the good news about Jesus. Immediately he responded by pulling the chariot over, asked Philip to baptize him right then and there, and gave his life to Jesus. The eunuch’s life was forever changed after encountering the Word of God.

Two stories. Two different encounters with the Bible. Two very different responses.

______________

Which story do you relate more with?
Is the Bible just a history book filled with trivia answers and cool facts to you?

Is the Bible simply decoration on your coffee table or night stand collecting dust while making you look “spiritual”?

Or is the Bible the “sharper than any double-edge sword” Word of God that is your life guide that when you encounter it, it forever changes you?

Love in English vs Greek

I get frustrated with the word “love.” It is too broad.

On one hand I love a Coffee with peppermint from Starbucks. On the other hand I love my family.

I love the Oregon Ducks. I love my amazing parents who brought me into this world and selflessly took care of me for many years.

I love the tv show the Office, the movie dumb and dumber, Spring, Christmas, traveling, writing, and my iPhone. I also love pouring my heart in worship, receiving fresh words from God through Scripture, having deep intimate friendships, having intellectual discussions, and my savior and rescuer – Jesus Christ.

The English language is very limited when it comes to “love.” We use it for everything. We often use the same descriptive word for how we feel about our sports teams, a juicy steak, our pets, and our families. If we were to be honest, there is no way that the love we have for our familes can be compared to the love we have for a juicy steak – they are not even in the same ballpark.

That’s what I love about the Greek language (even though I have forgotten so much of it since I took Greek for a semester in college). In Biblical Greek, there are three words that translate into the English word “love” and all three have very different meanings.

Eros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word “erotas” means “(romantic) love”. However, eros does not have to be sexual in nature. Eros can be interpreted as a love for someone whom you love more than the philia love of friendship. It can also apply to dating relationships as well as marriage. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself.

Philia (φιλία philía), which means friendship love in Greek, a dispassionate virtuous love. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. In ancient texts, philia denoted a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers. This is the only other word for “love” used in the ancient text of the New Testament besides agape, but even then it is used substantially less frequently.

Agapē (ἀγάπη agápē) means a divine, godly love. The verb appears in the New Testament describing, amongst other things, the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. In biblical literature, its meaning and usage is illustrated by self-sacrificing, giving love to all – both friend and enemy. It is used in Matthew 22:39, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” and in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you,” and in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” This love is selfless, it is willing to sacrifice, it is unconditional, and it is the love that God has for you.

It’s true, sometimes I get frustrated the limits and lack of creativity for the English word “love.” I think it would be incredible to have 3-5 words that fully breakdown and define all the different ways we use the word “love”, much like in Greek. (Anybody want to make up some words and try to make them stick?)

I rest in the fact that I am unconditionally loved (agape) by the Creator of the universe. He loves me enough to think that I am worth saving and worth redeeming. While I am frustrated with the English word “love”, I can’t get enough of God’s never-ending love for me.

He loves you too. Maybe you need reminding of that today.

shhhhhhhhhhhh

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.” - Acts 17:24 (NIV)

Turns out God doesn’t live at the church after all. By the very logic of His immensity. He refuses to be contained by any temple or structure.

What a shame. I guess we have to say good-bye to the admonition we often give kids who get too rowdy at church – “SHHHhhhhhh! You’re in God’s house.” Do we really believe that, or is it just a clever threat, a last resort after we’ve long since counted to three and still can’t get the kids to settle down?

It does make for a nice image, though. Can you see Him at the door after the service, greeting everyone? “Thanks for coming, appreciate you coming, thanks for being here, glad you made it, hope you enjoyed it. Was everything okay? God bless. Oh yeah, I’m God – so, just…bless! Come back to see Me! Have a nice week!”

Is that God? Watching all the cars drive away, turning the church lights off, settling in for a long and quiet week, maybe playing a little on the organ, only to fling wide the doors again in seven days. “Hey! Glad you’re back. Good to see you. Come on in!”

I don’t think so. God doesn’t have a church fetish. He probably cares less about the carpet color there than we think. Why? Because He’s huge. Creator, Initiator of all things. Way too vast to be stuck in some building all week. Far too interested in our lives to simply watch us drive away from Him. Much more worthy of our time than just one hour of just one day.

25 fearless NFL predictions

1. Brett Favre will stay retired!
2. Pittsburgh wins the north
3. Pats win the east
4. Texans finally win the south
5. chargers win the west
6. eagles win the east
7. packers win the north
8. saints win the south
9. cardinals win the west
10. afc wild card teams- colts and baltimore
11. nfc wild card teams- atlanta and tampa bay
12. worst record: carolina panthers 2-14
13. best record: Pittsburgh Steelers 13-3
14. defensive rookie of the year- Von Miller
15. Offensive rookie of the year- Blaine Gabbert
16. offensive MVP- Peyton Manning
17. Defensive MVP- Troy Polamalu
18. alex smith will only start 9 games for the 49ers before being pulled for bad play
19. Hines ward lays a crushing hit on ray lewis ending his season in week 9
20. Matt Ryan lead the league in passing
21. the three california teams have a combined 18 wins: 10 by san diego, 3 by SF and 5 by oak
22. 3 coaches will be fired this season
23. Andrew Luck will be the second pick in the NFL draft.
24. I will win my fantasy football league
25. superbowl- Pittsburgh vs Atlanta 31-24

freedom!

There are certain things in life that don’t mix. Oil & Water, Shaq & Kobe, Good hair day & Rain, Gasoline & Fire, Mac and PC, etc. The list can go on and on.

Another example that most people think do not go together is God & Freedom. In John 8:32 Jesus says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But wait a second. God cannot possibly be talking about freedom, can he? Because he is all about rules and regulations, right?

I don’t know about you, but I grew up thinking that God loved rules. I would go to church and hear about the Bible simply to hear a bunch of do’s and don’ts. After a while, I assumed that he got a kick out of saying “no”.

But think about Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. Adam and Eve were the freest people in the history of the planet. Why? Because they lived in a “one-rule” world and were only given one “Do not…” God said they could do whatever they wanted except eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They took care of the garden, named animals, multiply, but just don’t touch that tree.

In God’s ideal world – a world that was just the way he wanted it – he only instituted one rule. Adam & Eve were happy in God’s one-rule world until Satan came along and convinced them that they were not absolutely free. Ultimately, in an attempt to reach for absolute freedom, they chose to disobey and rebel against God’s authority. The idea of their decision was that REBELLION brings FREEDOM. What they soon realized was that they LOST their freedom because of their rebellion.

Something happens to us when we become teenagers and it bleeds into adulthood. Somewhere along life’s journey, we begin to believe that freedom is a world without authority. A world without somebody over us. A world without somebody telling us what to do. That is a lie straight from Satan’s lips that will actually rob you of your freedom.

Have you ever known a rebellious teenager? All of sudden, the boundaries and authority that Mom and Dad set up no longer fly. The teenager starts to believe he/she wants freedom. Their desire for freedom causes them to rebel against Mom and Dad’s authority. Does the choice to rebel result in freedom? No, the exact opposite is true. The rebellion leads towards less freedom, not more freedom. A teenager’s most freedom can be found under his/her parent’s authority.

In the same way, God beautifully sets up boundaries and the way life was intended to be lived not to give us a bunch of do’s and don’ts but to help us experience freedom. When we rebel, it leads towards less freedom, not more freedom. When we submit to his authority, we experience freedom.

Maximum freedom is only found under God’s authority.

Say this with me today...I AM SECOND!

my top ten reasons youth ministry is a priority.

1. Hormones + Energy Drinks + Jesus = the rapid spread of the gospel!
2. Teenagers can take the gospel further than adults (100+ online and face-to-face friends each!)
3. Youth leaders tends to be underestimated and underfunded, perfect candidates to be used by God.
4. Teens can spread the gospel faster than adults (they have already built relational bridges with the lost!)
5. Text messaging makes teen fingers nimble for finding verses in their Bibles quickly as they evangelize.
6. Jesus did (there is strong Scriptural evidence that most of the disciples were teenagers!)
7. There are 67,342 mini-mission fields in America that we call middle schools and high schools.
8. Youth leaders are unrealistic dreamers who want to make a difference and can if we let them!
9. Teens are not the church of tomorrow but are the potential church transformers of today.
10. God has used teens to win victories (David), save nations (Esther) and can use them to spark revivals!

New series at Rev

What’s the big deal with dropping bombs? AKA…swearing, cursing, having a potty mouth, using fowl language, etc.

I mean…they’re just words, right? One day somebody somewhere just made them up. What possible damage could they cause others or myself?

To be honest, this is kind of a tricky subject to tackle because the Bible doesn’t really give us a list of words to say and words to not say. Although the Bible doesn’t say to stay away from a specific list of words, the Bible does say a lot about what comes out of our mouths – our words.

So…what’s the big deal with our words?

1. YOUR WORDS REFLECT YOUR HEART.
Whatever is in your heart (on the inside) will come out in your speech. The question isn’t “Are you full of it?” The question is “What are you full of?” If you are full of bad things like anger, pride, perversion, and disrespect, then your words will be full of those things. If you are full of good things like love, joy, peace, purity, kindness, God’s Word, and holiness, then your words will reflect that.

Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 12:34-37…”For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

2. YOUR WORDS AFFECT YOUR INFLUENCE.
Influence is everything. We all have influence. The questions isn’t if we have influence; the question is what we do with our influence. Everything we say effects our influence either positively or negatively. Every word you say either adds or subtracts your influence. Every Facebook status update, every tweet can affect your influence.

As a Christian, your influence can lead to other people getting saved. Your influence can lead to more people spending eternity in heaven. And every single soul is a big deal. Our goal should be to see as many people saved and having the hope & life that can only come through a relationship with Jesus.

3. YOUR WORDS BRING EITHER LIFE OR DEATH.
The very words you speak have the power to immediately bring life or bring death into whatever situation you are in. Your words can literally change the atmosphere. Proverbs 18:21 says…”The tongue can bring death or life.”

Q: How do we make sure we are bringing life with our words and not death?

A: We T-H-I-N-K before we speak.

• Truth of God’s Word – Is what I say going to line up with the Bible?
• Helpful – Is what I say going to help someone or a situation?
• Inspire – Is what I say going to inspire people?
• Needed – Is what I say needed or necessary?
• Kind – Is what I say kind?

If the answer to anyone of these questions is “NO”, then you have no business opening your mouth.

Ephesians 4:29-5:2 puts it this way…”Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Trust me. Your words are a big deal.

God is a dude, you know?

“Is worship a priority to you?” a pastor asked a man over breakfast.
“I think it is. I don’t quite understand it to be honest with you. In fact, I’m a little uncomfortable at times. If you are talking about the time in the service where we stand and sing and some people raise their hands and move around a bit, that…um…freaks me out a little,” the man replied in an incredibly insecure, unconfident, and confused way.

The pastor, seeing the man’s confusion over what worship truly is, decided to ask another question to help clarify the first question, “Have you ever been in love?”

Knowing where the pastor was going, the man quickly responded, “Yes, I have been in love…but not with a guy! You’re telling me that I need to fall in love with God. In worship, they sing about intimacy with a guy, and that just freaks me out. God is a dude, you know? I don’t know how to respond to that.”
_______________


I think most of us – especially men – can relate to these feelings. Falling in love with God is a totally foreign concept to us. It scares us. It intimidates us. It may even freak us out.

When you fell in love, did that change your priorities at all? What happens is that our lives and schedules get as busy as possible. Life is happening. At that point of our lives, we are not ready for a relationship. We do not have time for much more. During those times, “IT” happens. That special guy/girl comes along and you fall in love. All of a sudden in a crowded schedule, you find room for that special guy/girl. You find time. You find ways to express your love to that special guy/girl. Has that ever happened to you?

Worship at its simplest form is expressing love towards God.
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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30 (NIV)

Jump In

There are certain things that you just have to jump into.

With those things, there is no preparing for it. No warming up. No practice runs. Simply jump into it.

For example, take alligator wrestling. There is not a whole lot of practicing with that profession. Sure, one could practice on a 70 pound, 5 feet long, alligator-shaped basset hound, but that does not exactly count as a good warmup for an 800 pound, 13 feet long, alligator.

Take this guy…

How do you practice for something like this? You don’t. You simply jump in. (Please notice his gnarled, apparently chewed-up-by-an-alligator left hand.)

Alligator wrestling, base jumping, olympic highdiving, etc…

All these things you have to just jump into.

We can put “FOLLOWING JESUS” on the same list of things you just jump into. There is no halfway in/halfway out with following Jesus. There is no preparing, no warming up, no practice runs, and no figuring it out. You simply jump in.

In Luke 5, Jesus calls a group of men to follow him. In both instances, Scripture says that the men got up, left everything, and follow him. There was no warmup, no practice runs, and no taking care of some details. They left everything – their money, jobs, families, stability, hobbies, possessions, status, etc – to follow Jesus. They jumped right in to following Jesus.

In the same way, Jesus is calling you and I to follow him.

Are you ready and willing to JUMP in?

Its time...

Its time for the dodgers management to go all hiroshima on this team. Time to trade valuable pieces(which arent many). My plan to fix this mess and get maximum value for the tradable pieces...

Trade Andre Ethier- You dont think he has value to a team like detroit, new york, philly, or boston? boston is the most likely landing place, a team that is using a right field of drew, cameron and whoever else they find needs a steady person in right field.

Trade Hiroki Kuroda- one of the most valuable dodgers we have in a trade option. With Bartolo Colon going down the yankees could be in the market for him.

trade or release barajas and navarro- aj ellis and hector jiminez could definantly do much, much better.

trade loney for a living breathing person, whoever they might be able to find.

get rid of thames, gwynn, lilly(hard to do with that 3 year contract), uribe, and everyone in our bullpen.

the team would look like this under my scenario.

c- ellis
1b- blake
2b- carroll
ss- gordon
3b- miles
Lf- sands
CF- kemp
RF- Oeltjen

SP1- kershaw
sp2- bills
sp3- garland
sp4- dela rosa
sp5- ely/someone from AAA

it could work. this would give us a young team with good upside and alot of good farm kids.