Continue reading »]]> We all have people that drain us, confuse us, irritate us and ignore us.  When we spend time with these folks we come away exhausted.  But there are also people that truly refresh us.  You know, they are the ones that you can’t wait to hang out with, the ones that get your mind and spirit back on track again.  Like a tall glass of sparkling ice water on a hot summer day, they truly, essentially refresh us.

One of those people in my life is my wife, Michele.  I love to walk and talk with her.  I love to work alongside her.  I just love to be with her.   She refreshes me.  There are other people in my life that refresh me.  I don’t know if they do it on purpose or not, but they do it.

Well, my year of walking through the Bible in chronological order has brought me to the book of Proverbs.  Mostly written by Solomon, the wisest man man ever to live, these little nuggets of wisdom were written to put us (and keep us) on a pathway alongside God.  I found this one the other day:

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

Here is my challenge for you today.  Think about those people in your life that refresh you.  It might even be helpful to write their names on a piece of paper.  Now, ask yourself this question: “How can I refresh them today?”  Could it be that God wants to use you to refresh them?  How could you do it?  How could you make this proverb come true for them today?

Continue reading »]]> I recently had a remarkable unplug at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.  It was a beautiful place, especially the sight awaiting me on my first hike.  At the top of a tall, grassy hill was a mound of stone topped with a simple cross, all surrounded by bushes and trees.  The warm day, blue sky and white clouds made it a picture-perfect scene.

About 30 feed away from the cross was a simple, black chair.  I sat in the chair for a few minutes, asking God to quiet my mind and heart and allow me to hear from Him.  When I looked up from that chair, my eyes went right to the cross.

For the next several minutes, all I could think of was my sin.  The ugly, tainted, humanity that Christ had died to save.  I thought of my greed, my pride, my fear, my love for the praise of men, my gluttony, my gossip, my laziness and my self-indulgence.  And all I wanted to do was cry and cry and cry…which is exactly what I did!

But then He reminded me that He has forgiven my sin!  Paid the price!  Redeemed me!  Done all the work of reconciliation!  He reminded me that His grace is sufficient!  He is my God, Master, Creator, Father and Friend!  And all I wanted to do was laugh and smile and praise His name…which is exactly what I did!

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:2 (NASB)

When was the last time you remembered and grieved over the cross of your salvation?  Or maybe you tend to get stuck there, forgetting that the cross is reason to celebrate your Rock and your Salvation!  I would encourage you today to remember the cross, both in grief and in praise to your Salvation!

Continue reading »]]> Well, my time with the Monks of Gethsemani last week was tremendous.  Outside of their 7-times-a-day liturgy, it is a place of total silence.  Spending two days without talking made several things apparent to me.  These weren’t new things, but things that are too easily ignored in the normal streams of life.

1. I talk way too much.
2. I like hearing myself talk way too much.
3. When I’m talking, I have a difficult time hearing God talk.
4. When I’m quiet, His still small voice is easier to hear…a LOT easier.

Imagine spending hours and hours in His creation and among His people…without saying a word.  If you can’t imagine it, I would encourage you to ask yourself:

What is so attractive about my own voice?  Why is talking so important to me?  Why can’t I just be quiet and let God do all the talking for a change?

Weren’t we made to spend uninterrupted time with our heavenly Father?  Weren’t we designed to both talk to Him and listen to Him?  It was a little unnerving at first, but soon I began to hear from Him in some exciting ways.  More on that in a future post…

For now, many of you asked to see pictures of this place.  I don’t have many pictures of the inside of the monastery, but here are a few of the surrounding 1500 acres.  What a beautiful, quiet place.

Continue reading »]]> I’m leaving this morning for The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist Kentucky.  Once again, my hope is to “unplug” from the world for a couple of days and seek the Lord’s face.  My main supplies will be my Bible, Kindle, journal and guitar.  I’ll also be bringing a church directory with me to pray through while I’m there. 

Though I hope to come away with some direction from God for the coming year, my bigger hope is to simply come away closer to the One that saves me and keeps me. 

God only knows where He’ll bring me in His Word, but my starting point will be Psalm 62:

¹ I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. ² He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

³ So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. ⁴ They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. 

⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. ⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. ⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. ⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

⁹ Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.

¹⁰ Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.

¹¹ God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; ¹² unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done. Psalm 62:1-12 (NLT)

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my family while I’m away, for safe travel, and that I would truly be refreshed in the presence of God!

Continue reading »]]> Ever feel all alone?  Ever get so lost in your bitterness that you end up thinking or acting just plain stupid?  Ever feel like everyone and everything is against you?

Me too. 

But as I wallowed around in self-pity and bitterness the other day, God reminded me of Psalm 73…one of my favorite Psalms.

Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalms 73:21-26 (NLT)

May you and I rest today in the One that we belong to, the One that holds our right hand.  You are NOT alone and you ARE loved!  Let Him be your strength today!

Continue reading »]]> This might be one of the top 10 most well known portions of Scripture. We’ve heard it at countless weddings and heard pastors preach on it many, many times.

1 Corinthians 13…the love chapter. 

This morning it hit me in a new way, because I tried replacing the word love with my name.  Here is the original version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7…

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Now, here is the ‘personalized’ version…

Tom is patient and kind. Tom is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Tom does not demand his own way. Tom is not irritable, and Tom keeps no record of being wronged. Tom does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Tom never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Wow.  Really?  I wish!  I would encourage you to read these verses a few times with your name in them.  As you do, consider the people in your life that might be affected by your love, or lack of it.  Consider these questions:

• Who have you been impatient with or unkind to?
• Who are you jealous of?  Who has heard you boast recently?
• Who are you too proud to hang out with?
• Who have you been rude to lately?
• When have you demanded your way with someone?
• Who has been the object of your irritation lately?
• Who do you keep score with?
• Who have you given up on, lost faith in or failed to endure with?

If you are like me, there are a bunch of names in your head. 

Now…what are you going to do about it?

Continue reading »]]> I believe the description of the 1st century church found in Acts 2:42-47 prescribes what the 21st century church should be like.  These verses from Acts can be summed up in 15 words, as shown in the graphic to the right.  Those 15 words paint a picture of the church God has firmly planted in my mind.

Imagine it with me for a moment.  Imagine a church family…

• that understands, lives and is fundamentally transformed by their faith.
• totally committed to the truths revealed in Scripture.
• overwhelmed with joy in serving a living and active God.
• known for prayer, unity, boldness, sacrifice and decisions for Christ.
• experiencing healthy marriages and thriving families.
• that is overwhelmingly welcoming and unapologetically challenging.
• that is only explainable by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

To me, this is a picture of the perfect church.  It is, after all, a snapshot of the church before mankind started messing with it.  In fact, you don’t have to read much farther in the book of Acts to see the first signs of stress.  Specifically, in chapter 5, starting with the word ‘But…’

But 15 words might even be too many.  As I studied and prayed over these verses again and again, 2 words in particular stuck out to me.  This church body was ‘unified’ in amazing ways and the content of their spiritual lives was remarkable in its ‘simplicity’.

Unified Simplicity.

Unparalleled unity.  Very intentional simplicity.  These two words sum up the picture for me.  These two words sum up what I desperately want for myself, my family, my Life Group and my church.

Continue reading »]]> My last post described the journey I’ve been on for the past year.  It was a journey without a clear destination.  It was a journey with many, many ups and downs.  It was a journey through many books, a lot of Scripture, and tons of conversations with God and people.  It was a journey that eventually brought me to Acts 2:42-47.

Acts is an interesting book in many ways.  It is certainly an descriptive book, telling the story of the spread of the early church.  There is some debate, however, as to whether it is also a prescriptive book: does it prescribe the way in which churches are to be today?  I think the answer is “kind-of”.

The description of the 1^st century church family provides the prescription for the 21st century church.  Not what it should look like, but what it should be like!

Let me try to show you what I mean:

Until the next post, try to imagine a church like the one described here.  Try to imagine a small group like the one described here.  Try to imagine a family like the families described here.

Continue reading »]]> As I mentioned in my last post, the last year or so has been an interesting one for me.  What started out hazy has become clear.  What started out as frustrating has become exciting.  Before I tell you about this clear, exciting picture, let me tell you a little about my journey.

• 9/2009 – I read Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love” in one sitting.  It was a powerful reminder of the relationship wants to have with us.  It is a relationship based on His almost unimaginable love for us.
• 11/2009 – The image of serving at a ‘different’ church entered my mind…and would not leave.  I honestly wasn’t sure what ‘different’ meant, and honestly I was a little unnerved by this.
• 1/2010 – Frustration set in. This ‘different’ church was still in my mind, and it wasn’t Grace Point.  The differences between this ‘different’ church began to make me frustrated with Grace Point, our leaders and our Life Groups.  That frustration then was focused on my family and finally settled on me.  His message to me?  “Stop worrying about Grace Point, her leaders and Life Groups.  Stop worrying about your family.  Start worrying about yourself.”
• 4/2010 – I went to a Church-Planters Conference with Pastor Terry, where the following quote stuck in my head:  “God forbid I lead my family to a place of safety and comfort”. Why? Because in this place there is no need for God…because I’ve got it covered!  In this place there is no evidence of God…because I can explain it!  Many, many parts of Francis Chan’s “Forgotten God” book reinforced this quote.  Many, many passages of Scripture reinforced it as well.
• 5/2010 – I somehow made my way to Acts 2:42-47, which I have read and studied out many, many times before.  But this time it was different.  This time it made clear the prior nine month journey.
• 6/2010 – God made it VERY clear to me that the ‘different’ church in my head WAS Grace Point.  I wasn’t supposed serve somewhere else…phew!

I’m planning on elaborating on the clear picture that is now in my head in my next post.  Before then, I would encourage you to read Acts 2:42-47 a few times and try to get a picture of what that first church was like.  Here it is:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47

Continue reading »]]> OK, it is August 1st and I’m back on-line.  It has been almost two months since I last posted a blog entry.  For my first few posts, I plan to share with you all the journey God has had me on for almost a year now.  The journey has been confusing and frustrating at times.  Thankfully, that confusion and frustration have been replaced by anticipation as the picture has become clearer to me.

Most of you will remember the ‘Anticipation’ Heinz ketchup commercial from the 70’s.  For those born too late, here it is:

Anticipation is “the feeling of looking forward, usually excitedly or eagerly, to something that is going to happen”.  That certainly describes my feelings as I think about what God might just have in store for me, my family, my small group and our church.  I can’t wait to share it with you all!