WOW! What an incredible day today at LifeBridge. Right from the opening song, you could tell that there was something electric about today. Yes I really could have just prayed and told everyone "thanks for coming".
God really showed up in an awesome way. I had an opportunity to preach today and I think I left everything I had on stage today. Today was friend day and the message of "Deepening Friendships" really wore me out!
My prayer is that God will use the message I gave today to encourage people to step up their game in the friendship category and cause us to re-evaluate whether or not we are striving for that friend that as I said today, "really knows us, yet still likes us any way".
I just wanted to say what an honor and privilage it is to be apart of LifeBridge Church. God is really in the midst of doing some incredible things and I am so grateful to Him to allow me to come along for the ride.
So let me know, how about you, do you have that person in your life that you can truly say is that deep friend that I believe we all need, and are searching for.
Well I am beat! I am going to watch football and fall asleep.
Yesterday was yet another GREAT day at LifeBridge. God has truly been doing some awesome things this Summer.
Yesterday also marked the end of the Student Ministry as we know it. The Student Ministry will no longer be meeting on Sunday morning during the regular service. Instead we have decided that we were going to do whatever it takes to help students that will eventually graduate, start to plug into ministries of the church.
We are by no means stopping the Student Ministry. As a matter of fact I believe that the ministry is on the verge of some God sized plans. We are going to be meeting every Thursday Evening from 6 - 8PM with a service that will Rock their world!
I often talk about the importance of "Reaching the next generation" and I make no apologies for that! I think people just need to understand just how important that statement is.
Statistics show that 80 to 90 percent of the people that come to Jesus, do so by the age of 18! And people often refer to students as the Church of tomorrow. To which I strongly disagree. They are the Church of TODAY!
I am so thankful the I am a part of a Church that "GET'S IT". I truly believe that LifeBridge is going to make a difference for the next generation.
It seems that my last post really stirred up some controversial communication and debate among some blog readers. To that I say GREAT! My prayer is that I can help people with a "mindset change". Or the phrase I like to say, "It's so not about me".
You have heard it said before, the only thing constant in life is change. But I also believe with all of my heart that when you try and please everyone, you please no one.
So yes LifeBridge has a TARGET as a church. That is why we are Purpose Driven. Now, with that target we leave no one out. We just say, understand God has called us to lead. So get on board and let's ride the wave together.
That's right for many students it is back to school. And as I walked my daughter to school yesterday I couldn't help but notice all of the different students. The new clothes, and new shoes, as well as all of the trendy new hair styles.
But the one thing that I wondered as my daughter gripped my hand was how many of those students have a relationship with Jesus. For that matter, even know about Him. So as always my mind began to wonder.
But more than my mind wondering my heart began to break. See many of those students, from kindergarden to 12th grade may never hear the name of Jesus let alone have a relationship with Him.
And it was at that moment, God once again showed me that as a Christ follower I have to be willing to do "whatever it takes" to reach that next generation. Now some of you will say, "what about the older folks" and to that I respond, I believe that if you take the time to invest in the next generation, they will be the ones that are reaching their mom's and dad's, aunt's and uncle's, grandmom's and granddad's.
It is not that we as Christ follower's leave anyone out. But it all starts with the next generation.
I think it was said best on Sunday when Mike stated that we as Christ followers shouldn't come to Church to see what we can GET. But to offer what we can GIVE!
So as a Christ follower, who has a white hot passion for seeing the next generation come to know Jesus. I am always asking myself what can we as a Church do to reach them?
I think there can be alot of things that can be done. Maybe change the music style with which we worship, (to that I say go for it) Maybe that music on a Sunday is to be a little louder. (wear ear plugs) I think that there can be many different things we can do to make that happen.
But the one thing I cannot change, is the mindset of people. See in order for us to reach the next generation we have got to see that they need reaching. And only God can change the heart and mind.
So I challange you, the next time you see a student, ask yourself, am I willing to do "whatever it takes" to see the next generation reached for Jesus.
I often think about that phrase. "Being Different". I don't know, that is just the way my brain works. Or maybe it is because people are always telling me that I am different! Is that is a good thing or a bad thing?
One of the things that I believe God has wired me to do is to be an observant person. It doesn't matter where I go or what I do I am always observing people and places. Some call it a gift, others call me weird. You can call it what you want, I just tell people it is from God and leave it at that.
You might say, well what does that have to do with being different? I say this. One of my responsibilites as the Executive Pastor of LifeBridge is to be the person that guess what? Gets to observe the different ministries that we offer.
And something that I believe God is laying on my heart about the ministries of LifeBridge is to always be asking the question, what are we doing to be different?
Now some people will say, "you don't be different just to be different". And to that I say, "YES YOU DO"!
I know that there are alot of great ministry opportunities here at LifeBridge, so I have been challanged in the area of making things different in order to attract those people that do not yet have a relationship with Jesus, come to know Him.
Jesus calls us to be different. Yes as a Christ follower we are to look different and act different and to talk different and to react different. Not to just be different, but so that those around us see a difference in our lives that could only have been done by the power of Jesus.
Jesus is calling me to be different, so if you are a part of LifeBridge, be on the look out for some different things to be taking place. there are lives at stake. Souls to be won. And if all it takes is to be different and make a little bit of Christ followers uncomfortable, then it is worth the risk.
WOW! What another awesome Sunday at lifeBridge. God never ceases to amaze me in the things that He allows me to be a part in.
I had the opportunity to speak to the Students yesterday on the topic of "Anger". Let me tell you, that is not an easy subject to talk about when so many teenagers today are so angry.
But as always, God is always on time. I talked about how so many people today look for ways of dealing with anger. You have heard them, "count to ten before you respond", "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything", etc.
And we look for ways for other people to help fix our so called "problem areas". Now before I move on let me say that there is a time and place for good Christian counseling as well as the use of proper medication. So I am NOT bashing that.
But, for those of us that struggle with anger issues, or any other issue for that matter that keeps us from being all that God wants us to be. Have we totally surrendered that issue to God?
We, as people are real quick to look for the "quick fix" and I believe that at times, we look for it in the wrong places. We say things like, "if you would just talk to this person, or that person, they can really help you turn your life around.
Again, there are many great people to talk to that can help you get through your struggles in life. That is what the Christian walk is all about. "Doing life together".
But I also believe that for alot of people the thing that they need to do is take the issue that they are dealing with not to the one that can help you, but to the one that can change you. JESUS!
You know to surrender, all you are doing is just saying, "here I am God, I can't do this on my own, I need YOU to change me".
I think that everything else we add can be good. But we need to start there. Not make God the last resort, but He needs to be our first priority.
So what about you, what things in your life do you struggle with? And have you totally surrendered them to God?
Subscribe to this Site
May, 2008
. Right from the opening song, you could tell that there was something electric about today. Yes I really could have just prayed and told everyone "thanks for coming".