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A Morning with Jim Cymbala

On Friday I had the opportunity to join a group of church leaders to spend a few hours with Pastor Jim Cymbala from the Brooklyn Tabernacle.  His book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire was really influential in the formation of Church of the King.

Pastor Cymbala said several things that were really challenging.  Here are a few thoughts that stood out to me.

• One sure way to grieve God is acting like a minister. God never uses actors. The Holy Spirit is gentle like a dove, and He will withdraw as soon as he sees something that's not real.
• Prayer is the engine that drives the church.
• He rejoices in and appreciates seasons of financial difficulty. When finances are tight it keeps us trusting God.
• When a professional golfer struggles, the first thing a coach will check is his grip. It seems so basic, but we never get past fundamentals. If your ministry feels like it's stalled, go back to the fundamentals of prayer and the Word.
• There's an important difference between Pentecostal sub-culture and New Testament Pentecostalism.
• We like to quote the past and predict the future, but we must care about what is, or isn't happening right now.
• Be careful that you don't have a vision for your church that is different than Jesus' vision for the church. If we all read the same New Testament, we all have a similar vision.
• Most ministers read the Bible looking for ammunition to affirm what they already believe. Instead, we should open Scripture with an open mind.
• Concerning church government--all forms work and all forms don't work. The difference is God. When he is present in the lives of the leaders there is health.
• The Holy Spirit is a person. He doesn't just fill you. He controls you.

Don't Be A Hungry Ghost

Kicked off the Thanksgiving week yesterday with a message to our church about gratitude.  We dug through James 1.12-17 and explored this big idea.

If it's good, it's God!

I mentioned a metaphor that Wayne Muller develops in his book Sabbath.  He compares consumers to hungry ghosts.  Hungry ghosts have huge tummies but tiny throats.  As a result, they can never eat enough to satisfy their appetites.

Undisciplined desires cause so much suffering in life.  Being constantly focused on what you don't have is a recipe for a life of ongoing disappointment.  If we're not careful, we become slaves to our cravings.

The antidote is gratitude.  Gratitude gets us off the cycle of destructive desire by getting our eyes away from what we don't have and onto what we do have--which is almost always way more than we realize!

So I gave our church two homework assignments for the holiday week.  Why don't you do them with us?

• Memorize and practice Philippians 2.14: "Do everything without complaining."  Four words.  Easy to understand.  Challenging to live out.  But why not give it a try.  Take a one week complaining fast.
• Make a list and write some notes: Write down ten things you're grateful for this week.  When you're done, turn a few of them into thank you notes.  Write a note to a parent, a mentor, a friend.  You might even express your gratitude to God for the gifts He's given you.

Let an of gratitude transform your perspective this week!

Blogbatical

I doubt blogbatical is a word, but I'm using it anyway! 

Today Leah and I are headed out of town.  Really looking forward to spending a week in Florida with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids.  We're all staying together, so I'm sure there will be lots of diaper changing and baby feeding.  And I can't wait to see how Gabby likes to swim (with me helping her of course):

I'll be taking a break on my blog for the week.

If you're dying to know what we're up to, you can follow my updates on Twitter.

Later!

On the Edge of His Throne

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion (Isaiah 30.18).

I love this picture Isaiah paints of God.  He's longing.  He's anticipating.  Some translations even say He's waiting. 

For what?

God is longing to be gracious to you!

Is this your image of God's posture?  I think some people see God in more of a reluctant position.  But this is a radically different perspective of Him.  And if you're in need of grace, I hope this picture builds your faith.

In other places in this Book, Isaiah tells us God is seated on a throne.  But here he tells us God is on the edge of His throne--tapping His foot--just longing to blow you away with grace!

I Think We'll Do This Song on Sunday!

Weekend Rewind

Here are some updates from the weekend!

• Left Thursday to travel to Springfield, Missouri.
• On Friday, I was honored at Central Bible College as the Young Alumnus of the Year.
• I really appreciated the award, although my real dream is to be the "Old Alumnus of the Year." I don't think that award actually exists, but if it did, it would mean that I'd finished well!
• It was fun to preach in chapel again.  I shared a challenge from 2 Samuel 23--live courageously, sacrifice heroically, risk it all, and surrender the ending to the King!
• I was able to connect with several old and new friends while at CBC.  Really enjoyed catching up and connecting!
• CBC rolled Friday night in the homecoming game.  They really are a great basketball team.
• Saturday turned out to be a loooooooong day of travel.  I did get a free ticket out of it--and the chance to get a lot of work done in the airport.
• Weight Watchers is very challenging to keep up with while traveling.  I missed Leah's creative, low-point cooking!
• Today is weigh-in day.  Looks like I lost a couple more pounds last week.
• I had some exciting conversations over the weekend about a potential location for our next church plant.
• Yesterday I kicked off the "God Is" series at COTK.   Started with God Is Incomparable.  A big thanks to Life Church and One Prayer for the idea.
• My hope during this series is to inspire our church to focus on God.  AW Tozer said that what you think about God is the most important thing about you.
• Focusing on God is especially important during times of transition since He's our one constant reference point.
• Another woman committed her life to Christ in the service yesterday.  Awesome!
• Leah and I dedicated Gabby in the morning service.  Cool to have my dad lead the dedication.
• Gabby was very well behaved during the dedication, although she did get off a pretty good sneeze directly into the microphone.
• Last night we capped off the weekend with Current, our quarterly ministry training opportunity. 
• The general session was really powerful.  Some of the youth leaders shared reports from youth convention, and we had a time of prayer for JD and Rachel Bayer (our new youth ministry directors).
• JD is passionate for teenagers!  He had all of us in tears.
• I won't know for sure until after tonight's game, but it looks like this may be the first weekend in which all four of my fantasy football teams win!
• The Lions lose again.  I recorded the game so I could watch it after Current, and the DVR ended with six minutes to play:(
• Looking forward to a great week!

Where Dreams Are Born

Had a great time preaching chapel today at Central Bible College! Challenged the students to live courageously, sacrifice heroically, risk it all and surrender the ending!

Being here brings back alot of memories. This picture is the aisle on the side of the chapel. I spent hours walking that carpet, crying out to God. I don't know how to quantify what God did in me during those times of worship and prayer. I have a hunch that thirty years from now I'll still be living the dreams that were born in that corner.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Yesterday began my second week of following the Weight Watchers online program. Leah and I signed up for the three month program, and plan to stick with it until our anniversary on January 19. I'm a little worried about Thanksgiving and Christmas myself!

I did lose four pounds last week, so that was encouraging. The iPhone app is amazing. And I love the fact that you keep track of points, because at times I forget what I'm doing and feel like I'm playing a game.

To be honest, I've enjoyed all the food that we've been able to eat. The biggest adjustment for me has been portion size. Now, almost every time I sit down for lunch or dinner, it's a smaller serving then I would have eaten before. At first I felt pretty hungry all the time, but I think my body is starting to adjust. I didn't used to think of myself as someone with an overeating problem, but now I'm realizing theirs a difference between feeling full and feeling satisfied.

The ironic thing is that indulgence doesn't necessarily lead to satisfaction. Actually, the opposite often occurs. The more we indulge in something, the more of it we want.

I've noticed one other benefit as well. Because I'm eating less, I'm eating more slowly and savoring each bite. I appreciate what I have when I know I can't just go back for seconds!

Now I'm wondering where else I can apply this principle in my life. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

I enjoy a television series more if I'm following a few rather than several.

Leah and I have only been to one movie since Gabby was born. The "diet" has made me really look forward to the next one.

One time I accidentally checked the repeat button in iTunes and didn't realize it until I had listened to the same song for an entire morning. I don't like that song anymore.

What about you?

Is there anything you might enjoy more if you experienced it less?

Tower

Our band introduced this song during worship yesterday.  It's a powerful declaration.  I've started including it in my personal times of worship as well.  Seems to really speak to the season of life we're in right now!

Weekend Rewind

Feels like life is on fast forward right now.  Doing my best to capture some of the moments.  Here are some highlights from the weekend.

• Sabbath on Friday. Slept in. Worked out. Hung out with Leah and Gabs.
• On Friday night we had dinner with Matt and Joy Thomassen--incredible people and leaders in our church. 
• Leah taught an SAT prep class on Saturday so I had baby duty. I think it's either getting easier, or I'm caring less about staying clean:)
• Light the Night was a HUGE success. Gave away about 1,700 bags of candy.
• We offered free pictures for families. First time we've done it and it was a home-run.  People were lined up the entire night. I think we took about 200.
• Lots of new volunteers for LTN this year. Thanks so much for investing your extra hour of sleep into outreach!
• Great day at COTK on Sunday! Now that Leah and I are preparing for a transition, I value these gatherings with our church family more than ever.
• I wrapped up the Road Trip series with a message from James 4.13-17. Roll the window down and feel the wind in your face!
• Shared some thoughts about the nature of risk during my message. It was another opportunity to process with the church what God is doing in my heart.
• I can't tell you how much I appreciate the encouragement of so many friends right now. Leah and I still have unanswered questions, and the uncertainty is a little scary, but we feel the prayers of so many family and friends. Thanks!
• Two men committed their lives to Christ yesterday! Awesome! Seriously, that never gets old and was probably the highlight of the weekend for me.
• The band introduced a new song sung by American Idol winner Kris Allen. I loved it! I'll put it up in another post.
• Gabby started eating flavored baby food--carrots (although I hear it really doesn't have much flavor). Thankfully she likes it better than rice cereal.
• Really rough football weekend--even more than usual. Michigan gets smoked by Illinois, and the Lions lose the Toilet Bowl.
• Chances the city we move to will have a better NFL team than the Lions: 100%. Chances I'll stop caring about the Lions: 0%. I know, my football life doesn't make sense.
• This is a busy week with transition meetings with our leaders and I'm speaking three times.
• On Thursday I'll be traveling to Springfield for a few days to preach during homecoming at Central Bible College. Excited about the message God has given me.
• Preparing this week to kickoff a new series this coming Sunday called God Is...