If you don't get "it" this Sunday - you won't!

Wow! That's all I can say knowing what is going to happen this upcoming Sunday at Dutch Fork. If you don't get it after this Sunday's message - you won't. We are kicking off our "LOST" message and you're toes are gonna get crunched. God's word is going to pierce right through us and I am saying, "bring it on!" I cannot wait to see what people's response is this week.

What is your life?

We had tickets to a sold-out Beth Moore Living Proof event tonight. God has really blessed her with an ability to speak and I needed the refreshment I got from the message and worship. Here's some of the points she touched on:
James 1:1-12
1. Each of us gets 1 mortal life.
2. Each 1 life is marked by multiple seasons.
3. Each season is colored by different trials. (multi-color ones at that)
4. For believers, every trial is assigned divine tasks (ministry ops., character change, specific insight/knowledge, etc.)
a. Every true trial evokes a test of faith
b. Every trial will expose a need of new wisdom
c. Every victory will take courage and make courage
d. Courageous perseverers are greatly rewarded


Her main thoughtline was that God's workmanship in us is a masterpiece he is working on of our lives. The various trials we persevere through are the colors added to the masterpiece. They have purpose and make us up what to be by then end of our life. So therefore, we can count trial as pure joy because of the effects they produce.

Going through some trials right now myself, and hearing God's work be so relevant in my life was awesome. Wow, never seen so many baptist women in one place though!

How Do We Respond?

Read this great blog post today from a blog I follow...

How Do We Respond?
By Jay Hardwick on Vision

I jumped back into Nehemiah last week. Nothing refuels the vision for Catalyst better than reading this guy's story. Last Thursday, this verse grabbed me and has yet to let go:
"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned, fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven." - Nehemiah 1:4
The context is that Nehemiah asked one of his brothers who was visiting from Judah how things were going back home. The report of the city being burned and the people walking around in defeat led to Nehemiah's response. The report he received was so bad that he literally could not even stand up. And beyond that, he wept. Not shed a little tear. He wept. I imagine his weeping to be the convulsing, stomach-tightening type of weeping.
I have to ask myself, "Do I respond with the same kind of emotion to the depravity evidenced in Greenville?" Saturday at the Egg Drop, on three separate occasions, as I looked out across the field and saw all those people, I literally had to fight back tears. Yes, I was so very excited to see that many people in one place. But that's not why I fought back tears. The only thought in my mind was, "Most of these people have no idea what's available to them through Jesus. WE HAVE TO TELL THEM!" Even now as I am typing this, I am seeing a replay of Saturday and all the people...their eyes, their faces, their expressions...and my heart is clinching wanting so desperately to lead our church to always be RELENTLESS in figuring out how to reach those people. That relentless spirit is born out of our response to depravity.
God is doing something in our church right now and it's a result of what He's doing in my heart and in the heart of everyone on staff. Everyday, I get multiple emails from CCers who are responding the same way. The bottom line of it...God is teaching us to respond to depravity the way He does.
Do we seriously think God is happy that 60% of Greenville has something better to do on Sundays than involve themselves in the irresistible environments of a local church? Do we seriously think God is happy that most churches are very resistible and have little to no influence in the community? Do we think God is happy that most churches and "Christians" have decided that everybody knowing everybody is more important than everybody knowing Jesus?
Uhhh...I'm going to say He is not happy about that. I think God weeps over cities where authentic Christ-following has been lost in religious protocol. I believe He weeps over churches that have decided "us 4 and no more" is easier to achieve than "to the ends of the earth." I believe He weeps over those of us who call ourselves Christians yet ignore the depravity all around us on our way to our Beth Moore Bible study or our pot-luck fellowship.
How you and I respond to depravity is evidence of how close to the heart of God we are.
If it doesn't bother us that 3 out of every 5 people we see everyday in Greenville don't go to church, then we're far from the heart of God. If it doesn't bother us that most churches are half-empty at best on Sundays while Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot are packed, then we're far from the heart of God. If it doesn't bother us that lost people live, work, and play all around us, then we're far from the heart of God. If it doesn't bother us that people in Greenville suffer all alone because of HIV/AIDS, homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty, child abuse, etc., then we're far from the heart of God.
If we weep and cry out to God on behalf of our city, our church, and the people all around us who desperately need to know Him, then we're moving in the right direction. As He did with Nehemiah, God will blow our minds with His response. And, He'll call us to action...

end of day reflections...

I love my husband.
I love my kids.
I love my family.
I LOVE my Lord.
What an awesome Easter, being a parent on "this" side of it.
Love the joy.
Love the smiles.
Love the questions.
Love the reason for the occasion.

Now let's celebrate like this the rest of the year.
(gonna go hug my kiddos)

Easter Weekend

Wow! What a weekend we had! Saturday we went to Elevation Church for their Egg Drop. It was freakin' awesome. I couldn't believe all the people that came out for it and it was freezing! The hot air balloon wasn't able to drop the eggs due to the weather, but it was still great. I was gathering info. for the possibility of doing it here next year. It would SO stretch my faith and trust in God as it would be HUGE. I've been convicted lately to dream big. God is a BIG God and we insult him with our little "I-can-really-handle-it-comfortable" dreams. Why not stretch your faith in him especially in the department of reaching lost people.

We start a message series this week called "Lost." The purpose being to lay out to the church our purpose about reaching lost people. My prayer is that people are stretched to realize church is NOT for THEM. It's NOT ABOUT THEM. It is about the people NOT in the church. The ones who Jesus would be spending time with. The church exists to reach lost people. The people that matter to God. I want people to quit being "me church naval gazers." Be grieved about your daughter who doesn't go to church and who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus. Be grieved for the co-worker you know is going through a major medical procedure but you don't know if they are a Christian. Be grieved for the neighbor you see home on Sunday morning. I am praying hard for this message to penetrate the culture of our church. If it doesn't I don't know what kind of hope there is for being the church God called the church to be.

Did I babble enough or did I make sense???

On a side note: disappointing attendance for the kids today. I was down by 50% - but the program was awesome. They responded well to the environment changes and our workers were AWESOME this morning. I was disappointed, but I know God is teaching me something through it. We'll see what it is! On a great note - we had a family get baptized this morning - mom, dad, and 2 kids. Praise God!

A random thought...what about incentives?

So we get incentives for referrals to the dentist, car dealerships, etc. I recently found out that we received a credit on our dentist bill because my parents went and said they were referred by us. Awesome! I LOVE free money!!

This had me thinking tonight. When someone "refers" someone to our church, or invites them and they show - do we do anything about it? Would people be more motivated if they were encouraged by doing it?

You're thinking, "people should invite others to church so they can find out about Jesus." Yes - that's true, and we should want people to find out about a relationship with Jesus -- truly -- but a little motivation or encouragement goes a long way.

If you notice that someone showed up because of an invite from someone else, send a thank you note, or an "I noticed" note. A kind word about what a difference it could make could work too. Hey - wouldn't it be great if we could work referral Stabucks gift cards in our budgets???

Trying my hand at this....

Well lately I have hopped on the blog wagon so to say, by reading blogs. Now I am moving on to posting one of my own. Can't see much anyone reading it....but hey - You never know.

To start - kiddos sick - both have double ear infections and the crud.
No sleep tonight - hence my title.

Maybe I'll actually share something intellectual tomorrow.