Memorial Day Weekend

I got the chance this past weekend to go back up to Lancaster and hang out with my old friends and family. I got to talk to Mama Dora, see Papa Saul, my Estrada girls, my boy Stephen who heard the 'call' with me, and a whole host of leaders & people from my youth ministry days at Lancaster 1st Assembly.

I loved the feeling of being with people who I have so much history with. Its a feeling that makes your want to really value those who God has let you share life with. Its hard to remember that the ones you are around everyday, will one day probably not be there as much. Life tends to move us on from what we have now to what is next.

I want to slow down enough today to really value who I get to have in my daily life. These people will no doubt only have one season to know me and for me to know them. Lets make this season count for all we can make it!!!

How Does It Work?

If I desired to be the best golfer in the city of Corona, but didn't do anything to make that possible, I would embarrass myself on the golf course when my friends showed up to 'see my skills!!" (With the best Napolean Dynamite voice possible)

Everything that you and I encounter is the result of a system. Circulatory System, Endocrine System, Solar System and many other examples give us a result based upon an order of how things function or operate together. The way you get ready for bed or for the day is a system. The way a golfer gets ready to swing or putt is a system. Basketball players have a routine or a system for how they shoot free-throws. The way we get a baby ready for a nap or put them to sleep is DEFINITELY a system or routine.

Your spiritual growth is no less affected & influenced by the invisible but very powerful systems that you put into place. You have to marry things that you want done to a system or it will never be done. Systems create desired behaviors in people, work environments, marriages, families, churches, teams, etc. The question is never whether or not you have a system affected your behavior the question is do you know what the system is & is it in a battle with your actual desired behavior or outcome? 

Take a look at how you prepare your heart for a church service, a night out with your spouse, a sermon, or a ministry & you'll find the need to address a routinue or system. If we are to be the spiritually developping people God has called us to be, we have to have a routine that we put into place that will give us the desired outcome.
Otherwise, its just wishful thinking.

The Unexpected Story Next to You

Today I got to sit with an amazing young couple who are engaged to be married & have asked me to marry them. I'm so excited to be a part of their story. Here is a little bit about them:

Amanda was a teenager in my previous youth ministry, but after she left it, she couldn't reconcile what she read & believed about Jesus with the actions of many people she was around in church. She became an atheist and began to research things about it and even taught people some things she found. We hadn't heard from her in years, and then about a month ago, her, her sister & their friend walked into Remnant. I always say that you have no idea who walked in the doors tonight, and the way you treat them could dictate what they think about God for YEARS!!!

After receiving the love & care that is now Remnant's DNA, they all were amazed that they could actually be in 'church' and feel God moving in them without feeling judged, criticized or misunderstood.  I asked for those who wanted to give their lives to following this Christ of love, redemption, compassion, and hope, and all 3 of them came forward and prayed!! It was an amazing night for Remnant, them & God's story of love. They all said that they didn't believe a church could feel like this, and that the people were so different than any church they had been to.

Amanda, that same night, asked me if I would marry her & her fiance Nathan and we finally met up today to start our pre-marital sessions. I asked them how God was a part of their lives, and she said: "up until a few weeks ago at Remnant, I was an atheist. So I am just now learning a new (or as we say "ReDefined") way of understanding what Jesus is all about. We are excited to have Him in our lives and we know we can't do this marriage without him."

Whatever church you are apart of, never forget that every week a story walks in and sits right near you. Join in with God on His mission to write those stories of Life Change & hope & watch God use you in ways you can NEVER imagine. They are right next to you everyday!

Can I Be A Martry for Christ?

I always believed that being a martyr was such an incredible testimony to who you believe Christ is. The very word brings images to my mind that invoke words like: prisoned, poor, torture, dedicated, sacrifice, loyal, passion, servant, & powerful. I have learned lately, that one doesn't have to have that story to be a martyr.

When Jesus Christ left this world, he sent the Holy Spirit to us to testify about Christ. John 15 tells us that we are also to be used by God to testify about Christ. This means we are to be his "witnesses" to this world. A witness in a courtroom gives the perspective on a persons character, actions, and life events. They help people see what the person is really like. Thats what people are suppose to be able to gather by watching our lives.

The Greek word that John uses to describe 'testify' is the word 'martyr.' This is a loaded word for us as Christ followers. We have a rich history of people who have lived & died for the name of Jesus. They lived & died to make sure that people would know the character, actions, & love that God gave us through Christ. This is the same idea that we are to give to the lives we live today.

Are we being 'martyr's' for Christ? You don't have to physcially die to be a martyr...you only have to spiritually die to yourself & begin to live the life that Christ asks us to. To follow His ways and to give up all you have to show this world who he is. They are waiting to hear about Him, what is our life saying about Him...or in other words, what are we testifying about the Christ?

Remnant J:High!!

I just left tonights J:High Service for Remnant and it was amazing!! First of all, the hunger these young people have to really honor the Lord with worship is a sight to see! Its so awesome to begin to see the culture of young people really take their own spiritual development seriously. I love watching 6th, 7th, & 8th graders take notes during a message because they are so desiring to make sure that they grow 'themselves' instead of relying on a service to grow them.

Next week, we are going to be combining our Remnant J:High w/ our normal Remnant service for one of our "REMNANT:ONE Services at 7p, June 1st. We are going to have a very special guest speaker with us that night, and you are going to LOVE him!! I can't wait for Remnant to get to hear this guy bring it!!

My Heart Alive

I was thinking about how much effort I put into making sure our Remnant services are amazing and God reminded me of a little lesson he's been teaching me.
He wants me to spend the energy getting the church, which is his people, ready for service to their world, instead of just getting the service ready for the people. I believe that this shift MUST take place in our hearts before it makes its way into our services. We have to become disciples that are putting time into the unglorious but so powerful quiet moments in the secret places with God.

I want our services to be amazing, but I don't want the end to be an amazing service...but to have a system that helps us to move people closer towards Christ in their 'own' day-to-day lives.

We need to be asking more discipleship questions like: "what are you doing to grow spiritually outside of Remnant?" or "what is making your heart more passionate for Christ?" This helps people realize that attendance doesn't do the whole work. Its a small part in fact. Most of the greatness in our spiritual strength WILL NOT come solely from a service we attended. Thats the gasoline on the slow embers that you keep creating daily. Without that, I'm only going to soak ashes in your heart. Ashes aren't good for making a fire or for having any power to change the temperature of a room.

We need to see our spiritual lives in this way. Am I creating more and more 'wood, sticks, & paper' for God to light, pour his gas on & use to brighten the world, or am I bringing old ashes that are all burned out?

You have to chop the trees down, put them in the fireplace & get them going...services are just to add fuel to the existing flame & then you are responsible for keeping it going!!!

Baptisms @ South Hills Church

This weekend is such a great weekend because our church, South Hills, is inviting people to leave their seats, receive Christ & be baptized right in our service!! We did the first service and we already had 31 people decide to follow the example of Christ through baptism.

Its such an exciting experience to watch people who have been learning the ways of Christ to decide to take up their cross and follow him. Baptism is an ancient and sacred symbol of what God has done in us through Christ Jesus. The water symbolizes the death of our old life of sin, and we are 'buried' in the water and raised in Christ brand new!! What an incredible opportunity it is to watch this mysterious & spiritual part of peoples lives.