Is that you Holy Spirit?

For the past several weeks, I have been leading a group of about 40 interested Christians in a study on Experiencing the Holy Spirit. Besides the Bible, our primary text has been the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it.

Last night, we were talking about "Plugging into the Spirit's Power." At the beginning of class I showed a clip from Chan's DVD study resource for Forgotten God. In it, he told a story of a Pastor who felt like he heard the voice of God tell him to go to the beach. When he got there, he found a woman standing on a pier and felt that God was leading him to approach her. As the story progresses, she was planning on committing suicide, and he was able to stop her and lead her to a relationship with Jesus. Francis tells it better than I do but you get the point.

I was raised in a church where the Holy Spirit was rarely motioned except during the occasional baptism. So still to this day, when I hear stories of the Spirit's leading, I get skeptical. Now, undeniably there have been times in my own life that I have felt the Spirit's gentle (and not so gentle) nudging, but when I hear someone else's story I tend to question it. Could it be I am not as plugged into the spirit as I think I am?

What do we do with stories like that? How do we process it? How do we become more plugged in to the Spirit? How do we discern the Spirit's leading?

I had a mother and her 20ish daughter approach me last night and ask me, "How do I know if it is the Holy Spirit talking to me or just my own thoughts?" What a great question! I wish I knew the answer! But I gave them this to think about: Sometimes we may not know, but if the words that come into our head are within the parameters of God's word and God's will, and we do them, that will always be a good thing!

For example: Let's say you are sitting in a restaurant and your waitress seems troubled. You feel a nudging, almost a voice, telling you too tell her, "hey, I just feel like I needed to let you know that no matter what you are struggling with right now, God loves you." If it was the Spirit telling you to do that, then you obeyed the Spirit. If it was your own conscience, you have still done the right thing. It's never wrong to tell someone God loves them, right?

Sometimes I'm not sure we will ever know it it was the Holy Spirit that led us a certain direction, but if the journey led us closer to God, the it was the right thing to do.

What's my point? Be open to the Spirit's leading. Be obedient to what God would have us to do. And when you feel like God is leading you in a certain direction, if it matches the principles of his word, GO! Obedience will never lead you to the wrong place.

(If you want to see a clip of the DVD I mentioned, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=espqNx6D3Jo)

Pepperdine Highlights and Memories

I took many things away from a wonderful week in Malibu. One thing I took with me was the need to start blogging again, so here goes:

I believe I have attended the lectures 8 or 9 times now, and I can truly say that this was the best one yet. From the keynotes, to the worship, most of the classes I attended, and the many friends I got to see, I left fed and nurtured. It was a much needed week and I came back revived and renewed. It was great to have 28 from Lakeview attend this year.

Somethings I took away from the week that I plan to focus on over the coming weeks and months:

1) The absolute need for exellence in everything we do inside of our buildings. So often we just kinda wing it. Our assemblies serve as an entry point for many unchurched. What do they see? What do the feel? Tim Spivey likened a visit to many of our churches like a trip to Grandmas house. It's comfortable to Grandma; she likes it. But to a visitor, it may smell funny, the carpet doesn't match the curtains, and there are stacks of old newspapers everywhere. Our churches are comfortable to us, they are home. But what if you got an unchurched friend to come in and just give you their impressions? What would you find out?

2)The need for quality UPDATED websites. This may sound silly, but a recent Barna survey says that 40% of newcomers who walk in our door look for us on the web first. If our site in poor quality and out of date, that sends and negitive message about our church.

3)The importance of the Holy Spirit's leading. I could go all day on this. I don't talk about the Holy Spirit in my sermons as much as I should and I guess that is out of fear. But the fear will be pushed to the side and the gloves ate coming off. We cannot be the restored church without restoring the role of the Holy Spirit!

I suppose other things stood out to me as well and I will blog on them as soon as my tired mind gets some rest and I can remember more.

One of the highlights of the week was the classes I got to co-teach. Jim, Dennis and I had a small group, but I think the class was well recieved.

It was a joy to co-teach with my beautiful bride! I am blessed to have such a godly wife and she did a great job!

More later...

Thoughts on "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Last night my family and I sat down to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I suppose I have seen this every year since my birth. I love this show! And I love sitting down to watch it with my family like my parents used to sit down to watch it with my brothers and me.

As I was watching it this year, something struck me that I had never noticed before. Of course the show is about Charlie Brown trying to find the true meaning of Christmas. Lucy decides that he needs “involvement” and makes him director of the Christmas play. The next several minutes of the show is chaos. No one wants to listen, everyone is going their own direction, and bickering and arguing ensue. Think about that, the first ¾ of the show is chaos.

Finally, Charlie Brown asks the million dollar question: “CAN’T ANYONE TELL ME WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT?” Linus answers, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about… Lights please!”

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

“That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown” Linus concludes.

Now this is what I noticed: Prior to Linus’ speech, there was Chaos! But as he concludes his speech, Charlie Brown simply picks up his little tree and walks away. His friends follow him and decorate the tree singing “Hark the Herald Angels sing.” Prior to the announcement: CHAOS. After the announcement: PEACE!

Maybe this is a bit simplistic, but if you have Chaos in your life the recognition that “God is with us” can bring a sense of peace that no other announcement can bring.

8 Years Later - Still Undivided?

You know where you were. I know where I was. I was laying on Dr. Rick Brown's Chiropractic table in Eustis. Rick was one of my elders at the time. The word came on the radio and from that point on, everything else that day is kind of a blur.

But what I remember in the following days are actually good memories. America was praying again. America was back in church. God was being prayed to and Jesus was being exalted on National TV. Our petty differences were viewed as exactly that: petty. And as a result those differences were placed on the back burner for something that mattered even more: ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

In the months that followed, many artists wrote and recorded songs that paid tribute to those lost on 9/11/01. One of those songs was "Undivided" by Bon Jovi.

That was my brother lost in the rubble
That was my sister lost in the crush
That was our mothers, those were our children
That was our fathers, that was each one of us
A million prayers to God above
A million tears make an ocean of

One for love
One for truth
One for me, one for you

I found spirit, they couldn't ruin it
I found courage in the smoke and dust
I found faith in the songs you silenced
Deep down its ringing out in each of us

One for love
One for truth
One for me, one for you

Where we once were divided, now we stand united
We stand as one... undivided.

How many hands? how many hearts?
How many dreams been torn apart?
Enough, enough... the time has come to rise back as

One for love
One for truth
One for me, one for you

Where we once were divided now we stand united
We stand as one... undivided.

I went back and watched the video today. I even watched the live performance of it from two months after and I heard him say "let's not let this feeling fade away." Sadly, for many, it has. We are once again divided over so many things: War, The President, health care, and the economy just to name a few. More walls of division are being constructed everyday and no one takes credit for building them. It's always the other side. And our differences are no longer petty.

I don't ever want another 9/11. But I long for the feeling of a unified nation that we had afterwords. I think of the words of David when he said in Psalm 133, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" I pray we will all have that feeling again and that it will not take another 9/11 to make us "One Nation Under God."

If you would like to watch the video for Undivided, the link is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjtt0limQBw

The live version that was recorded a couple of months after 9/11 is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbit6bl8wUA

Two Sets of Joneses

I have been doing a lot of marriage counseling lately. Actually, more than I ever have before. I don't know if it's because we are not equipping young couples as we used to or if there is just so much more to deal with today, but even in the church we see marraiges struggling and failing on a regular basis.

As I was struggling with this thought and what we can do about it as a church, an old song came to mind that sums up what I believe to be the core of the problem.

TWO SETS OF JONESES by Big Ten Revival

This is a song about two sets of Joneses
Rothchild and Evelyn - Ruban and Sue
Just for discussion through random selection
We've chosen two couples who haven't a clue

Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy
Evelyn bought him a house on the beach
Ruban and Sue they had nothing but Jesus
And at night they would pray that he'd care for the each

And the Rain came down - it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away
One set of Joneses was standing that day

Evelyn's daddy was proud of young Rothchild
He worked the late hours to be number one
Just newlyweds and their marriage got rocky
He's flying to Dallas - She's having a Son

Ruban was holding a Gideon's Bible
He screamed "It's a boy" so that everyone heard
And the Guy's at the factory took a collection
Again God provided for bills he'd incurred.

And the Rain came down - it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away
One set of Joneses was standing that day

What is the point of this story?
What am I trying to say?
Is your life built on the Rock of Christ Jesus
Or a sandy foundation you've managed to lay?

Well, Needless to say Evelyn left her Husband
Sued him for every penny he had
I truly wish that those two would find Jesus
Before things get worse than they already have

And the Rain came down - it blew the four walls down

And the clouds they rolled away
One set of Joneses was standing that day
There's two sets of Joneses - Which ones will you be?

That may sound simplistic, but I just can't seem to get the tune out of my head. The problem with most couples I see is the focus of their marriage. The focus is self. "I really wish those two would find Jesus."

If you have never heard it, here is the video link.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQE5PNRLZ40

Celebrity Death's and Our Need for God

The death of a celebrity is an amazing thing to me. We have had several lately. Ed McMahon, Vince Young, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and, Michael Jackson all died within just a few days of each other. Many of us saw the images of people putting up memorials outside of NBC studios for McMahon, and Outside of a restaurant for Young. I imagine most of us saw at least some of the images from the Michael Jackson memorial. It is estimated that over 1 billion people watched at least some of it.

As humans, we are not good with mortality. We don’t handle death well. I know I don’t. If someone close to me dies, I weep and morn just like the next person. But I guess I wonder why we mourn so much over celebrities. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sad when people die, but I find the outpouring over celebrities interesting. After all, we have soldiers dying everyday in the Middle East but rarely do you hear a name even mentioned. What is it about celebrities?

We as humans have built in within us the need to attach ourselves to something. God made us that way. Some choose to attach themselves to family, others to a job, and others even to a celebrity. God put the need to “seek” in each and every heart he created (Acts 17:26-28). But the ultimate goal of this is that we would find HIM.

People are seekers buy our very nature. God has put it in our heart to seek that we might find him. When we see people “idolizing” celebrities to the point that they almost look as if they are “worshiping” them (I saw one person at the Michal Jackson funeral with their hands raised), this is a reflection of our “need” to worship.

Yet there is only one way the need to worship will be fulfilled in anyone’s life, and that is through the true worship of our almighty God. Again, God created us so that “men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28)

It’s easy to attach ourselves to what we can see. But in reality, Michael Jackson didn’t know any of those people who were “lifting him up.” When he was alive, those who followed him did not have any “real” access to him. “Idol worship” will never fulfill the need for relationship which we seek. BUT…God knows our names, he created us with the ability to find him, and “he is not that far from each one of us.” That’s Good News!

Homesick

This was Seth's first time ever going to camp. I got word that last night he had a "homesick moment." Luckily, his big brother Hunter was there to comfort him and let him know everything was ok. As his father, hearing he had a homesick moment made me want to go get him a day early and wrap my arms around him. But I know Hunter is there and can take good care of him.

As I begin thinking about that, I wanted to write it down because the paralels are amazing. As Christians, we often have "homesick moments." We have moments of tears, sorrow, and pain, and we long to go home to heaven where these things will be no more. (Rev. 21:4)

But God has surrounded us with spiritual brothers and sisters, so with those homesick moments get to be too strong, they can comfort us and let us know that everything will be ok. As our father, God longs to come get us early and wrap his arms around us, but he knows our brothers and sisters in Christ are with us and will take good care of us.

That anaolgy may be oversimplified, but it brought me comfort and I hope it does you as well.