The Faith of a Child

Yesterday was our 4th core group meeting as Garden City Church...we meet for 90 minutes before the second service at the church that is helping us start...We received our FIRST offering...our first fundage was given by a 4 year old...Her name was Madison...Isn't that amazing?...This little girl was moved by need before us grow ups...Sometimes adults are schooled by children...She gave around 5 bucks...but for me personally when she gave that 5 bucks her faith spoke louder to me than all the sermons I heard on giving in faith in my life...The faith of a child is not calculated, it is not fearful, but powerful...I think its time for us adults to learn a lesson from a 4 year old...and begin to have faith like a child...and give!

A Caring Community

There is nothing better than doing what you love to do, what you are called to do and then to speak on that very subject. This Sunday at our Core Group meeting. I will be sharing on Garden City Churches first core value: A Caring Community. I am talking about "Holistic Small Groups." Some of the topics I am covering are: The power of a Healing Community, the Benefits of Community, we are created for community, the conviction of small groups, and more. Small group ministry is kind of a personal issue for me because a small group my dad was part of in 2002 when I was addicted to drugs was instrumental in getting me into Teen Challenge. At Teen Challenge, I began to follow Jesus Christ. My life has never been the same and it is all because of a small group, a caring community my dad was part of. If you want to hear the rest of my story and my teaching notes click (read more).

McChurched

The Mega-Church Movement has become a well oiled piece of machinery. The ecclesiological method’s this flavor of Church operates by are geared towards pleasing the consumer. The consumer has become the locus of authority, not Biblical Orthodoxy. Churches that have been impacted by such methodology have been McChurched. They have adopted an operating system that serves the stranger rather than the resident family members. Dr. John Seel, a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary asked, “What if your household primarily met the needs of your neighbors not the people living there?” How would each member of the family grow holistically, if the home was primarily designed to meet the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social needs of strangers? The brand of church that has neglected the family of God to appease the consumer is the seeker sensitive brand of church. Al Speegle, Jr., a contributor to the Trinity Forum described the mission of the McChruched Churches, “A user-friendly church designed to meet the needs of today's people, and their lifestyles. Self-sacrifice, self-denying discipleship has been scientifically reduced down to a formula that has placed man at the center. If consumeristic ecclesiology is going to be combated, then the Mega-Church Movement Factor must be understood, sermon branding, church shopping and Drive-Thru Discipleship must be exposed and Biblical Orthodoxy must guide the ecclesiology of a church....click to read the rest...

Core Meeting Update

Week 3.... we had 25 people....Dunkin Donut Coffee....It is so exciting to watch a group of ordinary people bond to do something extraordinary like start a church from scratch...Today we wrapped up the first sub point under our first core value, which is "A Caring Community"...The Sub point was "Loving Relationships"...Love was the subject of discussion...everything we do, everything we say, everybody we meet...must be done in genuine, authentic LOVE...we talked about the source of LOVE which is God because if God is not pouring love into us then we will not pour love into others...also we said, Loving People is Loving God...You can't love God and not love people...The Children's pastor...Amanda casted vision for the children's ministry...she did a great job...Three things: 1. Roots 2. Shoots and 3. Fruit...Those are her goals for the kids who are part of the children's ministry...she wants then to grow roots, build shoots and bear fruit as they learn about God..next week I will be talking about "Holistic Small Groups" Very excited to take on the role of small group pastor...Stay tuned for next week's update...

Core Meeting

So far so God! The Beverly church plant has met for its second time today during the Sunday School hour at the church the lead pastor works as an assistant and the church that is supporting us. We call them our Mother church. Last week we had 31 people and this week 19 people. We are aiming for 100 people before we start in Sept. / 2008. We talked about the mission statement last week...which is "To glorify God by leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ who are catalyst of change and examples of human goodness." That is it.. We are going to be laser focus on being that. It is more about being, than doing...The doing always follows the being..so if we are being the right kind of person...than we will do the right kind of things...That is where our core values come in...today we talked about the first core value..."A Caring Community"...the first sub point under that is Loving Relationships...so we talked about LOVE...if we don't have unconditional, sacrificial love as our driving motivation for life..people turn into projects and become part of a religious agenda where we trying to put another notch in our spiritual belt by leading them to Christ...we agree that we are going to love no matter what...no what if they accept our Jesus or our church or whatever...we are going to love without looking for returns...we have to be intentional and purposeful as God was when he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to die for our sins so that we can be restored to relationship with God and become fully reflective of the character of God in the part of the world that we live in...Stay tuned for next weeks core group meeting update!!!!!!!!!!

Beverly Church Plant Update

The thing to do has been find a template for our website...The website is so crucial...You want a site that people feel comfortable hanging out in our corner of cyberspace as they check out the church...what we are about...when are our services...where....who are the staff...plus we want to be a resource for our church and others....we are going to podcast...open source our sermons, etc...Before a person walks in the door of a church today about 50% or so will have gone to your website first...so if our website looks ugly...then they will never get a chance to our handsome and pretty faces in the church...What we do have going for us is the right person who understands and knows how to design and build sites...He is a Godsend...you can check our his site...his name is Brian Duke...We met on Monday of this week at our office...I mean Starbucks to begin discussing the site...it has been a challenge...because he does not know everything...which limits some of the things we can do...We did come up with a tag line for the Church...It is: Garden City Church-Growing Together...If you want to see, which I would be interested in hearing some feedback..check out this site it has the templates we might buy for our site...let me know what you think...Hit this link...The template is the one with the picture of the road with trees on each site and it says, "Life is a Journey." which we also like that tag line for our site...The site I want you to examine is the first one, in the left hand corner at the top...

Signed My First Autograph

I got a funny story from the True Love Waits Conference, my wife and I spoke at. One active New England Patriot, David Thomas and one retired New England Patriot, Grant Williams spoke as well. After the first day, we were on stage, and kids came up to get autographs from the players. They started signing. So I said, in 6th grade I got MVP for Defensive Line in football. I signed TWO autographs for that!!!

Overall the conference was off the hook...I did an impromptu session on Myspace and Facebook and its effects on dating...One of the highlights of the conference was to hear David and Cassidy Thomas share their story...They began going out when they were in 8th grade, stayed together through High School, then went to Texas Tech together were David played college ball. They then got married virgins. They committed their relationship to purity. Now David is the tight end for the New England Patriots...What a story of commitment and dedication...

True Love Waits Conference

Liz and I have the privilege of being on a team of conference speakers this weekend led by Paul and Virgina Freisen...The conference is called: True Love Waits...It is a time for parents and children to get together and talk about sex in a non-threatening environment...If a father doesn't talk to his son or a mother her daughter, they will learn about some where...and that some where is probably in the locker room or bathroom and the content is not going to be Biblically based but worldly focused...Don't leave it up to your kids to ask you parents, but ask them first....Liz and I are doing a workshop called, "Its Never Too Late To Do the Right Thing." This is going to be a great conference and not just because we are speaking!!!! But because two players and their wives from the New England Patriots will speaking as well....David and Kassidy Thomas & Grant and Emily Williams...Check out the True Love Waits website for more information if you are interested in coming...If you can't come, here is a link to Liz and my talk on "Its never too late to do the right thing."

Witch Pastor

I met a real live, walking talking WITCH Pastor...I guess you can call him that, He did...He is a pastor in Salem, MA...The witch capital of America....His church is called, "The Gathering"...His church actually meets in "The Vault"...an old bank...The place is right on a main street in Salem...He said, The Gathering, his church, exists to bless the witches and neo-pagans not just in Salem, MA but all over the world...His ministry reaches to the UK...The churches website is very informative....I will be meeting with him some time in the future to talk witchcraft and paganism...This might possibly the beginning of a potential location for Garden City Church's second location..Stay tuned for that Blog.

Beverly Church Plant Update

Today we did it! We nailed down (for now) Garden City Churches 7 core values over a cup of Starbucks coffee! I think that was the secret to our most profitable meeting yet!!!

1. A Caring Community
2. Biblical, Practical Teaching
3. Strong Family's
4. Discover Your Purpose
5. Passionate Spirituality
6. Less is More
7. A Creative Edge

Everything we do as a church will be filtered through these core values...This gives us the freedom to say NO to things that can potentially side track us from fulfilling out mission. These core values are our guiding principles...They shape the way we do things...They also hold us accountable...The hardest part is that the leadership team must be constantly aware of these values in their own personal life....because as a church the leaders must embody these core values so that they turn into the values of those who come to the church!

Church & Culture

I don't think any class has influenced me more than a class I am presently in called, "Church & Culture." The professor has opened my eyes to a culture that constantly exerts pressure on you and me. We are being influenced from every angle. The cultural influencers (Apple, Playboy, Reality TV, MYSPACE, Hollywood, etc.) want us to be so busy that we don't think or reflect on what we are doing, we just react and consume.

Think about TV. With each show you watch, whether you like it or not, you are being instructed on how to live, what to buy, what the good life is, what to look like, etc. We are given "unspoken permission" or you can say, "an unconscious, yes," to do exactly what you are watching. It is called behavior modification. They are training us to respond in life from those experiences. Why do you think people want HDTV's or I-Phones, or you fill in the blank with that thing on your list? Or the person you want to look like. It is a fact, most people who get cosmetic surgery do so to look like a celebrity!

The bottom line is that we must exert pressure on the culture or we will conform. If you consume culture without thinking about it, you will become a product of the culture. For the class, we have to write an essay on a question that is impossible to answer. He says, there are not right or wrong answers, but better or worse. These essays will get you to think about the world we live in through a different lens. They have been the most challenging essays, I ever wrote and they are short! Take a stab at them...not me!!

Sex: The American Top Idol

Is Culture Dead?

The Great Divorce

The Resurrected Matrix: The Kingdom Of God

Re-Thinking Church Growth Strategies

Beverely Church Planting Update

(1) Last week, the lead pastor and I got to go and meet with the woman who is in charge of renting out the school, we have applied to lease. Great, hopeful conversation! We did see an auditorium that is not being used in this old middle school the town turned into the school systems office. Maybe a space for a second location, maybe not!!!

(2) Last week, we also had probably one of the most important discussions on our mission (what do we want to do or you can say, what is our goal). The churches mission statement is "To Lead People To Become Fully Devoted Followers of Christ." That is our method. But our goal, Jesus states in the Sermon on the Mount. It is actually his thesis statement. (1) We are to be "salt" and "light." Salt makes things flourish, it makes things better. Not table salt, but salt used in an agricultural setting. The SALT Jesus compared fully devoted followers of Christ was a form of fertilizer. It made thing grow better. It made compose piles decompose. In essence, Jesus was saying, we need to be engaged in and with the culture so that when we show up things are better and those people's lives around us are better. It also accelerates growth so if salt loses it distinctness it is in effective. (2) We are to be "light." Fully devoted followers are Christ are to be beacons of goodness and a catalyst for human flourishing. We are a like a light house. A light house distributes light. You are there, you cannot be ignored, you are broad casting a message on the hill and the hill is whatever your sphere of influence God called you. The Bible says, let your light shine before men so that they can see your good deeds. It is dynamic and it is self revelatory. You are and it happens. You are light that shines before men. There is an emphasis of being. The very nature of who you are speaks volumes, not just what you do. It is the embodied presence of you period that makes the difference. Those around you see self evident goodness. They see the deeds that you do that explain the message that is in you. Since it is a positive and good message, people know that you are genuine goodness.

Ask yourself, Are you Salt and Light? Does your purist of God influence those around you? Does your life make other people’s lives better? Is your walk with God inspiring anybody to be more like Jesus and does it causes non-believers to wonder why? Do you have enough of Jesus that your life overflows and spills into others? I have been asking myself these questions lately. Sometimes just asking the right questions makes all the difference!

Sexual Cosmos: Bringing Order to the Untouched Areas of Spirituality

As some of you know, I feel just as called to writing books as I do to pasturing and teaching. I have almost completed a book on SEX. It is basically a perspective on sex, dating and marriage that you will not find on TV or in the moves. It is based on God's word. God created the universe from nothing, bringing order from chaos and He can do the same thing with our sex lives. So I got an editor!! One of my best friends who is a missionary in Africa at the moment is going to edit the book. He is a GODSEND and a genius! The Introduction Chapter is pretty much done. Check it out. Here is a LINK to it. It will give you all the details, but remember it is geared towards Teen Challenge students in which myself and the editor are graduates of Teen Challenge, but I am confident it will speak to you and give you a perspective you can share with your friends, family, etc. Let me know what you think about it. Email any comments, questions and suggestions to sexualcosmos@gmail.com Happy Reading!

Beverly Church Plant Update

The lead pastor, on Tuesday, sat down and had lunch with a guy in the church he works at that is planting us, who works with non-profit organizations like churches who lease from schools, among other things. He gave us the run down on what to do and not do, what to expect and not expect. We learned a lots of good things like the school or whoever you rent from, are not like your typical landlord. You need to take the initiative and let them know what rooms, bathrooms, etc you need, don't expect them to communicate because they probably won't. We learned to make sure the lines of communication are open and that the person on staff, the janitor, knows exactly what bathrooms we need, etc. so that they are ready to go come church time. Just thought you like to know, about a churches bathroom situation!!!!!!!!!!!

How to ELIMINATE Divorce!

I figured it out. What you are about to read will save millions of dollars worldwide and infinite pain and suferring. It is an easy formula. Albert Einstein invented "E = MC2" and I have thought of how to be "Married-4-Ever." Are you ready for it? If you read it, you must tell someone and do it!!
Marriage is not so much an issue of love as it is an issue of obedience to God. Obedience to God must supersede love. The command to all Christians married or not is to “love their neighbors.” Well, for married people, their closest neighbor is their spouse (even if they don’t sleep in the same bed!). Jesus also commands us to “love our enemies” and “do good to those who hate you.” The word, love, agape, is the same word in both places. It means unconditional and sacrificial. So guess what, your spouse will always fit somewhere between your best neighbor and your worst enemy, and guess, what we are commanded to love them both. But God does not leave us hanging. He would never command us to do something we are not capable to do. God will give you both the strength to love each other regardless of how you feel. In the very moments when you don’t feel like loving, just obey God and do it anyway. If you do this, divorce will never be an option, only staying married-4-ever!

Let me know, how it works out!!

UPDATE: Beverly Church Plant

I feel like I do not have time to think! So busy, but here is the BREAKING NEWS. We have "The Go" or as some like to say "The Green Light" to begin meeting with our core group (those are people who want to be part of the church before we are officially a church). And we even have a time table. Are you ready for this, it is after Easter! Some of the hardest things in church planting is putting together a Schedule, a time table of when and how things are suppose to unfold. We are there. We have the beginning of a time table!! That is actually very exciting. Stay tuned for more Breaking News!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sex: The American Top Idol

SEX: The American Top Idol

We live in a sex crazed culture where sex can sell just about anything from beer to car insurance. Today sex is nothing more than one of the many desires Americans satisfy without much thought like our appetite for food. When we are hungry, we eat, if the urge to have sex arises, look for the closest friend and benefit! The truth of the matter is that sex has escaped its residence in marriage and been placed on a pedestal for all to idolize. As brief as it might be, appeasing the sex idol emotionally satisfies, security, one of the deepest human needs. The sex idol is both unconsciously and consciously worshiped by millions of Americans daily via Internet sites, movies, magazines and TV shows. Promiscuous living is promoted, at the expense of martial fidelity, as part of the American dream. In order to tear down the sex idol, the original purpose of sex must be resurrected and the Biblical precedence for marriage must be re -instituted.

Marriage is more than sex!
The resurrection of God’s plan for sex will raise the marital climate in America. Sex is just one cylinder in an eight cylinder marriage. God created sex for a purpose and designed marriage as the one and only relationship that purpose is to be experienced so that the marriage relationship can be a reflection of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to the world. The uniting of married couples in the sanctity of the marriage bed mirrors the unity the Godhead. What if sex in marriage was more about God than about an orgasm? The words sex and God are almost never used in the same sentence, but have multiple intersecting points. Mainly, oneness, which is the idea of multiple units operating in harmony regardless of their distinct differences. Sex is an intersecting point married couples must experience oneness or sexual frustration and dysfunction will breed division.

Marriage will make couples holy before it will make them happy. When the goal of marriage is not sexual euphoria, like Soap Operas, romantic novels and movies promote, but maturity, marriages will go the distance. The goal of marriage is not to please yourself or your spouse, but to please God. A couple’s marital climate directly correlates with their spiritual climate. That is why, the apostle Peter says, “Husbands . . . be considerate as you live with your wives . . . so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” Sometimes the most spiritual thing to do is have a good marriage and in doing so both partners will feel secure.

Marriage is a kingdom partnership, not a combination of one night stands. Couples who have a kingdom purpose interwoven in their marriage understand that their marriage stands for something more than sexual intimacy. A marriage couple whose goal is to partner with Jesus’ Church and his apprentices on earth understand King Solomon who said, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Solomon knew that a team dynamic with God in the center can do more than a one man show. If God is reflected in marriages, then marriages will reflect God to the world. Marriage couples have an opportunity to be a conduit of the love of God to an unloved, insecure world.

Sex is more than marriage!
When marriage is more than sex, then sex is more than marriage, not vice versa. The re-instituting of God’s design for marriage will lower the promiscuity climate in America. Sex with a purpose is the best sex. Sex to satisfy just to satisfy an urge misses the mark of the poetry of sex. Sex activates the marriage covenant, but does not determine marital longevity. A home run does not have to be hit everyday to have sex. The reality is most marriages strike out more than they get on base, but the need of security is still met. If couples are going to feel continually secure in themselves and their marriages, then sex must not be like a trend that fads away, but an ongoing game. Even though sex is just one component of sexual intimacy, it is probably one of the most important. Sex is the only thing you can do with your spouse; you cannot do with someone else. Once sex is taken off the pedestal, it becomes one of the many venues couples experience marital intimacy.

Sex renews the marriage covenant. Just as Christ followers participate in the sacrament, Holy Communion, as a time to reflect and renew the covenant Jesus’ death instituted, married couples renew their covenant when they participate in the act of marriage. Sex is sacred. It unites couples spiritually. Soul ties are either strengthened or weakened by a couples sex life or lack there of. Sometimes the most spiritual thing to do with your spouse is to have sex. Sexual intimacy is marriage is the highway all other areas of intimacy travel on. Although sex is not an end in marriage, it is a non-negotiable means to an end.

Sex leaves a legacy. The whole world is watching marriage couples. They are just waiting to hear about the latest affair. What effects does each affair and divorce have on the generation to follow? Each generation that grows up in today’s divorce culture has been given the unconscious permission to have an affair and divorce. One of the best ways not to have sex with someone else’s spouse is to have sex with your own spouse. Sex is the protecting shield that guards a man or women’s heart from being stolen by someone who wants to meet the needs of your spouse when you do not. I heard at a marriage conference, “If you don’t date want to date your spouse, there are many who do." It is going to take couples who are willing to look out for the best interest of the present and future generations, not themselves to turn the tide and leave a Godly marriage legacy.

In conclusion, if sex finds its way back in the master bedroom and off the TV screens, Americans will experience a revolution in their homes and churches. The American Top Idol can only be worshipped if broken marriages produce broken families that in turn release broken children with no purpose to marry broken spouses. Our problem is systemic. It begins with married couples. Dad’s and mom’s who tear down the sex idol at home will create an environment conducive for their children to later marry well. Premarital sex can destroy a future marriage like no bodies business, but children who marry, according to God’s plan and purposes will experience sex in the creative order, not before but after marriage. These children, who have married well, will have children who marry well and on and on it goes. If families take the initiative to meet, their children’s need of security, then the boy down the street or girl up the block will not have a chance and the advertising agencies, which thrive on the principle, sex sells, will not be able to sell the sex idol, because it has been torn down!

Call to Customer Service

I don't know if you heard, but Howard Schultz, the founder and CEO of Starbucks shut down Starbucks nation wide for 3 hours to challenge his partners (as he calls his employees) to be more passionate about serving customers. A call to customer service is essentially a call to love your neighbor. Maybe you never looked at the message of the Gospel before like this but it is a call to customer service. Loving your neighbors, although fundamental, is eternally beneficial to humanity. Each human being was created to be loved by one another. Two thumbs up to Howard Schultz for calling his partners back to passionate service. It has inspired me to better serve the people in my life. Great to be challenged spiritually by a non-spiritual things.

Re-Thinking Church

Re-Thinking Church Growth Strategies!
The evangelistic arm of the American Church has been cut off by a culture that has been disenfranchised by the very people who represent the Church, Christians. Traditional methods of evangelism like passing out tracks and door to door visiting must be retired and the Church must rethink their external witness. At a Washington D.C. pastor’s conference, Craig Groeschel, the lead pastor of LifeChurch.tv said, “If churches are going to reach the people no one is reaching, then they have to do the things no one is doing.” Jesus said it like this, “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins . . . new wine must be poured into new wineskins” (Luke 5:37, 38). Traditional churches keep pouring new wine into a culture made up of old wine skins. By doing this, the power of the Gospel message has been watered down and the punch line has been played out. A four-part Gospel has been reduced to two. Instead of sharing with the world: (1) Creation (2) Fall (3) Redemption and (4) Restoration. The majority of American churches have defrauded both the people inside and outside the walls of the church by only focusing on the Fall and Redemption. If the goal of following Christ is not restoration, then most Christ followers will not see how they contribute to the restoration of Creation.

Internalize Before Externalization
The kind of changes that will solve the Church’s problems will be of a different order to the kind that created them in the first place. Internal changes must be made for external productivity. Three major paradigm shifts must be internalized by church structures; if the Church is going to reach those people no one is reaching and who have burst from too much wine.

Missional vs. Traditional
Traditional Churches have basically one strategy for evangelism: invite people to the church building. This strategy has institutionalized the salvation experience and de-powered Christ-followers. The responsibility of salvation is not only the mission of the pastoral staff, but each individual Christ-Follower. Missional Churches primary concern is to be committed to God’s missionary calling in the culture it is sent. The new strategy to adopt is to equip and release each Christ-follower to creatively and innovatively use their gifts, talents and abilities to advance the Kingdom of God in their personal sphere of influence, not just in Church services and functions.
Case Study:
Mark Driscoll who pastors, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington has successfully implemented the Missional-Incarnational strategy. He has taken a hand full of people in the least churched city of America to over 5,000 in attendance by emphasizing a missional approach opposed to the traditional.

Incarnational vs. Attractional
The traditional strategy the Church has duplicated for the last 17 centuries is the Attractional Church. Alan Hirsch describes it by saying, “The church bids people to come and hear the Gospel in the holy confines of the church and community.” Attractional churches operate as if they have a monopoly on God. A core assumption, Alan Hirsch states, is “that the Attractional Church is based upon—the assumption that God cannot really be accessed outside the sanctioned church meetings.” On the other hand, the Incarnational Church adopts a Go-To-Them, rather than a Come-To-Us approach. The Incarnational Church is a sending church. The goal is not only to get people into the church, but to get the people of the church into the world. The Incarnational Church does not focus on church growth as much as personal growth. If Christ-followers grow personally, then the not-yet-Christians at their work places, in the grocery stores and cafes will encounter a real life embodiment of the person of Jesus. Just as God infiltrated the world in the form of a human, so should Christ-followers infiltrate the part of the world God has designed and called them to be incarnational.

Case Study:
The mission of the Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon is “to take the Whole Gospel to the Whole Person to the Whole World, equipping people to become mature in Christ.” This church has adopted the incarnational approach to ministry by equipping “followers of Christ to operate as his hands in the world by virtue of bringing the healing touch of Christ in the name of Christ.”

Culturally Relevant vs. Biblically Relevant
Most recently, churches have built a reputation for being seeker-sensitive in their weekend services. Their services have been watered down, the worship is over amplified and as Billy Hybel’s confessed, most attendees are just attendees, not fully devoted followers of Christ. Instead of attracting seekers to Church services with culturally relevant sermon series,’ churches should use their services to equip Christ-followers to be attractive to seekers. The Biblically relevant service trains, equips, and restores Christ-followers to be incarnational in the part of Kingdom, God has called them to. This service welcomes all, but is primarily geared to equip the saints for works of service. The lifestyle of each Christ-follower becomes a living animated church service that incarnates wherever they go.

Case Study:
Dr. Rob Rhoden is the lead pastor of Commonwealth Chapel in Richmond, Virginia. In his venture to revitalize a church, he shifted from a centralized service to a de-centralized. His primary purpose for weekend services is to train and equip his church to be evangelistic and incarnational. Since his church has embraced this approach to ministry, they have become a pillar in their community.

These three shifts will not just revitalize the evangelistic arm of the Church, but will empower Christ-followers to be part of the restoration of Creation. When the missional church partners with God’s mission to restore the whole of Creation, the emphasis on evangelism becomes secondary to the restoration of God’s image in each Christ-follower. The churches that becomes Incarnational, rather than Attractional, empowers Christ-followers to be responsible for the communities they live in, the places they work in and families they raise, not just the churches they attend. The shift from culturally relevant to biblically relevant services will equip Christ-followers with the tools and training to be a fully reflected image of God in the corner of the Kingdom of God, they have been called to. When the ultimate goal of following Christ is not how many times you lead somebody in the salvation prayer, but how close you can look like Jesus, then each Christ-follower will purposefully live out their faith in every arena of life, not just in their churches.

BREAKING NEWS

Garden City Church Plant Update

We have been a homeless church and now we have a home. It is a school building, we were recently approved to lease. WOW! It is fun to watch a vision come to life. You might think having a church portable church is weird, but it is actually patterned after a Biblical model found in the Old Testament. God's presence dwelled in the Tabernacle, which is just like a portable church. It was a portable temple. For you info, a temple is just a place where God dwells. The Old Testament word is borrowed from the Summerians who defined a temple as a big house. When God moved to a new location, the Israelites tore down and then would set up again where God wished. Basically, the same principle applies in the portable church world. We believe God has called us to this school and we will set up and tear down every week. We do think there are great benefits of having a church building, but for this season, we are called to be portable.

Garden City Church Plant Update

Today, the lead pastor and I, got together at our office, STARBUCKS! You might call it a café but church planters call it their office!! We reviewed information for connecting Christ-followers to God's mission: "To lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ." That is both God's mission and our mission at Garden City Church. The material we are most likely going to use is called, "Discovering Your S.H.A.P.E" SHAPE is an acronym that stands for Spiritual gifts, Heart (passions), Abilities, Personality and Experience. Our goal as pastors and leaders of Garden City Church is NOT to do all the ministry, but to equip every Christ follower to partner in God's mission as incarnate ministers in the very place God has placed them. Wherever that may be, the office, the café, the class room, or the grocery store, we believe that training people to be fully human as God intended from the beginning of creation is the goal of life. I ask myself, when people look at me do they see Jesus? Have you ever asked yourself that question?

Sexual Cosmos

I have a passion for writing that is as strong as my passion for teaching and pastoring. Out of all the things I want to do, becoming an author is the one thing I am the most unsure how it is going to workout. I think today might be the beginning of a journey to publishing our first book. The subject is SEX. The book looks at SEX through the lens of the Bible, not TV, movies and music. Think for a second, where did you learn about sex? Would you trust that source to your kids or friends? If you are normal then probably not. God created sex with order in mind, not chaos. I will keep you updated as todays lead progresses!

Church Plant Update

We nailed down one of the most important systems a church of small groups must implement: (1) the Small Group Model (the 4 W's: Welcome, Worship, Word, and Works) (2) the Training Manual and (3) the Training Process (6 training sessions 2 hours long).

Now for the real exciting stuff! Instead of having a monthly leadership meeting, we thought of having it every two or so months. We beleive "less is more." We want to run this meeting like a mini-seminar style with two sessions: a general main session and multiple specific break out sessions.

What will we do! We will cast and recast vision for the church and small group ministry, teach a new skill to the whole group and then address specific needs in break out sessions. Instead of overlooking, specific needs of church leadership, we have created a system to touch on them as well as the more general needs. We are still thinking of creative ways to have fun as leaders and off course there will be food and COFFEE. Hopefully, Starbucks!

Valentine's Day Traditions

If you are married and want to stay married or ever want to be married, you must not forget today. It is a couple's HOLY-DAY! I know this because my wife would KILL me, if I commited such a sin. The 11th Commandment: Thou Shall Not Forget Valentines Day. Today, we continue our 4 year and counting tradition at the CHEESECAKE FACTORY! Then we are renting Tyler Perry's: Why did I get married? Great Combo!!

The Great Divorce

I am blogging an essay I just wrote for a "Church and Culture" class. We were asked the question, "Why sociologically do we need the Church?" What do you think?

"The Great Divorce"

Family First!

Is family more important than Church? Fact is, God created, Adam and Eve, the first family system before He created the Church. One of the primary purposes of the Church is to restore the family, not the family, restore the Church. Fact is Adam and Eve’s sin resulted, not in a church split, but in a family crisis. The relationship Adam had with Eve before they failed in their home, the Garden of Eden, was untouched by the consequences of sin and embedded in their relationship with God. Their sin did not destroy the Church, but divorced God from the family system. The conception of the Church was to combat this “Great Divorce.” The Church exists not to restore itself, but to restore the family system to the state it was pre-Fall, God-Centered.

Church Second!

The driving force of society is not the local church, but the family. Society is shaped and defined faster by what happens in individual homes than local churches. A shift must be made in how the Church approaches ministry, from “Healthy Churches Equal Healthy Families, to “Healthy Families Equal Healthy Churches.” Instead of looking to see revival in local churches, a greater impact would be made if revival was sought after in the local homes. The Church is an institution of family restoration. The fallen state of our society can only experience order to the degree families (as well as individuals) are restored to God’s original creative design set in motion in Genesis 1-2.

The Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Whole family, not only individual discipleship is core to the restoration of our society. The Church must shift to a family systems approach of discipleship where each person in the family is part of the process. Instead of placing each member of a family into separate classes, the Church must keep them together. Family continuity that was lost in Adam’s fall into sin must be restored through collective times of meaningful worship, practical Biblical teaching and training, community fellowship and service. The Church must lead the whole families, not just individuals to become fully devoted followers of Christ. When God remarries the family, society will function as God intends.

Case & Point!

First Assembly of God Church in Phoenix, Arizona led by Tommy Barnet started to restore marriages and families in a city that had a 79% divorce rate. The church was full of dysfunctional families, unsatisfied marriages and divorce victims. Beginning with a simple Sunday school class that focused on marriage with only 4 couples almost 20 years later they have virtually eliminated divorce in their church. The church has grown to over 26,000 people who call it home, the youth of the city have become so attracted to the healthy families in the church they had to build a 1,000 seat auditorium for them, the church has been instrumental in establishing covenant marriage law in 3 states and pioneered, N.A.M.E., a lay counseling center that is used in churches all over the world. The hope of the world is not as much the local church, as Bill Hybels’ believes, but the restoration of God-centered families!

Live Blog

I have a couple minutes before we begin day two of the Oasis Marriage Conference here in Cap-Cod, MA. Yesterday, the speaker spoke on "Making the Cut." He talked about two kinds of marriages. The first is the Contract, which is "An agreement between two or more parties; especially one that is written and enforceable by law." This kind of marriage is the result of a contract crazy culture. This kind of marriage is built on conditions. If you don't keep your end of the bargain, then the other party presses the eject button and both spouses either divorce or leave emotionally from their marriage, so either way you look at it 70% of marriages do that exact thing, but there is hope. The other kind of marriage, the Covenant Marriage, God designed is this: "An unchangeable, divinely initiated blood bond of life and death." In this kind of marriage, YOU OWE (Your Spouse) ME. . . NOTHING, where as in the contract marriage, YOU OWN (Your Spouse)! Do you see the difference? Covenant is unconditional. It does not matter if you or your spouse has a bad day for a week straight, you are in a covenant relationship before God. Instead of pressing the eject button when things are tough, in covenant marriages, you run to the person, and shower them with unconditional love and respect because that person has committed to follow you. Covenant marriages are Heaven on Earth!

Marriage Enrichment

My wife and I are gearing up for a week-end get away. It is not exactly a vacation. It's more like an oil change!! One of our marriage goals each year is to attend at least one professional marriage enrichment event. Where we can learn some new tools on how to strengthen our marriage. The truth is, if you leave anything alone, like a marriage, it will never get better but increasingly worse. Everything moves in one of two directions back to chaos or forward to harmony. It is the story of God's creation and any relationship. We believe that "if you want your marriage to work then you have to work on your marriage" (Jimmy Evans). We commend this conference to anyone. It is hosted by Home Improvement Ministries. Check them out @ http://www.himweb.org/

"I Married a Teen Challenge Graduate."

I thought I would blog this essay my wife wrote that is getting published in a book this June /2008. It is to commenerate Teen Challenge's 40th year changing lives. 50 wives of Teen Challenge grads are writing their stories since they met the most wonderful people in the world, TEEN CHALLENGE grads!!!!!!!!!! Like myself!!!!!!!!! If you don't know much about OUR story, here are some of the highlights!

“Mom I met someone, he’s a Teen Challenge graduate.” These were the first words my mom heard as I called her from my first semester in Bible College at Valley Forge Christian College in Pennsylvania. We knew Teen Challenge well for my uncle had gone to it, and I had heard about it from my church, and yet, I never imagined I would begin dating someone from Teen Challenge. I grew up in a Christian home in Northern Virginia. I was able to go to a Christian school for most of my elementary and high school years. I was always involved in church and sports along with playing the violin. During my time in high school I felt called to help others. Although I did not know all the details I knew I wanted to be a counselor. I went to Valley Forge Christian College in Fall of 2003, to pursue a Psychology degree. My first week at school I met someone, Jess, who happened to be a Teen Challenge graduate. Although we came from such different backgrounds I was drawn to his passion for God, and his drive to become a pastor.

We began dating that first semester of college. I will never forget our fast “date”. We went to the mall. The first store we went into was a jewelry store. Without me knowing, Jess hit the counter and said, “We’re getting engaged, can you show us the biggest diamond ring in the store!” I could not believe my ears. I thought to myself, “What in the world is he doing?” So I went along with it. We tried a whole bunch of rings on that day. Of course, he was joking, but if I knew he was going to take so long to really ask me, I may have taken him up on his offer. I remember our first time going home to visit my family in Virginia. On our trip, Jess shared the many stories of his past, drug deals, shoplifting, and his upbringing. I told him “I can’t believe this happens on this side of the country!” Little did I know, there were more stories to come. I was amazed that this man that was so on fire for God had done so many sinful things. But for the first time, I saw first hand the amazing power of God to transform a life. Of course growing up in the church you see lives transformed, but this was someone up close, someone who I saw his personal life and knew he was honest. I remember those first few months of us dating and me meeting all of his friends which were either recovered drug addicts or current ones and thinking what have I gotten myself into?

Although over the years I have seen many of his friends who staid in their sinful lifestyle surrender their life to Christ due to Jess’ commitment to stay close to them.Finally, after two and a half years of dating, Jess proposed to me on my birthday. From the time we were engaged we made a commitment that marriage would be a priority in our lives, first God, but then family. We married June 24, 2006 and continued in Bible College to finish our senior year. We read as many books as we could on marriage and attended numerous marriage seminars. Through these experiences together we both felt called to minister to families and marriages. We found that people with healthy marriages equal healthy people and healthy churches.During our first year of marriage in order to give back to Teen Challenge, we developed a relationships seminar in order to teach men and women in Teen Challenge how to have healthy relationships. This is one of the hobbies we enjoy doing most together and we find great fulfillment when we know we are giving back to a place that we are indebted to. Upon graduation, we knew we needed to go to seminary in order to be well equipped for our callings. We continued our education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in northern Massachusetts, where Jess is currently working on a New Testament and Biblical Languages Degree, and I am working on a Mental Health and Marriage and Family degree. Upon graduation, we plan to continue with the marriage seminars in Teen Challenge as well as in churches. I plan to get my Marriage and Family license in order to counsel couples, while Jess plans to plant a church with the Assemblies of God and teach at a Bible college.

Numerous times I have wondered what would Jess’ and my life be like without the faithful people who have passed on the Teen Challenge legacy? I probably would have never met Jess, and Jess may still be addicted to drugs today, if not dead. The legacy of Teen Challenge lives on in our family because of the great sacrifices that were made by countless people for individuals like my husband. I want to close with a story that has impacted my life and my hope and prayer is that it does the same for you. In the 1988 Olympic games that were hosted in Seoul, Korea. The American 4x100 relay team posed to break the world record and assume its position as the best in the world. As the final leg of the race approached, the unthinkable happened. THE AMERICANS DROPPED THE BATON. In an instant, the race was over. The crowd was left in stunned silence. The American team had arrogantly relied on their inherent speed and failed to sufficiently practice the handoff that was so crucial for the completion of the race. Every Teen Challenge graduate and wife of a Teen Challenge graduate must see themselves as the link to the next generation. It is our job to make sure we continue to practice and make the handoff to the coming generations who are in need of the ministry of Teen Challenge.

Is Culture Dead?

I thought I would blog this essay, I wrote about the spiritual climate of our culture today. From the looks of it, we are in bad shape. We need a tune up or we are going to blow our spiritual engine soon, if it is not completely blown already!

A question was printed on the cover of Time Magazine on April 8, 1966 that read, “Is God dead?” Time Magazine did a cover story on “The ‘God is Dead’ Movement.” Their spokesperson said, “God has died in our time, in our history, in our existence.” Certainly, God did not die, but over the last 40 years many have tried to remove any evidence of His existence. Evolution has replaced the Biblical position of creation, prayer has been removed from public schools and “Jesus” has become a politically incorrect word in the American vocabulary. Instead of playing offense, evangelicals have taken a defensive position. We are better known for what we are against, then what we are for. We built our own schools, opened up seminaries and started our own publishing houses and magazines. Each institution established put a nail in God’s cultural coffin. Instead of serving our culture, we institutionalized God and built a structure around serving ourselves. Although God is alive and well in many evangelical churches across America today, He is dead to the main stream culture.

The main stream culture has been abandoned by a Church that has turned selfishly inward. In order for the church to move the dial to a culturally renewing station, before we reach out, we must look for renewal within. There might not be any culturally renewal companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange floor, but God is in the renewal business and in God’s economy no institution or person is ever beyond hope of renewal. Jonathon Edwards, the greatest theologian in American history discovered that institutional renewal has three ingredients: repentance, study and obedience to the Bible, and believing prayer. If evangelicals dedicate themselves to these very things no matter how long it takes, the soil for a second resurrection of God will be fertile. If the evangelical church turns inward to find renewal, then they will be ready to reach out to a culture that God is dead too.

In a time, when the culture was centered on God, Jesus launched a ministry that was destined to chance the course of history so His confused disciples asked, “Who is the greatest among us?” His disciples were focused on external fame and neglected the cultural dynamics of this new up and coming Kingdom. Jesus’ plan to change the world did not include incorporating and insuring his original staff, the 12 disciples. He settled their anxieties that day by assuming the position of a slave. The CEO and founder of this new kingdom culture instituted a washing feet, company policy. His strategy was simple: ALWAYS LOOK TO SERVE, NOT TO BE SERVED. Jesus’ plan to integrate and transform the existing culture, began with a speech He gave on His knees. If on His knees Jesus could gain the support of His 12 unfaithful disciples who led an international movement that transformed history, it is a great place to start for evangelicals today. Instead of fighting for positions or blaming this person or that institution, each person in the evangelical church must get down on their knees and wash the feet of whomever, whenever and however. It does not matter, if the person whose feet you wash happen to be a democrat, Atheist or homosexual. Always look to serve, not to be served.

First Day!

I made it, through my first day. Hopefully, you weren't worried!!!!!!!! I had my first Intermediate Greek 2 class at Harvard Divinity School, today. She gave us lots and lots of work. I am excited about the reading assignments. She is an expert in Early Christianity texts which are all the writings that were taking place after Jesus died and Peter began the church. Exciting stuff, well at least I think so!!! It is a miracle though as I think of were I was a couple years, sitting in a jail cell in Union County jail. Just walking on the school's property gave me the chills, reflecting on where I was and how far God brought me, but what gave me the chills was where HE can bring me from here!!!! "And to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think by the power (God's spirit) that is at work in us," the apostle Paul said.

UnChristian

I am barreling through a rather interesting book titled, "unChristian." It was put out by the Barna Group (Cultural Researchers). The book was written to show an outsiders perspective on Christianity. The title says it all. The title unChristain reflects the most common response outsiders have towards the faith. "They think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity is our society is not what it is meant to be. . . They admit they have a hard time actually seeing Jesus because of all the negative baggage that now surrounds him." The authors did research for the last 3 years, interviewing 1,000's of people both non-believers and believers as well as churches, organizations, etc.

The categorized their findings into 6 main sections. The six perceptions of OUTSIDERS than the six things the INSIDERS (the Christians) must do!

(1) HYPOCRITICAL:

Perception: Christians say one thing but live something entirely different.

New Perception: Christians are transparent about their flaws and act first, talk second.

(2) GET SAVED:

Perception: Christians are insincere and concerned only with converting others.

New Perception: Christians cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

(3) ANTIHOMOSEXUAL:

Perception: Christians show contempt for gays and lesbians.

New Perception: Christians show compassion and love to all people, regardless of their lifestyle.

(4) SHELTERED:

Perception: Christians are boring, unintelligent, old-fashioned, and out of touch with reality.

New Perception: Christians are engaged, informed, and off sophisticated responses to the issues people face.

(5) TOO POLITICAL:

Perception: Christians are primarily motivated by a political agenda and promote right-wing politics.

New Perception: Christians are characterized by respecting people, thinking biblicalily, and finding solutions to complex issues.

(6) JUDGEMENTAL:

Perception: Christians are prideful and quick to find faults in others.

New Perception: Christians show grace by finding the good in others and seeing their potential to be Christ followers.

These findings are alarming. Christians are known for what they are against, not what they are for. What we do and say are two different things. I am guilty of these all. The last thing I want to happen is my life deter someone from receiving God's free gift of unconditional love and grace. This is a lot to swallow, I know, I feel the same way, but would if, Christians stopped attacking, and started accepting, what if Christians stopped talking and started acting in love.

Jesus said it best. Christians will be known by their LOVE. LOVE is a great place to start because LOVE never fails, the apostle Paul said.

Sacred Struggles

Once a week, my wife and I read a chapter in a book together. Here are the best thoughts and comments so you don't have to read the whole chapter.

I know, you don't have to thank me!!!!

You probably, never heard sacred and struggle in the same sentence, but as you will see they do have a lot more than you would think in common.

Notes from “Sacred Marriage” by Gary Thomas (Chapter Title—Sacred Struggles)

Opening Illustration of Mt. Everest (p. 128) . . . Mountains are made by collisions. . . In the same way, the collisions of marriage can create relationships of beauty. Beauty is often birthed in struggle. . . The more we fear to suffer the more we need to do so. . .Suffering is part of the Christian life Jesus modeled. . . Few people leave a marriage because it is too easy. . . How many saints had adversity sent to heaven and how many poor sinners has prosperity plunged into everlasting misery. . .Struggle makes us stronger, but we have to face the struggle head on, not run from it. . . God does not Christians from their problems, He helps Christians through their problems. . . We need to struggle to stay alive . . .Out of struggle comes character development. . . Mountain climbers step back before they tackle a tough mountain. . . Would I rather live a life of ease and comfort and remain immature in Christ or am I willing to be seasoned with suffering if by doing so I am conformed to the image of Christ? . . All marriages rub shoulders with adversity. . . that is why we make the promise at the altar ‘till death do us part”. . . what does that mean if we never are tested in that area? . . . our demands of comfort and ease show us what we want from life. . . are you allowing coasting to shape you? . . A good marriage is not something you find, it is something you work for. . . it takes struggle. . . you must crucify your selfishness . . . you must at times confront and at other times confess. . . the practice of forgiveness is essential. . . Marriage is both a gift and task to be accomplished. . .He (Abraham Lincoln) shown brighter when his personal life was darkest (he was having marriage problems at the time when he delivered the Gettysburg Address). . . One of the greatest presidents was marrying to one of most difficult first ladies. . . You might be married to a difficult person or one day might be, remember, that it is in those difficult moments that your character will be developed in ways that no other person or situation could.

The Gospel of Bart Ehrman

Last night, Liz and I went to Boston College to hear a Internationally known, New York Time's best selling author speak. Let me hit the rewind button. We were suppose to go to Boston College but we found ourselves at Boston University! That was not fun, so after we finally found Boston College. We made it into our seats. If you know anything about Bart Ehrman you know that he is a religious studies professor at University of North Carolina who does not believe in God, Jesus or that the Bible is a reliable historical document. He has been on TV multiple times as a commentator for the Da Vinici Code, The Gospel of Judas, etc. Again, He does not believe in Jesus. He made some comments yesterday that pierced my believing heart. So when question and answer time came, I was going to unleash, but I held back. I did challenge him at the table he was selling his books which I bought two. We went back and forth a little. One thing I could says is he knows the Bible as well as its history among other things better than most people I have heard or know of. One of my life goals is to write a book, called, The Gospel of Bart Ehrman, I thought of that last night after this experience, to refute, rebuttal, challenge, and do whatever I can to show that the Bible is valid, reliable and trustworthy!

One Year in Two Weeks

My wife and I just completed a graduate class (Survey of Church History) that takes 2 semesters (1 Year) in an undergraduate program in 2 weeks. Actually, it was only 7 classes that were 3 1/2 hours each. Within those 2 weeks, we had to read 2,000 pages and complete two exams. MY BRAIN HURTS!!! The prof. new everything. He even knew Billy Graham. His dad was actually best friends with him and preached along side of him during those famous evangelistic crusades that reached international recognition. If you have some time, check out http://www.youtube.com/ video's of Billy Graham. They are quite interesting.

Husband-Wife Discipleship Meeting (H-WDM)

One of my wife and my New Year Challenges for 2008 is to walk through a discipleship book together. We are using Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden. We just completed the first lesson on "Making Disciples." My wife and I have a core conviction that drives us: "Families First." Since I have committed my life to pasturing which is all about making disciples. I feel if I neglect to do this in my own family for the families who come to the church we are helping to plant or even the church, we will start somewhere down the road, I have failed as a husband and follower of Christ. I will be honest, I personally would not leave it up to a church to be discipleship. You might think I am crazy for saying that. I am crazy but not for saying that. There is no way possible the pastor at any church in the world could disciple every person in every family that comes to their church. It is not his responsibility. The responsibility is for each person to disciple their own family. The problem is families leave it up to the church to do what they are suppose to be doing. My goal is to be a full time follower of Christ and a part time pastor. What's yours? Is discipling your family (which just means teaching them personally through scheduled meeting times and modeling the Christian faith) a priority?

COSMOS

The Greek word for universe is COSMOS. COSMOS also means order . . . God created the UNIVERSE with ORDER . . . There is something about the ORDER of the UNIVERSE that reflects the character of GOD. . . The Bible says in Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" . . . Both the Heavens and Skies give us a closer look at who God is and what HE does. Check out these pictures. . . I got this pic from the HUBBLE SATELLITE, I know, I got good connections!!. . . Check out the site http://www.hubblesite.org/ . . They have awesome pictures of the COSMOS. Have you ever thanked God for our COSMOS and its perfect order?

Down to Earth

What would you like to be remembered for when you die? A successful business man, an owner of a lot of property, millionaire, famous, rich, or whatever other title our culture says is important. I would rather be known as a person who lived a life of humility. The most humble people are the most lovable people. If you look at Jesus, the Son of God, who was the most down to earth person in the world, literally, did not have a successful business, great retirement plan or a houseful of stuff. What HE did leave was model for the world the best example of humility in history. God put his agenda to the side, stepped out of Heaven to meet our need. He did exactly what the Bible tells us to do. In Philippians, Paul challenges us to "consider others better than yourselves" (Phil. 2:3). If you want to check out a small group (BIBLE) study my wife and I led tonight on the subject of HUMILITY hit this link (http://myopen-source.blogspot.com/) Everything is there for you to lead a group or do a personal study on JESUS' most humble and courageous act, coming down to earth. Do you want to be remembered for somethng men do everyday or something, the Son of God, did once?

Marriage and Prayer

One of my wife and my marriage goals every year is to read a book together. We have found it a great way to be intentional about working on our marriage. We believe that our marriage will only work, if we work on our marriage. In the book were reading, Sacred Marriage, today’s chapter emphasized the importance of prayer in marriage.

Here are a couple thoughts from the book that stuck out from today’s chapter:

You can’t be a Christian unless you are a prayer! “Prayer is how we make sense of our lives in light of eternity.” The Christians who fails to pray will fail to grow as he/she should and will be trapped in a perpetual spiritual adolescence. Husbands are to respect their wives so that nothing will hinder their prayers. The apostle Peter said men must be considerate of their wives and treat them with respect so that nothing will hinder there prayers. Peter directly connected a husband’s attitude towards his wives with the fundamental Christian discipline of prayer. In essence, Peter said if you want to improve your prayer life improve your marriage. Instead of prayer being the tool that would refine my marriage, Peter tells us that marriage is the tool that will refine my prayers. Jesus even modeled this when he would leave the crowd to minister to the individual, while today we rationalize leaving the individual, particularly our spouses, to gain favor with the crowd.

Engagement Matters

My wife and I helped out at an engagement conference for pre-marrieds and pre-engageds. I love being around couples who are excited about their future together. You can see excited that married couples lose. The time a couples takes before marriage to invest in their relationship and deal with issues can save their future marriage. I heard it said today, "Before marriage use a microscope and after marriage use a telescope." One of my wife and my goals in life is to educate and strenghten marriages and families around us so that the divorce rate is lowered in our communities and church.

Church Plant Update

Today I learned a staggering number. At the minimum it will cost $150 per person. Let me put that number context. When you are starting a church without a building like this church, you have to rent a space. We are looking to rent a multi-purpose room from a school. The room is not a church so we have to buy everything we need to transform a school building into a church building atmosphere. We need to create the main worship experience or the main sanctuary, then places that cater to small children as well as older. The company we are looking at is called Portable Church. The package deal that is geared to a 300 person church is $63,000. The cool thing is you get everything from signage to place strategically in the community to boxes you store your equipment in during the week because remember we are going to be portable meaning set up and tear down each Sunday. The package even comes with a custom made trailer that fits everything. We are excited to take this step on this journey to plant a church in Beverly even though it is an extremely expensive step. I will be honest after seeing the building today for the first time, I believe we are going to fill it fast. Can't wait to blog about moving to a new location!! One thing I know is we tend to underestimate what God can do. My prayer is to pray big so that I never underestimate the power of God. So far so God!

New Year's Goal

One of my goals for 2008 is to set apart every Wednesday to fast & pray for specific present prayer needs and for our families future after graduate school. I started today. I am going to be honest with you. It is not easy, but so far so good. I have learned that when your body is physically hungry you are more spiritual aware of things going on around you. As I was listening to a message a pastor preached when he opened a coffee house in Washington D.C., before he bought the property they built on he walked around it and laid hands on it, praying for God to give them that building. He finally got the property and found out later that 4 people put higher bids them him and he got it. God heard and answered their prayers and did not let a lack of resources hinder them. After I heard that story I went to the school. I did what Joshua did at Jericho and walked around the building. I prayed and laid hands on it. Call me crazy, but God shows favor to those who look foolish for him. Look at Noah. He built a huge ark, filled it with animals without any trace of rain. Just look at Jesus. Before he launched his personal ministry that has changed the world. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. (Side note: One of my life goals is to do a 40 day fast) If Jesus, the Son of God, relied on prayer and fasting, how much more should you and me?

Presence

Just wanted to share a couple thoughts from a sermon, I heard during the Christmas season on "Presence" not presents!

The preacher explained the geography of Christmas.

"I will leave my place and I will come to your place and I will take your place then we will go to my place."

Jesus left Heaven to come to Bethlehem then went to the Cross and back to Heaven.

The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of Christmas. The giant God lowered himself to become a human bady. The gift of Christmas is presence. All the books in the world could not commuicate like the presence of God in the form of a human baby.

God communicates through presence. If you want to be compassionate, just be there. Presence will speak louder than any combination of words or deeds.

You can give the gift of Christmas all year round. The gift of presence, not presents. See God is into saving money!!!!!

I am a business owner

I started my first business!! It is sort of a business. I am selling T-shirts with my blog sites logo I just made. (You can tell I am bored). I am projecting to be a millionaire by the end of the night so get them while there hot!!! Here's the logo and below is the link. What do you think?

http://www.cafepress.com/jessbousa

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

I thought you might like to read this. I got this from Pastor Mark Batterson's blog site. A lot of these quotes are my life motto's. I bet you by the end you will find a couple for you to live by! These are great for the New Year.

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.Chase the lion."