Monday, June 29, 2009

SETH GODIN ON CHANGE

Once again, Seth Godin nailed it with this incredible post on change and innovation.

It's my prayer that our church never becomes so infatuated and tied to the "old things" of man made traditions, style or preferences that we miss out on the "new things" God wants to do among us. Don't miss the point. I know... I know... The Word of God and the character of God NEVER change. But styles and methodologies will constantly be evolving.

With scores of churches closing their doors in America every year, I'm praying that our church doesn't go the way of Singer because we become so intoxicated on short-lived victories or successes that we neglect the effort, energy, innovation and "Spirit-led" activities that lead to long term and continued impact.

Here's Seth's post. Good stuff.


Learning from Singer
Seth Godin

At one point, the Singer Corporation had more than 12,000 people working in a single plant. They were selling more than a million sewing machines a year and had hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. By any measure, it was one of the most important manufacturers in America. It was fun while it lasted.

Back then, it was easy to believe that Singer represented everything that was right with our economy, and that our future was intrinsically attached to the company's.

When was the last time you even thought about Singer (or a sewing machine for that matter)?

The cycles are far shorter now than they were during the century that Singer was a shining light for corporate success. More now than ever, success today is no guarantee of success tomorrow.

Sometimes we spend more time than we should defending the old thing, instead of working to take advantage of the new thing. I bet you can list a dozen "critical" industries that will be as relevant to life in 2020 as Singer is to our world today.

The key difference is that back then, managers and shareholders could stall and fumble and wait out the transition until after they retired. Now, it's almost an annual event. Hiding isn't working, and neither is whining. The best marketing strategy is to destroy your industry before your competition does.

SUNDAY IN REVIEW 06.28.09

• Solid day attendance wise.

Stephen Burton brought “the heat” Sunday at a2. His message on “The Gear of God” was the best I’ve heard on the subject of the armor of God – PERIOD. You can check out the podcast on the a2church.org website or on iTunes. Unfortunately, the recording didn't catch Stephen's creative intro, but you'll still get the guts of the message.

• Great insights into Isaiah 59 and Ephesians 6.

• Here are just two of the highlights from Stephen’s message:

- Without the armor of God we will either (1) live in hiding, or (2) live in slavery

- When we wear the armor we are imitating our “warrior King” who “puts on righteousness as a breastplate” and “salvation as a helmet.” Check out Isaiah 59:1-8, 14-20 and Revelation 1:16; 2:12

• On Sunday, July 5 our Student Ministry Team heads to BigStuf Camp in Panama City, Florida. This is “history” for a2 Church. I’m psyched about what God is going to do in the lives of these students.

• This Sunday, July 5 is going to crank @ a2. We wrapping up the series, “Know Your Enemy” with the most personal message I’ve ever shared. LIVE FREE!!! See you this Sunday.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Top Ten Reasons to be @ a2 Church this Sunday....

Here are the TOP TEN REASONS you can't afford to miss this Sunday at a2 Church.

1. The sermon will be super creative and totally awesome. You'll finally get to hear how a "real speaker" does it. Chris will be on the front row and "uber-speaker" Stephen Burton will be bringing the heat.

2. The sermon will be a lot shorter than usual. Chris will be on the front row and "uber-speaker" Stephen Burton will be bringing the heat.

3. The new words Stephen Burton uses can actually be found in the dictionary.

4. You'll get to meet the guy responsible for most of Chris's good ideas...

5. You will probably beat other churches that start at 9:45 to your favorite restaurant for lunch. Chris will be on the front row and "uber-speaker" Stephen Burton will be bringing the heat.

6. Janet will still be leading worship. Thank God, because neither Chris or Stephen can sing worth a flip.

7. Nathan Spicer and Chris Miller will be shredding it on electric guitar.

8. This week the worship team will be doing that song that Jon Behrens loves to jump and shout on... Oh yeah! Worship will be smokin'!

9. Know Your Enemy continues with the message you've been waiting for: The Gear of War. (Check out Ephesians 6 before this Sunday.)

10. God promises to show up (Check out Matthew 18:20).

11. Lives will be changed.

12. Dan Butcher will teach Chris how to count. (Wasn't this supposed to be a Top "Ten" List?)

See you this Sunday at 9:45 at a2 Church.
www.a2church.org

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

THE GEAR OF WAR - STEPHEN BURTON SPEAKS @ a2

This Sunday, June 28 a2 welcomes Stephen Burton as our first Guest Speaker.

Who is Stephen Burton? Well, he has never written a book, but he does read them on occasion, usually to his 3 1/2 year old daughter at bedtime. He has never pastored a mega-church, played professional sports, won an Olympic medal, been captured by pirates, or anything else you might expect from a guest speaker.

He’s a husband (celebrating 6 years with his beautiful wife Kelly this month!) and a dad of two incredible kids. He loves sharing the truth found in God’s Word, whether it’s one on one or with hundreds.

My thoughts? Stephen is one of the most gifted and creative people I've had the privilege of being around. I'm absolutely pumped about him being at a2 this weekend. He'll continue the series on spiritual warfare, KNOW YOUR ENEMY with a message titled, The Gear of War.

Here's THE BIG IDEA: Life isn’t child’s play. According to Paul, it’s WAR. On top of that, you’ll never make it without getting on your spiritual gear. Next week we’ll examine every piece of armor Paul identifies and why it is so crucial in our daily battle with the enemy.

Invite a friend to join you. Don’t miss this important message this weekend at a2.

Me and Janet are pumped about getting to spend some time with Stephen and Kelly and having him share with the entire a2 family. See you this weekend.

Monday, June 15, 2009

PERRY NOBLE JUST ROCKED MY WORLD: DON'T GIVE UP!

It's after ten... I'm ready to hit the bed but decided to check my RSS feed before lights out... One click. God rocked my world using Perry Noble.

Thanks, Perry. Thanks you, God. Here's Perry's post... Maybe it's for you... I know God used it in my life.


DON'T GIVE UP
Perry Noble
June 15, 2009

I don’t know who I am writing to…heck…I may need to come back one day and read this myself…but I really feel like I am supposed to tell someone, “DON’T GIVE UP!!!”

Church work can be the most frustrating thing on the planet to deal with…but don’t stop now! What you are seeing as an obstacle God is using as an opportunity! Don’t give up!!! (Galatians 6:9)

People hate you just because of what you do…and if you begin to experience any aort of success they will despise you even more. Don’t give up…your calling is not to please them!!! (Galatians 1:10)

You feel like you are not successful because your church hasn’t exploded with growth. BUT…you’ve seen 10 people receive Christ in the past year! REJOICE IN THAT…THE ANGELS DID!!! Don’t give up because your church isn’t getting attention from men…it has the attention of the Almighty…and in the end THAT is all that will matter!

You feel like you aren’t a good leader…or a good speaker. You want to walk away and do something else because you just don’t feel qualified. Remember…Jesus took some very unqualified men and CHANGED THE WORLD!!! (Acts 4:13)

Someone doesn’t like something you did recently…and they are not afraid to tell you about it. Remember…they didn’t like Jesus healing on the Sabbath either…but He kept on doing it because He knew He was pleasing His Father!!!

Your past haunts you…the enemy constantly throws it in your face. You want to walk away when you focus on who you WERE…STOP IT and see who YOU ARE in Christ! (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - REALLY focus on verse 11!) Don’t give up!

People close to you have abandoned you…and you are hearing the things they say. You feel betrayed…hurt…and wonder if it is all worth it. Demas betrayed Paul…Judas betrayed Jesus…yet they hung in there and refused to allow that type of betrayal to take their eyes off of the goal.

Don’t give up! Don’t quit! Stay in the fight!!! God called you to be a warrior…and sometimes warriors get wounded. BUT…wounds should not take the desire to fight out of us…but rather cause us to want to fight even more.

I heard about a guy who was going through a rough time once and asked Bill Hybels, “With all of this stuff I am going through…why shouldn’t I just quit right now?"

Bill replied, “because one day you and I will stand in front of One who had an assignment much tougher than ours and He didn’t quit…that’s why!”

BAM!

Don’t quit…don’t give up…fight the good fight! (Galatians 6:9) Pray, fast, preach, witness, memorize Scripture…and give satan a swift kick in the cookies as often as possible!!

But whatever you do…don’t give up! He called you–He gifted you–He empowered you and He will sustain you! (2 Corinthians 4) - the WHOLE THING!

Don’t give up!

* * * *

Amen, Perry. Amen!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

BROKEN PEOPLE / AMAZING GOD

Yesterday I read about the fall of another minister - pastor - man... My heart grieved...

I didn't know the guy... I've never met him... Occasionally I've read the guy's blog. But I grieved... In fact, I didn't sleep good at all last night... I grieved for the man, his wife, his kids, his church, the woman, her husband, the cause of Christ, the mission... The story has dogged me for the better part of a day...

As I meditated on God's Word I was struck by the realization that the Bible is not a book about good people and bad people. It's a book about BAD PEOPLE - PERIOD; and a really, really great, loving, merciful and gracious GOD.

Just think about the people we call "heroes" in the Bible...

Abraham? A wimp who lied about his wife to protect his own skin. Forget that she could have been raped because of his lie... His actions would have not only put me in the dog house, but permanently on the road...

Noah? Sure, he obeyed God and built a huge boat in the middle of the desert; but then he got stone cold drunk and passed out naked in his tent...

David? Before you go straight to Bathsheba, keep in mind that the guy was also a serial polygamist and a pretty ruthless dude... Just check out his last words to Solomon before he kicked the bucket... Not the kind of stuff you engrave on a plaque and hang up in your kitchen...

Paul? A hit man for the Pharisee mafia...

Peter? A racist...

Joseph? An egotist who couldn't keep his big mouth shut...

We could go on...

But above them all stands JESUS. The only GOD - MAN. Fully God and fully man... Completely sinless.

Here's the testimony of a guy who walked with him for three and half years.

1 Peter 2:22-24 (NLT), He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!

Sometimes I think we sanitize the lives of the guys and gals we read about in the Bible...

Sometimes we "idolize" people who are just as broken and fallen as deep down we know that we are...

But here's the truth. We are all FAR WORSE than we could ever imagine... That's YOU and ME.

And GOD is GREATER than we can possibly comprehend...

Our response?

To throw our lives completely on the one who "carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right." By His wounds I am healed.

Don't miss the point... I'm not attempting to excuse a fellow minister's fall...

I'm not saying that our actions don't matter... They do.

But if you read a story about another fallen pastor...

If you are tempted to feel pride and judge yourself as morally superior to a broken or busted guy or gal...

Keep this reality in mind: WE ARE ALL FAR WORSE THAN WE CAN IMAGINE. BUT GOD IS GREATER and more AMAZING THAN WE CAN POSSIBLY COMPREHEND.

We all need JESUS. We desperately need Jesus...

BETH MOORE ON STRONGHOLDS

In her excellent book, Praying God's Word, Beth Moore writes:

"A stronghold is anything that exalts itself in our minds, “pretending” to be bigger or more powerful than our God. It steals much of our focus and causes us to feel overpowered. Controlled. Mastered. Whether the stronghold is an addiction, unforgiveness toward a person who has hurt us, or despair over a loss, it is something that consumes so much of our emtotional and mental energy that abundant life is strangled – our callings remain largely unfulfilled and our believing lives are virtually ineffective."

This Sunday we'll be talking about strongholds and how they can be demolished through the weapons God has made available in Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

God longs for you to be free - free to be all He created you to be... I really believe that this weekend long standing strongholds will fall as we acknowledge the greatness of our God and appropriate the victory He has secured for us through the cross of Jesus Christ...

Isaiah 43:5-7 (NIV), "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

26 YEARS AGO TODAY

Twenty six years ago today me and Janet stood at an altar in Dayton, TN and were married...

Twenty six years ago... A lot has changed over the last 26 years... That's more than a quarter of a century for crying out loud!

God has blessed us with three amazing girls. Our oldest will soon turn 21 (July 28). Our middle daughter recently turned 17 (March 31). Our youngest is 9 (April 11).

We've had the privilege to serve four churches: Cathedral of Praise - (it wasn't really a Cathedral), Metro Church, Maranatha Church and now, a2 Church...

We've experienced a little success.. We've experienced our fair share of failure...

I'm 44 years old... She's... (Do you think I'm crazy...) She's 29! That's how old she is...

Other than my relationship with Jesus, the best thing about my life is the girl he placed in my life more than 30 years ago... We've known each other since I was 10 and she was 8... She's really the only girl I've ever dated... She is, without a doubt, my best and closest friend... I can't imagine life without her by my side...

When I sensed that God was leading us to "start over" - to take a risk and plant a church in my mid-40's, she believed and continues to believe that God has a purpose and a plan... She buys into the dream that is "a2."

She's incredibly gifted. (I love to hear the girl sing...) Somehow she combines amazing giftedness with authentic humility... She has the heart of a servant and a worshiper...

She loves to laugh... Her smile still blows me away!

She is God's best gift to me...

Here's the truth: I don't deserve her... Never have Never will.

Our 26 years together is all GRACE - GOD'S GRACE poured out on a totally undeserving guy like me...

We married young. I was 18. She was... Come on, now, you don't think I'm going to blow it so you can do the math? She was...in elementary school...

There's no reason we should have made it for 26 years... I was young, dumb and ugly... She was young, smart and beautiful...

The only reason we're still together? GRACE! GOD has poured out his grace on our marriage...

So, today, I am thankful... I'm thankful that Janet is blind in one eye... (I'm not kidding... She really is...) That's probably why she even dated a guy like me... She couldn't see straight...

I'm thankful that Janet said, "Yes."

I'm thankful that she continues to say, "Yes."

I'm thankful that God continues to give grace we don't deserve...

I'm thankful for our amazing kids...

I'm thankful for every second I have with this amazing woman I get to call my wife...

I'm thankful for 26 years...

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

SHEER BRILLIANCE: THE VICTOR

I was a teenager when I bought my first Keith Green record... That's right - RECORD. This was before the days of the CD... I was blown totally away.

In light of our current weekend message series, I thought I would share this piece of SHEER BRILLIANCE. This is great music... Killer lyrics. Amazing musicianship... Great vocal without an "auto-tuner." Wow!!!

This is Keith's song, The Victor. As we consider the reality of spiritual warfare, it's important to be reminded that "It is finished... He has done it... Life conquered death... Jesus Christ has won it..." Simply amazing. Wow! I think I need to stop typing and shout just a little... Enjoy.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Spiritual Warfare Intro

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” ~ The Usual Suspects, 1994

"Spiritual warfare is all-encompassing. It touches every area of our lives – our families, our relationships, our church, our neighborhoods, our communities, our places of employment. There is virtually no part of our existence over which the Evil One does not want to maintain or reassert his unhealthy and perverse influence" ~ Clinton Arnold, Three Crucial Questions, page 27.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

I Don't Do...?

Tonight, in our First Wednesday Leadership Tune Up I talked about the importance of our attitude. It can be a "deal breaker" when it comes to ministry and making a difference.

A few years ago I read this quote by John Maxwell. Still great stuff - even after all these years.

The world is a better place because Michelangelo didn’t say, “I don’t do ceilings.” The world is a better place because Martin Luther didn’t say, “I don’t do doors.” The world is a better place because John Wesley didn’t say, “I don’t do fields.” The world is a better place because Noah didn’t say, “I don’t do boats.” The world is a better place because Moses didn’t say, “I don’t do rivers.” The world is a better place because David didn’t say, “I don’t do giants.” The world is a better place because Jeremiah didn’t say, “I don’t do weeping.” The world is a better place because Mary didn’t say, “I don’t do virgin births.” The world is a better place because Mary Magdalene didn’t say, “I don’t do feet.” The world is a better place because Peter didn’t say, “I don’t do Gentiles.” The world is a better place because John the Baptist didn’t say, “I don’t do baptisms.” The world is a better place because Paul didn’t say, “I don’t do letters.” The world is a better place because Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t do crosses.”

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

What A Ride!

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow!! What a ride!"

I love this quote. I believe it's by Lance Armstrong, but I'm not certain... What I am certain of, is that I want to live it... I don't want to allow fear to cause me to "play it safe." I want to live my life "LIGHT'S OUT" - fully ablaze for the glory and praise of our great God.


Monday, June 1, 2009

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

C.S. Lewis, in his classic, The Screwtape Letters made an incredible statement related to the supernatural.  

"One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe - a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin... Enemy-occupied territory - that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage... Christianity agrees...this universe is at war..."

Lewis also made this statement:  

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”  

I think Lewis has nailed it.  

This Sunday, June 7 at 9:45 am, a2 will launch a four week series on spiritual warfare.  We'll seek to be balanced and biblical.  We'll also tackle this subject head on - no holds barred.

Discover the schemes Satan uses to keep you from experiencing the life God has planned for you in this important series.  Yes, you'll want to invite a friend.  The music is gong to rock and people desperately need to hear the truth.