Preaching Rocket Thoughts

I was in Atlanta today at NorthPoint Community Church for a workshop sponsored by Preaching Rocket. It was a great time to get away with our preaching team & to hear from great leaders and pastors including Andy Stanley & Louie Giglio (and others.) I tweeted a few things earlier today, but thought it would be a better summary in a blog post.

• If we're not prayed up for our sermon, it will show up in our sermon.
• The reason God lets us be part of this process is that He likes to go to work with His kids.
• We are followers 1st & preachers 2nd.
• Set a goal in the realm of things you can control.
• Does my approach to communicating support my goal or trump my goal?
• Engaging unchurched people has more to do with your approach than your content.
• If you want people to fall in love with the author of Scripture, you have to get them into the text.
• When you give unchurched people an out, they respond by leaning in.
• If Christians would act like Christians, non-Christians might want to be a Christian.
• The reason we take the Scriptures seriously is because of Jesus-not the other way around.
• The main commodities to reach this generation are authenticity & vision.
• Humility is a by-product of walking with Jesus.
• Important information that's not remembered won't have the desired impact.

Seems About Right

My wife & I started using a phrase last summer for when things just seem to stay difficult or keep going wrong. Instead of venting or becoming frustrated, we would simply respond, "Seems about right."

Today was that kind of day. What started peacefully with good Bible & prayer time quickly devolved as the day went on. It was a day where everything took twice as long as I had planned and became infinitely more difficult to achieve in the process. Technology seemed to fail to work as it should and I was unable to gain momentum in a good (any) direction with all of the distractions. Before heading home, I chose to move some boxes from one area to another so that I could cross something off of my list--even it was simple.

Some days are just like that. The good intentions of the morning don't always translate to successful productivity at the end of the day. As frustrating as that may be for me personally, it still doesn't change my position with God. There will still be new mercies for me in the morning and a chance to start over. My confidence in God doesn't mean that tomorrow will automatically be more productive or successful, but it does give me some peaceful patience in the middle of days that just "seem about right."

Old School

I was able to lead worship at our youth services tonight since our youth pastor is on a well-deserved vacation. It is the first time that I have been out to the youth building for a mid-week service since I am usually teaching the adults at the same time. I unexpectedly enjoyed how old memories came flooding back throughout the night.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the constantly fluctuating, ever-changing attitude, and challenge of youth ministry. Watching the group interactions and dynamics always has me pondering the story of each person and how they ended up there that night. I love the laughter of teens as we get them engaged in worship right away and remind them that "they are not too cool to worship." I never get tired of giving a Bible away to a youth that doesn't have one of their own. There is a hint of promise of spiritual growth and the development of future leaders. It's an exciting thing to be part of again--even if only for one night.

I wouldn't trade where God has me now or where He is leading me, but it was refreshing to be able to engage in youth ministry again. It reminds me of the great promise in this generation and the need for us to invest in their growth. I've been fortunate enough to see the positive results of those efforts in my own ministry life.

One Voice

In our efforts to reach our community it is important that we have like-minded people work together. It can't be a continued effort to build independent kingdoms and receive personal glory when positive things happen. The only way the strongholds of discrimination, poverty, socioeconomic oppression, and selfishness can be shattered is through the concentrated & unified prayer of God's people. It is a radical return to being the Church that God intended us to be--one that the gates of hell can't stand against.

I was privileged to take part in the beginnings of that last night at Central Park. Churches of various denominations and ethnicity joined in prayer for our schools, parents, and community. It was a fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus for His followers-that we would be one as He and His Father are One. This deliberate advance of unified prayer will bring revival to our community if we will continue to trust in the unfailing power of the Holy Spirit. I am excited about the prospects of these continued efforts and believe that God will honor the fervent, persistent prayers of His people if we will remain faithful.

Be Aggressive

There is no doubt that there are things that seem bigger than we are as individuals.  This may take the form of addictive sin, prejudice, socioeconomic circumstances, or community history. The idea of trying to conquer them can be quite frightening and beyond our abilities. The enemy is aware of our fears (and apathy) and attempts to bully us into submission and refusal to act. It is by recognizing the power and authority of God in our own lives that we are spurred to take action. We then become willing to rise up to protect the territory that is being threatened and run into battle with full confidence in God's power to gain victory. Our community needs us to take that aggressive action and awaits the rescue that comes through Christ.

Day Off

It's not always intentional, but with the busy schedule of ministry, the list of household tasks that never ends, and life circumstances (surgery, sickness, etc.) I forget to have a true weekly day of rest. I know that I am not the only one that falls victim to this, but that doesn't make it right for any of us. God intended for us to have that weekly break for reflection on Him and for spiritual and physical refreshing. I am always grateful for the day when I take the time to enjoy it & wonder why I only allow it to happen periodically.

I had no agenda or schedule coming into today and can happily reflect on coffee, reading time, lunch with my wife & listening to my children play in the lake for hours. I love how God gives simple gifts like the time to enjoy what He has blessed me with. I've got to make sure that I regularly pause my scheduled life to rest in it.

Life to Life

Some nights bring great satisfaction in simple ways, as we hosted dinner in our house tonight with five of our close friends. We ate more than we should have, laughed, told stories, and reminisced of mission trips together. It was an easy night as the conversations flowed in and out with no apparent lack of memories or  topics to share. Our Tomoka/Florida connection, history of serving together, and kindness towards each other made for a comfortable fit that brought simple joys to our home tonight. Even though we knew it would be brief it was fulfilling for all of us.

It's a reinforcement of my own need for life-to-life relationships and the value of community that is developed over time. It's a comfortable fit like an old pair of shoes. On the outside they may not look like much to someone else, but there is no denying their value to the one who gets to wear them.