Merry Christmas

I was sitting in my recliner working on my laptop while Tracy was grading papers on the couch and it felt like the middle of winter. The snow was coming down; the trees were thick with the fluffy stuff. Lucky for us we never took down our Christmas lights. I found the extension cord and plugged them in and it took our evening to a new level of coziness. Funny how little things like that can boost the spirit. Here's to wishing our hearts are covered white as snow and the Christmas lights are always turned on.

Greetings from Brainerd

Greetings from Brainerd, Minnesota. Every 6-7 weeks I am up here as I work through my MBA program at Bethel. Today we ran class from 8:30am - 9:30pm and I'm just now back at my hotel room. Long days, but great learning. Just thought I'd send out a quick note to let you all know that I miss you all. Every week, month, and day that goes by I seem to fall more in love with the church and the church family. I'm saddened every time I need to be away for schooling or any other reason. I'm still working off the buzz from last Sunday with 21 people making either first time decisions to surrender their lives to Christ or to recommit to a decision they had made earlier. I'm praying and believing for great things to happen again this weekend as God keeps showing up and doing His thing. Want an honor to have a front row seat to the power of His grace and the activity of His Holy Spirit.

I'd best go.. just wanted to say hey. Hey.

Easter

What a blast on Easter Sunday! To see so many people going forward to ask God to pick up the broken pieces of their life and start putting the masterpiece back together. What a picture of the grace and love of God for each of us. As I hang out here at the airport waiting for a east-bound plane, I was just reminded of the picture of what happened yesterday. As I told a few people after the service, "We had us some church!" Man that was fun to be in the house of the Lord.



Well, I better keep rollin' on other stuff; I'm paying for internet time, but I thought it was worth it to throw a shout out to my family at New Hope. Love ya...

Chameleon

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible (I Corinthians 9:19)." - Paul was clear on his mission, "To win as many as possible" and he determined that one way he would do that would be be to consider himself a slave, a servant, to everyone even though he was free and not required to do so.

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I becamse like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some (I Corinthians 9:19-22)." - Paul was a chameleon, changing as he felt he needed to change. But unlike the chameleon, he did not change to hide (for some would say that is the purpose of the chameleon), but instead he changed to accomplish his mission, "To win as many as possible."

What is our individual mission or purpose? Is everything we do consistent with that mission or purpose? How about New Hope Community Church? Our purpose is "To honor God by making passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit." Our purpose lies in making passionate followers... is everything we do aligned with that purpose. Are we what we need to be to those following Christ to make them passionate? For those brand new to their faith are we helping them become followers of Christ? For those starting to seek are we there to answer their questions and help them see who Christ is? For those far from God are we being Christ?

God has given a tremendous purpose and calling to New Hope Community Church. There is a broad spectrum of people that we engage with. There may be times where we must become all things to all people for the sake of winning as many as possible. The danger is the appearance of inconsistency... but the inconsistencies are in the strategies, but there is tremendous consistency in the purpose. We must never confuse strategy for purpose. God bless you....

Psalm 27

"The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" - Psalm 27:1

As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside each of us. That same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead! This Easter, may we recognize again the power that it took to raise a man 3-days dead from the grave... how massive that power must be... and this it lives inside each of us. How could we not be bubbling out the light of God? How could we not love our neighbors? How could be be in fear? Why should be be afraid?

Because we are human.

But may we also be reminded that what is impossible for us, is possible with God. Allow God's power to reign in our lives.... let's tap into that power, die to ourself, and LIVE LARGE. Easter blessings to you all.

Love & Rejection

Our small group is working through a video series by Beth Moore called "Living Beyond Yourself" which focuses on the fruit of the spirit. This past week, the topic was Love. I found it interesting that the focus of the week's study, however, was on rejection. For about 40 of the 60 minutes, she talked about rejection. She discussed three pictures of rejection from the different definitions from the original Greek and Hebrew: 1) To disapprove or refuce, 2) Vacant, and 3) To be spit out. She discussed the wounds of rejection and how we typically look to repair the rejection in one of two erroneous ways: 1) To get back what was rejected or 2) To seek revenge.

As we moved past the realities of our rejection, we studied how the Lord receives us regardless of whoever rejects us, but we tend to focus more on the rejection of others than the acceptance of Christ. Through accepting God's acceptance, we start the process of divine healing. I Peter 2:4-10 talks directly about how we are rejected by men, but chosen by God; that we are precious to him. We often lose sign of the two main sources of divine healing the SOVEREIGNTY of God and the SUPREMACY of God.

As each of us struggles from the wounds of rejection, may we each grab firmly to the truth that Jesus offers us "True" love and that "True love never fails (I Corinthians 13:8)." God's love for us will never fail us and the love that we offer others in the name of Christ will never drop away or fall. The "greatest of these is love" and that comes from the ability to allow God's love to fill the vacancy of rejection that many of us carry.

Although different, I felt God connecting some dots for me this week between this and the Sunday service where Pastor Bill spoke on a life of peace. He many clear that peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. Like the fruit of the Spirit and like love, our peace is dependent on our ability to allow the presence of God to pervade our hearts. Life in the Spirit is about battling for our heart.... let's fight the battle and actively guard our hearts for it is the well-spring of life.

May the Lord bless you with His Love that overcomes rejection. Have a great week!

Men's Retreat

Wow, what a fantastic weekend of being challenged to live with Reckless Abandon to the things of God and to live life in Reckless Obedience to the one who makes life possible. After each large group worship & teaching we would break into small groups. These groups were pre-arranged by Roby and the first few comments after getting into the groups were things like, "What was Roby on when he made this group?" or "What, did Roby think we needed a baby-sitter?". But after, I know I was so grateful that I had time to get to know these guys, their hearts, and their passion on a level I probably never would have been able to without being locked in a room together for hours at a time. My experience with Mr. Johnson, Mr. Pasch, Mr. Zortman, Mr. Fritchie, and Mr. McFarlane was life-changing. As I shared with the large group on Saturday night, I was inspired by these men... inspired to take me own passion for lost people to an even greater level; inspirted to let my past by part of my story but my present & future be my testimony - that my testimony is what it is today, but my final testimony will be how I choose to live my future. If you know these guys and see them around, thank them again as they have helped me in ways they will never fully appreciate.

I was then excited to be able to return late Saturday night and re-join my family and be at New Hope for an incredible time of worship led by our interim worship director Caitlyn. What a fabulous weekend of inspiration, worship, and greater death of myself to the heart of God. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, victory, and power!