Bryan Lark

Give Me A Bezalel and an Oholiab

2012-02-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Throughout the middle portion of the book of Exodus, God had called Moses up to the top of the mountain to give him very specific instructions about how life was to be conducted in the Israelite community. He also gave Moses very detailed instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle - which was the Old Testament "church house" and center place of worship.

If you read through all the instructions about how the Tabernacle and its furnishings were to be built, you'd have to read close to 250 verses of details. That's a lot. If I were Moses, I would suddenly feel overwhelmed with such a huge burden of responsibility.

But fortunately, God knew that Moses couldn't do all of the work. As a matter of fact, God knew that Moses really wasn't gifted to be a general contractor for such a project. God placed His spirit upon two guys named Bezalel and Oholiab and gave them the supernatural ability to take care of the project (Exodus 35:30-35).

A couple of things here are important. First, God doesn't call the leader to do everything. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you have to be the smartest or most gifted person on the team. It doesn't mean that you have to pretend to be either. It just means that God called you to that position first for a reason - and that reason is to lead.

Second, it's important to see that certain tasks are for certain people but the criteria in "kingdom work" is that the Spirit of God is upon someone - like He was upon Bezalel and Oholiab. As the old saying goes, "God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called." So as a leader, it's important for me to be sensitive to those whom God has equipped and anointed for service and let them "build the Tabernacle." But again, the criteria is this: is it evident that God has equipped them with His Spirit and with a gifting for the task.

Finally, I am reminded already of the Bezalels and Oholiabs that God has placed in my life throughout the years. If it weren't for all of those people that have come alongside me, I'd still be stuck in the mud of yesterday. I'm incredibly grateful for the people God has placed in my life.

My prayer today: God, give me more Bezalels and Oholiabs to encourage me and help me to do what you've called me to do. Help me to be a Bezalel and Oholiab to others. Fill me with your Spirit to do the specific work You've called me to do.

Renting Vs. Owning

2012-01-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I met with a friend of mine (Brad Cowger) at my favorite local coffee shop called The Looney Bean. In the middle of the time together, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. After washing my hands, I used the paper towels to dry my hands off but something happened. A small piece of paper tore off and fell to the floor. Yes ..... the bathrooms at this place are always clean but .... it fell to the floor with all those icky germs and whatever else! It was a bathroom floor!!!

Now, get the context here. I love The Looney Bean!! The owner is great, the employees are great, and the environment is great. And not to mention, the coffee is great too! It's one of my favorite places away from home!

When I saw the piece of paper fall to the floor, I picked it up and threw it away. Something immediately within me said, "If that had been McDonald's, you may not have picked it up because that would be really nasty." But here's the difference: Because I love The Looney Bean, I take care of it. I also care about keeping it up and not leaving a mess.

It's the difference between RENTING a home and OWNING a home. No matter what you say, you tend to take care of something more when it's YOURS! When you are renting, you have an obligation to take care of things, but there's always something inside you that says, "Don't worry about it. The landlord will take care of that."

Now, here's the point. When it comes to your church, are you merely RENTING or are you OWNING it? In other words, do you take responsibility for getting things done or do you sit there and do nothing expecting someone else to do the job? Do you assume that the pastor is going to clean up that mess in the hallway or will you just own it? Do you assume that the worship pastor will clean up all the chords on stage or will you own it? All that junk on the table in the classroom .... do you assume the small groups leader will clean it up or will you own it? When it comes to inviting people to come, do you expect someone else to invite them, or will you own the situation and invite them yourself?

Bill Hybels has been quoted as saying that "The CHURCH is the hope of the world. When it comes to reaching the world, the CHURCH is God's plan A and God doesn't have a plan B." I love the CHURCH and God loves it even more. Let's love it for who God created it to be and what it represents: Our God's love for us.

A Great C180 Night

2012-01-09T12:46:00.002-07:00

CHURCH180 Worship Team rehearsing before the service began. Great job!

I'm grateful for what God is doing in CHURCH180! Last night was our January preview service and it was a great night in the life of our church. Here's why:

People got to hear the Gospel again (Luke 15:11-32).
We had a tie for an all-time attendance of 47 people.
We had at least four new households that came for the first time.
We added two new people to the worship team.
The worship team did an awesome job with the music and the tech team did an great job doing the behind the scenes work.
The KIDZ180 team did a great job teaching our 0-4 year olds about the Father's love.
We had an all-time high offering last night. This will greatly help us continue ministry here in Montrose.
Our Launch Team did an incredible job of setting things up and they did it with a servant heart.
People were excited to be there.
At least one family seemed interested in joining the Launch Team.

For all of this and so much more, we are grateful and proud of what God is doing through our team! He is at work and we look forward to seeing more and more fruit in the days ahead.

If you would like to be added to our prayer & update list, click HERE and let us know.

C180 December Service Highlights

2011-12-12T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends!

Just a few highlights of the CHURCH180 service we had just last night ....

Realizing more and more that we have an incredible group of people on our Launch Team. They really pulled together to make everything happen really smoothly! They did it with amazing attitudes!
We may be one of the smallest churches in town (at least for now) but we're doing ministry in some ways that some of the largest churches in the world aren't doing. I'm so proud of our team!
We've had some great musicians to play in our services and they've made a huge difference in the atmosphere of worship!
Lesson learned: If at all possible, don't play a video live from the internet! We rehearsed it several times without a hitch but when we did it live in the service, the main illustration video was preceded by a beer commercial! Ha! Only at CHURCH180 huh?
We're grateful that we're providing an "outside the box" church for people that haven't found a church elsewhere or can't go elsewhere (due to the times they meet).
Christmas is more than just Jesus being born. It's about God born as a baby and born to die. It's about a God coming to be our perfect and complete sacrifice.
Figuring out that when people have a sense of ownership, they are more passionate.
Lesson #2 Learned: Inviting someone to church begins first with establishing a trustworthy relationship outside of church first. People don't care if you invite them to church. They DO care if YOU care about them and meet them right where they are.
Just when you think that you're not ready for a particular task God has given you, pray. Then watch God fill in all the gaps. (I felt this way about the message I preached Sunday night.)
God is at work and we are fortunate enough to see some of what He's doing.

The Refreshing Sound Of Profanity

2011-12-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

I realize you're already not fond of this title but stay with me.

Nearly all of my life, I've lived in a "bubble." I grew up in the "Bible Belt", in a Christian home, went to church, went to a Christian college, went to a Christian grad school, and have spent nearly all of my adult life working in a church or other Christian environment. For Pete's sake, I bet our dog is even a Christian! Ha! You see, I've been in my "safe" little Christian bubble. Chances are that maybe your life isn't too much different huh?

Recently, I've been very intentional about trying to break out of the "bubble" and really spend time with people that aren't like me. I've taken a risk at leaving my comfort zone. I've stepped off the ledge. Some of you may think I did that a long time ago! Ha!!

In a recent 5 month vacation from my bubble, I've been in small group settings and even in one-on-one conversations with individuals that used just about every four-letter word there is. Profanity like I've never heard it before. And you know what? It was just about the most refreshing thing I've heard in a long time!! You know why? Because it meant that I was intentionally placing myself around others who aren't in "the bubble." And you know what else? I think Jesus spent a good bit of time out of His "bubble." As a matter of fact, He left heaven to come to earth. If that isn't leaving your "bubble", then I don't know what is!!!

Hear me out. I don't say this to be judgmental about those who use foul language. I say all of this as an indictment upon myself for being too satisfied to live in a bubble for so long. I say this as an indictment on anyone who's unwilling to leave their bubble for the sake of leading someone to Jesus. He's the One who left His bubble to save and forgive you and me (lot's of bubbles here).

So .... besides watching a sketchy movie or overhearing someone else's conversation, have you heard the refreshing sound of profanity lately? Have you been refreshingly uncomfortable in your surroundings? Have you left your bubble?

If not, find a needle, pop that bubble, and get going!!!

A Sneak Peak

2011-11-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday will be our second CHURCH180 worship experience and we're getting more and more excited about seeing who God will bring and what God is going to do!!

I've started a message series entitled, LIFE180. The idea here is that Jesus is able to take our difficult situations in life (even the ugly ones we get ourselves into) and can turn them around for our good but most of all for His glory.

To continue with this series, I'll be sharing this Sunday night a two-part message (don't worry, they'll both be short). In the first part, we'll be looking at our responsibility to trust and expect great things from Jesus. As a matter of fact, our faith is somewhat of an "activator" that is a channel for Jesus to work. We have a responsibility not only to have faith but to do something about our faith.

In the second part of the message, I want to share about what Jesus does when we have faith in Him and when we bring people to Jesus. Physically impossible things become possible. Spiritual despair is turned into hope and as a result, Jesus is seen as He is and not as how we make him out to be.

If you live in the Montrose area, we'd love for you to come and be a part!! Bring people with you! If you don't live in the area or you can't make it, we invite you to pray for the service. Please pray that God would have His perfect way in our lives and in what happens Sunday night.

We'll gather at 6pm at the Montrose Aquatic Center (25 Colorado Ave., Montrose). For more info, you can call the church office at (970) 249-0000.

Our First CHURCH180 Service

2011-10-10T00:31:00.002-06:00

To begin with, I am completely humbled that God would call us to do this whole CHURCH180 thing. What an amazing ride so far. God began working in our hearts (Rachel and I) almost three years ago now and God was stirring us, preparing us, and molding us ever since. To those of you who have sacrificed, prayed, given financially, and played a part already in CHURCH180, we say THANK YOU!!!

Tonight was our first official CHURCH180 worship service and it was absolutely great - certainly not because of any single individual but because of what Jesus did through each of us on the team. Our "Launch Team" members are completely amazing! Each of them served with the heart of a true servant - no complaining and no bad attitudes.

Our Guest Services team consisted of about 5 people. They welcomed guests in the parking lot, at the entry way of the building, and in the meeting room. They set up banners, gave out connection cards and $4 coffee gift cards (for The Looney Bean), plus a whole lot more!!! Great job team!

Our KIDZ180 team consisted of about 4 people. They checked in the kiddos into a safe and fun environment, taught a lesson about Nicodemus along with my message, loved on kids, plus a whole lot more. There were about 7 kids 4 years and down tonight. Great job team!

Last but not least, our Worship & Tech Team consisted of 6 people. They practiced their music on their own before tonight, set up sound equipment, played with passion and skill, ran sound and video like champs, and really put it together. Great job team!

We had somewhere around 47 in attendance tonight which we were all very pleased with. Each guest was a special part of a brand new and fresh move of God. Everyone on our Launch Team really made everyone feel welcome and a part of the CHURCH180 family. To those we talked with, everyone had a really positive experience.

Before the next service, we'll have a "comeback event" for anyone and everyone for the sole purpose of just getting to know each other and hanging out. This month, we're having one comeback event for the guys and one for the ladies. The guys are going to be hanging out at my man Damian's house to watch UFC 137 on October 29th (Twisted huh? I love being a church planter. We get to do crazy things like watch UFC with the guys!!) and the ladies are going to do some cool pottery projects at the Amazing Glaze Shop on the 27th. (Not as twisted but equally as fun for the gals).

A week from tonight we'll have our first official "Launch Team" gathering (formerly the "Start Up Team"). This team will pray, hang out, evaluate, plan the next month's worship service, and help build a team to prepare us for a weekly schedule in the spring. These people are awesome! Go team!

If you'd like to be a part of the CHURCH180 Launch Team, you can email me here and I'll give you all the info you need to know.

I'm so grateful, excited, and humbled to be a part of God's work. Thank you Jesus.

LIFE180 @ CHURCH180

2011-10-03T21:16:00.000-06:00

I honestly can't believe it, but it's happening this Sunday!!!! What God has been doing in our hearts for almost a year and a half is finally coming to reality!

On Sunday night, October 9th (6pm @ the Montrose Aquatic Center), we will have our first ever CHURCH180 worship experience!!! Our church is all about people experiencing life change through Jesus, and we're kicking everything off by starting the "LIFE180" message series. We'll learn about how Jesus can bring lasting and eternal life change to all of us - no matter where we are in life.

Now . . . what should we expect? Here are 10 things I can think of (not limited to these though):

We expect great things from God!
We expect lives to be impacted by the message and life of Jesus
A high energy worship band and great times of worship
Not just a church but a community of friends
An environment that welcomes hurting people
A group of people who see each other as equally important in the eyes of God
A laid-back atmosphere where you can be comfortable being yourself without a religious mask
Expect to be greeted as an honored guest and leave as a friend
A safe and fun learning environment for your kids (a.k.a. KIDZ180)
It is highly probable that you'll have some fun!!!

Finally, we've had an incredible group of friends that have helped prepare and make it possible! From those who have supported us with prayer, finances, and with volunteering, we have an incredible team and we're all pumped about Sunday!!! Thanks so much to everyone for serving and bringing the life-changing hope of Jesus to Montrose, Colorado, and the world! You guys are great!

Every Day Is A Gift

2011-08-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Just this past week, I had an opportunity to attend the Global Impact Conference at First North in South Carolina. What an incredible week hearing from some spiritual giants in the world of missions! Last Friday, I was invited to share about our church plant with Mrs. Coffee's 4th grade class there at the Spartanburg Christian Academy. On the way into the class, I went into the same area of the building that I went to kindergarten in. It had been around 30 years since I had really been able to go in to this part of the building and really take time seeing what was in there.

Talk about being overwhelmed!!! I saw the same rooms that I was in when I was 4 years old!!! Crazy!!! After seeing these rooms, we went upstairs toward the classroom and I then remembered that I went to children's church just down then hall. Some of those memories seem like they were just yesterday. After speaking to the class, I took about 15 minutes to go and just sit and think in the old children's church room. Here are the thoughts that raced through my mind:

30 years goes by about like 15 seconds sometimes.
I wish I could go back as that 4 year old and change some things.
God has brought me a long way.
Children's church made a huge impact on my life (because it was done really well).
Did I really turn 34 years old that quick??
I'm almost halfway through my life. What will the next 34-40 years look like?
Thank you Lord, for adults who loved me and cared for me as a kid.

As I was just completely overwhelmed by the brevity of life, I thought of this song by Chris Rice:

^{Psalm 39:4-7}

⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
      Remind me that my days are numbered—
      how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
      My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
      at best, each of us is but a breath.”
                         Interlude

⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
      and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
   We heap up wealth,
      not knowing who will spend it.
⁷ And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
      My only hope is in you.

1st CHURCH180 Worship Experience

2011-08-09T16:28:00.000-06:00

We're officially at the "EXCITED!" stage! What has been over a year process is quickly arriving faster than the speed of light! We're preparing for our very first public worship experience for the people of the Montrose area.

Our very first service will be October 9th at 6:00pm. Here's just a little about our upcoming services:

We'll focus on Jesus.
Everyone is welcome. (Yes . . . we do mean EVERYONE!)
It won't be boring!
We'll meet at the Montrose Aquatic Center (25 Colorado Ave, Montrose, CO 81401).
We'll meet initially on the second Sunday night of each month at 6pm.

Why Sunday nights? Many families in the Montrose area go off for the weekends and others work on Sunday mornings and afternoons. We hope a Sunday night format will be the best time for most people.

Why monthly? We'll eventually "Launch" into a regular weekly schedule in the spring of 2012 but in the meantime, we'll focus on building momentum steadily. In between each monthly worship experience, we'll have a "Comeback Event" where we get together informally and just have fun hanging out. Starting off with weekly worship experiences from the beginning is a lot to undertake!

If you'd like to be a part of the start-up team, click HERE to learn more.

Hope to see you there!

Reflections On An Incredible Week

2011-08-01T15:35:00.000-06:00

If you're from Montrose, it's very likely that you got to experience part of the CHURCH180 vision last week. What an incredible week!!

For those of you that don't know, here's what happened. With the help from our friends at our home church in Mississippi, we were able to get kicked of with some major outreach events.

We did a "we pay you" car wash on Saturday and on Tuesday. We paid people $1 to wash their cars for them with no strings attached. We also gave out some $1 Looney Bean Coffee House coupons!
We had a really great worship service Sunday AM with the team.
We got to meet a lot of people in the community neighborhoods and give away some $4 Looney Bean coupons.
We did a massive community cookout for the people of Montrose. We served around 350 hamburgers, 300 hotdogs, cotton candy, snow cones, and pop corn. We guessed that at least 300 people came out for the event.

What a great way to kick off the CHURCH180 vision. Our vision is simply to impact Montrose, Colorado, and even the world with the "180" life-changing hope of Jesus. We believe He can bring new beginnings and fresh starts. He did it in us and He can do it in you and anyone else.

We'll have our first public service on October 9th at 6pm at the Montrose Recreation / Aquatic Center. If you'd like to be a part of helping CHURCH180 start up, just click here and let us know you want to be a part.

Finally, a big "Thank You" to all our friends from Saltillo! You guys are awesome!!! We love you and appreciate you!!!

It's Not All It's Cracked Up To Be

2011-08-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

So you wanna be a church planter huh? I never thought in a million years (well maybe just 34 years) that God would call me to plant a church, much less be a pastor. But through all of the hardships, trials, and challenges, Rachel and I have come to appreciate the calling that God has given us.

With that being said, I want everyone to know that starting a church (aka "Church Planting") isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not easy!

Here are my top 10 things you may want to know before you plant a church:

You BETTER be called by God Himself!!!
Be prepared to give up everything you know
Be prepared for spiritual attacks that don't stop!
It's lonely sometimes
Your family will pay a price
It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do
Get ready for a lot of unknowns (you name it, and it's an unknown!)
You better have a game plan
You're now the secretary (and the musicians, and the set up team, and on and on ..... at least for a little while)
God will bless it when you're faithful to His calling - but only when we're faithful

When God is in it, there's no denying that He's up to something big. But guess what ..... It's not about me or you. It's all about Him and His agenda!

Lola, The Street Evangelist

2011-06-28T21:09:00.000-06:00

Lola sitting in front of the fireplace being a good girl

If you know us, you know we have a four-legged daughter named Lola. She's an American Boxer Bulldog. She's our 85 pound lap dog and she's a little over 4 years old. We got her when she was about four months old and though she's brought some aggravation into our lives, she's "one of us" and she's part of the family.

After moving here to Montrose, CO Rachel and I have gone on some neighborhood walks and taken Lola with us and she does really well (until she sees a cat and then it's on like a chicken bone!). Anyway, it's really neat how having a dog can open up conversations with people you've never met before. Just this past weekend, we were able to meet a really nice young family in our neighborhood and connect with them. We were able to tell them about CHURCH180 here in Montrose and the family seemed really interested!

Just last night, Lola and I went on a walk a little later at night and a neighbor flagged me down to ask about Lola. I ended up talking to him and his wife for about 20 minutes just getting to know them. It turns out that we have a few things in common and we hope to invite them over soon to get to know them.

The moral of the story you may ask??? I realize this is silly but I'm dead serious. Don't ever think of your dog as "just a dog." Your dog can be a bridge that helps you get to know other people and develop relationships. Use every tool you have to point people to Jesus - even if it's a dog. Your dog may very well help you point someone to faith in Christ.

First Days In Montrose

2011-06-22T08:42:00.000-06:00

Ok . . . I realize it's been a while since I updated this blog. But hopefully, I'm back to some sense of normalcy (whatever that is).

I began driving to Montrose, CO on June 9 and got here June 10. I spent the next few days cleaning our rental home and getting it ready for Rachel and the boys to arrive. After getting chemical burns on my hands for a short time from Lysol cleaner, I now realize that house cleaning is NOT my calling in life.

Rachel and the boys flew in on June 13. Her younger sister Rebecca was so nice to fly out with her to stay with us a couple of weeks and help out with the boys. She's been great!

The moving truck got here on the 14th (Tuesday) with most of our stuff but we're still waiting on the second shipment to get here who knows when. Moving our junk in and unpacking our junk is not something that we found to be extremely exciting. If nothing else, we realized (especially Rachel) that we have a lot of things we simply should just get rid of. We spent Wednesday all day unpacking some more.

Thursday was a day set aside for just fun. After all we've been through over the last several months, we needed it. We drove an hour and a half up to Telluride, CO where a friend of mine is a pastor (Tree Cooper at Alpine Chapel). We met him, his wife Robin, and Anna for lunch and then rode the gondola (enclosed ski lift) up to the top of the ski mountain there. Simply put, the whole area and especially the top of the mountain was nothing short of God's unbelievable and beautiful creation.

Friday and Saturday (June 17-18) were more unpacking, cleaning days, and time with the family. Sunday, we went to a friend's church here in Montrose that started about 4 years ago (Chip Martin at Celebration Church). Chip's a great guy.

Monday and Tuesday were more unpacking days and just spending time with the boys. I love our boys! Last night (Tuesday) we invited our area missionary (Brad Cowger) and his wife Traci over for dinner and had a great time with them. They've become great friends.

Today, I'm sitting in my part-time office (the Looney Bean Coffee Shop in Montrose) beginning some work on church planting stuff.

As you think of us, please pray for us. While Montrose is incredibly beautiful and as close to perfection as anywhere I've ever lived, we're still finding it hard these first days to adjust through the transition. Being away from everything that's comfortable, safe, and familiar has been tough on all of us. Cross has really had a difficult time adjusting with a new room at night times. Pray for him. Pray for Rachel and I as we work together on our new calling to be unified and solid for what God has called us to do here. And pray for Kip to adjust in his own little way.

Why would we move away so far and step into so many venues of uncertainty?? Why would we go into a situation where we're not sure if we'll have much of an income? One reason and one reason only . . . . Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who has lived sinlessly, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously. There is no other reason at all. Jesus . . . . all for Jesus.

SOMEBODY BIT ME!!!!

2011-05-10T08:31:00.000-06:00

About four weeks ago, I was playing with my oldest son Cross in the backyard. He's only two years old and he hasn't quite figured out that everything outside isn't edible. For just a brief minute I took my eyes off of him and then it happened.

He was squatting down and eating the grit from the shingles on the roof that the rain had washed down one of the spouts. So I rushed right away to rescue him from the grit. I stuck my fingers in his mouth to get the grit out before he swallowed it, and then . . . . WHAM!!! It felt like the jaws of a Great White locking down on my thumb. Ouch!!!! Cross bit me!!

Here's my takeaway from this wonderful little incident.

Sometimes, our worst pains come from those we love the most.
Sometimes, people don't really intend to hurt us. They just want us out of their business.
Sometimes, the pain is only temporary, but the scars remain for a long time. (Remember that this pic was taken 4 weeks after he bit me!)
Sometimes, we have to just get over the offense and choose to love and forgive.
Sometimes, the ones that hurt us need us the most.
Sometimes, our love for others should overlook the pain they cause us.

I still love you Cross!!! I always will!

Reflections On The Last 5 Years

2011-05-10T08:09:00.000-06:00

Over the last 5 years, I've been on staff at First Baptist Church Saltillo, MS as the Worship Pastor. As of last Sunday, I have officially finished my service there to begin planting a church in Montrose, CO called CHURCH180. Here are just some brief reflections on these 5 years of ministry at FBCS and how God has used these years in my life:

God has grown me more here in my ministry life and personal life more than any other place of service.
As a general rule, "church people" are much kinder and nicer than sometimes given credit for. Over the years, I've saved "nice emails" which totaled around 104 and "nasty emails" which totaled around 12.
When people disagree with me, I shouldn't take it personally. Disagreements can be some of the most powerful learning tools in life.
When you leave a place of service, you really don't leave 100%. You will always leave a piece of your heart and hopefully a piece of your legacy.
God is always preparing you for the "next thing." That may be staying right where you are but stepping it up a notch but it may be a new calling. Learn to listen to what the "next thing" is that God has for you. Prepare for it and don't waste time!
It's easy to say nice and meaningful things to people when you're leaving. Things like "I love you" and "You've meant a lot to me" and Thank you for what you've done" should never be limited to our departing language. These types of phrases should always be on our lips.

Thanks to all of my friends at FBCS. God has used you in my life and I love you!

Making The ETERNAL Difference

2011-04-10T22:13:00.000-06:00

These days it seems that it's more common to hear about churches that are fussing, fighting, and dividing rather than churches that are united and focused on their mission. This saddens me! Now I know that no church is perfect, but isn’t it refreshing to be a part of one that’s seriously making an eternal difference in the life of the world?

One such church for me (and my family) has been First Baptist Church Saltillo, MS ( www.fbcsaltillo.org ). Just a year after Rachel and I were married, we became part of the pastoral staff here at FBCS in January of 2006. Over the last five years, we have experienced a pretty comprehensive list of ups and downs and God has blessed us to be a part of an incredible family of Christians.

Through the last five years, the FBCS family of believers has welcomed us, loved us, been patient with us, taught us, corrected us, loved us some more, provided for us, appreciated us, honored us, believed in us, and supported us. This opportunity of service has provided an incredible place of spiritual growth and personal development for me as a leader. Without a doubt, my most profound and deepest times of growth have happened here. In what they’ve done, they’ve not only affected our lives but also the eternal lives of those who have been and will be affected by our ministry.

Just this past Sunday night, FBCS collectively made a decision to partner with us and our new church plant in Montrose, Colorado (CHURCH180 . . . www.church180.net website to go live in the next 1-2 weeks we hope). They’ve agreed to help financially support us and even before that, they’ve made it known that they support us in their prayers and encouragement. What a blessing!

What’s the point??? The point is this . . . When it comes to making an eternal impact and eternal investment into people’s lives, the Church (big “C” for “Church” universal) is the only organization that can do this. Notice I used the word “eternal.” Sure, there are clubs and organizations that make a difference in the here and now, but the Church is the only group of people that has the power to affect the eternal destinies of people.

So what about your church? Is your church making a difference or just marinating the status quo? What about you personally? Whose lives are you impacting on an eternal level? Can you name just 2 people? If you can name only 2, then ask yourself why it isn’t 3 (and so on and so forth).

Thanks to FBCS for investing in us so that we can eternally invest into others! You guys are our family and we’ll love you guys forever!!

Montrose Or Bust!!

2011-03-15T20:32:00.000-06:00

Some of you may know, but last week Rachel, Kip, and I flew out to east Colorado for a church planting "boot camp" and it was great! Cross stayed with Rachel's parents so we missed him a lot. After the training was over on Wednesday, Rachel and Kip flew back to Memphis and I traveled west to Montrose with a friend of mine for a few days. The drive was five hours of sheer beauty!!

Just being in Montrose for a few days was great. I had the opportunity to meet some people face to face I'd corresponded with by email and I also got to meet some others for the very first time. If you're wondering, the people of Montrose are really friendly and really down to earth. The main question I kept getting was, "Where are you from?" Obviously they think I have an accent! Sometimes you just don't blend as easy as you'd like. Ha!

One of the highlights was the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Everything was pretty much frozen and we were told that you could drive a car on top of the lake. Needless to say, we didn't try that! Here's a pic of the area we saw there at the reservoir. Yeah, I know . . . it's a tough life but somebody's got to see this!

Bottom line . . . we're excited about going to Montrose! We're excited about meeting people there and starting CHURCH180! We're excited to see how God wants to use us!

If you'd like to be a strategic prayer partner, please email me at bryan@fbcsaltillo.org and I'll forward you a daily prayer list to be praying for us. We need a lot of prayer support as we make this step of faith.

Stay tuned for the launch of the CHURCH180 website. We're working on some final things and hope to have it up in the next couple of weeks. You'll be able to read a bit more about the church, the vision and values we'll embrace, and how to get involved. Yippeeee!!

Into The "Unknown"

2011-03-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know by now, our family is about to go into the “unknown.” In late 2008, God began to work in my heart and gradually direct me into something completely different in my life. After sharing this with Rachel, we began to pray and through prayer, we knew that God was calling me to be a pastor . . . but also was calling me into missions. This didn’t make much sense but we continued to pray.

After going through the initial steps of application and interview with the IMB, it seemed that God was closing the door for us to serve as international missionaries. About the same time, we were contacted by Brad Cowger of the Uncompahgre (bet you can’t say that 5 times fast!!!) Baptist Association of Colorado concerning planting a church in Montrose, CO.

Initially we were like, “What??? Plant a church?? Us?? No way!” But God continued to work and put a calling on our lives to do this. Through several weeks and months of research, we learned that Colorado is an extremely “un-churched” state. Some have estimated that close to 80-90% of the population is not involved in an evangelical church in any way.

To be clear . . . “church” doesn’t save anyone. But Jesus does and the Church is His bride here on earth. We believe that if someone loves Jesus, they will love His wife. In human experience, the Christian Church has been a community in which people have come to know the real Jesus and by knowing Him, they have come to find genuine peace, forgiveness, healthy relationships, purpose, and most significantly eternal life.

This is our calling: to BE the church in Montrose, CO. We’re personally trying to take Jesus’ words in Luke 9:23-25 seriously:

Then he (Jesus) said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

We look forward to starting a brand new church called CHURCH180 representing the life-giving “180” that Jesus can bring to anyone’s life. We plan to move to Montrose, CO in late May/early June this year.

In closing, we have three basic needs as we go into this. If you’re interested in helping meet the needs of this new calling and church, here they are:

1. Strategic prayer. Without a doubt, this is the most important of all needs we have. We believe in the necessity of prayer and a total dependence on God. If you'd like a daily prayer list, we can email one to you.

2. Funding for living expenses, church start up costs, ongoing monthly ministry expenses, etc. Checks can be made out to "CHURCH180" and sent to:

Uncompahgre Baptist Association

ATTN: CHURCH180

6 Hillcrest Plaza Way

Montrose, CO 81401

3. Mission Teams to come and help us serve and reach out to the community of Montrose.

You can email me at bryan@fbcsaltillo.org if you have an interest or questions (new CHURCH180 website and @church180.net email address coming soon).

More to come in the days ahead. Pray for us! We need it!!

Generosity On Another Level

2011-02-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, I’ve developed some life-long friendships that mean the world to me. One of those is my friend Todd Lollis. Todd and I were roommates in college and seminary. We played jokes on each other and laughed and cried together. I even came close to getting him arrested one night but that’s another story. He’s just that kind of friend. Currently he’s serving as the Executive Pastor at Freedom Church in Acworth, GA (www.freedomchurch.tv)

Freedom Church had their first service on January 27, 2008 and since then, they’ve seen hundreds of people give their lives to Jesus. Not a few . . . HUNDREDS!!! They’ve had baptisms in the HUNDREDS also. Currently, they’re averaging around 600 people on Sunday mornings and they don’t even have a “church building.” They meet in a school and do things very different than the way you and I probably grew accustomed to.

But success in the church isn’t just about seeing people saved and baptized. That may be the most important thing, but it’s not supposed to be the end of the story. That’s where the hard work of discipleship begins. One of their core beliefs is to “Put God to the test” because they believe that they can’t “outgive” God.

Just this last week, their church decided to put God to the test. Instead of taking up an offering during their worship service, Freedom Church gave away $10,000 to their church members. They divided up the money in several portions, placed different amounts in envelopes, and asked the church members to be generous by giving their new money away to bless someone else. Some got an envelop with $1,000 and some got envelopes with $10.

To get the full effect on this level of generosity, check out these links below. The first is a news story that an Atlanta TV station did on them. The second link is the actual giving stories that people posted up on their website. This is a church doing generosity crazy good!! Praise God! May we all be generous people and generous churches!

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/26783875/index.html

http://freedomchurch.tv/blessback/

Need Some Money??

2011-02-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jack Whittaker won a $314 million jackpot. Since then, Whittaker has been involved in numerous gloomy incidents that included a couple of deaths, physical altercations, and court appearances. He was even knocked out by a local who stole half a million in cash from him. He’s been sued a number of times and his last venture into court found him pleading poverty.

This reminds us that money won’t really solve the problems of our lives. We can sing with the old 80’s group Calloway the lyrics, “I want money . . . lots and lots of money. I want the pie in the sky. I wanna be rich!” but in many cases it just brings heartache.

Here are common thoughts today about money:

1. If I had another $1000 every month, everything would be fine.

2. If we just had some money in the bank, things would be better with my spouse.

3. Having more money would make me happier.

4. If I had a nicer house (or car or clothing), I would really feel better.

After being involved in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University for the last eight years, the biggest financial help for people is doing a monthly budget. Here’s a link to his website that calculates exactly how much you should be spending on each budget category depending on what you indicate your monthly income is. This is a GREAT TOOL!!! You won’t get spam mail for doing this either! Try it out and apply it!!

http://www.daveramsey.com/tools/budget-lite/

Do a new budget for every month. No two months have the same exact expenses. You’ll find that if you get a hold on this, money will begin to slowly appear because you won’t be blowing everything you make!

As Nike tells us . . . . “JUST DO IT!!!”

Fools

2011-02-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

In light of all the recent violence in Egypt, a killing spree in Arizona, a shooting in a school riots in other countries, it’s obvious that people can be very dangerous when they get mad. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even want to be within 50 miles of crazy people like that!!

But Jesus didn’t choose safety. He was a "man's man" who willingly chose to come to the earth. He was ridiculed, rejected, spit on, beaten, humiliated, and crucified. But because of His love for you and me, He gave up His life so we could have a right relationship with God. “Safety” wasn’t in Jesus’ vocabulary.

The Bible also depicts two other men named Paul and Barnabas who chose obedience over safety. Many would consider them "FOOLISH." The Holy Spirit had set them apart for missionary service and off they went (Acts 13:1-3). By this time, the new Christians had already been persecuted, killed, beheaded, and everything else you can think of. Sharing the Gospel wasn’t “safe” but they went anyway.

In Cyprus, they were confronted by a sorcerer. In Pamphylia they were deserted by a close friend. In Antioch of Pisidia they preached the Gospel only to be slandered and ran out of town by an angry mob.

In Iconium they were attacked and stoned. In Lystra they were stoned again, dragged out of the town, and left for dead. Then they left for Derbe where they preached the Good News again. And just think . . . this was only the first of three missionary journeys they took (Acts 13-14).

Something about American Christianity is just too mysteriously “safe.” We avoid danger at all costs. We say things like, “We would go to that country to share the Gospel but things aren’t safe there now.” Just yesterday I talked with a man who told me, “You know, I can’t really talk about God when I’m on the job because I could get fired.” We often tell ourselves, “I might offend them if I tell them about Jesus.”

But really? Is it just too easy to be a Christian here in “Jesus-Land”?? I just can’t believe that God has called us to safety. Regardless of our job or calling in life, God has called believers to share the Gospel (Rom. 1:16). Paul said, “Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools . . .” (1 Cor. 4:10). Let’s be “FOOLS” for Jesus. Let’s share the Good News of Jesus no matter what the danger. True safety is found only in the center of God’s will.

Doo-Doo Prayers

2011-01-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

I’m guessing that you’re already thinking, “What is this dude writing about now?” I want to share about something that perhaps we just don’t understand (self included). Probably more times than not, we just “don’t get it.”

Less than 2 minutes ago, I finished helping my oldest son Cross (he’s 23 months old) get to bed. Before we put him in bed, we always read a short Bible story from his baby Bible and then we say our prayers. Just about every time, Rachel or I are the ones saying the prayers.

But not tonight. I asked Cross if he was ready to “say prayers” and he said “uh huh.” And with a voice that makes me melt, he began to pray. You know what he said? Here it is. It’s really profound but really great:

“Doo – doo Jeez. Amayn.”

Now if anyone else had heard that, they’d have no idea what he said but being the parent, I knew exactly what he said. The translation is this:

“Thank You Jesus. Amen.”

Now before I start to portray my son as the next Billy Graham, I must say that he has already shown his sinful nature on many occasions but he is learning what it means to know God. Even tonight, he reminded me of the simplicity of prayer and gratitude. Adults want to make it complicated but it’s not. Sometimes Jesus just wants a simple yet grateful “Thank You Jesus. Amen” instead of a “Dear heavenly Father, we thank You so much for all of the blessings You have so richly bestowed upon us. . . .”

Psalm 100:4 tells us how to approach God. We’re to “enter His gates with thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is the key that unlocks the door of fellowship with God. It’s the way into His presence but it doesn’t have to be elaborate.

When you’re able to have food on the table, you can pray a “doo-doo” prayer. When you remember that you have friends, it’s time to say “doo-doo.” When you remember that God loves you, it’s time to say “doo-doo.” And so it goes on and on.

Remember your “doo-doos” and remember that God loves “doo-doos.”

Your Thoughts About The "Real" Church

2011-01-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ok – So I asked for it and I got it. Below are all the comments I received from many of you about what the New Testament Church should look like. There are some really good insights below. Have fun!!

At its best they were devoted to God, to others (meeting the needs within the body) and sending out many to distant lands to share the Good News of Christ. The message then is the same today that brings lost people into the kingdom. Christ crucified, buried and risen!!! So the essentials of worship and doing Church are vertical and horizontal. "Loving God Loving Each Other". Sunday or any day, would be set aside as a day to join other believers to hear the teaching and preaching of The Word, and praising Him in song (although I don't recall them singing, I know they must have sung some of the Psalms). Then family time ...... seeking and meeting the needs of those within the body.

- Brenda

Things would be totally different! Like in Acts 3, the first miracle wasn't that a lot of people heard the gospel, it wasn't that a lame man was healed: the first miracle is in verse 1: Peter and John went together to pray publicly. They were polar opposites but they loved Christ and so put aside their differences for sweet fellowship. Churches don't do that now- cults, sororities, country clubs, hypocrites, and false doctrines are about as much light of the world the lost see, and real churches aren't getting the message through to them. If we all don't love each other and encourage one another, and see God more than once a week, why would any unsaved person ever want to come to our churches?

- Bill

There are various estimates of the Christian church. Some think everything of her; some think nothing of her; and probably neither opinion is worth the breath which utters it. Neither Ritualists, who idolize their church, nor skeptics, who vilify all churches, have any such knowledge of the true spiritual church of Jesus Christ as to be entitled to give an opinion . . . . The church, again, consists of a praying people. Now prayer is that which links weakness with infinite strength. A people who can pray can never be overcome, because their reserve forces can never be exhausted.

- Charles Spurgeon quote sent by Sue

It would be simple
It would be run out of Homes/predominantly
It would be reproducing
It would see itself as a part of Christians everywhere
It would have multiple elders
It would be built on the basics
It would be easily reproducible

- Brad

You really give us a challenge for 2011. Ron's Bible Fellowship class yesterday was the part of the blog that is below. We listed 5-6 items. They are on the board in room 221. I can remember 3---The absence of the Holy Spirit, true Bible Study with no frills. Suggestion---do Bible Study in our homes with our neighbors. We realize that some might not come. Ron used the Book of Acts to talk about what a church should be. After the preaching and bringing people to Christ, there was a time of Praise. I had never thought about it before but scanning through the book the word praise is seen time after time.

- Betty

To me the biggest thing to see in Acts is not how the church was or operated but what a Church can be when it's people are actually being salt and light at every level, being clean earthen vessels. This is when Christians are being Christian, sold out to God, Living by Faith, hands on the plow, experiencing the miracles of forgiveness and grace that is in Jesus Christ- not ashamed of Him, His work and His WORD, with leadership, discipleship and structures all based on truth lived by humble, and obedient people... made new, with new hearts, living in the Joy of following the LORD. What made the ACTS church a model to follow? I submit it that it was the repentant believing hearts, of its people.

- Brian

I would like to think it would be being the "Church" weekly to our neighbors, family, co-workers, and friends. There would be a lot of prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. Being the "Church" as we go. Not as we try to squeeze it in our busy schedules. That would be our sole priority in our jobs, at school, on the road, in our homes, etc. He should be such an important part of our lives that it pours out to everyone around us. Then, when we gather for corporate worship we would worship collectively as one body, yes even with our youth, preschoolers, and children for an entire day being in awe before a King who gave it all. No time limits, no busy activities, no entertainment, and no ME involved at all. We would just be a group of sinners that are coming to worship with other sinners to praise our God for allowing us just one more day to be at His feet. Get it...Not about ME...It's all about Him.

- Julie

No one wants to fully renew their mind. That's what it would take. If that was done.....if we all could completely renew our mind of what worshiping God collectively as a body of believers (church gathering), if I could view church as a clean slate and go by what you said - what would it be like for me?

I wouldn't feel the often pressure to come up with a "snappy-great opening song" this Sunday! (As I'm sitting in my shop now about to plan this Sunday's service!).
The "geographical location of the epicenter of repentance" would be reformed. We have trained church members that you can only really be close to God this morning if you come to the altar. The altar is in our hearts, not carpeted steps. Public confession IS GOOD ---There is too much emphasis on the location and not the act of repentance.
the congregation would be treated (and would even ACT) as if they were actually "on the field" with the teaching pastor - not treated like they were "in the stands"....observing. the mentality is MERCENARY MINISTRY from the congregation - "We listen to you Pastor, we pay your salary and send YOU out to do the job we should be doing".
WE WOULD MEET DAILY! Wow.....talk about a world-changing thought! Acts 2:46.
WE WOULD WANT TO MEET DAILY together!
There would be no need for Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Car Insurance, AFLAC-duck Insurance.....if there was a need, the body would cover it. A death, the body would help out. A tragedy? The church body would step in and step up financially....car keys would be laid at the feet of others - "what's mine is yours"....

Daron

I read that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to help unite two separate churches in Corinth and unity is one lesson that we have not learned. Most of us live divided lives. We have our church life and church friends in one hand our work life and work friends in the other and our family lives are being juggled somewhere in between. We have also divided as a body of Christ. I wouldn’t attempt to list all of the different denominations of church that exist today. Instead of agreeing to disagree and parting ways we all should struggle to understand the unchanging Truth of the gospel and worship God united. God needs to be the force that ties every aspect of our lives together and we should feel united and connected with all Christian despite what church they go to.

- Clay

I know we need to rethink how we do a lot of things within the church, but we are often so busy maintaining the present structures that we don't.

- Daniel

A New Church For A New Year

2010-12-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine for a moment that you don’t know anything about cars, trains, planes, boats, bicycles, or anything else that relates to transportation. Now imagine that someone comes to you and says, “Hey, I need something that can take me from South Carolina to California in less than a week.” Would you come up with the modes of transportation as you now know them?? Or would it be just slightly possible that you’d have a completely different set of ideas about transportation????

Now, change gears for a minute. Imagine with me that you didn’t know anything about God, the Bible, Christianity, the Church, spiritual matters, faith, etc. Your mind is a blank slate. Then someone comes to you and says, “Here’s a book entitled ACTS. Read it fifty times and then write a 2 page summary of what the CHURCH is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to function.”

Know where I’m going? Yeah!!! The question now is this: Would your “CHURCH” look anything like it looks now or would it completely be different?

That’s an incredibly powerful question that deserves some serious thought. Seriously – would our typical Sunday morning worship service be what you’d come up with? Would your summary of the church look like what goes on each week in the average church?

I tend to believe that it would be WAYYYYYYY different! I would really love to know how you think the church would be different. I’m not doing this to see who’s reading this or not. I seriously want to get some feedback about how churches can get back to the LEGIT basics. Pass this blog link on to your friends and let them respond. Email your responses to me at bryan@fbcsaltillo.org

I’ll compile the list of all the responses and post them word for word in the next blog for us to see.

Maybe it’s time for God to revive His church.

Maybe it’s time for a new church in a new year!!

A Digital Christmas

2010-12-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Interesting how Christmas may have happened in 2010 huh? Merry Christmas!!!

Top 10 Reasons You Won't Set Goals For 2011

2010-12-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

That’s right!! You heard me! I bet you won’t do it!! I triple dog dare you!!!!

Here are my "Top 10" reasons why I believe you probably won't set goals for 2011.

10. UNAWARENESS: You ask, “Do I really need to have goals?”

9. APATHY: You’re probably content with your life as you know it.

8. BUSYNESS: You’ve got too much going on to even think about your goals.

7. FAILURE: You’ve never reached your previous goals.

6. SKEPTICISM: You think setting goals doesn’t really make a difference.

5. PASSIVITY: You never actually write your goals out.

4. LAZINESS: You say, “That takes to much time to think about.”

3. PROCRASTINATION: You know you really should, but you just don’t get around to it.

2. DOUBT: You think that you’ll forget them.

1. FEAR: You’re afraid you won’t keep them.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your PLANS will succeed.” Later in Scripture we are told, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen!” (2 Peter 3:18).

I don’t know about you, but I believe these verses and I believe God wants me to be proactive about growing into the person He wants me to be. It doesn’t happen automatically though. We've got to plan our growth!

Here are some areas to think about: Spiritual, family, financial, physical, personal growth, etc.

Come on now!! Prove me wrong!!!! Start working on some goals for 2011 !!!

Email Terrorism

2010-12-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Ever received an email with a subject line like “MAD AT YOU!!!!” or “PROBLEM WITH YOU”? Maybe someone was really nice and wrote “Concern” as the subject line. If it was from someone at church, the subject line may have even said, “Prayerfully.”

Isn’t that sweet?

Email terrorism happens when someone attacks you through email (or facebook, twitter, etc) instead of addressing their concerns face to face. In their warped thinking, some find it too easy to “speak their mind” in a way they’d never be brave enough for in person or for that matter, even over the phone.

I’ve found it so amazing in times past that after I’ve received a terrorist email, the same person is a lot nicer in person. That’s because email terrorists refuse to handle conflict in person. It’s much too easy to take pot shots from a safe distance.

Most of the time, these kinds of emails hurt the terrorist much more than they hurt the recipient. Instead of breaking out of their shell, they mistakenly build the walls of insecurity around them higher and higher. For the terrorist, learning how to properly deal with conflict in a spiritual manner (Matthew 18:15-17) produces perhaps the deepest character growth anyone can experience. It forces someone to face the fear of being extremely uncomfortable but facing our fears head on improves our character.

What should we do when we receive a terrorist email?

1. Do not respond to their direct concerns. Don’t even mention them!

2. Don’t turn into an email terrorist yourself. Love them like Jesus would love them.

3. Do not defend yourself by email.

4. Invite the person to come talk with you face to face about their concerns.

5. Do not waste your time emailing back and forth. It’s madness!

6. Drop the issue. Handle it when they come to you in person. My dad used to say, “Don’t let them get your goat!”

The Face Of Christ

2010-12-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Great video to remind us about compassion prevailing over concern for trash dumpsters!

Trash Dumpster Paradox - Part 2

2010-12-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, after the man’s comment about digging in our dumpster for aluminum cans, you’d think that maybe I gave him some cash right? Maybe I invited him to “come back anytime” to collect or cans? Maybe you thought I apologized. Or maybe you thought I was really super spiritual and invited the guy to church. If you really thought I was on my game, you would have thought that I would have shared the Gospel with him.

Unfortunately, I didn’t do any of that. I just simply said something like, “Oh. Ok. Have a good day.” Then I closed his door and off he drove. By the time I got back up to my office, God began strongly correcting me and teaching me some stuff:

1. Why is it that I feel like I have to right every wrong? (especially when it comes to saving trash dumpsters)

2. I don’t need to prejudge anyone. People in need have already had enough of that.

3. The face of the man in need is the face I don’t ever want to get out of my head again.

4. Did I push that man away from ever coming to our church?

5. Did I push that man away from ever coming to Jesus?

6. Will that man be in hell one day because I was more concerned about a stupid trash dumpster than I was about him?

I found myself praying for the next couple of days, “Lord, please give me another chance with that man. Just one more chance to beg him to forgive me and let him know that I acted horribly.” Which brings me to the last thing God hammered into my heart:

7. Sometimes you only get once chance to be the compassion of Jesus to a hurting person.

Chances are that we’ve all acted this way at some point in time. I think I’ll act differently next time. I hope so. God give us the compassion of Christ!

Trash Dumpster Paradox - Part 1

2010-12-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

ALERT!!!! Just last week, someone sabotaged the trash dumpster in the back of our church parking lot!!!! Someone came in the night and dumped countless bags of trash in a dumpster that was not theirs to use!! As I drove into the parking lot the next morning, I noticed trash piled up to the heavens from our dumpster – some even overflowing into the parking lot!! It looked like the Tower Of Babel made of black trash bags!!!

Someone would have to pay!!!!!

Fast-forward one week. Just two days ago, someone in the office looked out a window and said, “Hey! There’s someone at the dumpster.” I looked out my window and saw the “culprit” standing there at the dumpster and watched as he appeared to be adding more trash. Immediately, I flew out of my office and downstairs to catch the “criminal.” When I got into the parking lot, he began to drive off. But no! You can’t get away from me!!

So I ran and yelled . . . “Hey!!!! Stop!!!!” Eventually the man stopped his beaten down pickup truck. After he stopped, I instantly opened the passenger door to ask the man if he had been putting trash in “our” trash dumpster. After I got the question out of my mouth, I noticed the man’s face. It was the face of an older man that was filled with incredible pain. His face told me his answer before a word came from his lips. His face said, “Help!”

Then his voice said, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t dumping trash. I was just digging to find some aluminum cans so I could sell them.”

Like a dagger in my soul, I’ve been crushed because I’ve traded the compassion of Jesus for a vain attempt to “save the world of trash dumpsters.” The face of the needy man was the face of Christ. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

Draw your own conclusions and come back over the weekend for Part 2 of this story.

Christmas Priorities

2010-11-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

December just snuck up on me! A favorite Christmas song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” I think the song should say, “It’s the most busiest time of the year.” When it comes to Christmas, life gets crazy!! There are parades, rehearsals, parties, family get-togethers, presents to buy, trips to make, and terrible fruitcake to eat (some of you will visit some fruitcakes!!). At Christmas time, life speeds up from 5mph to 100mph.

My life is a constant struggle with “things to do.” Those who know me well can tell you that I keep a current list of things to do on my office desk. As a matter of fact, I think it has grown to be another limb on my body. Today there are 55 “things to do” on my list and the list will grow as the week continues. As I write this, I am reminded of what my priorities should be. Have I spent quality time alone with God? Have I spent quality time with my wife? Have I loved people? Have I spent time working on the gifts that God has given me?

Isn’t it strange how our “top priorities” get pushed aside for things that don’t really matter? It’s sad to think about how we let the urgent matters of life to come before the important matters of life. I read a quote in college that has stuck to me this day. It says, “If what you’re doing now won’t matter in five years, it probably isn’t worth doing at all.”

As the Christmas season begins, remember that Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33, NIV).

For more practical help with getting your priorities in order, check out http://www.marin.edu/~don/study/5time.html

Or read this really excellent book http://www.amazon.com/Goals-Everything-Faster-Thought-Possible/dp/1605094110/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291173517&sr=8-1

Lessons From A Broken Down Trailer

2010-11-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I saw something outrageously funny (true story). I was riding down the highway and just as I approached my exit, I noticed a horse trailer on the right hand side of the road. The closer I got, I noticed that the trailer was stacked up to the top with tires. I mean a lot of tires!!!

Now, can you even guess why this trailer was on the side of the road? Yep – you got it ….. a flat tire!! Now I don’t know about you, but I think that’s absolutely hilarious! I thought to myself, “With all of those tires that were available, why in the world didn’t he change the old tire that was bad?” Here's what I learned about change:

Change is necessary unless you want to wreck or be stranded on the side of the road.
Change will cost us something every time. It may be time, effort, money, comfort, and even other opportunities. Whoever owned the trailer must have had some reason for procrastinating and not changing that tire. Maybe it was because he was too busy washing his truck. I don’t know, but a nice clean truck still won’t do a good job hauling a trailer with a flat tire.
One change isn't enough. Changing one tire is never enough. In reality, new tires will eventually become old tires.
We must constantly monitor our need for change. We ought to be looking out for “thinning tires.” A good tire today may not be a good tire tomorrow.
Change gets us where we need to go. It keeps us on the road longer, straighter, and safer. Knowing that you have freshly changed tires can even give you a sense of stability.

So anyway, that’s both funny and ironic but yet it really helped me to understand the need for change. Now …. let’s go check our tires!

IT Is Coming!!!

2010-11-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

It happens at the end of every year. Sometimes you look forward to it. Sometimes you dread it. Sometimes you stay up late waiting for it to come. Sometimes you’re ready for it. Sometimes you’re not. For some, it’s a chance at new beginnings. For others, it’s just another “whoopty-do.”

Can you guess what “it” is? “It” is the New Year and as we used to say as kids, “Ready or not, here I come!” Whatever your feelings are towards a new year, only a few precious days remain until a brand new year of opportunities arrives.

Question #1: How is your life going to be different in 2011? Chances are that you haven’t even thought about it right???

Question #2: Are you seriously going to walk into it without plans for your life? Come on now . . . seriously! I’m not just talking about “resolutions.” I’m talking about the things that will matter in eternity that can only be accomplished in 2011 and can only be accomplished in your life. How is your spiritual life going to improve? Family life? Physical life? Financial life? Personal life? Church life?

I triple-dog dare you to go write some goals for your life. Go write down what you want to see God do in these areas of your life and review them regularly in 2011. Look at them every day! I bet you won’t do it!

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Prov. 16:3).