A shout out to team Fusion

Okay just a quick step away from the handling challenges. Tonight one of my activities was to stop in and say hi at a Fall Harvest Party that 60 or so attended from Christ Fellowship's Singles Ministry (Fusion) at the church I serve at. I had the honor of starting this group up from scratch a year and a half ago and now there is a strong core team of 20 or so leaders developed, leading teams themselves. Onto this idea of producing reproducers, I just stepped down as Director a couple weeks ago so to watch this leadership team in action tonight was a blast! Exhilirating really! It was so fun to watch. I built the team to give it away. And I must say, it worked. I truly believe the best days of ministry are the ones when we give stuff away! Jesus did it so well and I imagine He was so proud! I am of the team God helped us form. Now it looks like it is going to multiply at two of our other campuses as two of our leaders want to do this, and form their own teams! Exponential and transformational! What a great thing to be a part of! One of the reasons I know I was created to be and do!

How do you live during life's challenges?

Challenges - trials - tragedy - We cannot avoid them try as hard as we may, and we do try hard. Making great choices helps but not complelely. Doing your best to control others (I know you don't do it but others do) control enviornements around you only gets you stressed out and prideful over others who are in difficult situations. But there are times when you have absolutely no control over how and when and even why challenges come your way. Did Job? What he got for being the most righteous man during his life was perhaps the hardest challenge of anyone I've read or heard about.

Here are a couple quotes to chew on;

"Hope is the language of faith when evidence of God's care and presence does not seem clear to us." Brennan Manning.

And again from Brennan;

"Hope knows that if great trials are avoided, great deeds remain undone and the possibility of growth into greatness of soul is aborted. Pessisim and defeatism are never the fruit of the life giving spirit but rather reveal our unawareness of present risen-ness."

Wow! Instead of avoiding challenges they should be seen as pathways of character building and greater intimacy with God. There are no shortcuts to great faith. "And without faith it is impossible to please God." I am not saying ask God for challenges, yet we can embrace them rather hurry through them. I am finding the deepest and most intimate times with God (and isn't that the goal?) are when I am faced with the greatest challenges of my life. I think I will make this a discussion topic this week. Here is a verse for you to ponder as you think about these quotes as well, for scriptures are even better than great quotes from deep people.

Romans 15:13 "may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Lots to meditate on there huh? Until tomorrow! Or tonight!

The Be with Principle

Okay so in my last post I talked about how Jesus took 12guys for 3 years and even in His presence for the most part they did not truly "get" who He was. It was only after He ascended and the Holy Spirit came and then commissioned that they became world changers and went from fearful to fearless. One of the sad things about today's discipleship/spiritual growth is the lost aspect of being with people. We are all in process and yes there are things to study and discuss (absolutely necessary) and scripture totally supports and promotes it. But...what is sort of lost and to be honest even lost in scriptures is Jesus' building relationship with His followers. Not much is really written about this. I wonder why. 3 years together day after day and much of those details are left out. These people left everything to follow Him and His mission for all eternity hindged on these 12 for the 3 years. Regardless of what is not written, Jesus took time to build up and in and later through these people. So, what does that mean for you and I when it comes to the great commisson. We know the first part..."go into all the world and preach the truth, baptizing and make disciples... but look next, "teaching them to obey everything I have taught you and I am with you until the end of things here on earth as you know them." This is HUGE!!! We live in a Biblically illiterate Christian age and believers moral standards and lifestyles (according to a lot of studies/polls) are not that different than un-believers. I believe it's due to these two aspects. The lack of being with and building deep relationship and teaching people everything Jesus taught and that we need to obey it. Discuss!!!

Passion vs. Emotion

I have some passions, and so do you! But life can bury them can't they? I was talking to my foxhole buddy Tim last night about desire. It took him a couple minutes to come up with the things he was truly passionate about, that he truly desired for life. Those passions and desires get lost in surviving financially, our jobs and relationships and time goes so stinkin' fast that before you know it another week has passed, another month and another year. What do we have to show for it? I am realizing that the few things I am passionate about will either get buried (along with me) or I will fight hard and pursue them. It takes so much effort however to keep them in front of me long enough to do something about them. Emotional events/moments last a day or week at best, but true passion can and should last a lifetime. They should define us! Do they? Let me briefly share one of mine. Producing Reproducers. I heard Dr. Dann Spader share this at a training conference run by Sonlife Ministries that Dann founded and ran. Dann and some guy named Bill Hybels were running Son City in suburban Chicago in the early 70's and Bill went on to start WillowCreek Church and the WillowCreek Association, Dann instead used their philosphy of ministry and used it to train Youth Workers. Both used the same model. I look at Jesus' life and how he took 12 guys (not the type of men we would have chosen) and took 3 years (we like instant) and added with the Holy Spirit transformed the world. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus then one day you and I will be able to trace our spiritual roots to one of those 12 Apostles. I can't wait. On the trail behind us, people we lead to Christ will have to go through us in their roots to the 12. Frankly, I am hoping, praying and trying to do something about that being a really, really long line. Next post I will begin to share my thoughts on how that can be done today!