A little over a year ago, our family vacationed in New York City. One of our planned visits was to Ellis Island. I never realized how much time, effort, and resources went into the historical tracing of bloodlines coming to America. It is the coolest thing growing up Italian and from the city of New Orleans.
Friends, God looks at you and me with deeper meaning and purpose than what your last name is or what city you were born in. Our externals are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin or what your ethnic background is. It doesn’t matter how many weaknesses or flaws you have. You were made in the image of God. You come from a long line of champions in life.
Ponder this… Your heavenly Father spoke the universe into existence… Your family member Jesus Christ defeated the ultimate enemy of mankind, Satan… Think about the bloodline you come from and the feats they were a part of… Moses parted the Red Sea… David, a young boy, defeated the champion of warriors, Goliath… Daniel spent an entire night in a hostile cage of lions because he refused to compromise his allegiance… Nehemiah built a wall that provided security around Jerusalem when all the odds were against him… Queen Esther put her life on the line to save God’s people from genocide… You see, courage, strength, protection, determination, heroism, and sacrifice are in your bloodline.
The above are not random names from the Bible; they are part of an unbroken lineage of faith that comes down today to your life and mine. What God did in their lives, he wants to do in ours. You come from a bloodline of champions. You are not ordinary. On the inside of you are seeds of greatness. On the inside of you is champion after champion.
YOU ARE THE SEED OF ALMIGHTY GOD.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Celebrate Staff
I just wanted you to know that we had some staff-related communication issues. We want you to know that we are well. All is OK with the entire Celebrate Church staff.
Thank You.
Thank You.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Stepping Out of the Boat...
Have you ever been to a circus? I’ve only been to a few in my life. It is absolutely amazing the acrobatic stunts these circus performers attempt and succeed at and the faith and trust they exhibit. Like the trapeze artist who swings out holding on to the trapeze bar and then lets go in order to grab hold of another trapeze bar that swings and then back to the other side again. At one point during this exchange, they’re not holding on to any bar. The body and life are suspended in mid air for a split second. Have you ever felt like that in life? You feel like you are 180 feet above the ground with no net below and you are holding on to nothing.
God gives you a dream and the next step He wants you take. God is challenging you to do something about the dream He has deposited in you. Yet nothing is going to happen to that dream until you step out and put it into action. Just like that trapeze artist, you have to say, “I am going to go for it!” For every ten dreamers in the world, there is only one decision maker. A lot of people have dreams, and yet, they never get to step two – making the decision to trust God.
Faith is a verb. It is active not passive. It is something you do. Taking that step of faith requires two things: (1) You decide to lay it all on the line by saying, “God, you told me to do this, and I’m going to be faithful and do it.” (2) You cannot move forward in faith while holding onto the past. If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.
Like that trapeze artist, if you don’t let go and grab the vision God wants you to have, you’ll swing back. And what I’ve discovered is that when you swing back, you don’t swing back to the same platform, but to one lower. You see, God brings you to a point of decision, and your faith will build as you swing toward the dream God has given you.
God gives you a dream and the next step He wants you take. God is challenging you to do something about the dream He has deposited in you. Yet nothing is going to happen to that dream until you step out and put it into action. Just like that trapeze artist, you have to say, “I am going to go for it!” For every ten dreamers in the world, there is only one decision maker. A lot of people have dreams, and yet, they never get to step two – making the decision to trust God.
Faith is a verb. It is active not passive. It is something you do. Taking that step of faith requires two things: (1) You decide to lay it all on the line by saying, “God, you told me to do this, and I’m going to be faithful and do it.” (2) You cannot move forward in faith while holding onto the past. If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.
Like that trapeze artist, if you don’t let go and grab the vision God wants you to have, you’ll swing back. And what I’ve discovered is that when you swing back, you don’t swing back to the same platform, but to one lower. You see, God brings you to a point of decision, and your faith will build as you swing toward the dream God has given you.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Safe Zone...
As a pastor, I see more situations than I like that nobody should ever have to go through alone. Nobody should ever have to wait in the hospital alone while a loved one is in life-or-death surgery. Nobody should ever have to wait alone for the lab report on a problematic health condition. Nobody should ever have to wait for news alone regardless of the situation. Nobody should ever have to spend the first night alone when his or her spouse just walked out.
Life's tough times and tragedies are inevitable -- each of us will face them. But we don't need to go through them alone. We need God's SAFE ZONE to provide protection and support through these difficult times.
What is God's SAFE ZONE? It is a group of believers, Christ followers -- a handful of people who are really committed to you. We call this kind of group a community. Here's God's plan for community: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). Community is God's answer to despair. Community is God’s answer to life’s difficulties and tragedies. Romans 12:15 expresses it in these words: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
When you're going through a crisis, you just want somebody to be there to sit with you, hold your hand, put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with you. As Paul tells us, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Encouraging someone else doesn't always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence -- waiting and weeping with a friend.
Do you have a SAFE ZONE -- a group of fellow Christ followers you know you can count on in life's toughest times? If not, begin building those friendships. The hard times in life are inevitable. A safe zone is an everyday picture of DOING LIFE TOGETHER.
Life's tough times and tragedies are inevitable -- each of us will face them. But we don't need to go through them alone. We need God's SAFE ZONE to provide protection and support through these difficult times.
What is God's SAFE ZONE? It is a group of believers, Christ followers -- a handful of people who are really committed to you. We call this kind of group a community. Here's God's plan for community: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). Community is God's answer to despair. Community is God’s answer to life’s difficulties and tragedies. Romans 12:15 expresses it in these words: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
When you're going through a crisis, you just want somebody to be there to sit with you, hold your hand, put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with you. As Paul tells us, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Encouraging someone else doesn't always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence -- waiting and weeping with a friend.
Do you have a SAFE ZONE -- a group of fellow Christ followers you know you can count on in life's toughest times? If not, begin building those friendships. The hard times in life are inevitable. A safe zone is an everyday picture of DOING LIFE TOGETHER.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Time to Unlearn...
Instant oatmeal, easy mac and cheese, instant coffee, and getting in shape in 6 weeks are just a few of the instant things out there. God chooses a different path than the instant path. So naturally, we have a lot to learn and, at the same time, unlearn.
Although God could instantly transform us, He has chosen to develop us slowly. Jesus was intentional in developing His disciples. Just as God allowed the children of Israel to take over the promise land “little by little,” so they would not be overwhelmed, He chooses to work in incremental steps in our lives.
Why does it take so long to grow up? Number one, we are slow learners. God shows us, teaches us, and yet, how often do we find ourselves reverting back to old patterns of behavior? Number two, we have a lot to unlearn. It took years to break the situation and we want an instant fix. Since most of our problems – and all of our bad habits – didn’t develop overnight, it’s unrealistic to expect them to go away immediately.
There is no pill, prayer, or principle that will instantly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. Growth is often painful. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self defeating and self destructive because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable.
Every change involves loss of some kind, and yet you must let go of the old to experience the new. You must unlearn the past to learn a new future.
The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. Romans 13:12 (Message)
Although God could instantly transform us, He has chosen to develop us slowly. Jesus was intentional in developing His disciples. Just as God allowed the children of Israel to take over the promise land “little by little,” so they would not be overwhelmed, He chooses to work in incremental steps in our lives.
Why does it take so long to grow up? Number one, we are slow learners. God shows us, teaches us, and yet, how often do we find ourselves reverting back to old patterns of behavior? Number two, we have a lot to unlearn. It took years to break the situation and we want an instant fix. Since most of our problems – and all of our bad habits – didn’t develop overnight, it’s unrealistic to expect them to go away immediately.
There is no pill, prayer, or principle that will instantly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. Growth is often painful. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self defeating and self destructive because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable.
Every change involves loss of some kind, and yet you must let go of the old to experience the new. You must unlearn the past to learn a new future.
The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. Romans 13:12 (Message)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Free is Not Free
It is the 4th of July weekend, and all across our incredible nation celebrations are taking place. Even in our own community, there will be a huge party celebrating freedom! Yet the freedom we celebrate was not free - it cost. It cost lives, someone’s love, undivided devotion, and selfless acts of service.
Did you know that we are commanded to serve? Jesus was unmistakable and not apologetic in His words to those desiring to follow Him. "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life." (Matthew 20:28 LB). For a follower of Christ, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came "to serve" and "to give"— and these two verbs should define our life on earth.
Jesus taught that spiritual maturity and growth is never an end in itself. Maturity is an opportunity for service to minister! We grow up in order to give. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation.
Before we feel the urge to go to another Bible study or spiritual meeting, I encourage you to find a place to give out what you have. We already know far more than we are putting into practice. What we need are serving opportunities in which we can exercise our spiritual muscles. Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we're more interested in "serve us" than service. We say, "I'm looking for a church that meets my needs” not, "I'm looking for a place to serve and be a blessing."
The mature follower of Jesus moves from asking, "Who's going to meet my needs?" and starts asking, "Whose needs can I meet?”
Did you know that we are commanded to serve? Jesus was unmistakable and not apologetic in His words to those desiring to follow Him. "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life." (Matthew 20:28 LB). For a follower of Christ, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came "to serve" and "to give"— and these two verbs should define our life on earth.
Jesus taught that spiritual maturity and growth is never an end in itself. Maturity is an opportunity for service to minister! We grow up in order to give. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation.
Before we feel the urge to go to another Bible study or spiritual meeting, I encourage you to find a place to give out what you have. We already know far more than we are putting into practice. What we need are serving opportunities in which we can exercise our spiritual muscles. Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we're more interested in "serve us" than service. We say, "I'm looking for a church that meets my needs” not, "I'm looking for a place to serve and be a blessing."
The mature follower of Jesus moves from asking, "Who's going to meet my needs?" and starts asking, "Whose needs can I meet?”
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