Ladies, there are only 3 openings left for this round of leadership training.

I thought I would make another attempt at a post.  So if this works it will be a minor miracle!  Last time I tried I wrote out a fairly lengthy blog only to lose it for no understandable reason.

I have felt sooo busy of late.  I’ve said this before but it really does feel like 3 weeks between Sundays to me.  My days seem jam-packed with so much.  Anyway…  I’m seeking the Lord’s direction as to what He is calling me to do with respect to most effectively ministering to college students.  I have spoken to many of you and it sounds like everyone is happy in Jesus with all of the changes.  However, I’m already noticing a little disconnectedness with the changes as far as my interaction with you is concerned.  Please be in prayer about how we are to connect both with one another as well as with the Body overall.

Another thing…  We just finished Phase 2 with the guys which means it is now time to start Phase 2 with the ladies.  We had waaayyyy too many ladies in Phase 1 of leadership to allow all of them in this first round of Phase 2.  Phase 2 needs to be about half as many ladies due to the level of interaction we have to have with one another.  So here’s what I’m going to do.  The first 12 ladies to email me will be in the first round of Phase 2.  Numbers 13 - on will have to wait until this first group goes through.  Another thing that interests me to find out…  Who will actually read this and tell their friends?  Who will be first???  This little note is hidden away in a blog that hasn’t been attended to in three weeks.  Will anyone actually discover it?  How long will it take them?

Tomorrow morning I am going to our Midtown campus where my friend Sam Miles is.  God is doing a great work in Midtown but the believers there need our help.  Tomorrow morning for a couple of hours, myself, along with those of you who will, are going to work together to help clean and prepare their facility for a community outreach event coming next month.  They will take whatever time we can provide them.  If it is for a half hour, hour, or a few hours, it will be much appreciated and used of the Lord to see that preparations are in place for what the Lord wants to do in October.  I pray that you will allow yourself to be inconvenienced for the Lord and His mission to see this take place.  Hope to see you there!

Last night at prayer Chris Ruzicka made a comment regarding the radical changes that were made starting last Sunday.  (Just as a reminder, Chris is the assistant building manager at the church, not to mention our new Jr. High Pastor, and so he is among the first to have to deal with complaints.)  He said that there was not even one negative comment from Sunday’s services.  This was a “Wow, God did that!” type of a comment.  When you consider the time changes, the changes in our music, the fellowship venues that have changed, etc., it is a testimony of how when God is in something, He takes care of all of the details.

Speaking of changes, not only has our college ministry, now called FOCUS, changed from strictly a college class to a college and young singles emphasis, the place and time has also changed.  We now meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:45.  In addition, we now pray at the Point at 8:30 am on Sunday mornings, not 8:00 am.  And, by the way, what a blessing prayer was last Sunday morning.  We had the upper room nearly full.

I hope you are feeling encouraged with all that the Lord is doing in our midst.  Let’s continue to make the choice to believe His promises toward us and press forward in confident faith.  He has an agenda that He will fulfill.  It’s not our job to do the work but rather to trust in His work.  It’s not us working FOR Him but rather us working FROM Him.  That makes our job quite simple.  Just believe and obey!

     I was just thinking about an illustration about priorities my wife gave to her t-ball team many years ago… The jar represents your life and limited time for today.  The rocks are your priorities.  The sand is the “small stuff” in life that we often allow to dominate our lives.  (You only bring enough rocks and sand that will fill the jar.)  You start by putting the sand (the small stuff in our lives) in the jar and then try to fit the rocks.  It is impossible.  But then you start over by placing the rocks (the priorities of life) in the jar first.  What you find is that the sand will fit nicely and neatly around the rocks and the jar is complete.

     Each one of us needs to examine our own “jar” and determine if we are making our time count.  The Bible teaches us to “redeem the time.”  Are we allowing the smaller issues of life to prevent us from fulfilling the most important ones?  Make sure that the Rock is first and don’t allow the sand to shut God out.  As you place Him in the forefront of your day you will find the sand fitting nicely and neatly all around the Rock.  And if there is any sand that won’t fit in your jar I can assure you that you are better off without it.  And I can assure you as well that the Lord will flood your soul with joy as you declare Him worthy with your life choices. 

     God bless you as you examine what parts of your life are the rocks and what part is the sand.  Just don’t forget THE ROCK!  Love you guys and have a great day today.

I was challenged to write a journal entry about what I want my legacy to be.  When you get to the end of your life and people begin to talk about what your life was about, what do you want them to say?  What do you want the reality of your life to have been?  What do you want to be known for?  Here’s what I came up for myself…   When I get to the end I want the following 10 things to be true of my life:

1.  That I knew God and walked with God.  That I pursued God.

2.  Christ was magnified in my body…  That it wasn’t my life that was lived out but that of Christ’s.  His power and love and truth was apparent in my life.

3.  I had a genuine humility in seeking Christ’s exaltation and not my own.  I was desperate to see Christ look good.

4.  I lived a life of integrity consistent with God’s Word.  What was written of me in God’s Word was true in my life.

5.  Sincerity.

6.  I lived a passionate life.  I loved God with all that I was and my neighbor as much as myself.

7.  I was diligent.

8.  I was a student of God’s Word who “studied to show myself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

9.  I was a husband and father who loved and equipped my family.  My life provoked my sons to be men of God, Spirit-filled believers who were passionate God-chasers,  men of integrity who saw Christ magnified in and through their lives as they bore much fruit that remained.

10.  I was a saint who committed the Word of God to faithful men who were able and ready and committed and effective in discipling others to do the same.

     What would your top ten be?

     There is an idea that has intrigued me of late and I wanted to throw it out to you.  Here are the two verses that sparked it in me…

Luke 22:22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 

Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

The context of the passage in Luke is Jesus betrayal.  He is getting reading to be betrayed and He says in essence:  “It has been predetermined in eternity past that I would be betrayed but woe to the man that betrays me.”  The context of the John passage is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Interestingly enough, even though Jesus is miles away, He already knows Lazarus is dead and He already knows He is going to raise him up from the dead.  How did He know? - The easy answer is “Because He is God.”  But go a little deeper into it.  He knew because there was a plan already in place. 

     Here is the point I want to bring out this morning…  These things were predetermined to take place!  This was Jesus’ mission - to fulfill what had already been predetermined that He do.  It was already mapped out for Him.  It had already been decided in Heaven what He would do and He did it.  Jesus was simply fulfilling what had already been written of Him in centuries past in the Old Testament. 

     The question for us this morning is this:  What has been predetermined for us to accomplish for today?  I believe God has a plan for the day and we can cooperate with His predetermined plan for our lives today or not.  It’s our choice.  But there has already been something mapped out for us to do!  And I mean for us as individuals!  I’m not referring to the things that are true of all Christians.  I’m referring to the idea that each individual has a plan specific to who he/she is. 

     Someone may be wondering…  “But how do I fulfill this plan?  I don’t want to not do what God wants me to do today.”  The answer to that question is simple.  Just a couple of things to consider…  First, seek Him.  Spend time alone with God communing with Him asking Him for direction for your life today.  Secondly, abide.  Just actively know His Presence and live in that confident yielding.  We can’t miss God’s plan for our lives today if these things happen in our lives.

     God, Please don’t allow us to miss what You have planned out for us today.  May what has been predetermined for our lives today play out in our lives today.  May we fulfill Your plan for our lives and bring You glory.  We confess that we can’t do any of it in the power of the self-life.  And we don’t want to try to pound it out either.  We just want to diligently abide in You and see You have Your way in and through our lives.  You are worthy!

Tonight is our next installment of Worship Wednesday at the Point at 7 pm.  It is going to be a good time.  We have folks driving in from North KC, Iola, and Liberty.  As a matter of fact, there are 2 buses coming in from Liberty.  It should be a great time tonight.  Be there if you can make it happen.

Last night we had an awesome time of prayer.  Every Tuesday night in the Upper Room of the Point @ 7 pm we pray as a church body.  This is one of those things that impacts the heavenlies and brings God’s will down to man.  This is one of those things that not only changes the landscape of Heaven but also the landscape of our schools and society at large.  God answers prayer and I believe He wants all of us to come together as a Body to pray.  My prayer is that you will make praying with your brothers and sisters in Christ a priority of priorities.

Just checking in with everyone to let you know Kelly and I are on vacation this week.  We are being treated by my parents this week at Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks.  We’ve been having fun in the sun with our three boys.  Yesterday we spent the day at one of their outdoor pools with a water slide.  I had Matthew and Jonathan who went down the slide with me several times.  I found myself coming to the end of the slide trying to hold up Jonathan so that he wouldn’t go under water in the receiving pool.  In the process, I had a couple of different times when water went up my nose, down my throat, and into my stomach.  Fun!!!

Last night both my folks and my family hooked up with the Perry’s who also happen to be on vacation at Lake of the Ozarks.  They are about 15 minutes away from us so we all went out on the boat with them and then rode on their jet skis.  It was good to be able to spend some additional time with them as well.

Anyway, we are having fun.  Right now Kelly took our boys down to play some video games at the main lodge while I am left at the cottage to read.  Hope you are all well.

I’ll see you guys on Sunday!

In my reading this morning from Matthew 17 I was reminded of a principle we teach to our Phase 4 leadership men. In Matthew 17 you see what is referred to as the “Mount of Transfiguration.” Jesus takes with Him Peter, James, and John and is “transfigured” before their eyes. In other words, He allows them to see His bright, magnificent glory. At the same time, Moses and Elijah showed up to talk to Jesus.

What struck me this morning was the presence of Moses and Elijah. I mean… Here they are! And exactly where they should be… And in God’s Presence… And everything turned out for them perfectly… And yet, look at the difficulties they both faced during their time on earth. Both men had times in their life where they were so frustrated that they asked God to kill them. AND YET THEY DIDN’T QUIT. Both men were greatly outnumbered by those who wanted them dead during their life times. AND YET THEY DIDN’T QUIT. Both men gave themselves over to the Lord and His work during their life times in spite of those who campaigned vigorously against them and their ministry. AND YET THEY DIDN’T QUIT. Both men had times of failure in their life times. AND YET THEY DIDN’T QUIT.

Leadership principle: It’s okay to fail. It’s just not okay to quit. - These men kept going. The point is simple… Everyone fails. Just don’t quit.  The only way a believer can lose in the next life is to quit in this life.  So just don’t quit!