3/30/11
ARC All Access 2011 Almost here
Next Tuesday, April 5 @ 4 p.m. will kick off the annual ARC AllAccess2011 Conference at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. Always a highlight of my year. With Billy Hornsby's passing, this year will be bittersweet but better than ever. It's been gatherings like these that have helped to shape me personally and our church for the best. I always expect the Lord to use those who are speaking to challenge, change, and encourage me and it always happens. I love catching up with pastor friends from all over the nation and hearing what is going on in their world. Can't wait, wouldn't miss it, see you there. Check out this video
3/24/11
How do I deal with pain?
I learned something about pain this morning. Today is my usual cardio day but when I woke and began to move around my right foot had this dull pain. My 1st thought was that I'd better not run because I don't want to make it worse, right? My wife even gave me the same advice, but I decided to try to run because I needed the cardio. Amazingly, as I began to run the pain began to subside, in fact, the more I ran the better my foot felt. I thought I'd just do half my normal distance but I felt so good that I ended up doing my normal distance run. So what? Here's what I learned.
1. You can't stop just because it hurts.
Think about it, if it hurts when you chew, what are you going to do? Stop chewing? No way, you and I, we like to chew. The pain let's you know that there is a problem in your mouth. You have no intentions of quitting chewing in this lifetime. You see someone who can fix the issue in your mouth, often involving more pain: shots, drilling, $$$.
So what happens when it hurts to love, to commit, to attend, to talk about things in our lives? Many deal with pain by shutting down and quitting, which is totally opposite to what we should be doing. I don't like pain any better than the next guy, but I'm learning that pain is the way to healing. Think about this.
2. Do the thing that hurts, and keep doing it or lose it.
I've watched my son deal with some minor pains he suffered from the sports he's involved in. One method of healing is to send them to a physical therapist. I've never had to see one, but from visiting people who do and hearing their stories I've developed this theory. Physical therapist are descendants of the medieval dungeon masters and have learned the ancient torture techniques. Not really, but their job is to make you move the stuff that hurts. Injured a knee playing basketball, have the minor surgery and then see the dungeon master where they make you bend it even though IT HURTS. See they know if movement is not restored then you may never get it back. Spiritual therapist do the same thing. They constantly challenge you to confront the pain in your life knowing that true life exists on the other side of your pain. Have you ever ask yourself, "Why is so hard to ______? Move on, love again, trust again, forgive, risk again, believe again, you choose what applies to you. It can be painful, but your healing is to go through the pain and do it anyway.
3. No pain, no gain.
...Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2
Jesus is our example to help us in our faith. Why do we endure the pain of re-engaging, because of the joy that's waiting on you. Jesus could never have taken His seat at the Father's side if He wouldn't have endured the pain of the cross. Pain is necessary in your life to bring you to the place God has for you. We are going to endure pain, there is no way around it, but the pain is not the end, it's the pathway to the prize. Whatever is painful in your life today, it's not the end, but it's a path. Endure the pain of believing again, of forgiving, of loving, of serving again and know that joy is waiting for you on the other side of your pain.
1. You can't stop just because it hurts.
Think about it, if it hurts when you chew, what are you going to do? Stop chewing? No way, you and I, we like to chew. The pain let's you know that there is a problem in your mouth. You have no intentions of quitting chewing in this lifetime. You see someone who can fix the issue in your mouth, often involving more pain: shots, drilling, $$$.
So what happens when it hurts to love, to commit, to attend, to talk about things in our lives? Many deal with pain by shutting down and quitting, which is totally opposite to what we should be doing. I don't like pain any better than the next guy, but I'm learning that pain is the way to healing. Think about this.
2. Do the thing that hurts, and keep doing it or lose it.
I've watched my son deal with some minor pains he suffered from the sports he's involved in. One method of healing is to send them to a physical therapist. I've never had to see one, but from visiting people who do and hearing their stories I've developed this theory. Physical therapist are descendants of the medieval dungeon masters and have learned the ancient torture techniques. Not really, but their job is to make you move the stuff that hurts. Injured a knee playing basketball, have the minor surgery and then see the dungeon master where they make you bend it even though IT HURTS. See they know if movement is not restored then you may never get it back. Spiritual therapist do the same thing. They constantly challenge you to confront the pain in your life knowing that true life exists on the other side of your pain. Have you ever ask yourself, "Why is so hard to ______? Move on, love again, trust again, forgive, risk again, believe again, you choose what applies to you. It can be painful, but your healing is to go through the pain and do it anyway.
3. No pain, no gain.
...Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2
Jesus is our example to help us in our faith. Why do we endure the pain of re-engaging, because of the joy that's waiting on you. Jesus could never have taken His seat at the Father's side if He wouldn't have endured the pain of the cross. Pain is necessary in your life to bring you to the place God has for you. We are going to endure pain, there is no way around it, but the pain is not the end, it's the pathway to the prize. Whatever is painful in your life today, it's not the end, but it's a path. Endure the pain of believing again, of forgiving, of loving, of serving again and know that joy is waiting for you on the other side of your pain.
How do I deal with does pain?
I learned something about pain this morning. Today is my usual cardio day but when I woke and began to move around my right foot had this dull pain. My 1st thought was that I'd better not run because I don't want to make it worse, right? My wife even gave me the same advice, but I decided to try to run because I needed the cardio. Amazingly, as I began to run the pain began to subside, in fact, the more I ran the better my foot felt. I thought I'd just do half my normal distance but I felt so good that I ended up doing my normal distance run. So what? Here's what I learned.
1. You can't stop just because it hurts.
Think about it, if it hurts when you chew, what are you going to do? Stop chewing? No way, you and I, we like to chew. The pain let's you know that there is a problem in your mouth. You have no intentions of quitting chewing in this lifetime. You see someone who can fix the issue in your mouth, often involving more pain: shots, drilling, $$$.
So what happens when it hurts to love, to commit, to attend, to talk about things in our lives? Many deal with pain by shutting down and quitting, which is totally opposite to what we should be doing. I don't like pain any better than the next guy, but I'm learning that pain is the way to healing. Think about this.
2. Do the thing that hurts, and keep doing it or lose it.
I've watched my son deal with some minor pains he suffered from the sports he's involved in. One method of healing is to send them to a physical therapist. I've never had to see one, but from visiting people who do and hearing their stories I've developed this theory. Physical therapist are descendants of the medieval dungeon masters and have learned the ancient torture techniques. Not really, but their job is to make you move the stuff that hurts. Injured a knee playing basketball, have the minor surgery and then see the dungeon master where they make you bend it even though IT HURTS. See they know if movement is not restored then you may never get it back. Spiritual therapist do the same thing. They constantly challenge you to confront the pain in your life knowing that true life exists on the other side of your pain. Have you ever ask yourself, "Why is so hard to ______? Move on, love again, trust again, forgive, risk again, believe again, you choose what applies to you. It can be painful, but your healing is to go through the pain and do it anyway.
3. No pain, no gain.
...Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2
Jesus is our example to help us in our faith. Why do we endure the pain of re-engaging, because of the joy that's waiting on you. Jesus could never have taken His seat at the Father's side if He wouldn't have endured the pain of the cross. Pain is necessary in your life to bring you to the place God has for you. We are going to endure pain, there is no way around it, but the pain is not the end, it's the pathway to the prize. Whatever is painful in your life today, it's not the end, but it's a path. Endure the pain of believing again, of forgiving, of loving, of serving again and know that joy is waiting for you on the other side of your pain.
1. You can't stop just because it hurts.
Think about it, if it hurts when you chew, what are you going to do? Stop chewing? No way, you and I, we like to chew. The pain let's you know that there is a problem in your mouth. You have no intentions of quitting chewing in this lifetime. You see someone who can fix the issue in your mouth, often involving more pain: shots, drilling, $$$.
So what happens when it hurts to love, to commit, to attend, to talk about things in our lives? Many deal with pain by shutting down and quitting, which is totally opposite to what we should be doing. I don't like pain any better than the next guy, but I'm learning that pain is the way to healing. Think about this.
2. Do the thing that hurts, and keep doing it or lose it.
I've watched my son deal with some minor pains he suffered from the sports he's involved in. One method of healing is to send them to a physical therapist. I've never had to see one, but from visiting people who do and hearing their stories I've developed this theory. Physical therapist are descendants of the medieval dungeon masters and have learned the ancient torture techniques. Not really, but their job is to make you move the stuff that hurts. Injured a knee playing basketball, have the minor surgery and then see the dungeon master where they make you bend it even though IT HURTS. See they know if movement is not restored then you may never get it back. Spiritual therapist do the same thing. They constantly challenge you to confront the pain in your life knowing that true life exists on the other side of your pain. Have you ever ask yourself, "Why is so hard to ______? Move on, love again, trust again, forgive, risk again, believe again, you choose what applies to you. It can be painful, but your healing is to go through the pain and do it anyway.
3. No pain, no gain.
...Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2
Jesus is our example to help us in our faith. Why do we endure the pain of re-engaging, because of the joy that's waiting on you. Jesus could never have taken His seat at the Father's side if He wouldn't have endured the pain of the cross. Pain is necessary in your life to bring you to the place God has for you. We are going to endure pain, there is no way around it, but the pain is not the end, it's the pathway to the prize. Whatever is painful in your life today, it's not the end, but it's a path. Endure the pain of believing again, of forgiving, of loving, of serving again and know that joy is waiting for you on the other side of your pain.
3/23/11
Why are some sins so hard to break?
I guess I’ll just go ahead and say it, some sins are hard to break because we love them. There, I said it. I spoke yesterday about those things God delivered me from when I decided to live for Him. I hated those sins, tried to stop on my own and was powerless to change myself even though I knew those things were taking me down a bad road. Then Jesus delivered me. Instant freedom.
What if freedom doesn’t come instantly? You know I’ve dealt with my fair share of those issues too. Here is what I’m feeling:
God’s answer to sins we love is sanctification.
Don’t get bent out of shape over that really long churchy word: sanctification. It just means the process by which God makes us holy or different. Several things to help you through this:
1. Admit there may be sins that you love.
Proverbs 17:19 (NLT)
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; …
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
Is it possible to love sins? Yes, but it’s because we love something else, ourselves. When you love something it’s very difficult to change. If you love eating ice cream, it’s tough to eat a healthy alternative even if you know you need to do it. Sins we love are sins that make our flesh happy. Maybe unforgiveness has become your defense in a bad relationship. Or maybe abusing alcohol or drugs has become your way of dealing with the stress in your life, you know it’s wrong but are powerless to change it. It meets a need that you have, but brings a negative consequence emotionally and spiritually. God has an answer and it’s to be sanctified.
2. Get into His process oriented growth track.
Sanctification is the PROCESS of God working in us to make us like Jesus: holy, purposeful, life-giving, powerful, fun, alive. Process is just step-by-step, one foot in front of the other stuff. If you can’t get used to the whole idea of process, then you’ll never understand how God is going to renew your mind to transform you. Most of the miracles Jesus did were of the deliverance variety, for those with issues they hated. Jesus called 12 men to journey with Him so that they might be more like Him through that process of discipleship or walking with Him so they could be like Him. Those 12 had their fair share of issues too: selfish, faithless, petty, elitist. When it comes to the sins we love, we don’t change overnight. We are changed by being sanctified, by the whole process of being part of a local church. Sanctification doesn’t happen only in solitude, but also in community. God uses it all: personal devotions, preaching, friends, small group, serving, reading, prayer, worship, correction, failure, success, all of it.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
If God ever changes the way you think about “unforgiveness” so that you see it the way He sees it, you will make the choice in faith to forgive. He may use a sermon or a friendship to help you see. You will be transformed. You will be more like Jesus.
3. Connect with people and watch the healing begin.
Too often, we just won’t get into the process so that the sins we love can be challenged. Consider that God made our physical bodies to heal themselves when we are damaged. The body of Christ has great value to bring healing to you just because you are a part of it.
James 5:16 (NLT)
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you are somehow less of a believer because of where you are in your walk with Christ. We are all in the process of becoming more like Jesus. You want to grow? You want to change? You want to see freedom at a new level? Get into the life of your church. Take a new step of faith to serve, attend, worship, join a small group, get in the growth track and watch how God works in your life.
Remember the man that was delivered from demons in Mark 5? After Jesus set him free, the man begged to go with Jesus but Jesus told him "No". Jesus told him to go back and tell his family what God had done in his life. I think there was probably some family issues there, I mean who gets a legion of demons without a bad home life? Father issues, friend issues, emotional issues, community issues, he probably had them all. I mean those people chained him up in a cemetery. Yet Jesus knew he needed to stay and deal with the people and the issues in his life rather than run away to people who didn't know his story. He was free from the demons(delivered) now he needed to be free from all the other stuff and so do we. See you in church, the best healing venue in the world.
3/22/11
This is why some sins are so easy to break.
In thinking about my own experience in finding Christ, I want to share some thoughts about how we get where we are and how we get where we want to go. When I came to Christ in Sept. 1985, I was in a very bad place while attending LSU. All the things I was involved in were starting to weigh me down and in addition to running from the call of God on my life contributed to the fact that I was living with no peace of mind, heart or soul. I needed God.
When I responded to that call given by Peggy Richards that night, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my back. The call was actually for those who felt destined for ministry and that had been the thing that I had run from. Instantly, several sins that had dominated my life fell off of me that night. I didn't realize it that night but I just never went back to them. I never drank alcohol or smoked marijuana again after responding to God's call on my life. It was so easy, I didn't struggle, I didn't have to battle, I was just free. It was awesome, and I thought everything in my life was going to be just that easy. I found out that it wasn't and so my journey began. My journey to understand me, to understand why, and to understand how I was going to be what God had called me to be.
I had tried often to stop smoking weed and drinking. In fact, it had gotten to the point where I hated those things in my life and what they were doing to me. I knew the weed was robbing me of ambition and drive and I just hated the taste of alcohol, but drank for the buzz. What had begun as something fun was now my prison. I hated them but couldn't stop. That's when God delivered me from them. We need deliverance from those things we feel imprisoned by. No matter how they begin at some point they grab us and won't let us go.
Psalm 144:11 Rescue me, save me from the power of my enemies.....
Paul said this: "Romans 7:24 (NLT)
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Deliverance is God's answer to the sins that bind us, those sins we've grown to hate because of what they do to us. I really believe that God will deliver you just like He did for me when you come to Him humbly and ask for help. You could do that right where you are right now. Tomorrow I'll talk about those sins that don't fall off immediately. I think it's because those sins are the ones we love.
When I responded to that call given by Peggy Richards that night, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my back. The call was actually for those who felt destined for ministry and that had been the thing that I had run from. Instantly, several sins that had dominated my life fell off of me that night. I didn't realize it that night but I just never went back to them. I never drank alcohol or smoked marijuana again after responding to God's call on my life. It was so easy, I didn't struggle, I didn't have to battle, I was just free. It was awesome, and I thought everything in my life was going to be just that easy. I found out that it wasn't and so my journey began. My journey to understand me, to understand why, and to understand how I was going to be what God had called me to be.
I had tried often to stop smoking weed and drinking. In fact, it had gotten to the point where I hated those things in my life and what they were doing to me. I knew the weed was robbing me of ambition and drive and I just hated the taste of alcohol, but drank for the buzz. What had begun as something fun was now my prison. I hated them but couldn't stop. That's when God delivered me from them. We need deliverance from those things we feel imprisoned by. No matter how they begin at some point they grab us and won't let us go.
Psalm 144:11 Rescue me, save me from the power of my enemies.....
- God will deliver you from those things in life that have become your enemies.
- Those are the sins that you hate because you hate what they do to you even though you may feel powerless to break them but you hate them.
- God delivered Lot from destruction, and we know Lot disagreed with the lifestyle he saw there.
- David often prayed for deliverance.
Paul said this: "Romans 7:24 (NLT)
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Deliverance is God's answer to the sins that bind us, those sins we've grown to hate because of what they do to us. I really believe that God will deliver you just like He did for me when you come to Him humbly and ask for help. You could do that right where you are right now. Tomorrow I'll talk about those sins that don't fall off immediately. I think it's because those sins are the ones we love.
3/9/11
Stumps become seeds
Today I woke up and was troubled and feeling anxious. I got up very early and would normally maybe turn on Sports Center to divert me from my thoughts till my normal time to wake up. Today I opened my Bible and read in Isaiah this verse:
Is. 6:13
..but as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel's stump will be a seed.
What is a stump? It's what's left when a tree gets cut down. I began to think about the things in my life that I have felt like were cut down. Do you have anything in your life that resembles a stump? A marriage cut short, a job where you were terminated prematurely, a relationship that was ended before you were ready?
Stumps can become the seeds of what God wants to do in our lives. Just because you've had a "cutting down" in an area of life doesn't mean that there is ho hope. God sees your stumps as seeds. Where we tend to see what was, He sees what can be again. Virtually everyone I know has a stump somewhere in our lives. The greatness of our God is that a stump is not the end, but can be the beginning of something new, better and part of God's plan for our lives.
I travelled to Israel around 2000, and in the Garden of Gethsemane there was an olive orchard. One particular place had a stump of an old tree that had been cut down, but out of the side of it was a new growth. Samuel Doctorian, our guide, said that was a picture of me becoming pastor after my dad. God can make new life sprout out of a cut off stump. Be encouraged today. See your stumps as seeds, that's what God sees. I'm believing with you for new life. The best is yet to come.
Is. 6:13
..but as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel's stump will be a seed.
What is a stump? It's what's left when a tree gets cut down. I began to think about the things in my life that I have felt like were cut down. Do you have anything in your life that resembles a stump? A marriage cut short, a job where you were terminated prematurely, a relationship that was ended before you were ready?
Stumps can become the seeds of what God wants to do in our lives. Just because you've had a "cutting down" in an area of life doesn't mean that there is ho hope. God sees your stumps as seeds. Where we tend to see what was, He sees what can be again. Virtually everyone I know has a stump somewhere in our lives. The greatness of our God is that a stump is not the end, but can be the beginning of something new, better and part of God's plan for our lives.
I travelled to Israel around 2000, and in the Garden of Gethsemane there was an olive orchard. One particular place had a stump of an old tree that had been cut down, but out of the side of it was a new growth. Samuel Doctorian, our guide, said that was a picture of me becoming pastor after my dad. God can make new life sprout out of a cut off stump. Be encouraged today. See your stumps as seeds, that's what God sees. I'm believing with you for new life. The best is yet to come.
3/8/11
The Passion Cries Out
I really felt good about the feedback on the EQ series. So many told of how God had spoken to them about their own lives. It brings us to our next series which will take us into our Easter Services at the end of April. We are going to look at the 7 sayings of Jesus while He was hanging on the cross and what He's saying to us today. I want you to begin to think about who God wants you to invite to Easter this year. What a great time of the year when we celebrate our RISEN Savior. We are going to let the life of Jesus give life to us this Easter season. We'll be needing everyone to do their parts this year as we open our hearts and our church up to our community for Easter 2011. This Sunday will kick off Part 1 where Jesus says, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do." Do you know anyone who needs forgiveness, anyone who doesn't understand what they are doing to themselves or their families? Ask them to come to church with you this weekend and let Jesus' words give them life.
3/2/11
All Access Conference
I'm so excited about ARC's All Access Conference coming up on April 5-7 at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. This conference more than any other has spoken to my life especially about what kind of church HOF needs to be. It all begins with the leader. What I really like is how God uses All Access to speak to me. This year 33 members of our team will be there, and I know it's going to make a huge impact in HOF as we run the race God has given us to run. I cannot overestimate the value of bringing staff to hear what you hear, see what you see, and feel what you feel as a leader. That shared experience allows you to process as a team how you can go forward to be God's church in your area. This years lineup of speakers is going to be powerful. Check it out here
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