Whew

What a day.

Whew, and again I say...WHEW!

Up early this morning and excited to break the 3-day fast that I have been on with my "latex salesman" Jake.  I have fasted before, but mostly Daniel's fasts.  This one was water ONLY.  Hubba.  We made it, though.  So we met for breakfast and talked about our experiences.  Awesome and scary.  God is truly stretching both of us in our lives and in our ministry.  I keep reflecting on what we heard at the Catalyst One Day conference: "You must become comfortable with being uncomfortable."

Whew!  I am so thankful for Jake.

I had a great lunch with Ruby at Ruby Tuesday's.  We should have gone yesterday so I could say that I had lunch with Ruby on Tuesday at Ruby Tuesday's.  It is always good to connect with Ruby, and I vowed to get together with her more often.  We understand each other, both of us having lost a spouse.  Beth and I were only married a short time and Ruby was married for over 50 years, but we have been through it.

Whew!  I am so thankful for Ruby.

I am excited tonight about worshipping at C3 for the "First Wednesday" service.  Each time I have been able to go to one of these services, the Holy Spirit just blows me away.  I love Pastor Matt and Martha, Cory and Krystal,  and all of my friends out there.  So excited for the Kingdom as C3 launched their Raleigh campus this past week-end and had over 500 people attend!  6 prayed to receive Christ!  That never gets old.  Looking forward to heading out there tonight with my friend, David.

Whew!  I am so thankful for C3 and for my friend, David.

A lot going on today with work sandwiched in between.  It feels good.

Whew.

Facebook Is A Fickle Mistress

I heard her siren song.  I followed.  I abandoned my "heart".  I have come home.

I do love Facebook, but I abandoned my blog to "poke", "update", and "send flair".    I miss putting my thoughts, challenges, and struggles out there.  I still journal, but there is something different about public posting (even if nobody is reading it - I'm sure the ones who were reading have stopped checking back here)

There is so much I want to share about what is going on in my life... what God is doing... what I am reading... what I am thinking... where I am going... conferences that I am attending... relationships that sustain me... relationships that drain me.  

So much.

I have been dreaming HUGE Kingdom dreams and I am ready to go!

FLAMINGOED!!!!!

Dogs barking...neighborhhod kids on their way to the school bus stoppoing to look...what is going on out there?

I've been flamingoed!

Awesome! There is one flamingo near my driveway wearing a lei and an envelope around its neck. Here's the 411:

WHY: One of your friends decided that you needed some new lawn ornaments for a while. With a donation, you can send this same flock to another friend of your choice.

A DONATION?: Yes, you have been flamingoed as part of a fundraiser sponsored by a small group at Hope Community Church of Cary. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the church's Mina Project, which supports local Triangle charities, with particular focus on the Cary-based Hope for Haiti Foundation. Using money from the Mina Project, the group plans to purchase and renovate two buildings in Bainet, Haiti that will be transformed into a much-needed hospital and dormitory. For more information about the Mina Project and the charities it supports, please visit www.gethope.net.

I love this! Our church gave thousands and thousands of dollars back to the people who attend our church with the charge to transform that money into even more for the Kingdom. This group blows me away with their creativity, and I know they are going to receive radical and outrageous donations for the Mina Project. I've enjoyed having the flock in my yard, but I contacted "Animal Control" and the flamingos will be migrating to the house of one of my friends tonight!

Love it! Can't wait to hear the reaction!

Crazy and Audacious

I love to be challenged. As uncomfortable as it can be to have my thinking "adjusted", I think in the end it means I am willing to grow...to develop in all areas. I get juiced when I read or hear something that makes me take some time to "digest" it all.

On a plane ride home, I was reading the Sept/Oct issue of Rev! magazine. I really like Rev! as it is a great resource for ministry today. There was an interview titled, "Crazy, Audacious Pastoring" featuring Francis Chan. Chan is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California.

Question posed to Chan: Why did you decide not to build a $20 million building, when that was the logical next step for a church of your size?

Chan's response: "Our attendance is 3,000 to 4,000 people, but our sanctuary can only hold 1,000 people, so we're packed. The opportunity to build arose, so we went into escrow on some land. Then they showed me the plans for the building. Nothing felt right about it. I didn't feel that Jesus would go forward this way. I didn't have peace about it. I thought, "Wouldn't Jesus have people meet him at the park or even make it harder for people to follow him?" When the crowds were there, he didn't give the type of altar call that would get everyone forward. He almost gave an anti-altar call. "Are you sure you're supposed to be here? Maybe you should leave because you don't understand the commitment...

You still want to be here? Pick up your cross and follow me."

Jesus preached sacrifice. It's almost like he hid and the people had to find him. I thought, "Man, would he really create the most comfortable atmosphere to draw people on, or would he make it a little bit more difficult for them?" Isn't the heart of God to sacrifice your own pleasures for the sake of those who are in greater need? Isn't that what 1 John 3:16-18 was about? I thought, "What if we did make it a little bit more difficult?" Every week we're feeding people who live outside. In other parts of the world, this is how they live 24 hours a day. I'm simply sacrificing an hour of my week for their sake."

In the end, Cornerstone scrapped plans for the $20 million auditorium, deciding instead to build an outdoor ampitheater and give half the budgeted money to aid others.

Makes me think. God leads different churches/leaders in different ways. No cookie-cutter mentality allowed. I must expose myself to the multiple and varied ways of our omnipotent God.

Excuses

DATELINE: JULY 26, 2008

CARY, NC - Russ Williams determines to be more consistent in posting to his blog. "Daily posts are my new goal", says Williams. "God is doing so much and showing me so much in my life, I have to get it out there!", Russ exclaims with determination. Russ Williams subsequently posts about "relevance".

DATELINE: AUGUST 13, 2008

CARY, NC - Eighteen days after Russ Williams promises daily blog posts, he finally updates his flippin' blog!

Do you want the excuses or should I just get to it?

That's what I thought.

Thanks.

God has been blowing things up in a big way through a lot of revelation. It seems as if a lot is coming to light (in such a powerful, great way) in a very short period of time. That can be deceiving, though. It's a little like an "overnight success". We see the breakthrough and the "suddenly". What we don't see are the years of faith, dedication, perseverance, sweat, and work leading up to the "suddenly".

Same thing for me now. My time in prayer seeking God desperately...reading His Word and seeking truth...following the promptings of the Holy Spirit (sometimes gentle nudges and sometimes big brutish shoves!)...through all of these and more, God is bringing progressive revelation to me.

I really got juiced when I read Craig Groeschel's latest book, "It". You must read this! The official release date is not for another 2 weeks, I believe. So much of the book hit me hard, and I have highlighted, marked up, and sweated all over this book!

I will tell you the one thing that probably was the most revolutionary for me. I won't expand the thought anymore than what Groeschel wrote, but think about how it could apply to what God may be doing in your very own life. Then get the book, and find out more!

page 95: GOD OFTEN GUIDES BY WHAT HE DOESN'T PROVIDE."

"Maybe God will guide you to see something that you couldn't have seen if he'd just removed the wall."

He then references Acts 3 and Peter, John, and the crippled beggar. Read this!

"The truth: you have what you need. Watch out for the excuses."

Relevance

rel-e-vant adj. related to matters at hand.

The word "relevant" gets tossed around a lot in today's churches, and it often gets assigned to things in a misleading manner. All things "new" are not necessarily relevant; and all "old" things/ways are not necessarily useless.

Bottom Line: The Word of the Living God is relevant.

The Gospel message of Jesus providing true salvation is relevant.

All of the rest is preferences and packaging. I believe very strongly that we have to reach people where they are. God desires (demands) our praise, and He is looking at our hearts. I really do not think for one second that God discounts our praise because there may be drums and guitars, for crying out loud! I love today's music. I love "loud"! Again, God looks at the heart of the worshipper.

While I love rock and metal, I also love old hymns. I bought Selah's "Greatest Hymns" album this week, and wept...wept as I listened to these beautiful songs. By the way, if you have the Family Perks punch card at Family Christian, you can purchase the cd at the Cary location for $5!

I think some churches are afraid of letting go of their pipe organs and hymnals because it's what they have "always done". Do we do what we do in church because it is what we like? Are we doing what we do for the Lord and to reach those who are far from Him? I also think some churches run away from singing hymns because they think that the hymns are no longer "relevant".

That is a mistake.

My favorite all-time hymn is "It Is Well With My Soul", written by Horatio Spafford. This dude experienced some tragedy in his life. Look it up.

Get these words:

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, tho trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin -oh, the bliss of this glorious thought: My sin not in part, but the whole Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll, The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul."

Wanna talk about relevant words and relevant worship?

Out Of The Park

I am really not a big baseball fan at all. I enjoy going to a ballpark and experiencing a game live, but I really do not like watching it on tv. However, I did tune it to "The Home Run Derby" tonight to watch Josh Hamilton. What a story. Josh's in-laws attend Hope, and Josh and his wife were part of our services not too long ago.

Josh was the #1 MLB draft pick out of high school, but quickly became heavily involved with drugs. He was away from baseball for three years, but is back stronger than ever now with The Texas Rangers. At the All-Star break, Josh leads MLB in RBI's. He credits everything to God. Everything!

Josh didn't win the derby tonight, but he did break the record for the most HR's hit in one round. Hamilton hit 28 home runs in the first round alone! He hit so many that he automatically advanced to the final round. The announcers were talking about his story...how he "had the cocaine habit, found God, and had a dream. Now he's here in Yankee Stadium living that dream. It's a lousy night to be an atheist!" Wow! You won't here a commentator say that a lot, but it's hard to avoid that with Josh's life story.

When Josh lost in the final round to Justin Morneau, ESPN interviewed him afterwards. Josh said, "I thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for this opportunity, and I want to glorify Him everywhere I go."

That's a home run.