BLeach

I've really enjoyed teaching through the Book of Exodus the past seven weeks.  Here are the themes we've covered so far.

I felt a bit like a dad as I shared this past weekend's message.  I felt like a little family correction was needed.  For some reason it seems more spiritual to help someone else then it does to receive help yourself.  But spiritual community depends on your ability to both help someone else in need as well as receive it yourself when you have a need. 

Some of us are like Moses.  Even though we've experienced the value of someone holding up our arms, we're still trying to do it alone.  Disappearing for a few months because you're going through a tough time is like the foot saying to the hand, "I don't need you."  Give your local church a chance to share your burdens with you.

If you're interested, you can listen to the message here, or subscribe to the podcast.

For what it's worth, we've got three more messages to go in the series. 

Life is a journey toward a place of promise.  So in the words of the blue fish from Finding Nemo, Just Keep Swimming...

On Sunday I asked our church this question: What if we all reframed our chains?  The thought came from this verse, in which the Apostle Paul says that being imprisoned was the best thing that could have happened to him.

The art of reframing is a tool that's often used in Neuro-linguistic programming.  It is to reframe a problem that seems to be filled with negative ingredients by interjecting it with hope.  By putting your problem in a new frame you can actually see it through a new lens, against a new backdrop, within a new context.

Reframing involves changing your question from "How did things get so bad," to "Where is the activity of God in this situation?" 

What's He doing? 

What's He up to?

If all you see as you look around are negative problems, I'd encourage you to reframe some things.  What if God anointed your chains?  What if He chose to bless your singleness?  What if He has plans for your small apartment?  What if He wants to use this job transition? 

What if this problem might actually be the best thing that's ever happened to you?

If you're interested, you can listen to the message here, or subscribe to the podcast here.

Yesterday was so enjoyable for me.  My dad filled in for me with an unforgettable Father's Day message. 

For the first half of the message he read an open letter to my sister and I.  He took a stroll down memory lane and invited our church into his journey as a father.  So amazing to listen to snapshots of my childhood from my dad's perspective.

Then in the second half of the message he shared five priorities he would guard if he was starting over as a dad. 

You can listen to the message here.

Dad, thanks for honoring me on a day when you deserved the most honor.  Once again, I owe you:)

Our Easter series is off to an Epic start!  I don't know that I've ever been more excited to develop a series of messages than I am about the messages in Epic.  We kicked off the series this past Sunday with an intro called The Story We Find Ourselves In.  I'm really hoping that many of our guests on Sunday will connect for the rest of the journey.

Click here to either listen to or download the kickoff to the series.

You can also subscribe to the podcast here.

Yesterday I shared an illustrated message called Portraits of Worship.  You can listen to it here or subscribe to the podcast here.  Jesus' passion week gives us some unique snapshots of worship.  I contrasted one unfinished portrait with three profound portraits.

The unfinished portrait was the energetic, hyped up crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna.  They had the noise and emotion, but that's because they had an incomplete perspective of Jesus.  They were miracle seekers, lining the streets to see if the next "Lazarus" was about to happen.  They were the "what have you done for me lately" fans of the 2008 Detroit Tigers who not so long ago were booing instead of cheering.

The problem with their concert of praise: it was conditional.

But this verse offers three finished portraits.  At the cross of Jesus was Mary his mother, Mary's sister, and Mary Magdalene.  I shared their stories, answering the question, "What brought them to the cross?"

Mary was there because she was a mother.  Her story teaches us that worshp is relationship.

Mary's sister Salome was there because she was learning to drink the cup.  You might remember her?  Married to Zebedee?  Two boys?  Wanted them to sit on thrones with Jesus in the kingdom?  Her story teaches us that worship is sacrifice.

Mary Magdalene was there because she used to have seven demons until Jesus set her free.  It's a good story for those of us religious types who tend to let our love grow dim by taking salvation for granted.  And it's a story that teaches us that worship is gratitude.

We ended the service with an extended response time of worship and prayer.  To facilitate response we set up three prayer stations.  The "relationship station" included notecards for people to write to friends or family members with whom they were experiencing a broken relationship.  The "sacrifice station" included the opportunity for self-serve communion.  And the "gratitude station" had blank thank-you notes for worshippers to express appreciation to Jesus for grace.

So cool to see every station filled with people.  I loved the musical expression of worship, but something felt right about these other expressions.

The writing...

The remembering...

The confessing...

The forgiving...

The apologizing...

The appreciating...

It looked like worship.

On Easter Sunday we are launching a new series called Epic: The Story We Find Ourselves In.  Today we finalized the layout of the invite cards.  Here's a sneak peak at the graphic and series description.  The series will run through Mother's Day.

Have you ever wondered what your life might look like on the big screen?  Surprising twists.  Evil villains.  Constant tension.  Simple courage.  Heroic sacrifice.  Epic stories draw us in because they explain something profound about life.  But what if there was one story that had the ability to explain every other story?  And what if that story was your own?  Join us this spring as we journey together through the longest running story of all time.

I really enjoyed preaching again on Sunday.  I forgot how much I love it:)

I often find myself searching for the right words to describe the honor that is mine to preach the Bible.  Today our newest intern joined me for my prayer and study time and I shared with him my philosophy of preaching.  I also gave him one of my favorite images.  I'm not sure where I heard it first; maybe John Stott.

As a preacher I picture myself standing before people that Jesus has died for with my Bible in my left hand and a newspaper in my right.  And every week Jesus gives me the opportunity to interpret life from the perspective of God's Book. 

In two weeks I'm starting a new series to help our people think through a biblical response to recession.  If a troubled economy is touching the lives of Detroiters, then so should the Bible.  Incidentally, one of the trends that strikes me about church history is that disciples of Jesus have historically accomplished the most when they've had the least. 

Silver and gold: Nada

Rise and walk: Try that instead

With the Bible in my left hand and the newspaper in my right, I hope to remind our church that instead of limiting our potential for ministry, recession may actually be able to expand it. 

I also got a call today from one of my heroes with news about a possible release of resources.  The conversation was a direct answer to some very recent prayer and really boosted my faith.

I'm so happy that Leah and I are back in our place of calling, ready to take it to the enemy and connect our city to Christ.

I had a great time yesterday celebrating my last Sunday as a single dude!  I finished up our series Last Words of a Bachelor with a message I called Worth the Wait.  Feel free to check it out on the podcast.

During this round of reflections, I've come back to this thought several times.  I feel so much gratitude for the opportunity I've had to plant and serve Church of the King.

At the end of my message yesterday I took a moment to thank our church for their love, support, partnership and prayers the past six years.  When Leah and I shared our engagement story in August, several people in the church told her after the service that she was an answer to their prayers.  I really feel honored by the way so many in our church have journeyed with me as a single pastor, loving me and praying over my future.  The upcoming wedding has definitely been a cause to celebrate for all of us.

I feel more energized than ever about the vision of our church.  We're headed into a missions emphasis during the next few weeks.  Our leadership teams are also beginning to dream about some outreach opportunities this Easter.  I can't wait to see how God will stretch us and use us this year to connect our city to Christ!

Last night Eddie surprised me and showed up at my house with several guys from the church for an impromptu bachelor party.  So thankful for a day to celebrate life and marriage with my church family!

On August 26, Leah and I had a great time tag-team preaching while announcing our engagement and sharing the story.  The message (The Dreamer Who Took a Detour) was just added to our podcast.  It's definitely worth a listen just to hear Leah.  She was funny and profound and even made fun of me a little.  Check it out here!

By the way, Leah's portion of the message may raise some questions for you.  Just to clarify, I did get my shots before I left for Africa.

And all the procrastinators said Amen:)

I took some planning time today to put some dreams on paper for our upcoming fall series.  On September 9 I'm going to kick off a series of messages called iBELONG: Finally Finding Family.

Families are defined by what they share.  Shared experiences.  Shared father.  Shared DNA.  In the iBELONG series we're going to take seven weeks to walk through a series of DNA messages, discovering some important things we share as a church family. 

On a personal note, I'm really enjoying these days of dreaming about the future of our church.  It looks so bright.  Jesus has called us to an awesome cause in a strategic city.  Can't wait to re-envision some things with my church family this fall!