Acts Kinda Church

Is your church enjoyable?  Do you go to church with an expectation that God is going to do something amazing?  Do you regularly bring friends that don't know Christ to church because miraculous things are happening?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience an Acts 2 Holy Spirit moment at your church?  Think of having new believers added to your church each week.  Some of us pastors are already thinking, "I need to revamp my assimilation process if that happened...I need to start more discipleship groups and I need to get more volunteer staff to provide for this new influx of believers!" What a tremendous problem to have!

47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47NLT).

According to verse 47 people couldn't contain their enthusiasm.  They praised God.  And it was fun!  It was enjoyable to be around other believers!  After that initial meeting in Acts 3000 people came to Christ.  These weren't re-dedications, these were first timers!  And literally thousands more turned their lives over to Christ.

What if we went out of our way to live our lives in such a way that would be contagious to the non-believer?  Let's face it.  If you are a believer you have what everyone else is searching for to fill that God shaped hole.  What would happen if we asked the Holy Spirit to show up in miraculous ways to bring glory to God our Father?

I am challenging myself to reach out to someone this week that needs Jesus.  Let's see God's name glorified and watch what happens when we do!

It's a Wonderful Life

Last night, I took Zach to his soccer game.  The game started and the other team had only a few players.  I watched a team of five kids move the ball with great precision and actually scored a goal on our team!  Finally other players showed up so we could play a full team on each side.

Zach played hard all game.  He had a dozen shots on goal.  Every one of the shots came so close, and finally at the very end of the game he scored a goal. 

Two things I took away from this fantastic game.  Zach's opponents played short at the beginning, but because their passing was so precise they were able to move the ball down the field and eventually score.  Even if your playing short, stay in the game.  Where two are three are gathered in His name he is there also!  Remember that!

Also, I thought about Zach.  He did not give up.  It was hot, he was tired, but he kept running.  We need to set our sites toward the goal and even when we don't hit the mark, we need to get back up and keep trying!

Be encouraged, church!  Be a light to someone today, even if you've been rejected a thousand times over.  Share Jesus with someone today.  Today may be the day that will make a difference for the rest of their lives.

Go For Launch Part II

In this pic by a NJ woman, is a unique view from an airplane capturing the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor.  What an amazing shot of the shuttle bursting through the clouds and into the sunshine on it's way to space.

I am excited to say that the launch of Crossroads Church is underway.  We have planted a seed, and we are watering it and watching it grow. In the beginning there were many questions whether or not this was where God wanted us to be.  Even after God gave us the "go for launch" we still felt like we were under a blanket of clouds.  This past weekend though, I felt as if we have risen above the clouds just like this picture.  I know that we are in the infancy stages and we have much to learn still about church planting, but there is a feeling that we are on our way.  There is forward movement.

Last week we talked about how God has given us many gifts.  In Ephesians 4:12 we see that the reason for these gifts is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.  We realized that no matter whether you are a worshiper, teacher, graphic designer, web designer, financial planner, entrepreneur, or pastor, God has given you those gifts, and those gifts are to be used for the work of ministry and for the building up of the body of Christ.  Fortunately, God has surrounded us with a bunch of families that have that heart to use their gifts to launch this church.  


As we looked at the word "equip" we found out that the word comes from a verb in Greek that means "to mend".  We are to share the word of the Lord through our gifts to mend the body of Christ.  

As a pastor sometimes the first thing you ask when you are hanging out with other pastors is, how many people did you have last week at your service.  What we don't ask is how many people were mended or equipped for service last week.  God desires that we raise up a church of leaders that are using their gifts to mend or equip the body of Christ.  We see this in the bible.  Zeb and his sons Jimmy and Johnny were fisherman.  When Jesus found them they were mending their nets.  They did not mend them to sit on a shelf or put in a museum or say to their fellow fisherman, I have "X" number of mended nets.  They mend their nets so that those nets can catch more fish!  Our job as a church is to mend people and equip them so that they can go be fishers of men.  Get engaged in the process of mending and equipping today!

 

Go For Launch

If you are my age you can remember as a young child watching the television and watching the Apollo crews countdown to lift off from earth and then just a few days later watch the moon landing.  Not long after that we remember looking up and watching the Sky Lab  glide along in the sky circling overhead.  And now we watch another era of space travel come to an end with the Space Shuttle. 

Getting something of that big off the ground takes a group of qualified scientists and engineers to make it possible.  It is the same way in ministry.  It takes a large team of people to make it happen.  It's prayer warriors paving the way spiritually.  It's financial people giving to provide the resources needed.  It's those that are on the ground working through every possible scenario to be sure that the launch is successful. 

The one thing that hasn't changed through the years at NASA is the fact that each time one of these rockets manned or unmanned take to the heavens, there is a team of people that makes it possible.  I want you to watch this video someone sent me.  It's an incredible time lapsed footage of a space shuttle launch.  As you watch this, remember the hundreds of people that it took to get that bird off of the ground.  Amazing and incredible.  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KZrFC988Thc

 

You Can Make A Difference

One of my all time favorite Bible stories  is the story in Mark 2:1-12.  Four men, out of compassion for a lame man brought him to Jesus so he could be restored to full health.  This is such a great example of what how we should act as a church.  The thing that I love about this story is the fact that Jesus was moved by the faith of the four men.  I'm not sure what kind of faith the lame guy had but the four men believed if Jesus laid his hand on the man he would be healed.  The other thing that is interesting is the fact that the four guys went to such lengths to get the lame man to Jesus.  When they arrived, there was a crowd, but that didn't stop these men.  They literally took their friend up to the roof, broke through the roof and lowered him down in front of Jesus.  Now the intent of the four men may have been to have their friend healed but this act of love also reflected Jesus power to not only heal but to also forgive sins, therefore revealing the very nature of the son of God and why He entered into human history.

Each of us has the capacity to do the same thing for someone, and this story shows us that it is a group effort.  Our faith in Jesus is not just a personal thing.  It's not to be kept to ourselves.  We need to band together as a body of believers to bring people to Jesus.  We need to see someone in need and bring them to an encounter with God, one person at a time.  We need to work together to make this happen.  We must be willing to sweat and labor as these guys did to make that happen and not give up when there are obstacles in our way!

Let's live out the great commission, and let our lives reveal the nature of Jesus!

2011 (Part Two) I Want Change

How many times have you been at a graduation and the guest speaker says, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"?  I am a former youth pastor and over the past twenty years I have probably been to over 50 graduations in that time.   I saw anchor men, civic leaders, presidential cabinet members come up to the stage and give their tidbits of wisdom to young and impressionable men and women who's lives really are just beginning.

There is something that happens to a young adult when he leaves the middle school/high school life.  You start to look at the world around you and wonder what you can do to make a difference.  You find out real quickly if this faith that has been passed down to you is real.  You either embrace the things that your parents and youth pastors and kid pastors have taught you growing up in church or you reject it.  You might even question your faith and explore  other religions.  But one things for sure.  You find that you are at a crossroads.  Do you embrace a real relationship with God even when mom and dad aren't there to encourage you in your faith?  Your relationship with God has to become your own.  It's a time where a parent has to hold their breath to see if their son or daughter that they have raised will embrace Christ or deny him. 

In 2011 I desire to speak into the lives of people who are seeking Christ.  I especially want to speak into the lives of young people that are making that transition from their parents faith to their own.  I want to introduce them to Jesus and want to invite them to come on a journey with other like minded believers that want change not only in their lives but the lives of those around them.  Then, I pray as they start to follow Him that they will seek God for their future.  That they will see that God has created them for specific purposes to be fulfilled in their lifetimes.  For many people the moment is now.  My heart aches for those that are wandering about trying to find the answer to their futures.  God is here, and God is waiting for us to be his vessels to speak into the lives of those around us.  The time is now to to be a change agent.  Ask God to help you to see people the way that He sees them.  Ask God to put a love in your heart to love people the way Jesus first loved you.  Stand up in 2011 and be a change agent for Christ. 

After Jesus died he rose again on the third day.  He then revealed himself to the 11 remaining disciples and left them with this command.  "Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all." (Mark 16:15 MSG).  Make a difference today.

The Little House on the Corner

I've been thinking a lot about what Christian community looks like at the grass roots level.  It's a conversation over coffee at Starbucks.  It's a random act of kindness of a person that goes out of their way to do something for someone in need.  It's starting a Bible study because there are people in your neighborhood who are asking questions about who Jesus really is in your life.

I don’t think it was by accident that I grew up in a multi-cultural area of Northern Virginia.  It gave me a burden to share Christ without prejudice.  My family grew up in a predominately white neighborhood until the 70’s.  There were several international tragedies that occurred that precipitated an influx of international families into our neighborhood.   We had Iranian families, families from Saudi, Arabia, and South America that became our friends and family.  We shared life with them and they shared life with us.  We would send Americanized dishes to them to sample and they would share their international dishes with us in the evenings.  One thing my family desired was to share Jesus with these families.  We didn’t knock on their door and hand them a religious track and then run home.  We were fixing their bikes when they broke.  We made meals when someone had surgery and delivered them to their families.  We opened our house up to kids that parents who had to work late at night.  We had bible studies in our living room for kids that wanted to know more about Jesus.  We opened our side yard up to all the neighbor kids to play football every afternoon. 

This all happened largely because of my family's transformation when we turned our lives over to Christ and invited the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in who to reach out to in our neighborhood.  Our house became a house of faith.  The door was always open and the light was always on.  Even today 47 years later, my family still gets a knock on the door and it will be a neighbor asking us to pray for them.  Why?  Because people saw that we genuinely cared for them and that our faith was real.  They also witnessed that as we prayed, God answered our prayers, and we weren't afraid to testify of God's faithfulness in our lives.

What if our churches were like my house that I grew up in?  A church that has relationships with all kinds, that doesn’t discriminate by the color of their skin, that doesn’t let boundaries get in the way of sharing our faith.    A place where the members were actively reaching out to those in need.  A place where people can come through the doors and sense the presence of God.  

Pray and ask God to today what you can do to expand His Kingdom one person at a time, one family at a time, one neighborhood at a time.  This is what I believe God desires Christian Community (The Church) to look like!

2011 Is Here (Part One)

Wow, there were some days that I felt that 2010 was one of the longest years of my life yet, I know, that there are 365 days just like any other year.  As I look back over this year I think of all the things that I did.  I think of all the things that weren't meant to be and finally I was able to start to look forward to what will be.

What if you only had a year to live? What if your physician called you up one day with test results and told you that you had 365 days = 8,760 hours = 525,600 minutes = 31,536,000 seconds to live?  How would you approach life?  How would you treat your family and friends?  I don't know about you but I think I would make every one of those 31,536,000 seconds count.  I would show my friends and family how much I love them every day, every hour, every minute, every second.  I would ask God what it was that he wanted me to accomplish in that year and then I would start to run.  Run as fast as I could so I could accomplish all that I wanted to accomplish in that year that I had left to live on this earth. 

No, I don't think that I have just one year to live, but I feel that this year I am supposed to take risks.  Not because I have a lust for adventure, but because I believe that God wants me to run the race without hesitation.  In 2010 God spoke to me and said that the best is yet to come.  I thought that meant that I'd see the results in 2010, but instead it was something different.  2010 was 365 days of waiting and praying and seeking God's face.  Not knowing what the future would hold.  My spiritual Father who was instrumental in me following in his footsteps as a pastor, said, "There is nothing like hindsight to remind one that we have very little foresight no matter how hard we try to design our lives."  Man has a certain way that seems right but God's ways prevail. This year I want to do things God's way.  I want to take risks because God is calling me to take these risks.  God has ordered our steps from the very beginning of time and we can rest knowing that he is in control.

Need Directions?

Are you the kinda guy like me that hates to ask someone for directions?  Let me tell you, I was so thankful last November for my Android Smartphone.  I could hit my GPS button, and speak where I want to go and it finds where I want to go and gives me precise turn by turn direction.  It eliminated my need to ask others for directions.  Even if I take a wrong turn it modifies my directions to help me get to my destination the fastest way possible.  I love it. 

The Holy Spirit is like a spiritual GPS.  He is our guide.  We wait upon him for turn by turn directions.  Sometimes we don't know why he wants us to turn to the right or the left but later when we look back we can see how His hand guided us through. Sometimes we make our decisions and make a turn without waiting on Him.  But He waits for us and gets us back on track when we need it.

Why do we wait until we are almost in an accident to cry out to God for help?  Why do we leave the spiritual GPS off unless we are in trouble?  It's simple.  Just like me not liking to ask for directions when I'm on a trip, we don't like to ask God for direction because we simply want to be in control of our lives.  Today, I feel like God is speaking to us and wants us to know He desires to give us direction before we think we need it.

Here's a simple prayer that I pray every morning before my feet hit the floor.

God, today is the day that you have made.  Order my steps.  Let me be a light wherever I go and whoever I talk to.  I am your vessel. A jar of clay that is imperfect.  Make me more like you.   Fill me up to overflowing and use me today!  

There is so much that God wants to do in your life.  He has plans for you.  He has a place for you.  He knows your circumstance and he's waiting for you to ask him for directions.

10 Things I Like About Christmas

Woke up this morning.  Hit the Christmas play list and started on my day.  This Christmas is going to be an awesome one!  This is a video I shot of Christmas morning not too long ago.  Here are just a few things I'm thankful for:

• Thankful to God for His Son Jesus who came on this earth in the flesh so we might have eternal hope 
• My wife and kids.  You guys are so awesome!
• My Mom and Dad and family who have helped so much during 2010
• Reading Luke 2 "The Christmas Story" on Christmas Eve (Family Tradition)
• Getting a Christmas Eve kiss under the mistletoe from Missy
• Snuggling with Missy after all the presents have been assembled
• Gathering around the Christmas Tree with the kids searching for their gifts on Christmas morning
• Smell of Starbucks and Cinnamon Buns on Christmas morning
• Hugs and Kisses from the kids after they open their gifts
• Thankful that 2010 is coming to a close and that 2011 is almost here full of hope and wonder

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season. 

2:45AM

This evening I was recovering from the flu, I was eating my saltines and drinking gatorade and hot tea to try and settle my messed up stomach.  I tried watching Monday Night Football which has always been a real sleep aid especially when it's the forty niners vs. the cardinals.  Well, I watched the whole game. Missy came in to see how I was doing and then went to go sleep in the guest bedroom.  She's so good to me letting me have the bed!  I watched the late late news and that only made me more awake.  My Facebook was calling so I answered a few messages and tried to communicate with my daughter downstairs but she was busy with homework.

Finally everyone trudged upstairs and drifted off to sleep.  The house was dead.  I walked back downstairs to get some more hot tea.  No sound in the house.  I turned on the stove and you could hear the electricity pulsating when the range top came on it was so quiet.  I waited, waited, for the tea pot to boil.  It seemed like it took forever.  I waited some more but still it hadn't come to a boil.  I almost grabbed some water from the tap and put in my mug and set the microwave then all of a sudden the tea pot came to boil.  It roared to life and I ran across the room so it wouldn't whistle and wake up the house.

Someone tonight emailed me and reminded me that I still had something in my possession. (thanks Karen)  It's called Hope.  And it dawned on me.  That kettle is like hope.  I wait and wait and wait and it looks like nothing is happening, yet inside there are little bubbles forming on the bottom of it's surface, yet I can't see them.  I can't hear them, I am still waiting.  But, just when I think that all Hope is lost, that tea kettle roars to life. Hope has always been there it just needs the right ingredients to show itself strong.  God is my hope and my strength and He can be yours today as well.  Just ask, and he will come.  Relinquish the reigns of your life that you hold on so dearly and let him gently lead you.  Call Him Father, call Him Master.  He will not let you down, He will never stop loving you.   He is our Hope.

Ups and Downs

What does it look like for someone looking for employment?  It comes in waves.  One month ago there was a flurry of activity.  I was on an emotional high.  I attended a motivational speaking conference at the Verizon Center in D.C. with a good friend and his church staff.  We listened to Zig Zigler and he gave one of his famous quotes, "Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street."  I walked out of there pumped.  On the metro ride home I got an email from a church saying that I was one of the top three candidates for job search for them that started out with 95.  I was one of the top three.  I was excited, full of expectancy hoping that this finally will be the one. I walking on air!

So what's next?  I recently watched a skit done by Conan O'brien and in the skit his wife is yelling at him to find a job and he replies, "I don't know how!"  The rest of the skit is Conan trying to work at a fast food place and working as a birthday clown and not being very successful as either.  It was pretty funny.   Conan was meant to be a talk show host.  I was meant to speak life to the next generation.  Maybe I should stop looking for a job in network TV and look for a basic cable company to hire me. I could relate. I needed a good laugh!  

Fast forward one month later.  The interview went well.  But last week I got the email I was dreading.  They picked one of the other two candidates.  The church leaders will meet with him next month for an on site interview.  If for some reason he doesn't work out I'd be back in the running.

I was telling someone yesterday that this time of my life has been the lowest of lows.  But even in this low place, I know that God is with me.  Even when I feel forsaken, I know that I am not, because God's word promises that I'm not.  Today you may be in a tough spot as a leader.  Maybe you feel all alone and no one understands your situation, but God does.  He loves you and will never forsake you.  Reach out to Him in your time of need and He will comfort you with the Holy Spirit.   Stand on His promises today.  Redemption and restoration is right around the corner.  And keep that sense of humor, it's critical!

Satisfied?

Today I was getting a message together that deals with knowing who God is. As I was preparing I thought of a song that seems to be ageless. It's a song by the Rolling Stones called Satisfaction.  Of course we all know the chorus, "I can't get no...satisfaction."  It's a catchy tune.  I heard it when I was a little kid and when I hear the first few notes from the lead guitar I know exactly what song it is.

Knowing God.  Who is He?  Is there a verse or a chorus of a song that makes you say, "That's who God is"? As my thoughts turned towards Him this morning I thought of a song.  A simple song with simple lyrics.  "There is no one like you.  No one like you.  No one like you, Jesus."  Just a few words but very meaningful.  If I believe the words of this song, then I should truly be satisfied.  Satisfaction comes from knowing Him.  So, if you aren't getting any satisfaction, then maybe you are looking for it in the wrong place.

There is a saying, "Know God, Know Peace, No God, No Peace.  Satisfied?"

Hope Springs Eternal

This is an excerpt from my journal a couple of weeks ago.  I tell you, this job hunt thing is so unbelievable.  I spend many hours of searching and then sending out resume's and then waiting, waiting, waiting.  Last week I interviewed for a position that literally had 95 applicants.  They whittled it down to three and I ended up being one of the three.  I'm praying for God's patience and wisdom.  I've been at that interview stage about three times now where I make it to the top three and then they pick one of the other two.  Anyhow, to all of you out there looking for work in their field, I am with you and am praying that today you will receive the Word from God that will encourage you to keep plugging away.

A couple of weeks ago:

"Today was an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions.  A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about something I was so sure of that was lost.  Well, there was an email that showed up in my inbox that gave me a 2nd chance at a hope.  It resurrected the possibility of something I thought was already gone.  And then, just like that there was another email that came in my inbox just a few hours later and dashed that bit of hope regarding this particular job opportunity.  I really questioned why God allowed this to happen.  Why would he get my hopes up and then "boom!" I'm back where I was a few hours later.  But after much thought and contemplation over this, I realize that Hope Springs Eternal.  In this life "in between" there will be things I will be able to look back on and see the lessons learned.  I also see how God is preparing me for that next big thing that he wants me to do.

Hope Springs Eternal.  My hope isn't in a job, a ministry, or a person place or thing.  My hope is in Him, period.  My hope is in you, Lord.  Today I realized my hope was in the position, not in Him.  I had to do an adjustment on how I am looking at this process.  This is indeed an amazing journey of trust.  My life truly is a crazy adventure but all along the way God is giving us what we need to sustain us."

Jeremiah 29:11

Follow Up To This Morning's Post

A year ago I blogged some ideas for parents as they enter into the purposeful world of designing time into their busy schedule to get one on one with their kids.  "Just Do It"!

One of the things I shared with my parents on Sunday night was the fact that we need to spend priority time with our kids, but a lot of us are asking ourselves, "what does that look like?" Here's some rules for priority time with your children that will help you get started.
1. Find common ground
2. Make sure there is no agenda
3. Keep it outside of your home
4. Do it without friends
5. Put it on the calendar
6. Stay flexible
7. Remember your goal is not to CHANGE them.
8. Keep working on it (even when it doesn't seem to be going well)
9. Use it as an opportunity to give your teenager one thing...

What is that one thing? "the gift of approval" You as a parent are the only one that can give them this! You know your child better than anyone. You've seen them at their best and at their worst. If you believe in them after all that, they know "your approval" is REAL!

A Weekend Away, Can Make All The Difference

Our family is our treasure.  What we pour into them will be what's passed on to their children and their children's children.

Not too long ago I took Zach to VA Beach to participate in a football tournament.  We packed up the camper and headed south.  It was a long drive so we spent a lot of time talking about dreaming of being a pro football player, the trials of elementary school, the love of God, fear of thunderstorms, girls (yes, girls!)and well, life.  These are the things you won't find out from your kids unless you spend some quality time with them.

Each day we have with our kids is a gift.  Be purposeful with your kids this week.  Schedule a time with each of your kids just to "be" with them.  Make them feel special.  Let them know how much you love them.  Show them what God's love looks like.  Show them the Father heart of God.  What does that look like? Just remember what love is.

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  (I Corinthians 13:4-7)

Lift your eyes up to the heavens

Have you ever had that sick feeling in your stomach when you receive news about something that was less than favorable?  This past week I had some news come into my inbox and it literally made me feel like I was going to get sick.  How could I be so sure of something just one week before?

I know when I call on Jesus name my life changes.  My attitude changes.  When I lift my eyes to the heavens my perspective changes.  A friend of mine went to Williamsburg recently and went through one of those hedge mazes.  Our lives are like that. We can only see from the ground level.  We can't see what's around the corner.  But God sees from a heavenly perspective.  He sees the "maze" of our lives and we can trust him when he leads us to the left or right.  When we receive news that seems less than favorable we can look to the heavens and know that God sees the big picture.  Lift your eyes up and you'll catch a glimpse of the one who can see our lives and can order our steps.  Thanks God, for ordering my steps this week.  I trust in you that you are going to lead me on....

A Night on the Town

Last night we went to downtown D.C. We hopped on the Metro, took a walk in Chinatown and then ate at Five Guys.  After that we headed across town to the Mall and watched the Army Band play and then walked to the Lincoln Memorial. We had a blast!  Who would have thought that such a simple thing an impromptu dinner, a free concert, and a walk to a memorial would get so many "thank you's" at the end of the night!  Thanks Zach for wanting to go to the Mall tonight!

My Final Horizons Church Sunday night @ H20

Last night reminded me how blessed I am to have been a part of Horizons for these past four years.  I don't want it to end but I know we need to move on.  First of all, thanks to all my Horizons church friends and family that have totally blessed us last night.  The surprise birthday cake and flowers and gifts were awesome! And, yes, Keiko thanks for adding some Hawaiian flavor to the night!  You all are truly a blessing 

I pray that God has used me in some small way to help each of you at Horizons to fall in love with Jesus and to understand his enormous love for all of us.  In worship and in youth, my prayer is that all of you will Go for God with all that you have and share that passion with as many people as possible in this generation. 

I am hopeful that the next time you read this blog it will be full of the fresh ideas that God has been laying on my heart for the next generation and the place where Missy and I will be serving next.  Tune in!  It's gonna be awesome!

-andy

Messiah 2010 Update

Messiah Camp 2010

Just a quick note.  We went to Messiah Camp 2010 with high expectations and guess what?  God met or exceeded every expectation.  God is a great God.  He's a supernatural God that does supernatural things.  This morning I was reading an email from one of our parents and he was marveling at the fact that the feedback from camp wasn't how great all the cool the amazing activities were (and they were off the charts!) but how awesome worship was, how amazing devotional time was and how God was transforming their lives and the lives of their friends during ministry time.  God is a great God.  We met our creator this weekend and He loves us, O how He loves us.  Thanks, God!