Pop Goes The Church Book Study2

Okay, as you recall, I am doing this book study via my blog with Kyle Phillips, Nate Liston, and Dan Hudson.

For this post we are supposed to share our thoughts about chapters 2 and 3 from the book. Chapter 2 was titled "Lost in Translation." Tim Stevens' main point is that we need to be aware of what we are saying in our church environments because it is either interpreted as nonsense or it makes no sense at all to people outside the church.

He gave a couple of humorous examples of how things actually can get "lost in translation." One was a story of himself sharing in a meeting of details of prostrate surgery happening on his friends' wrist. That was very funny, by the way!

It reminded me of when I was in Bible College (I went to the school Jesus went to) and one of our professors got up to speak in chapel. This professor preached regularly in chapel and he would always cry at some point in his sermon (in fact, we would place bets when he was speaking on how long into his sermon it would be before he would start to cry).

Well this one particular chapel sermon was the most memorable one he ever preached. He was preaching on evangelism and he was talking about Andrew following Christ and then bringing others to meet Christ. And this is what he said (I kid you not):

"We all need to be like Andrew and bring our Peters to Christ."

From then on, nothing else he said registered. The whole chapel was filled with young college students trying to keep themselves from having a hernia from laughing out loud. It was awesome!

Ultimately the message of the chapter resonates with me...even though I am terribly guilty of using verbiage that must sound ridiculous at times to non-Christian people. So it is a good reminder for all of us.

Chapter three is titled,"Why Pop Culture is So Popular." I must admit this chapter really left me a little unsettled. The stats he shared near the beginning of the chapter about how much media is being consumed by the average American made me want to vomit in my mouth.

We are entertaining ourselves to death! But ultimately Tim is correct in saying that we have failed the culture (as the church) because we are so "STUCK" behind our stained glass windows we don't want any of the world to creep in (I think that was an old Petra song!)

He highlighted the moral failures of high profile church leaders (most recently Ted Haggard) and that is like we are taking a sledgehammer to our own knees! People are receiving spiritual guidance from the pop culture and the church mostly wants us to boycott McDonald's!

We have to grow up. We have to engage, leverage, push and shove our way into the forefront with our message. We have the only message that is the hope for this lost, dark world! If we would stop boycotting everything and start trying to redeem the things Satan is using...we might start making significant headway into reaching more people for Jesus.

Most churches preach against Halloween participation...why not have a great big huge alternative event on Halloween? Most churches preach against secular music...why not use a secular song in a worship service that communicates deep spiritual truths?

We need to begin to redeem things that Satan is using to send people to hell.

Christian the Lion

Maybe you've seen this, if not, get out some Kleenex. This is a pretty incredible story. You won't believe your eyes if you haven't seen this already.

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 7)

I recently read Proverbs 7. This is a chapter with two simple messages.

1. Keeping God's Word in my heart is the smartest thing I can do to help me in my battle with any lustful thoughts (vss.1-5).

2. Giving in to lustful thoughts will only lead to destruction (vss. 6-27).

For many men (young and old alike) they see this as an un-winnable battle. To them, it is like they are put in a ring with a 450 pound Sumo Wrestler. And every single time they try to battle against this, the Sumo flattens them.

Honestly, they're right. That is what the struggle is like...make no mistake. But the way to fight a 450 pound Sumo is not when you are in the ring. You need to starve the Sumo before you ever get in the ring.

You need to watch your eyes. You need to recall Job's Covenant and try to abide by that same covenant.

So, to starve the Sumo, that means that when something comes on television you shouldn't see, you turn your head or turn the channel (or better yet, you turn it off).

That means that when you are on the internet and you "stumble" upon a web site you shouldn't see, you click out of there...better yet, you get some kind of Web Filter that will keep you from stumbling.

That means that while you are out on your own, you watch your eyes...what they see, where they look. You bounce them away when you realize you are looking at something that isn't yours.

When you have starved the Sumo for a number of days/weeks, you will find that the next time you are actually in the ring with him again, that he isn't 450 pounds anymore...he's lost weight. He still may clean your clock in this particular battle, but keep starving the Sumo!

You will find after time, that he isn't so big anymore. And when you are thrust into the ring with him, you can easily beat him. That's how you fight this battle.

It is a process of time and investment. Time spent avoiding and bouncing your eyes. Investment in God's Word and strengthening and renewing my covenant with Him.

That is a path for real victory and life change!

The Rebelution Conference

A little later this morning we are taking our sons to the Rebelution Conference. This is a conference put on by Alex and Brett Harris, authors of Do Hard Things.

Basically this conference is meant to inspire to teens to the potential that lies within them. It is a rebellion conference against the normal expectations that our culture imposes on teens today.

I am jazzed about the experience and hoping for a good message for my boys. Should be a great time.

A Reminder at QuikTrip

I went into QuikTrip today to get a $.39 fountain pop (Thank you Jesus for those prices!). When I got back there, I noticed a very well-dressed woman. She looked like she could be an executive or a lawyer. She had on a ladies business suit. But she had no hair. None. No eyebrows. No facial hair at all.

She obviously was undergoing some sort of treatment for some kind of medical issue (probably cancer). It made me think.

I go through life most of the time with tunnel vision. I am all about me 100% of the time. But sometimes, God throws something or someone in your path to remind you that life is a lot bigger than the small circle you walk around in.

There are people all around us every day with incredibly difficult problems and struggles. Most of the time we don't see it. The lady at QuikTrip wasn't hiding it.

A lot of people spend a lot of energy trying to cover up their issues. But we all have them. If we would just remember that there are hurting people, desperate people, needy people that are nearby...I think that could change your life.

Just open up your eyes. You don't have to look very far. People in crisis that are all around us.

Instead of seeing the person ahead of you as a "jerk" because of how they are driving...maybe think about that person's marriage and what problems he or she may be having. Instead of being irritated at Wal Mart because the lady in front of you in line has 18,000 items...why don't you think that maybe she got the check she had been desperately waiting on and now she can finally get all the groceries she had been wanting to get to feed her family.

People aren't here on earth to annoy you. People are here because God loves them and desires that all of them know His Son. If we would just open up our eyes and see people from God's vantage point...it could rock our world.

Next time you get a fountain pop at QuikTrip...look around and see who's next to you. Maybe someone with some big time life issues that you could pray about.

30 Days To Live

I can't tell you how excited I am about September. I am so jazzed and pumped! We have been working our butts off getting ready for this series coming up. One thing we are doing that we have never done before is we are producing a DVD for small groups that will contain stand-alone teaching that compliments the sermons each week. That's exciting.

So far we have finished filming two lessons...two more to go! So pray for us. We have also filmed a testimony and are nearing completion of that as well.

Next Tuesday we will do a promo shoot for the 30 Days series at the Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital. I think that is going to be awesome. Everything about this series pumps me up!

What would you do if you had only 30 Days to Live? Well...you definitely would want to be a part of the sermon series coming this September to The Fort! So don't miss it!

A Boom of a quote

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." (Corrie ten Boom)

I must be willing to fail forward with God's blessings! My only limitation is my own fear. I choose the not-so-normal life with God, trusting in His help for all my future endeavors.

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 6)

I recently read Proverbs 6. I noticed several important topics in the chapter.

Verses 1-5 deal with the issue of debt. Freedom from debt is something I should work with all my might to achieve. It is hard work, but well worth the pay off at the end.

Verses 6-11 deal with having a strong work ethic. If I am going to want to accomplish anything worthwhile in life...I've got to work for it. And coming off of the verses dealing with debt, it makes sense that if I am going to be debt free then that will require a great deal of hard work. There is no short cut. I can't lottery my way out of debt. I can't manipulate my way out of debt. The Bible is very clear on this matter...there is one way out of debt. Hard Work. There are no substitutes.

Verses 12-19 deal with people that scheme and manipulate their way through life. They will use every trick of the trade to get ahead. And God's Word is very clear that about any and all of the tools of a manipulative schemer are all tools that God despises. So the message to me is, don't use people. Don't try to get mine while hurting someone in the process.

Verses 20-35 deal with avoiding adultery. If I am going to be the man God has called me to be then I must guard my heart. My wife is the only woman that needs to catch my eye. I need to be completely and only satisfied in my wife in all things. There is nothing on the outside of my home that can help me.

If I choose to look or lust or follow after another then I most certainly will bring down destruction on myself and my family. There is too much to lose. And I must be willing to fight to avoid. I must "work hard" at avoiding it.

Good lesson for us all.

Need some more remembrance and do...

I have been thinking about something lately. I've been wondering about why it is that we seem to not be growing numerically in the way that I would like. I believe that it's got to happen. For the ultra-spiritual person who says that spiritual growth is more important than numerical growth...I say, "You're missing the point."

If you grow spiritually, you will grow numerically. You can't separate the two. But it is possible to grow numerically and not grow spiritually. So what is the answer?

I proposed something to a few in leadership that I think is one of the keys in this. In James 1:22-25 I see a three-fold principle outlined.

#1) We need to intently HEAR God's Word.

Now I think we are doing this first step well. Not to pat myself on the back, but I know I am preaching the truth and handling God's Word correctly. I know I am preaching the Word with all my heart! So this one we are doing. We are intently hearing the Word proclaimed.

#2) We need to REMEMBER what it says.

This is the beginning of our problem. People come to church each week and listen to the sermons and walk out and by the time they have gotten into their cars, they've already forgotten what they have heard. We need to help people have a more concrete experience than this.

We need to help them "Not Forget" what they have heard. I think there are ways of accomplishing this.

#3) We need to DO what it says.

This is definitely another area of failure for us. We are not DOING the Word of God. We are simply hearers at this point, in my opinion. I think we can DO much better.

So I am intentionally going to be focusing on these two latter steps with every sermon that I preach from now on. I am going to be giving out "homework" and having little exercises to accomplish each week, so that retention is increased and the probability of application is raised as well.

I believe it has got to become an intentional act on my part to help people along in these last two steps. Now, having said that, I can't hold everyone's hand either. People are going to have to learn to do some of this on their own.

I just think part of the answer of our growth issue is that we focus largely on helping people hear the message, but not necessarily helping them remember it or do it. I want that to change. I want to work on all three areas...Hearing, Remembering and Doing.

A Lesson From the Past

Smith Wigglesworth is probably the world record holder for goofy names...just short of Fartacia Clementine. But he was a real person nonetheless. He didn't learn to read until he was an adult. He had a horrible stammer and didn't speak publicly much either.

But against all odds, he turned out to be one of England's greatest preachers and during his later years, he led countless thousands to Jesus.

Smith Wigglesworth liked to say, "Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials."

So what the heck am I doing? I need to get off my fat rear-end and get engaged in the battle! He may have had a goofy name, but he had one heck of a giant faith.

I want to be like Wigglesworth! I want to be a scrapper for Jesus! I want to go for whatever it is with gusto! No holding me back...just fighting as hard as I can until I see a result.

I think that's how I am going to approach ministry from now on.

Pop Goes The Church Book Study1

This is going to be the first post in a number to come for a very interesting book study that I am going to be doing via my blog with three other bloggers. The book we are studying is Tim Stevens' book Pop Goes The Church. I am studying this book cooperatively with Kyle Phillips, Dan Hudson, and Nate Liston.

We all plan on posting our thoughts on the book around the same time and then commenting on each other's blogs to see what we got out of each chapter we have read. The cool thing is that you can participate too. If you see something good or thought-provoking then jump in the discussion!

So here goes...my thoughts about the introduction and chapter one of Pop Goes The Church:

I thought it was really cool that Tim Stevens starts off his book with a story about a massive explosion that happened in Pleasant Hill, IA in November of 1983. (For more on that story follow this Link.)

His point was that churches need to be making strong, immediate impact in people's lives when they visit. He asked the question, "What is happening in your church that is worth talking about?" I think that is a significant and valid question.

The truth is I get extremely jazzed about things that we are doing but I don't know how many other people in the church share those same feelings...I think if I truly found out, it would be dismally disappointing (so I don't really want to know).

The fact that most people don't ever consider inviting their unsaved friend or co-worker with them to their church (to our church) validates the fact that most people don't see the church as a relevant place. Unfortunately, I would have to agree with that. At least in how most people live it out...even in our setting.

I found it interesting from chapter one that most people in America are becoming increasingly spiritual but less apt to attend church. I went onto the Popgoesthechurch.com web site and watched Deb's Story...all I could say was, "Wow!" It was sad and riveting all at the same time. I think there are more Debs out there than we know.

I believe that I absolutely and philosophically agree with Tim Stevens that the purpose of the church is more than just nurturing those within it's walls (see Acts 2:42-47)...it is a multifaceted purpose that also stretches outside of the walls of the local church to the lost.

Growing up in a more legalistic church setting, I really identified with Tim's personal love/frustration with the church. I also believe it is high time we got out of our "holy huddles" and got serious about the awesome potential of a church that leverages the popular culture to share the love of our Savior with the world. I'm sold out for that idea. I don't just want to be like Willow Creek...I want to be The Fort. I don't want to try to be someone else. I think our congregation has it's own unique identity.

But I think who we are has got to be wrapped up in caring about lost people. Lost people matter to God and they definitely need to matter to us. And we need to take an attitude that says, "I will do anything short of sin to win lost people to Jesus!" Because hell is a very real place. That's my heartbeat.

I am really excited about getting into this book. All that I've read so far has got me pumped up. I hope the rest of you are enjoying it too.

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 5)

I read Proverbs 5 recently. Wow! What a chapter!? This is a chapter written for every guy. But oddly enough it is a chapter set in the midst of a father speaking to his son.

You might think that a bit condescending. We men don't like to be treated like a child. We don't like to be told what we ought to do. But the reality is...more often than not, we act like a child.

We are selfish, vain, conceited, lust-gratifiers...and, in my opinion, speaking to men like children is absolutely appropriate...especially in respect of this issue of lust.

Me and my accountability partner speak of the issue of lust in terms of "being in the swamp." When we give into it...when we let our eyes wander or let the late-night remote haphazardly change channels...then it is like we dive off the end of a dock over a swamp.

The water on the surface may look appealing but it is very shallow. The water is on the surface of sticky, slimy, stinky mud. And once you are in that mud it is hard to wallow out of it. It grabs a hold of you and drags you down.

But there are other issues in the swamp as well. There are leaches that drain you. And you can't get them all off by yourself.

That's why once you get out of the swamp, you need to be hosed down and you need the help of someone else to pull off all the leaches.

Honestly, I've been in that swamp many times. I try to avoid it as much as I can, but every once in a while...like a foolish child...I will dive into the murky waters again thinking it might be different this time. It never is.

That's why I love the honesty of this chapter in Proverbs 5. And there is a very good message for a little child like myself in relation to the issue of lust. Verse 21 says that all I do is seen by the Lord. I need to always remember that.

And it is a very significant help to have an accountability partner...someone with whom you are completely honest with to share any struggles you may or may not be having.

Now I feel a need to convince you, like a child would, that this isn't a gigantic struggle in my life. I will say it isn't the battle it used to be. But it is something that I believe is a struggle for every man (child). And we need to heed the words of Proverbs 5 or we are always going to be stuck in the mud of the swamp, covered in leaches.

Sunday Evening Reflections

Well...it has been a good weekend. Saturday I performed a wedding...a little on the impromptu side, but definitely a good thing. This couple took this step and really needed to do this. They decided they weren't going to "play married" anymore and really, genuinely commit themselves to each other and the relationship. So they were wed in a private ceremony where each of them covenanted to keep themselves only to each other until death. Wow! That is a God-honoring and a God-sized commitment, but one that God will honor, I believe! I am proud of both of them.

Today I began a new sermon series on Stewardship. I felt things went well. It was good to get back in the saddle after not preaching for 3 weeks because of Oneprayer.

I am excited about the future. I have been very busy. We've been filming videos for an upcoming sermon series in September...and let me tell you, this series is going to rock your world. I am so jazzed about it!

That's all for now.

Happy 4th!

We kind of had our celebration last night. We went to Principal Park to watch the Iowa Cubs take on the Omaha Royals (the Kansas City Royals Minor league farm). The I-Cubs won 9-6. It was a good game with a lot of hits.

But a very cool moment for our family was when Jacob, my youngest son, caught a foul ball. It was super awesome. He came prepared with a glove, and sure enough, we had a ball hit right at us and Jacob got it! It was a very cool moment.

After the game we stayed for a brilliant fireworks display. Here's a couple shots...

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 4)

I have been a little behind on sharing what I am learning from the Word. Last week I was on vacation. Sorry about that. But here's where I've been.

I read Proverbs 4 recently. There is a common thread to all four chapters. The acquisition of wisdom and knowledge.

There really are two different perspectives in life. Human or Divine. Horizontal or Vertical.

You could definitely say that the Horizontal perspective is the more popular of the two. But the Vertical perspective is much more fruitful.

As a human we prefer to think, maintain our attitudes, and conduct our lives independently. Human opinions have more weight and influence with us than God's commands and principles. Horizontal solutions seem to give us greater security and pleasure.

When I am under the gun of some deadline, I prefer a tangible way out instead of God telling me to just trust Him to see it through. Rather than waiting on the Lord to solve my dilemma in His own time, I would rather step in and manipulate a fast, painless escape. But that reverses the Divine process.

If I am ever going to grow in my faith. If I am ever going to quit playing games with God then I need to begin to take on the Divine perspective. I need to "know wisdom" as it is described in the book of Proverbs.

My spiritual life is limited by it's narrow perspective. It is mostly one-dimensional with little vision and seemingly less and less passion. That's because I think if I can do it all on my own that somehow I am being spiritual.

But Proverbs is teaching me a broader, deeper, richer perspective. The little sayings in Proverbs have the power to change my whole outlook, if I am willing. I need to long for His viewpoint. I need to desire His wisdom.

I need to keep searching and pursuing knowledge and wisdom. I don't think it is an easy task. But I want a new perspective. I want a freshness to my faith. I want to look up instead of simply looking around.

"Help me Jesus to learn wisdom. True wisdom that only you give. Help me to crave it more than water or food. Help me gain your perspective. Help me to shed all trust in human wisdom. In Jesus' Name."