I’m not there yet.

Sometimes that gets the best of me, and I fall apart wondering why God would choose to use me for the proclamation of good news. How could someone as jacked up as I am, possibly serve any purpose in the advancement of the Kingdom? And at the basis of all that, how could He even love me?

Here’s what I’m coming to learn and appreciate -

The Gospel is not about me or you. It’s not about us, because it’s for us. It’s not about our strengths or our weaknesses. It’s about Jesus. Only Jesus.

So, the next time you fail or the next time you do something great, do not focus on yourself.

Focus on Jesus.

When your eyes are fixed on Him, you’ll forget about you.

…Youcef Nadarkhani faces the possibility of being executed for his faith and refusal to renounce Jesus Christ.

What courage!
What faith!

I feel great sorrow for Youcef and his family. I feel great shame for myself and the lack of boldness I have in my proclamation of Jesus absent any persecution.

We worry about so much in the American church. So much pointless crap.

I pray we start worrying about what matters.

The Glory of God, for the good of all people.

Pray for Youcef. Pray for his family.

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” Acts 4:29

He will deceive you and try to destroy you.
Do not underestimate him.

But ultimately, he’s no match for Jesus.
The Cross lays waste to our adversary.

Fight against him.
Until God destroys him.

In this system of thinking, faith is a matter of taste, not of truth.
Then I implore you to consider the urgent need before us to forsake the American dream now in favor of radical abandonment to the person and purpose of Christ.” – David Platt

What do you think?

The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.

When I saw this I wept. The video is from UFM Worldwide. Their mission is to spread the gospel to every group of people, everywhere.

What really amazes me though, isn’t the mission to spread God’s Word, but rather the reception of God’s Word. Oh, that those of us in the American church would long for God’s Word like that! That we would hunger and thirst for its truth, and then weep tears of joy as its Words fall upon our ears and into our hearts. If only I could be that desperate for the living and active Word of God!

Spend some time today, thanking God that we have open access to His Word, and then spend some time with God in His word.

Why do you think we lack the longing for the Scriptures?

I honestly do not think there is any way that we can fully comprehend the truth that is conveyed in that message. At least I can’t. It is hard enough to try and understand what it even means for God to love me, let alone that there is no outside force strong enough to separate me from that overwhelming love.

Feel the weight of that for just a moment. No government. No demon. No person. No event. NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. I wonder if that is the reality that hit the Israelites in Nehemiah after years of straying away and living in captivity? To return, no, not just return, but to be welcomed with abundant grace and mercy into the arms of the Almighty.

This should give us some of the greatest cause for celebration.

What amazes you the most about God’s love?

*To any readers unsure as to why I’m talking about celebration everyday, it’s because Crossroads Church is using this week to celebrate and rejoice in our great God. We’re doing a book study on Nehemiah and you should come join us!*

Flash forward…

We live on this rock that we call earth. It is filled with pains that many of us experience, some of us more than others. This home isn’t perfect. Far from it. Because of the fall of man, even the earth suffers and yearns for redemption. But even here…even in a ‘booth.’ In a booth that is a constant reminder of who we once were. In a booth filled with ungodliness and surrounded by sorrows. In a booth that sometimes seems incredibly far from our real home.

Even in this booth we are able to worship. Able to praise! Because of the gracious sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, the veil of separation between man and God has been torn in two and we, even in our booth can cry out to Him that saves and then rejoice because He does!

We all need to make a declaration…”Even from this booth I will praise! Even from this booth I will sing! Even from this booth I will celebrate the One who has delivered me!”

What about you? How do you find ways to worship, even in this booth?

What does it mean to be free? Webster says free means, “not bound, confined, or detained by force.” Why is it then, that Christians seem so tied down to the world and sin that we have forgotten we are free. And not just free from slavery and Satan. We are not just free FROM, we are free TO.

We are free to celebrate. Free to rejoice. Free to live!

Stop what you’re doing right now, and worship in your freedom! (Go ahead I’ll be here when you get back)

Now, how does that feel?

“Every breath brings a chance for redemption
If somehow we could wake up!”

One of the truths that always humbles me, is that we are living in a world that is dying and yet God has this amazing redemptive plan. It’s easy sometimes to live with an escapist mentality and always long for the eternal without living now. So amidst the sorrow and the pain. Among the tears and the death. While hoping and anxiously anticipating the day that we meet our Savior…

Let us love.

God will redeem His people. He will redeem His creation. Everything will be made new. But until then…

Let us love.

A world is waiting.

The realities accomplished by the early church were nothing short of miraculous and wonderful. Innumerable people found the life-changing hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that there was not one who was needy among them. This church, was being the church.

When we read the first few chapters of Acts it is so easy for us to get wrapped up in all of the oneness and family. We can get lost in the stories of community and the radical conversions of thousands of people. In fact, I love to read those early chapters and dream of what that would look like for Crossroads Church, for every church.

I think though, that there is sometimes a danger in the looking back. It is easy to over glorify what was happening. Easy to get lost in their past and forget about our present. Acts chapter 5 begins with a solemn word. “But…” In light of all that was happening for that church, this is going to be a turning point. Things were going to change. Now, they were going to have deacons and business meetings! (oh, you know it’s funny)

In looking at and studying this early family- this family of strength and support. This family of love and encouragement. This family of hope and joy. We easily forget that family is often times a messy thing. That family is dysfunctional. That family has times of disagreement.

We forget that the beauty of family is not what they look like when times are good, but how they live together in the times of bad.

Many of you who will read this belong to a church. Many of you may even be struggling with belonging in that church. If I could say one thing to you, I would say this, find the beauty in the dysfunction. Find God in the mess. Don’t give up. Don’t run away. Find the beauty. It’s there. Under all the meetings and drama. Beneath the financial struggles and differences of opinion, the beauty is there. The family is there.

What do you think? What does the family look like?