Joshua - Called to Conquer - May 16, 2007
This last Sabbath at the Eastside Fellowship Church that I shared a message out of Joshua 3. This was my first sermon as the church’s pastor. Seeing as I have never preached a message to a church for the first time as their senior pastor and because the church had never had a pastor before, I really contemplated what to say and how to say it.
The weeks leading up to this weekend I had been spending my devotional time in the book of Joshua. It was here that I gained a clearer picture of a God who calls us to conquer the vision that He calls us to. Here are the four major points of Joshua 3 as I see them:
1) God is calling us both individually and collectively to do something that is impossible for us, in and of ourselves, to accomplish on our own. He will show us the way seeing as we’ve never been down this path before. (3:4)
2) We must consecrate (make right, purify) ourselves before God. Simply surrendering our dreams, plans and vision to Him will make room for His vision for our life/lives to emerge. (3:5)
3) God wants to work miracles in your life and amongst the community of believers that you are apart of so that we and others will know that the living God is among us. (3:10)
4) God will show us the way to go, but He will never force us to take a singe step. It takes faith to put our feet into a flooding river. We must be willing to take that step. (3:15)
Throughout the entire book of Joshua, God has delivered before the Israelites take a step of faith. Joshua invited all of Israel to consecrate themselves before God and God invites Israel to step into a flooding river. It is my prayer that I am consecrated before Jesus and through my connection to Him may I remain faithful to hop into the water.
Prayer - Cinco de Mayo
Yesterday I received a book that I had ordered after a friend of mine recommended it: “Deepening Your Conversation with God.” This morning as I read the first chapter a quote from E.M. Bounds really spoke to me:
“We are constantly on a stretch, if not a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men…. What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.” (E.M. Bounds, Power through Prayer)
I want to be a man of prayer (even if this is a girl in the picture).
Eastside SDA Fellowship - May 3, 2007
Last night I had a great time meeting with the board of the Seattle Eastside SDA Fellowship. It was there that we got better acquainted and I found out that I will now serve part-time as the Lead Pastor of the church family starting later this month. I am really excited about this opportunity and will be sure to keep you posted on the development of this church body!
garageVOICE Tour - April 30, 2007
Earlier today I had the opportunity to have lunch with a band that I’ve grown to love and really appreciate. The band is called garage Voice. When 24-Seven started about 2.5 years ago, the three band members moved out from Berrien Springs, MI to lead worship at 24-Seven. Since that time the band has released an EP and now the full album: Let Those Who Have Ears Hear.
Please keep the band in your prayers as they are traveling across the country playing at various venues/events. Additionally, if you would like to make an offering to help them on the road, just go to www.garagevoice.com. You can also keep up-to-date about their concert schedule at on their Myspace page: www.myspace.com/garagevoice.
I really believe that these guys have a ton to offer any audience and if you are a fan of music, I highly recommend picking up this album!
Keep up the great work guys!
Sick as a dog - Part II - April 20, 2007
I don’t think that I have ever been sick so long in all my life. Last week, if you read the first part of Sick as a dog I mentioned that I was sick and that is why I hadn’t updated my blog in the previous week or so. On Monday I woke up feeling OK… a bit of a sore throat, but all in all I was feeling alright. But by noon, my throat was sore and my body was starting to ache all over. Luckily that morning I had submitted three blog entry’s for the following three days.
While being sick, sometimes I question God. I mean, why would He allow me to be so sick? Maybe the Bible talks about people getting sick, but I don’t recall it mentioning the flu. I recall that when Jesus was asked why a certain person had an ailment, his response was often, “So that my Father in heaven may be glorified.”
Last week, knowing that I was scheduled to preach on Sabbath, I started to wonder if I would need to call Pastor Steve to cover for me. But then I started feeling fine on Thursday and 100% on Friday, so I preached my heart out on Saturday. Unfortunately the flu hit me full-force on Monday again! Never in my life has this happened. Pastor Steve mentioned to me that it could be that God healed me for the weekend so that I could preach. If only I was preaching this weekend! Maybe because I’m not, I am still sick!
Incubus… Godly… WHAT!? - April 18, 2007
I have been having an online interview with a guy named Marcel who recently wrote and asked me: “You ... openly admit to your love of secular music, and especially the alternative rock band Incubus. Explain the spiritual connection...”
Here is my response:
This is a huge issue that is facing our church and will more than likely continue to impact us until Jesus comes again and settles the score once and for all. I have been all over the scale when it comes to music. When I first became a follower of Jesus, I went through a stage where I destroyed all my “secular” music. Since that time, I have fasted from music for months on end (several times actually), in hopes to know without a doubt what God’s will is for me as it pertains to what kind of music I should be listening to. I have read books that argue all sides of the spectrum on what’s acceptable to Him.
My conclusion right now is that music is a medium that is more often than not an expression of a person’s spiritual journey. In other words, music is an expression of the “heart” and the “heart” expresses a person’s spirituality.
Do I think that a band like Incubus is for everyone? Absolutely not. Do I think that they are God fearing? It doesn’t appear that way. However, the Bible says that in you is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:19). In the context of the passage, it doesn’t limit the Spirit of God only to followers of Jesus. That being said, my conclusion is that God’s Spirit is working inside everyone to save them from themselves. With that being said, as I listen to music, I am listening for the spiritual warfare (that I like to call the great controversy) that’s going on inside someone. When that is packaged with a genre of music that I like then I’ve got a win-win.
[I will keep you posted when the interview is posted on his website.]
Spirit Enabled - April 17, 2007
This past week, while preparing for a message on Pentecost at 24-Seven, I came across something that I had never really seen before. In Acts 2:4 the Bible says that “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (TNIV) The phrase, “Spirit enabled” really stood out to me. After all, when we think about Pentecost (which was a celebration that occurred 50 days after Passover), we often associate with it the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As I began to look at the context of Chapter 1 and 2 of Acts, I began to realize that not only is the reader being told the ingredients of being a Spirit enabled person, but also what a Spirit enabled person will look like.
So how do we become Spirit enabled? In Acts 1:4 the Bible says that, “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then, after Jesus heads off to heaven before their eyes, the Bible says that as they waited in Jerusalem: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” (:14)
So, how did they become Spirit Enabled?
1. Obedient to Jesus’ command of them to go chill in Jerusalem.
2. Fervent in prayer together.
What does a Spirit enabled person or group of people look like?
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
While I feel like I am obedient to where Jesus is calling me to go, I recognize that I am weak on being fervent in prayer. It is my commitment to discipline myself to be more fervent in prayer, connecting to God in prayer, both personally and collectively with others in the faith.
Continue reading "Spirit Enabled - April 17, 2007"
Sick as a dog - April 16, 2007
There’s nothing better than wrapping up a great vacation with a terrible flu. That’s right, the day before we flew back to Seattle from Charleston, SC I came down with the flu. And to make matters worse, the sickness was compounded by the all day flight back from the East Coast. Needless to say, I spent a good part of last week in bed and missed a weeks worth of blogging. But not to worry! I’M BACK… (although as I am typing this I am sneezing uncontrollably in a Tully’s coffee shop in Kirkland!).
Every Monday morning, I have a 7AM Bible Study/Men’s Accountability Group that I meet with at this Tully’s in Kirkland. I am far from being a morning person and this morning was no exception. When the alarm went off at 6am my immediate thought was, “Oh… I don’t feel so well. Maybe I will just stay here in bed.” But then I started to wrestle within myself and I felt impressed to get up and go to the group. My “flesh” wanted to stay in bed, but the “Spirit” was calling me to get up and go.
You see, I knew that if I stayed at home, I would end up wasting the morning away. I would probably stay in bed and then dink around on the computer and not be really productive. I also knew that I would be susceptible to temptation if I stayed at home alone.
This morning, I made the decision to follow the Spirit and I am glad that I did. I had a great discussion with one of the guys in the group this morning that I sense was a God-thing. As a result my week got off to a great start. I hope that I can learn to follow the Spirit every day, all day!
Outer Banks, NC - April 4, 2007
Susan and I are enjoying our two week vacation on the East Coast. Today we came out to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a great day today. After arriving in from the historic Williamsburg, VA (where we spent the day yesterday with some friends) we put on our swim suits and headed out to the beach. Then at sunset we found this little park where we snapped this photo.
Enjoy the day…
Old Skool in Boston - March 28, 2007
Susan and I were in Boston yesterday and I saw this spray painted on the side of a building. I love the flava, and you can’t get much more Ol’ Skool then the Pilgrims!
We are having a great time relaxing with family and friends. Today we visited Henry David Thoreau’s grave site. In the same cemetery are found the graves of Ralph Waldo Emersonand Louisa May Alcott. Great fun for the whole family!
Hope you are relaxing as well!
