what I think I thought…

• Yesterday might have been the most amazing church service I have ever been a part of.
• We finished up our Elements series teaching on Baptism…and without anyone pre planning to be baptized…17 people were immersed yesterday.
• WOW.
• As amazing as that is…here is what got me most excited last night…12 of 17…were men. Not male…men. Husbands, fathers, and grandfathers! Grown men submitting the word of God and being baptized.
• Why does that excite me? Because when a man…the leader of the home…is obedient to the Lord…then 90% of the time the family follows suite.
• Sad confession: We bought some shorts and shirts for people to use for their baptism…I only bought 5 sets.
• I was praying for 10 people to respond…only bought 5 sets of clothes. My view of God is WAAAYYY too small.
• Between services we had to send someone out to go get more clothes for the second service.
• The Holy Spirit was moving so much that during the second service I had a lady come forward in the middle of my message ready to respond RIGHT THEN. She didn’t even want to wait for the invitation time. WOW
• I pray that happens every week.
• Everyone I spoke with yesterday was amazed at what happened in our services. But here is what we all need to know…this should be the norm for a church that is Passionate Pursuing God and Creatively Caring for People!
• Seeing god move in people the way he did yesterday ought to be standard fare for us. We should be SHOCKED when it doesn’t happen…not when it does!
• I can’t think of a better way to cap off a Thanksgiving weekend.
• Putting together some thoughts for our Christmas series for December. We are diving into the truth of Immanuel. Bring someone with you!

Tucker

It’s Monday morning.

And this Monday morning I awoke with the same feeling that has filled the last few Monday mornings.  I don’t have a name for the feeling exactly…maybe a little bit of frustration mixed with anxiety piled on top of some self pity.  (I didn’t say it was good, healthy, or righteous!)

I don’t have a name for what I am feeling on Monday mornings…but I think I know why I feel it.

Today is Monday…which means yesterday was Sunday.  And yesterday I preached a message on “Why we sing” in worship to God.  It was a message I have been mulling over for a month or more.  I have spent hours reading, listening, talking to people…trying to wrap my mind on why worshiping God through music is such an important thing to God.  Then I put my message together…trying to figure out what to put in and what to leave out.  What is the best way to communicate what I think God wants me to say?  What is the best way to incorporate in with all the rest of the elements of our weekly worship service?

Then it happens…Sunday comes and I am excited to share what God has taught me and the Spirit pulls it all together.

Then I wake up on Monday…and it’s over.

The sermon gets filed into the cabinet.  A month’s worth of mulling banished to a manila folder.  And as I sit here on Monday I think about all of the people who missed it.  For whatever reason…they were sick or at the football game or had company in town…and all of the wrestling I did with this powerful concept of worship…and they weren’t here to have the Spirit challenge their thinking or reinforce their understanding.

And now it is Monday…and the moment has passed.  I wish I could go back and share the message again so the people who missed out could catch up to what the Lord taught the rest of us…but I can’t.  Because Sunday is 6 days away.  And I have to have a new powerful truth to share in a way that is going to enlighten and inspire…that, in exactly one week, will get filed away into the manila folder.  And the cycle continues.

But there is good news on this Monday morning.  As I lay in by bed at 5:45 thinking and praying about my Monday morning feeling…God reminded me of a promise found in Isaiah 55…

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

There is the cure for my Monday morning feeling.  God will accomplish HIS DESIRE and achieve HIS PURPOSE.  My desire is irrelevant.  My purpose doesn’t matter.  It only matter if it is my word.  But it’s not.  It’s HIS.  To do with whatever he wants.

So today is Monday.  And yesterday God’s Word was shared.  And even as I type this…he is using it to accomplish something.  He is using it to achieve something in someone today.

And today…I get the honor of wrestling, mulling, thinking, praying and planning to bring the rain again next week.   What an honor.

So I had someone put a copy of this article in my box yesterday.  Seriously can’t believe churches still think like this.  This is a church who is burning all bibles except King James Version…and books by authors such as Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, Chuck Colson, and Mother Teresa…because they don’t fit into the box they have made for God.

I can only laugh at the irony that they call themselves the “Amazing Grace Baptist church.

I thank God his Grace is much bigger than his peoples.

wow

• 1.1 billion people living without access to safe drinking water is appalling at every level
• Three stats that blew my mind:

1. Americans average 183 gallons of water use per person per day
2. Unclean water kills more people each year than Aids and Cancer combined
3. $1 can provide clean water for an African for an entire year

• This is not about water conservation…although there is nothing wrong with that…but us using less isn’t going to allow those without to use more.

• This is about doing justice…Micah 6:6-8

• I truly did survive only drinking water for a week

• Between drinks at restaurants, Mt. dews at the store, 12 packs at home and at the office, sugar for my sweet tea, plus the tea bags…I think a conservative estimate of what I normally spend on my beverages is at least $25 a week

• For those of you who drink coffee…add in the creamer, filters, sugar, and milk…when you think about how much you spend on your habit…and if you do Starbucks…well get a calculator

• And for those of you who are beer and wine drinkers…you don’t need me to tell you what an expensive luxury that is…1 beer at a Cardinals Game…$7…and what beer drinker only has 1?

• Imagine the impact we could have a body of believer if we all took the challenge to drink only water for a week.  And honestly added up what we normally spend…

• If the total only came out to $15 a person (which is a very low estimate!) …that alone would fund an entire well.

• Today we are going to write a check to bloodwater mission for $11,303 dollars to help build a well in Nigeria.

• My hope is that from the water challenge we will add another $5000 to that next week…because of what you are willing to give up for the sake of others

• Excited about next weeks message it is one that hits REALLY close to home for me…and many of you as well.
• For those of you who missed out on this weekend you can always catch up here

·    I will never look at a dog create the same ever again.
·    Yesterday was an emotional mixed bag.
·    There was disgust, anger, shock, and sadness.  But the last feeling I had walking out was one of Hope.  We as the body of Christ CAN do something about this!
·    Sometimes it’s easier not to know what goes on in the back allies.  Sometimes we don’t want the curtain pulled back because we know what is behind it will make us uncomfortable.
·    But God’s number one priority for his people is not comfort.
·    Only when we see what God sees…and know what he knows…can we feel what he feels.  All of our anger, disgust, and sadness…pale in comparison to the Father of these victims.
·    Still can’t get over this statistic: The average age of entry into prostitution in Phoenix and U.S. is 13 years old
·    Larry Fraley and Peggy Bilsten have amazing hearts for these girls…and are literally leading the way nationally on how best to rescue and restore these young lives.
·    If you have yet to check out Streetlights website….do it now!
·    And check out the Branded site as well.
·    Yesterday we had our lowest attendance since June 1st 2008…even so…today we are writing a check for $12,500 from the offering that was collected.  AMAZING!
·    For all of you who were missing yesterday…please check out the message on our website it should be up by Tuesday morning.
·    And if you missed out on the chance to give…you can do it here.

·    I can’t tell you how excited I am about what God is doing with the people of Prescott Christian Church.
·    I am privileged to be a part of a staff and elders who have let me dream big and are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish Gods mission in this world.  Sadly this is rare.
·    As hard as it is too believe, I know seeking justice as God has called us to, is not a popular preaching topic.
·    I know there are going to be some who think we are wasting time and wasting energy and wasting resources…and would rather hear warm and fuzzy messages that require nothing of us.
·    But a faith that requires nothing is a faith that is worth nothing…James 1:22, 2:18, 2:26
·    Favorite comment from Sunday, “I know you probably don’t hear this enough…but thank you for not letting us just come and sit in a pew.”
·    Today we writing two checks for $6000 each to be given away from yesterdays offering.
·    I am so excited to get to go and drop them off.
·    Next week’s message is going to leave you dumbfounded.  We are going to have the former vice mayor of Phoenix along with a special guest from Christ’s Church in the Valley to share with us about one of the greatest injustices in our time that is happening in our own backyard.
·    YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!
·    I beg of you…bring someone with you this week.  Let’s start a movement of people who are committed to getting people on board with us as we try to live out seeking Justice.

In the little Old Testament letter of Micah, the prophet answers a question most every person who believes in God has asked… “God, what do you want from me?”

He puts it this way…
“With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
Are offerings of calves, rams, and oil what please the Lord?

What about money, time, and talents? Is that what God wants
from us?

The good news is we don’t have to guess.

Micah 6:8 tells us what God wants…
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

So for the month of October we are going to try and give God what he wants. We are going to seek justice and show mercy to those whose lives have been marred by injustice and cruelty.

Injustices like the modern day slavery of girls caught up in sex trafficking. Or the 1.1 billion people in the world who have no access to clean water today. Or the 143 million children living as orphans.

Throughout the month of October we are not only going to talk about these issues but because of a few generous people we are going to empower you to do something about them. We are going to help fund a rescue house in Phoenix for young girls rescued from the sex trade to go and find healing for their
bodies and their souls. We are going to build a well in Ethiopia that will be a safe, clean, sustainable source of water for an entire village. We are going to partner with those in our own community of believers who are following after God’s heart and are trying to be fathers and mothers to children without.

I truly believe this could be one life changing-church changing-community changing series. You are not going to want to miss what is going to happen in October. So do everything you can to be here and bring someone with you as we delve into this new series “…and justice for all.”

So I got an e-mail today about last week’s sermon on prayer.  I am sharing with you their e-mail and my response because if one person walked out feeling like this…there may be others.  Anytime you have a question about anything said in a service…please let me know…

Okay.. so I’ve been trying to digest the sermon from Sunday.  And it has left me feeling awful.  I have     struggled all my adult life with the idea that God loves me.  And after your message on Sunday I now feel     convinced that I am nothing more than a nuisance to God.  I bother him with my daily babblings.  Is it true     that he really only wants to hear from me when I need him to do something miraculous?  Otherwise I     should just let things play out as they will and leave Him alone?

My Response

Let me begin by saying…I am so sorry.

As I mentioned Sunday…this is a HUGE topic and there is no way to cover all that needs to be covered on this issue.

I Peter 5: 7 says…”Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  He CARES for YOU!  He desires for you to bring everything to him…all your anxieties…big and small.

My point…which obviously I didn’t make very well…for us to think, dream, and ask BIG!  We can and should pray for the small things but I want us dreaming God size dreams too.  I heard someone say recently that for those of us who are parents…when we pray with our children…the size of our prayers teach our children about the size of our God.  I want my boy to understand we serve a big God by expecting him to answer big prayers.

The thing about bothering God…those were Jesus’ words…but they were told in a parable…Jesus was making a point…not a declaration.  And in both of Jesus’ parables…the “bothering” was a GOOD thing!

The point wasn’t that our prayers bother God.  Eph. 2:12 says this…”In him, and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”  Hebrews 4:16 puts it this way…” Let us then approach the throne of Grace with confidence so that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

On the Day that Jesus died the veil in the temple…a curtain three feet thick…ripped from TOP to BOTTOM.  God opened up the holy of holies to everyone…he invited us into his presence.  He longs to hear from us.  Jesus parables weren’t meant to paint a complete picture of God in prayer…as he said in Luke 18:1…He told them this parable “to show them they should pray and not give up.”

That was the point…Jesus wanted us to learn to pray and not give up…but to pray and keep praying.  That is was the point.  To get you to do it more…not less.  If you walked out wanted to pray less…then I thoroughly failed.
God wants you to pray and keep praying.  To more and more bring your requests to him.  We are going to touch on this a little this week…God desires for us to know and be known intimately.  And that can only happen by us spending more time him not less.

As I said…I am sorry you have been tormented…God adores you and is longing to spend time you.  He sent his son to die to make that happen.

Tonight I am sitting in my recliner watching a show called “Hoarders.”

It is a show chronicling the lives of people who compulsively hoard everything.  There is a woman who is going through a refrigerator that is packed to the brim with rotting food.  Most anyone would look in it…vomit then throw the whole thing out.  But not her.  She is looking in it trying to rationalize reasons to keep 2 year old cheese.

Another man is going through his house that is so full of stuff you can’t even see the floor.  It is so bad he is in danger of being evicted…and along with his wife…having child protective services take away his two kids.  Because he can’t part with the useless stuff…he may end up losing all the stuff.

The phrases I keep hearing is…”Change is hard.”  “I can’t seem to part with this.”  “I don’t know why I am emotional attached to these things?”  “It’s all just too overwhelming.”

I was watching this show thinking how can anyone live like this?  How can anyone hang onto to this stuff?  How can anyone have such an emotional attachment to things that are ruining their lives?

Then it hit me.  Most of us do it all the time.  Maybe not with rotten meat or broken toys…but so many of us are hanging onto to hurts and sins and regrets…and they are ruining us.  We have emotional attachments to lies on the inside of us that we can’t…can’t let go of.  They have become our normal and the thought of living without them is an unknown that is way too scary.

Two things I have learned from this show…

• Removing the symptoms doesn’t mean you’re cured.
• You must let someone help you if you hope to be healed.