You Are Not Alone

It's easy to feel alone when you are taking a walk of faith, but I don't believe God ever gives you a mission just for you. There will always be others who will help you, encourage you, follow you, or need what you offer. Many times, the reason for the mission is so that several, or many others can follow your lead.

You may have read this scripture. Then the Lord answered me and said, "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets so that the one who reads it may run with it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:2, 3 NASB)

Habakkuk was encouraged to grasp the vision God was giving him and to pass it on with such clarity that someone else could actually carry out the mission God was giving Habakkuk! See, the mission isn't about you. Don't be a vision-hog. Look for someone that will sign on and commit to be your supporter. 

 

But, what about those other people who will be discouragers and will say you will never accomplish anything? Jon Acuff addressed that today as a guest writer for Michael Hyatt. You can read the entire blog here. In his post, he wrote,

The truth is, you should never waste time trying to turn someone who hates you into someone who likes you. Instead focus on turning people who like your dream into people who love your dream.

So how do you know who a hater is? Simple, someone who hates on something without a solution to make it better is a hater. If they don’t have a fix, an idea, a spark of improvement, they’re just there to hate. That’s one of the main differences between hate and feedback.

Don't be discouraged. God has a helper - maybe many helpers - for you. It's biblical to leave the haters in the dust, see Matthew 10:14. Let the haters hate, but let those who hear the voice of God and catch a glimpse of his heart run to spread his love to those who need it most.

What Is Your Trouble?

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Jesus left us many promises. I'm wondering if you've ever claimed this one: "In this world you will have trouble." He said we will, not we might, but we will. Then why are we so surprised? Why do we go into hiding or throw a tantrum when trouble comes. It's  not like we weren't warned.

 

Here's my definition of trouble. 

 

Trouble - n. a state or condition of distress, annoyance, malfunction, or difficulty

 

Let's break it down:

• Distress – trouble affecting your mind, thoughts, dreams
• Annoyance – trouble affecting your attitude, demeanor,
• Malfunction – trouble affecting your body, health, activities
• Difficulty – trouble affecting your future, direction, purpose

Which of these is most troubling to you right now? How are you handling it? When Jesus promised us trouble, it wasn't an isolated statement. It was wedged in between two messages of hope.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

He has told us what things? He said many things, but let's look at just three. First, in verse 7, He promised that we wouldn't be left alone or confused in our trouble. The counselor has come to us. Then, in verse 27, Jesus came to give us access to the Father’s love. And lastly, in verses 21-22, our trouble will be followed by a secure joy. No one will be able to wipe the smile from our face or rain on our parade. Joy born out of pain is real joy!

What does all this mean?

Before trouble arrives, we can be prepared through the wisdom God provides,
   in the midst of trouble, we can trust the Father's love,
      and when trouble is past, we will be left standing in unshakeable joy.

When troubles are troublesome, God is awsome.

Priority Shift

From Matthew 10:42
If anyone gives even a cup of
cold water to one of these
little ones who belong to Christ,
he will certainly not lose his reward.

What is your priority? How do you characterize your Christianity? What gets most of your time and attention? There are so many "Christian" issues that steal our resources and deplete our ability to serve, but have you ever noticed how in both testaments of the Bible, God constantly tries to draw attention to people in need? Many of the laws of Moses were in place to provide equity among God's people.

Consider this from the law in Deuteronomy 15:11, "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."

From the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah 32:6 "For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the LORD; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water."
...

From Jesus' words in Luke 12, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

And from the apostles, James 1:26-27 "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Maybe it's time to turn your gaze away from your petty issue and ask God to direct your focus.

 

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Heading Home

Approaching Greenville on Wade Hampton Boulevard reminds me how great a task is before us. Transforming a city one person at a time requires a long-term commitment. Our Transformers have made this a priority in their lives and are sacrificing their own agendas in order to follow God's call. Wouldn't you like to be a Transformer?

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Unleash at NewSpring

I got to spend the day with friends and colleagues at NewSpring Church in Anderson.  I have been to Newspring several times for other events, but this was the first time I've attended Unleash.  If you're interested you can click here view videos from previous years.

I won't give you a lengthy description of the conference, but let me say that the volunteers were phenomenal - as always.  You can't attend NewSpring's Anderson campus without feeling that they are really glad you came.  Also, Lee and the worship team always move my heart closer toward God.  They are incredible musicians, but their music abilities pale compared to the presence of God that fills the room as He inhabits the praise.  I have never made it through a worship time at NewSpring without tears.

Today, I felt that the welcoming volunteers and the worship team were matched by the profound teaching that I received.  There were four sessions: two general sessions and two breakouts.  Perry Noble taught (preached) in the general sessions.  I attended his Q&A session for senior pastors and the breakout session taught by Jake Beaty, Pastor of Care and Outreach. 

Now, I've read a few blog posts, watched some YouTube videos, and read Tweets that criticized Perry and NewSpring for their methods and for the "false gospel" that is preached there.  I have never been to NewSpring when the gospel was not presented, and it was clearer than ever today.  Every session pointed to Jesus and the transforming power of the Gospel.  Perry and Jake reminded us that our first calling was not to ministry but to be a child of God - ministry just flows from that relationship. 

In a non-specific acknowledgement of recent blog posts concerning another pastor, early in the day Perry made his position clear by saying, "Hell really does exist, and people are going to go there unless we tell them about Jesus."

My greatest take-away was one point Perry made in the last session.  Here's my paraphrase:  He was challenging us to believe Jesus' words recorded in John 14:12 when he said that those of us following a God-given vision for ministry will look crazy to people who can't see the whole picture.  Those people may have a tendency to slow us down or stop us from fulfilling our ministry calling.  Perry pointed out that no great move of God recorded in Scripture happened because a person or group of people sat down and made a plan for the move of God.  More often than not, it happened when people stepped out in faith.  For instance, in the story of Jonathan and his armorbearer in 1 Samuel 14, we read, Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." "Do all that you have in mind,' his armor-bearer said. 'Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

Did you read that?  Perhaps!  Yet so often we ask for writing in the sky, or some other sign, to assure us that we're on the right track.  However, let me make this personal.  If I am truly called to pastor a church in downtown Greenville - and I am - then I can walk in faith saying, "Let's do something.  Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf."  God always backs up His calling. 

So, after today, I'm actively waiting to see what God will do as I partner with other Transformers and walk out in faith the call we have received.  I believe that Greenville will experience a great move of God.  Believers all over the city are living out their faith, those who are missing from our churches are crying out for help, and God is poised, ready to act on our behalf.  Perhaps today is the day.

...Wait for it...

When you were a kid, did you ever line up with your friends at a line drawn on the sidewalk ready to race to the end of the block?  Remember the anticipation?

Ready, set, GO!

That's where I feel I am now - standing with my toes touching that line.  I'm ready to charge toward the goal. For me, that goal isn't the end of the block, it is establishing a minstry center in the heart of my hometown.  The seeds of this dream were planted 20 years ago.  I believe that God's words to Habakkuk thousands of years ago are applicable to me today. 

Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

For 20 years, I have written notes, prayed for direction, discussed possibilities, and watched what God has done through others who have followed His vision for their lives.  One thing that seems to be an obvious necessity is a clear vision.  God said it to Habakkuk: write it down and make it plain.

Here's my plain vision: Establish a church on Main Street in Greenville that will give opportunities for worship, training, fellowship, and outreach - eventually, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

My toes are on the line, but this time, rather than racing against my friends, we are linked arm in arm running with a purpose toward what God has set before us.  We would love for you to join our team too.

Sun Stand Still

Steven Furtick gave us a copy of his book last week.  What a dude!  This is not a book review, because I have not finished reading Sun Stand Still yet.  I want to encourage you to order your copy today.  I've just started and already think everybody should read it.

Early in the book, I read this: This book is not a snuggie.  The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien.  I'm not writing to calm or coddle you.  With God's help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind.

I thought you would want to know about it.

NewSpring Leadership Conference

NewSpring Church, Anderson, South Carolina

Another week, another conference!  I think this is my last conference for this year - unless I'm invited to another one.  I am not a conference junkie, but this one was so close, and I admire the speakers.  I expected to receive a lot from the #NLC2010, and I was not disappointed.  I was pleased by several other things too: 1) The teachings were so Christ-centered.  Often, Jesus is left completely out as leaders are encouraged in their leadership skills and styles.  Not at this conference!  2) Lee and the worship team - despite the light show - faded into the background and let Jesus shine.  Please understand that I loved the light show, but generally you think the purpose of the lights is to illuminate the stage performers.  There were no performers, only worshipers. 3) I got to spend some time with friends that I didn't expect to see, and I got to meet some online friends. 

Here are some of my brief take-aways.

Francis Chan reminded us to walk in humble boldness.  Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

Mark Driscoll used the Apostle Paul's example in Ephesians 3 to show the benefits that came from the apostle's suffering.  He said that, according to verses 7-9, Paul's greatest treasure was the Gospel.

Steven Furtick I was excited to hear Steven live for the first time - especially since this was the day his book, Sun Stand Still, was being delivered.  He chose not to speak from his book, but gave us all a copy to read for ourselves. He did tell us how to respond to critics and nay-sayers.  Just tell them, "Jesus told me to."

Perry Noble, our host, stayed in the background the entire day other than to preach once and to introduce the evening speaker.  I got so much from his message.  One thing that I want to always remember is this: You will never know what God wants to do through you until you know Him.

Jud Wilhite may be the speaker that I would most like to spend some time with.  He and his church (the place where it's okay to not be okay) are reaching people in Las Vegas.  Two things we should remember: 1) As long as we reach out to the broken, we will always have an audience, and 2) We should see restriction as an opportunity. 

Judah Smith was a Pentecostal powerhouse!  He said that when you launch out toward a God-given goal but you haven't reached it yet, what you do "in the meantime" is the key to reaching your destination.  We tend to see delay as denial.  I won't post all of the notes I took here.  I'm sure this one was just for me!

Andy Stanley gave what I felt was the most practical and encouraging information for church planters.  He helped me see the tension between what is, what has been, and what could be.  I won't post those notes either.  I need to study it out and see what God will do through it.

I'm so thankful to Perry Noble and the NewSpring staff and volunteers for this incredible day.  I was so proud to have our staff there.  I know that this day will affect the life of Transformation House.

The Nines

Last Thursday, I drank from a firehose.  For nine hours on 9/9/10 (thus, The Nines) I watched the video conference with nearly 100 speakers at 6 minutes each.  I was thankful for the break every half hour.  (By the way, I need a new comfortable chair for my desk.  Donations accepted.)  I wasn't sure I would last the entire day, but it was so encouraging and challenging that I couldn't pull myself away.

I just wanted to share with you some one-liners I gleaned over the nine hours. I can't guarantee that these are direct quotes.  They may just be what I heard rather than what was actually said.  I won't post everything I learned.  If you want more, click the title to this blog entry to view the videos or read the notes. 

If you follow me on Twitter, I apologize for bombarding you last Thursday.  Here are some nuggets that didn't get tweeted:

Dino Rizzo: God will bless what honors Him, not what honors you.
Jenni Catron: If life decisions were black and white, we wouldn't need leaders.
John Bishop: Risk everything to reach everyone.  (Wow!)
Thomas Hyatt: In bad times, ask "What does this situation make possible?"
Mark DeYmaz: Decision time? Ask, "Which way requires faith?" Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Stacy Spencer: Find Christ in your crisis.
Kem Meyer: We tend to overestimate what we have to say and underestimate how it's going to affect the other person.
Patrick Kelley: Psalm 25:3
Dave Ferguson: Yes
Eric Bramlett: No
Toby Slough: To be fully loved, you must be fully known.
Jonathan Falwell: God created me and called me to be ME.
Eric Geiger: Ministry should never over-rely on clergy.
J D Greear: The goal of a sermon is for people to leave worshiping.
Craig Groeschell: Less is more. Less time = more creativity. Fewer resources = greater innovation. Less structure = greater ministry.
Scott Wilson: The church should be the solution center for our communities.
Jud Wilhite: Don't miss the moment you're in while trying to get where you're going.
Laura Koke: Include young people in everything.
Brian Bloye: It's all about God's glory.  24/7
Greg Holder: Healing/Transformation/Change is a process. Wait for it.
Chad Hunt: You cannot grow your church until you grow your leaders.
Rick Rusaw: Not "come to us" or "go to them" but "BE WITH THEM."
Margaret Feinberg: You ask not because you have not. You have not an idea what God wants to do in your community.
Steven Furtick: When you tap into your uniqueness, God will use you to change the world.

Ok, I'll stop here.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Check out The Nines website for more information.

This week is another firehose week for our staff.  Chris, Joshua, and I will be at NewSpring this Thursday to hear from Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, Mark Driscoll, Jud Wilhite, Judah Smith, Francis Chan, and Rick Warren.  What a line-up. 

Transformation House will not be built because we mimic any of these men of God or because we use their methods.  However, God is using them to bring us encouragement and to challenge us to live by faith.  That's where we are; living by faith in the One who is able to do so much more than we can do and so much more than we can even expect.

He is the God of the Miraculous

Yesterday morning, during my prayer time, I was captivated by God's miraculous nature.  I was preparing for my day and anticipating having lunch with Pastor Chris and a friend who has been a tremendous blessing to Transformation House over the past 9 months.  At the same time, I didn't want this to just be another ho-hum day.  In my prayer I began to rehearse miracles from Biblical times:  blind eyes that were opened, lame people who were healed, children who were raised from the dead, the day the sun stood still. 

"God, if you did all those things, You are certainly capable of opening doors for me today and leading me to divine appointments with the right people, at the right time."

This phrase came to my mind, "He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we are able to ask or think according to the power that works within us."

Lunch on Main Street, Greenville

Well, I met Pastor Chris and our friend for lunch.  We shared our hopes and vision for future ministry opportunities in downtown Greenville.  Our friend said, "There's somebody you need to meet."  He picked up his phone and made a call then asked if we wanted to ride a few blocks to meet this guy.  Of course we did!

I won't go into the details here, but before the afternoon was over, we had met three different people who are investing blood, sweat, tears, and dollars in ministry to people in downtown Greenville.  Each one of these men were encouraging and offered their support as we take our next leap of faith.  Chris and I spent the entire afternoon downtown.  We now have four different buildings that are possible locations for Transformation House.  And that's just the beginning!

Our families went to RWOC for the evening service.  One of the first songs we sang was He's Able by Deitrick Haddon.  Then, Pastor Steven Ward got up and told us that we need to keep knocking until God opens the door but that we shouldn't expect Him to open a door if we aren't knocking. 

After worship, Pastor Ben Miller preached a GREAT word on dealing with frustrations.  I won't describe his message here because I believe every word was straight from God's heart to mine.  But, he ended by reading Ephesians 3:20 - you know, the verse that says God is "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

At Transformation House, we are believing for great things.  While we're believing, we're working as if it depends on us, knocking and expecting the door to open, asking knowing He will answer, bleeding because it's a cause worth dying for, praying because we know it depends on God alone, giving because if it's worth having, someone else needs it too, and living like King's kids.

Wouldn't you like to be a Transformer too?

Steering through Chaos

I have always been fascinated by the intricate details that you can find by reading a map or an encyclopedia. Even as a child, I would pull maps from the glove box to follow a vacation route or sit for hours on a rainy day with the SA-ST volume of the encyclopedia. Now, the age of digital information has me hooked. This may be part of the reason I was originally drawn to Steering through Chaos, a new book by Scott Wilson. After all, the cover pictures a paper map and a GPS!

Based on the subtitle, Mapping a Clear Direction for your Church in the Midst of Transition and Change, I expected to find information that I would shelve until sometime later. I am currently in the initial stages of planting a church, and I was pretty sure that wasn’t the kind of transition he was talking about. However, the stated purpose is this: “We’re addressing God-sized visions, kingdom purposes, and major transitions that shape the future and effectiveness of our churches.” While the book is primarily addressed to leaders of growing churches, I also found that there is so much in these pages that I need right now. I believe I can be a more effective church planter by addressing these issues in the beginning stages.  Rather than steering clear of chaos, I've learned that chaos can be a good thing.

I like to take notes as I read a new book, and I found myself wanting to write everything I read. I ended up with notes from about every page. Here are just a few of my scribbles:

p. 22 Change required hard decisions that would create tremendous pain.

p. 25 The effectiveness of the church’s ministry depends on an accurate analysis of the community.

p. 31 Leading transitions isn’t about changing the direction of the church or changing the staff. It’s about God changing me as a leader.

p. 50 Get solid leadership in place, then be ready for something new.

p. 52 Vision isn’t something I determine, it’s something I discover.

p. 69 Vision atrophies in people’s hearts.

p. 71 Vision is rock solid; strategy is flexible.

I could go on and on. There are lists, questions, examples, stories and so much that I have now included in my planning for Transformation House.

Besides being a map that I can easily follow, Scott, who pastors The Oaks in Dallas, also created a small encyclopedia of church growth. I’ve tried to figure out what he omitted, but I’m pretty sure everything is included. I expected topics such as Vision, Values and Goals, but I’ve never picked up a book that included those while also challenging me in areas of prayer, accountability, story-telling, honesty and multi-tasking. This book does just that – and more.

I would encourage ministry leaders to add this book from Zondervan to their libraries. I bet you’ll find it helpful too.

Preaching to the Choir

Recently, I preached a sermon called Hearing From Heaven. I was trying to encourage the church to hang on doggedly to whatever word or vision they have received from God. Now, I'm getting the chance to live out that message. I knew as I was preaching that I was preaching to the choir - or to myself in this case. I asked them (and myself): What are you looking for? Direction? Answers? Strength? Money? New job? What you need is a word from Heaven! Listen to the voice of the Spirit and tune out everything else. For 20 years I have pursued one vision often with the encouragement of my family and friends. Now, that I am stepping out in obedience to what I sense is God's timing, I am resting on all the promises that He has given through these years, and all the ways He has answered prayers. Fortunately, many are documented through my journaling. I still have the encouragement of my family and many friends. However, it is not unusual for the voice of woe and despair to try to drown out the sound of faith and trust. So, let's take this little journey. I'm choosing to hear from Heaven and tune out anything else. I invite you to watch as I do - to follow me as I follow Christ. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom, but on God's power."

THE DIFFERENCE IS THE CALL

     2 Corinthians 5:14-21 reads, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
     So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Here's my outline of this scripture:

We are compelled by love (v14):

• to be selfless (v15),
• to gain a new perspective (v16, 17),
• to speak with authority (v18), and
• to offer grace (v19)

so that our message has the greatest impact possible (v20, 21).

This call to ministry is for all who follow Christ. However, there is another kind of calling that is for those involved in specific, sometimes full-time or vocational, ministry.

Some colleagues and I are going through the book, Preventing Ministry Failure, by Wilson/Hoffmann.  There are a couple of things that they said that are encouraging as we venture into unknown territory.  First, I didn't choose this ministry, God chose me for this ministry!  Secondly, I have never been at peace pursuing any other venture.  From page 72, "The call into the ministry is the possession of a "knowing" initiated and sustained by God and validated by Scripture."

As we are praying for God to send people who will be joining us in ministry at Transformation House, we are each examining our own call to determine our fit.  After reading through Preventing Ministry Failure, I came up with a list of qualifications and disqualifications for ministry.  Check this out, and see if you agree.

Qualifications: talent, training, education, skills, experience, heritage, personality, passion, spiritual gifts, and an open door.

Disqualifications: struggle with sin, discouragement, previous removal from ministry, experiences, personality, and ego.

Before you get upset and stop reading, let me say that this list is written from a natural way of thinking. If these lists were correct, how would you measure up?  How would anyone ever get into ministry?  Would you just have to make sure that you had at least one more good trait than bad?  Listen up, God does not agree with this list.  There are people who have every qualification listed here who fall flat on their faces trying to "do" ministry.  There are people with all of the disqualifications listed who are impacting our world in a dynamic way.  What makes the difference?  THE DIFFERENCE IS THE CALL. 

When God called me to ministry He knew everything that would disqualify me, but He called me anyway.  To me the question isn't "Am I called?" but "Will I answer?"

SEVEN QUESTIONS

From Mark 2:1-5
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. Q1: Do you know where to find Jesus? So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, Q2: Are you aware of needs around you? carried by four of them. Q3: Are you strong enough to help someone else? Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus Q4: Are you thinking creatively? and, after digging through it, Q5: Are you acting with tenacity? lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, Q6: Do you have faith? he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Q7: Do you expect results?

In order to effectively make a difference in someone's life, we need to examine our thoughts and actions in light of this scripture and these questions.  Look around, who needs your help today?

THANKS TO NEWSPRING CHURCH

Today, Pastor Chris and I had a very helpful conference call with Jason Morehead, exec pastor at NewSpring. We had a chance to tell him about our vision for ministry in downtown Greenville. He said he loves downtown Greenville. So do we. We were actually sitting on a bench on Main Street while we were talking with him.

We asked him questions about NewSpring's start and asked for some advice. We talked about what kind of team is needed initially. Can you guess what three people he said we would need? We talked about a couple of Board of Trustees models and what roles they would fill. He told us a bit about how NewSpring was financed in the early days.

I asked him what he thought caused people to come back a second time in the beginning. He said he personally came to NewSpring because a friend persistently invited him until he caved. He said that he believes some people come to NewSpring now because of the music or because of the excellence with which everything is done, but he believes the majority of people attend now for the same reason people came in the early days: Perry's relevant sermons that relate Biblical truths in a practical way.

We probably kept him on the phone longer than he planned, but he was very helpful and gave answers to every question. He was very encouraging and gave us enough direction to help us take the next step.

Then, Chris and I had lunch at Guadalajara. Duh!

THERE'S LIFE IN THE VISION

I Corinthians 9:1,2 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help...

At this point, I have only shared my vision for Transformation House with my immediate family and a very few close friends. They are all praying with me to discern God's direction as we launch this ministry. I love it when you know that you know that God is leading you.

I talked with a relative today who said, "We haven't always listened to God, but we're listening now." What made the difference? VISION! There are people who will hear about this vision and a long-dead dream will resurrect in their spirit. Some will have heard from God long ago as He called them to service, but some setback caused their passion to die. That passion will re-ignite as they realize that what God set in motion never stopped, they just lost momentum.

I can see that spark in their eyes and hear it in the conversations as we discuss what is just ahead of us - as if we know. Somehow, I believe it is far greater than our own plans or dreams.

Proverbs 29:18 says "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Another version is, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint." The Message says, "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves." They are all true.

If you have no goal in life, nothing to work toward, all your joy will die. You will throw away everything good. You will float through life with no direction. However, when you hear Him speak clearly, every decision you make will be based on the question, "Does it take me closer to fulfilling this vision?"

Catch the vision, seek God, listen and move when He speaks.

EXCITEMENT AND SURETY

Watched a couple of video interviews with pastors who have started churches from scratch. They were very encouraging. I believe that with God giving direction and us following closely and quickly, we will see this happen in ways beyond our expectations.

I've been drawn to 2 Corinthians 9 this week:
1There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. 2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

I'll look at the rest of the chapter later, but for now the phrase that caught my attention is "your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action."

Two things that I notice;

1) Enthusiasm evokes effort. "your enthusiasm has stirred"
Don't you like to be around people who show a passion for their job rather than people who are constantly complaining? If you need my help completing a project, bring in the cheerleaders. I can do most anything with a little enthusiastic support!

2) Enthusiasm is not enough. "most of them"
I was once asked if we were making progress on a particular project. I replied that it was going well and that we were excited about it. The man replied without an ounce of emotion, "It's good to be excited." I could almost hear him channeling Eeyore. But it's true, while excitement is good, it's not enough. Not everyone jumps on the brightest and loudest stage. Some people are motivated by stability and surety.

As we move forward, I am excited!! But I am glad that we have 20 years of vision and direction to give us a firm foundation. Hopefully, someone can look at me and say, "The vision God gave you and your passion to see it carried out has stirred everyone to action."