Updates galore

Yes, I know.  This would be much easier if I would just update the blog more often.  I have SO many updates this morning!!

A)  We saw another person walk from darkness to light.  There was another person accept Jesus as their personal Lord yesterday.  It is AMAZING to watch Him work!

B)  Ben gave an elder update yesterday.  He started by telling us that in the past 8 months there have been 200 decisions to follow Jesus.  To save you the trouble of doing the math—he informed us that this translates to roughly one per day!  WOW!

C)  Ben also informed us that we have grown 25% since last year.  Our rooms are all at 70-80% capacity—except one.  The sanctuary.  Part of the dialogue the elders have been having is how to allow ministry areas to continue to grow.  How do we allow room for growth for a very fruitful student ministry, growing women’s ministry, and a men’s ministry that is going to purposefully develop leaders?  The answer involved moving the sanctuary to be more of a multi-use room.  Moving from pews to chairs will allow our ministry efforts to continue to grow.  Can you picture 100 students sitting in circles talking about Jesus?  Can you begin to imagine the impact to women’s or men’s ministries?  This one step will relieve some of the immediate pressure that we are currently feeling.

D)  Ben did NOT talk about a special offering.  He did NOT mention the need to raise the funds for this to be able to happen.  Because of your faithfulness in reaching the stewardship goal, we are going to be able to accomplish this before Fall and do it WITHOUT extra giving.  As you continue to be faithful in offering your gifts, time, talents, and prayer—He continues to pour out amazing opportunities in ministry.  Be looking for this project to be completed in August.

E)  Shift your thinking to the Great Bicycle Giveaway and summer feeding program.  I had someone approach me yesterday after one of the services, “Pastor, I work for Vicksburg Schools.  I wanted you to know that the person in charge of the meal program for the school works in my office.  I had her listen to the church podcast from last week.”  (This is the one where you heard about the chance to partner with the schools in providing lunch for Portage Terrace throughout the summer—and YOU busted out with some serious celebration.) She said, “Pastor, the people that approve the grant for the state came down this week for the final thumbs up or thumbs down.  We played the podcast for them as well.  They were overjoyed and passed everything.  They loved the way that we are working together to love the community.”

WOW!!!!  Are you kidding me?!?!  This is incredible.  Is it possible to get your hands around everything that is happening right now?  I don’t think so.  Maybe you have only been involved at LC on the fringes.  You hear the updates and think that things can’t really be THAT good.  Some people might start to think, “Billy, every week can’t  be your favorite.  They can’t all be THAT good.”

I can honestly say that what is happening is EPIC!  Sunday morning I heard story after story after story about what God is doing in hearts and lives.  It’s amazing.  I hope that you are as blown away as I am.

I’ve been reminded of a few things recently.

*Every Sunday my job is to preach the bible…to speak TRUTH…to declare HIS gospel.  When I do that—His Word will NEVER return to him in void.

*One person DID give their life to Christ this week.  We can’t become calloused to that amazing miracle!  It is supernatural and worth throwing a party over.

*Ben nailed it this morning…the goal is GROWTH.  The dialogue and conversations that I am hearing have EVERYTHING to do with being a better reflection of Christ.  WOW!  This church is nailing it in so many ways!

*This church…this staff team…this group of elders…YOU…are not a normal church.  Then again, he never called us to normalcy.  This church is truly doing GREAT things.

Your Best Life

Here is a question for you: Are you living the life RIGHT NOW that you used to dream/imagine that you would one day live?

I’m not about to go Osteen on you…but doesn’t it seem that many people settle for average and normal when God promises us that we can have WAY MORE than what we are currently experiencing? During the staff meeting this morning we were discussing the dynamic of “community” in regards to the church. I have challenged the congregation to be inviting people to the Easter series. There is an acknowledgement that “inviting” can be scary. It’s probably because we are have issues with relationships.

Wait—Let me chase this rabbit….

Jesus wants His house to be full (see Luke 14:23) and we have room at both services…so…with that in mind WHO are you going to bring with you to our Easter services? Jesus did not suggest that we reach people…He commanded it (It is the Great Commission—not the Great OMISSION) Remember, it is a spiritual impossibility to say we love Jesus and yet not have a heart for people who are far from Him. (See John 14:15 & John 14:21)

Just a though—is it possible that having relationships … I’m talking about REAL relationships and not just someone that will comment about your favorite team or the flowers you just planted … is it possible that having real relationships is part of the missing piece of the life that you were meant to live? If the thought of inviting someone to an Easter service puts you into some type of temporary paralysis, you might be lacking in real relationship. Where was Jesus when He invited Matthew to ‘Follow Him?’ He was hanging out with him at a party full of tax collectors.

You are not called to live an ordinary life that seeks to arrive safely at death. Be free. Love completely. Serve wholeheartedly. Don’t be content with the facade of relationship.

Long overdue

The past few weeks have been filled with so many thoughts and emotions.  It is time to get them written.

Last night there were two things that seemed to hit especially hard.  I want to start by sharing something written by Brian Bowman, church planter in Phoenix:

James wrote to remind us that we need not strive to be like Elijah, we are already. He was a man with a nature like yours and like mine. But he prayed.

What is the backup plan?

What kind of church will Valley Life (We could say ‘Lake Center’) become if people don’t pray, the Spirit doesn’t work, and we are left to our human effort?

Will the church fail?

Will it die for lack of prayer?

This week, the honest answer broke my heart.

No.

History tells me that Valley Life could become a church, market to enough people, strain and work hard enough to get people to come, sing, give, volunteer, and help people who need it.

Yet, it would not be a result of Holy Spirit power.

And I would know the difference.

So would you.

We just wouldn’t say anything about it.

It’s embarrassing for a church to appear godly, but be empty of power.

Everyone knows it, but decorum demands silence.

I am now like an animal in the wild, panicked by my thirst. I am berserk with hunger for something I have tasted before. Holy Spirit power. A  church filled with people and not power is an sucker’s trade.

——

Wow.  That was followed by a facebook update from someone we knew from when we were with the IMB.  This woman is as tenacious as anyone I have met when it comes to living as Christ.  A month ago she went to the doctor for back pain.  The doctors found a tumor on her spine.  This called for aggressive surgery.  According to her video they had to remove around 3 inches of her spine.  She is now recovering and praying for tests to come back declaring her body to be cancer free.

Both of these items are reminders to me.  We don’t have forever.  We are not promised next year.  I need love fully—serve completely–and make Him known to anyone that will listen.  Let’s not be content to slip through life.  Taste and see……follow the Spirit of God–no matter what the cost.

Following Jesus

There is more to church than hearing what is said on a Sunday morning.  If we truly believe it will move us to action.  There are implications to really being a follower of Jesus.  It would seem that a group of followers (which is what makes up a church) would create something special.  It would create something that people would take notice of.  Here are a few things that I believe about the church:

 

#1 – I believe the potential for the local church to do good and create positive change in their own community and in the world is greater than it has ever been.

#2 – I believe that the church isn’t about chasing the “cool” thing of the moment.  We must always keep the truth of the Gospel central.

#3 – I believe that the youth and children are not the “future” of the church.  They ARE the church.  There are currently 39 teens scheduled to be baptized on March 2nd.  The children’s ministry is on FIRE!  Winter extreme is coming and I don’t think things will ever be the same.

#4 – I believe that for us to really “Follow Him” we will spend more time taking extreme steps to faith in obedience.  Is this one scary or what?!?!

#5 – I believe that this particular church is led by individuals who are going to push less for personal preferences of ministry and spend more time working together to see the Kingdom impacted.

#6 – I believe that the community around us—as well as the world—will see a movement take place in the local church.  This will be a movement unlike any that has ever been seen.  It will take place not because we sit in rows and talk about what the Bible says—we live it.

#7 – I believe God wants to do CRAZY things through LakeCenter.

#8 – I believe the key to a healthy church is healthy church leadership…did I mention that there is an Elder retreat this weekend to focus on the leadership at the church?  The healthier the leadership is the healthier our church can be.

#9 – I believe that if ALL leaders spent less time trying to keep things ‘religious’ and more time in the prayer closet and living out what Jesus said to do—that we would see breakthroughs like we’ve NEVER seen before.

#10 – I believe God is using the church to CHANGE the world.  I believe He is using us to love Him and people in ways that the world has never seen.  He is using the church to do what many believe to be impossible.

If this is who the church is….why would you ever be satisfied by just going to church?  We are called to follow Him.  That requires action.