5 Ways To Save On Black Friday

NOTE: This article is taken directly from Financial Peace with Dave Ramsey. 

If Black Friday shopping were a game show, would you win? You would?

Well, first, consider us impressed! You must be a master of the mall and a Senior Sales Researcher. Oh, and second? This article is for you. You’re welcome.

Follow the tips below to save even bigger on Black Friday this year. 

1. Leave your debit card at home.

Take the card from your wallet, close your eyes and ask your 4-year-old to stash it somewhere safe. You won’t be doing any swiping today. All you need is cash. Grab your Christmas envelope and hit the door with this mantra in mind: When it’s gone, it’s gone.

2. Give yourself a curfew.

If you choose to leave the comfort of home after your teenager crashes for the night, you’ve got more energy than we do. You can probably shop for hours on end—awesome deals are your battery juice and grabbing the last American Girl doll is your fuel. You, go-getter, need a cutoff time. Make plans to meet a friend for coffee or your family for lunch—and don’t be late!

3. Stick to the list.

Go all Santa on this one. Make a list, and check it twice. And for goodness’ sake, don’t toss it aside because of some blue-light special. Black Friday is all about the sales, so take advantage of discounts on items you already planned to buy. That’s it.

4. Bring a frenemy along.

You might call this person an accountability partner. We’re going with frenemy. This is the guy or gal who’s fun to have around, doesn’t mind schlepping from store to store, and won’t judge you for taking a cinnamon roll break at 4:30 in the morning. A frenemy is also unashamed to knock that diamond-studded Gucci bag to the ground before it becomes a permanent fixture on your shoulder.

5. Budget $20 for an impulse buy.

We’re not clueless. We know that despite your best efforts, something will call out to you and say, “You’ve worked so hard finding the perfect give for your loved ones. Don’t you deserve a treat?” We know this because the average Black Friday shopper spends a whopping $130 on their own sweet self. Plan ahead so you can give in to the impulse without regret. Set aside $20 just for you.

Of course you could always just stay home, sleep off that turkey coma, and shop on Cyber Monday. 

4 Lessons The Church Can Learn From Buffalo Wild Wings

I LOVE Buffalo Wild Wings! I think their Mild (no, I don't go for the hot stuff. Don't judge me.) sauce is awesome. I love their salt & vinegar fries...but what really gets me is that no matter where I turn I can see SPORTS! YES! Where could you go wrong?

Yesterday as I was scrolling Twitter I ran across an article by Business Insider titled "4 Reasons Buffalo Wild Wings Business Is On Fire"...I immediately clicked, and as I read I saw 4 things the church could learn from one of my favorite restaurants. 4 things that would absolutely transform and help introduce more people to the life God intended. Maybe you're one of those "entertainment in church is a sin" people... and that's cool. I just want to talk about what we can do to ensure we are giving our best to God and His children.

1. They Pay Attention To The Calendar
Business Insider says that BWW sales rose 6% in the 3rd quarter when much bigger and more branded restaurants are struggling for business. They say one major reason is that BWW pays attention to the calendar. They leverage sporting events that they can promote, build promotions around, and draw people into their doors. In fact, sometimes, they will discount their food in order to get people in the door for the event, because if they can get them there, they will spend money! Around here in Columbia, last football season if the Gamecocks football team scored at least 3 TDs (i think that's right) you could get a free snack size wings! My son and I got free lunch a couple of times...but I always spent more when there!
What if the church looked at the calendar and leveraged our days, services, and promotions around that? Sure, we plan for Easter and Christmas but what about Mother's Day, Father's Day, Independence Day, or even Super Bowl Sunday and NCAA March Madness? What if we could leverage the days we can't change and turned them around for the Gospel?

2. They Are Always Improving The Experience
Now this is where some pastors and church leaders always check out. Why SHOULDN'T we improve the experience of church services? Why shouldn't we keep up with the culture, utilize it's strong points, and create a service that makes people want to get out of bed rather than stay in them? BWW is installing tableside tablets for games and pay at your table options. Why can't the church create fun places to socialize, play loud, fun music? Why can't we do more than that, and just let our imagination roam with creativity? I suggest that we can, that we should, and that even Jesus would want us to! Sure, maybe some people will come for the experience of the service, not out of a genuine love for God...but from my experience, it was the experience at BWW that made me come back time and time again, which then turned into a genuine love for the product. Can't Jesus do the same?

3. They Are Utilizing Technology
I recently had a friend tell me that the board at his church was arguing over whether or not to include WiFi in the main sanctuary. All because some believed it was beneficial, others believed people didn't need to be on their phones/tablets in service. Here's the reality: people WILL be on their phones one way or another; you might as well utilize technology to help them connect with the Gospel your teaching! Youversion.com makes this INCREDIBLY simple through their "Live Events" section of their app. You can go in and add poll questions, prayer requests, thoughts people can share on Social Media with just a click, and scriptures they can pull up with just their thumb. There's other ways to utilize media (ie: video, Facebook conversations, Twitter shareables, etc.). The goal isn't to be the most creative with it, it's to improve the experience by utilizing, rather than isolating, technology. Use it to your advantage!

4. They Focus On Their Strengths
When deer hunting it's beneficial to have a scope on your rifle because it blocks out all the side noise, and helps your focus in on one spot...what's between the cross hairs! BE WHO YOU ARE...as a church and an individual. If you're traditional and that's who you are, be that and own it! If you're ultra contemporary, be that and own it! Don't try to be the next Perry Noble, Andy Stanley, or Steven Furtick if you aren't...just be who God created you to be and set the cross hairs on your strengths and your vision and shoot! As a church, who you are is often determined by the vision birthed within the leader. Own it, put it in the cross hairs and pull the trigger! Don't wish to be something God never intended you to be in the first place. Don't try to recreate ministries that others in your community are already doing well, just support those and then do what you do well!

The reality is this: there's a lot we can learn from the corporate world when it comes to leadership, but there's a lot the world needs to hear from the church with the Gospel. What if we decided to stop isolating and started marrying the two to make a greater impact for the Kingdom?

What are you and your church doing to make an impact? Are there any other business ideas the church could learn from?

Pain Is Never Wasted

All around the world we are hearing of pain, turmoil, hurt every single day. Over the past month I've had many friends face excruciating pain, hurt, confusion, betrayal, and more personally. It's hard to see. It's hard to understand. It's hard to wrap my mind around. But there's something that I'm learning to understand about all of this. It's an old phrase I've heard pastor's say time after time, but it's ringing true in my young ears. "God never wastes pain."

That statement never really made sense or sounded like a loving God to me, until recently. I've had a friend lose the life of his son, another lose a family member, a pastor friend face extreme betrayal within his church, and another that can't see past his physical pain and need for medication just to make it through the day...all within the past 3-4 weeks. And what that has shown me is 2 major things: 1 - Pastor's are NORMAL people that experience DEEP HURT and pain! 2 - God never wastes pain!

Psalms 23 is a famous scripture when discussing pain and turmoil in our lives.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me..." (1-4)
The rest goes on to say that He will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies...

Here's where that teaches me something...
In order for me to lie down in green pastures...(which sounds really relaxing)
In order for me to walk beside quiet waters... (which would be a great break from screaming kids!)
In order for my soul to be restored... (back to a state of original being)
In order for Him to guide me in paths of righteousness...
In order for His rod & staff to comfort me...
In order for me not to fear anything...
In order for Him to prepare a table, a feast, for me in the presence of my haters...(eating the best food possible...maybe Zesto's, or Polliwog's, or how about Olive Garden!?)
All for His name's sake...
Something else must take place first...
I MUST walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
This is not a fun truth, but it is a truth of hope, promise, and oddly of peace.

See, I may walk through the valley of death. I may walk through difficulties, hurts, pains, confusion, misunderstandings, and more... but in order for me to know Jesus as my comforter, my preparer, my tour guide of still waters, and my shepherd of the greenest grass. In order for me to be guided in ways of growth and prosperity; in order for comfort to mean something to me, in order for me to enjoy my meal at my table... I must first learn what it means to need and want all of those things! And sometimes the darkness of the shadow, the stink of death, the stink of loneliness, and the hurt of fear is the way we can really accept, own, and love that Jesus can and will be all of these things for us...and more!

So, here's what I'm learning. No...I don't believe God makes these things happen to us always. But I do believe that when things happen to us, God doesn't waste it, He uses it! He takes the leftovers from a dinner of hurt and He prepares them into a beautiful spread of growth, love, comfort, peace, and honor. And because of that I know the fact that He "...will never leave us, nor forsake us." And for that...I'm eternally grateful!

Reboot Your Favor Recap...One-Liners!

Here's yesterday's message: Reboot Your Favor in One-Liners! Copy/paste them. Share them, speak them, write them down and think on them.

Your praise doesn't bow to your circumstance, your circumstance should bow to your praise!
If you want to attract someone's (God's) attention, respond correctly to a problem.
If you never deal with the root of an issue, you're allowing it to live in other areas of your life.
Whatever you're facing today, the cross has already handled!
The tomb is empty, therefore the impossible is possible!

Next week we start a brand new series, Change Your World In 52 Days! Trust me... this is gonna be incredible!

5 Reasons You Should NOT Attend Church This Sunday!

Here's 5 reasons you should NOT attend Radiate Church this Sunday!

1. We're having baby dedication. And NO ONE likes cute little newborn babies!
2. The music is really good. No one enjoys good music.
3. There will be a lot of people there. And, let's just be honest, you'll hate meeting new friends.
4. It will be fun! And we all know that church should be stuffy and boring!
5. We will learn how to get more out of life. It's easier to just stay where we are in life!

In all seriousness, this is going to be a great Sunday to hang out with some great people and learn together! I'd love for you and your friend/family to join us!

5 Reasons You Should Invite Someone To Church

We all know people, or should, that we should invite to church with us. With the alarming statistic that 80% of Americans don't go to church at all, I think those of us that attend church regularly, could step up our game a little. All of us that do attend church understand that a healthy church relationship resonates a healthy relationship with Jesus. So, here's 5 reasons you should invite someone to church with you this week!

1. NFL Games don't start until 12 anyway.
2. It'll give you something to talk about at work the next day.
3. THIS Sunday could be THE Sunday for them to start their journey with Jesus!
4. If their single their future spouse could be sitting in the chairs!
5. The hope that Jesus offers is needed in this hard and hectic life, no matter who we are!

I can't wait to see you and all of those you bring with you at church this week!

80%

80%. 32,000 people within 3 miles of our current church address. Researchers are now saying that within a few years that will rise another 5%, to 85%. 80% of people in America, in South Carolina, in Columbia... do not attend church consistently.

They are NOT our enemy. THEY are not the bad guys/girls. They are not horrible people. They are people that seemingly have seen that church has nothing to be excited about, interested in, or helpful to them. They are the 80% that are tired of being beat up for having differing opinions at times. 80%.

Estimated 32,000 people within 3 miles of our current church address stay home on Sunday mornings. They stay home while we go to church and feel spiritually superior. But are we? Are we even spiritually mature or concerned at all, if we don't have the mindset to do all we can to reach those 32,000? Are we spiritually strong at all, if we would prefer to have our songs played, our "Holy Spirit" displayed, our opinions honored...all while 32,000 miss out on the greatest story ever told? 32,000.

We have something to get excited about...AN EMPTY TOMB! We have something to be thankful for...A BLOOD STAINED CROSS! We have something to share with others... THE MIRACLE OF A SECOND CHANCE! Yet, we gather in our brick and mortar buildings each and every week, with our mouths closed and our hearts hard - unless we do church and hear sermons preached the way we think they should be. What's the problem with that? Jesus said He wasn't here to reach you - the 20% that actually attend church and trust Jesus. Jesus said He was here to reach them - the 80% that have written the Gospel off.

So...my question to you is this - do you care about the 80%? Do you want to reach the 32,000? Are you ready to reach the 32,000? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to bring everyone you know with you? Here's the 3 things you have to do in order to grow Radiate and help switch the statistics:

1. PRAY - Pray and ask God to help you. Ask for boldness, love, consideration, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pray that God would bring people into your life that you can invite to church and brag on Him. Pray that God would help you put every thing aside, so that you can do whatever it takes, in life and in church, to reach 32,000 people that need to hear about the empty tomb, and that need to connect to the LIFE of the church!
2. INVITE - John 1:40-42 tells of the first thing Andrew did was get his brother Simon and bring him to a place where he could meet Jesus. That's our job... bring people to a place where they can meet the Savior, Jesus. That place for us, is Radiate Church. INVITE, INVITE, INVITE and then when you don't know what else to do INVITE some more!
3. GET EXCITED - Get excited first about the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. Get excited about coming to your church, to celebrate with your church family! Get excited that the Sunday your friend/family member may come, could be THE Sunday they meet Jesus. GET EXCITED!

So...here we go! Let's all plug in to something bigger.

PS: To answer a question that we will be asked, and take a line from Perry Noble... are we all about numbers? Yep! Because every single number is a person that's going somewhere. We just want them to go to the right place!

Reboot: Your Focus Recap

This Sunday we began our new series "Reboot" with "Reboot Your Focus: Death By Distraction". We were looking at the scriptures: Matthew 13:1-8, 19-23. Here is a recap in a few "tweetables"...

- If the enemy can distract you, he can defeat you.
- Jesus was incredibly focused on His purpose, not His problems.
- All it takes to change my life/situation is a WORD from God!
- The longer I let the seed of the Word sit on the path, the more I'm letting birds snatch away.
- I can't just want the feeling of something great, I have to commit to being part of something great! Let the Word take root!
- I can't let the worries of the world grow as tall as the Word God is speaking to me.
- I have the ability to allow the Word to take root by keeping the soil (my heart) good.
- Every time God sows a seed it's guaranteed to be bigger in the end, than it was in the beginning.
- I have to get INVOLVED in His Word in order for a Word to take root!
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Dive Into Marriage Recap

Here is a recap of the Dive Into Marriage message from yesterday morning (7.27.14)

- If the enemy can kill the family, He can kill the church
- Marriage is not about ME, it's about WE
- We are to present out spouses without blemish or wrinkle...stop whining all the time - lift them up!
- When marriage is about me - I become self-centered with ulterior motives.
- Intimacy will bind your marriage together
- Intimacy starts WELL before you enter the bedroom. (go on dates, dress nice, compliment)
- Intimacy outside of marriage is a sign of a lack of self-control
- Lack of intimacy inside of marriage opens you up to a lack of self control
- Intimacy is WAY more than physical, it's also emotional and spiritual
- We MUST put Christ first!
- A house divided against itself will not stand
- Whatever you feed in your marriage will be the strongest

Scriptures: Ephesians 5:22-28, 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, Mark 3:24-27

Detours

Detours are severely inconvenient. Especially when you're in a hurry and ready to be where you're going and then BOOM...there's a detour sign pointing you another way, which undoubtedly will cost you several minutes. And, if you're anything like me, you're slightly grumpy the entire way through the detour until you reach your destination.

The thing about a detour, however, is that they always steer you away from an imminent danger ahead. Whether that danger is because of road crews fixing a road/bridge, or a storm knocked over a tree, or a power line fell...the detour is for your own good, whether you realize it at that moment or not. And to be honest, the DOT doesn't much care if you like the detour or not. Their job isn't to please you, their job is to protect you.

Moses and the Israelites were handed a detour that ultimately saved their lives. Check this out:
"Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, 'The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.' Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea..." (Egypt 13:17-18,NASB)

After their release from Egypt, God began leading the Israelites and Moses to their promised land of "milk and honey" and so much more. Apparently as they started on their way there was a way to get there that was quicker...but it required going through the battle grounds of the Philistines. Because the Israelites were healing, they were still hurting, they were afraid God was looking out for their well being so He led them to a detour. He took them around the Red Sea in order to keep them from being discouraged and frustrated by seeing the fighting and turmoil found in the land of the Philistines. It wasn't God's concern at this point to please the Israelites, it was His concern to protect them! He would rather them have learned to trust on Him in the difficult times (no water, no food, no shelter, they thought they would die) than to risk them getting hurt by seeing what was going on in the world.

Let me submit something to you... what if walking through this life and this wilderness isn't about getting to the good times, but learning to grow in the wilderness moments? What if the promised lands we endure are rewards for the way we trust and depend on Him in the wilderness? What if when we face a wilderness it isn't a bad thing that we should ignore, rather a good thing that we should praise. What if the detour that you didn't see coming in your life, that you're walking down right now, isn't to please you but to protect you from something.

Let me assure you of this...there is nothing you will face in your detour that will catch God off guard! When the Israelites could find no water...God knew a rock was nearby that water was in. When they didn't have food, God knew that manna wasn't far behind. When they needed light/heat at night, He provided a pillar of fire to lead the way. When they needed cover from the blistering sun during the day God provided a cloud overhead. My point? The detour you're facing right now is NOT your promised land...it is your wilderness that is preparing you to inhabit the good things!

Don't despise the detours! Embrace the detours! Understand that sometimes God protecting will come at the expense of God pleasing you. At times they aren't hand in hand...so don't complain, learn!

Enjoy the journey!

Made Ya Look

"What's that over there?" *you turn your head to look* "Made ya look!" *laughter ensues.

The previous is a scenario that plays out in schools all over. Or it did when I was growing up. For some odd reason we thought it was hysterical when we would make people look for something that wasn't there to begin with. The hilarity that would ensue after the person would look was incredible! Why did we do it? I don't know, maybe it was the feeling of tricking someone, or the immaturity of our sense of of humor.

I saw the same scenario play out in the book of Exodus today. Apparently God thought it was pretty awesome to do make Moses look, only to this time it was to get his attention to something else, not just to look for something that wasn't really there.

"...the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, 'I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.' When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said 'Moses, Mose!'" (Exodus 3:2-4, NASB, emphasis added)

God wanted Moses' attention. He needed Moses to lean in close and pay attention to the instruction and the direction He was about to provide to him. If Moses is anything like me, a little hyperactive, a squirrel would divert his focus until a leaf started blowing around followed by a worm crawling and then he (I) would be thinking about what flavor ICEE I want when I go to the gas station later...SQUIRREL! But this time God couldn't have Moses thinking about anything other than what He was saying. What God was about to tell Moses would direct the rest of His life!

So, he got Moses' attention...in a very dramatic way. He burned up a bush without burning up a bush! Moses HAD to figure that out! Moses was a fixer...I mean think about it. In chapter 2 he saw an Egyptian (how he was raised) battling a Hebrew (how he was born) and he killed the Egyptian...to fix the situation. Since he was a fixer he had to figure out how in the world this bush was on fire but not burning up! God knew JUST how to get his attention...and get his attention He did!

I correlate this to the church a lot of times. Sometimes we, as followers/lovers of Jesus need to do whatever we have to do to get someone's attention. Not just get them to glance and see our logo, but to FOCUS on us. Why? Because afterall, the information we need to give them about Jesus will direct the rest of their lives! It's literally an instruction of LIFE and DEATH! We, as followers, have walked the path calmly, quietly, unexpectedly with our heads down staring at the dirt road, hoping those that walk past us each and every day on this path of life, will lift their heads and ask us where we are going. TO JESUS! We would scream...TO HEAVEN! No... it's time we begin walking this path with our heads held high, our loudest praise of Jesus on our lips, and the grandest examples of His love in our actions! We must begin to do things that will cause them to "...turn aside and look..."! And when they look...BOOM! We've got their attention...and you'd better make it count!

At our church, we say all the time (which is not original with us) we will do ANYTHING short of sin to reach anyone! Not everyone likes that, appreciates that, or enjoys that...and I personally don't care! My job isn't to get the attention of the one's that are already looking! My job is to help the bushes (His followers) to get on fire but not burn up, so that others may look to figure it out and we can tell them what this Jesus guy is all about! There's an awful bunch of Hebrews out there that are in slavery to some Egyptians, and they need some bushes to tell them how to get out!

The real question in this whole thing is this... Who are YOU making look?

Red Rover, Red Rover

There's an old playground game that is popular with kids. A game that as a smaller kid, quite frankly, terrified me. "Red Rover, Red Rover, Send (insert name here) Right Over." and then someone would come barreling your way, and you would lock arms as tightly as possible with the person to the right or left of you, in hopes to keep them from breaking the grip.

I'm a little concerned at the lack of Red Rover the church seems to be playing today. See that game held onto a scientific and spiritual truth. (Yep, I combined the two.)The fact that if you grip something tight enough and create a barrier, the force of the barrier could actually keep out the thing that was barreling at you. Occassionally, someone would have enough momentum to actually break the barrier...then you would rearrange, reassess the line; create a stronger barrier, and try again.

"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build MY church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Matthew 16:18, NASB (bold and underline added)

After asking Peter who HE thought that He (Jesus) was...and Peter proclaimed who He was, Jesus made this statement. He asserted His dominance and sacrifice for something He believes the greatest hope for...the church. Not the institution of the church, but the Kingdom of the church! There's a difference.

We have so institutionalized the church, that we are now divided against each other with the hope of adding more credibility to our denomination than the denomination down the road. Each denomination fights to show that it's "THE" denomination that actually has it all together, and that the church searching for covering should join their allegiance. The "unchurched" that I come into contact with are consistently talking with me about the feeling that they seem to see Christians arguing more, and being more unloving than those that don't believe Jesus.

I'm not against denominations, I'm against allowing something...anything...to break the barrier that Jesus said Himself wouldn't be broken. I believe what Jesus was discussing in Matthew 16 is simple: He would build His church on the revelation of who He is...Jesus, the Son of God, and love of our Savior!And that when the church is built on that, it would be so unified, that no matter who would "come on over" the it wouldn't overpower the church!

The key to doing more in the Kingdom, in your church, and in your life with God is simple: UNITY OF WHO HE IS! It's not about the promotion of my denomination, it's about the promotion of my God.

So, the question is simple: What are you doing (personally and corporately) to ensure that the barrier you're creating can't be overpowered?

Think on this:
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1-2)

I Don't Wanna Raise My Kids In This World Anymore

I remember the night I found out that my wife was pregnant with our first child. I was ecstatic, and couldn't wait to meet my little baby. Fast forward 2 years and I remember finding out that my wife was pregnant with our 2nd child. I was just as ecstatic and excited, but a little more nervous this time...I'd just gotten through 2 years of raising one, now I have to find a way to get through a lifetime of raising two. The past 4 months of my life, with 2 kids has been the greatest 4 months of my life. I have the life that so many would love to have... a beautiful wife, 2 incredible kids, and a church that is out of this world.

A couple of nights ago, in our small hometown and young lady was found murdered not far from our house. Not long before that a former Hell's Angel was found and arrested for child pornography in our small town. And about a year ago the remains of another young life that ended too early was found. During each of these events my mind was flooded with the negative stories of school shootings, perverts scouring the internet for children, and the fact that 27 million people are in slavery due to the sex industry today...in 2014!! Then, I came to a conclusion...I don't wanna raise my kids in this world anymore.

I don't...don't hate, don't judge, and don't think less of me...the more I live in this world the less I want to raise my kids in this world...and you know what? I don't have to! Now before you go call DSS and become afraid of what I actually mean there, finish reading the blog.

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." Psalm 127:4, NASB

My children, that I've been CHOSEN to parent and raise, are weapons. In a very non-literal sense, I am to load them up, shoot them into the world to leave a mark wherever they may land. An arrow in a warrior's hand isn't meant to be a distraction to hopefully scare the enemy. The arrow the warrior carried was a weapon, meant to inflict punishment on the enemy he was facing. The warrior didn't hold it up and say, "Hey, you! Check this out. I have an arrow...you should be REALLY scared and run away!" He loaded that sucker up, pulled back on the bow string as hard as he could, and delivered it, hopefully right into the chest of the enemy. And if he missed, the arrow would hopefully hit somewhere else on the enemy or so close that he had to go change his pants. And THAT is the comparison a parent has to their kids.

My kids aren't tax credits, government assistance, statues of beauty, nor are they a signification that my life is now complete...far from it! My kids are weapons that will take me years to mold into the arrow that will make a difference. Years of mess ups, years of frustration, years of hurt, years of tears, years of joy, years of laughter, years of figuring it all out - and at the end, my ultimate goal is to allow them to be the arrow that I shoot right into the heart of the enemy, and end one of his many devious plans of destruction.

I don't wanna raise my kids in this world anymore! And I don't have to!

I realize something - it's only by God's grace, mercy, love, and salvation that I DON'T have to raise my kids in this world anymore. His sacrifice and love has created a bridge for me to raise my kids OUT of this world. I have to mold my children (my arrows) to think on this above, not of this world (Colossians 3:2). To know that they won't always understand the ways of God, but I still trust Him (1 Corinthians 2:14). To realize that with God NOTHING is impossible (Matthew 19:26). That Jesus didn't come for religion but for relationship (John 3:16). That the Spirit gives them the guidance they need to use their gifts in a tremendous way (John 14:12). 

So, no...I don't wanna raise my kids in this world anymore. This world is scary, mean, cruel, disrespectful, dishonoring, and has no moral compass. But, this world isn't where my life is measured and designated; nor is it where my kids life is measured or designated. This world isn't our dress rehearsal, this world is the middle act of a lifelong play. And it's up to me to teach my kids their parts before they step up in front of the greatest stage of all, this world, to deliver their part - to display Jesus. It's up to me and my wife, to be living examples of Jesus to everyone we see...and that includes our kids. It's our job to raise our kids out of this world - not in it. And to be honest, that's your job too. 

Don't raise your kids in this world anymore.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect." Romans 12:2, NASB

What I'm Learning From The Atheist Church

There's a new phenomenon out there that is catching people by surprise, and really I don't think it should be. It's offending some, being celebrated by some, and completely ignored by many. And all of those reactions are to be expected. It's a new church called The Atheist Church. They meet on Sunday mornings, listen to music and talk about how to better themselves and their worlds, and then go out to eat. Sound familiar? It should. It follows eerily close to the Christian Church.

The Atheist Church is a popular "fad" and I don't like it; it worries me that it is catching on and growing at a scary pace. As a pastor, and more importantly, a Christian it worries me that people are not following closely to the life and heart of Jesus. But I'm going to be honest...I partly blame the Christian Church for the success of the Atheist Church. Calm down, and hear me out!

Every Sunday morning thousands of people around the globe are gathering in a building, to listen to great music, hang out with each other, learn how to better themselves and their communities, then they leave to go home and implement what they just heard. Every Sunday the Atheist Church is packed, to sit and learn and support a concept of NOTHINGNESS. Yet...they show up. All the while the Christian Church, by many statistics I'm reading, seems to be decreasing in popularity and relevance. (mega churches dominate the headlines but are not the traditional/usual church) 

The easy out is to say that we've lost Christ in this culture, and to a large extent I'd agree. (so with that being said I can't expect a non-Christian to act as a Christian) Another easy out is to say that no one cares about Jesus anymore. But those excuses are too easy to me. Here's my THOUGHTS (which I'm entitled to, correct?): I think it's not the cultures fault, or the irrelevance of Jesus...rather it's many church's inability to change to gain access to a new generation, and allow Jesus to change their hearts before they can become full of brick and mortar. 

I'm not trying to "down" the church (I believe the church, aside from Jesus, is the greatest hope in this word...to steal a line from Bill Hybels) I'm trying to say this: at some point we need to look at the reality. An (increasingly growing) group of people would rather gather together and learn about nothingness while finding ways to change the world; rather than gather with people to learn about EVERYTHINGNESS (I copyright that word) while finding ways to change the world. Somewhere the Christian Church missed out on an opportunity to allow Jesus to break down the pain, hurt, frustration, questions, and confusion in their hearts. And at some point we have to own up to it and change it!

This generation (the Atheist church is primarily the "younger" generation by the way) isn't against gathering together, worship (music), learning, or getting involved...all of which the Christian Church is supposed to stand for while pointing to Jesus...this generation is very much FOR those things. So why the disconnect? They just believe what they believe? Wrong...I used to believe that the world WAS South Carolina. I used to believe that the color green was blue, and blue was red...why? Because I was young and hadn't been exposed to the truth of those false statements. The disconnect, I believe, comes from the inability for the church as a whole to turn the Word of God, the salvation of Jesus, the love of our Father, and the guidance of the Spirit into the ability to apply each of those into every day life...WHILE LOVING PEOPLE! 

To be honest, there was a moment several years ago...I would've be someone that would've tried the Atheist Church. Not because I believe there is nothing out there, but because I had been so hurt by those that knew there was something (God) out there! Christians- cry over this, hurt over this, lament over this...there is a new church that is moving in on your SAVIOR that believes there is not Savior...and it's picking up the pieces that we're leaving behind! At some point...we have to do something about it. It's time to get out there, pick up the hurting, lost, and isolated and LOVE them...not change them, that's Jesus' job...but love them! If we don't, I know a group that will. Maybe it's not God that they have a problem, maybe it's me.

Obedience

(I'm back to blogging again after a long lay off! Will you help me increase the followers?)

"The Lord appeared to him and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham." (Genesis 26:2-3, NASB)

Obedience...a concept that has to be taught, caught, and returned in order to be effective. Kids aren't born being obedient. I have a 4 month old, and when she whines, no matter how often I tell her to stop...she won't until she's ready. Why? She can't understand me, therefore, she can't obey me. My 2 year old has to be taught how to obey when we say to clean up his toys, and so forth. Obedience isn't often inherited, it's taught by authority, caught by us, and returned by applying.

The Lord was speaking to Isaac, the son of Abraham. He was basically saying this... "Hey, Isaac. If you want to be blessed, if you want the promise, and the relationship with me here's all you have to do...LISTEN TO ME!" Really, it's that easy for us as well. If we want God's blessing...Listen and obey! If we want relationship... listen and obey! You want God to come through on His promises... listen and obey! Relationship requires these 2 things - if we deny our relationship these 2 things we forfeit the profit of the relationship.

Isaac got the point. Check this out: "No Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him." (Genesis 26:12, NASB) 

Why did the Lord bless him that well? He listened and obeyed. Does that mean it'll always make sense or be easy? Nope. In fact you may be asked to do something difficult just to see how your faith is. But there's one thing I can assure you, if you listen and then obey - God will then come through, and manifest in your relationship.

Listen. Obey. Live.