Under Construction

I always marvel at construction sites. My stepdad spent his life in construction and built numerous silos that are standing strong throughout the Golden, Colorado valley. Not only did my stepdad construct for a living, there was always a project going on at the house – usually involving concrete. Dad was in his element when he had a concrete pumper truck pulling up to the curb. My sister and I learned how to prepare the work site, set forms, lay rebar, and pour and cure concrete, all before we were teens.


To this day, I tend to be drawn to anything concrete – my dream home would be patterned shades of gray cement on the exterior and polished stained concrete floors throughout. You could say my stepdad created in us a sound foundation for understanding and admiring quality construction.

While my stepdad was teaching us about structures, my family was also laying another foundation – belief in Jesus Christ. They taught us that Jesus Christ was the son of God, born of a virgin, crucified and raised from the dead. They instilled in us that through His blood, our sins were forgiven. They shared with us not only the good news, but the fear of God because of sin. They laid the foundation.

We were “church bus” kids through our early years. We attended a larger Baptist church in the area, riding the bus each Sunday with the other kids whose parents preferred to sleep in. We would attend Sunday School, then go on to children’s church, then usually meet our parents after church for the ride home. Statistics show that we were like the majority of Christians – attend church on Sunday, go on with normal life Monday through Saturday. We believed in Jesus, but we only visited him at church, and didn’t cultivate our relationship with Him during the week.

Is that a problem? I mean, I go to church on Sundays to visit – just like going to Grandma’s house for a week in the summer. I still love you and you love me, right?

Construction doesn't end after the foundation is laid - it continues until the building is completely finished.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”  Luke 14:28-30.

Learning about, and then accepting Jesus Christ is like laying the foundation to the most amazing building ever built.  To finish the building, you must continue to work, developing your relationship with Christ.  He will provide the blueprints, the tools and the materials.  You just have to show up and do the work.  At the end, you will witness the most incredible construciton imagineable - a life filled with the beauty that is Jesus Christ.

So what are you waiting for?  Do you need to start the foundation now?  Then call on Jesus Christ and ask Him to become your personal savior.  Is your foundation already laid, then seek after Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and get ready for the most luxurious life imaginable - a life of service to the one and only true living God!

Book of Eli

I recently saw the Movie Book of Eli. First, I recommend this movie to everyone - although it is a bit violent (what movie isn't these days - not excusing, just the truth), it has a tremendous message.

I won't spoil the movie for you - just want to challenge you (and myself) into thinking...how far would you go for something you believe in? How many obstacles would you face, years would you devote, miles would you walk? Do you believe in God enough to make Him and His calling your entire life?

Check the movie and you'll see what I mean. See if you don't walk out of the theatre challenged to seek out His calling for your life, and follow it no matter what the cost.

It Takes All

It surely has been awhile since I've written - I'm surprised Blogspot hasn't deleted me. I shared a "word" with our Host Team at LifeChurch.tv Owasso today, and was inspired to share it here as well. Here goes:

I was reading Nehemiah 13 this morning and it reminded me how it takes all of us to fulfill God’s purpose. Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and he assembled many people to complete the task. In Chapter 13, the Bible accounts for who rebuilt different sections. It gives a beautiful (although sometimes tedious) description of how one group repaired one section, and then next to them was another group responsible for another section.
To build the wall, it took many people, each with their appointed task, working next to and hand-in-hand with each other. This is the same philosophy used in building a church and in filling God’s Kingdom. We each do our part, our neighbor and friend does their part, then next thing you know, the wall goes up! What an awesome visualization!

Times are very strange lately - odd weather patterns, economic downturns, catastrophic earthquakes. Time is shorter today than it was yesterday for us to step up and do whatever it is God is calling us to do. Have you been assigned to a section of the wall? Are you doing your part? Seek God - ask Him what he would have you do. I hope that it's standing next to me in my section of the wall!

Strengths

This post is short and sweet - My top strength is Futuristic - meaning that when working within my passions, I tend to be looking ahead - often by months or even years. While I have a "gift" of administration and working in the details, one of my passions is evaluating trends, studying culture and planning for the future.

Lately it seems that there is so much to do that my ability to be a futurist is compromised. I'm being stretched by working in the daily details, and not having the opportunity to plan for the future. It is a stretching exercise for sure. An exercise I'm willing to endure, but I'm also ready to get "back to the future."

Passion

Our Senior Pastor, Craig Groeschel recently said “I love that your passion is greater than your gifts.” He said this to an audience of nearly 500 staff, spouses and network church leaders. In the "church world," we put so much stock in our spiritual gifts - but without passion, the gifts can never realize their full potential.

The staff and Servant Leaders of LifeChurch.tv Owasso have a passion, a mission – a “grand dream”– to lead people to become fully-devoted followers of Christ. We press towards that dream every day.

“Grand dreams don’t become significant realities through the actions of a single person.” The Leadership Challenge

It takes more than one person to realize this dream – and together, we are an unstoppable team of passionate dreamers, ready to conquer the world, one small task at a time, for Christ.

Are you serving with your passion so that God’s dream can be realized!

Coincidence? I Think Not.

This weekend the message at LifeChurch.tv was all about losing your faith. Very powerful, extremely timely, and resulted in 7 salvations at the Owasso campus and 88 recommitments! Praise God. That's remarkable enough...but there's more to this blog.

Sunday afternoon I witnessed my Dad being ordained as a deacon at New Heart Fellowship. This was a very special time, and I will blog about it later so it gets the attention it deserves. But after the ordination ceremony, we went for ice cream and my Dad shared about the church services that morning. He said that instead of preaching the message that was prepared, the pastor felt strongly that he needed to challenge everyone about their faith and knew that there were a number of people attending who needed to begin a relationshp with Christ that very day. Of course, every altar call has urgency included - and rightfully so! But this day was different, and Pastor Charlie wasn't going to let it go. The result - an hour of worship, praying, crying and numerous people committing and recommitting their lives! Praise God! And again - remarkable - but there's more to this blog.

What struck me is how eerily similar the message at LifeChurch.tv and at New Heart Fellowship were. Two churches who believe in the same God and in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ who unknowingly preach the same message on the same day. What are the odds? Well, if I were a betting woman, I would be betting that God moved the same way in tens, hundreds or even thousands of his churches this week.

What does it mean? To me, it reinforces that time is short. Every minute that passes is one minute closer to Christ's return! We have an amazing opportunity to reach people that have never been reached...which also comes with a heavy responsibility.

Where is your faith? Are you living life as if YOU'RE in charge? Have you ever given it over to God? Or if you do believe in Christ, have you filed Him away in the box that reads "For Emergencies Only?" As you read this, you're one minute closer to knowing where you will spend eternity. If you're not sure, then read John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life." Believe it...call His name now...commit that you're willing to open your heart to Him and seek His direction. Then...email me. I want to hear your story, and we have some resources that will help as you start your journey.

I'm so blessed to be a part of what God is doing! Trust me, He blows me away every single day with his magnificence!

Attraction

This weekend at my church, we start the series Five Easy Steps to Wreck Your Life - with the first topic being adultery. I can confidently say that adultery is one area that I will not give into...the reason I am confident is that I've had many opportunities.

When I was married, I was the target of several different men throughout the years. I was even once told by a married man that because I traveled as part of my job, I would eventually give into adultery because "everyone who travels does it." I was absolutely appalled! But that was his reality, and unfortunately, is a reality shared by many.

What causes a person to break the sacred commitment they made to their spouse, or to tempt someone else to break that commitment? I will go out on a limb and say that most people don't enter into a marriage expecting to cheat, but something happens and they give into temptation.

I've met with several people who are victims of adultery, and I have experienced it first hand myself. One thing I can say is that the enemy who is the father of lies sticks with things that work, and adultery is a well refined recipe. While I may never understand why a person steps across that line, what I do know is that through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ, there can be healing.

There are many resources available for those affected by adulterous relationships, including a story written by a lady I admire greatly whose husband fathered a child with another woman, but yet today their marriage is one of the strongest I have ever seen. Her name is Cindy, and you can follow her story here.

Because I have experience with this sin in my own life and family, I try to be acutely aware of anything I do that may be a temptation. Our church does not allow married staff members to ride in a car or be alone with members of the opposite sex if either one of them is married. I take this a step farther and will not meet, even casually, with a married man without his wife or others present. This is not only for my protection, but also to protect the other person...I never want to be a stumbling block for someone else.

You cannot control others, but you can control your actions and inactions. Check your heart, check your actions and check your relationships. What are you doing to protect yourself from crossing that line?