Just came across this comment in a posting by Pete Scazzero, author of “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.”

Things are not as they appear. So often what looks like a blessing is not. What looks terrible in the short run is, very often, a rich gift. When you think you are going forward, you may be actually going backwards. What appears as success, oftentimes ends up being a failure and setback. Failures will teach you much more than success every time.

I know this sounds very much like my life experience. But what do you think?

If you could pick a word to characterize the lives of those who are closest to you, what would it be? For many of us, it would be “busy.” Busy parents, busy co-workers, busy volunteers, busy, busy, busy. When I get busy, it’s not always good. Maybe that happens to you. We forget important events. We forget about good manners. We forget to keep our promises to others. We forget the conversations we’ve had with ourselves in the past that start out with, “I will NEVER do that again…” The bottom line it this: Even though we might get a lot of things done when we’re busy, it can often result in bad consequences and habits.

This is the part where you expect me to talk about how God designed us to rest, to trust, and so on. But I’m not going to do that. Instead I want to talk about how busy God is. Yes…God is busy. Now, don’t get excited. This is not a mandate to add six more events on your calendar. Actually, when God gets busy, he doesn’t suffer from the kind of negative consequences I mentioned above. But wow, does he get busy.

In yesterday morning’s “Refuel” passage (Romans 8:28-39), I found this phrase: In all things God works for the good of those who love him.

We like to point to this verse when things are going bad, assuming that it means that God will make everything work out swell. But what it’s actually saying is this:

“No matter what happens in your life, God is at work to bring about ultimate good, namely to change you so you look more and more like Jesus.”

No matter what happens, God works. Think about all the things that happen in your life. And in the lives of your friends. Then multiply that millions of times over. And in each life, “God works.” That, my friends, is one busy God!

So whatever you’re experiencing right now. Whatever you took a break from to read this. Whatever situation you’re heading into, or dreading, or looking forward to. In everything, in all things, God works. Are you aware of it? Are you looking for it? Will you recognize it? Will you partner with your busy God?

Sometimes truth can come from the strangest places When you’re not looking for it. Let me explain…

Yesterday I walked toward my desk and noticed something on the windowsill. This is the window where I look out into the world. It’s the window that reveals beautiful scenes of pink cherry trees in the spring, flaming maple tree colors in the fall, breathtaking sunrises at dawn, and more. And there it was, at the bottom of the window. Nothing spectacular, hardly unusual. A dead fly. (Sorry…hope you’re not eating.) Why am I telling you about a dead fly? Good question.

Mr. Fly had tried to get past the window. And had he been able to do that, he probably would have found what he needed: fuel. You see, there’s no “fly fuel” in my office. No bio-fuel. No rotting carcasses. No animal waste products. Just books, paper, and furniture. (Okay, there are some dark chocolate covered espresso beans, but they’re locked away where flies can’t find them!) All that stood between Mr. Fly and the fuel he needed was a little piece of glass. If only he could get past it…if…only…

Here’s the point. Sometimes we’re so close to the fuel…we can see it…almost touch it. But that little piece of glass stands in the way. Maybe you’ve wanted to join us for the Refuel project. Maybe you picked up a hard copy of the booklet. Maybe you’ve put all the emails in a special folder. Maybe you joined the social network site. Maybe you’ve even determined what part of the day is going to work for you to “read, reflect, and respond.” But maybe that piece of glass is still there. You need a way to get past it. To turn off the TV and pick up the book. To tune out the distractions and spend 10 minutes reflecting. Whatever that last remaining obstacle is, just DO it! Do it today…do it right now. Let Mr. Fly on my windowsill be a lesson. Figure out a way to get to the fuel. Don’t end up on the windowsill. As we learned in the first week of this series, the fuel in God’s word is there so that we can be “equipped for every good work.” So go ahead and fuel up.

If you ever watched the old Saturday Night Live routines with the Church Lady you know what I’m talking about. Church people can be just a little bit…weird. We can dress funny, talk funny, and act funny. But does following Jesus mean your life will become increasingly weird? That depends on what we mean.

If by weird we mean talking differently, using “Praise the Lord” in every other sentence, and dressing in clothes that were fashionable 20 years ago, then the answer is, “No.” Jesus spoke in the language of his culture, and presumably dressed like everyone else. (That’s probably why Judas had to identify him with a kiss…he didn’t stand out from the crowd.)

If, however, by weird we mean that we make different choices about how we will live, and we actually believe that God’s wisdom is the best way to live, then the answer may be yes. If we view our money as God’s, and we give a tithe (ten percent) to God, that’s VERY different! If we choose NOT to participate in verbal bashing of those with whom we disagree or don’t really like, that’s very unusual. If we choose to spend our precious time each Sunday morning worshiping God together with the Body of Christ, that’s unique (hey, after all, you could be sleeping in on Sunday mornings!). If we choose to serve those in need instead of just looking out for our interests, that’s not typical. In each of these cases, the follower of Jesus might not “fit in” with the broader culture. He or she might look different…maybe even weird.

But no place is this more evident than in last week’s topic – God’s design for sexuality as it relates to single adults. If we really understand how God designed us, and why he gave this incredible gift, then it WILL change how we choose to live. If we are willing to believe that God’s way is actually better, it will change our lives! And single adults in 21st century America could find themselves living very differently from their peers. They could have to explain why they don’t behave as others do. (And in conversations with some from our church, they HAVE had these kinds of conversations.) They could end up looking a bit…weird. People might notice. People might wonder. People might ask questions. “Why do you live that way?” But don’t miss this: It might just be that our willingness to believe God in this area could actually help point the way for others to the life they’re REALLY looking for. A life with God.

If you’re a single adult and striving to live out God’s design in this area, let me thank you for your courage. And let me assure you I’m praying with you.

I hope to see you all this week as we tackle the very relevant, and very difficult topic of “Same Sex.” This affects every one of us, whether or not we realize it! Remember to take your kids to PowerHouse, and then join us for an unforgettable Sunday.

Whew…it’s been a vveerrrryyyy long time since I posted anything. A bit of dust accumulating here. Apologies, and all.

This summer was an experiment for me as a teacher/preacher. A 10 week series! That’s at least three weeks longer than anything previously attempted. And, it was a series based on the Core Values of Seneca Creek. WHY? Because they’re so, well, CORE. Actually, once we got into them, it went really fast. (In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that three and a half of the weeks were taught by others on our staff team.)

The cool part is that these values are now working their way into our vocabulary…including mine! And they’re working their way into our thinking. And they’re working their way into our church. Here they are:

1. Everyone deserves to be introduced to Jesus
2. If God isn’t changing your life, you need a bigger God
3. It’s impossible to love others without serving them
4. Our interactions either attract others to Jesus or drive them away
5. The church has no walls
6. We are all created for authentic community
7. Innovation and failure form the bridge to the future
8. In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity (love)
9. Pray and plan as if God is going to show up
10. Excellence honors God and inspires people

That’ the kind of church I want to be part of. How about you? If one of these really resonates for you, sound off on the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

-Mark T.

Two Sundays ago we asked for ideas. During a message entitled, “Why Innovate” many of you were inspired to write down ideas of how we as a church could be more effective in the mission God has called us to. We received over 35 ideas! Some of you were even brave enough to write down ideas for yourselves! Some of the ideas for our church were:

• Fulfill God’s will by preventing loneliness to those who have no family
• Have services outside on the streets
• Young person’s view- sermons and service- church
• Reaching out to the homeless (once a month)
• Live streaming the sermons…this way people can check out church at home then come in if they like
• More diverse music – Latin Christian, contemporary. gospel (Fred Hammond for example)

Overall the ideas were very creative, and encouraging! Maybe you’ve been thinking about some innovative ideas for church. Why not click on the “comments” below and send us your ideas? We’ll look at them all, and try to figure out which ones we may be able to run with. Maybe they’ll work. Maybe not. But as we learned two weeks ago, “Innovation and failure form the bridge to the future.” I don’t know about you, but I want to be on that bridge!

Can you find us in the picture?

What’s really important to measure in the spiritual realm? In the local church? Sometimes the answers are easy, but the implementation is not.
The following is a brief excerpt from a compelling 15 page report on this topic from Leadership Network.

“Today, people in our churches—and especially young people—want to devote their lives to a cause that’s bigger than themselves,” observes Ken Fong, pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA. Ken realizes the opportunity for pastors to enflame and direct the devotion of people in their churches, but also, he is aware of a significant change that needs to occur. He observes, “In our church, we’ve had to change what we measure. We no longer use size as our primary metric. Instead, we spend time and effort analyzing the compelling intangibles of the Spirit’s work: devotion, love, and obedience.” [italics added]
Kevin Doi, pastor of Epic Church in Fullerton, CA, suggests that the analysis of metrics needs to go back to the basics. “When we look at the Great Commandment to ‘make disciples,’ ” he reflects, “we need to ask if our time, energy and resources are being invested in the things Jesus values.” Kevin believes that the church must be evaluated on the metric of making committed, invested, serving disciples—and nothing less. “Every meeting we have, every plan we make, and every dollar we spend is analyzed by how well we invite people to develop a real relationship with Jesus and inspire them to live for him in their world.”

You can view the entire article here. I welcome your comments below.

You’re probably familiar with the story of Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet. To be frank, it’s not something I would naturally do. It was demeaning and degrading. It was serving in its most raw and unfiltered form. So this week I was reading the story again (in John 13), and I noticed something. Before John tells us about the footwashing, he says this:

The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. (John 13:2)

So before Jesus picks up the towel to serve these guys, he already knows that one of them is bent on betrayal. Can you imagine what it would be like to be washing the feet of someone who was scheming to turn you in? I suspect most of us would have just skipped over Judas, and gone on to the next disciple.

But Jesus serves Judas anyway. He serves the guy who’s going to hand him over. I’m glad I don’t have to make that choice of whether or not I’ll wash Judas’ feet. But I do have a choice to make, and so do you. The choice is to serve those around us, regardless of their “worthiness.” After all, it’s impossible to love others without serving them.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Mark & Jeannette share the challenging vision of how we can work together and make Chapter Two happen!