Bitter Work

For those wondering if I was ever going to write again, here’s your answer.

Lately, I haven’t posted in a while because it’s kinda hard to do without a computer.  I also haven’t been at home for what feels like more than five minutes at a time and even that time is really rushed.  I’ve also neglected writing in my paper journal, and as a result, I’ve noticed by creative capacity dwindling and my enthusiasm for things going in the same direction.  That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy what I love, but that is saying that because I haven’t put in the time to read the Word as much or write in my journal as much as I’ve done in the past, my enjoyment of the full life that God has to offer hasn’t been revealed in my life.  I came to realize that because I didn’t do the work, I couldn’t enjoy the fruits of that labor.  The work is the mission that God has commanded, the fruit is the fruit of the Spirit.

In our lives, we do all that we can to try and reduce our workload in the pursuit of leisure.  I know that’s true in my life; I put off work so that I can kick back in the here-and-now.  Too often we forget the value of hard work – knowing that something incredible is accomplished through the work of our hands and by the strength that God grants us.  I know it might sound crazy, but sometimes I do derive satisfaction by simply lifting something heavy or getting down on my hands and knees to clean a floor or bathtub.  And it’s amazing that once I do the work, I have time to kick back; but the opposite is never true.  Procrastination only leads to rushed results in the long run.

As Christians, if we’re not willing to put in the work, as in serving in a church and reading God’s word, then we are never going to see the fruits of the Spirit ripen in our own lives.  Our lives also become dull as we inadvertently chase after the temporary plastic pleasures of this planet.  And it can be work, especially when we have to plow through passages previously thought unreadable such as Leviticus.  I was dreading reading that book during B90X, but once I did, I recognized how meticulous God is in planning His worship and how much we need Jesus, because there was no way that any of us could satisfy Levitical law.  In doing B90X, I literally trained myself to read much more scripture than I previously had and to absorb much more and to have it mean more in my life.

It’s a lot like working out or practicing a musical instrument.  We can’t expect to get stronger or better simply by doing nothing and then putting in a lot of work at one time.  No, our work is gradual.  It is slow.  It takes time.  In a sense, bitter in its execution.  However, once we do put in the time and effort to do what God has called us to do, it pays off dividends.  Not only are we fully able to enjoy all His creation, but we are also much capable of doing anything He commands us to do in the future.

This is why it’s so important to do life together; trying to tackle the enemy by oneself is a daunting task and if we try to do it alone, we’ll procrastinate and let the work pile up.  I know that’s happened in my life.  We all need people to share the load, to go with us on our respective journeys.  We were never meant to be solitary, but relational in both our work and our pursuit of happiness.

I need people to call me out.  I need people to hand me a task.  I need to get down on my hands and knees and really experience the work that God has called me to do.

And so I’ll give you the calling that I give to my small group and to anyone else willing to serve.  DO WORK.

When God Calls an Audible

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction in which my life is going and how it’s nothing like how I expected it would turn out.  When I got to college, I fully expected to have my degree and a safe job teaching band somewhere in the state.  I had no idea that I would still be finishing up school, living in a garage, working a part-time job, and fully committed to serving in one of the greatest churches in history.

I can trace back much of the good things in my life to serving at Lifepoint.  God has blessed me so much in my time serving in the band, on the setup team, and as a life group leader.  I truly believe that a person is closest to God while doing the work that He’s asked that person to do.  For me, serving in a church gives me life-it gives me fulfillment and purpose.  Jesus said in John10:10 that the thief comes to steal and destory, but Jesus comes so that we might have life and that we can live that life to the fullest.

Which brings me to the point of God calling an audible in my life.  (For those unaware, an audible is a play change called by the quarterback in order to advance the ball a little better than the original play called.)  I stated earlier that I had every intention of graduating in less than four years with a job already lined up.  Serving in a church was an afterthought, something I thought I would do on the weekends and naught else.  I had no idea that God would lead me to Lifepoint and completely wreak havoc on my plans.  Once I got to Lifepoint, God’s calling and command hit me like a shotgun blast to the chest.  I couldn’t have my own plans any longer; I had to turn everything over to Him and let Him alone guide the course of my life.

So while my worldly self may desire comfort and safety, I can’t have any of it.  If I don’t have any convictions then I’m a ship without a rudder, letting the wind blow me wherever.  And let me tell you, the wind is a very unpredictable phenomenon.  I firmly believe that God calls each and every one of us to serve Him with all we have, because after all, He’s the only reason why we’re alive!

Lifepoint Baptism Recap and Lifepoint’s Future

(I apologize for the lack of blogging in the past couple weeks.  Not having a computer at home means I have to plan out time at the ‘brary when I can come in and write one of these posts.  I hope to post semi-weekly from now on.)

This past weekend, I was baptized by Pastor Jeff of my church, Lifepoint Church, in the ocean.  That’s right, I got baptized along with 41 other individuals who decided to publicly show the world that they had decided to follow Jesus.  It was probably one of the most exhilarating moments in my lifetime, to have everyone on the beach cheering as I went into the water and everyone going crazy when I came out again and to see them do that for every man, woman, and child baptized that day.

I believe baptism is a cornerstone of Christianity and one of the first steps one has to take after receiving Christ and before serving Him.  Pastors Jeff and Daryl made it abundantly clear that getting baptized isn’t the same as being saved.  Baptism is a public declaration of an inward state of being.  Lately at Lifepoint, it seems that many more people are deciding to take that first step.  Just last week, I baptized one of the guys in my small group in the ocean and tonight, we’re all heading over to watch and cheer on more of our men in the church getting baptized.

Also this week, Lifepoint has been making great strides in terms of determining the course it will take in the future in order to reach this city.  I was able to take part in the Dream Team Experience this past weekend where Pastor Jeff and Larry Brey from Elevation Church got to share some vision about how to reach the entire city (and surrounding areas) of Wilmington, North Carolina.  The greatest thing that I got out of that day was instruction on how to be an armor-bearer like Johnathan’s in 1 Samuel 14:7.  As a member of the Dream Team, it’s up to me to do my part to step out in faith and stay out of God’s way when He wants to work.

This all feeds into the series we just started at Lifepoint, simply called The MAN Series; which is gonna teach all us men how to truly live as God commanded.  We’re called to be active warriors, to put on the full armor of God and not retreat, as armor wasn’t made for the backside.  We’re called to go wherever we’re asked and to do whatever we’re ordered.  As men, we aren’t born into a sitcom (to borrow an example from John Eldredge and Wild at Heart), we’re born into a war zone.  For men, this is Omaha Beach on D-Day and there is enemy fire from every direction trying to take us out in the arenas of identity, purity, and integrity.  I believe a series like this is crucial, as it will call men out who are being passive and lukewarm and call them into DOING WORK for Jesus and truly serving the world by being the men that God has called them to be.

For me, it’s really cool to see that this is all taking place around the time of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.  Just like in that situation, we’re a group of individuals crazy enough to believe that we can achieve something great.  We’re choosing to reach the city of Wilmington not because it is easy, but because God has called us to do so.  God has given Pastor Jeff and all the staff and leaders at Lifepoint a vision of bringing this city closer to Christ and I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve alongside them and truly DO WORK for this city!

Band…Auditions?

(Disclaimer:  All the views I present are my own and do not necessarily relfect those of Lifepoint Church or its staff members.)

Tonight, I had an opportunity to witness the Lifepoint Band auditions.  Sometimes I get a puzzled look from people when I tell them that the Lifepoint band has auditions.  I guess some people think that there should be no exclusion from those who want to play music in church, as I guess they think that it cuts out people who want to worship.  I’m going to say this:  while music is a part of worship, it is not the only part of worship and not everyone is meant to worship through music.

Now that’s not to say that those who are onstage are part of an elite group dedicated to leading the congregation in worship.  In fact, I believe that the people onstage should be the most humble of them all; after all, we shouldn’t be the ones getting the glory for the music we play.  Being part of the Lifepoint Band has made me realize that I am a servant first, even though what I do onstage is be more visible than something behind the scenes.  It all goes towards making sure that what we do is good quality and doesn’t distract from those trying to worship.

In talking and sharing life with the other band members, I’ve learned that being part of the band is a lot more than just being able to play an instrument.  It’s a call to be part of something greater, to be able to play well with others, and most of all, to be able to truly worship and commune with God doing what I do.  It’s also a call to be a servant; to be able to set up at 6am and stay til 1pm to tear down, to be ready at a moment’s notice to talk to people and pray for them on the spot.  We worship a servant King who stooped down and was willing to touch a leper, why shouldn’t we be able to pray for someone who is hurting?

The auditions also ensure that we have a well-rehearsed and professional band.  If someone doesn’t play well or play well with others, it detracts from the overall worship experience as most eyes will immediately divert to that person.  While no one wants to be excluded, I believe that the Lord wants us to be the best of what He has called us to be, and sometimes it’s serving somewhere outside of the band.

The last thing I want to do is sound snobbish by saying that not everyone is meant to be onstage as a part of a worship band.  I know that I’m not cut out to do children’s ministry at KidZone, which is why they don’t ask me and I don’t ask them.  I know I’m not meant to give messages because I can be a stuttering mess at times.  I do know that music is my passion and that’s why I serve in the band.  I believe the auditions serve to make sure that others who share that passion make their way towards the band as well.

ONEPrayer Reflection

Today marked the end of the ONEPrayer series at Lifepoint; and let me tell you, it’s been a doozy.  I believe that churches everywhere can benefit so much from learning how other churches preach and share the gospel.

All of the sermons this year were based around the statement of “God is…”  The first week, we heard Pastor Jeff talk about how RIDICULOUS God is.  The second week, Craig Groeschel told us all that God is LOVE.  Week three, Steven Furtick preached about how God is GREAT.  And finally, we had a doozy of a sermon given by Perry Noble, titled God is HERE.

Too often, we forget that these are aspects of the God we worship and serve.  We sometimes think that we are too ordinary and too weak for God to use us.  Pastor Jeff talked about God using ordinary people to do ridiculous things throughout the Bible and throughout our daily lives and in the life of Lifepoint Church.  God doesn’t have any constraints.  When He wants to move, He moves BIG TIME and we just have to stay out of His way.

Sometimes we don’t think that God can love us.  As Craig Croeschel reminded us, it’s so easy to say, “God loves you” while it’s incredibly difficult to say “God loves me.”  The fact is, we’re all loved equally and individually by our loving Father, who would send His Son to die all over again even if it was just for one sinner.

There are also times when we don’t think that God can move beyond our obstacles and circumstances.  This is a lie that seeks to undermine how truly awesome and HUGE our God really is.  The fact of the matter is that our God is both great, in the fact that He set the cosmos into motion and breathed us into being, and good, in the fact that He loved us enough while we were sinners to send His son and redeem us.

Finally, Perry Noble closed out our series with the sermon entitled God is HERE.  So often we view God as this nebulous being, somewhere “out there” or “up there”, something like an aloof sky bully.  Jesus reminded all of His apostles just before He ascended that He would always be with them, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).  Man, if that isn’t an awesome concept to wrap our heads around.  God is right here with us – the Creator of the entire UNIVERSE is here with us!  Everything that we go through in life has been orchestrated by God in order for Him to receive the glory and He’s with us every step of the way.  His life, death, and victory are 3 reminders of the fact that God is here on this earth.  Pastor Noble also got his preach on about how we as Christians need to run up the score on Christ’s victory by telling the world that He’s risen and right with us and that He makes us more than conquerors if we just choose to follow Christ.  He even used The Ol’ Ball Coach Steve Spurrier (back when he was with my favorite team in college sports:  The Florida Gators) as an example of how to run up the score!

Through this series, there have been countless events of life change going on within Lifepoint Church.  So many broken people and situations have flooded the doors and inboxes of the church and I don’t believe that the staff of Lifepoint would  have it any other way.  This has all happened while pastors were giving their messages through recorded video!  It just goes to show you that when God wants to move, He does; we just need to get out of His way!

CRAZY LOVE…With Go-Karts

Life Rule #324:  If you are with a group of high school guys, NEVER pass up an opportunity to ride go-karts for free.

I thank God each an every week for my small group guys.  I brag on them every chance I get, and sometimes I brag on them whenever I feel like doing so.  Tonight after group, we had a pizza left over as well as a half a bottle of soda.  Being the poor college kid, Kevin gifted it to me; however, while we were standing in the parking lot, we noticed a few workers at the brand spankin’ new go-kart track across the street.  It looked like they hadn’t received any business the whole day and one of our guys suggested that we take the pizza and drink over to them.  Reluctant to let go of about three days’ worth of food, I didn’t say anything, but conviction crept up and I said, “Alright guys, let’s do it.”  And with that, we gifted them with some crazy love; because after all, crazy love can happen anytime, even after the series.  After a very brief conversation, we walked off, kinda heartbroken that the conversation didn’t really go anywhere.  Then, the owner called out, “Hey, you guys want a ride?”  Immediately, our faces lit up and rushed over to claim our karts.  We were told that the track was brand new and that the karts had the potential to spin out on the fresh pavement.  I know I was happy; there aren’t many times when I get to legally fishtail a vehicle.  Afterwards, we got a chance to talk with the owner and their workers about what we do at small group and Lifepoint Church and all the guys left with huge smiles on their faces.

You never know what might happen when you choose to serve somebody.  Sometimes, they may spit in your face and other times you may get to ride go-karts for free.  Kevin and I have really been trying to teach our boys about the necessity of serving through and outside the church.  After all, Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  Servanthood requires humility, which requires us to ask not what we can do for ourselves, but what we can do for everyone else.  A church isn’t going to get people in the doors unless it can DO WORK for the people it wants to welcome.  A church requires the attitude of humility from all its members, and from there, crazy love happens!

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat…”

Thanks to the movie JAWS for that one.

Today at Lifepoint, we started our ONEPrayer series with a bang!  Jeff preached a sermon entitled “God Is Ridiculous.”  In it, he outlined the big moves that God has made throughout the history of Lifepoint and how Lifepoint is the church that runs towards the broken people in Wilmington.  I was blown away, especially during the second service when we had an impromptu prayer time for those who just needed healing and comfort.  Lifepoint is a church for those who don’t like church, and it’s filled to the brim with broken people who are held together only by the grace of Jesus.

In his message, Pastor Jeff related the story found in Luke, chapter 5, when Jesus proved his sovereignty to His disciples:

 ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down^[b] the nets for a catch.”

 ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 ⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

What’s important about this story is that even though Peter (still called Simon here) could come up with a thousand rational reasons to refuse what Jesus told him to do, he relenquished control.  When that happened, the boats were overflowing – they had to call other boats in, and even those boats started sinking because of the weight!

Recently, I’ve been taught that in order for great things to happen with me, I must get out of the way and let God work through me, not try to make Him work for me.  After all, the clay pot can’t say to the potter, “I’m greater than you who created me,” and neither can we say that our will is better than our Creator’s will for our lives.  At Lifepoint, we strive to be an “if you say so” church, meaning that if God wills it to be done, then we believe that it will be done.  And when that happens, the blessings will be so bountiful that we’ll need a bigger boat to haul them all into shore!

Churches Working Together

That’s a novel concept, isn’t it?  Too often, we focus on the dividing lines between churches and fail to remember the fact that all of these churches were built out of a desire to serve the Lord.

Tonight, the Lifepoint band got a cool opportunity to lead worship at a place called The Rock Church up in Castle Hayne for their youth group, called Flipside.  There are some awesome kids who love hearing about and praising Jesus and I was so glad that we got to be a part of it.  It got me thinking about how churches should relish opportunities such as these.  It’s a chance for two or more churches in two or more different areas to come together and share their visions about how they intend to bring people closer to Jesus.  This presents so many opportunities for churches to grow and learn; they can see how another church does things and maybe incorporate those things into how they worship.

For me, it was amazing to see these kids literally jump up and down while we were playing.  They didn’t know who we were, but they knew that we were there to praise God.  That kind of openness and willingness to worship in maybe a different way is so crucial to church growth.  As churches, we can’t be static.  We have to embrace change because this world and this culture is in a constant state of flux.  This doesn’t mean changing the message:  it means learning from each other how to reach those thought unreachable or how to effectively spread the life-altering message that is the Gospel.

Churches are usually built because of a singular mission and vision:  to see the Lord God praised above all else.  Why wouldn’t churches band together to serve this idea?  If churches don’t work together to acheive this singular vision, then there is no possible way that everyone in a certain area can come to know Christ.  In the next few weeks, we’re starting up the ONE Prayer series again, in the hopes that the church will become the answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-24, to unite in the common cause of Christ.  I know that this partnership with The Rock is a good thing; through it, Lifepoint can realize it’s goal of telling everyone in Wilmington, from Carolina Beach to Castle Hayne (and eventually BEYOND!), about the love of Christ!  There is nothing better!

Great Music Videos – “Spotlight” by MUTEMATH

The guys of MUTEMATH have done it again, another awesome music video!  I’ll just let the great performance speak for itself.

(PS-This is proof that no venue is too small.)

The Power Within Music

I don’t think this post will serve any other purpose than to remind myself why I do what I do.

This past week, I caught a commentary at Christian Music Today’s website detailing the inherent power within music to change lives.  While there is nothing that holy in a melody or a ii-V-I chord progression by itself, the emotion and feeling that the composer/player/singer puts into a piece or song is extremely transparent, even more so when words are attached.

Throughout my life, I’ve been obsessed with music.  I loved music class growing up in grade school.  I started playing trumpet in elementary school and kept at it all throughout grade school.  I started playing other things throughout my life (namely bass in high school and guitar in college), but it wasn’t until I started playing music with my church that I finally realized why I love music so much.

Lately, I’ve been going through the book of Psalms in my daily readings.  I encourage every artist of any type (written word, music, visual arts, etc.) t0 read through the book of Psalms at one point in his or her life.  In this book, one can truly witness the power that music can hold and how it can express nearly anything.  Nearly every chapter in Psalms is directly from the point of view of the psalmist and through that comes every feeling imaginable, from the highest peaks to the deepest valleys.  What’s amazing is that through most of these Psalms, we’re directed to sing of God’s glory, because he’s so much greater than anything.  We’re commanded to sing, not just tell.

Throughout my life, I’ve always felt close to God through song.  I love how some of our songs build up with melodic motives and then really hit with the message of the lyrics.  Case in point:  “Mystery” by Charlie Hall.  In the bridge, there is a very simple melodic motive played over and over again until the gravity of the words finally hits:  “Celebrate His death and rising/lift your eyes, proclaim His coming/Celebrate His death and rising/lift your eyes, lift your eyes.”  That part nearly brought me to tears the first time I heard it.  It’s one thing to say that Christ died and rose again, it’s something else entirely to sing it with your whole heart.  That’s where the power of music resides:  its ability to transcend borders and unify voices in melody and word.