Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Everyday Jesus

Beginning April 12th on Easter Sunday I will be starting a brand new set of teaching on an issue that I believe is key to the Church and Christianity as a whole right now. We live in a country where a large majority claim to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord; however, these numbers are very different from the kind of world we live in and character we see displayed in many of these professors.

This series will be a five week exploration of a central question: what does it look like to follow Jesus everyday? Rather than being a Sunday only Christian, how does one's faith translate into a lifestyle? How do we move from believing in Jesus to knowing Jesus? If you have ever had questions as to what a true relationship with God looks like or have ever felt like this whole "Jesus thing" was hard to translate into a day-to-day endeavor, this series is for you.

I'm excited about teaching this series. Make plans to come to one of our two campuses. Invite a friend to join you. We are anticipating some big things for Easter. If you need directions or have questions, visit the Journey website for details.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Josiah Road

A pretty cool thing happened today. A blog post that I wrote last week is being used for a website geared toward teen and young adults called Josiah Road. Anytime someone thinks something you said has some weight or merit it is a flattering thing, yet at the same time is is a humbling thing. It is much more important for me to have a life that speaks for my faith, instead of just a bunch of words describing it. Too often in our Christian lives we want to use words to convince others of our faith, but I think the secret to success and at showing the world a true faith is through our lives. Our lives are the story of God for others to read.

If you want to check out the blog post for the Josiah Road website click here. I appreciate everyone who comes to this website and reads my musings, thoughts, and things God is sharing with me. If anything wrote here can be helpful for your life and faith, all the better.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sunday Evening Reflections

I am absolutely drained from a crazy weekend. My family and I have been at going non-stop. Kaleb had his first official tball practice today after church. It was cold and the kids were miserable. It also showed me that he has a lot of work for daddy to be working on with him. A fun highlight of the weekend is always seeing all the folks from The Journey. I was sad to be concluding the Savage Generation series today. I have enjoyed teaching it so much. I hope it has been as insightful and instructive for your faith as much as it was fun for me to teach. There are some big days ahead of us. We are only two weeks away from Easter and only several weeks away from moving into the new building in Lebanon. I can't wait to see what happens as we continue to move forward.

A couple of highlights from the day:

* showing up to the West Campus and having no projector for people to have words to songs and our leaders not panicking

* watching the band change all the songs at the last minute to songs they thought people may know

* hearing all the people say how much they have enjoyed the series

* seeing the Providence Campus operate without a glitch after having some key leaders be unable to come because of car troubles

* hearing that we had people who wanted to know about getting baptized at the Providence Campus

* just seeing the people that God is going to use to ignite a movement in our days

Last thing: you don't want to miss this next Sunday's sermon. It will be a challenge and major Easter goal will be announced.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Is There is a Satan?

It is a question our world is asking. It is a question that 70% Americans answered yes to. There are many different thoughts about the role of Satan and what he is able to do and not able to do. Why is allowed to exist? How do we defeat him?

These questions were addressed and debated by a panel on ABC's Nightline Face-off. I encourage you to watch online this debate between those who do believe in Satan's existence and those who do not.

If the world around us is wrestling with this reality, don't you think the church should be prepared to give an answer? What about you as an individual?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Big Things Happening

There are some really big things happening right now in the life of The Journey. We are eight weeks into our brand new campus at Providence and things are going great. We are seeing people from the Providence community and surrounding Mt Juliet area make The Journey @ Providence their home church. We are anticipating big things for Easter and hope to see several hundred people at the Providence Campus.

We are also working diligently to get into the new building in Lebanon for our West Campus. We are pumped up about the possibilities and believe we can take a big step as a church toward fulfilling our vision of igniting a movement. The word is getting out around town that we are coming. Not to mention, we are already in contact with Cumberland University trying to establish some contacts there. We hope to have a significant influence on those attending the college.

This weekend at the Journey we wrap up the Savage Generation series. It has been one of our better series at the church and one that I hope will continue to reverberate for years to come. After this week we have Palm Sunday in which I want to give a challenge to the church for bringing people on Easter. Lastly, less than three weeks from now is Easter. We will start a brand new series on Easter Sunday called: Everyday Jesus. We will explore what it means to move from believing in God to knowing God. We'll look at the everyday aspects of a relationship with God.

Be at the Journey this Sunday. There are some exciting things going on. West Campus 9am and Providence Campus is 10:30am or go to our website.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

How Do You Smell?

Yesterday at our Lead Team meeting our worship pastor Robbie Cheuvront led the devotional time. He led us to 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 where we discussed Paul's charge to be the aroma of Christ. He says,

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life."


This passage should be a daily reminder that wherever we go, we are being spread everywhere like an aroma by God to those around us. Wherever you go, whoever you encounter, God is spreading the aroma of Christ through you. Are you allowing God to spread the aroma of Christ through your life? If you are willing, God will do the spreading, we simply must surrender to allow Him. I think the imagery of the aroma of Christ is fascinating. To some people our lives will be a fragrance that signifies life, hope, and love. For others we will be the aroma of death, because our lives will serve as a mirror for everything theirs is not.

How do you smell today?

Monday, March 23, 2009

One Man, Igniting a Revolution: This Could Be You

I want you to take 12 minutes out of your busy life to watch this video. I know we don't often have twelve minutes for anything, but I challenge you to do this. This video is about a man who is dedicating his life to the service of those who are less fortunate. This video is not my undercover ploy at making a political statement. It is a blatant attempt to make us see that our lives hold the potential to do so much when we open ourselves to God. When we eliminate the word "can't" from our perspective, it allows God to prove He "can." Enjoy.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sunday Evening Reflections

It has been a great day today. I'm about to go take Kaleb to a birthday party at Pump It Up. That should be a lot of fun. I am very pleased with how the day went today. I knew going into the message I was going to be preaching a sermon that is not given very often. I didn't know what to expect as a reaction from people when I declared that following Jesus is a "living suicide." However, I could sense God moving in a great way today throughout the worship and message at both campuses. We had great attendance at our campuses today, especially considering how many folks are out for Spring Break right now. I have enjoyed preaching this Savage Generation series so much, I don't want it to end. I hope it has been something that has challenged our congregation to reach for new heights in our relationship with God.

I can't finish my reflections without making mention to how powerful worship was today. Robbie, the singers, and the band did an incredible job leading us into worship. Those were some very powerful moments today and I'm grateful to have experienced it. There are many exciting days ahead of us as a church. We are moving forward with the building in Lebanon that will house our West Campus. I guess it will officially be our Lebanon Campus. I believe God is going to fill that building many times over in the very near future. A Jesus movement is about to erupt in our cities and lives. I can't wait.

Forward we go. I say this every week, but I truly mean it: I'm blessed to be the pastor of this church.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

CPCN

I am a part of a network called Churches Planting Churches Network. It is an assembly of pastors and churches from around Tennessee with a heart to start new churches. We meet monthly for encouragement, training, and resource sharing. We also vote for new church starts to receive funding. This morning we have a meeting in Cookeville and we are voting a new church in the network that will be planting a congregation in Richmond, VA. The Journey is going to sponsor this church and we're really excited about it.

In the midst of mindset among some churches of competition and turf wars, it is good to know that there are pastors and churches with God's heart for the world and our working to bring about lasting change in our communities.

Oh yeah, NCAA Tournament starts today...three weeks of madness!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Foreign, But Not Irrelevant

There are many passages throughout the Scriptures that speak of Christians as being set apart. There is an ongoing theme throughout that followers of Jesus should not be "of" this world, though we are "in" this world. Something I have been thinking about is: how do you live as one who is foreign to this world, but yet stay relevant to the world. I think a major problem we have right now in Christianity is that we haven't learned how to navigate this tension. Followers of Jesus must walk the line of abstaining from the fleshly desires of the world, yet not lose the ability to speak with a relevant voice to the world.

You have probably seen this tension at work. Have you ever seen people who stand on street corners holding signs that send messages of people's fate to hell? These people are what many outside the church hold as the model of what it means to be a Christian. If it is not that model, it is the oppposite extreme. They see the Christian who claims faith with their mouth, yet lives like hell. These people are deemed as hypocrites and also lose their voice to influence the world around them. The Savage Generation must learn to navigate this tension well. We as followers of Jesus are foreigners to this world. But we are also the one's given the commission to give the world a message of hope. People need to see Christians as relevant to their world. Real people. What makes us different should not be that we hold signs, dress strangely, or speak Christianese. Instead, we should be seen as different because we live with a joy, peace, fulfillment, and love that they long to experience.

What about you? How do you navigate this tension? Do you find yourself leaning more towards one side than the other? Do people see you as relevant? Do they see anything different in you than they are able to see in themselves?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Knowing About versus Knowing

I had an hour long conversation with a friend last night who is a skeptic. He is dealing with some life issues right now and I was trying to give him some encouragement. I eventually felt like I needed to ask him if he was completely trusting God through all the things he is going through. His answer was no. He doesn't really know how to or even think God cares too much to help. This took our conversation down a path in which he asked questions about free-will versus predestination and other similar topics. Eventually I told him that he needs to quit worrying about trying to know about God and start seeking to know God. He thought on it a moment, a little taken back by the remark. Then he eventually responded with, "don't you have to know about God before you can know God?" To this I answered, "we would be better off forgetting some of the things we think we know about God, then perhaps we would truly learn what it is to know Him."

This statement I made to him kind of came out of know where. Actually, it came from God's Spirit leading my conversation, but the point is: it wasn't some fabricated standard answer. I started really thinking about this whole thing. How many in the church today simply know about God versus knowing God? Is it possible that many think they are Christians because they have adopted a few statements of belief, but really don't know God? Most have adopted beliefs that comfort rather than a relationship that confronts. One is a facade. The other is real.

What do you think? Do you know or simply know about? It is a question worth asking ourselves regularly. Each day presents us the challenge of simply relying off what we already know about God versus seeing each moment as a chance to encounter and know Him.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Kings on NBC

The series premiere of Kings started last night on NBC. I thought it was a very good show and I'm excited about watching it. About half-way through the show I started to realize that it is a modern day depiction of 1 & 2 Samuel. I'm not talking metaphorically, I mean really. The entire storyline is the story of Saul and David found in the Old Testament accounts of Samuel. The main character of the story's name is David Shepherd. David in the Old Testament was a shepherd before being anointed by Samuel to be the next king. I could sit and explain how the show is stealing from the Bible, but I'll post a link and let you watch for yourself.

Website to Kings and Premier Episode

The real thing this made me think of is how much we miss out on by not reading the Scriptures. The Bible is entertaining. You find very intriguing stories throughout the entire Bible. 1 and 2 Samuel happen to be my favorite two books of the Bible, so I caught the parallels very quickly. If millions of people tune in to watch a show like this, do you think millions of people are reading the Bible? There are amazing stories to be found in the Scriptures; we just have to open them up to discover them. NBC did, do you?

Upping the Ante

This entire Savage message is one in which we are calling for followers of Jesus to up the ante. There are too many people in our society who claim to be Christians whose faith is lukewarm at best, especially here in the Bible-belt. Most of the time it is because of Christianity By Proximity. Christianity By Proximity is simply when people call themselves Christians because they grew up in a church or they have a family member who is a pastor or deacon. In other words, they consider themselves Christian because of growing up in a close proximity to Christianity. This is a real issue. These people consider themselves Christian, but usually live their lives as if God didn't exist.

In John 6:47-69, Jesus had just finished teaching a large crowd including religious leaders and people who were following him. He told them that they needed to "eat his flesh and drink his blood." This is not Jesus calling people to be cannibals, but it is a challenge for people to be completely sold out to him, fully putting their trust and hope in him. Their forefathers had ate manna that did not sustain them, and they eventually died. Jesus was drawing a parallel and putting a challenge to the people: will your sustenance be found in other things or me? This same challenge remains today. Will we sell out to him or go through the motions.

One verse that stands out to me in this passage is in verse 66. The Scriptures tell us that "many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." This passage is a sad verse. But the more I think about it I wonder to myself: is it possible that there need to be more people today who turn away and no longer follow? Would it be better for the Kingdom if lukewarm, Christian by proximity people turned away? How much more of an accurate depiction of following Jesus would our world have if the pretenders were out? Perhaps it is time to up the ante.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Sunday Evening Reflections

What a day! We had two great services at The Journey today both at the West and Providence Campuses. The message today is one that I believe is vital to the Savage Generation and church at large. We have to be people who follow the Holy Spirit in our lives. I think a question worth asking on here that I asked today is: if you removed the Holy Spirit from your theology or belief, would it change anything about your faith? We have to quit reducing our faith to a handful of dogmas and theological beliefs and begin embracing the mystery and adventurous side of faith. This only happens when we follow the Spirit of God as He leads us.

Also, this is the official announcement: we are relocating our West Campus to Lebanon into a permanent facility! We are so excited about what opportunities we believe this presents us. We hope this serves as a hub for launching new campuses in the future, planting new churches, hosting conferences, and many other things. We see unlimited possibilities for mission out of this building. With it being located across from Cumberland University we believe it strategically places us in position to have influence on that campus. We also have the chance to minister to some lower-income neighborhoods and believe this is too often a neglected aspect of the local church.

Greater things are yet to come. We are so excited about what God is going to do through the Journey Church now and in the days ahead. I'm so proud to be a part of a church that has responded to the door God opened for us with radical obedience and following the Spirit as He moves us forward. I'm honored to be the pastor of such a church.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Camera Shy


Last night I went to the Predators hockey game with my family and some friends. We bought tickets from a guy at church who was selling them as a promotional for his hockey league. His hockey league had worked out a deal to play their All-Star game on the Predators ice after the game. So we bought our tickets and watched the Predators and then afterward watched our bud play in the All-Star game of his league. The cool thing is we got to move down to seats on the glass.

During the All-Star game we looked over and Jordin Tootoo from the Predators was sitting there watching the game. I'm not a very star struck guy, but he happens to be Kaleb's favorite player. Everyone starts trying to talk me into getting his picture with Kaleb. I told them that I didn't want to bother him. When they finally convinced me of going over, I went and asked him if he would take a picture with my son. He was more than glad to take a picture, but when I went to take the picture, the camera focus was all up in his nostril. I could not get the zoom to go back. So I just kept sitting there taking pictures of his chin and nose trying to figure it out. Someone finally had to come over and fix the camera for me. Needless to say it was embarrassing. Worse than that, my intelligence level has to be in question for not knowing how to operate a camera. Oh well.

Have you ever been any embarrassing moments where time seemed to stop and everybody was starring at you?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

3 Things God is Saying to Me

There are seasons of time in my life where I feel God is challenging me on certain things. These seasons include things I need to be praying for, areas in my life where I need to repent, and even seasons of preparation for things to come. As I have prayed and sought God the last several months, there are several things that keep reemerging that I believe God is saying to me.

1. Expanded Influence
I believe the Journey is about to experience a season of expanded influence. Whether this means more people that we're ministering to each week or open doors to help direct some other churches, God is about to give us a platform to be heard. This increased influence means that individuals have to be prepared to step up into leadership roles and be prepared for increased responsibility. With increased influence comes increased responsibility.

2. Increased Dependence
This expanded influence is going to require our increased dependence on God. The strength and direction we will need to lead larger numbers will demand a more focused surrender to our Father. We cannot lead out of last year's growth in our lives. We must be before Him constantly, being led by His Spirit. We have to realize that everything comes from Him. Our growth will not be a chance to pat our own backs, but rather it will push us down lower to our knees.

3. Unashamed Love
I think this a big one. This is not simply about loving God more, it is about an unashamed love for Him. It is about an unashamed declaration that hope is only found Him. We have to bolder in our proclamation that He is King and our lives are to be lived in relationship with Jesus. This will require sermons that are undeniably inviting people to give their life to follow Jesus. It means individuals are quick to share with friends, co-workers, and family the hope they have found in Jesus.

These are three things I feel God is saying to me. It excites me, but challenges me at the same time. What about you? In what ways do you need to respond to God's promptings?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Expect the Unexpected

If I have learned anything in my limited existence on earth, it is to expect the unexpected. Things rarely go as planned. Expectation and reality are usually always different. What we think is going to happen often results in something else. This is the law of the universe: expect the unexpected.

Yesterday when my wife told me she was pregnant, that was not expected. It was not planned. Life was just moving along and in one phone call it became very different. I started thinking through the reality that I'm about to be the father of another child. I'm about to have the responsibility to care for another human being. The news was exciting and sobering. It wasn't part of the plan. But it was a truly astonishing new beginning for our family.

Do you live life expecting the unexpected? Or do you get knocked off course and discouraged when things don't go as you planned? We can't control life. We can only take each moment as it comes. The greatest advice I could give anyone is to live life expecting the unexpected. That way you are not disappointed when things go astray. But you are also constantly awaiting the amazing surprises life brings.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Moving at the Speed of God

We just finished talking yesterday at The Journey about Radical Obedience. I feel one of the defining characteristics of the generation God will use to ignite a movement is obedience. The word "obedience" gets a really bad rap. We see the word as a negative. We equate it to forced submission. Why do we see obedience as something we do against our will? Why is that obedience has become something we do despite what we would truly desire doing?

I think we need to rehabilitate the meaning obedience. I think we need to see obedience through the lenses of opportunity. The more obedient we are to the voice of God and the ways of God, the more opportunities we will have to encounter divine moments in our lives. Obedience propels us forward. It gives velocity to our lives. When we obey God, it begins moving us at the speed of God.

I spoke yesterday about the example of driving down the interstate and looking out the window and seeing a blur of trees and other things. This is because the trees are stationary and we are moving. However, we often have a car going beside us at the same speed and we are able to look out the window and see with clarity what the person in the car is doing. It is as if they are not moving. This is what moving at the speed of God is like. God is constantly moving around us, but if we are stationary, seeing God will be a blur. When we are obedient to God it give us the velocity to pull alongside of God and see with clarity what He is doing around us. This is how we capture the divine encounters in our daily lives. Obedience to Him is the key to unlocking this reality in our lives.

What speed are you moving at? Does seeing God's movement around you seem like a blur or is it clear? Obedience is a defining characteristic of the Savage Generation.

Friday, March 6, 2009

A Prayer for the Day

I'm an avid reader. I constantly have a book or two I'm reading. The amazing thing about a book is you have the opportunity to interact with and get inside the mind of people who have come before us. You can read books and have a quasi one-on-one session with them. You can know the thoughts and passions of people you may never have a chance to sit down and talk to. But with a book, you can sit down with them whenever you like.

I want to quote a prayer written by A.W. Tozer in his book The Pursuit of God.

"Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all Those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself will be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' name, Amen." (pg. 24)

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Writing for Influence

Every day there are new ways of communication being developed in which influence can be transferred and information received. Despite these ever expanding ways of communicating, writing still serves as a foundational and effective method for exchanging ideas to many people. It was the invention of the printing press that spread the ideas of young Martin Luther and shaped the future of Christianity. It was the transferring of letters written by Paul and writing from the early apostles that help propagate and strengthen the faith of early first and second century Christians. As I look at my own life and ideas that I have about the faith and how it translates in our lives, I want to explore doing more writing. I speak to a couple hundred people each week through sermons and maybe more through people who watch on the Internet, but I'm writing a curriculum for Lifeway that will be read by potentially several thousand. There is a major opportunity for influence through writing that I've previously never fully understood or opened my eyes to. I feel God wanting me to begin writing some of the things I'm learning. The exchange of information and ideas is essential for growth, change, and innovation. It is one form of influence I have not explored much before, but I'm rethinking that.

Question: how much of the information you received is via materials you have read? I know we receive a lot of information via television and Internet, but when comparing information you receive through face-to-face interaction or learning versus reading, which do you find yourself engaging with more?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Igniters

Is God testing me? If my history with God is correct and if the history of God's interaction with man in the Bible is correct, the answer is probably yes. Being tested in your faith is not easy or comfortable, even though we say it is where we want to live. Living on the cutting edge of what God is doing seems to be the mantra with chant, but it is rarely the lifestyle we live. God used the igniters of the world to change the future. These courageous men and women did not rely on their human intuition to make decisions, that were led by the Spirit. They did not ask what is comfortable, they boldly dashed toward God's plan. I want that. I want that badly. I want to found among those who lived willing to charge the gates of hell with a water pistol.

As doors open do you walk through them or peak around? Do you charge or stumble at opportunities? When is the last time you were kept up at night because of a decision that took faith and risk? When is the last time you could be called a risk-taker? One of our core DNA statements at The Journey is that initiating change surpasses avoiding it. Simply put, we are willing to risk everything for the sake of reaching more. What about you?

Monday, March 2, 2009

Savage Generation Series Begins

It has been too long since I last posted. It has been an amazing three weeks. We are in the middle of planting our new Providence Campus and things are going right on schedule. We have successfully pulled off being one church in multiple locations, pretty cool! I am on Spring Break this week from school, but I have a writing project with Lifeway that is due at the end of the week - no break for me.

I'm very excited about what is going on at church right now. I started the Savage Generation series yesterday (which the title of this blog is) and thought it was a great start to the series. The Savage Generation message has been one brewing in my heart now for about six years. I feel God is going to use the Savage Generation to do some amazing things. I think the churches in the future that thrive and reach people will be marked by the characteristics of the Savage Generation. That is why I'm so excited to finally do a teaching series on it. I believe The Journey can be one of those churches that shapes the future of what churches become. It will require us as individuals within the church to become known by those defining characteristics of the Savage Generation.

Invite a friend or family member in the weeks ahead and be thinking about those people who would only come for Easter, its only 6 weeks away.