Weekend Update

Not only is the weekend over around here at Alive Church, but so is our series "Life Palette". I love sharing the reports of those who have made commitments to follow Jesus and those who are growing in their faith. Throughout this series we have had several people make the decision to gives their lives to Jesus for the very first time, including a young lady this last weekend along with many who have re-dedicated their lives to following Jesus.
I want to thank my friend and artist, Phil Starke, for spending the last five weekends with us and helping to illustrate this past series. If you have not heard, Phil donated one of the paintings that he did throughout the series for us to raffle off and give all the money to our missionaries in S. Africa. We will begin selling the tickets this next weekend.
Speaking of missions: this last weekend our missions team held "tailgate for Haiti" on both of our campuses. Alive church - you guys rock - the response was incredible. Thanks to all of the missions team and everyone here at Alive for your generosity. We are getting those supplies sent off this week.
Looking ahead, we begin a new series this coming weekend entitled: Takin It To The Streets. This series will focus around one of our core values: Community and Life Transformation, that is investing in community and authentic relationships for the sake of eternity.

Truth #1: God Meets All My Needs

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” Ps. 23:1 (NLT)

I watched my grandfather many times go to meet the needs of his sheep. Not only when it was convenient but whenever they had a need. In the cold of winter he would dress warmly and track through the snow and blowing wind to meet their needs.

Interesting to me is the fact that we are the only living creatures that worry. We worry as to whether or not our daily needs will be met...whether our future needs will be met. I never recall thinking that my grandfathers sheep were worried about whether or not he would be there to meet their needs. The sheep knew him as their shepherd and instinctively knew he had made provision for all their needs.

The Psalmist starts this great Psalm with a statement: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” Not a petition or request but a statement! It is a very personal statement at that. He does not say “our shepherd”, rather “my shepherd”.

I read a story many years ago - (The source is unknown.) - of an old man and a young man on the same stage before a great audience. As part of a special program, they were to both recite Psalm 23. The young man was well trained in speech and drama. As he began reciting Psalm 23, the audience was awed. At the conclusion, the crowd rose to their feet in applause and shouted for an encore.

The old man made his way to the microphone. Using his cane to lean on, he began to speak in a frail and broken voice...”The Lord is my shepherd...”
When he finished, no one made a sound. There seemed to be a ‘holy hush’ on the crowd as though they were praying.

The young man stood and made the following statement: “Friends, I wish to give you an explanation. You asked me to come back and give you an encore, but when my friend finished you remained silent. The difference? I will tell you...I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd!”

God will meet all of your needs, but first you must answer the question,” is He Lord?” In modern day terms ‘Lord’ simply means to be the C.E.O., the Manager, the Director of your life. The one calling the shots.

It is much like when I first met my wife. We courted and developed a relationship. Soon the day came when we consummated that relationship with the commitment of marriage. Many people have developed a relationship with God, have spent time getting to know him and yet have not made the commitment of Lordship. As you make that choice, you will be able to declare with confident assurance the faith statement, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need”. It is a worry free life!

Join me for a 30 day challenge:

A BIBLE READING PLAN
THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT IN 30 DAYS

1. Matthew 1-9
2. Matthew 10-15
3. Matthew 16-22
4. Matthew 23-28
5. Mark 1-8
6. Mark 9-16
7. Luke 1-6
8. Luke 7-11
9. Luke 12-18
10. Luke 19-24
11. John 1-7
12. John 8-13
13. John 14-22
14. Acts 1-7
15. Acts 8-14
16. Acts 15-21
17. Acts 22-28
18. Romans 1-8
19. Romans 9-16
20. 1 Corinthians 1-9
21. 1 Corinthians 10-16
22. 2 Corinthians 1-13
23. Galatians - Ephesians
24. Philippians - 2 Thessalonians
25. 1 Timothy - Philemon
26. Hebrews
27. James - 2 Peter
28. 1 John - 3 John
29. Revelation 1-11
30. Revelation 12-22

Renewing Of The Mind

Psalm 23 can radically change your life! It is one of the most beloved and well known chapters in the Bible. It is only one hundred and twenty-two words in length. In fact, many people have it memorized, or at least can recite portions from memory.

Hidden in every line is truth that will transform us if we will allow it to. The apostle Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” And that is precisely what this Psalm is about, transformation! Many times we go to the scripture looking for information while God our Shepherd is wanting transformation in our lives.

I remember when I returned home from a trip back to where I grew up in Ohio. My journey was dictated by the death of my grandfather. (I always called him Grandpa.) He was a great man in my eyes as well as many others as was evident by the masses of people who came to pay their respects.

Grandpa was a shepherd, not a pastor. He literally raised sheep. I watched him shepherd sheep. I watched him care for them and meet their needs. (I even raised a few of his sheep in our basement.) One great lesson Grandpa taught me was that a good shepherd has the smell of sheep on his hands.

Psalm 23 speaks that truth loud and clear...the good shepherd has the smell of sheep on his hands. He is not hiding. He is not distant. He is not a weekend shepherd. He is always with us caring for us and meeting our every need.

In the few blogs that follow, I want to share with you some of the truth from Psalm 23 that I discovered while being mentored by a shepherd I called Grandpa. These words are not written for your information, rather for your transformation.

You see, Psalm 23 is truly a system of thought. It tells us what God is really like and how he meets our every need. The more you understand the Good shepherd of Psalm 23, the easier it is to trust him.

Let me start this series of blogs by giving you a challenge, a prescription if you will; for you to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

Prescribed reading: In the morning Read Psalm 23 in silence when you first arise. Read carefully and slowly. Don’t rush through it so that you can say with fidelity that you did it. Instead, letting the truth of each phrase capture the attention of your heart, mind and spirit. Read it again in like manner at noon. Read it once more just before going to bed at night, only this time read it out loud. Do this for thirty days consecutively and let nothing come between you and this transformation process. As Paul says in Romans 12, you will be a transformed into a “New person by changing the way you think.”

Limited Palette

I talk to so many people who tend to think that they need to do it all, afraid they will miss out on something. In their effort to do so, they never become great at what they were created for, missing out completely on their God given destiny and plan. I am speaking this weekend about living life with a limited palette, being faithful, focused and diligent with the few talents, gifts and days that God has given me. Every masterpiece that has ever been created was created from only 3 colors because all colors come from the 3 primaries - red - yellow and blue. God desires to paint a masterpiece on the canvas of our lives, our part is to be faithful with the few things He created us to do and be!