RollerCoaster Ride

I thought you all would enjoy this video. Steve Tanner, our lead Elder at Alive, showed this video clip at our Elders meeting on Monday evening. We talked a bit about the "roller coaster ride" that we experience as people and as a church. Enjoy the ride! And know that God is there throughout, on the highest highs of the mountaintop and the lowest lows of the valleys (see Ps 23). Take a moment to watch, this will make you laugh and it will encourage you. Thanks for your leadership and encouragement Steve.

Are Worry And Anxiety Controlling You?

Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel panic about things like finances, family, work, your business or the state of our society? Many times the panic comes from the thought of something that will never come to pass. Yet if we allow it to, these thoughts can take us hostage.

Often if we allow ourselves to be controlled by fear we will pray prayers of fear verses prayers of faith. Prayers of fear does not get us anywhere, it is non-productive praying. God responds to faith!

“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Phil 4:6-7 (NLT)

The word for “don’t worry” here is a word used most often in the New Testament in connection with finances, hunger or other similar basics for life provision. The picture of this word is someone who is worrying about paying their bills, someone who is worried they will not have money to purchase food or clothe his or her family, in other words someone who is worried about life’s daily necessities.

Jesus used this same word in Matthew 6:25-26: “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing?”

Jesus tells us here: “Stop worrying about your life....” Then He is very specific about what we are to stop worrying about; what we eat, drink, wear. But what’s the big deal? Why does Jesus tell us not to worry? Why did He make such a big deal out of it?

In Matthew 13:22 we see why it is a big deal to worry: “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” Worry is so consuming that it suffocates our lives, it paralyzes us. This is a message that is so important for us in this day and time, as you face difficult situations and are confronted with news that may seem insurmountable.

When Paul wrote in Phil 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything…” He is telling us not to worry at all about the basic daily needs required for living. He is also telling us to not let the events and news of the day to cause us to panic. He really commands us here to worry about nothing at all!

So, what is it in your life that has you worried today? Is there something that is stealing your peace, something that is sucking the joy out of your life? Is there something that is causing you to live in fear? Is there something that is paralyzing you in life?

Take a few moments and “cast your cares on Jesus.” (1 Peter 3:15) He cares for you and wants to carry the weight of all of the things that stress you out – all of the things that have you worried. He wants us to live a “worry free” life.

New David Crowder Video

Saw this new David Crowder Band video for "shine". I love how this visually challenges us to shine. Check it out:

2010 Hands

Isa 49:16 is one of our key verses here at Alive. In fact we have done one series several years in a row based on this series; He Knows My Name. "I have written your name on the palms of my hands." If you are new to Alive you may have seen a picture that hangs on our walls of a hand. If you take a closer look you will notice signatures on them. They are signatures of the many folks who are a part of Alive who have made decisions to follow Jesus.

This week as our team is re-doing the stage and auditorium at the Oro Valley campus getting ready for our new series: What's God's Will?, they have put up a picture of a Hand for each person who has made a commitment to follow Jesus here at Alive in 2010. Check out the photo - this is what we are all about; leading people who are far from God to be followers of Jesus!

Taking God At His Word

This week we ended our series, "Livin What You Know", with the topic of faith. There is so much to be said about faith and living our lives daily by putting our faith in Jesus. We narrowed the weekend down to one thing: "Faith is all about taking God at His Word."

Take some time today and read Phil. 4. Our key verse for the weekend is Phil 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

I was so excited this past weekend to see 7 people declare their faith in Christ before the church through baptism on the O.V. campus.

Potential Top Speed

Unless you are a speed nut like me you may not know Tony Schumacher from NHRA. So what does that have to do with being a living sacrifice you may ask? Let me ask you a question first: Why do you think that Tony Schumacher can go over 327 miles per hour in the quarter mile?

The answer is simple and obvious; because he and his team designed and built their car to go that fast. Their expectation when the take off down the drag strip is that they will run well over 300 miles per hour. Not only is it an expectation based on design, they demand it of their car.

The same is true of our creator. God has designed us with potential. His expectation is that we will live out that potential. He gives us His Spirit to empower us to live up to His expectations and potential. We need to know that as a living sacrifice to God that He will use us in the way He created us to be used, for His glory. Whatever He has called you to do or be, He provides for you. His expectation, potential, can be lived out because that is what He created us for.

His Spirit living in us gives us the power to reach our top speed, out potential. Take a few moments and read this verse and meditate on it: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23 NIV) Notice that all of these attributes of His Spirit living in us are attributes of His character.

You have more potential in you than you or anyone else thinks you have. The potential of anything is based on its source. Potential has to do with the design and demands of the creator, much like Schumacher race car. As we give our lives to God as a living sacrifice, God is not at all surprised when we reach top speed, while others may marvel, while we may be blown away by how God uses us, He is not. He designed us with that potential, expects it of us, even demands it.

Prayerfully ask God to help you become a living sacrifice everyday of your life and to empower you with His spirit to be all that He created you to be.

The Masterpiece In You

As an artist I hate it when someone comments about my work prior to being finished. Until an artist completes his or her work don’t mess with them, because they see the end result they are working toward. They know what they are working towards. An artist may take a piece of scrap that you are wanting to trash only later for you to find they have made a beautiful piece of art with that now you are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for.

Many people are overlooked and scraped, so to speak, because others do not see their potential. We must remember that others are not the artist of our lives. God is the one who see the finished work that He is working towards. In fact He sees that our worth is the cross of Jesus Christ. God looks at all of us and see something that no other human being sees.

As we give ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, He is able to then begin to sculpt, paint, mold and shape our lives into the masterpiece that He created us to be. In order to discover what God created us to be we must look to Him. Many times we look to others or to other things, even to life itself, but if we are going to discover our lives and our life purpose we must look to the creator of life, the one who created our potential. That is part of being a living sacrifice. The limit of your potential is God, not others.

Read Psalm 139 today. Let the words of that chapter sink into your spirit. Ask God to help you see yourself the way He see you not the way others see you. God see you with a redemptive purpose. As we become living sacrifices to Him, we begin to release the potential He has place within us and live the redemptive purpose He has given us. Ask God to show you the finished piece, He is the artist of your life!

Persevering To Reach Potential

God has given us potential, He has done His part. Now, we are responsible for all the potential that He has stored within us. Here is the good news: there is no retirement plan for our God given potential. What you see is not what you get – there is always more!

We are told by scientist that when it comes to our potential we only use about 10% of our abilities. Imagine that, 90% of what we are capable of goes untapped. The truth is most of us have no idea of all the potential God has placed within us. I love the story of Abraham Lincoln. His is a perfect example of a man persevering to unlock the potential God placed with in:

He lost his job in 1832.
He was elected to the legislature in 1834.
He suffered the death of his sweetheart in 1834.
He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836.
He was defeated for speaker of the State Legislature in 1838.
He was defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843.
He was elected to Congress in 1846.
He was rejected for the position of land officer in 1849.
He was defeated for the Senate in 1854.
He was defeated for the nomination for vice-president of the United States in 1858.
He again was defeated for the Senate in 1858.
He was elected president of the United States in 1860.

In Matthew 25:14-30 we see the story of the servants who were given talents by the master. This is an incredible story of our God given potential. Take a few moments today and read this passage. Notice the difference between the 3 servants. Put yourself in their shoes, which one would you say you are more like? Spend some time in prayer asking God to help you reach the potential that He has placed within you as you offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice. (Rom. 12:1-2)

You Have Potential

I love to walk through grave yards and read the headstones, I know it seems a little weird but it keeps me focused on reaching my potential. I can’t help but wonder how many great songs, inventions, pieces of literature, businesses and many other things that would have added value to our society are buried there. How many people died and took their stored up, God-given potential to the grave with them?
What would the world have lost if you had never been born? What are the things you are suppose to do or create? Are you supposed to be a great leader? Are your children or grandchildren going to change our world? The picture in this blog is a picture of a grave yard near Cable, Ohio. My Great Grandfather cleared the field for the county to make it a grave yard to get money to marry my Great Grandmother. Where would I be had he not done that?
When Jesus was about to be crucified, He talked about potential in His life. He said: "Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” (John 12:23-24 NLT) Imagine if Herod had succeeded at killing Jesus when He was a baby? He could not have giving His life for us on the cross and lived out His ultimate potential.
God had created all everything and every person with potential. (Remember the picture of the seed flying into the crowd this last weekend – a picture of God planting potential in all of you!) God has given everything and everyone the ability to fulfill the potential that He has given. What you have done up to this point in your life is no longer your potential. Potential is what you still have left to do. As a living sacrifice we can live out the potential God has placed within us!

Making The Most Of Potential - Livin What You Know: Sacrifice - Part 1

God has given you so much potential. He has created you with purpose and has a great future planned for you. The question that we have to answer is how are we going to use this potential He has given me?

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” Rom 12:1 (NLT)

Every day we trade our lives for something. We trade our time, our talents and our resources for something. Some things are good, some are not so good. As we live out Romans 12 we will trade our daily lives for the greater things. God has so much more for us in this life than we tend to live in. We live way below the privilege God has for us, often bringing the Word of God down to our level instead of elevating our lives to the level of God’s Word.

Becoming a Living Sacrifice as Paul tells us to do in Romans 12 has the power of sowing and reaping. Let’s sow our lives for the Kingdom of God, every area of our lives, our time, talent and treasure. As we become living sacrifices we will reap the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give us: John 10:10.

Spend some time today in prayer and ask the Lord to show you areas of your life that you need to release to His Lordship as a living sacrifice.

Communion Is A Celebration Of Hope

Livin What You Know, Hope-Part 5

As a follower of Jesus we can live in hope because of His death and resurrection. Why? Because we are assured through His death and resurrection that we too will one day be resurrected to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

“And God is going to raise our bodies from the dead by his power just as he raised up the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 6:14 (TLB)

We have hope! One day, by God’s power we will overcome death just as Jesus did…that gives us hope. If Jesus death and resurrection gives us hope then how to we continue to reflect on it in our lives?

One way that Jesus told us to reflect on His death and resurrection was through communion. Paul gives us some insight into Jesus last supper in 1 Cor. 11: 23-26: “For this is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.”

This weekend I will be serving communion at the end of my teaching. I want to encourage you to take some time and meditate on 1 Cor 6:14 to prepare for this special time. Ask God to help you see and live the hope that He has given us through Jesus resurrection.