Family Mushings From Me - Dad

I recently finished this painting called "Dressed In Summer's Best". It was inspired by a family trip to "The Grand Tetons National Park" this past summer. Family truly is important to me. I have a married daughter in Indiana, a college daughter who just got back to the states from a mission trip in Africa, a third daughter that is maneuvering through 8th grade and following in last, a son. I remember some wise soul giving a young couple words of wisdom after the birth of their first daughter. It went something like this: "Don't assume that she is yours to keep - You are just taking care of her for awhile. She really belongs to God." Yeah, sure - In my naive kind of way, I understood perfectly! We were just taking care of her for awhile. Of course I knew that... But somewhere along this incredible journey, my wife and I maybe forgot or just didn't quite understand the implications of this wisdom. Even with the best of intentions and even with the noble thought of being a temporary care-giver, we just got to thinking that she was "ours" as were each that came along. Years later after we dropped our oldest off at college and waved good-bye, my wife, through tearful eyes and a sincere mother's heart, whispered out loud, "fly away little birdie" only too many times since retract the command.Less than a year later came my "fly away" moment as I married off my baby girl. My wife and I really don't want our brood to return after they leave - we want to give them wings to fly to be all God intended them to be - but sometimes we wonder why someone didn't tell us a long time ago to prepare our hearts because one day they would take wing. Then I remember... oh yes, someone did ... Enjoy your kids today and give them wings to fly. - Jeff

I Love Monday Mornings

OK - so I said "I Love Monday's" because it is a time when the staff all gets together to review the weekend and hear the reports of changed lives. Here is what I'm talking about - I hope it helps make your Monday go a little smoother:
This last week there were 19 people who made decisions to follow Jesus for the first time! Yeah God - I'm telling you that never gets old. Thank you to everyone who serves on our Weekend Experience team to allow God to work in lives in that way - you all rock!!!

By the way, 15 of those commitments were in our Childrens ministry this week. If you really want to make a difference we still need more help in that area of ministry and lives are being changed. Contact Pastor Tom; tom@alivechurch.com

I have not had a chance to report this but we had some baptisms at our Continental Ranch campus a few weeks. Awesome stuff. One of those being baptized shared about the vital role that being in a Life Group had in their decision to take the step of being baptized. The entire Life Group was a part of this celebration.

Livin What You Know. You have been hearing about our spiritual growth campaign coming in September. We are doing this special campaign with three things in mind: Unity, Community and Spiritual Growth Opportunities. It will be a time where Alive is getting on the same page in Unity of what we are teaching, focusing on and praying for. One of the key elements in this is living out authentic community as a church. I am praying for everyone that we would all take the next step in our spiritual journey as we open ourselves up to spiritual growth opportunities. There are several pieces to this campaign. First is the weekend teaching series:
Week One - "23" - The Radical Nature Of The Shepherd
Week Two - "13" - The Radical Nature Of Love
Week Three - "3:16" - The Radical Nature Of Hope
Week Four - "12" - The Radical Nature Of Sacrifice
Week Five - "4:13" - The Radical Nature Of Faith

Another key element will be weekly scripture memory verses and a daily devotional blog. Also, we will have home groups that we are calling Growth Groups during these five weeks to develop community. I encourage you to give it five weeks and let God radically change your life - our life together.

School, Routine and Purpose

I don’t know about you, but I am glad my kids are back in school and life is getting back to some sort of normal routine. While I love spending extra time with the family during the summer and doing family vacation, I love getting back in the saddle so to speak and doing what God has me doing here in our church family and in life.

Even as I write this I realize there are many people who don’t feel that way and feel that life has no purpose. So often we look at our lives and feel that we can only be happy if we have certain things, careers or relationships. Let me encourage you that God has a much greater purpose for your life.

Many people spend their lives searching for a greater purpose. Yet we cannot discover the purpose we were created for outside of God. He is the one who made us with our passions, gifts, talents and skills with His purpose in mind. Everything about our fulfillment, our peace and our lives being lived for a greater purpose stems from the fact that we have a creator and He has created for His purpose.

I want to encourage you as we get back to the routine of life that if you have never read Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” that you take 40 days and do so. Or if you are like me, and have read it before, this is a great time to re-read it. God will use it in your life to change you forever.

Suffering And Renewal

Here is the third in the Steve Tanner series on Psalm 119. If you have not had a chance to read the entire Psalm yet this week, why not take a few moments now. Enjoy the reading and thanks again Steve:

Psalms 119:65-104
Key verses: Psalms 119:87-89 (New American Standard) They almost destroyed me on earth, But as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts. {88} Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. {89} Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

Bro. Bob recently shared a message from Romans about how God uses suffering in our lives. He pointed out where the Apostle Paul speaks to what suffering can produce in the life of a Christian: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4 NIV). (emphases mine)

When is the last time you suffered? When is the last time your faith got you “in trouble?” When is the last time you were singled out for persecution simply because you believed in God? In nations today where the Church is persecuted daily, one hears statements like “well, the LAST time I went to jail for reading a Bible....” Can you imagine that? I point that out not to diminish the sufferings we endure, but to point out that people really do suffer for their faith in this dawn of the third century since the birth of Christ.

For whatever reason you suffer, you, as a believer, can claim God’s promise that the suffering will produce perseverance, character, and hope. And did you notice how the psalmist dealt with the sufferings he experienced? Verse 88 says “I did not forsake Your precepts.” Precepts is one more way to refer to the Law or Word of God. And if God’s Word is sufficient to cling to in times of distress, surely it is sufficient to cling to for revival. In other words, if God’s Word will lead us out of the dark valley, surely it will also lead us to the mountain top.

Perhaps it is the lesson in suffering that brings about the reality of revival.

Pray today that you will remember God’s Word in the midst of suffering and in the desire for revival.

A Video Message and Psalm 119 Reading

Here is the second devotional in the series from Steve Tanner, great stuff and very encouraging. Thanks again Steve. Also, if you did not get mey video email yesterday I posted it at the end of today's blog:

Psalms 119:33-64
Key verses: Psalms 119:37-38, 40 (New American Standard) Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways. {38} Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You. {40} Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness.

What are “God’s ways?” If you were to describe “God’s ways” to someone, how would you do it?

Perhaps you listed some attributes of God, such as loving, righteousness, all-knowing, gracious, almighty, and patient, just to name a few.

When we seek revival, we must seek it through God’s ways. Our ways, while probably easier and possibly quicker, are temporary and incomplete. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NNAS) That means that however and whenever God chooses to revive us it is with the sustaining power of the Almighty. And it is with the righteous reasons of the One who is perfect; “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul.” (Psalms 19:7a NNAS)

Isn’t it comforting to know that the One who is to revive us will do it for exactly the right reasons, at exactly the right time, in exactly the right way?

It is important for us to seek God in revival. Not seeking blindly, but seeking with the knowledge of the Holy One established in us, His servants.

Pray for God to establish His Word in you. The Word that brings about revival.