The Devil made me do it.

Yesterday I was at home alone doing research on our current message series. That in itself is nothing unusual; it is something I do all the time. The difference is my research was on Demons and Satan, not topics I spend a lot of time on. I was trying to find some artist’s rendering of Satan for the video we are shooting today. Remember I said I was home alone. Let me make a confession right now. I don’t like scary movies or sad movies. The reason is both of them make me leak water. The sad one’s make me cry and the scary ones make me wet my pants! No kidding I am a scaredy cat when it comes to that kind of stuff. Did I mention I was home alone looking at pictures of demons and Satan?



I navigated to a site that had different images of demons and such, all of a sudden this scary laughter comes over the speakers. It was creepy, real creepy. I thought to myself “Oh dang, I have opened up the demonic portal, the equivalent to cyber Ouija board!” Then I started hearing things in the house, stuff creaking, and strange bumps. So I ran throughout the house and turned on all the lights, and I turned off the TV (I did remember that kid that got sucked into the TV, so I thought I wouldn’t take any chances). I searched to find my silver bullets and wooden stakes, but I felt like they might not work against Satan himself, since he’s not a werewolf or a vampire. I was fresh out of Holy Water so I gathered up a half bottle of Dasani and gave it a quick prayer and thought that might work in a pinch. About that time lights flashed against the front of the house and I thought “They are outside trying to get in!” I knew locking the doors wouldn’t help since the Devil and his demons could surely pick locks! Sure enough the dead bolt began to turn and then the door knob. I was completely ready with my one cross necklace, half bottle of Holy Dasani, and every light on in the house. I thought to myself “come on in big boy and you are going to get burnt by some holy soft drink.” Then I heard his voice. It sounded strangely like Stacey’s. “Just as I suspected Angels are men and demons are women.” Just as I was poised to slosh the Holy weaponry, Stacey stepped in and asked “What are you doing?” With my “I’ve got every thing under control face on” I calmly took a drink and told her that I was checking for shorts in the electrical system that could be causing higher electric bills. What else am I going to say? “Thought you were the devil and I was going to have to kill you with bottled water and a plastic cross.” No thanks, she has enough to laugh at.



The night might not have been as dramatic as I have storied about here, but I do have to admit looking up those images and doing that research at home alone made me aware of our enemy. But at the same time, I also recognize the mighty weapons we have are given to us by a mighty God. Unlike in the movies, it isn’t our strength or our weapons that will give us the victory over the enemy, it is the power of God working through us that will secure the win.



“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Cor 10:4-5 NIV

Baywatch

I shot this picture on the Mediterranean Sea as a ferocious storm was blowing up. I love storms. I think this comes from my childhood. As a kid, my Mom would get lawn chairs and we would sit outside and watch storms blow up. Today, you can have your children taken away from you for that kind of stuff (it was just as crazy back then too, but Mom didn’t care and we didn’t know any better). Mom taught us not to be afraid of the storm, she always reminded us that there is a God who is much greater than the storm. Valuable words. The storm I experienced in the far East was different than any I had seen as a kid, the back drop was much larger and the canvas this storm painted on was one of most famous seas in the world. I wanted to get the perfect shot, so I climbed to the top of a newly reconstructed theater and positioned myself and I waited. Moments passed as the wind picked up and my subject was vividly pointed out. One single rock outcropping. A single standing stone that was courageous enough to stand against the punishment of the storm. Wave after wave crashed against this centennial, as the front’s push came ashore.

On waters, not too far from where this was shot a couple thousand years earlier, a very similar story unfolds in the life of a man. The man’s name is Peter and the event is one that all readers of the Bible know. It is night time and the sea is tossed, the wind is blowing and a group of frightened men are huddled together waiting for their watery death. It is about this time they see the impossible. A figure comes to them walking on water. Interesting fact is that, according to one account, he is going to walk on by when all the shouting and screaming provokes Him to let them know He is their Leader. Peter is so taken by the event he does what any hyperactive guy would do, he asks to join Jesus on the water. Jesus obliges and says “come”. Peter exits the boat like a gray hound jumps out the gates. In a moment he is on the water. Like a toddler on a skate board, Peter is up and water walking. Everything is looking good, then it happens. The same Peter that was ready to dive in feet first realizes that the storm hasn’t stopped and he now is beyond the gunnels of the boat of safety. Peter looses sight of Jesus and gets an eye full of the crashing waves, and immediately begins to sink.

Isn’t that how it is? The storm seems to suck the faith right out of us. We can be one second praising our all powerful God and the next shaking in terror. It seems we can be Peter or Mom. We either can focus on the storm with fear and drown or we can admire the terror of the storm with the understanding, no matter what, God has a plan and that plan is for our good. I think it is important to point out that we face storms daily; storms of deadlines, storms of fears, and storms of being overwhelmed by the everyday. It doesn’t have to be a raging, extraordinary circumstance to be a storm that will cause you to take your eyes off of Jesus. No, very often, it is the relentless pounding of the smaller waves that beat down our ability to see through them and see His face. Regardless, don’t be tempted to watch the waves, that gaze will be your undoing. Many have burnt out, given up, quit, left, and ran off, because of the overwhelming size of the storm in comparison to our strength and abilities. Instead, use what I call the God measure, compare your present storm to the size of your ever present God. With those factors, the storm hasn’t got a chance. So the next time a storm blows up get out your lawn chairs and watch it pass, because it will do just that… pass.

Time to BE THE CHURCH!

A horse named Whiskey

Ultimately we have to decide. That is what it is all about…deciding. Life consists of an endless number of choices. Good one’s, bad one’s, some that matter, and some that don’t. Those choices and decisions dictate what we are. Think about it like this, it is a decision that makes you “incarcerated”. It is a decision that makes you “divorced”. It is a decision that makes you a hero or a zero. That is why there is so much power in the capacity to select.

A few years ago, Stacey and I hosted a married couple’s retreat that would ultimately end up at a horseback ride along the Arkansas River. We all had looked forward to the ride, it would be a sun set ride with our sweet hearts on back of some beautiful gentle animals... so we thought. We got to the riding stables and discovered that we had more riders than they had gentle animals. What I mean is they had plenty of horses but they didn’t have enough “good” horses for us. The owner said that since I was the leader I would have to ride one of their less desirable horses (how does that work?). He took me to a pen that held a hodge podge of different colored and sized horses. They all looked at me through the fence like a pit bull looks at a Chihuahua. The owner explained I could decide between them which one I wanted. He went on the give their names and along with their names he would give their disposition. “This is Red, he throws people, this is lightening, he will take off running and you can’t stop him.” All I could think of was “oh crap!”. I even asked if I could walk, but the answer from the crowd of supporters was “No.” Finally he told me of one horse that seemed the lesser of the several evils, his name was Whiskey (and believe me at this point I needed a drink), the owner explained Whiskey was a “biter”. So my choices were to get thrown, stomped, run off with or bitten. I chose bitten. To be totally honest here, I have only ridden one other horse in my life up to this point and it was connected to a merry go round type of thing at the State Fair, so by no stretch of the imagination am I a seasoned rider and how I got selected for this mission I will never know. Life is like that, there are times you have to decide even when the variables are not fair. So Whiskey and I set out for an epic ride, I felt like the ride of my life (or should I say the ride for my life). We hadn’t gotten far before I was faced with the reality of Whiskey’s character defect in the area of biting. We were on the trail and Whiskey wanted to stop and eat a little grass, I thought “no problem, if his mouth is full of grass he won’t be so tempted to fill it with my leg.” But our guide didn’t want the horses to eat along the way, so I was asked to pull up on the reigns and get Whiskey to move along. That is when it all went wrong. From that point on I realized I had a horse that was kin to a psycho path. Immediately he was able to turn his head almost full around and look me in the eye (like the Exorcist) with an anger that a horse should be incapable of. After that, at every opportunity he would turn his head and bite my calf. The pain of a horse bite can only be understood by clamping a peace of your skin in a vice until it is bleeding and bruised. Up to this point I have tried to “whisper” to Whiskey and be nothing but kind but by the second bite all the kindness was over. But what was I going to do? I was helpless to do anything to my torturer. Then the Holy Spirit (I think it was Him) opened my eyes to something that just might work. Now what I am about to tell you I have never shared with anyone in my life. The very next time Whiskey turned to bite my leg (which at this point was red and throbbing) I did something unspeakable…I poked him in the eye. Yep I did, right in that big brown (evil) eye I stuck my finger in it. I could immediately see the shock in is horse face. He couldn’t believe it as he looked at me through his one good eye I could tell I had gotten through. Then I whispered in his ears “There is more where that came from”! Sure enough he tried it again and again I poked him in the eye. I know right now some of you animal lovers are going “Oh how cruel”, I have to say to you GET OVER IT, this horse was evil. I would have driven him to the glue factory myself that day! It is interesting that later Whiskey tried to bite me on my other leg and I reminded him with my finger he had an eye on that side of his head too. By this time both of his eyes were watering and both of my legs were red but some how Whisky and I came to an agreement. You don’t bite my leg and I won’t poke you in the eye, simple as that. The remainder of the ride was less eventful. I learned something that day about choices. Sometimes you don’t get to pick between better and best, sometimes it is between being thrown or being bitten, but having said that even with those variables God will provide a way. So remember when in life you have to ride a horse named Whiskey you might have to poke him in they eye to stop the biting.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

Jesus is my homeboy?

Have you read 1 & 2 Corinthians lately? What did the church at Corinth look like? I know you have had the illusion that Corinth was a super spiritual church filled with fire breathing believers doing miraculous things. For some strange reason we have concluded that if this church is mentioned in the Bible it must be a model for behavior. Truth is Corinth was a far cry from a spiritual Meca. One indication is almost every chapter of both letters we have that Paul wrote to this church contains a rebuke of some sort. These charges range from people denying the resurrection to discrediting the Apostle himself as being a good source for guidance! At one point Paul has to point out that a man sleeping with his dad’s wife isn’t something to brag about. Corinth was more like a bar filled with drunk patrons trying to figure out the Bible. It would be like waiting until happy hour at your local bar and starting a Bible study then and there. To put this church in contemporary terms, on any give Sunday if you were to visit you might be greeted by a biker dude with a beer in his hand in an insulated sleeve that reads “Jesus is my homeboy,” or you could be met at the door by one of the community prostitutes brandishing a cross tattoo on the massive amount of chest showing from her low cut top. At this point you might be thinking that I am about to drop the judgment hammer on this community of excons and alcoholics. You would be wrong. I admire this church, and the bold vision of its pastor. Imagine presenting Jesus among those who you would expect least likely to respond to Him only to discover that they are ready for life change. Corinth is a place where people didn’t have to change to attend but were allowed to come as they were and change after they belonged.

Paul spends the bulk of his written words correcting the broken behavior of these people but you can tell from every stroke of his pen and every sigh of his spirit he loved them. They are rebels, cowboys, and renegades but they are also people who God loves. It is no accident that in this community so many spiritual abilities are spoken of, after all God was entrenched in a serious battle where Satan had a great strong hold. If this gang of brutes were captured by the Truth it would make any place unsafe for the enemy.

Corinth seems to have a knack for taking the sacred and making it into a party. What they didn’t know about religion they tried to fill in with revelry. I don’t mean to down play the seriousness of sin but it is almost humorous to think that you are going to have to tell people that the Lord’s Supper isn’t an excuse to get drunk. Amazingly enough it is in the eleventh chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul has to do just that. Not only does he have to let them know that the Lord’s Supper isn’t a tailgate party but that the people who are in need are something we can’t ignore. It is refreshing to consider a church that isn’t locked in a battle till the death over paving the parking lot, or choosing paint colors for the lobby. I think it is very cool to consider having to tell the people you are reaching that fellowship doesn’t mean bringing a keg.

This weekend we are going to learn from the Pastor of this mob how we should observe The Lord's Supper. It is going to be interesting.

Times, directions, Podcast? mercyscross.com

Filled and Starving

Because the foods we eat contain less of what we need and more of what we want it is entirely possible to be filled with the junk food we eat and still be malnourished. It is a sad fact we can be overweight and malnourished. This is true also for our spiritual diets. We can be overloaded with church programs, Christian responsibilities, and other church activities and yet not have the spiritual nourishment that comes from engaging God on a deeper personnel level. What is the answer to our junk food spiritual diets? Fasting.

Fasting is a time of physical hunger and spiritual nourishment. Fasting says that I am no longer content with “Church as normal” anymore, but I want you God. It shifts us from the blasé religious experience to an intimacy with the one that all the activities are supposed to be focused on. It is important to note fasting is not organized, coordinated or launched by the church. It is a decision you make with in the confines of your relationship with God.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” Matthew 5:6

This weekend we will discuss fasting in the message Life in the FastLane.
MERCYSCROSS.COM

Life in the FASTLANE.

It is a constant battle to keep our eyes on the important stuff. Just the other day I was driving and realized I was supposed to pick up the kids from school, I was almost home! I have three of them and I forgot! Thank God the school doesn't just turn them out and say "hope you make it home since you have a ding-a-ling for a parent." It is so easy for me to get side tracked with the immediate and forget the important. I think that life is designed to confuse me. That is why I have found it invaluable to develop the skill of rewind. Rewind is what I call it when I need to go back and grab hold of something that is important, or foundational that I have some how left off.

This is true with the most important of all of our relationships, our relationship with God. God seems to be the easiest to forget about. I guess that is why He continually tells us in scripture "Remember me."Don't forget me. "Do this in remembrance of me. He tells me this because He knows I am prone to let what is in front of me eclipse what is bigger. Have you noticed the closer things are the bigger they seem? It only takes a very small object to block my vision when it is close. Maybe that is how I can loose sight of God by letting tiny things get in my face.

In the Bible people struggled with the same issues I have. You will see it played out over and over again. God brings them through incredibly tough stuff and they are thankful for a season only to completely forget about God a short time later.

This brings me to my point. I think that religion has forgotten about God. Literally the institutions that are set up to draw attention to Him have forgotten about Him altogether. This week as I prepare for the weekend message I realized we have forgotten about one of the most important practices God has given us. It is a practice that has brought about amazing accomplishments. It is a practice that Moses used to receive the ten commandments from God, it also is something he did to keep God from destroying the rebellious people of Israel. David practiced it and found strength to be joyful during some of the most difficult times of his life. The disciples didn't do it and found that there were things they could not do without it (Matt 17:15). Daniel did it and received a critical answer to his prayers. Esther called for one when her people were facing certain death at the hands of Hamon, and because of it they were spared (Esther 4-7). Hannah did it when she wanted a child and God answered her plea (1 Sam 1:7). The people of Nineveh did it and God spared their judgment. What is it I am talking about? Fasting.

The lost work of fasting. I think I want to make my relationship with God so practical, so applicable, so relevant that I forget that God isn't natural, but He is SUPERNATURAL! Jesus outlines in Matthew 6 three sacrifices that God honors. They are foundational, essential, and they bring about amazing breakthroughs in our lives. He says "When you pray. "When you give. "When you fast. Jesus outlines three things I must do to impact the world and to be impacted by God, give, pray, and fast. These are the three most difficult areas I face in my walk with Christ. Consistent prayer, sacrificial giving (that is giving till it hurts), and fasting. Have you noticed no one is talking about these? I can find a book on every shelf telling me how to be a better dad, how to become financially stable, or how to raise a better kid through shock theropy (not really). What I don't find is books on spiritual disciplines that are not written by wacko-s. I think the problem is that when the wacko-s get hold of something the dignified almost make it off as off limits. Too bad because Jesus gave us the mandate for fasting.

This weekend I will cover the truth that there are spiritual breakthroughs that are unavailable to those who do not fast. Also there are health benefits (significant ones) to fasting. I will also talk about how God opens up opportunities, and give miraculous breakthroughs as he honors the sacrifice of fasting. It will be off the chain.

Baptism-Death to self...

"I wet my pants too."

Christianity isn't about pretending that we have it all together. It is caring, loving, and sympathizing. It is having the understanding that we all have sinned. It is a horrible place to get in religion when compassion is replaced with judgment. It is at that point we truly forget who we are...Sinners saved by a gracious God. It is like the thirsty who discover a fountain in the desert later when other parched travelers come desiring a drink they down on their thirst. It is a strange and foreign thing to no longer be willing to be numbered among those who are in need of God's grace. We all need it. We all require it. Scripture tells us that everyone of us has gone his or her own way, the wrong way. By contrast how sweet is the companionship of those who understand that we don't grow to sinlessness we simple grow to understand how much we need Jesus, every day. In the following story there is one who recolonized the fault of another as fault of her own, and instead of pretending she didn't have the problem she did the most compassionate thing she could. She loved.


Come with me to a third grade classroom...... There is a nine-year-old kid
sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his
feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to
stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never
happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never
hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him
again as long as he lives.


The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and
prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five
minutes from now I'm dead meat.'


He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her
eyes that says he has been discovered.


As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying
a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the
teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.


The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself,
'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'


Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is
the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him
gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. Al l the other children are
on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is
wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been
his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.


She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. 'You've done enough, you
klutz!'


Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy
walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?'
Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

Targeted

“Jack of all trades, master of none.” Ever heard it? I have, and not only have I heard it but I have lived it! I have been so involved with so much at times that I was no good at any of it! I have even caught myself giving myself permission not to strive for excellence because “I have too much going on”. Ever done that? Churches do the same thing. They do it all the time. They are so focused on volume, they lose quality. A great statement we all need to keep is “We can’t do everything.” So if I can’t do everything, nor can my church, what can I do or better yet what should I do?



Over the past year, I have been working on discovering what Mercy’s Cross is good at. What I mean is that sweet spot of God’s will for us as a community of believers. It is like trying to find where we are talented, positioned, or gifted in. I believe I have found it! We are gifted in a few very strategic areas:

1. Connecting Seekers to Christ and His Church-Ones who are wondering about the question of God. Is he real? Why believe? Why Church? Is the Bible true? Etc.
2. Healing the broken-The Broken are those who have lost hope and need love and support to walk into a future
3. The Addicted- Are those who are shackled to the pain of their hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
4. The Widows-Single moms.
5. The Orphans- Foster children in our community.



These are the people we see who have the greatest spiritual needs AND we are best positioned to help. (disclaimer…These are not the ONLY people in our community who have spiritual needs but they are the most needy and the best target for what we are good at in ministry). The next step is to address how we can minister to these for the highest spiritual return. Still working on that…

Two events at my house in May!

I always have people ask “will there be room?” the answer is “absolutely”! Stacey and I have the privilege of living in a home on 52 acres. Lots of open fields and plenty of room for people and fun. We built our house with the intentions of sharing it with our church family. Our last leadership gathering we hosted 53 people and had plenty of room. So if you are considering coming, don’t hesitate, just come on!

INFUSION:
May 9th leadership gathering. Exact itinerary is not yet concrete but could look like…Talk sessions discussing Craig Groeschel’s book IT. Technology will let Craig teach two sessions over the plasma. Dave Morley will be teaching a session live. I will be teaching a session and outlining our new missional direction for Mercy’s Cross.

Stuff that will be unveiled at INFUSION. Our new missional direction, our new website, and the construction drawings for our new facility in Sherwood! You don’t want to miss this!

Fun will include-Water gun fight (BYOWG-Bring your own water gun), Go cart racing, and some team competition stuff! You will leave dirty, and abused, but filled with vision and a big smile!

The food theme is Italian. No breakfast this time but we are going to do a killer lunch. It is pot luck so bring your best Italian dish.

Sorry: No kids at this deal-e-o.


H2O Hollow 2 Holy-BAPTISM:
May 17 again at my crib (in my yard really). We want to break our all time record for number of people baptized in a single baptism. Last year we set a new record with 58 baptized at a single baptism. Our goal is 100. This is a joint campus baptism.

Fun-After the baptism we are going to shoot for a badminton world record! Most people playing a single badminton game! Imagine 300+ people playing badminton at our giant badminton net! It is going to be awesome….Bring your badminton equipment!

Food-BBQ we are bringing in a whole hog! And the three D’s are in effect bring a Dish, Dessert, Drinks!

Later Night Possibility (my wife says no but….)
That night we are going to watch a movie on the big screen in our yard. Bring a blanket we’ll pop some pop corn it will be great! It’s like a drive in movie, without the car! If we can’t have the movie on that night we will do it later in the summer!

Morgan's Story

You have heard the chatter about Morgan, well this is her story. Give God the glory.

Shortages.

How do you handle life’s shortages?

Let’s face it life is full of shortages. Think about it, how often are you short on gas, or short on time? How about short on patience? We have all felt short on talent, or short on sleep. Have you ever had money only to find you are short on cash? Shortages they are everywhere. Life it seems is short on every thing except shortages.

Even the Apostle Paul felt shortages. It seems he had some type of disability that made him feel like he was coming up short. Listen to what he says:

“ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:7-9 NIV

Paul wanted nothing more than to have this “shortage” removed from him, but God had other ideas as you can read. God let Paul know that His grace is enough. So maybe in your life you have experienced some shortages lately and just maybe you are asking God to help you with them? Could you live with an answer like the one Paul got? In your life is God’s grace enough for you?

I want you to understand this isn't the answer we always get but it is an answer God can give. This week I want to explore our options and ideas as we face shortages.



…To be continued

iPray

In every account I can find in scripture, God’s leaders lead in the area of prayer. Consider Moses, Noah, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, James, or John. They all had a distinctive prayer life. They were the first to seek after God and the last to leave the late night visits with the Heavenly Father. How easy is it to miss this fact. Leaders listen to God. The Bible says this of Jesus:

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 NIV

Two words in this passage jump off the page like neon in church. The words “often” and “lonely”. The word “often” lets us know that prayer was the habit of Jesus, it was the norm not the exception. More regular than an oil change is the Son’s conversations with the Father. It seems Jesus just couldn’t get enough of those discussions, day or night He would be found by the waters edge, or in the olive grove talking, laughing, and communing with God. It reminds me of when I first met my wife, I couldn’t get enough of talking to her. If we weren’t together we were talking on the phone. That’s how it is when you love someone. So what did the Son get from Dad as they spoke? He got the same things your Heavenly Father is offering to you:

1. The Gift of Calm. Leaders are nervous. Parents are nervous. Moms are nervous. Men are nervous. By nature we are nervous, scared and stressed. It is a natural part of who we are as fallen people. This nervous apprehension drains our spiritual, emotional, and relational batteries. Have you noticed when you are in a high stress, fearful circumstances they drain you? Ever waited at the hospital for critical news? Ever noticed that after that moment is over how exhausted you are? That is because the absence of calm is the presence of draining fear. Many of us walk around exhausted because we have not picked up on the habit Jesus mastered. The habit of receiving from God His gift of calm.


2. The Reward of Reassurance. Prayer reminds us that what we do, who we are, and even where we are going is in much more capable hands than our own. Jesus Himself at his final prayer time in the garden reminds us all that it isn’t “His will” but God’s will. It is liberating to be reminded that it is God whois our resource.


3. The Help of Hope. It has been said we can last a month without food, a week with water, five minutes with out air, but not one second with out hope. Many times the evidence around us wages war against our hope. We can start the day with every intension of remaining positive and before breakfast is over news can come in or a set back can arrive and out the widow flys our best efforts. Jesus often got alone with God because life can be depressing. It can steal our hope. Prayer is the fuel for our hope tank. Jesus never got far from the filling station.

Then there is the other indelible word: Lonely
Why a lonely place? It almost sounds sad. No one wants to be lonely. Some of the most down cast people I have met are those who are consumed with their loneliness. As we look at this word we discover it doesn’t imply a place void of conversation, or companionship but it is a place where we can focus on the One who can make a difference when no one else can. Jesus needed to be with the Father and the Father alone. If there is one thing absent in this world filled with noise, activities, music, work, cell phones, and ipods it is quiet time, alone time. God speaks but He isn’t willing to speak over the things that have your attention. We are reminded it is the “still small voice” it is in a whisper God speaks. Too much noise, too many distractions and you will miss Him. This seems to be a trend of God. The scripture says that there was nothing in Jesus’ appearance that would cause you to want to be near Him. The King of Kings didn’t appear in royal apparel, or with the pomp and circumstance He was worthy of. Instead he came in the womb of a little teenage girl, married to a common carpenter. At His birth Jesus wasn’t surrounded by royalty, or the privileged. No, it was in a stable filled with the stench of manure and the audience was the blue color workers of His community. God many times disguises Himself in common packaging. If God choose to be delivered in a sack He most likely would choose for it to be brown paper. God doesn’t try to out shine or drown out His competitors for our hearts. Instead He whispers, and he appears in the common, because He wants you to come close and put your eyes on Him. When Jesus prayed, He knew something that we have forgot. It is a privilege to take to God. It is worth turning everything down, and getting alone so we don’t miss one thing God wants to give to us.

Miracles Among Us

I'm about half way through the graphics for Miracles. Just wanted to get some feed back. The idea is:"I was once blind but now I see." Take a good look at the blind eye. I have several hours in Photoshop creating the sick eyes. Did you notice the depth? The sick tear ducts? How about the spherical nature along with the highlight? Just think if we are taking this kind of pains on the graphics how much greater is the message series going to be? Series begins Easter,April 12, 2009.

Porn & Pizza

It is this simple...You do not get over porn, sexual addiction, or sexual hurt alone. You need accountability, support, a plan, a program, and a group of non judgmental people surrounding you who understand where you are coming from. You need some people who will pray with you and who will ask you the hard questions. Ever notice that there are not many "how to learn to swim from the comfort of your home" books out there? Or "Learn to ride a bike by correspondence" courses? In the same spirit if you want to walk out of a dark part of your life you will need to have the courage to grab a hand of one who knows the way. Denial will keep you imprisoned, alone and stuck. A rut is simply a grave with both ends knocked out. If you are ready to get out of the rut you are in, tonight is the night. Tonight we are going to talk to these subjects and launch brand new support groups based on sexual addiction. It all starts at 5:45 at Mercy's Cross in Sherwood.

Can't make 5:45? Come late we'll save some pizza for ya.


For directions: Click Here

Nobodies get to do it!

In Matthew Chapter six, with sniper like accuracy Jesus laid it out. What was the great secret He unveiled? Prayer. How to converse with the creator of the universe. That’s right, God in the flesh is about to put on a clinic about how to talk to His Dad. After all who better to tell you how God likes to be spoken to than the one who spent endless (and I do mean endless) days conversing with Him. The most impressive part for me of this prayer example is the very beginning:
“This is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven,” Matthew 6:9

Just that quick, Jesus states one of the most profound facts of life. “This is how you should pray.” Not this is how you “will” pray or this is how you “better” pray, or this is how you are “commanded” to pray, NO it is a statement of choice. You should, He says. Why you ask? Because the Father likes talking to you. I have considered this statement today several times. I should pray. I do pray but not enough and not with the right heart all the time, and not with the proper awe of the One I am speaking to. But I should pray, you would think that my heart filled with joy or my head filled with fear would force me to speak to God knowing He is my only hope. You would think that God would demand to be recognized in our lives since He not only created us but He also redeemed us. But with the quiet tenderness of a mothers voice, Jesus offers His profound suggestion: “You should pray.”

Then Jesus tracks further: “Our Father in heaven.” Remember the one speaking, this Jesus is who Paul reminds us made and created all things. This is the one who on a warm Jerusalem evening found Himself fastened to a tree dying for an undeserving world. This is the One who all glory belongs to. But now includes us in the group who would call The Father, OUR father. Jesus puts Himself in our company. He chooses to slum with the rats of this world’s sewer. He refuses to be ashamed and instead chooses to share His Dad with us. With plain Jane, dirty fingered, hopeless, nobodies like us. So today we can say “Our Father”, and be included in the company of the divine.

Let's talk about porn.

Saturday night (tomorrow night) is going to be one to remember at Mercy's Cross Conway. It is going to begin with an incredible discussion concerning the realities of Porn. 57 Billion dollars each year is spent in the Sex industry. It is one of the most profitable business in the world. Every day millions of people participate in the fantasy world of porn. Christians are one of the top consumers of the product. In a recent poll by XXXChurch.com 90% of Christian men and 60% of Christian women confessed to struggling with porn at one point or another.

So what are the implications of this in the church? The implications are HUGE. Sexual sin is a sin that brings incredible shame into the lives of people. This shame is so strong that many who have failed or have been hurt through sexual sin do not feel worthy to be used by God. Many who could make such an impact in our community can't do so because they feel, unforgivable and unclean. We are opening this discussion so we can help open the eyes of people to the damages of porn, and the healing God can bring into our lives as He reveals His incredible grace to us through Jesus. It will be a powerful night.

Silly String War After The Talk!

So how do you end such a cool night on such a heavy topic? By Arkansas' largest Silly String War. It is the men vs the women. B.Y.O.S.S. (Bring your own silly string). The war will commence after the service on the grassy lot next us.


NO SILLY STRING on the parking lot! On the grassy lot only!





Saturday Night Service Starts at 6 PM in Conway
Need Directions to Mercy's Cross? CLICK HERE

Ever Wonder?

Ever wonder if those who produce porn target kids?

Do you have a teenage daughter about to start college? What if there were those who would offer her ten times as much to pose nude than she can make at her Starbucks job?

How do kids who have a normal upbringing and would never even consider being in porn get caught up in it?

Porn producers often network through your kid's friends to encourage them to participate in porn. How do they do that?

What if your husband had a secret, that is destroying your marriage? Would you want to know and discover help?

What is the cost of a lust?

What are the results of porn "spicing" up your marriage?

Why is porn an issue if your single?

What questions do you have about porn? Discover this Saturday night the answers as we ask Donny Pauling former porn producer, now XXXChurch.com pastor at our Conway location. Doors open at 6PM THIS Saturday night.

For directions: mercyscross.com

The Arrogant Leader

No one wants to be called arrogant. There are some cuss words that don’t strike the hurtful cord in me like the word arrogant. To be honest though, I have been arrogant at times. Behind this word is the real root attitude. That attitude is PRIDE. This truly is ground zero for leaders (for me). I find that with success pride is a bigger battle. The more people I have telling me how good I am the more time I need to spend listening to God. It is a dangerous thing to begin to believe that I am better than I am. John the Baptist understood this: “He must become greater; I must become less” John 3:30 NIV The great people of God all had this uncanny ability to see themselves for who they are not who others think they are. Paul starts almost every letter with the title “Bondservant”, or “Slave”. Why? Because it is easy to think more of ourselves than we should. There is a second danger for me and that is liking the good stuff people say so much I try to make sure that is all they see. It is a temptation to start guarding the way I appear to others. It is a temptation to start focusing on looking good rather working to be good.

Why am I tell you this? Is it so you can be aware of the pitfalls of pride and arrogance? No, it is because I need to tell you this so I don’t become prideful. I need to remember who I am and I need your help. By you listening to my story as the letters appear on this page you are helping me to remember I am simply a sinner, who had no hope and still doesn’t outside the crazy love of a God who would take my rightful place and die for me.

See the truth is I really am not a great leader or even a good one. I’m a country kid who grew up swimming in the muddy ditch in front of the house. I am a guy who didn’t finish college with any kind of Christian degree, never did seminary, and really isn’t qualified to do what I do. That’s the truth. No matter what success might be visible at this point in my life, I am only here because God decided to do something pretty cool out of not much to start with.

I was reminded this morning who I really am. The kids bags wouldn’t fit in the back of the car because of some crackers in boxes that I was supposed to bring to the food pantry. So while the rain fell and the placement and replacement of bags didn’t work I got mad. I then commenced to throwing the crackers, boxes and all in the yard along with a coat and what ever other junk was there. I left it there in the yard and drove off taking the kids to school. Great leader huh? I am so many times puzzled by how other leaders seem to really have it together all the time. I don’t know if they are faking or if they really are that happy, positive, never get mad, never throw crackers kind of people. Maybe there are those who have it together. I don’t know, but I do know I don’t. Not yet at least. This evening I will apologize to my kids for throwing the crackers, and realize once again who I really am.

Donny Pauling is coming to Mercy's Cross Church this Saturday & Sunday

• Saturday night at 6 PM Donny will be at our Conway location for a raw unedited question and answer session. Come and learn from a person who knows and understands the porn & sex industry from the inside. Come and ask questions and get answers.
  

• Sunday morning at both 9AM & 10:20 AM Donny will be at our Sherwood campus for both services sharing his testimony & delivering a powerful message about a God who calls, forgives, and heals.
  

• For directions to either campus: mercyscross.com

-Sunday morning at 11:15 in Conway we will be sharing a video message from Craig Gross the founder of XXXChurch.com entitled "America's Dirty Secret."

Honoring our Parents...

I think we can all testify that we didn't have perfect parents. As I get older and further along as a parent myself I am beginning to see how difficult it is to parent. I am also beginning to cut my parents some slack for the things I thought they didn't do well as I grew up. Today my parents are both aging. My mom and dad are both in their 60's, mom has COPD (which is a respiratory heart condition that causes her lungs to fill with fluid making it difficult to breath, among other things), and my dad has had several strokes over the years. Mom presses through her condition and tries to continue her life although she doesn't feel like it many days. My dad can't see well, walk well, or do much of anything without help. All of this has happened over what seems like an incredibly short time. Time flies when we look at it in our rear view mirror.

Now my confession...I am incredibly busy doing ministry in the place God has put me to minister, Mercy's Cross Church. Weekly we see amazing life change, there is never a time where we are not busy. It is easy to put my mom and dad on the back burner as I do the work that is showing such promise and that I love. But God gave me my parents and expects me to care for them and my service as the Church is out of place if I try to replace my role in my parents lives with ministry to others. So today I am taking my mom to the dentist. I will serve my dad when we get back. It is not a challenge, or something difficult it is an opportunity to give back to a couple who gave to me. Being the church means being the church to my parents. I share this with you because it is easy to get our priorities out of whack, even when your the pastor of a kicking church (in two locations! lol) I thank God for the opportunity to care for my parents.

Jesus chimed in on this topic:
Matt 15:3-9
Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'You don't need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.' 6 And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, 8'These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far away.
9 Their worship is a farce,for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.'NLT

Smokin' Hot New T's!

This Sunday order your SexEd T's at Mercy's Cross Church! All sizes $10 each. They will be in before Porn Sunday. Online orders email me. Scott@mercyscross.com

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. NIV

Leadership definitions…according to Scott

What is leadership?
A person who is willing to do what ever it takes and takes what ever is due to accomplish what needs to be accomplished and can inspire others to do the same. Leaders are visible living proof that the vision is worth the effort. Leaders are to followers what gravity is to water. Leaders force the vision infused followers into the cracks and crannies of the world. Vision infusing leaders spread the vision like the plague spreads illness (but in a good way).

What is leader infusion?
Leader infusion is the investment of information, motivation, or inspiration in the leader. The results are cataclysmic.

What is leader impact?
It is the sound of metal bending, glass breaking, along with the smell of smoke, when the unbending desire of a leader meets with the resistance of anything standing in the way of the fulfillment the vision.

What is leader vision?
The ability to see the opportunity even when it is hidden by the possibility of great loss, bodily harm, or hard work.

What is leader inspiration?
The heart felt message that raises the vision of the following to a willingness to charge hell with gasoline underwear.

What is leadership sacrifice?
Life.

What is leadership motivation?
The ability to look in the distance and see the broken body of Jesus Hanging on a tree with the knowledge He hung there for you. He didn’t whine, complain, or quit. That personal understanding will cause a leader to take on the world without even one thought of cost, or odds.

What is leader burn out?
Huh? I don’t know.

Interview between Pastor Scott and Satan…

Scott: “Why do you use sex as a tool to ruin lives?”

Satan: “Scottie, why have you got such a hang up on sex? Let’s not forget, I didn’t invent it, from your own mouth you said your ‘God’ invented. I’m just using the tools available.”

Scott: “You’re not known for telling the truth.”

Satan: “Are you asking a question?”

Scott: “Yeah, are you going to tell the truth in this interview?”

Satan: “What is truth? You say tomato I say Bloody Mary. Maybe you can’t handle the truth is why you don’t see it for what it is.”

So are you going to be truthful?

Satan: (laughing) “What you want me to put my hand on the Bible? You and I both know that ain’t going to happen. Yeah, I’m going to tell you the truth. After all Scottie I am sure you will know when I don’t (more laughter).”

Scott: Is Oral Sex sex?

Satan: “Are you kidding? Scottie the 90’s are calling, it isn’t sex at all. It is a hand shake, a gesture. It is what you do after you’ve had a good dinner. Everybody is doing it. Why do you and your ‘God’ have to be such a kill joy?”

So you don’t see it as Sex?

Satan: “Your not listening are you Scottie? Do you know who the 42nd President of the United States was? Yeah you know, he didn’t think it was sex either. Are you smarter than the President little Scottie?”

To be continued…

SexEd Porn Sunday Feb 22 At mercyscross.com

An amazing thing has happened over the past eight to twelve hours. I have gotten over 200 emails concerning our new SexEd and Porn Sunday series. The most amazing thing is that NONE of them are negative. ALL of them are positive! It is like people are so relieved that finally a church is willing to unpack what sex should be. It is like a unanimous sigh of relief in our community and everyone is saying FINALLY, we can start to hear what God says about all of this. It looks like we are about to blaze a trail.

Knowledge will increase...

What a week!

Just got back in from a radical church conference with a group of pioneers in the work of Jesus. It was challenging and horizon broadening. First, the church where we met was BNC (brandnewchurch.com). I must admit I got a little skeptical when I began my journey to Bergman Arkansas, home of Brand New Church. My ministry is here in Arkansas, I live here, I know what the wasteland of Arkansas looks like, and before last week I was like, Nathanial, “Can anything good come from there?” It was after I passed the second guy with groceries driving a four-wheeler, and was greeted with the indelible aroma of huge chicken coops, I knew this conference was going to be different (my fear was it was going to be way different). I was right it was different. Crossing the top of the hill an amazing thing happened, an incredible structure appeared on the left hand side of the road. A very contemporary building branding the name Brand New Church. Sweet! I thought they got some rich chicken farmer maybe even a Tyson person to fund his own personal church. I was wrong, what I discovered at BNC was a group of people passionate about lifting up Jesus, and He (Jesus) has responded by blessing this work. Who can argue with a church running according to the Campus Pastor 1200+ every weekend in a community of 400? Shannon Odell the Senor Pastor and visionary leader encapsulated his passion and the essence of the success he has been given by saying “The greatest thing I do is lead my wife and my family.” That was worth the trip. I know Shannon does a lot more than that but it is refreshing to hear someone who is getting it done, bring light to the fact that our core relationships are what gives us success, and success at the cost of our core relationships is ultimately… failure.

I will write more in the weeks to come but the following is something that God spoke to me as I listened and shared with these incredible leaders:

IT IS WHO

When it comes to the question of the God life we ask the wrong question. We want to know how. We concern ourselves with systems, plans, and programs. We believe that if we can emulate a certain path our destination will be the same as the one we want to be like.

Jesus tells us in John 15: “apart from me you can do nothing”. What happens when we ask people how they got to where they are (overcoming drugs, losing weight, helping their kids, getting out of debt, or overcoming depression for example) and they answer “Jesus”? Truth is we almost automatically discount what they said. We don’t want to hear that. We want a system to follow, a to-do list to keep. We don’t mind considering starving ourselves from calories, doing a million situps on the latest ab appliance, but the maintenance of a relationship with the Change Maker doesn’t seem like something we want to accept. We want to know “how”, not “Who”.

In church leadership it is the same. As pastors we want to know “how” churches accomplished things. What resource, program, technology, or secret gave this church we admire the accomplishment? So we ask all the wrong questions. Jesus told us God’s house is to be a house of prayer. Why? Simple… because the “Who” is much more important than the “how”. The attempt to change the human heart based on the “how” will result in a chain of sand. It may appear to be something but the test of time will bear out its temporary nature. God is the maker of heaven and earth, He alone has the power to melt and remold the image of broken man into the likeness of His Son. Who does that? Jesus. How does He do that? Relationship.

Learning

I’m fasting. I fast because I want to know God more intimately. I want to know His assignment better. I want His power to carry out what He wants done. I want me to be out of the way and Him to live boldly in me.

What I am learning so far…

1. Pastors are prideful. Based on a conversation I had with a pastor recently I have come to this conclusion. Pastors want a new and improved church. To reach the world for Christ isn’t good enough. To become surrendered followers isn’t good enough. In these conversations you have to have new reasons for church. Things such as “we are here to be creative”, “to generate leaders”, “to cultivate small group communities”, “to live by purpose”, and so forth. What is true is that pastors want to be recognized as being different, special, some how more connected to God with a unique spiritual mission. Why? I asked myself. The answer came in my hunger. We want to be significant and we don’t feel like we can be significant unless we are unique and people are drawn to our uniqueness. How ever you slice it that is pride. We chase after crowds and compromise the essential mission because we want to look good. Am I doing this?

2. I move too fast and pray far too little. As ministry grows the need for discernment, prayer and intentional decisions becomes far more important. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to work very hard to listen to God better. To make decisions in the right time, and to look to do things that are fully endorsed by God. The following formula is going to be a guide after prayer…People first, Programs second, and Buildings third (I believe this is the value system of God). If the choice is between a pastor coming on to help with people, or a new building or technology, we choose the pastor. If the choice is between moving a part time person to full time or expanding a program, we will choose the person. If the choice is between a nice facility or more shepherds, the choice is shepherds. Every decision will be bathed in prayer and opportunity will not be the gauge to action. God will dictate the action. Am I listening and am I making decisions based on what God values?

3. The construction material of the church is people. Jesus was a carpenter he built things but we have no record of Him ever building a structure, but He is building His church. What is the church? People called, who respond, who commit, who live and grow into those who know Jesus and make Him known. The New Testament does not contain one building being built to house the church. Not one. The church was simply a group of people who believed that Jesus is who He says He is and they could do what the Bible said they could do. They were committed to that. Why is it if that is true the lions share of a churches budget is designated toward paying for buildings? Scary but very good question. What are we building?

To be continued…