“…I’m afraid we’ve turned church into a spectator sport.  Too many of us are content with letting a spiritual leader seek God for us.  Like the Israelites, we want Moses to climb the mountain for us.  After all, it is much easier to let someone else pray for us or study for us.  So the church unintentionally fosters a subtle form of spiritual codependency.”

This is why it is so important for the church to encourage and equip people to be in the Word for themselves.  It is also important for people to know that the church can provide opportunities for growth and equipping, but it is still up to the individual believer to take next steps in his relationship with God.  The church cannot make anyone do that, and the church is not responsible to do that.

What do you think?  Has the church made people spiritually codependent?

“We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes.  People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure.  People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible.”

I know this is where I want to live.  Not that I want to fail or make mistakes, but I do not want to sit by and do nothing just because I am afraid of temporary discomfort or embarrassment from failing.  I think this is why many churches fail to grow, and why many Christians are unhappy.

It is easy to play it safe when things are going good.  After all, who wants to mess up a good thing by making changes?  But here is the deal, if you are not constantly changing, you are not growing.  If you are not dreaming, then you have no vision.  If you are reaching into the past for what to do in the future, you are grasping at straws.  We need more Christians and churches with guts.  Guts to attempt BIG things for God.  Guts to do the things that no one else is doing.  Guts to “dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible.”

I am praying for guts… what about you?

This was the second week of our first series of the year called, “The Body,” which focuses on the church working together to be the church. I think there are many Christ-followers today that are disassociated from the church which not only hurts them, but it hurts the body as well. I know there are sometimes reasons why people have left or felt rejected by the church, but it is still God’s plan for the believer to be engaged in a local church for relationships, for service and for accountability. Let’s look at the setlist:

• Forever – Tomlin
• Your Grace Is Enough – Maher
• You Are My Strength – Morgan

Special Music – Great job Lesley!

Video Intro for message

Message – “The Body”

Time of response

Offering and Announcements

• Friend of God – Houghton/Gungor

It has been kind of surreal to think about me only having two more weeks of leading worship at Glenville (or anywhere for that matter – read my announcement from last week if you have not). We have some tentative plans on what we will be doing that I will share in the near future here on my blog.

This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at theworshipcommunity.com.

“…God seems to be far less concerned with where I am going than with who I’m becoming.  I think some of us want to know the will of God more than we want to know God.”

It is not easy to focus more on the process than it is the destination. Dreams, goals and vision that God gives you are certainly good to have, but God is more concerned with who you are becoming than He is in your achieving anything.  It is not easy for me to write that, because I do want to know what the end result of my journey is gong to be.  I want to know where I will end up, and when I will get there.  And yes, God is interested in that as well, but if I get to the end and have learned nothing about God in the process, what have I really gained?  Nothing!  The journey is where we get to know God.  It is where He works and shows Himself strong.

Mark then quotes Oswald Chambers:

“The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident.  What we call the process, God calls the end.  His purpose is that I depend in Him and on His power now.  It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.”

Wow.  Just read that and let it sink in a bit.  We think that the goal achieved, the desire accomplished, the status attained is what it is all about. Really, it is about how we get there, and how our relationship with God grows in the process.

So, what are you concerned with?  Going… or Becoming?

“God is far more concerned about your future than you are. We put so much pressure on ourselves, as if the eternal plans of the almighty God are contingent upon our ability to decipher them.  The truth is, God want to reveal them more than we want to know them… In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

How much do you worry about things?  I have been guilty of asking God if He knew what was going on in my life.  Of course, I already knew the answer, but the fact remained that I did not think God was paying much attention to my situation.  I had taken control, or at least I thought I had, and my control only led to more worry and indecision.  I needed to listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Jesus then goes on to explain how God cares for the flowers and the birds, and since I am a little higher up the food chain, He certainly will take care of me.  He also reminds us to “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

I need to stay Kingdom minded and focused.  God will take care of showing me the steps I need to take… of that I am sure!  He works from the future back, and knowing that He has already been where I am going gives me great comfort.

“…can never surprise us, never overwhelm us, nor astonish us, nor transcend us.”

Basically, we are left with a God that we can keep in a box.  And we like it that way.  It keeps us comfortable.  The problem is, when we keep God in that box, we never get to see Him do the miraculous.  We never get to see Him move on our behalf in a way that can only be explained by saying it was God.  Many Christians and many churches live in this state all the time.  They do not want a God that surprises, overwhelms, astonishes or transcends.  It scares them to lose control… to lose control to God!

I pray that God will move out of the box that I set up for Him.  I want to be surprised by Him.  I want to wake up each morning thinking to myself, “Ok God, what are you up to today.”  That might make you uncomfortable.  If it does, maybe it is time to let God out of the box you have Him in and allow Him to be the God that you say you believe in.

We have been here in Wichita for right at a year and a half.  We have loved the opportunity that we have had to be involved at Glenville, and have learned a lot in the time we have been here.  The people love God and love others.  I would have to say this church is a great example of what a grace-filled church is all about, as they are so very accepting of people.  The staff has also been a blast to work with.  We will miss everyone dearly.  This has been a great experience for us.

Our next steps do not simply include a change of churches to serve in.  After a long time of prayer and seeking counsel, I feel that God is moving me into another direction in ministry as well.  I love music, that will never change, but that season of ministry is coming to a close.  I will be seeking a church in which to serve as their Lead Pastor, or some other Administrative/Executive Pastor role.

As I said, we will miss the people that we are currently serving along side with.  It is never easy to move on. But we are excited to see what God is going to do with us in the future.  I love what Job said in Job 23:13-14:

“But he alone is God, and who can oppose him? God does as he pleases, and he will do exactly what he intends with me.”

We covet your prayers for our family as we take our next steps.  We hold on to the knowledge that God knows what He is doing with us.  We just want to hold on and go for the ride!

It was really good to be back leading today after taking a week off.  The first Sunday of the year always feels so fresh and new. I LOVE the new year and all the changes that come with it.  Speaking of change, today was a day of changes announced at our church.  Our Lead Pastor told the church that our financial situation at the church has necessitated some major changes needing to take place so that the church can maintain ministry.  We have had a lot of job losses affect our people and offerings have really suffered because of that.  With all that said, our Pastor let the congregation know that two of the full time staff pastors will be leaving.  I am one of those. I will write another post about it later.  For now, let’s get to the setlist!

Special Music – “Something More” (Kristy Starling)  Misty did a great job!

• All Because of Jesus – Fee
• Everlasting God – Brown/Riley
• How Great is Our God – Tomlin/Cash/Reeves

Special Music – “If We Are The Body” (Mark Hall) Steve, you did awesome man!

Message – “The Body” – Our Lead Pastor spoke for us today

Time of response

Offering

• Glory To God Forever – Fee/Beeching

I hope you all had a great first Sunday of 2010!  This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at theworshipcommunity.com.

May this be the best year you have ever lived!  And if you make just one change this year, make it this one!

We are the product of our choices, good and bad. We should not try to blame shift or point fingers for our actions. We did them, and we have to face the consequences of those choices. When we choose a path, that path will lead us where it goes. If we want to end up in a good spot, we have to choose a good path to follow. (Of course, I believe the right path to take is clearly outlined in the Bible, and is found in being a Christ follower)

The path we choose to take is based on the priorities we set up in our life. If you want to have a great family, you cannot constantly ignore them and not invest time into them. If you want to be successful at work, you have to be a diligent and ethical worker. If you want to be a Godly, spiritual individual, you have to spend time with God by doing the spiritual disciplines (reading your Bible, praying, attending church, serving others, etc.).

Choose the path that will take you where you want to go, not a path that seems most convenient, more fun or just is plain easy to choose. If you want to grow spiritually this year, you have to choose to do so, and then walk the path that will get you there. We all have next steps towards God. They are different from one another, and no one else can make you take that next step. It has to be a priority in your life. So this year, will you live a life that is lived on purpose, or will you live a life that just happens along the way. The path you take is up to you and the priorities you set in life. Choose wisely!