thrive community

As I type this article, I’m reminded of how much I love my MacBook Pro. It’s the greatest computer on the planet. It does have a few things in common with the inferior Windows PC: they both have a keyboard.

One button in particular caught my attention yesterday. “ESC” or the “escape” button. Since I work on a Mac, I have to use it around 90% less than my PC counterparts. But, none the less, it still offered me a little bit of comfort for some strange reason. I know it’s there just in case I get into something that I need immediate “escape” from on my computer.

Wouldn’t it be great if life came with an “escape” button? What a relief to know that if we got ourselves into something, we could just hit a button and we could get out of it and even start over as if nothing ever happened?

Through many difficult and painful experiences, I know all too well that life doesn’t work that way. I got myself into some real pickles that I may have thought at one time were just accidents. But just like when my Mac seems to have “screwed itself up” and I want to say it’s my computers fault, we don’t get where we are in life on accident either. Sometimes, things may “happen” to us because of our ignorance or that are honestly beyond our immediate control. But most of the time, things “happen” because of our choices and they do what choices do: they direct us to where we are today.  It’s more than just geography, unforeseen circumstances, lucky breaks or an “act of God” that forces it’s influence on us and that may be beyond our control. I’m talking about our heart and our character. They have the greatest influence in us. They direct our responses to the forces around us and are within our ability to choose.

No matter the resulting consequences, whether positive or negative in our estimation, our present reality is a direct result of living what we believe. What we do is what we really believe, not what we think or say we believe. There’s no “escape” from seeing the results of our beliefs being realized right in front of us – our integrity.

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Without volunteers, the ministries within almost every church in the world would come to a screeching halt. Each and every volunteer is vital to the overall success and health of every ministry.

At Journey Church, our philosophy of volunteerism is to present each person a voice into ministry as well as respect, authority and responsibility. There is an attitude that is prevalent among many churches that a volunteer is subconsciously seen as a position of low-level leadership. We believe it to be the contrary.

Leadership is influence. Every volunteer position is an incredible opportunity of shared leadership with the staff and elders of the church. From those who serve during our weekend services to those who actively serve on behalf of our faith community, volunteers are connected to and represent the vision, passion and mission of Journey Church. Every volunteer “adds to” or “subtracts from” the credibility of our church and the message we seek to convey through words and actions.

There’s a point of immaturity that rises from our hearts when we misunderstand the level of influence we have as a volunteer. It involves the statement: “Well, I’m only a volunteer.” If you’ve said that in the past or feel that in the present, may I encourage you to look beyond the people and the circumstances around you. There is a deeper issue that’s transpiring in your heart and it’s imperative that you see it.

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I’m proud to officially announce my new devotional book, EXPRESSO. It’s been a work of “devotion” for the past few months. I began writing it the day after we received our adoption referral for Jaida on December 23rd. As a tribute to my dad, I made the official publishing date of EXPRESSO for March 20th, 2010, my dads 77th birthday!

When it comes to following Jesus, there are so many things that can overwhelm us and keep us from moving forward in our faith. For the new believer as well as the seasoned follower, the business of life can demand a pace that leaves little room for God. Even when space is created for spiritual development, it can be difficult to find a trustworthy grip on how to express faith in a meaningful way.

Sometimes all we need is a new opportunity, like being given a devotional book to refocus our attention on God and get our lives back on track. The passion behind EXPRESSO is to help stir a fresh desire for God’s Word in the heart of the spiritually thirsty and help them discover simple, yet practical opportunities to put their faith into practice.

My prayer is that EXPRESSO will truly energize the faith of those who read it. My hope is that it will create encouraging conversation between those who chose to read it together.

Copies of EXPRESSO can be purchased from my personal publishing site: http://openskypublishing.com. Thanks to all who have already purchased the book. I would love to hear about your experiences as you read it.

Blessings!

Jason

Grace. What a powerful word. It’s even more powerful to those who understand the depth of its meaning from personal experience. The great exchange where weary souls can finally rest.

It is finished. Three beautiful words. They, too are words of rest but are also words of beauty that, once understood, will release joy and worship. The great exchange where weary souls are finally free.

Rest and freedom are the fruit of a life that understands the “good news” that Jesus spoke of. For some reason, the fruit of the “good news” in most churches actually looks like bad news. I know the words are spoken the same, but the end result in their parishioners lives looks nothing like rest and freedom.

You see, most people who profess to follow Jesus are not really free. There is an unconscious enslavement to a lifestyle of “proving their worthiness to God” and have yet to realize they don’t need to anymore.

What we don’t realize is that God is more excited about this idea than we are (Eph. 1:5). Yet our tendency is to keep working to get His “thumbs up” for our inferior attempts so that, by some means, we can get Him to like us more. We are enamored and distracted by our own efforts, hoping they will draw God’s favorable attention, all the while He’s trying to get our attention by pointing to the cross.

What we have here is a failure to communicate, and I don’t think God is the one who needs a better hearing aid on this one.

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There aren’t many television shows I like to watch our regular basis, but one of them is Extreme Home Makeover. About a month ago, the show was about a young man named Bernard McFarland. He’s known in his community as a person who makes a difference. He began an outreach for young boys in the same community where he grew up and currently lives in the neighborhood with his three teenage sons.

His heart and passion was indescribable. The emotion in which he talked about his boys, his community, and the need he sees around him was amazing. It made me want to jump through the television and go help him at that moment. Bernard was doing much with almost nothing. He was living in a dilapidated home, using a broken down Van and a tiny concrete slab for a basketball court to reach dozens of needy kids. But he was making a difference.

When the Extreme Home Makeover team arrived, he met them with great joy and overwhelming tears. As the show revealed what they were doing for him and giving to him, he was thankful at every turn. He would always turn to his boys, hug them and draw them in to let them know that he loved them and that he appreciated this blessing they were to share as a family.

But one thing really stood out to me. As the team inquired as to why he did what he did,Bernard began to share about how his pastor had preached a sermon a long time ago that stuck with him to this very day. The point of the message was this — “lift as you climb.”

“All of this wasn’t about me,” Bernard said. “I was just doing what was in my heart.”

The phrase “lift as you climb” was a seed that had taken root deep in his heart, transforming the way he lived. This phrase should also be the statement that is rooted in the heart of everyone who follows Jesus.

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A spiritual mentoring relationship can be like no other you’ll ever have, but finding one can be a very challenging task, especially when you don’t know where to begin.

We all need someone to learn from, to be a sounding board for decisions and to help us see our potential. The growing desire for someone further along in the faith to encourage us, teach us and give us guidance in life is easy to detect, but the hard part is discovering who a spiritual mentor could be or should be.

It’s vitally important that you find someone who is able and willing to do life with you. But there’s more to it than just what your mentor will bring to the table. It involves what you bring to the relationship as well.

The greater search is to discover what this relationship will require of you. A healthy mentoring relationship is a two-way connection of giving and taking, investing as well as receiving. Expectations will flow both ways so you and your mentor have a great deal of searching to do and clarifications to make.

Here are a few things to think about as you begin this process…

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So many Christ followers are looking for a spiritual family to help them. There is a desperate need for spiritually mature men and women to mentor young Christians, helping them to clarify what really matters in life.

I am amazed at how many new Christians don’t have anyone to turn to for encouragement, support, counsel and teaching. God intended for his people to be like a family. It’s very clear from Scripture that family relationships are the primary catalyst to life learning and transformation (Deut. 6:4-8)(Eph. 6:4). But instead of helping new believers become rooted and established in healthy relationships, most churches place the major emphasis on programs, attending services, Bible studies, church events, or other ministries.

Don’t get me wrong. These environments are necessary and important for Christ followers to receive needed Biblical education and be exposed to the many essential concepts concerning their faith in Jesus, but God’s primary “delivery system” for life transformation and discipleship is best initiated and sustained through personal relationships. Nothing can take the place and fill the void that every human being has for authentic relationships. We assume they will happen naturally, but they don’t.

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