Mike Santistevan

My New Blog

2008-01-10T21:44:00.001-05:00

I've officially changed my blogging software and from now on you can read my new blog at mikesantistevan.com. Come on over!

4 Ways God Designed Us To Experience Him

2008-01-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

In the message on Sunday I covered the first stage of our spiritual growth process. Since everyone's spiritual journey begins with a personal experience with Jesus Christ, we identified our Sunday morning gathering as our primary environment to help people experience God.

I also shared 4 ways that God designed for us to experience him. These I will reproduce here:

1. God designed us to experience him in corporate worship
2 Chronicles 5:11-14
Acts 2:1-4
Challenge: Commit to weekly church attendance. Prepare your heart before coming to church. Come with a hungry and expectant heart. His Word says that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. Come expecting to meet with God.

2. God designed us to experience him through the preaching of his Word
Acts 10:44
Challenge: Come to every sermon with a humble and expectant heart hungry to receive the word of God. God desires to speak to you. Be prayerful during the sermon asking God to speak to your heart.

3. God designed us to experience him through personal prayer
Mark 1:35
Exodus 33:9-11
Challenge: Develop a habit of personal prayer alone with God. Expect to interact with him in a personal way. Find someone who can hold you accountable for your prayer time. Nothing can substitute for your personal time with God.

4. God designed us to experience him through the reading of Scripture
Hebrews 4:12
Challenge: Develop a habit of disciplined reading of Scripture. Utilize a Bible reading plan if it will help you. Come to the Scriptures prayerfully, asking God to speak to your heart through what you read.

Intentional Mission Strategy

2008-01-08T10:58:00.001-05:00

We had a great service this past Sunday. It was the kick-off of our E3 series. This series is all about revealing our intentional strategy for making disciples.

Just as spiritual growth does not happen by accident, so a church does not accomplish its mission by accident. A church will only accomplish its mission if it does so on purpose. Sunday we defined our mission like this:

Our mission at ACC is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by helping them to experience God, excel in spiritual growth, and express his love to the world.

Our intentional strategy is thus summed up in these 3 words (each of these links to previous posts I have written about them):

Experience

Excel

Express

This series will be about expounding on each of these.

New Series: E3

2008-01-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we will be starting a new 3-part message series called "E3: Making Disciples In 2008." In this series we will be diving into the heart of our mission as a church and our direction for '08. What does E3 stand for? Come Sunday and find out! You won't want to miss this important series.

Pray Global Prayers

2008-01-04T14:07:00.000-05:00

Check out this interesting post on prayer from John Piper.

Goals For 2008

2008-01-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I challenged everyone to set aside some time to take some personal inventory and set some personal development goals for the new year. I specifically challenged everybody to set spiritual goals and physical goals.

The old saying rings true that if you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. As each of us gains greater clarity into the person that God is calling us to become, we will be able to pursue growth to that end in practical and intentional ways.

We must be both practical and intentional because spiritual growth does not happen by accident. We are only kidding ourselves if we think we can get somewhere we've never gone by doing what we've always done. In order for us to grow spiritually we must pursue it intentionally and proactively.

In addition to setting spiritual and physical goals, I'd like to encourage everybody to set some goals in a few other areas. Growth in these areas will help us in our effectiveness for God's kingdom:

1. Mental development goals
Find some new ways to stretch yourself mentally this year. Set some goals for reading and reflection. I am always reading books that help me grow in areas of spirituality, Scripture, leadership, and communication.

2. Dietary goals
Decide in advance what types of foods you need to decrease or cut from your diet. Sometimes we can short-circuit our productivity for God's kingdom by poor eating habits.

3. Friendship goals
Take some steps toward developing new friendships and strengthening old ones this year. Maybe more tv nights could be turned into dinner or coffee with friends. Since we were created for relationships, we must continually guard against the danger of isolating ourselves.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

Just finished an awesome Christmas Eve service! God is awesome! We had 3 people make decisions for Christ.

Blogging may be sporadic over the next few days due to the holidays. Have a merry Christmas!

Unwrapped Continues This Weekend

2007-12-22T09:55:00.001-05:00

This Sunday we will be continuing our Unwrapped series. We'll be looking at Unwrapping Fear and Intimidation. If you haven't visited unwrapped07.com, take a moment to go over there and see it. You'll be able to see the thoughts of others and also post your own.

The Power Of Our Words

2007-12-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

Recently I've been reflecting on the power of our words. The words we use in communicating with people carry tremendous power. Proverbs 18:21 says,

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

Our words carry the ability to build others up and also tear others down. They have the power to bring both death and life into those who hear them.

For that reason it is so important that we be people who use our words to build up others and encourage them. We all experience enough negativity by just living in this fallen world. What we need is to speak life and blessing into one another's lives.

Who is there in your life that could use a fresh, life-giving word of encouragement today?

Be encouraged to go and make that person's day.

Upcoming Spiritual Renewal Month

2007-12-19T11:46:00.001-05:00

I just want to put a few upcoming things on the radar for next year. Our focus as a church for January is Spiritual Renewal.

We will be having our annual week of prayer and fasting Jan. 13-19. We encourage everybody to participate in whatever way they feel that God is leading them. Some may fast for a day or two. Some may fast a meal a day or from entertainment. I will personally be doing a "nothing but liquid" fast during that time. Our goal during this week is to set aside some of the normal comforts of this life in order to focus more intensely on seeking God and drawing closer to him.

We will also be having our annual Spiritual Renewal Services Jan. 23-25 (W-F) at 7pm. These services will be devoted to pursuing God and will typically have a time of extended worship, a sermon, and a time of prayer and seeking God. Our guest speaker this year is Bobby Hawk. Bobby is a gifted preacher, pastor, and church planter from Pontiac, MI.

There's no better way to bring in the new year than to pursue God with all of our hearts!

Christmas Eve Service

2007-12-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Eve Service will be at 7:00pm on Monday, Dec. 24. I'm looking forward to this service for two reasons: I love Jesus and I love Christmas!

It's going to be a great time as we gather to celebrate our Lord's birth together!

Unwrapping The Pain Of Ongoing Trials

2007-12-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

Had a great service this morning. My wife Jessica shared the 3rd message in our Unwrapped series on "The Pain of Ongoing Trials." Here's a short video clip testimony that we used as an illustration.

Bring Somebody With You

2007-12-11T15:07:00.000-05:00

Perhaps more than any other time of the year, this is the time when most people are likely to go to church. For that reason, I'd like to encourage everybody to invite a friend to church during this holiday season.

Researchers have indicated that many non-churchgoers would be willing to attend a church if they were simply invited. One of our goals at ACC is to be a church where people feel comfortable, excited, and proactive about inviting their unchurched friends to attend.

Our current message series Unwrapped, also makes for a good invitation opportunity during this season. We're studying how to get honest with ourselves and God as we experience the difficulties, pains, and failures in life. You can also refer people to unwrapped07.com where they can register to receive a free $5.00 coffee card on their first visit.

Tips For Devotions

2007-12-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Check out a great post by Jeff Leake with some good practical tips for devotions.

Pastor's Meeting

2007-12-05T11:14:00.001-05:00

This morning I met with a group of pastors from our MCM-Pittsburgh network. We try and get together weekly to encourage one another and share ideas. I really look forward to these gatherings. It's great to be able to meet with other pastors who can invest in my life and sharpen me like iron sharpening iron.

It's so true that "he who walks with the wise grows wise". It's so important for us to surround ourselves with people who build us up and encourage us in our walk of faith. I'll never forget what one of the pastors I served under used to say:

"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future"

There's definitely enough things in life that tend to pull us down and drain us. I'm thankful for this gathering of pastors that I can hang out with and be strengthened by.

What are some things you do to surround yourself with people who build you up?

Coming Out As Gold

2007-12-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

Apologies for my recent lack of blogging regularity. Life's been pretty intense for us recently, but I hope to get back into a swing of sorts.

In my Scripture reading today I came across Job 23:10. The power of this verse is seen in light of its context. Job was a man who experienced extreme physical and emotional adversity in his life. His possessions were taken and his children were all killed. After that he experienced intense physical afflictions as he was covered with sores from head to foot.

In the midst of this unexplained and perplexing situation he writes of God in 23:10

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold."

Job didn't allow the pressure and tragedy of his situation to make him bitter against God. In the midst of it, he found a way to humble himself before God and trust that whatever God's purpose, he would come through it as gold on the other side.

When we face difficulty in life we should ask ourselves what God is teaching us through it. He is shaping our character through the various trials that we face. Truly he works all things for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

Unwrapped Series Video Trailer

2007-11-28T10:46:00.000-05:00

Check out the trailer for our upcoming message series beginning this Sunday called UNWRAPPED.

Our goal in the series is to study the Psalms and songs written in Scripture and learn from the authors how to open our hearts to God. We will be focusing on learning how to get honest with ourselves and with God by unwrapping our hearts to him and experiencing his grace.

We've created a website to help facilitate this expression of our hearts to God. Visit unwrapped07.com and join the conversation by posting a thought, prayer, poem, or any other expression of your heart to God.

This series will be a great opportunity to invite a friend to church. All first time guests will receive a free $5.00 coffee card.

Vision

2007-11-27T11:52:00.001-05:00

A clear and compelling vision keeps us focused on our ultimate mission. In today's culture there is such a tendency for us to allow distractions to keep us from pursuing God's heart and the mission he has given us. Scripture teaches us that "where there is no vision, the people perish." Therefore one of my greatest responsibilities as a leader is to seek the heart of God and cast a Christ-centered, God-honoring vision.

Our vision at ACC is:

To lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by helping them to Experience Christ, Excel in spiritual growth, and Express his love to the world.

God has called the church to "make disciples of all people." Each one of us has a part to play and a place to contribute. To borrow from the Apostle Paul's analogy, the church is the body of Christ. What a beautiful thing it is when each one of us with our unique giftings function together in unity and love working together for the sake of the gospel in our community. Each one of us, working in unison contributes to the overall mission that God has given us. He has commissioned us as "ministers of reconciliation" leading a broken and lost humanity back into a saving relationship with its creator.

Family Rocks!

2007-11-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

I just came across this picture of my awesome family.
Looking forward to time with more family this week. We have the joy of spending a van ride together from Pittsburgh to Kansas City. Should be fun :). We going there to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family. I'm really excited. It's always a great time with our family in Kansas City!

Ministry Strategy Part 3: Express

2007-11-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

The third and final stage in our discipleship process after Experience and Excel, is EXPRESS. This step is all about giving what we have been given. It is about expressing God's love to the world. It comes third because we cannot express his love to the world until we have experienced his love personally.

Expressing God's love is the natural result of experiencing him and growing or excelling in our relationship with him. As we grow in him, we realize more and more the importance of sharing his love with others.

After the disciples had experienced Christ and had begun to grow by listening to his teaching, they were sent out into ministry (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-3). Ministry is the inevitable result of experiencing God and growing in him.

The entire book of Acts also testifies to this fact. After their powerful encounter with God in the upper room and their committment to meet corporately and from house to house, they proceeded to turn the world upside down for God!

At ACC, the primary ways of expressing God's love to the world is by joining a ministry team and helping with the various outreach events that we do. There are opportunities to lead a Life Group, become a Youth or Children’s ministry leader, become a Nursery worker, help with the coffee and hospitality ministry, become an usher or greeter, become an altar worker, help with the building and grounds crew, join the worship team, help with sound, lighting, and video production, etc.

It is so important that we not just grow in God, but give what we have been given. It is extremely unhealthy to only consume and never give out. The converse is true also that we cannot properly give if we are not receiving from God and growing in him. Both are necessary.

The natural result of experiencing God and growing spiritually is expressing his love to the world. Indeed we should not be able to hold it in!

Current Podcasts

2007-11-16T11:27:00.000-05:00

Some people may think I'm a dork, but I love listening to sermons and preachers. These are some of the sermon podcasts I'm currently listening to.

James River Assembly- Pastor John Lindell. John is one of my favorite expository preachers. I attended his church for a long time while I was in college.

Desiring God- Pastor John Piper. Piper is also one of my favorite expository preachers. He has a contagious passion for the glory of God and his Word.

Mars Hill Church- Pastor Mark Driscoll. Mark is a very candid and thought provoking speaker. He relates well to emerging and post-modern culture and has a sharp, conversational style.

Mosaic- Erwin McManus. Erwin pastors a progressive and multi-ethnic/cultural church in LA. He is a very passionate communicator.

Lifechurch.tv- Pastor Craig Groeschel. Craig is a very good preacher who is very practical and engaging.

Self Leadership

2007-11-16T11:25:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd pass along a great post I came across about the importance of self-leadership and discipline. Enjoy.

Ministry Strategy Part 2: Excel

2007-11-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

After EXPERIENCE, the next step in our spiritual growth process is EXCEL. While we are not talking about the Microsoft Office spreadsheet application, we are talking about growing in our relationship with God. This second step in our process is all about spiritual growth.

At ACC, our primary avenue for spiritual growth is Life Groups. Though this is certainly not the only place where spiritual growth happens, we feel that it happens best in the context of authentic relationships. Life Groups provide a more intimate setting which encourages thoughtful interaction and dialogue which is not always possible in a large gathering. A small group environment allows a group of people meet together for the purpose of growing in God's Word, praying together, and sharing life together.

Our Life Groups strategy is patterned after Jesus' ministry and the model of the early church.

In Luke 6:12-16, after Peter, James, and John had a powerful experience with Christ in ch. 5, they became a part of Jesus' small group of disciples. The 12 disciples at this point are following Jesus and are growing spiritually by observing his life and listening to his teachings.

In Acts 2:42-47 we see that the believers “…devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”

Also in Acts 5:42 we read: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

Christianity is not meant to be lived in isolation. We need to be connected with one another. By developing meaningful relationships with other believers in small groups, we are able to effectively help one another grow in our relationship with God, community with believers, and influence with our world.

Good Thoughts On Leadership

2007-11-14T13:58:00.000-05:00

Check out my friend Nick's post for some helpful tips on being a decisive leader.

Ministry Strategy Part 1: Experience

2007-11-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

In a series of posts I'd like to describe our ministry strategy here at ACC. Since Christ has called the church to his mission, it is important that we be intentional about making disciples. If we are going to be intentional about anything we must be purposeful about making disciples.

Strategies and methods are not sacred. The Great Commission is. Strategies are merely the practical process by which we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. Strategies may need to change from time to time, but the mission and message never changes.

The first step in our ministry/discipleship process is EXPERIENCE.

Before someone can begin their spiritual journey they must have a personal experience with God in which he changes their heart and comes to live within them. We call this experience of God salvation. It takes place when we repent of our sins and submit our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The spiritual journey of the disciples began with a personal encounter with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). Along the same lines, the explosive ministry of the Apostles in the book of Acts took place after their incredible encounter with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).

The primary (though not only) avenue for this step in our process is our Sunday Morning Gathering. It is during this gathering that we seek to experience God's presence together in corporate worship and the preaching of the Word of God. We expect that as we are together in God's presence that God will draw people unto himself and they will cross the line of faith and begin their spiritual journey. We also expect that believers will also be filled with God's power in order to be effective witnesses for Christ in our homes, workplaces, and communities every day.

Dropping Off Depression

2007-11-11T12:51:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd post some action points from today's message called "Dropping Off Depression" the first message in our Baggage series. These are from 2 Corinthians 4:13-18.

1. Speak the truth of God’s Word- v.13-15
“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

2. Be spiritually renewed daily- v.16
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."

3. Focus on eternal realities- v.17-18
“For this slight and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Devotional Literature

2007-11-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

One thing that has really helped me in my spiritual formation has been the reading of devotional books. I've recently decided to become more intentional about reading devotional classics.

One thing about devotional classics is that they must be read with both an open heart and caution. An open heart because it is good for us to fill our minds with writings that direct our thoughts to God. Caution because not everything that any particular writer says is always 100% biblical all the time. It basically comes down to eating up the good and throwing out the weird.

That being said, I feel like reading devotional books along with daily Bible reading can be a tremendous benefit for our spiritual growth. I'm currently reading through The Imitation Of Christ by the 16th century monk Thomas a Kempis. It's split up into nice little 1-2 page chapters that makes for good succinct daily reading. A couple other devotional books I'd recommend are:

The Way Of The Heart- Henri Nouwen
The Pursuit Of God- A.W. Tozer
In The Name Of Jesus- Henri Nouwen
The Divine Conspiracy- Dallas Willard
Celebration Of Discipline- Richard Foster
Power Through Prayer- E.M. Bounds
Secrets Of The Secret Place- Bob Sorge
The Practice Of The Presence Of God- Brother Lawrence
My Utmost For His Highest- Oswald Chambers
A Hunger For God- John Piper

I'll stop there for the sake of time. I've deliberately kept this list to the kinds of books that are easier to read. There are many, many other good devotional books out there. Are there any others that you have found helpful in your life? Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment.

(To leave a comment, sign up for a free Google account here)

Baggage

2007-11-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we're beginning a new series of messages called Baggage. We're going to be looking at gaining freedom from depression, addiction, emotional pain, and failure.

Many of us have baggage because of how we were raised and the different experiences we've been through in life. God desires us to live in his freedom. In fact, he has called us to be free and has provided everything we need to experience liberty in Christ.

I'm excited about this series. This would be a great opportunity to invite a friend to come and experience Christ's transforming power.

Finding Hope In Difficult Times

2007-11-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

Had a great service this morning. My message was called "Finding Hope In Difficult times" from Jeremiah 29:4-14. In my message I shared 3 actions to take in times of difficulty and 3 promises that God gives us in difficult times. Thought I'd just post them here:

3 actions to take in difficult times

1. Pursue life according to God’s plan- v. 4-6
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease.”

2. Seek to be a blessing right where you are- v. 7
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

3. Refuse to listen to lies that will come against you- v. 8-9
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.”

3 Promises from God in difficult times

1. God promises to honor his promises- v. 10
"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place."

2. God promises wholeness and not evil, a future and a hope- v. 11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

3. God promises to reveal himself powerfully to us when we seek him- v. 12-14a
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart I will be found by you, declares the Lord…”

Catalyst Meeting

2007-10-31T14:36:00.000-04:00

This morning I attended our monthly gathering of pastors at Allison Park Church. We are part of a group of churches called Multi-Church Movements- Pittsburgh. This month our guest speaker was Earl Creps.

Earl is the former director of the Doctor of Ministry program at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He recently resigned his position there in order to pursue a call from God to plant a church in Berkeley, CA. He gave a great talk this morning. You can find some good notes from it here on Jeff's blog and here on Nick's blog.

Narrow The Focus

2007-10-30T13:50:00.000-04:00

Due to an unusual number of people unable to attend our monthly leadership meeting Sunday, I thought I just post up some of the notes from our discussion.

We've been working through some of the principles found in Andy Stanley's book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry. Without agreeing 100% with everything in the book, it does offer some very helpful insights into effective ministry practices. Here is an excerpt from some of our notes from Sunday:

•“Clarify The Win” is defining what success really is. It is defining the goal or target we are aiming for. For the church it is changed lives.

•“Think Steps, Not Programs” - Programs are not an end in and of themselves, they are steps in a process leading to spiritual maturity.

•“Narrow The Focus” is about deciding to do less in order to become more effective.

•Complexity diminishes your potential for
impact.

•We cannot confuse activity with effectiveness.
Activity does not equal effectiveness,
strategic activity equals effectiveness.

•The goal is not to do everything, it is to do a few things well.

•The more you focus, the higher the quality.

•The more you focus, the stronger the
impact.

Also, for anyone who is interested, you can subscribe to an audio podcast of each of the seven practices here.

How To Listen To Sermons

2007-10-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

This is a 1-minute talk from John Piper on how to make the most out of listening to sermons.

Winding Down

2007-10-26T10:36:00.001-04:00

The class this week has been incredible. We've had class everyday from 8am-5pm. Though my brain's almost exploded a couple of times, I think I'm going to be fine :)

But seriously, I've really learned a lot related to God's redemptive mission in the Bible. Today is the last day and we're nearing the home stretch. Right now we are covering the concept of the mission of God in Paul's theology in his letter to the Romans.

Though this week has been incredibly enriching, and I've enjoyed the company of many great friends, I can't wait to get home to be with my wife!

JRA Friends

2007-10-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

Had a great time last night attending the prayer service at James River Assembly, the church I attended while in college. After the service I went over to the Realife Student Center and reconnected with some very dear old friends.

A significant part of my college years was spent helping the the Junior High ministry leading worship, a small group, and Sunday school. I'm so thankful for the years that I spent there. Really learned a lot during that season of my life.

So good to see some of the former students I used to teach who are now high school students! So good to reconnect with so many great people!

Memory Lane

2007-10-23T10:03:00.001-04:00

Having gone to college here in Springfield, MO, I've been experiencing a flood of nostalgic memories as I drive on these streets again.

We all have memories that we would just as soon forget due to mistakes or rough circumstances. I also think that memory lane can be a very good place for us when we choose to remember the good things God has done in our lives in past years.

Occasionally we all find ourselves in seasons of discouragement. One of the main ways we can fight discouragement is to remember God's faithfulness to us in the past. By remembering God's goodness, we can wage war against the despairing thoughts we might be facing.

God did so much in my life during my college years in Springfield and it has been very good for me to think about his faithfulness to me during that time. If you happen to be going through a difficult time right now I want to encourage you to take a moment to remember the different times when God was there for you in the past and let it renew and refresh your hope for God's help in your current situation.

1-Week Intensive

2007-10-22T11:20:00.000-04:00

I arrived last night in Springfield, MO for a week long class for my master's program at AGTS called "The Mission of God in Biblical and Contemporary Contexts." It is basically a course on developing a Biblical theology of mission. I'm really enjoying it so far. I hope to be able to post some interesting things that I learn during the week.

Praise God!

2007-10-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

Service this morning was amazing! We had a record attendance of 111! and we were able to baptize 4 people! God is so good!

I never tire of hearing testimonies of God's power in people's lives. Baptism is always awesome. So cool how a 1st Century tradition can be so powerful today!

One Of Those Good Days

2007-10-18T16:56:00.000-04:00

Had a great day today. I spent most of the morning revising the material in our Foundations course booklet that we'll be using for our New Member's Class coming up this Saturday.

It was great being able to think deep about our mission and vision and explain it in writing. I almost want to make all of our current member's go through the course again! (Don't worry, I wont :)

This afternoon I went with a friend to pick up the baptismal tank that we'll be using for the baptismal service this Sunday. Personally, I feel that baptizing someone is one of the most special privileges I have as a pastor. I'm really looking forward to it.

And the day's not yet over. Tonight I get to lead the rehearsal for our amazing worship team. It's such a privilege to minister with these people!

Bloglines Is Working For Me Again

2007-10-17T11:42:00.000-04:00

For those of you who subscribe to this blog via bloglines, I believe the updating problem has finally been fixed. It should be updating for you now regularly.

Faith Or Fear

2007-10-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

At our young adult group last night, one of the main ideas was the subject of choices. The choices we make in defining moments have the power to change the direction of our lives. Our lives really are the sum total of the different choices we've made.

Obviously some choices are more critical than others. Who we marry, where we live, where we work, where we serve in ministry, are all way more important than which pair of shoes we decide to wear in the morning. It's in these important moments where our choices matter the most.

Perhaps the most important decisions we make are related to how we respond to God's calling on our lives. Just as clarification, I believe God has a calling and a purpose for every one of us, not just pastors and missionaries. Not everyone's calling looks the same, but everyone has a unique purpose from God. Not everyone is called in the same way. Sometimes God speaks to people in dramatic ways and sometimes he calls people to things more subtly.

So, when it comes to God's call on our lives, what will we choose to do? For some of us, the calling God has for us is something that looks impossible. It may seem unattainable or even foolish. The main question is, are we going to base our choices on fear or faith?

In Numbers 13, Moses sends men into the promised land of Canaan to spy out the land. This was land that God had already promised to the people of Israel. All the spies came back afraid of the people of the land except for Caleb and Joshua. In 14:8-9 they said to the people

"8 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."

They didn't allow the opposition to diminish their confidence in God's ability to lead them into his plan. Neither should we. When it comes to God's calling, will we choose fear or faith?

Anniversary Weekend!

2007-10-11T17:23:00.000-04:00

I'm really looking forward to this weekend since Sunday is our 1-year anniversary! Can't believe it's already been a whole year.

Guess time flies when you're in love :) Jess you're the love of my life!

New Members/Baptisms

2007-10-11T10:39:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a reminder about our New Members Class taking place from 11am-1pm on Saturday, October 20 @ ACC. Lunch will be provided. You are welcome to attend if you are interested in becoming a member or would just like to learn more about our history, vision, and beliefs. If you would like to attend, please rsvp by sending us an email here.

The following Sunday, October 21 we will also be having water baptisms in the morning service! If you have not yet been water baptized since placing your faith in Jesus Christ, you won't want to miss this opportunity to publicly demonstrate your commitment. You can also rsvp to participate and get more details by emailing us here.

Websites

2007-10-09T11:59:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to pass along a couple of websites of note. The church that started us almost 10 years ago, Allison Park Church, recently got a new website. You can check it out here.

Also, here at ACC we are a part of a group called Multi-Church Movements- Pittsburgh. You can also see the new website for the broader Multi-Church Movements here.

Life In Action

2007-10-05T16:58:00.001-04:00

This weekend we'll be starting a new message series called "Life In Action". This series is all about learning how to put our faith into action, or maybe better, putting action into our faith.

Next week we will hear from Eric Ferguson, originally from Pittsburgh, now a missionary to Nicaragua. He and his wife Shanna are the founders of Metanoia Missions International, a ministry whose vision is to transform nations through the establishment of churches, schools, orphanages, micro-businesses, and humanitarian aid.

Then on Oct. 21 we'll celebrate with those who are taking action through water baptism in our morning service!

Growing In Godliness

2007-10-05T16:53:00.000-04:00

This was the third message in our Disciple series called "Growing In Godliness" from 2 Peter 1:3-11.

Seminary

2007-10-01T16:16:00.001-04:00

After some deliberation I finally decided to transfer my graduate credits back to AGTS (where I started) in order to finish my M.Div through them. The cool part is that I won't need to move to Springfield in order to complete it. I've enrolled in the "In-Service" track which is designed to allow pastors and missionaries to finish their degrees while remaining in their ministry positions. It's set up to be completed through correspondence courses, online classes, and 1-week on-campus modules.

For this fall, I've enrolled in a course called "The Mission of God in Biblical and Contemporary Contexts". It's a 1-week module course held in Springfield in late October. It sounds like it's going to be pretty good. I'm also looking forward to visiting my college hometown yet again :)

I've really enjoyed my Seminary experience thus far. Jessica and I both share the conviction that we want to be lifelong learners. Seminary helps me solidify that conviction.

A Comparison

2007-09-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

This week somebody sent me this in an email. Thought it was interesting.

Al Sanders, in his book Crisis in Morality, compares the descendants of two men who lived in the United States about 150 years ago.

Max Jukes was an atheist. He did not believe in Christ or in Christian training. He married an ungodly girl and refused to take his children to church, even when they asked to go. At the time of this research, there were approximately 1200 descendants from this union.
Of these…
• 310 died as paupers,
• at least 150 were criminals,
• 7 were murderers,
• 100 were drunkards,
• and more than half of the women were prostitutes.

Jonathan Edwards lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly woman. He loved the Lord and saw that his children were in church every Sunday as he served the Lord to the best of his ability. An investigation was made of 1,394 of his known descendants.

Thirteen of his offspring became college presidents,
• 65 became college professors,
• 100 lawyers,
• 30 judges,
• 60 physicians,
• 76 army and navy officers,
• 100 preachers and missionaries,
• 60 authors of prominence,
• 3 United States Senators,
• one Vice President of the United States,
• 80 public officials in other capacities, and
• 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries.

Simple Church

2007-09-28T14:28:00.001-04:00

Today I finished the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. It was definitely one of the best books on church ministry I've read. The premise is basic, but powerful. It argues for simplicity against complexity in church ministry. The book is based on extensive research of vibrant, growing churches and stagnant, declining churches.

The book's goal is to help churches develop a simple strategy to make disciples. Amid case studies and stats the book presents several helpful steps in creating a simple church. It argues that so often churches mistake complexity and activity for effectiveness. The truth is, some churches have no discipleship strategy or process that they lead people through. More and more myriads of ministries are added the calendar becomes increasingly full. The result is divided focus, divided resources, and burned out people.

The book proposes 4 concepts to be embraced. They are:

Clarity
Movement
Alignment
Focus

Clarity means having an easily definable spiritual growth process. It is something that is easy to understand and communicate. This is the overarching ministry process that the church has embraced in order to create disciples.

Movement is about helping people to keep progressing. The stages of the process are leading people to increased commitment and maturity. Movement helps to keep people from stagnating or stalling in their spiritual growth.

Alignment is making sure that every program in the church contributes specifically to the spiritual growth process. It is also making sure that every ministry also models the spiritual growth process.

Focus is the ability to stay on target and not follow diversions from the spiritual growth process God has called the church to embrace.

That's a very brief rundown of the book. It is very good. I highly recommend it to pastors and church leaders.

Isaiah 40:28-31

2007-09-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Discipline Drudgery

2007-09-25T14:17:00.000-04:00

Discipline without direction equals drudgery.

That was one of the main statements in my message on Sunday. It's so true that without vision or direction, disciplines become drudgery.

When I was a kid, my mom tried to get me to learn to play the piano. I remember lessons with my teacher who had really long fingernails that clicked on the keys as she played. The fact was however that I hated those lessons and I hated practicing most of all. For the life of me I couldn't see the benefit in the hard work of practicing the piano. I remember literally laying on the floor under the piano bench refusing to practice. This was because I had no vision.

All of that changed however when I turned 12 years old and started taking guitar lessons. This time I had a vision, direction, and purpose. I wanted to be a rockstar! Therefore I devoted myself to painstaking practice on chords and strumming and such in order to achieve my dream. While that dream never actually became a reality (thank God!) I am grateful for how God has been able to use that skill in my life.

The point is that without a vision disciplines become boring and meaningless. The same can be true of our spiritual lives. If we don't have a vision for what our lives could become, we will not see the purpose in disciplines such as Bible reading, prayer, worship, fellowship and things like that. They will become empty boring routines.

I believe that God wants to give us a vision for Christlikeness. As Christians we are called to be "little Christs". The purpose of spiritual growth is to become more and more like Jesus.

We always imitate what we admire most. You can always tell who or what a person admires most by what they imitate. The more we become fascinated by Jesus, the more we will want to be like him.

When that happens, we will see the spiritual disciplines as a joy and not a nuisance. We will come to see them as a means of transforming us into the image of Christ and not just meaningless rituals.

Just some of my reflections.

Life Groups Video

2007-09-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

This is the video we made to promote our Life Groups which will be beginning the first week of October!

City Reach Video

2007-09-19T11:06:00.001-04:00

Here's a City Reach recap video that was created by Allison Park Church. It includes footage from Ambridge as well as 4 other City Reach sites this year.

Weekend Reflections

2007-09-17T11:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not typically easily impressed with church attendance numbers because they are not always a true reflection of spirituality. I do however feel that it is appropriate to celebrate and praise God when we have a record Sunday morning attendance. This past Sunday we had a combined total of 110! Also there were about 6-7 people who responded to give their lives to Christ or rededicate their lives to him!

God has brought us a long way in a year's time. I'm so thankful for all the growth I've seen taking place in people's lives and also hearing testimonies of how God is using our church to impact our community.

The message I shared this past Sunday was the 2nd in our "Disciple" series. It was an introduction and vision message for our Life Groups that will be launching the 1st week of October.

In the message I shared "4 Reasons why we should get into a life group"

They are:

1. We were designed for relationship.

Genesis 2:18- “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone;’”

I also shared 3 dangers of living in isolation based on this previous post.

2. Christianity is meant to be lived in community.

Heb. 10:24-25- “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

3. Small groups are a biblical model of discipleship

Acts 2:42-46- “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…and day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts”

Acts 5:42- “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 20:18-20- “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia… how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house.”

4. Small Groups are an opportunity to reach people for Christ.

Luke 5:29- Immediately after Jesus calls Matthew Levi to leave his tax collecting job and follow him, it says,“And Levi made him [Jesus] a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them.”

Also, here's a SHOUT OUT for all the Geneva College students! So good to have all of you join us!

God has blessed us so much and I am so excited about the future God has for ACC!

Clean-Up Day

2007-09-15T14:02:00.000-04:00

This morning, a handful of us went out with brooms, garden hoes, and trash bags and cleaned up portions of 4th St. in Ambridge. We basically picked up litter and weeded the sidewalks.

I love taking advantage of every opportunity I can to join up with this committee to help clean up Ambridge because I believe in the importance of what they're doing.

I also enjoy it because my job does not naturally lend itself to weight loss. It's great to have a chance to get out and get the blood flowing a little bit!

Water Baptisms and New Members Class!

2007-09-13T13:25:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty excited about our upcoming Membership class and water baptism service. These are always a great time for me. I love sharing with new people what our church is all about and what we believe. There is something that charges me up every time someone shares their testimony and is water baptized.

The membership class will be from 11am-1pm on Saturday, Oct 13, and the baptism service will be on Sunday, Oct 21 at 10am. If you are interested in participating in either of these send me an email here!.

In the Nick of Time!

2007-09-12T17:34:00.000-04:00

Today I had the awesome privilege of hanging out with my friend Nick Poole. Nick and I went to college together. He was actually my RA the second semester of my freshman year!

Now Nick is on staff at Allison Park Church as a church plant coordinator. His job is basically to help resource the various APC church plants.

Ambridge Clean-Up Day

2007-09-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

Really excited about another opportunity we have to show love to our community. We've been invited again by the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge to participate in a clean up day this Saturday.

We helped for a clean up day in April. You can read about that here. I love opportunities like this because it is such a practical way to show Christ's love!

Anyone is welcome to join us. We will be meeting this Saturday the 15th at Rook's parking lot on 4th and Merchant St. in Ambridge from 9-11am. We'd love to have you come out!

Disciple Series Begins This Weekend

2007-09-07T11:09:00.000-04:00

Have you ever hit a roadblock in your relationship with God?

Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual rut that you couldn't get out of?

This Sunday we'll be launching a new 4-part series on discipleship. We will be diving into some foundational truths and principles of walking with God. We will discover some keys to living a vibrant and exhilarating Christian life.

This study will revolve around the person of Jesus Christ. Though he was God Himself, he became a man in order that we might be brought back into fellowship with God. In this series we will discover how to grow in our personal relationship with Him. We'll be looking at what it really means to be a follower of Christ.

Rise and Pray

2007-09-05T11:50:00.000-04:00

It's interesting to see what Jesus told his disciples to do regarding prayer before he was arrested. In Luke 22:40, when he was on the Mount of Olives, he told his disciples "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." Then he went off by himself and prayed earnestly to God because he was distressed about the upcoming crucifixion. When he returned to where his disciples were he noticed that they were all sound asleep.

Jesus responded to them in v.46 "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." Previously he had encouraged them to only pray, now he challenges them to rise and pray. Why would he do this?

The Bible also teaches that while our spirits are often willing to engage in prayer, our flesh is weak. That means that our bodies and minds can make it difficult to pray. Jesus encourages them to do something physically that will help them spiritually. He calls them to rise and pray.

What we do with our physical bodies can help or hinder our spiritual development. Sometimes it's as simple as rising up when we pray. It simply helps keep the blood flowing and keeps us more alert. Why is it that sometimes it's easier to fall asleep in prayer meetings than actually pray? I think it's partly because we don't move at all. A little mobilization goes a long way in helping us to stay focused.

For years now I've found it particularly helpful to walk and pace as I pray. It really does help me stay focused. There certainly is no prescribed manner of prayer in the Bible. There are all kinds of biblical postures of prayer including kneeling, lying prostrate, standing, etc. Each one is meaningful and beneficial. I think we should employ all of them. The main point in prayer is the condition of our hearts and not the position of our bodies. However, I believe that our physical posture can have an effect on our ability to focus.

In certain times, like when we are exhausted or tired, it would be best to walk or pace when we pray. Jesus disciples were obviously very tired, but that's most likely why Jesus told them to rise and pray.

Just some of my thoughts. Do you have any?

George Muller On Overcoming ADD in Prayer

2007-09-04T12:37:00.000-04:00

I know I'm probably the only one who's ever had to deal with this, but have you ever struggled with ADD in prayer? You know, trying to be focused in prayer but instead end up experiencing all kinds of distractions. Like when you sit down to pray and then remember that your car needs an oil change, your refrigerator is empty, the room you're in could really use a good cleaning, and wow! your already 10 minutes late for work!

So what do you do? How do you deal with it?

George Muller wrote something really insightful regarding this in his autobiography. He said:

"The primary business I must attend to every day is fellowship with the Lord. The first concern is not how much I might serve the Lord, but how my inner man might be nourished...The most important thing I had to do was to read the Word of God and meditate on it...Formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible. But I often spent a quarter of an hour to an hour on my knees struggling to pray while my mind wandered. Now I rarely have this problem. As my heart is nourished by the truth of the Word, I am brought into true fellowship with God... This exercise of the soul can be best performed after the inner man has been nourished by meditation on the Word of God."

Muller basically proposes that meditation on the Scriptures is a powerful means of staying focused in prayer. As our minds are occupied with the truth of God's Word our souls will stay nourished and focused in prayer.

Widsom Part 1

2007-08-31T13:46:00.001-04:00

This is the first message in our short 2-part series on Wisdom from Proverbs 2:1-11.

A Blogging Pastor's Crutch? :)

2007-08-28T17:13:00.000-04:00

Celebrate God's Work

2007-08-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

I praise God for the awesome ways he's been working recently. At our City Reach services we saw roughly 90 people make decisions to give their lives to Christ! It really is awesome to watch God work like that because it's obvious that no one else could ever take the credit for it. It's amazing how God takes our feeble, yet sincere efforts at spreading his love and breathes power on them and works miracles in people's hearts!

One of the great privileges we enjoy as a church at ACC is the relationship we share with the church that started us, Allison Park Church. For those of you who may not know, our church was started by APC nine years ago and was the second of six church plants in the Pittsburgh area. This past weekend at APC they had spontaneous baptisms in their morning services in which 82 people decided on the spot to publicly declare their faith in Christ through water baptism! All these were baptized in a swimming pool set up in their concourse area. Check out the full report here!

Hearing reports and testimonies like this is important for us because it strengthens our faith. In church life and general life there are ups and downs. In some of the down times it can be difficult to stay encouraged. Sometimes we can be tempted to lose hope. That's why Gal. 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Celebrating the good things that God has done helps us to stay the course until we reap a harvest again!

Listen To God First

2007-08-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

The amazing thing about the age we live in is the accessibility of information. We are constantly bombarded with tons of words, ads, commercials, songs, shows, movies, etc. It seems like everywhere we go there is a constant stream of words. Henri Nouwen observes:

"Over the last few decades we have been inundated by a torrent of words. Wherever we go we are surrounded by words: words softly spoken, recited, or sung; words on records, in books, on walls, or in the sky; words to be heard, read, seen, or glanced at; words which flicker off and on, move slowly, dance, jump, or wiggle. Words, words, words! They form the floor, the walls, and the ceiling of our existence" (The Way of the Heart, 31).

We definitely live in a culture with a challenge that people of past ages did not have to deal with as strongly as we do. That challenge is: what voices do you listen to? Which ones do you really pay attention to? With all of the new books, blogs, and websites popping up every day, which ones do you really allow to speak into your life?

The answer to that question is both difficult and easy.

It's difficult because there are so many worthwhile books and blogs, etc. that have the potential to greatly enrich our lives that we could never actually absorb the useful good out of all of them. We would be wise to avail ourselves of the best of them.

It's easy because, when you boil everything down, there's really only one source of information that really matters. You guessed it...God. When it's all said and done, it's great if we benefit from all the good, practical information out there, but nothing is more important than allowing the primary shaper of our lives to be the voice of God.

In the end, it's really the only thing that matters. If we can make our priority listening to the voice of God and shaping our lives around his revealed will in the Scriptures, we will find in the end that we have built our lives on the only true and lasting foundation.

Block Party Pictures

2007-08-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

Check out this link for tons of pictures from the Block Party!

Desiring God Video Posts

2007-08-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here is a great link to a bunch of videos from past Desiring God conferences.

More City Reach Pics

2007-08-21T20:57:00.001-04:00

Here's a few more pics!

Debriefing Meeting

2007-08-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

Just wrapped up our City Reach debriefing meeting. It is amazing to hear story after story of all that God did this past week! God has definitely proven that he is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or imagine. We saw roughly 90 people make commitments to Christ this week! God is so good!

City Reach 3

2007-08-17T14:54:00.000-04:00

We had another great night last night. I gave a message about the prodigal son. I shared about how, apart from God, we've all made a mess of our lives, but when we turn to him with all of our heart, he will forgive us and give us a new start. We had about 15 people respond to the invitation to give their lives to Christ. Looking forward to the Block Party tonight!

City Reach 2

2007-08-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

Last night was incredible. We were packed out again despite the threat of rain. Chris Gilkey shared his powerful testimony with us and over 50 people responded to the call to give their heart to Christ! Praise God! Just about every ACCer in attendance became an altar worker handing out New Testaments and praying with people. It was absolutely incredible!

Tonight we'll be having a special appearance by Ambridge Police Chief Mark Romutis. He will be sharing with us briefly some of his vision for our community and I will be giving the evening message later on. We will also be giving away free pizza from CiCi's! It's going to be a great night!

City Reach Pics

2007-08-15T14:28:00.001-04:00

Here's a few pics from last night!

City Reach 1

2007-08-14T21:37:00.000-04:00

Last night was amazing! We were completely maxed out! That's a good problem to have. Over 35 people responded to the altar call to give their lives to Jesus Christ! Jeff Leake gave the message last night. For a good summary of the night, check out his blog post here!

Our guest speaker tonight is Chris Gilkey. Chris is the youth pastor at Victory Christian Center in Youngstown, Ohio. Chris has a powerful testimony of how God completely changed his life.

Tonight

2007-08-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

City Reach officially begins tonight! This evening our special speaker for the adults will be Jeff Leake from Allison Park Church. Jeff is a good friend and personal mentor of mine. It's actually because of his vision to plant churches that ACC was planted 9 years ago. He is a gifted teacher and communicator.

Leading our Vacation Bible School for our children this week is our children's minister, Pastor Cal. Cal was also instrumental in the start of our church. He had been doing sidewalk sunday school's in Ambridge for years before our church was ever started.

I believe more than ever that God has called us to this community with a special purpose, "for such a time as this!"

City Reach Is Finally Here!

2007-08-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

Today I spent a good part of the afternoon walking up and down through the streets of Ambridge passing out flyers for City Reach. If even one person's life is changed forever it will have been worth it!

This is our biggest outreach event of the year. Last year we had an average total attendance of 300 each night with 30 total salvations. I'm believing that God is going to do even more amazing things this year.

City Reach is not about building up our church, it's about building up the kingdom of God. It's about being filled with God's compassion for his people and making His love known. It is about being faithful to Christ's command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. This is about the mission God has called us to.

If you're unfamiliar with City Reach, it's basically three nights of special services for adults with music, giveaways, and a message, and Vacation Bible School for children with games, music, prizes, and exciting Bible stories. Also, I don't want to forget that there is FREE FOOD provided for everyone, every night following the festivities. On Friday the 17th will be our annual Back-To-School Block Party. We will be blocking off the street behind the church and filling it with all kinds of games, food booths, and a moonwalk. We will also be giving away free backpacks and school supplies to students.

I'm so excited about this week! I'm really looking forward to all that God is going to do.

General Council

2007-08-12T11:49:00.000-04:00

If your interested in reading up on any of the elections and resolutions from General Council in Indianapolis this year, you can find some good summaries here, and here.

Indy

2007-08-09T00:19:00.000-04:00

I arrived earlier today in Indianapolis for the 52 Biennial General Council of the Assemblies of God. Perhaps the biggest business item this year is the election of a new General Superintendent.

General Council is a great time of reconnecting with old friends. The fellowship really is the highlight of the conference. I love receiving encouragement from fellow pastors and to hear what God is doing in their communities.

Tonight at the service, Thomas Trask gave his final sermon as AG Superintendent. He stressed the importance of preserving the authentic Gospel, having authentic messengers, and facilitating an authentic experience.

Keep us in prayer as we elect our new leader tomorrow!

Yesterday

2007-08-07T11:51:00.001-04:00

I spent my entire day off yesterday with my brothers David and Mark at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We had an amazing time. It would be an understatement to say that Cedar Point is the best theme park in the US. They have a total of 17 major roller coasters!

I think the highlight for me was riding the Top Thrill Dragster. This ride shoots you up a 420 ft vertical track and down the other side at 120mph! I have to admit, it felt like I was being executed.

It was awesome to just spend time together as brothers since Mark is getting ready to go back to college next week.

Cedar Point rocks. It's a roller coaster lover's paradise (except for the waiting lines!)

Sunday Reflections

2007-08-05T12:33:00.000-04:00

We had a great service this morning. I believe that God has a specific purpose for every gathering we have. This morning there were two prophetic words that confirmed almost exactly the message that I had prepared!

The message was the third in our Jonah series. It was all about God's mercy in ch 3. As part of the message, I identified 5 elements of repentance. They're real simple, all from Jonah 3:

1. Believe God- v. 5

2. Humble yourself- v. 5b-6

3. Fasting- v.7
a. Fasting is a way of silencing your earthly, fleshly desires to make you more aware of spiritual realities.

4. Call out to God- v.8b

5. Turn from evil ways- v. 8c

This is certainly not 5 steps to perfect repentance and God does not require that we fast every time we repent. All repentance is really an issue of the heart before God. These are just some pointers to assist in the process.

Access Elevation

2007-08-01T20:21:00.000-04:00

I've really been learning a lot from this blog. It is an amazing resource from Elevation Church in North Carolina. This church plant is really having a huge impact in their city. From a numerical standpoint God has blessed them with tremendous growth as they have gone from 121 at their first service to almost 2,000 in 17 months. There is a lot of really good articles on issues that face every church plant or established church. From accounting to assimilation to leadership and more. Check it out here.

Bible Reading

2007-07-30T12:15:00.001-04:00

I'm really grateful for Bible reading plan I'm currently using. Besides the benefit of reading through the Bible in one year, I'm also enjoying the ability to read and absorb passages of Scripture that I would normally be unlikely to study. I'm grateful for the plan because it enables me to grasp the big picture of Scripture. It allows me to grow in my understanding of how it all fits together.

The plan assists in the discipline of reading the unfamiliar and the familiar parts of Scripture. Personally, I know that without a plan or at least a determination, I would be more likely to revisit my favorite Scripture passages over and over and neglect others. The plan helps me to stay balanced in my Bible intake.

I am all for revisiting our favorite Scriptures and especially the ones that God has spoken to us through. I think that is an essential part of the discipline of Scripture meditation. I also know that sometimes I can tend to dismiss some passages because they are more immediately relevant than others. While that is true, it doesn't justify ignoring those passages. After all "All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). And who knows, sometimes God speaks to us out of passages that we would least expect him to.

I'm grateful to be able to glean so much from the more unfamiliar portions of Scripture. I'd encourage you to go for it too!

Future AG Blog

2007-07-26T12:05:00.001-04:00

Some of you may have heard that the General Superintendent of our fellowship of churches, Thomas Trask is resigning this year and we will be electing a new Gen Sup at this year's General Council in Indianapolis. This is a new blog facilitating a discussion about the election. It is very insightful if you are interested in this kind of thing. You can also see the results of a poll on votes for possible candidates.

The Reluctant Prophet

2007-07-25T13:18:00.000-04:00

This is the first message in our Jonah series. Through this study we will be looking at what this book has to say about the prophet Jonah and more importantly what it teaches us about God.

Good Friends

2007-07-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

Jess and I had a great time this weekend hanging out with good friends Bobby Hawk and Nick Poole. We all go way back to college. Never thought I'd be saying that... Must be getting old! Bobby is a Senior Pastor in Pontiac, Michigan and Nick is on staff at Allison Park Church. Great guys!

Jonah Series

2007-07-20T15:38:00.000-04:00

I'm getting very excited about our upcoming series on Jonah. We will be taking a fresh look at this familiar story and the insights it gives us into God. I've been finding so much richness in my study and preparation this week. I'd rather have God put one word in my heart than share a thousand of my own thoughts.

Friendships Part 2

2007-07-20T09:45:00.001-04:00

I'll never forget what one of my mentors in the past would always say: Show me your friends and I'll show you your future. That truth has always stuck with me.

I remember when I was in 4th grade. I was a really quiet kid that wasn't able to make very many friends except with some of the bad kids. I never really quite fit in with that group though, but I remember how powerful their influence was on me. One friend in particular invited me one time to go throw rocks at a neighbors house. Not one of my best moments:)

I have since learned the importance of having the right friends. While having the wrong friends can drag you down, having the right friends can lift you up. In college I was drawn to with people who had a similar passion in their heart for God. I typically avoid churchy phrases, but for the sake of discussion I made friends with people who I found to be a "kindred spirit". That's not to say that I didn't have any other friends, but my primary friendships, the ones I allowed to influence me, were with people who were serious about God.

Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

All of us are influencers, in one way or another. We are constantly influencing others and allowing others to influence us. I believe that this Scripture teaches us that surrounding ourselves with wise friends and counselors has a profound effect on the shaping of our lives. The people that we align ourselves with, identify ourselves with, and allow to influence us, will have an undeniable effect on our development.

Friendships are critical and vital, and the deepest friendships are truly a gift from God. Even more important than having friends is the quality of the friends we choose. I'm so thankful for the many wise friends whom God has sent into my life.

Reading

2007-07-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a good article I came across on the Desiring God blog about the importance of reading. Enjoy!

Friendships Part 1

2007-07-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I got a call from a college friend that I have not talked to in a really long time. It was so refreshing to reconnect with someone who had been a huge blessing to my life in college. It got me thinking about the importance of friendships.

As humans, we are created with a need and desire for friendship and relationship. When God created man in the garden he said that it was not good for the man to be alone. If he said that before sin entered the picture how much more important is it that we be connected with one another in healthy relationships.

One of the most dangerous traps that a Christian, or anybody for that matter, can fall into is isolation. Isolation is a subtle, yet deadly pattern.

Isolation is dangerous for at least 3 reasons:

We are more susceptible to discouragment and depression
See Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. When we have close knit friendships we can lift one another up in the midst of failure or suffering.

We are more vulnerable to temptation
See James 1:14. This is true because the more isolated we become, the less accountable we are to anyone.

The power of sin is in its secrecy
See James 5:16. We can't be truly healed without confession. We need people with whom we can make our struggles known so that they may pray for us and stand with us for victory.

We need friends who can speak into our lives and we need friends whose lives we can speak into. When we are connected with one another in true friendship we will be there to support one another in moments of greatest need. We need to be surrounded by those people who can lift us up when we are down and strengthen us when we are weak. We need to look for those that we can invest in and inspire to go higher.

We were not created to live in isolation. We were made for relationship with God and with one another. Regardless of how introverted or extroverted we are, we cannot afford to live in isolation from other people. We would be wise to follow the counsel of 1 John 1:7:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Comments?

Sidewalk Sunday School

2007-07-17T09:37:00.000-04:00

Sidewalk SS is right around the corner. We'll be having these children's outreach events Monday, July 23, 30, and August 6. Each of these days there will be activities at 4:30pm at the P.J. Caul Gazebo on 11th St. and at 7pm at Crestview Village. So many lives have been impacted by this ministry through the years.

Coba

2007-07-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are a couple of shots from the Mayan city of Coba in the eastern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. I love visiting places like this.

Sounds of Joy

2007-07-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

I shared a verse with our worship team that I read this morning. Let it be an encouragement to anyone in worship or music ministry.

1 Chronicles 15:16

"David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy."

Let's raise sounds of joy!

Home Sweet Home!

2007-07-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

It was good to be away, but its great to be back! Jess and I had a wonderful time in Mexico. We originally thought our resort was in Cancun, but it ended up being in Riviera Maya, about 45 minutes south of Cancun along the coast. I think I was able to use every bit of Spanish that I know!

The weather was beautiful, the water was great, and the food was amazing. I'm glad to have rediscovered my love for one of the greatest food combinations in the world: chopped white onions, chopped tomatoes, and fresh cilantro (i.e. pico de gallo). Love that stuff! They definitely know how to do Mexican food down there.

We were also able to visit the archaelogical site of Coba, an ancient Mayan city. Though not as large as some of the other ancient cities I've visited, Coba is largely unexcavated. Our guide told us that they have only uncovered about 1% of the city. I'll post some pictures of it later on.

Also got to finish the classic book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. More on that for another time.

It's great to be back and I'm looking forward to what God has for us this summer at ACC!

I'm An Adventurer (somewhat)

2007-07-03T06:14:00.000-04:00

Even though I was influenced somewhat by Indiana Jones, God has given me a love of adventure. I really enjoy visiting archaeological sites. I have visited several ruins of the ancient Maya civilizations.

The first time I was in Mexico, I visited Chichen Itza, which is probably best known for its 75' tall pyramid in excellent condition.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of visiting the ancient Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala. Tikal was one of the major cultural and population centers of the Maya civilization. There are a few ruins there that were used as a backdrop for a couple of scenes in Star Wars Episode IV.

As Jess and I are about to leave for our vacation now we are planning on visiting the Mayan city of Coba in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Coba is one of the most unexcavated of all Mayan archaelogical sites. Looking forward to it.

With that, I'll be checking out of the blogosphere. Peace out!

Mature Love For God

2007-06-29T09:43:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm reading through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. One interesting concept that I've been reading about is his take on loving God. He deals with the dilemma we all face about basing our love for God or our spouse or others on our feelings. Regarding love for God he says,

"They [people] are told they ought to love God. They cannot find any such feeling in themselves. What are they to do? The answer is the same as before. Act as if you did. Do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself, 'If I were sure I loved God, what would I do?' When you have found the answer, go and do it... Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will... He will give us feelings of love if he pleases. We cannot create them ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right."

Sometimes I think we (myself included) are inclined to love God or worship God or pray to God only when we have strong feelings of love toward him. If that is the only time we pursue God (i.e. when we feel like it) it proves that our love is fickle and immature.

I thank God for the times when I feel intense love for him and my heart is awakened by revelation. At the same time though my love for God cannot be dependent on my feelings. Lewis alludes to the fact that feelings come and go and cannot be manufactured. They are also not principally what God cares about.

In the same way that a husband and wife's love matures and is strengthened through time and testing, so our love for God is refined and purified through spiritual drought seasons. That is, when we feel no love for God, the resolve of our will to love him anyway strengthens and matures our love for him. In the same way that a marriage cannot be built on a feeling, so our relationship with God cannot be built on our feelings.

As a side note, though our love for God is immature it does not mean that God does not regard it as real and genuine. This side of eternity we will all be growing in our love for God and none of us will ever perfectly arrive. His love for us never changes and is not dependent on our performance.

So how can we mature in our love for God?

I can think of at least three things, there are probably more, but basically:

1. We must realize that love is not a feeling, but rather a resolve of the will.
2. We must realize that feelings of love will come and go.
3. When the feelings are gone (and this will happen) we must resolve to love God for who he is and what he has done not because of what he can do for us or how we feel.

In this way, as our love for God is tested through seasons of suffering or drought, our love for God becomes more and more mature. The cool thing about God's grace is that when we choose to love him regardless of how we feel, he tends to bless us with feelings of love more often. The old principle is true: Faith does not follow feelings, feelings follow faith.

Any thoughts on this?

Strength

2007-06-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

This is a sermon I gave two Sundays ago. Based on Ephesians 3:14-19, it focuses on God's desire and ability to strengthen us in our innermost being.

Pastor's Roundtable Day 2

2007-06-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

This conference has been very insightful and encouraging. There's something powerful about a bunch of pastors getting together to seek God and encourage one another. It has also been an awesome time of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Nick Poole took some good notes from Jeff Leake's talk today about being Pentecostal and Missional. You can check them out here.

Back Home!

2007-06-26T22:28:00.001-04:00

Finally back home. Sorry I haven't been able to post for a while. Missouri was amazing. Springfield will always have a special place in my heart. Today I've been attending the 3rd annual Pastor's Roundtable at Allison Park Church. You can find more info on that here and here.

This afternoon I had the privilege of officiating the funeral for Jordan Slicker. Jordan was a mentally handicapped foster child that was in the care of my mom and dad. Jordan's life has touched so many people. It was an honor to officiate his funeral.

Off To Springfield

2007-06-21T19:47:00.001-04:00

Jess and I are now sitting at the Pittsburgh airport awaiting our flight to St. Louis, MO. Having just eaten at the airport TGI Friday's and currently sipping a cup of Mayagora Coffee, we are ready to roll.

From St. Louis we're going to rent a car and drive to Springfield where I will be a groomsman in the wedding of one of my best friend's.

I'm already walking down memory lane just thinking of Springfield. It was there I went to college, met my wife, learned lots of life lessons, drove a FedEx truck, got lost caving, started seminary, helped out at this church, and this church, just to name a few things.

It's gonna be a sweet trip!

Planning Meeting

2007-06-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

Just finished a planning meeting for our August outreach event CityReach '07. Some meetings can tend to be a little draining, but this one was very energizing. Last year's CityReach was a huge success where we saw over 30 people give their lives to Christ and baptized 9 on a subsequent week. I'm believing for even greater things this year!

City Reach is going to take place August 14-17 here at ACC. Tuesday-Thursday there will be special services for adults and VBS for all children with free food following. Friday night we will have our Back-to-School Block Party behind the church on Melrose Ave. We will have food, games, and backpacks with school supplies to give away. It's going to be an amazing time of sharing Christ's love with our community.

Here's a couple sepia pics from City Reach last year:

Recording Plug

2007-06-20T15:36:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to give a small plug regarding my brother Dave's upcoming music album. Dave is a gifted musician and serves as a worship leader at APC. This week Dave is in Minneapolis doing some more recording work. He has graciously let me hear some pre-cuts of several of his tracks and believe me, they are amazing! I'm definitely a very proud brother! Dave's heart and passion for God show through in every part of his life and the music he writes is no exception. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do through Dave's life and ministry through music!

Maximizing Our Joy In God

2007-06-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

Had this thought the other day:

True joy does not come from filling ourselves with what we think we want, but rather from God filling us with what he knows we need.

I find that I am happiest when I'm not looking out for #1. That is, I tend to be most fulfilled in life when I'm not focused on pleasing myself, but rather serving and giving to others. In essence, when I am not focused on bringing personal happiness to myself, I am free to experience the joy of blessing others.

God knows what will satisfy and fulfill us infinitely better than we could ever know ourselves. So, when we choose to live for him and according to his purposes for our lives, we find that we are the most fulfilled. That's why God says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." When God is the supreme delight and joy of our lives, we will live in such a way as to bring him maximum glory and praise through our lives.

It is as we live in this way that we are satisfied with him above all things. We find ourselves living for something far bigger than ourselves. We are free from obsessing about our own little world and how we can maximize our own pleasure.

We are free to give our lives to a cause that greater than any other in the universe: Making disciples of all nations and leading people into their own personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Only when Jesus becomes the supreme joy of our lives will leading people to him become our source of greatest joy. Until we love him more than anything, we will only focus on how to please ourselves. When we love him with all of our hearts, nothing will give us greater joy than glorifying him than giving our lives to his mission in the earth.

The pleasure we gain from glorifying God is infinitely greater than merely living to make much of our own personal ends. It is a terrible deception to think that ultimate joy comes from seeking to please ourselves.