One of the greatest distractions for me: CELL PHONES.

Each week during the sermon I hear cell phones ringing.  I wonder how many of these calls have been emergencies?

Let me guess – PROBABLY ZERO!

Cell phones are a great tool for communication but please consider how important it is to get that “important” phone call during church, a movie or anything else where the phone can be a horrible distraction to others.  God may speak to you during worship; however, he won’t call you on your cell phone.  Here are some alternatives; silent/vibrate mode, off button or leave the darn thing in your car.

While you’re at it go ahead and take the Bluetooth earpiece out of your ear…
it looks ridiculous during worship.

What if God granted you an opportunity to go back in time and speak to the wisest people who ever lived (people such as Moses, Apostle Paul, Solomon, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Fredrick Douglass)?  However, once you reached your destination, you sat at their feet and proceeded to do all the talking?  Would it be a worthwhile endeavor?  Did the aforementioned people need to know all you had to say?  Upon leaving would you wish you had talked less and listened more?  Incredibly, many people enter God’s holy presence in prayer and then do all the talking!

What God has to say to us is infinitely more important that what we have to say to Him, yet we generally monopolize the conversation. God already knows everything we plan to tell Him, yet we continue talking rather than allowing Him to tell us things we don’t know.  Why?  Our American individualist mindset tricks us to believe that we can dominate our conversation with God. Prayer is two-way communication, but it is not communication between two equal parties.

Tonight (7PM) we’ll gather @ the Mars Hill Baptist Church for our 1st Wednesday Worship.  This worship experience allows us to spend more time worshipping God and listening to the Word.  During tonight’s service, I will pose 5 Questions that will revolutionize the prayer lives of those in attendance.  The questions are as follows:

1. What is Prayer (the definition may surprise you)?
2. Why Pray (it’s not what you think)?
3. To Whom Do We Pray (is it God, Jesus, or The Holy Spirit)?
4. What Do God’s Answers Look Like (it’s more than, “God give me a sign”)?
5. What If There Is Silence?

Please come and join us!

1. During our 8AM Worship Experience, we were blessed to have a long-time friend of my father & our church preach the Word.
2. Dr. W.H. Foster, Sr., preached with passion and power as he encourage our members to continue to build on the legacy and expand for the Glory of God.  He blessed us by singing “Father, I Stretch My Hand To Thee.”  And yes, he ripped it & shouted EVERYTHING in our church.  What a mighty man of God!
3. During our 10:30AM Worship Experience, personally, I thought the music was UNBELIEVABLE!!!  WOW!
4. The Praise & Worship period blended contemporary praise peppered with traditional hymns.  From the response of the audience, I knew we were in for another awe-inspiring worship experience.
5. I sensed many in our congregation were carrying heavy burdens and needed a breakthrough.  Therefore, I preached “A Second Wind” from Isaiah 40:29-31 and saw how the words bypassed their intellect and pierced the very core of their souls!
6. To catch a Second Wind is to have increased energy or strength after feeling tired or weak.
7. A Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is too out of breath and tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion.  I FEEL A SHOUT COMING ON!!!
8. The phenomenon has come to be used as a metaphor for continuing on with renewed energy past the point thought to be one’s prime, whether in other sports, careers, or life in general.

A Few in Need of a Second Wind:

WIDOWS
SINGLE PARENTS
THOSE FACING HEALTH CHALLENGES
THOSE FACING LAYOFFS/DOWNSIZED
COLLEGE GRADS FACING A DIFFICULT JOB MARKET

As we wait on the Lord, we’ll find more strength (2ND WIND) to REST (while God prepares us for our next assignment), REFLECT (look around and see God’s faithfulness), and WORSHIP (to make Him the center of our affection).   Worship ended with a POWERFUL altar call for those who were ready to give up.  God interceded and gave them a “SECOND WIND” to go on!  As I prayed & laid hands, I felt the power of God breaking yokes & strongholds and people walked away with renewed strength.

Mars Hill…I love you guys…I am so blessed to be here and serving as your pastor.  I am BLOWN away by all that God is doing…and I can’t wait to see what happens next around here.  Ephesians 3:20 is becoming more and more real to all of us…we serve an amazing God!

Next week I begin a new series
“Can You See Him”

Here’s An Overview:

Daily life usually sets us on a path that’s almost robotic and we forget to see God in all things – the good, the tragic, or even the mundane.  Think of your day today.  Did you see Him in your kids’ laughter, the homeless person on the corner, or even the papers you stapled?  He was there. Join me as we discover how to see God in everything.

Read more >> Options >>

Each year we’re invited to hear “celebrity” pastors share God’s plan for the church and how we ought to adopt it and be large and successful like them.  Frankly, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a venue to really address how and why churches grow.  Many pastors & church leaders make their annual pilgrimage to Saddleback, Willowcreek, North Point, Fellowship, New Birth, Greater St. Steven FGBC, The Potter’s House, etc. and come away excited and delusional with unrealistic expectations.  Ed Stetzer of Lifeway calls it ministry pornography.  According to Ed Stetzer:

“Ministry pornography is an unrealistic expectation of an experience you’re never going to have which distracts you from the real thing.”

God used these churches and their pastors for a specific time and in a specific place.  Unfortunately, that experience is rarely duplicated.  If you were to take the aforementioned churches and transplant them in other areas, the results would be drastically different.  Can you imagine Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, or Andy Stanley leading an inner-city urban church?  Or, can you see Bishop T.D. Jakes screaming “Get Ready…Get Ready…Get, Get, Ready” at Saddleback or North Point Church?  Simply put, God rarely does the same thing twice.

May I Offer You A Few Suggestions to break your addiction to ministry porn:

1. Confess your addiction to ministry pornography & repent!
2. Do not attend any conferences for one year
3. Get alone with your Bible, pen, & paper and discover God’s purpose for the church (read Matt. 22-37-40; 28:19-20, The Book of Acts)
4. Get a demographic breakdown of your community (US Census Bureau or your local Chamber of Commerce).
5. After discovering the purpose of the church, write down how your church plans to reach that community (this is the hard part).  Make sure it’s less than a paragraph because people don’t like to read long statements.
6. Preach/teach a series on God’s vision for the church and how you plan to fulfill it.
7. Reorganize your church’s leaders, staff, volunteers, and structure (in that order)
8. Evaluate & tweak your plan/strategy

So, what’s your next step?  I’d love to hear it!

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO

As Jonathan Crossfield explains, “These ideas are not science fiction but are just around the corner.  It shows how far things will change in just a few short years and the ramifications for consumer behaviour are massive.”  As an urban pastor who’s technically saavy, I openly ponder if pastors/church leaders will be able to lead this technically saavy generation.

How will the church (and it’s leaders) will need to change in order to be successful?  I would love to hear what you or your church is currently doing to prepare for tomorrow.

“It was the best of times, the worst of times…”

The opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, referring to the time of the French Revolution describes the economic reality of today.  The question that’s on everyone’s mind, but, seldom asked is: How are you doing?  The answer depends on your individual circumstances, of course – but also on your perspective.   The glass is either half full or half empty for many of us today.  This morning when I woke up, my first emotion was profound gratitude. Even though my financial worth had been decimated by the events of the last three months, I realized that nothing could touch the things that are most valuable to me.

I also realized that I have a choice: I can focus on what I have lost or I can focus on what I have. I started making a mental list:

1. I have my health.
2. I have a loving wife, who is also my best friend
3. I have three wonderful children.  “I am particularly fond of each of them,” as Papa says in The Shack.
4. I have several profound friendships that encourage and challenge me.
5. I have meaningful work that I would do even if I wasn’t getting paid.
6. I have incredibly competent co-workers whom I truly love and respect.
7. I have a church that grows dearer to me with each passing year.
8. I have a relationship with God that is endlessly fascinating and fulfilling.

And the list goes on. I could name a hundred more things, but you get the idea.

My guess is that the Economic Downturn is going to get worse (I pray I’m wrong) before it gets better.  You and I have very little control over what happens in the external environment.  But we do have control over what happens inside our hearts.  It all depends on our mental focus.

Question:
What do you have that the Economic Downturn can’t touch?

FYI – I want to thank my friends from Facebook for sharing their tips.  If you would like to read more, please click here.

Sunday services are over, but, my mind is STILL spinning…

1. I honestly feel that this weekends services were the most amazing services we’ve ever had since I became pastor in 1999.
2. Our total church attendance was over 2,500 for the first time in the history of our church!
3. I preached about God’s historical bailouts & (The Full Coverage Plan, The “I AM” Plan, The Provision Plan) & closed with The Greatest Bailout that ever happened – The Resurrection Plan!
4. Our NEW & IMPROVED Video Venue Service had over 220 for the first time today!  I want to thank all the ushers, greeters, deacons, ministers, and security who served in our Video Venue – YOU ARE SIMPLY THE BEST!
5. Our 100-voice choir was OFF THE CHAIN as they slammed Donald Lawrence’s “Matthew 28.”
6. Honestly, I believe Mars Hill has the best Worship & Fine Arts Ministry – PERIOD!  There are churches with larger ministries & celebrity musicians & personalities.  However, I’ll take our anointing over any celebrity!
7. Folks…what happened yesterday at our church IS NOT NORMAL…it wasn’t a “nice service”…it was a move of God!  I’ve honestly never been a part of something like what happened today…and it’s only the beginning.
8. Religion is all about what we do to get to God…Christianity is all about what God did to get to us!
9. THAT is one of the problems with church today…we’ve became “normal” when the call of Christ on our lives is to change the world-”normal” people can’t do that!
10. We will continue this series on Sunday…expecting/praying for God to do amazing things AGAIN!

AND…to My Mars Hill Family…a personal note…

Reality is this…satan got his butt kicked this weekend!  Hell is going to be less crowded!  People crossed over from death to life.  The way a community is changed is by the church preaching AND living the Gospel…and I believe we are going to continue to see Jesus do the unexplainable and undeniable…and we, His church, will continue to become unstoppable!

He’s alive-we win…now all we need to do is continually run up the score!!!

I LOVE you guys…I LOVE our church…I LOVE serving here…there is NOTHING ELSE on the planet I would rather do!  I’m bought in!!!

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Free-wheeling capitalism has always been the heart of the US Economy but the recent $700 billion bailout, a level of government intervention not seen since the Great Depression, is hardly unprecedented.  Historically, the Federal Government has not only taken stakes in banks, steel mills, and coal mines but have even seized control of everything from railways to savings and loans.  Unfortunately, when it comes to you and I, we would be hard pressed to make their list.  Consequently, If you STILL believe the government will bail you out – think again!

As Believers, we’ve already received our bailout!

So what does the bailout mean for me?  The word power occurs 57 times in the New Testament.  It is a word used to describe the most powerful bailout that ever happened, an event that separated A.D. from B.C.  That event was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Consequently, that resurrection power is available to change your life! So, please join us this Easter at the Mars Hill Baptist Church and experience a heartfelt worship experience coupled with a timely Word from God.  Additionally, we will unveil our “new & improved” video venue which is additional worship experience using video technology to reproduce our live worship experience.

Easter Weekend Schedule

Good Friday

Friday, April 10, 2009
12 Noon & 6:30PM

Easter

Sunday, April 12, 2009
8:00 AM & 10:30 AM (Live)
8:00 AM & 10:30 AM (Video Venue)

Call me a walking contradiction:

A free-thinking, contemporary urban Renaissance man tied to a symbol of traditionalism.

But with custom comes assurance that grows with affirmation.  After the fickleness of the 70’s, greed of the 80’s, and the truth-twisting of the 90’s, I came to see the wisdom of our elders’ beliefs — that wearing fine clothes, from head to toe, was how mortals showed reverence to God.

So, why dress up for church?

Genesis 35:1-3 may shed some light on the subject.  It is possible that as Jacob began this faith-journey to Bethel with God, he recognized how much God had done for him, and how much he needed God! His response was to take everyone with him on this faith-journey, so they could experience God for themselves. “Get rid of the strange gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure” implies the need to be united in “coming clean” before God. “For all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23).  Many then had “household idols” with them that they depended on, as well as God.  They did not trust God alone. “Change your clothes” implies a change of heart toward sin.  It was to be a reflection of what had taken place on the “inside.”

On Sunday mornings all over the Chicagoland area, a parade of the sharp dressed men and women can be seen on street corners in the Austin neighborhood, at bus stops in Bronzeville, and in soul food restaurants after morning service.  Dress is usually more formal for Black Christians when they attend worship or other religious gatherings.  Many white Christians seem to like to dress informally, wearing even jeans or shorts to Sunday morning church services.  This is very foreign and can be demeaning in the eyes of some Black Christians.

I see God’s house as a place that gives African Americans hope in times of despair.  Additionally, it is the dream of heavenly salvation that sustained us for so long and deserves our respect in spite of its weaknesses.  Therefore, I decided to wear suits to personally show my reverence to God.

What’s your take?

Racism still exists (even in the church)
That’s right, I said it!

Americans may be poised to elect an African-American as president, but it’s segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars.  Only about 5 percent of the nation’s churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of United by Faith, a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.

Personally, I do not believe integrated churches work.
(when they are led by Black pastors)

Having a determined pastor is not enough.  Interracial churches can also implode on issues far more explosive than worship styles — like interracial dating & power.  Some scholars and leaders who deal with interracial issues say it’s not unusual for parents in racially-mixed churches to leave when their teenage kids begin dating.

Some parents talked about the importance of a multiracial church, until their kid became attracted to someone from another race within the church.  As kids began to date, some things get revealed.  They (both Blacks and Whites) don’t want their kids involved in interracial dating.

Next, accepting black leadership is another touchy subject.  Most interracial churches are led by white pastors.  A congregation typically becomes all-black if a black pastor is hired, says DeYoung, the United by Faith co-author.  As long as the top person, the senior pastor, is white, power sort of resides with whites.  But when that shifts, it does something psychologically to people.  White people usually leave.

Black pastors who do gain the acceptance of interracial congregations still have to watch themselves.  Some white parishioners, even progressive ones, get uneasy when a black pastor gets too fiery in the pulpit.  A black church sermon that could be understood as impassioned might be interpreted as angry and defensive by a white congregation.

Most Black preachers who minister in predominately White congregations must modified their preaching style to appeal to all sorts of people.  Many abandon the pulpit pyrotechnics they learned growing up in the black church.  They also carry their authority lightly, dressing casually in the pulpit and consulting with church committees before making decisions.   In conversation, they’re relaxed and accessible.

Honestly, I’m quite comfortable serving the congregation God prepared for me.  Each Sunday I preach with passion and enjoy how we “do church.”  I have no desire to modify my preaching style (White preachers don’t modify theirs) to appeal to all sorts of people.  As the point-man at Mars Hill Baptist Church, I don’t carry my authority lightly or dress casually so I can “fit in” with everyone.  Quite frankly, I “do me.”

Holla back!