The Right Thing To Do

Ah, Christmas. Typically at this time of year we're thinking through the question, "Who will we give to this year?" We pinpoint as a church a cause, organization, or charity that we ask our people to direct their attention and money towards in an effort to love others in need and to bring the Kingdom of God to those who don't know Him. Again, that's typically what happens.

During the month of November we've traveled through a series together at The Brook called "Weapons". We've been talking about tools and devices the Enemy loves to use against and sometimes (sadly) deceives us into using against each other. But yesterday we turned a corner and confronted a weapon that we seem to use against ourselves: DEBT. We're the ones who pick up the shovel and we're the ones that keep digging the hole...even when we can't see the light of day anymore. We are exhorted throughout scripture (Romans 13:8, Proverbs 22:7, Matthew 6:19-24) to a better way of living. This wasn't just a sermon about our individual credit card debt - it's about the fact that WE - as a CHURCH - are in DEBT. And it's time to put an end to it!

December 13th will be "Erase the Debt" Day here at The Brook. I have asked our people to spend the next 21 days praying about what the Lord would ask them to give to "Erase the Debt". I believe the Lord is leading some of us to fast over these days - leading us to get on our faces and seek His direction. I am praying that many of our people will feel called by the Lord to give in a way that almost seems ridiculous to them at first - that He calls us to a generosity we didn't even know resided within us. We are very well aware that this is not something that's going to "feel good", like giving to Blood:Water Mission or Habitat for Humanity or Samaritan's Purse. This is probably not going to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy for Christmas. But that's not why we give anyway...is it?

This is what the Lord is calling us to do as a church. This is the right thing. This is biblical. And NOW is the time!

If you're a member of The Brook, please join us in asking the Lord what He desires you to give to "Erase the Debt". If you're not a member of our church, please join us in praying that the Lord will faithfully help us overcome this minor obstacle and wipe it out - so that we can begin to serve & give wholeheartedly as His people.

If you missed the message yesterday, I encourage you to check out the podcast: http://www.thebrookchurch.com/pages/podcasts.html

"My God shall supply all your needs according to HIS riches in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:18-20

The Painful, Ugly Truth...and My Son

I had a message from Morgan today saying that she needed to tell me about the conversation she had with Nathan's teacher. You have to understand the fear this struck deep in my soul because - heaven help this boy - he is MY son! But I really thought we'd make it out of preschool before this started. Seriously!

Well, it turns out that what happened was Nathan's teacher began reading a story and talking about Santa Claus. Nathan at some point - burdened that all children be set free from tyranny and that the Lord had appointed him Paul Revere for his class - began telling everyone (excitedly I might add) that "there is no such thing as Santa! Christmas is Jesus's birthday!" This apparently made quite a few other 5 year olds upset. Their worldview had just been shaken to the core! 

[Pretty sure at this point Nathan was taken to a corner by one teacher while the other teacher did what we'll call "diplomatically rectifying the situation"]

This evening I will be looking for that open door to have a conversation with my son about tact and sensitivity and "letting other kids parents be the ones to break the bad news to them" when they deem it the right time. We'll talk about reserving that type of excitement for a time when the school is on fire or someone's about to walk in front of a moving bus. At the same time, there's a part of me that's proud - not that my son is a liberator, but that he is listening. 

One of the reasons we named him Nathan is out of great endearment for the prophet who called the King out in his sin. So I guess if my son's first "episode" in school is that he decided to call out the painful, ugly truth about the fat guy in the red suit.....I can live with that.

Act NOW!

Let's jump straight to the point: there are over 145 million orphans in this world. On this planet - the one that God created - there are millions of children - the ones that God created - who are fatherless, alone, abandoned...orphaned! 

Here are more numbers to chew on:

• There are 100,000+ children in the US waiting & ready to be adopted & rescued
• There are 300,000+ churches in the US

Don't these stats tell us that something can be done? That the people of God could be taking the lead at eradicating this crisis? 

God has made very clear His heart about this matter. All throughout scripture He reveals His mandate for WHAT and HOW His people should be responding to the timeless tragedy. James 1:27 tells us that "Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans...." In Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Amos...all through His Word He has mandated: My people will rescue the orphans!

So the million dollar question is: Why aren't we rescuing the orphans?

What are we doing as the Church to fulfill and pursue and bring hands and feet to the heart of God? This isn't a suggestion on His behalf, or some third-rate, low tier priority on His list. The call of God - the mission and message of Jesus Christ - is to bring His Kingdom to those who are lost - to rescue and defend and help the helpless.

Want to know how you can get involved? Want to refuse to be ignorant & apathetic any longer? Want to know what YOU can do to make a difference and an impact? Visit any of these organization's websites and BE the change:

• www.compassion.org or www.worldvision.org
• www.helpendlocalpoverty.com or www.helponenow.com
• www.ijm.org
• www.lifelineadoption.org or www.lifesongfororphans.org

NOW is the time for the Church to step forward, to forsake convenience with courage, and to rescue the helpless. Remember, YOU have been rescued! Forgotten? Spend some time meditating on these scriptures:

Colossians 1:13-14

Ephesians 1:3-8, 2:12-13

Romans 8:15-17

Act NOW!

Words Are Weapons

"Words are weapons, sharper than knives. Makes you wonder how the other half dies." - Michael Hutchence (INXS) from The Devil Inside.

James 3:2-10 tell us with brute force that our words - our tongue - can wreak havoc, destroy someone's reputation, ruin someone's day, and break a heart in two. Our WORDS ARE WEAPONS!

At the same time, there's a great possibility that we do more damage and destruction through the things we WON'T say. We don't want to further complicate things or make someone feel uncomfortable. We just refuse to be the one to humbly say, "I was wrong". It takes courage to speak up and love someone enough to refuse to remain silent any longer. Do you have courage?

If you missed the 1st message in our new series "Weapons", take a few minutes and listen: http://www.thebrookchurch.com/pages/podcasts.html

Your WORDS ARE WEAPONS! The question is, what are you going to use them to fight against? Will we use them to encourage, affirm, confront, apologize, and breathe words of life.......or will we be a tool in the enemy's hand, and use our words to tear down, tear apart, and destroy? As followers of Christ, we must decide. Just remember, "Whatever is in your heart determines what you say." And it also determines what you DON'T say!

Dig Deeper:
Proverbs 10:31, 15:31, 17:10, 25:12, 27:5
Matthew 5:23-24
Luke 17:3, 6:45

Weapons

In 2 Corinthians 10 Paul reminds the Corinthians that we are not in a war of flesh and blood, but wrestling and fighting a deceitful spiritual enemy. In this exhortation he proclaims, "We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods. We used God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons, we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ." (vs.3-5)

What's interesting (maybe frustrating is a better word) is that our enemy lives and moves and breathes and finds his satisfaction in discovering new ways to deceive us into using these weapons for harm rather than good. Often as Christ-followers we find ourselves with the tables turned against us - we've somehow allowed the enemy to convince us to use these weapons against each other! 

We have been called and equipped by God to fight this spiritual battle against the author of lies and deceit. He has given us ALL we need! So we must make sure that we aren't misusing these weapons - that we learn to handle them correctly - and that we don't allow the enemy an opportunity to turn them against us or each other.

This November at The Brook we begin a brand new series, "Weapons". Come join us as we expose the lies and tricks of the enemy and as we discover how to "use God's mighty weapons...to knock down the Devil's strongholds." If we don't remember who we're fighting against - if we foolishly wage war with each other - these weapons are useless. As Christ-followers we've got to know which weapons to aim & fire...and which ones to lay down. "We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods."

Who are you fighting against?
Who are you fighting for and with?

WEAPONS
2 Corinthians 10:1-8
John 13:34-35
Ephesians 6:10-18

The Sabbath

As I'm hoping most people realize, for those of us in ministry Sunday does not usually serve as our Sabbath. In fact, I'm usually more wiped out by Noon on Sunday than I am after a 12-hour Wednesday. So as a Pastor part of leading by example is making sure that I fully embrace and protect my Sabbath. For me, this happens when the sun goes down on Friday night.

I'm sharing this for a couple of reasons. First off, to give you a couple of specific things I'm feeling convicted need to happen for me to more fully follow this biblical mandate. And second, in sharing this it opens the door of accountability. Once you share it with the world, there's no going back!

One sore spot I have felt the Holy Spirit pressing His finger in on lately is my time with my face planted in my MacBook. Mainly, checking email. Part of my Sabbath is fully enjoying and taking time with my family. So many of us are so guilty so often of "being there" physically, while mentally our mind is somewhere a million miles away. I want to BE THERE! I want my kids to know that if I'm throwing the baseball or bouncing on the trampoline with them that I'm not daydreaming about that meeting I'm having next Tuesday. They need me and my attention. And I need them. My wife needs to know that I am more devoted to her than I am to my Gmail account. So, if you ever need me on Saturday (which may happen) - if there's an emergency or it's urgent - you're going to need to call me. I won't get your email. (Not that day anyway)

[Please hear this: If you need us, call! Sometimes things happen out of our control and that's OK.]

If you're like me and you haven't really been honoring the Sabbath the way the Lord intends you to, it may be time to think through your priorities and WHO or WHAT is really in control of your life. The Lord's not messing around with this - He's serious! He knows that you and I are in desperate need of rest. And try arguing with that last statement.

Dig For Yourself:
Exodus 20:8
Isaiah 58:13-14
Mark 2:23-28

Unchained!

Pastors & leaders,

There is much to do. Meetings for you to lead. Vision for you to cast. People you need to go to lunch with to encourage to take steps of faith. Other leaders to cultivate. Sermons you need to plan, map out, and study for - you better be studying! There is much to do!

In the midst of the busyness - if we're not careful - we can actually start thinking that it all depends on us. US! Are we serious? Not intentionally. But yes, we actually start thinking this somewhere down in the depths. As if we are the last great hope of actually communicating the Word of God and the single-handed catalyst that will unleash the Spirit of God on our people. Or the flip-side is that we begin feeling like we are the most incapable, ineffective leader to ever walk the planet. We begin feeling like every last ounce of creative juice inside of us has been squeezed out like a Florida orange and we have nothing left to give. Ever been there?

Most often - when we find ourselves floating on the seas of ineffectiveness - the hard cold reality is that somewhere in our life we have removed the Word of God from it's place on the priority list. I know it's painful to hear this - argue with me if you like. But when a pastor or minister or leader begins to substitute anything for the Word - meetings, creativity, vision, events, books, hanging on the word of some other leader you are NOT called to be - it will inevitably lead to a place of disappointment.

The other morning I was reminded of the most important thing I can ever remember as a pastor. In 2 Timothy 2:9, Paul proclaims to his young disciple that even though he has suffered for the Gospel and is in chains, "...the word of God cannot be chained." Read it again. You CANNOT chain or tie down or paralyze the Word of God! Not you or anyone else. It is sharper than a sword, it is perfect for training and correcting and encouraging, it is the strongest foundation anyone has ever built upon, and it endures forever. It cannot be chained!

So when you begin feeling incapable, inefficient, unmotivated, scatter-brained, or like you couldn't possibly lead anyone because you're living in a fog yourself, my encouragement to you is...remember where the POWER is truly found! Remember that it's not about your strength or charisma or persuasiveness. Remember that when the Word of God and the Spirit of God are leading the way, you will be the leader that He has called you to be. The creativity, the vision, the words of encouragement, the passion - they will come. But there are times when they will run dry, disappear, or become chained. And you will have to wait on them to return. But not the Word of God. It CANNOT be chained! It is what our people need more than anything! And if the Lord has called you to preach and proclaim His Word - eat it, breathe it, meditate on it, talk about it, memorize it, and live it! Unchained!

Dig Deeper:
2 Timothy (yes, read the whole book)