A thought for your 2012 commute

Our American lives seem so packed with work, family, projects and tasks. As we begin to think through New Year's resolutions adding just 2 changes might seem daunting. A 2012 resolution I would encourage every person (Christian or non-Christian) to undertake would be consistent Bible reading. There are plans for beginners that take you through the New Testament, plans with free days to catch up and plans that give you a balanced reading from both Old and New Testaments. For the various options read Pastor Dustin's blog - "Plan your Reading & Read your Plan"

If this undertaking seems impossible because we don't know when we have time. Here's an interesting thought that I read from Justin Taylor:

"The entire ESV Bible on audio is usually about 75 hours (or 4500 minutes). If you commute to work 5 days a week, that’s about 260 days a year. And if it takes you, say, 17 minutes to commute each way to work—and if you listen to the Bible on audio during your drive each way—you’ll get through the entire Bible twice in a year. This probably isn’t the only way to do Bible intake—but it’s one most of us should take advantage of more." from Bible Reading Plans for 2012

As I was selecting my plan this morning God's Spirit impressed upon my heart that my daily commute provides a prime opportunity. The average American commute is 30 minutes each way. (watch this Community video) Most of us likely spend at least an hour per day in our cars. Let me encourage you to redeem your commute in 2012 through listening to Scripture.

The ESV reading plans can be received daily through your email, downloaded as podcasts, printed as a bookmark or input into your calendar. This technology really alleviates every excuse and make this resolution one of the easiest you can make.

Remember the goal is to know and love Jesus and His Word more this time next year. Look through the plans, ask God's Spirit for guidance and endurance then begin reading tomorrow.

We say we do... But Do we believe?

“Change” is the million dollar word this year, and we’ve been beaten over the head by it in this “so historic election.”

Personally, I’m glad that Tuesday November 4, 2008 is finally here, so we can get to Wednesday and start life again. I write this blog with such a saddened heart, I've been broken by what I have seen in Christians during this election year.

Pastors and Christian leaders have been so passionately involved in the whole process. They have been banging their drums louder than normal. Tuesday my gmail was bombarded with emails that stated that no matter what happened tonight God would still be in control. Facebook statuses have also been dedicated to proclaiming this message.

• My question is this: “Do you really believe that He’s in control?”
• If you do (and He is and He will always be) what does that mean for your life?
• What do you think that God is more focused on: a new American President or the 4.5 BILLION lost people all over the world?

From my time in the Word over the last few weeks God has shown me that we spend so much time talking. What the world needs on Wednesday is for the American church to come alive not for a political vision, but for God’s ultimate vision which is saving people through his son Jesus. 4.5 Billion lost people is such a huge task to waste so much time devoted to an election. Instead we should Pray and GO into the fields where the harvest awaits. Today! This is what Jesus commanded

2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. –Luke 10:2-3

“If we truly believe the Gospel outlined in the Bible the result is a radical change in our daily lifestyle.” –David Platt

*Today, Ask God who you know that needs to hear about the gift of salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Then Go share the greatest story of change in the history of the world.

World Changer: One Man

Ever had a great day? Wednesday October 29, 2008 was one of those days for me. Many things happened, but I would like to share one. I hope this one encourages and challenges you in your journey with Christ.

NOBTS has many international students, many of them from South Korea. The simple fact that they have moved half way around the world to study should challenge us in our lazy American Christian lives. [Another sermon for another post. HA!]

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to have lunch with a man named Seongjin Park, a God called man that can really preach. (both in English and Korean) I won’t go into all the details but simply say that this Christian brother’s walk with the Lord rocked my socks off. He spent 20+ years as a Financial Planner in Korea advising people on financial matters, mostly planning for retirement. God convicted and called him to throw aside the pursuit of earthly treasures to begin to invest in heavenly treasures. (Matt 6:19-21)

Translation: Beginning to make disciples of all nations for the Glory of God (Matt 28:19-20)

BUT, the most humbling and life-changing thing was as he shared with me his passion for this calling. He stated that God had given him a vision for his calling. The goal was to reach and impact 100,000 people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That's Neyland Stadium packed!
What a glorious site!

STOP!!!!!

Ponder that for a minute….

• You think that is a big vision? I would say “yes.”


• You think that is an impossible vision to accomplish? I would say “No.”

If we truly believe that we serve a God who is all about doing the impossible, then why do we not live everyday with God-Sized visions for our life?

The “To-Do”: Blow up your picture of God and allow the new picture to totally change the way you live, work, volunteer, study, serve and minister.

God has a specific mission for your life. You might be the only Christian that a person in your city interacts with.

“You are ‘the very one man!’” --Seongjin Park

Prayer: God, give me a bigger picture of you and your desire to see all people know you as the Lord of all and Savior of mankind. Make me that “very one man.” Declare your Glory through me, your human vessel and mouthpiece.

Confident Action

It’s been a while since I posted last. To be honest, I have enjoyed clicking up on my blog page and seeing Sarah kissing my cheek.

But now I’m back and I would like to invite you to think about prayer with me. Our HimnI community has been wrapping our hearts around this issue over the past two months as we have been studying the theme: “When you pray, Move your feet.” http://himni.org/


14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

I seek confidence in every area of my life. I want people to like me, talk to me and laugh when I share a stupid joke. The last one usually doesn’t happen, because I’m just not very funny. I desire to do what I should be doing each day, I don’t want to waste my life. I want to hear God say “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I want to be confident that the life I’m living is the one that God’s has planned for me to live.

If you were to think about your own life, I’m sure you would say that you strive for the exact same thing. John states in this passage that our confidence comes as we continuously approach God asks for any and everything according to His will. The emphasis here is on God’s will not our will.

As we have learned this semester at HimnI, prayer drives us to act. A lack of action shows a lack of prayer.

Our discussion with God about what He really wants (prayer), He reveals His heart to us. This heart is one that is broken for people that do not know him. He desires above all else for people to come to him and enter into a relationship with him. As we continually pray, our heart will become aligned with his. We will see people the way he does and then get off our behinds and get to work! Statics show you come across thousands of people that are not in a relationship with him daily. Knowing this fact should drive us to our knees and then lead us to go engage with them.

“Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”

• God, give us a heart like yours for the people in our community, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and apartment complexes. Show us ways to reach these people.

God, Love, People...

(2-01-08)
Today, I write this email from an overwhelmed heart. I have been back down in New Orleans for a little over three weeks and God has been here working on me in so many ways, challenging me to go to new places and do new things. There are many but today I want to share just one and hope you will be encouraged and challenge in the same way I have been.

God has been burdening me recently for lost people. As a Christian and future minister I do not share my faith enough. To be really honest I don’t do it all. I’m scared and terrified of failing, what people will say, rejection. There are tons of excuses that I give. And while I spent time giving them, people in America are dying and going to hell. I have the answer and the way, but I am keeping it to myself. I got it (my salvation) because someone shared it with me. But I’m not willing to do the same for the people living here in New Orleans. It’s not that I don’t believe that Jesus wants to and can save people, for me it’s simply a faith issue. I don’t trust God enough when he says that He is going with me. If I were to begin to share, God promises to be with me & guide me.

My week of thinking and conviction started on Monday night when I attend a volunteer meeting for a gathering called “HimnI” that I help out with here in the city. (http://himni.org/) Greg Wilton, one of the leaders and communicators for this ministry shared a song with us. I got a copy from him that night and have not taken it out of the player yet. The story and message of this song will rock your world.

The song is by John Mark McMillan. (http://www.thejohnmark.com/) Several years ago John had this friend named Steven. One night at a prayer meeting Steven prayed a prayer in which he told God, “If it would shake the youth of the nation, I'd give my life. I would give it (my life) today.” That night he died in a car accident. From this John wrote the song “How He Loves,” as a way of trying to help fulfill Steven’s commitment and conviction to shake and reach the lost youth of America. The song is about what it might have been like the first time Steven met Jesus, his Savior for the first time.

Following are two links, I hope you will check them out. They are really powerful!
To “How He Loves” Video w/ John Mark McMillan’s explanation behind the song
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=728592151001639646&q=How+He+Loves+John+Mark+McMillan&total=10&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

To “How He Loves” Video w/ pictures of people from the world. (substitute in faces from your town and work)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1795272959768779210&q=How+He+Loves+John+Mark+McMillan&total=10&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

I’ve been thinking a lot about this song, and message that comes from it this week. From this I think we can see that God is faithful. He answered the first part of Steven’s prayer (even though Steven died, that was his prayer. Seems weird but it’s true.) And God is moving things toward and working to answer the second part of it…shaking the hearts of the youth of this nation. For me I try to think further than just the youth of this nation to all the people of this nation. God loves America in the sense that he wants all people to come to knowledge of him in which they receive salvation for their sins and are redeemed.

Steve offered a sacrifice for something he believed in, he literally died for it. I think God has issued the same call to all believers; unfortunately we don’t like to think of that too much. In both Matthew 10:37-39 and Luke 14:26-27 Jesus tells his disciples that those that love their life lose it and those that deny themselves find life--die to themselves and their selfish desires. Being a follower of Christ means that we have to figuratively sacrifice ourselves daily and follow wherever and to whoever Jesus leads.

This past week God has continually revealed this to me throughout the day, many times. Wednesday in a class I am taking on personal evangelism. (Isn’t God funny sometimes? My heart is burden and I’m taking a class in which we are talking about sharing our faith. There’s another picture of God’s Faithfulness.) My teacher said that the fear of failure is the #1 reason people don’t share their faith. But the fact that Christians forget is that if go and share we don’t fail, ever. Even if the person doesn’t pray to receive Christ. We fail only if we don’t go. To not go at all, to not share at all is to be unfaithful, this means that we fail God. Thinking on that fact for a minute will rock you world and change your feeling toward sharing your faith. At least it did for me.

Related to this issue, David Crowder also wrote a chorus which says, (paraphrasing here)
“I’m just trying to make you sing from inside where you believe.
Like it’s something that you mean…like it means everything to you.
That this is for real.”

In conclusion, let me ask you a question. How do you “sing” with your life? Is your heart broken for the lost people in your city, workplace, school, home, wherever else you do life at? There are a line that is referenced a ton of time in the Gospels which says, “Jesus saw the people and had compassion on them.” What goes on in your heart when you see people? Being a follower of Jesus means that we love the things he loves.

I don’t have this mastered, but I am working on it and journeying with Jesus. I pray and hope that God will lay it on your heart to pursue the same.

“Oh, How He Loves Us
Oh, How He Loves Us
Oh, How He Loves Us”
--“How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan


He Loves Us and Wants Us to Love Others,