Press On!

We are 5 days into the Olympic Games; over the last five days we have seen inspiring victories as well heart breaking defeats. Who can forget the tears of Jordyn Wieber as she realized her Olympic dreams were not going to come to true. While the games have provided a fair amount of drama (unless of course you are checking other news sources for winners instead of waiting for NBC to show us the results in Prime Time), I find the stories about the athlete's preparation for the games to be most inspiring story of the games. 

Practice, dedication, discipline, determination are all words one can use to describe the efforts of the athletes. It seems the are willing to do whatever it takes to stand on the podium, hear their National Anthem played and be crowned Olympic champion. 

While the opportunity to be the best athlete in the world is an amazing feat, the Apostle Paul reminds us we compete for something greater; an imperishable crown. Just as the athlete in the Olympics realizes he or she needs to practice, as well as have steady determination, discipline and dedication, as Christians we too must have these same attributes.

Unfortunately, someone has told us a lie. In our desire to make Christianity appealing to others  we have bought into the idea that Christianity is more of a cosmetic to wear rather than a lifestyle to be practiced. This was a foreign idea in the New Testament. For every where the gospel was preached transformation soon followed. 

• In Acts 2, Generosity was evident as the new believers shared their resources with one another.
• In Acts 3 & 4, The apostles see the power of God as they heal a lame man and as a result, when they were told to stop sharing about Jesus, they experienced an amazing amount of boldness.
• In Acts 6, they displayed wisdom as a dispute threatened their unity. 
• In Acts 8, The gospel leaves the city of Jerusalem and moves into Samaria, evangelism becomes a way of life for this new group of believers.

These events happened in the first few chapters of the book of Acts; later we read of people giving up their pagan rituals and habits as the Gospel transformed their lives.

Is it possible to catch that spirit of of transformation in our churches today? The answer is yes. However it will not just happen, like the Olympic athlete we must press on with discipline, determination and dedication. To experience this transformation we need only to look at the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 13 -14...

This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind me and straining to for what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Forgetting what is behind us, no regrets about the past. The past cannot be changed and living in our yesterdays only brings regrets. Paul's answer is a simple one - Press on!

• When the temptation to be cavalier about our relationship with fellow Christians, Press on
• When the desire to read His word wanes, Press on.
• When the pull of the world calls us to forsake the assembly of worship, Press on.
• When the evil one tempts us with subtle, but deadly sins such as gossip, complaining and  mediocrity, Press on. 

We may never stand on a podium and receive a medal as our National Anthem is played. However we do have a prize waiting for us. A prize which only God can give us, therefore let us press on!  

       

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts from an Amazing Day...

• Worshiped with the church at Sun City Center today.
• Traditional worship done Right! Loved the pipe organ!
• They have an amazing way of receiving the offering; they do not pass offering plates, they simply place plates in the back of the building and let the people respond. 
• Lesson gleamed from their offering; generous giving comes from a gracious heart not out of guilt or compulsion.
• One of their leaders really challenged me to use my gift more often!
• Andy Griffith tribute on TV Land reminds me how much we have lost our innocence. 
• Really excited about a couple of things in the works for the alumni of FCC, I think this is going to be a banner year.
• If you live in Florida you should really plan on attending the Elders & Leadership Conference this Fall, it is going to be great.
• Judging by the weather in  London it looks like we are watching the FALL Olympics rather than the SUMMER Olympics
• The upsets at the Olympics should be a reminder the will to win will always overcome the hype.
• The first round of students return to FCC Wednesday, summer is almost over
• NFL Training Camps opened last week; O Happy Day!
• Watched the Chinese Gymnastic team snub their alternate Saturday night when he did not do so well reminded me why grace is such a  special gift, for the one receiving grace as well as the one extending grace.
• Are you extending grace to anyone?
• The Church Curmudgeon makes me smile - often!
• Something to chew on; Kneeling keeps me standing; As I daily knell before God I can stand anyone of anything ~ Rick Warren on Twitter.

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Worshiped with the Church family at Whitfield Christian Church in Sarasota this morning. Really good people, Dave is doing a great job on the north side of Sarasota!
• Every time I preach in a different church I receive a blessing from the people who attend that church. 
• Worship today was all guitar, what a great approach.
• I am really saddened by the news my second ministry is closing her doors after 33 years of impacting Anderson, Indiana for Christ.
• I am sure they are heartbroken over the decision as well. 
• For a great comment on the Aurora, Colorado incident, please read my friend Mark's blog. 
• When was the last time you were surprised by the actions of others? I was today!
• Led a tour of Seniors around the campus of Florida Christian College Friday, these seasoned saints had such a great attitude, they are a model of growing up in the Lord.
• It has been a week since the NACC was in Orlando and I am still pondering Bob Russell's message from Friday morning.  
• Something to Chew on; If you succeed at the wrong thing; you still fail ~ Craig Groeschel.

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Worshiped with the fine folks of  FCC Inverness today. 
• Had the opportunity to do two of my favorite things; Teach and Preach!
• Taught on the Prodigal Son from Luke 15; asked the question are you more like the loving father or the older brother? 
• Unfortunately too many people are more like the older brother rather than the loving father.
• You know why so many people relate to the story of the prodigal son? Because one time or another we have all been a prodigal.
• During the worship time, I had the opportunity to preach from the book of Jonah. 
• The story of Jonah is not a story of a reluctant prophet, but of a loving God who will pursue us, even when we run from Him.
• Two important verses to note from this morning's message, Jonah 1:1 & Jonah 1:17  In verse 1 the word of the Lord came to Jonah, verse 17 the Lord provided for Jonah. It is amazing to realize the fact Jonah was running from God and yet, God provided a rescue for Jonah.
• Congratulations to Travis and Taryn, I had an opportunity to officiate at their wedding on Saturday. 
• As much fun as it was to officiate their wedding, I was thankful I had the opportunity to spend some time with Travis' parents. It was truly a God-ordained moment!
• I enjoy reading tweets from very inspired leaders.
• The worship at the NACC was incredible, the team did a great job touching the heart as well the head!
• One of my favorite songs was "Oh How He Loves Us" with the images of wedding as a backdrop.
• The NACC was both exhausting as well as rewarding.
• Did I mention we served 40 gallons of ice cream at our alumni reception Thursday evening?
• The year if half over, how can that be?
• College Football is just around the corner!
• Something to chew on... Where you are going and what you are doing is not nearly as important as what you are becoming ~ Mark Batterson (from his twitter account) 

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Great message this morning on the exclusive nature of Jesus Christ. 
• Boldness in preaching is essential to bring about life change.
• Why preach? Consider these verses from the book of Acts.
• Do you have a conviction to preach Christ or do you have a preference to preach Christ? The difference between the two will determine the amount of boldness you display in your preaching.
• This morning's worship really set the table for Jim's message - Great job Chris!
• Tonight was one of those great opportunities that thrills my heart, I witnessed a young man ordained into the ministry, reminded me of my own ordination 31 years ago. Congratulations Stephen!
• Great tweet from Gene Appel today on the real problem we face today. This should disturb all of us who are called to be a part of the church.
• To understand the call of ministry, check out this verse from Jeremiah.
• BTW the ordination service should be a template for all ordinations, Shan and FCC Orlando did a wonderful job.
• One of the great attributes of a leader is the ability to encourage those who follow him. The last week I have seen this attribute displayed over and over at FCC.
• Officiating at another wedding for a young man in a former church on Saturday, humbled to be asked and honored he asked me to share in this event!
• If you are a part of a thriving church, do everything you can to keep the momentum going. If you are a part of a stagnant church, you know how hard it is to recapture momentum.  
• Starting next Sunday, I begin a four week stretch of preaching every Sunday, I can't wait.
• Looking forward to reconnecting with friends this week at the NACC.
• First college football game is less than 60 days away!
• Something to Chew on; There is nothing that makes you more miserable (or less interesting) than self absorption ~ Tim Keller. 

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Worshiped with the fine folks at FCC Homosassa Springs this morning.
• I really miss preaching on a weekly basis.
• Met a couple of parents of an FCC alumnus, they sure are proud of their daughter and son-in-law.
• I know I have said it before, but I am so amazed by the friendships I have made as a result of ministry.
• Going to a funeral of a Christian is always inspiring!
• Jeff Walling's tweet was dead on today.
• One of "my youth ministry kids" turned 41 this week, time keeps moving faster and faster.
• The number 1 need in our churches today is leadership, you can overcome poor facilities and a poor location, but poor leadership is disastrous.
• Biblical leaders are willing to pay the price to see the church move forward.
• Something to Chew on; A pessimist makes difficulties of his opportunities and a optimist makes opportunities of his difficulties. ~ Harry Truman