So the wife and I are watching re-runs of King of Queens. What a funny show. I am Doug Heffernan. Like him, I make brain-dead choices sometimes. One area I trusted God and followed my heart was marrying my wife. She is so much smarter and definitely more intelligent than me. In short, I am blessed. She definitely got the short of the stick…I love you sugar…
Archive for October, 2007
The luckiest man alive…
October 31, 2007Thinking outside the box…
October 31, 2007I just have to say how excited, honored and humbled I am to serve at a church that is doing “outside the box” ministry. Church by the Glades is a church that takes 1 Corinthians 9 seriously. We attempt to “become all things to all men.” God has blessed that. He has taken our church from 500 to 3000. To some that may be just touting numbers, but I know better. I have seen lives changed. I have seen disciples grown. I have seen numerous people baptized (over 500 this past year). Regardless of any trails, issues or difficults being part of the “Kingdom expansion project” in South Florida has been a blessing.
First Impressions…
October 28, 2007As you will notice as you read my blog from time to time, I watch a fair amount of TV. I can only do this because I have a DVR. One show my wife and I record religiously is The Office. I love this show. The humor in it is right up my ally.
Recently, my wife found Dunder Mifflin pens and notepads at Target on sale. She picked up some for me and the guys around the office. She is so thoughtful!!! The stuff is funny!
One of the pens she got us has hilarious quotes from the show. One of the quotes is from Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell). He says, “This is an environment of welcoming, and you should just get outa here.” If I remember correctly, Michael says this to Toby (the office HR repersentative who Michael hates…he is the only “corporate guy” working in his branch…Michael considers him to be “the man”).
For some reason, this got me thinking about first impressions here @ CBG. It got me thinking about first impressions in our singles ministry since that is the area I lead. Where are we talking out of both sides of our mouth? Where are we saying effectively, “This is an environment of welcoming,” and where are we sending the message that people “should just get out of here.”
First impression are HUGE as we attempt to connect those who are coming for the first time to hear about Christ! What are we doing well? What needs to be improved?
The truth is no matter how good we think we are doing anything, we must always remember that there is always room for improvement!
Saving Faith…
October 24, 2007I just read this quote in a commentary. It is from the famous A.W. Tozer. It will preach…
Something has happened to the doctrine of justification.… The faith of Paul and Luther was a revolutionizing thing. It upset the whole life of the individual and made him into another person altogether. It laid hold on the life and brought it unto obedience to Christ. It took up its cross and followed along after Jesus with no intention of going back. It said good-bye to its old friends as certainly as Elijah when he stepped into the fiery chariot and went away in the whirlwind. It had a finality about it. It snapped shut on a man’s heart like a trap; it captured the man and made him from that moment forward a happy love-servant of his Lord.
(The Root of the Righteous [Harrisburg, Pa.: Christian Publications, 1955], pp. 45-46)
Mealtime Prayer
October 22, 2007Today I had a lunch meeting with two of our College Ministry leaders–Travis and Steve. Just prior to eating our meal, we prayed as we always do. After finishing, our waitress, Casey, out of the blue asked, “Do you guys go to that church on Atlantic Blvd.” (AKA - Church by the Glades).
I was mind-bottled that the first church that came to Casey’s mind when she saw someone doing something “spiritual” was CBG. I am blessed to be part of such a church.
Anyway, we had a good conversation with Casey and Meredith, her friend who was working the bar. We gave them an invite card and invited them to church. They said they can’t make it this weekend because they have a big party to go to Saturday night. According to Casey, she doesn’t party that often, but when she does…you know…
They both seemed very interested in coming. I suspect we will see them here in the next couple of weeks.
So, if you are ever at the Chili’s on University Dr. in Coral Springs and are sitting in the bar area (added bonus – for the free chips and salsa for sitting there), ask for Casey or Meredith and encourage them!
xTreme Baptizing…
October 22, 2007
So, we recently had a Beach Baptism and Cook-out on Pompano Beach. We baptized over 100 people and estimated that over 500 were there to take-in the sights, sounds and good food. Depsite the not-so-great weather and rough waves, it really was an awesome event. For your viewing pleasure, I offer this piece of eye candy from the event:
For more pics from the event, click here
No Perfect People Allowed…
October 21, 2007That is the title of our current series @ CBG. I am sad to say that I actually did not make it into the service to hear Pastor David’s message due to my other responsibilities this weekend. However, if his track record holds true, I am sure it was nothing sort of spectacular. God is really using Pastor David’s unique, creative and engage teaching style to reach the lost in Fort Lauderdale. I will have to check it on Podcast…maybe you should too…
With that off-my-chest, this past weekend was nothing short of amazing! Let me tell you why:
- Over 3000 people attended one of our 6 weekend services.
- Just shy of 400 people attended our first ever 12:45pm service.
- Over 200 volunteers flexed and served to make the weekend, with all its changes, a huge success.
- The worship was rocked!!! That is pretty standard though…
- Guest worship leader, Jita, was with us too. She added a great dynamic to already impressive group of worship leaders. She is pretty talented herself! Very nice and grounded too!
- We sold nearly 600 t-shirts that were designed to go along with the series. We encouraged everyone who purchased a shirt to wear it around town this coming Friday. That means that about 600 CBG/No Perfect People Allowed t’s will invade the Fort Lauderdale area Friday. That should be cool! I will have to update you on any good stories I here about…
- 11 year old McKenzie Campbell sang “Nobody’s Perfect” (the Hannah Montana tune). She nailed it! If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought it was Hannah herself…needless to say, the kids loved it! It was also a good starting point for Pastor David’s message.
It is amazing to see God using so many different people to accomplish one thing–helping people to “fully commit to the adventure of following Christ.” If you have never attended CBG and are in the area, you need to! If you are already part of CBG and would like take part in reaching our community for Christ, check this out…
I can be your HERO baby…
October 21, 2007…I might even be able to kiss away your tears (sorry…I couldn’t help it…it’s an Enrique Iglesias song).
Seriously, my friends Matt and Travis (among other outside influences) got my wife and I turned on to the TV show Heroes. I though it would be a sci-fi cheese-fest, but it actually is a great show. It reminds me of LOST (another great show). I would highly recommend both.
About two weeks ago my wife and downloaded season 1 of Heroes on iTunes. I hate to admit it, but we finished the 23 episode last week. That’s 23 hours of TV in less than two weeks…man I need to get out more!!!
Again, what a great show! There are all kinds of God/life-purpose/God in control-type references in it. But one of the best quotes I remember came in the season finale. Let me set it up for you.
One of the main characters, Peter Petrelli, is a good guy. He is trying to figure out how he is going to save the world from this catastrophic event the whole season. In the last episode, he is talking with a gentleman he has been caring for (he is a man-nurse…is that natural???). Anyway, the man tells Peter that the only thing that matters in life is, “Who we have touched, and how much we have given.”
That got me thinking…who have I touched? How much have I given? I honestly don’t know how and if I can even answer that question.
If I can be honest, I think I am a pretty prideful person. Sometimes I can’t look past my own needs and wants to see those of others. I don’t think God is honored by that. In fact, this is something I work on pretty hard daily.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Pastor and Author who was martyred under Hitler’s rule, wrote a book called the Cost of Discipleship. I have tried reading the book a couple of times, but haven’t been able to get past the first line. It’s a good one…Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” I have to honest…I don’t know that I want to hear what he has to say after that. In addition, I am stuck there. After all these years, I am still trying to figure that one out.
My prayer? God help me learn to die to self and take up your cross EVERYDAY. Help me to be more concerned about who I have touched and how much I have given than my own needs and wants. That is what your Son was about. That is what I am called to be about.
Jesus and Poker???
October 19, 2007If the truth be known, if I wasn’t a pastor I think I would be a professional poker player. I love everything about the game–the strategy, the adrenaline and, lets be honest, the potential of a big pay-off. I must admit, I don’t like the industry. I know they make their money on “the whales,” but I think they prey on people who are looking for a quick payoff too much. Most of those people don’t belong within 100 feet of a casino (financially speaking).
Because of my love for the game, I pretty consistently watch all the different poker shows of ESPN. Most recently, I caught the finale to the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. This is the biggest tournament in the world. The top 5 players take home over a million dollars each with the winner taking home $8.25 million. That is a pretty good payoff!!!
What struck me most was a couple of the players at the final table (including the winner of the $8.25 million, Jerry Yang) were constantly asking for God’s help. They even specifically asked Jesus to help them win a couple of times. I have to be honest, I don’t feel that comfortable with it.
To Yang’s defense, he did seem somewhat genuine. There is the possibility that there is some substance to his request for help. In fact, while watching the show, the viewers learned that Yang did some missionary work in the past and intends to give a portion of his winnings to various charities. Good for him!!!
However, with all the ways those actions and pleas for help from Jesus could be misinterpreted by so many different people, I simply wish Yang (and others) would have left Jesus out of the equation. Although you can never truly know how much editing had to with it, it really was over the top.
If you like to play poker, great! If you are Christian and love to play poker, splendid! Good luck! But to make Jesus (in some people’s mind–mainly non-believers) the reason for a big payout or a bust is just a little overboard for me.
Got Faith?
October 10, 2007I am sitting at my dinning room table studying to teach at ::elevate:: tomorrow night. We are going to be discussing Romans 3:1-8. Leading up to these verses, Paul spends the whole previous chapter telling the Jewish readers in Rome how their rituals, laws and/or heritage weren’t going to save them from eternal separation from God. It couldn’t have been good reading for that 1st century Jew. Anticipating that kind of response, Paul reminds those same Jews of how special they still are to God here in chapter 3.
In his New Testament Commentary on Romans, John MacArthur does a great job of explaining this. He points out what God said through His prophet Isaiah (5:4). He says, “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?”
Answer: Nothing.
God is basically saying, “I have done everything I know to do to show My chosen people what is important to me (FAITH!!!), and yet they remain faithless.”
It got my thinking about all “the hoops” God jumps through so that none will perish (2 Peter 3:9). He jumped through hoops so I wouldn’t perish. He jumped through hoops so you wouldn’t perish. It reminds me that salvation is and always has been all about faith. Faith is something we must have. No matter how bad God wants to hang out with us for all eternity, we must display faith IN HIM ALONE (specifically Jesus) to make that possible.
Speaking of faith, that is the topic of conversation at church this weekend. After speaking with Pastor David about it earlier today, it sounds like it is going to be another fun and creative weekend! On the menu is a casket (pallbearers and all), a tune from Evanescence done live by our worship team and awesome worship lead by Pastor Justin and the CBG Worship Band, of course!!! I hope to see you there! More importantly, I hope to see you heaven!
