True Discipleship is...?

This is a pertinent interview with a good friend of mine from college, Damian L. Boyd. Damian is now the pastor of a budding church-plant (Vertical Church-Atlanta). But more than his position in ministry is his heart for God. In this candid interview, I sat down with him to prick his brain about the matter of true and Godly discipleship...

Lead pastor: Damian L. Boyd

Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church: 12 years associate/young adult pastoral experience

Vertical Church–Atlanta: 1 year lead pastoral experience and counting

Defining Disciple/Discipleship: (Mark) M (Pastor Damian) PD

M – “How is a disciple or discipleship defined?”

PD – “I think in the simplest of terms, a disciple is someone that is being spiritually mentored… Not just a mentor but a spiritual mentor, someone who is being brought under another person’s wing with the expressed purpose of teaching them Biblical principles, giving them the examples, showing them how to live the Christ-like life, ‘life-on-life.’ Jesus was the best discipler. He actually was phenomenal… His example was: He lived in the midst of people. He did what He did among people and then taught them and showed them along the way. Life was discipleship for Jesus. He showed them based on His life and He taught them out of what they experienced. I think sometimes we can call ourselves making disciples by just telling people a lot of information, give them information and they’re disciples, have them rememorize a bunch of Scripture and they’re disciples. But that’s not real Biblical discipleship because that doesn’t mean they know how to work it out in life. Truthfully, the Bible says, ‘knowledge puffs up,’ so people who just learn more aren’t necessarily disciples. They can become Pharisees if you’re not careful. But disciples are people that [have] you in their life, you’re living in the midst of them and you’re growing them with the expressed purpose of them looking more like Christ."

M – “In that case, what is your version of a discipleship model, or a metamodel that you utilize?”

PD – “Our discipleship process looks like this: Our strategy is "Be, Do, Learn, Show." (1) Be – meaning who I am, who I am on the inside. Where we get rid of pretense and all the things we try to put on to look religious, to look spiritual. ‘I am who I am by the grace of God’ so as I’m being, that is something people should learn from my example. 1 Peter 5 starts out with Peter exhorting the followers of Christ spread abroad, the Diaspora of the Christians out there. He actually taught them. He was teaching the elders to be an example. We hear Timothy being taught the same thing by Paul, ‘Be an example.’ That’s where it starts, if I’m not living anything of any worth, I can’t expect the people that follow me to live anything of any worth. (2) Do – okay, we need to do something with what we believe. It’s not enough for me to mentally ascend to what I believe of my faith; I have to actually do it. I have to live it out. I have to walk it out; I have to do good for others. I have to be an example; I have to love one another, all the ‘one anothers’ of Scripture. That’s doing, that’s the things we do. Doing is the works that we do; that follow the faith that we have, not trying to prove our worth or value to Christ, but because we are worthwhile and we are valued by Christ.

M – “So your do is not something done out of duty, religious form or for numbers?”

PD – “No, it’s an abiding love for Jesus Christ. ‘That’s why we do. We do because He’s already done!’ I’m more about ‘impact’ than I am size and look. I can careless about the size and look; I care much more about impact. I’ll take 50 people that are engaged to make a difference than 5,000 that are just content to sit and look at and listen to me. Then the other one (3) is to Learn – there’s a ‘serious’ learning component in discipleship. It’s that growing; it’s understanding Scripture, understanding Scriptural background [historical], [and] understanding the depths of the Scripture. We’ve just taken 12 people through 6 months of intense discipleship at my home, based on Acts. ‘They committed themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship and to the breaking of bread.’ And all those things come together for us... Discipleship is intense and it’s intentional but we do it in several different ways to learning. We want to make sure that we’re learning; we’re understanding more Scripture. The more we understand, the more we can live out. Then you have the last part (4) which is to Show – you aren’t a disciple if you’re not willing to show somebody else. Jesus spent 3 years pouring His heart into these guys so that they could show it to other people. It wasn’t just enough for them to have been with Jesus and learned, no, they had to show and model that out. Jesus didn’t just preach to His disciples; He lived in the midst of His disciples. And He expected them to go and live that out before everybody else. You look at the Great Commission, you know, ‘Now go ye therefore.’ Why? Because I’ve given you 3 years of My life, and then given you My literal life. So guess what? Now you go and you do that for others. You make disciples among others, everywhere. That’s your job. Live in the midst of people. Yes, teach them but also be who He’s called you to be; do the work I’ve told you to do, teach them so they would learn and then show them the way I’ve shown you. See, the disciples knew how to cast out demons and they knew how to multiply fish and bread and do miracles. Why? Because Jesus showed them how, He didn’t just tell them to do it, He showed them; He modeled, He was a model for them.

M – “What are the materials and methods used for discipleship?”

PD – “I’ll use what ever possible. (1) I’ll use life, and I use life lessons. One thing we do is we serve in the community. So intentionally what we do is we take people out. New Christians, people considering becoming Christians: we serve the community. So you’re going to see me live it out before you. You’ll be in my life; you’ll be in my midst as we’re working. Actually serving others is how you learn how to be a disciple. (2) To add to that, we read books. We do a thing called discipleship journey, that’s the 6 months where you are in our home once a week, once every two weeks. And I taught very slowly, very intentionally through Mark 6-12, this is the most densely compacted teaching on discipleship in Scripture. Jesus is modeling; He’s showing, He’s an example and what we do is we look through those Scriptures with a very intentional focus on: ‘How does this make me_______?’, ‘What does this say to me as a disciple of Jesus Christ?’, and ‘What does this say to me as someone that’s a disciple-maker?’ So we look through those lenses… (3) We also do training and development for people to help them figure out: Who they are, How they’re wired, and Why they’re wired the way they’re wired, so they can do the very thing God has for them to do, rather than just doing the thing our church needs for them to do. We’re in the business of helping people find the thing God has for them, and we want to empower them to do that [very thing]. So we give them training and development to help them find that unique calling.

M – “So it seems like you’re saying 'God is bigger than just the four walls of Vertical Church or someone else’s building.'”

PD – “The Bible says that we are the Church. You can go to Europe and in Europe you’ll see these big, immaculate, beautiful buildings that have been turned into dance clubs and bars. So often we see the building for church; that’s not the Church. The Church are the people who are mobilized to communicate the Gospel.

M – “From that discipleship standpoint, as it relates to Church or discipleship, how is success determined in the discipleship process?”

PD – “We determine success in a few ways: (1) We look at the impact of people’s lives, outside of the building… as a community of faith, we have an impact in the community... the community knows us, they value us, we are important to the community. Why? Because we serve the community, but we want the same thing happening in the individual lives of the people; we want our people to have such an impact that others in their community, whether on their jobs, in their neighborhoods, other people around them are being impacted. (2) I think sometimes we look for such quick results, but real discipleship takes time. Jesus spent 3 years getting guys ready. So real discipleship takes time and the effect of discipleship is how people are doing the Great Commission, not how many people can be gathered in one place.

M – “Last question, what advice would a 'just getting started ministry or minister' need if they’re going to actually start a church, implement a discipleship process, and [successfully] evangelize?”

PD – “I think so often, one problem with many Seminaries is many of these people are going to be starting churches in a few years. But the problem is often these [folks] aren’t given enough of the background on what it takes to lead a church. Just because you understand the Bible doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good pastor. You need to understand business if you’re going to plant a church. You need to understand marketing if you’re going to plant a church. You also have to understand the shepherding side; the soft skills of working with people, the soft skills of seeing somebody fail you or fail God, and them still being able to see you believe in them, in the long run. You need to understand some basics around family counseling… Why? Because real people in their real lives go through real struggle, I mean those are all different things you need to know. One other thing that you have to have is perseverance and endurance. Church-planting is tough; it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and there are so many variables that can’t be calculated. You have to have room and space for the unknown. If you're a person that every ‘i’ has to be dotted, every ‘t’ has to be crossed, this may not be the right thing for you. Why? Because there are ebbs and flows to church-planting, you have to be very flexible and there has to be room for some things to not go the way you want them, and it be okay. Here’s one thing I scream, there’s one book around church-planting that I encourage and it’s 'Church Unique.' I had a chance to sit down with the author not too long ago and get a chance to know him a little bit. Church Unique, the one thing it stresses that I love, that different form every other church-planting book, it helps you find who you are, to do what God wants you to do, in the area you need to make the impact. It’s a failure always to correctly exegete Scripture, and incorrectly exegete the culture that you are called to reach. That’s the key: You have to figure out who are, the job God has for you to do and the people that are where you’re needed. All 3 of those will help you decide the type of ministry you need to have… when you marry those pieces together, you’ll have a greater opportunity for success than you could've ever imagined.

(Pictured: Pastor Damian with his lovely wife Zarat)

Who's Your Theologian?(revisited)/Your Pastor is Too Famous!

I thought this post that I ran across from relevant magazine was worth a read. It'll expose a direction that Christians vividly go in that have little of nothing to do with Christ. Instead, it's all about us idolizing our theological, influential or ministry heroes. And it's totally understandable to want to glorify someone impressive, distinguished, talented, creative, ridiculously wealthy, intellectually sound or Biblically redefined. Thus, we flock to Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, etc. as citizens and John MacArthur, Charles & Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, and John Piper as Christians. But, these individuals as well as ourselves truly amount to nothing, apart from Christ (John 15:5). Jesus should be the ONLY center of attention (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)! Furthermore, we are all just crafted dirt (living pottery) without the life-giving breath of God (Genesis 2:7). I could go on reiterating facets from the article, but I'll let Stephen Mattson fully speak on that matter here.      

Silly Church: Emerging is for Kids!

I'm pretty sure we may have seen the commercial and heard the Trix cereal slogan, "Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!" Well, the church of Jesus, at many times, tends to be just as silly. The new facet of church separation is a movement known as the emerging church. Just what we need, another movement of church transitioning that divides more than unites us, this is the direction the emerging church seems to be heading in. At first Christians wanted to be Catholics, than Puritans and eventually Protestants. Next, they tired of those titles and decided to pursue becoming Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals (Charismatics) and Seven-Day-Adventists. Later on, they decided to become non-denominational, Calvary Chapel, Word of Faith, Full Gospel, purpose-driven, seeker-friendly, etc. Now the big fuss is over becoming a part of the group known as the Emerging Church. 

The Emerging Church is a newly reformed movement of the way we do church. It is supposedly church as it should be, from a Westernized standpoint. Famed author and professor Paul Enns sees the modernism form of Christianity as lacking relevancy to cultural changes within society. The emerging church views evangelism in a distinctly different way from modernism.¹ He also alludes to the fact that the emerging church opposes relativism and promotes biblical scholarship. But everyone doesn’t quite agree with this assumption. The Jesus of the emerging church, according to McLaren, is an amalgam of diverse theologies.² A significant facet of the emerging church is intellectualism and seminary training, something the modern, evangelical church has strayed away from. To say I agree or disagree with Enns’ position on the emerging church is irrelevant to the overall aspects of the movement. He supports the neo-orthodoxy movement which is a foundational aspect of the emerging church. Although, sometimes, it seems as if Enns is giving us a mixed message. He praises the movement for them taking the Bible more seriously, but, then questions them for still retaining liberal foundations as well. All in all, Enns sees more of a need for biblical history and scholarship being proclaimed from pulpits, however, many others might not always see it that way. 

They may be more prone to preaching the Gospel apart from the enticing words of man’s wisdom. Paul denoted this too:

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

However, this is not justification for dumbing down the Scriptures. But it is understandable that the information presented to believers must be clear and concise, not so deep that no one grasps what’s being implied but theologians. The goal is to teach with clarity so the people can then go and carry out what’s been taught. James 1:22-25 admonishes this realization:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” 

Denominational sects that are more conservative in nature may still have problems with the emerging church. However, Darrin Patrick, Vice President of Acts 29 has pointed out "bad things" in the emerging church such as "the fascination with deconstructing almost everything while building almost nothing," and "ugly things" such as "conversing about God's Word to the neglect of obeying it, deviating from historical orthodoxy and the lack of clarity regarding issues of theology and sexuality."3

It’s like we’re having another rehashing out of Biblical theology versus systematic theology. But, we’re not. This is a clear-cut issue on old versus new. Yes, over time things change. We grow in every way imaginable: from stature to knowledge to relationships. But this is not quite how God works.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Therefore, even though the methods or models within ministry may change, the focus and foundations of ministry should remain consistently the same––“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

When the attention goes away from Christ, the cross and salvation, it starts to veer off into areas that should not necessarily be foundational. And relevancy is not one of those foundations and neither is traditional, modernism or denominational doctrine.

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) 

    

1 Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology: Revised and Expanded, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2008), 694.

            ² (Enns, 2008, 696) 

            ³ ^ Patrick, Darrin. "Emerging Church - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly".  

Stop the Rivalries...!

We start off as a rambunctious baby ready to take on the world. We're grateful for milk in a bottle, diaper changing, comfortable cribs and loving parents. Life is good and we wouldn't want to have it any other way. Siblings help care for us with joy, we get chauffeured around in our own car seat and cruise in our own stroller. And then it happens, out of nowhere, we notice another baby cruising in the mall next to us. Their stroller is nicer in form, parent more attractive and outfit more stylish. What in the world is this! Dare I say it; someone's living it up better than you are. Instead of one sibling, they have three. Instead of one bottle, they have two. They have fluffy Elmo shoes, along with a Dora the Explorer hat.

In baby terms, they're in a higher Sesame Street tax-bracket. What injustice! How dare your parents deprive you of the grandest life possible! All that previous gratitude you were experiencing before, the feelings of love and acceptance suddenly goes out the window. You're angry at this slight; this new revelation that someone else in life is better off than yourself. So you cry and cry for hours at a time. It's not that you're getting deprived of your daily milk intake, or siblings' care. But it's the horrors of recalling your experience at the mall---the baby with the Elmo shoes.

Now this scenario sounds a bit bizarre for adults like ourselves. Babies don't care how well other babies are doing, or do they? Maybe they're doing a good job of concealing it. Often times, we go through life wearing a mask. As a result of insecurity, inferiority or depression we seek to be somebody we're not. We want to fit in, be welcomed, be adored. At any cost, we're battling for that acceptance. And the struggle is with others, unbecoming to ourselves, who are battling for the same thing. Actually, the Elmo baby is having some of the same feelings toward another baby in that same mall. And all these babies grow up, but many of those same feelings linger on. So we continue to play this cat-and-mouse game with each other. We even get good at it. It's just that we never seem to quite catch up, no matter how hard we chase.

All of a sudden, our lives become a continuous rivalry that's overwhelming and super-consuming. It's seemingly unending, and we can't ever find the breaks to this cycle. It goes something like this: the kid down the street just got a new toy, so we bug our parents night-and-day for a new toy; then it's a new bike, so we repeat the same nagging system to dad or mom for that bike. Then we grow a little older and it becomes the video game console, designer clothes, jewelry or shoes. As we age the discontent becomes more apparent, more expensive. Now it's a luxury car, Ivy League college, or budding career where we can climb some imaginable ladder for worth and acceptance. Next, it's that dream wedding, VP position, mansion in the suburbs and beautiful kids. And the cycle starts all over again with making our kids just as entrenched in this cycle as we are, their hopeless parents.

Eventually it has to stop; someone in the family has to wake up and cut the umbilical cord to foolish rivalries. Your neighbor has more toys (cars, boat, vacation home, etc) than you, so what! Your kids aren't the best in every sport, so what! You're not married to the love-of-your-life, so what! Life goes on and none of these things were ever meant to be a sole means to your happiness, gratitude and contentment. On the contrary, they may end up bringing misery, hopelessness and discontentment if you look for them to fulfill your life. They're not designed to do that; they're just stuff, lots and lots of stuff. Ask yourself: "How many trophies will be enough? When will I be totally satisfied with my appearance, looking in the mirror with freedom? What will bring me true happiness, not the fleeting kind?" After you've sat down and thought about it for a while, your answers may surprise you. And if you exchange rivalry comparison for gratitude, you find your life is much better off than you first thought.

"For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6 NKJV    

A Picture's Worth...!

Many of us have often heard the phrase, "A picture's worth 1,000 words." Famed comedic director, writer and actor Eddie Murphy stars in A Thousand Words which is a film that trys to express this phrase in movie form. The plot is based on Murphy only being able to speak 1,000 words before his untimely death.

"Some may not know the vast significance of that statement..."

But here are some photos that may explain that sentiment in a more obvious manner, one that film may not be able to properly express. There are 7 pictures below that may get you thinking more sharply about what you tend to see displayed before you.

See if you can guess all of their hidden meanings:

Answers:

1.) AMERICA---an Honorable Superpower?
2.) Kicking the Bucket
3.) Less is More
4.) Read Between the Lines of a Life
5.) Jihad doesn't Save the Children
6.) The Prosperity Gospel
7.) Let's Build a Vision Together
   

1-Hour Before Counting Sheep

When individuals who are new to the Christian faith attend church services that are evangelistic in nature (mostly preaching salvation messages), they become overwhelmed as it relates to growth (Spiritual formation & Christian disciplines). However, when individuals who are new to the Christian faith attend church services that are growth-related in nature, they become overwhelmed as it relates to evangelism.

Some note this delimma as being a Q&Q (quality & quantity issue). As it relates to evangelism and church disciplines combined, many Christian leaders stress quality over quantity. But in certain aspects, this is not always the case. Like for prayer and fasting, it's all about quality. But for the tithe (giving) and souls (salvation), quantity becomes the rule-of-thumb to follow after.

So what is it? Is it all about quaility? Or should our concern be solely focused on quantity?

Well, a proper balance between both of them should be the healthy solution. And it can be clearly summed up in the concept: "1-hour before counting sheep."

"Mark, have you losted it? What kind of concept is that? What does counting sheep have to do with a proper balance?" Actually, they matter more than you know! It's all spelled out in Matthew 26:36-46.

After revealing to His followers the sacrificial elements of His death, Jesus informed His disciples that He would be betrayed and die. This vital information must have went over their heads because they didn't understand His urgency. So He then took Peter, James and John away with Him and told them bluntly what He was feeling. He was looking for their support!

36) Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37) And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38) Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Unfortunately, they didn't get it. Not to mention, they were exhausted from all the endeavors of that day and were more concerned with handling this matter in the morning, after a good night of sleep. They could of thought, "He's just praying. He always comes here to pray while in this particular city."

Jesus went on ahead and prayed, even without their support, this famous prayer:

39) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

But we need to pay close attention to what happened next!

40) Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me ONE HOUR? 41) Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

In the remaining 5 verses, Jesus repeated this process two more times and was then betrayed by Judas. Now, we may ask, "What was up with the disciples? Also, what was up with Jesus' harsh rebuke? And what was even up with the repetition of the prayer?"

The interesting thing that was up with all of that was a proper balance between quality and quantity. Note, it wasn't quality over quantity or vice versa. Jesus wanted the quality of their support at a daunting time, along with the quantity of having it for a full and explosively powerful hour. The disciples could have showed quantity and stayed awake, giving little to no supporting prayer interest into Jesus' ordeal. Or worse, they could've done what they actually did: They gave some minutes (possibly even upto 30 or so) of explosively fervent prayer support, eventually fading off at the end into counting sheep as they slept soundly. No, both were needed (quality & quantity)!

Jesus didn't just want their maximum TIME, but He wanted their maximum EFFORT as well!
Let's learn from their lesson and allow the willingness of our spirit to do the leading, not our flesh. I assure you; it'll make a world of difference!   

"Cockamamie" Church Careers

Church for most in this nation is a way of life. States like Texas, California, Florida, Michigan and Illinois are filled with them. City church buildings are mega-sized and located nearly on every corner. I reside in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation for megachurch growth---Atlanta, Georgia. This is one of the places where it's common to observe individuals strolling back-and-forth to a large local church building  (5,000+ in attendance on average). Many are state-of-the-art with intricate design, satellite campuses and multimedia platforms.

So what is it that really goes on in these religious megaplexes? What has everyone's attention so wrapped up? Some would say, "Well, it's the preaching! No, others would reply that it's the band-styled music and casual feel. And even others would highlight that it's all about the free coffee plus friendly environment." With all these statements come job descriptions. Preachers, bands and coffee attendants are here to serve, and I mean serve often. I'm talking about roles treated almost like budding careers. Even though one is only volunteering, it's like you're actually clocking in.

One has to be there not just on time but early and is advised to clean up, leaving late. Departmental meetings must be attended. There are literal job training seminars in the form of leadership development forums. Excellence is demanded and numbers growth is promoted. This is a cycle that goes on for years, every week. After a while in one field, you can transition to another. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a career to me. Some with pay and others with no pay. But should the local church be about making (in-house) careers for nearly everyone involved, similar to a major business? Or is much of this to be viewed as a bit cockamamie (decalcomania).

Here are some real life careers that are hard to believe:

Vacation Specialist
Dog Wig Designer
Professional Ant Picker
Underwear/Hand Model
Video Game Life Coach
Celebrity Umbrella Holder
Cat Psychic
Luxury Fountain Pen Repairer
Cowpuncher

I realize many of these sound bizarre, and are truly cockamamie. And I didn't even bother mentioning the six figure salary careers of Pet Detective, Food Critic and Gossip Columnist. But is today's local church so different, or so much the same.

Try these on for size:

Director of Fulfillment
Athletics Director
Executive Pastor
Greeter
Usher
Mother of the Church
Parking Lot Director
Armor bearer
Donut/Coffee Manager

Now, no one is opposing these positions and saying, "Hurry up and get those roles out of your local church!" But it's clear to note that many individuals may be better resourced in truly doing work that Jesus desired for us. For that matter, most churches can take another look into seeing what God was more focused on the local church being about as it relates to kingdom labor. And the idea of cockamamie careers probably aren't at the top of the list, or even on His list at all. Again, no one is opposing these positions, just opening church leaders up to a different perspective of reevaluation for resourcing their people. If MOST of what a church leader focuses on being done is only limited to the four-walls of their church, that just may NOT be the greatest focus. People are lost, hurting and dying daily. And get this, they may never step foot in your local church building. How can you reach them, when they're right in your budding city or right outside your door? Church leaders need to know "There's so much MORE God desires of them as leaders who represent Him!"  

The Apple Syndrome

Everyone is apple crazy nowadays. I'm not referring to the delicious acidic red fruit with a white core but, I'm speakin about the Apple, Inc. fortune 500 corporation run by Steve Jobs. Apple is marketing designer of Macintosh computers, itunes, the iPod, the iPhone, and newly created iPads 1 & 2. The company is becoming so popular that they had to create 300 retail stores and counting just in order to keep up with the demand for their products. People are overly-in-love with what they're selling and take off of work as well as skip school in order to wait in long lines placing them in the position of having first dibs on Apple's products as soon as they are launched.

Writing about this ordeal won't give you the full feelings of hysteria while watching this take place. It's similar to Black Friday or December 26 if you know what I mean. On the contrary, when someone gets saved or there's an opportunity to attend a missions outreach event, much of that same hysteria is vitally lacking. The excitement is lagging and the expectation is fleeting. Sometimes, it comes off as stale and redundant. You know, the same old song and dance. Choir or praise team sings songs, preacher shouts or gives a 3-points sermon, and someone may or may not get saved within the experience. Just make sure it's brief so you can go and watch the game or stuff your face with food.

Wow! Hopefully, that's not your Sunday experiences. If so, psalms 100 should be a chapter you meditate on this week. God wants you to be excited about serving Him. Actually, when you gain the opportunity to worship God individually or in a group setting, you should consider operating just like the Apple crazies. Use the 'Apple Syndrome' for God's purposes and you'll find your relationship with Him growing fresher and more alive with each new coming day. You'll be ever grateful you did!

Heart That Forgives

By now, many have heard of Kevin Levar's hit song "A Heart that Forgives." What's different about his song is, not the lyrical arrangements or melodious feel but, the authenticity of its message. Forgiveness is a touchy subject, even for Christians. Surprising to many, the church is often a place where people become quickly hurt and easily offended. Grudges tend to get set in stone and bitterness becomes a way of life. Individuals refuse to sit next to their counterparts, couples fuss in the parking lot, and some preachers spew out angry venom at their members for not catering to their wishes.

Regardless, the church becomes a mere battle ground, not against the devil or demons, but against each other. It's just the wounds are much more internal than external. We can draft a laundry list of reasons for this occurence. But, our time may be more useful with drafting only three words...not "I love you" but "I FORGIVE YOU." This is not the easiest thing to do but it's one of the most freeing things that can be done. The word of God has made it vitally clear that forgiveness is not an option but a required action (Matthew 18). Instead of forgiving out of duty, one should forgive out of choice. Actually, we should be QUICK to forgive...knowing HOW MUCH WE'VE BEEN FORGIVEN!

God didn't have to send His son to redeem sinful mankind. Jesus didn't have to DIE on a rugged cross for our sins, and the Holy Spirit didn't have to comfort us in our times of need. Thankfully, THEY WILLFULLY CHOSE to forgive, love, and care for us inspite of ourselves. Wow, what great love...we owe them so much...TOO BIG of a debt to repay! So, the next time you want to think about holding hate and bitterness toward someone for what they did to you---DON'T!

When you get a chance purchase Kevin Levar's cd at this site, you'll be ever grateful you did!

http://www.kevinlevar.com/

The Choice is Ours

Many times in life one has to become ever cognizant of the fact that life is full of choices. Life has ups and downs along with neutral moments. Moreover, much of life is filled with precarious decisions that will determine essential things. Yes, many things in life will occur merely from osmosis, but not everything will be an automatic moment totally out of your control. Some things will have the availability for your choice to intervene within the conclusion.

The Bible states, 'I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live' from Deuteronomy 30:19 (Amplified Version). A key point God was getting across was that, in life, we DO have a CHOICE. Therefore, we have to share much of the responsibility for our actions. Unfortunately, we can't justifiably live out a life of excuses and expect God to always accept them.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we never face issues or problems that are out of our control. But, God still wants us owning up to what's actually in our control. We may not be responsible for the 90% but we are responsible for the 10%. We may not have initiated the fight but we are responsible for retaliating once the fight has started. We may not have even put ourselves into a particular dreadful situation, but we are responsible for how we're going to get out of the situation. One thing about Adam & Eve is not so much they'd sinned, but convincingly decided to blame the sin away. They blamed each other, the serpent, and even had the audacity to blame God.

Interesting enough, we tend to respond much like Adam and Eve---even while in the 21st century. Rarely do we hear words like, "I admit it was my fault...I take full responsibility for the problem...I'm the one who messed up...I responded wrongly and accept the consequences that must follow!" Rather, we're more apt to blame, spew out excuses, and continuously point fingers at others. One thing about growth, as a Christian, is a new willingness for personal change in behavior---particularly in the area of sin. Before we seek to work on others, we need to be more eager to work on ourselves first. Many people will respect the witness of your life much quicker than the witness of your voice! Let's always remember, the choice is ours and will have the responsibility to change from the inside out (our attitudes, moods, hearts, minds, and perspectives).