PBC Presents...

Greetings everyone. It's time to get back into the saddle after a wonderful week away. Coming up this week for our PBCuth & friends is the 2011 Trigger Conference. The following is a brief description of the event:
"Trigger is a youth conference that seeks to increase the Passion, Purpose, and Pursuit of this generation for the heart of God. There will be no cost for this event and lunch will be provided."

Trigger is just another attempt to provide the church body with opportunities to grow in the awareness of all that God is doing in the earth. This event will be more than just a "feel good" event - in fact, I believe we will be placing these young people in the presence of God and allowing Him to change their lives forever.

PBC is excited to share this event with the students in and around Max Meadows. It's time to start speaking to what God has placed inside every young person within the church and see them walk in the destiny that God has for them. The awakening that is coming to the church is a multi-generational and multi-cultural event. It goes beyond denomination and far beyond the "norm" of church life.

What can students expect?
They can expect God to speak directly into their lives.
They can expect to be moved beyond their current experience in church life.
They can expect to be loved, equipped (training in Dance, Vocals, Instruments, and Leadership), and energized.

Please pray for a great outpouring of God's Spirit among this generation of believers. The dates are July 15 & 16. For more info go to: http://triggerconference.blogspot.com

VACATION WEEK!!!

There will not be any new blog entries this week...vacation is upon us.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July, and an incredible week. Talk to you soon.

A Culture of Honor at Home

There is nothing quite as fascinating to a child as what can be created with LEGOs. Whatever you can imagine is possible: Vehicles, Building, and even Animals. While the dynamics are quite different, the same can be said of the home. Whatever you imagine is possible...but...you better have a plan.

I have been doing a lot of thinking (and reading) about what it takes to create a "culture of honor" within the church. Then it dawned on me...this can happen in the home! With the right attitude, proper authority within the home, and a little imagination - it's possible.

Matthew 20:25-36, "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.'"

Is there anyone reading this blog that doesn't want to be great? I mean...at least in one area of life...right? I want to be a great parent. I want my kids to look back on their lives at home and consider those days as some of the best ever. I want them to experience love, peace, and encouragement. With that being said, the only question I have to ask is how to make it happen. The answer I continue to receive is the one most of us don't want to hear: servanthood.

How can I best serve my family?
How can I best serve my wife?
How can I best serve the needs of my kids?
It's the answer to these questions that will allow me to move into greatness.

I have no doubt that some people would read this and say that I have the wrong approach. Most of us have been raised to believe that parents are the lords of the home. While I don't disagree with our lordship - I would disagree with our understanding of it. Jesus taught us that Lordship in a culture of honor takes on a new dynamic. The Lord doesn't mind putting a towel around His waist and washing the feet of His followers. With that view in mind: Can we put aside our "Rights" as parents and spouses to better serve the needs of our family?

These are hard questions. For many of us, just asking them is enough to cause our heads to spin. But just as God created Adam & Eve, provided for their needs, and then gave them some instruction on how to live life; we need to do the same. Are we willing to walk with our families and teach them how to get the most out of this life? Can we sit back and allow them to make mistakes? And when those mistakes are made, do we have enough grace to cover them? This is exactly the way God chose to respond to His creation. Will we do the same?

A culture of honor creates an environment that sustains life. Within this culture those with power learn how to empower those around them. The greatest qualities of this environment are grace, hope, and love. Grace is given to every person every day, Hope is instilled into the lives of every family member, and Love dominates every aspect of family life. Is this possible? Absolutely!!! As long as each of us are willing to submit our families to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Here's what I have discovered: Some of the best LEGO creations (that I have built) had a design to follow. The same is true of the house that I am building with my wife, family, and kids. God gives the design. I just have to follow His heart to create a culture of honor at home.

The Nature of Love

"It is not the nature of love to force a relationship but it is the nature of love to open the way." ~ Papa (The Shack p.192)

Have you ever questioned whether or not God was working in the lives of other people? You know...the ones that you have been praying for that never seem to change. There is one thing that I know for certain: God is always working.

Bill Faye, creator of "Share Jesus Without Fear", talks about this very thing. In his testimony he goes through a listing of people who shared the gospel with him. Most of those people were verbally abused, mocked, and rejected. However, he never forgot the faces or the people that shared with him. In his mind, they were successful witnesses to God. How is that possible? These people were successful because they were obedient.

Friends, I don't want you to ever lose hope when praying for the lost around you. You must trust in the power of the Gospel and the nature of God. God is always reaching out to those who do not know Him. He will never force a relationship on anyone. But every time you come around, every time you share the "Good News", and every time you trust in the Cross - you are opening the way to a relationship.

It seems as though we forget that not every person that came into contact with Jesus chose to believe in Him. In fact...many rejected, many cried out for His crucifixion, and even after His resurrection many still chose not to believe. Yet even in the midst of all this rejection, the way to a relationship was opened.

Take Note of What God Has Accomplished:
> God has reconciled Himself to the entire world.
> God has chosen not to count the sins of the world against them.
> God has forgiven the world already.
> God has provided an opportunity for everyone to be saved.
The death of Jesus has opened the door. What was once only attainable through obedience and sacrifice has been made available through faith in Jesus Christ. The salvation of the lost hinges upon the grace of God at work in the belief of an individual. If they will simply believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and choose to make Him Lord of their lives; they will be saved.

While many of you know this truth, it is good to be reminded of the nature of God's love. All you need to do is be a demonstration of that love. A love that never condemns, never shames, and is ready to accept all of those who come by faith. There is not one person in this world that is outside of the reach of God's love. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation or lost cause. God manifests His love through you, the Holy Spirit does all of the convicting, and Jesus stands ready to save all who call upon Him. That is the nature of love. The question is: Are you ready to demonstrate His nature to those around you?

Get Busy Living...

"If your memories are greater than your dreams, then you're already dying." ~ Kris Vallotton

When I initially read this quote by Kris Vallotton, I immediately thought of Andy Dufresne from the movie Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living or get busy dying."

When we continually live in the past or with a lack of hope for the future, we have chosen to stop living the life that God has in store for us. Have you ever met someone whose best days were behind them? I'm sure that they never said it in those exact words but by their actions and excitement over the past it seems as though they have stopped progressing.

Consider this:
Are the greatest memories of your life stuck in high school?
Do you think of your marriage in terms of what it used to be?
Did you reach the pinnacle of your faith in Jesus immediately after you were saved?

The Word of God says that Christ in me is the hope of glory. Through my faith in Jesus I am continually compelled to something greater than what I have experienced. I do not have to rest in the success of the past, glory in what has already transpired, or ever consider that my best moments with God are behind me. While I may be able to look back at some awesome experiences, and remember the lessons of the past, I was made for continual revelation in the knowledge of Him. God is so infinite that there is so much more to this life than I have already experienced.

Think about how many moves of God become memorials to what God used to do. I'm a believer in the God who has more to give than what we have already experienced. The book of Acts is not meant to be just a history of the moves of God among the early church. It is meant to be an inspiration to those of us who do not live in that time...a consideration of what God could do in the church of today. I don't believe the apostles considered that we would look back and say "Oh...that God would do that today." I truly believe that Paul, Peter, and the rest believed that our story would be a continuation of what God started in the 1st century.

Let's get busy living. Let's believe that God has more in store for us than what He did in the past. Let's allow our faith to compel us to do more, be more, and experience more than what our patriarchs in the faith experienced.

I believe the words of Jesus: "Greater works than I have done..." The Holy Spirit in me allows me to walk in everything that Jesus walked in and even more. His ministry was to give us the hope of greater ministry. His life was to unlock the potential of the human race when we live in agreement with God's will. He was the forerunner of our faith: the author and finisher. Why not run with Him? Why not believe that God can do more. Allow your dreams to be fueled by God's purpose and plan. GET BUSY LIVING!!!

Here's to seeing God do more in and through you than what you could have ever dreamed, asked, or thought. He is able!!!