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Good day, busy week

Had a good day yesterday at The Journey.  I would say "I'm blown away by The Journey's generosity", but you journeyers are so consistent at it, that it doesn't blow me away anymore.  I'm amazed at how many presents we collected for the Christmas Store at McGlaughlin school.  Wow!!  And, I can't wait to find out later this morning, how much money came in for classroom for the orphanage in Kenya.  I'm thinking we're going to build the classroom and have money for something else too!

This week, there's a ton going on - including:  basketball games for my son, an important conference call, a computer/conference call for some training, a meeting with our church planting network, a message, Christmas Eve planning to complete, and January series work, a couple visits and lunch appointments, Christmas shopping, and some writing that I need to complete.

Focus, focus, focus. 

Questions (2)

We're continuing to answer questions this week on our staff blogs.  They are questions that have been raised by Journeyers during our "Skeptic" series.  To see more answers, you might want to go to Matt's blog, Mark's blog, or check out V's blog.  Here's the last question I'll do this week:

    "If Jesus is the only way to Heaven, how do those who haven’t yet had a chance to know Him, get there?  Such as jungle tribes with no contact to the outer world.  And if we are supposed to find them and spread His word, where are the people that died before missionaries came to let them know the truth?"

Long question - but I'll try and give you the short answer, and then we can just dialogue through the comments.  For those that hear about Jesus, we are responsible to choose Him, to receive salvation through Him.  The Bible says "there is no other name under Heaven, by which men must be saved."  It also says in Romans 10:9 that if we believe in Jesus, that He was raised from the dead, and we confess that He's Lord, we WILL be saved.  

But, what about the person that's never heard anything?

Read Romans 2:14-16 here!  It's kind of a hard verse to follow - but do you see it?  The Villagers in Africa, the Polynesian of the 5th century didn't have the Law or the Good News of Jesus.  They are judged by the work of the law "written in their hearts' according to their God-given consciences.  It seems to me that God will judge them according to how their life worked with or against that conscience.  The bottom line is that God will show mercy on who He shows mercy on.  He can do as He wishes.  He is good and will do what's right.  And, it seems like He doesn't hold against people who have never heard, but there is some way of judging their hearts.  We see this in the Old Testament with Abraham.  In Hebrews 11 it says that Abraham was with God, experienced life with Him by faith, even though Abraham was around before Jesus was.  There's many other Old Testament examples as well.  Hope that helps, bring on the questions.

early on at The Journey I would say "it's not about me (or you either for that matter". It's still true. What God does in the world isn't dependent on me, it won't fall apart without me, and it can't be stopped because of me. With that said - together . . . God can do some pretty amazing things through us.

Questions

Throughout the month of November we were answering (and raising) questions during our "Skeptic" series at The Journey.  We said that the questions that you raised throughout the month, that we couldn't get to - we'd try to answer as many as possible on our staff blogs.  So, this week Mark, Matt, Virginia, and myself are all taking a couple of the questions.

Here's mine for the day:

“If God is all knowing, then why does it seem like he tried to fix his mistakes throughout the Old Testament?  For example – Adam and Eve sin, the flood happens, then the people of the world go back to sinning, then he finally sent Jesus.  If he knew Adam and Eve would sin and the flood wouldn’t work then why not just send Jesus to begin with?"

 

That's a great question, and the truth is I don't know the answer for why He sent Jesus when he did, other than this . . .

 

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

That may not answer the "why" but for me it settles the question. GOD did it when HE deemed it was the right time.  When the "fullness of time was come".  God did what was best and right.  For whatever reason, that I won't ever understand, God knew that Jesus' coming when he did was exactly the right moment in human history.  We can certainly guess at some things - like how with the Roman empire ruling at the time of Jesus - it made the "whole world" accessible to the message of Jesus.  There was a quality system of roads, their was common language.  There was also this tension between Rome and the Jewish religious leaders that would eventually lead to pressure and persecution of those who followed Jesus - causing the message to spread even further as they fled the persecution. 

 

Lastly, I think this shows us a little of God's mercy.  Over and over and over again He gave the people second chances.  And, He does the same for us.  Thank goodness that He isn't too quick to pull the trigger, or we'd all be in trouble!

lessons from Mickey

We just got back from a 10 day vacation to Disney World with the family.  We take big vacations every couple years (we save for them in advance - which frees us up to really enjoy it, knowing there will be no "bills to pay" at the end of the trip). 

So, as we ventured from park to park - here's what I learned about environments from Mickey Mouse and the people at Disney:

1.  You probably don't notice much if things are fairly clean and functioning well, or even if things are slightly dirty.  But, you certainly notice if things are in disrepair or dirty.  And, you definitely notice when things are immaculate.  Disney has long been known for being very clean.  There are street sweepers out everywhere.  The bathrooms are clean, and you don't notice anything that is broken, in disrepair or not up to snuff.  And, we noticed it.  Amazed how cleanliness really matters.

2.  They are efficient and focused.  With all the people, the transportation, the ticketing process - it's quick, smooth, and everyone has a hello for you.  The process matters to them, because they know it matters to you.  They work hard to get you in and through and to the rides you want to go on.

3.  Creativity counts (a lot!).  Disney goes over-the-top on creativity (so does the Universal theme parks too!).  It inspired me as I thought about creativity in the church.  Not only are they creative in the large things, but in the small, intricate details as well.  Every ride (especially the new ones) seemed to not only have the ride, but a story to tell as you went through the line.

4.  Every experience is somebody's first experience, and they want to make it great.  The staff (cast members) go out of their way to say hello, to be in character, to give you a great experience.  They wave hello when you enter and make comments related to the shirt your wearing, or a hat, or something else, and they wave good-bye when you leave.  We went to Magic Kingdom on Jen's birthday and they gave her a button that said Happy Birthday Jennifer on it.  There was not a single ride that we went on that a cast member didn't say "Happy Birthday Jennifer!" to her.

Anyway - it's got me thinking about The Journey and how we continue to provide great experiences for people who come to The Journey.  What about you?  How do you see this playing out in the church?

Black Friday

Anyone get up at 3 in the morning to participate in Black Friday?  What was your best deal?

It seems odd that the day after "Thanks"giving is named Black Friday.  So morbid.  It's also a bit odd that the day after we thank God for all the things in our life - and generally, we have this realization that money and stuff don't buy us happiness, but that we're just thankful for family and friends and health and a roof over our head - that we immediately go out the next day on a buying frenzy for stuff that we won't even remember in a year or two.

How did we get here?

Remember this Christmas to be part of the conspiracy:  give more, spend less, worship fully.

Happy Turkey Day!

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow and get stuffed with stuffing and all the other good stuff.  We have so much to be thankful for.  My prayer for you, is that in the busyness of meal preparation and football games and family, that you will be able to take some time and reflect and thank God (the "Giver of all good gifts") for all He has blessed you with.

I'm so very thankful for a wonderful wife who loves me and our kids well, and pursues Jesus.  For kids who are growing up to be fine young men and are starting to really live the Jesus way.  I'm thankful for the home I live in, for the wonderful friends and ministry partners that I have.  I'm even thankful for big blue!  And, I'm so thankful for each of you who call The Journey your home church and invest your time and money and talents into the vision of the church and to helping people take their next steps.  It blows me away.  I could not say thank you enough.  So often we list person after person who serves and extends themselves.  I wish we could have every one of you over for dinner and just express our gratitude.  Thank you!!

Oh, and I'm thankful for our groups that we're a part of.  And, I'm really proud of our group that is stepping up to provide a great Thanksgiving for a family that is desperately in need.  Way to go!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving (I would suggest that if you're really going to enjoy it, don't watch the Lions tomorrow).  So, it's your turn . . . what are you thankful for?

40 baby!

 
Jennifer turns 40 today!  It's a big milestone.  And, for those of you who are wondering . . . yes, I married an older woman (so what if it's only by 8 months!).  Jennifer is an incredible mother and wife.  She strives to live her life selflessly.  She invests her time into me and into our boys.  She's wonderful at taking advantage of teachable moments.  She's sensitive to others needs.  She is committed to growing in her relationship with Jesus and is consistently spending time with Him and looking to grow in her relationship even when it requires making difficult changes.

You know the kind of woman she is, by staying married to me over these last 17 years.  I am so proud of who she is and who she is continuing to become.  And, I'm so proud to call her my wife and my best friend!  Happy birthday Jen.  I love you more than my words could ever begin to express.

God, where are you?

Yesterday, Mark tackled the biggest issue many of us face.  It was the #1 question asked in our Skeptic series survey (by far).  I know he did a great job and put in a lot of time to prepare, and yet, I'm sure for many the answers seemed inadequate.  That's natural.  Simply because there is so much about God that we don't understand, that we'll never know.

And, it often seems like in the midst of our biggest questions, and deepest pain, that God is silent.  He may seem silent to you in those times, but rest assured He is not.  He is moving, and working, and leading us to a time when there will be no more pain, or sorrows, or tears.  In the mean time, He knows what you're going through and it matters to Him.  In those times that seem silent, keep praying, keep seeking, keep begging - because all of that can draw us closer to Him - more connected to Him - more desperate for Him.

At the end of the day, that's what God wants.  He's all about the relationship, and in the hard, difficult times, we seek Him and our relationship grows.  Don't give up.  Keep seeking God.  HE IS THERE.

Friday Fun

So, how do you think they marketed this house?  Waterfront?  Home with a view?  And would you ever feel comfortable sleeping in that house?