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You reap MORE than you sow

Over the past month we've been in a series at The Journey called "The Blessed Life".  And one of the driving forces behind this series is a spiritual principle that we see in 2 Corinthians 9, where the author using farming language tells us that when it comes to the resources that God has blessed us with - you reap what you sow. 

Actually he says you reap MORE than you sow.  You sow seed, but you reap a crop, a harvest.

Jen and I have seen this in our life over the last 20 years.  I so badly want people to experience that for their own lives as well.  I know the joy, the faith, the trust that has built in us over the years.  It's not because we're extraordinarily faithful or holy (believe me, we're not!), but because God is!

You reap more than what you sow.  When you sow generously, you will reap an impact that is large.  Why?  Because when we live that way we are acknowledging that God is the blesser, that He's the owner, that He's the provider.  Our trust is in Him.

So, here's the thing.  You can believe that or not.  You can continue to hold too tightly to stuff that won't last.  You can continue to put your trust and security in a bank account or a house or a job (all of which can be gone in a heartbeat).  Of course that isn't going to get you anywhere - you'll still have anxiety, you'll still be missing out on truly living a blessed life.

Jennifer and I are more and more convinced every day (but it's a struggle almost every day as well) that the key to really living blessed and to experiencing our best life is through our wallet.  Through generosity.  And it's not really about money.

When we live generously we're trusting God.  When we live generously we're making an eternal impact and the Bible says that we are getting rewards in Heaven.  When we live generously it helps us to not get caught up in consumerism, materialism, selfishness.  When we live generously it causes us to depend on God.  It causes us to pray more diligently.  When we live generously it allows us to be a blessing to others.  When we've lived generously we've seen God provide for us in some pretty remarkable ways that have deepened our faith.  

Over these 20 years, I can guarantee you that we have tried (with increasing passion) to sow generously & we have reaped WAY more than we have sowed.  It doesn't make sense.  But it's God math.  

What steps can you take to live generously?  It's not just money, it's time, it's relationships.  But, make no mistake - its money too.  Because God knows how closely that's tied to our heart.  When we hand that over to Him though, it comes with tremendous freedom & impact.  Remember YOU REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW.

I'm not going to share it here, but if you're looking to take steps in this generosity journey, I would be more than happy to share personally with you the journey our family has been on and help you in whatever way I can.

Before you stuff your face & then your shopping cart

Okay, maybe this post will ruin it for some of you.  Maybe you'll think I'm crazy.  I get it.  I've stuffed myself until I couldn't eat another bite & then found a way to have some more stuffing and another piece of pie.  And I've been in line at 4 am going for the deal on the computer and printer.

I don't think it is inheriently wrong to enjoy a great meal, or find a good deal on something you were needing or even wanting.

But what I'm wrestling with this year is the gluttony, and materialism that comes from a heart that is simply not satisfied with what will bring satisfaction.  Instead we settle for a cheap substitute.  Something that will gain us a few pounds and put us to sleep, or be replaced with the new version in another two years (or less) or end up on Craigslist or in the junk pile or garage sale.  From now until Christmas you will see one commerical after another touting one thing:  Buy More!!  Buy stuff!  Buy and buy and buy - it brings smiles to kids faces and warm fuzzies to your heart.  Buy what you need.  Buy what you don't need.  Buy what you don't even really want.  Consumerism at it's very best.  

You might think I'm getting a little carried away.  After all, is it really wrong to want the iphone 5s,t,u,v?  How can it be bad to eat half the pumpkin pie?  Especially if you only put whip cream on half the pieces!

And maybe I am.  The truth is I'm going to eat a great Thanksgiving meal on Thursday.  And, we'll do Christmas shopping and get some neat gifts for our kids and family.

But I am more and more aware all the time that none of that really brings satisfaction, peace, true joy.  What it does is provide a cheap substitute that masks our true longings and needs.  It causes us to focus on stuff rather than people.  It gives us a misguided view of the world.  1st world problems at their best.

So this Thanksgiving and Christmas, just realize that at the end of the day you'll be left with a full stomach and a credit card bill that you'll try to pay off as soon as you can.  Call it what it is.  It's settling.  Settling for less than God's best for us.  

And maybe there's a new way forward that can actually bring satisfaction, and help you experience your best life.

Yup, that's why . . .

In ministry, there are lots of highs and lows.  You see a marriage restored, an addiction being defeated, a heart surrendered to Jesus and your spirit is lifted.  That same week you hear of a couple getting a divorce, of someone who is leaving the church, and of another relationship in crisis.  Your spirit sinks.  

One week you are watching a young couple exchange vows and begin their new life together.  The next week you watch a families grief as they say goodbye to a loved one.  

It's all enough to wreck you.  To feel incredible weight and responsibility for the lives and souls of others.  Which, is not your weight to carry - it's God's, but too often you still FEEl like it's your weight to carry and too often I try to.

At the end of the day though I get to be a part of what God is doing in the world and I get to see Him working out His redemptive purposes in the lives of others.  What an honor.  It doesn't make a lot of "business sense" for God to use someone like me for anything.  But He does.  And I'm grateful.  And not only me.  You too.  

So, when God uses us together to make a difference in the lives of others, to make an eternal impact, it blows me away.  I'm so grateful for this God of grace and mercy.  And ultimately, His grace is why I do what I do & why we do what we do at The Journey.

This Sunday in our services, we shared about the 275 people in our north community who had a great experience on a very rainy Halloween because we provided something for their families, we heard about how our Networks helped provide food for those in need through their work at a community garden, and how our networks were also caring for those being rescued from the sex trafficing industry.  We also heard how all our Networks will be ambushing people's homes this weekend helping to clean yards for those that can't by themselves.  

This Sunday I heard the story of a middle schooler who is inviting kids every week to Journey Teens.  I heard about a whole host of people who are coming to our Beginnings Classes to ask their spiritual questions.  I heard about a teenager who wants to get baptized.  We also started to put finishing touches on our Christmas Project which will make a difference here, in Vegas, and in Kenya, Africa.

And, yup, that's why . . . we do what we do.

Thank you Journeyers for not settling for religion.  For not settling for just showing up at a building on Sunday's.  Thank you for extending the grace we've been given, to others.  That's why we do what we do.

3 Reasons Why Marketing Won't Help Your Church

Maybe you feel like marketing is evil in the first place.  After all, shouldn't we just "preach the Word" and let God bring the increase?  Or maybe you come from a position that suggests that everything is marketing (your brand, your name out in the world around you).

In the North American Church, we face a culture that is saturated with messages and choices.  The vast majority of our culture wouldn't know how to choose a church (if they were even looking) unless they asked someone or googled it.

Yet we have the greatest message the world has ever known.  Why wouldn't we want to get that message out?  Yes, we need to build relationships in which we can share that message.  Yes, we need to pray that people will be open to that message.  But, why would we not look for EVERY opportunity to share that message with our community?  And might "every opportunity" also include getting the word out about our church and the potential for people to meet Jesus through our community of faith?

The problem is that often churches "market" their church through the newspaper, or a mailer, or an event, but it doesn't help.  Here's a few reasons why:

1.  Often, churches are so out-of-touch with people disconnected from Jesus that their marketing piece (the language, the topic, etc.) is a total disconnect.  It might draw some people that are church goers, or even some that have got out of the habit of going to church, but they won't reach people that are unchurched.  What is the language you are using?  Is it insider language?  Are you listing your ministries by their insider names?  Are you inviting people to a series like:  The Life of Paul?  Although a great series, people won't even know who Paul is, so why would they care?

2.  If you actually get people to show up through your marketing, but then they walk into an environment that is also for insiders, they won't come back again.  What does that look like?

    *We use language that shows they don't belong:  "You all know the story of . . .", "Grab your Bible and turn to Jeremiah 12", "If you're interested in . . . see Mary Thompkins after the service"

    *No clear signage in the building.  It's uncomfortable walking into a new place.  They are already unsure, worried about if they dressed appropriately, and nervous because they are not sure what to expect.  If they have to wander around trying to figure out where to go, where a restroom is, etc. they won't come back.

    *You don't have specific volunteers set up to be hosts, or guest information staff.  Is anyone looking out for newcomers?  Is anyone there to say hello and help if they need it?  Is there something visible where they can go and get the information they need?

    *Do you acknowledge that people are there for the first time?  Not in the "stand up and introduce yourself as brother Smiley gives you a hug" kind of a way.  But in the - "they expect new people to be here & they're glad I'm here".  Do you offer any kind of simple on ramp or next step for the person who shows up?

3.  You're service is irrelevant.  I know, I know.  I'm not suggesting we compromise the Gospel message for the sake of relevancy.  But, isn't the Gospel message the most relevant compelling message on the planet?  Why does it have to be one or the other?  I don't think it does.  But, you have to be a student of the culture and be able to share the message of Jesus and the deeper things of Scripture in a way that connects to the lives of people who aren't really sure what they believe.  The issue is Jesus, it's always Jesus.  It's not rocket science.  Everything comes back to Him.  But just be sensitive to where people are at in the process.  Don't talk over the heads with your theological brilliance.  Don't discount their worries & fears with trite sitcom answers.  P.S.  The best way to do this is to have a friendship with someone that doesn't know Jesus and is attending your church - how do they need to hear the message?

Never Give Up

Winston Churchill famously gave a speech to Harrow School (a school he had attended) where he simply said "Never give up!  Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up!  Never give up!"  Then he sat down.

Except that speech never, ever, ever, ever actually happened.  He did say "Never give in!" as part of a larger speech at the school.  But, it's not quite the same.

Although the first speech isn't true, it's sentiment is, especially when it comes to prayer.  

I've been reading Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Adventure by Mark Batterson and it has totally challenged my heart.  It reminds me of the parable of the persistent widow in the Bible.  Her story is found here!  In the parable she refuses to leave a judge alone as she seeks justice.  She is relentless.  She never gives up!

That is not how my prayer life works most the time.  I wish it was.  There are times.  Times when I have prayed for 6 months on my knees for God to move on our behalf.  But most of the time I pray for a bit, and when nothing happens I move on, or I try to make it happen on my own.

I fully believe that I need to work like it depends on us, but pray like it depends on God and if I'm honest I don't always know what that looks like.  But I know I need to be MORE dependent on God.  I know that I need to "never give up" in the prayers that I pray and in the passions God lays on my heart.  I also know that YOU need to do the same thing.

I want to live a life where God gets the credit.  I want to live and pray in such a way and dream such big dreams that when God moves it's obvious it was Him and if I ever tried to take credit I would simply look like a moron - because there's no way I could pull it off in my own power.

I'm guessing for many of you, you'd like the same thing.  There's no way for that to happen unless we're dependent, focused, prayerful, in a way that never gives up.  Like that persistent widow we hound our heavenly Father - not to try to bend his arm until he cries "uncle" and is forced to do what we want (as if we could do that anyway), but instead in a way that simply declares our need and dependence on Him and pleads with Him to to accomplish His will in our lives and the situations we're apart of.

What have you given up on that you shouldn't have.  Pray, pray, pray.  Never give up!  

Simplicity

All of life seems to move to complexity.  And sometimes there is a need for things to be a little more complex.  But I'm convinced that most of the time we need more simplicity.

Look no further than our government.  The more complex, the more red tape, and the wheels of innovation, change, progress come screeching to a halt.

In our churches, often the larger they become the more complex they become.  What started out as a vision and a dream turns into policies and manuals and committees.  That's not all bad, but it often hinders real ministry and impact.

Our lives are often this way as well.  They become more and more complex.  Our schedules get squeezed, there is always something else to do, and as we lose simplicity we lose some of our impact.

Certainly in the two thousand years since Jesus was here we've made things awfully complex.  What does it look like to follow Jesus simply?  Do we make it hard for others to follow?  

Where do you need to simplify your life, spiritually?

Don't Handle Your Personal Finances like the Federal Government

Yesterday our Government had it's first shutdown in 19 years.  Mostly that's due to the bickering between political parties and ideologies.  Whether you agree or don't agree with Obamacare, whether you think there should be more government programs or less government programs, I think we all can agree that our government is broke and needs fixing.  

But as much as people want to make a big deal about the government shutdown and even more so, Obamacare.  There is a much larger issue that is just around the corner.  We get a glimpse of it in just a couple weeks when our government will have to vote to raise our debt ceiling or face the potential of going in default on our loans.  

We are passing on debt to our children and grandchildren at alarming rates as a country.  Currently our debt is around $17 TRILLION dollars.  We owe over $1 TRILLION to both China and Japan.  

This is what happens when our government officials are more worried about their electability than doing what's right, and it's what happens when we have created a culture that hates the word "no".

And this is where your personal finances come in to play.  Please, please, please listen to this:

YOU CAN'T SPEND MORE THAN YOU MAKE.  This isn't rocket science, but it is hard to do.  When everyone else is buying a bigger house, going on a great vacation, going to see the show.  It almost feels like we HAVE to.  When our kids see everything their friends get and grow up in a culture that hates the word "no", it's hard not to give in to them.  

BUT IT'S NOT FAIR.  We see other people get something and we work just as hard as they do.  It's not fair.  Nope.  Oh well.  It's time we get over it.  It might not be fair, but you still have what you have - so you need to spend less than you have.

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN TAKE OUT A LOAN DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD.  We've seen the damage that caused with the housing bubble.  Just because someone is willing to loan you money doesn't mean you should take it.  Yes, for most of us we'll never own a home unless we take out a loan.  But just because the bank says you can "afford" to take out a $120,000 loan doesn't mean you should.  They aren't taking into account the money you want to save, the money you want to give for your kids college, the amount you want to use for vacations, etc.  Almost always, the wise thing to do is to take out significantly less than "they" say you can "afford".  

Your daily decisions determine your direction and ultimately your destiny.  Don't handle your personal finances like the federal government - it has the potential to bankrupt you and to saddle your kids with a burden you don't want them to have to bear.

Ultimately, eventually, the creditors will come calling, our finances will be exposed.  As a country we'll wish that people would have talked straight about sacrifice.  And we will wish we would have listened.  

We need those same voices in our own personal finances as well.  But will we listen?

Have you lost your "scrappy"?

When we were a brand new church just starting out (and this month we celebrate our 10th anniversary), we did all sorts of creative, crazy things to get the word out about the new church.  Some of it cost dollars, some of it cost very little.  We passed out balloons at parades, we handed out water bottles at Summer Celebration (a summer festival in Muskegon), we printed out cards and passed them around, we invited all sorts of friends to come and check things out, we held a comedy concert and a carnival to kick-off our official launch as a church.

Beyond all that, we worked hard at making phone calls, writing notes, connecting with people.  We were "scrappy".  We had to be.  If we weren't scrappy, we might not be around very long.  It's much like a start up business.  You have to get your name out.  You give away some free product in hopes that others will pass your name along or talk about you.  You contact the newspaper or a website and hope someone will give you a review or cover your grand opening.

But when people start to come and policies are being made and new ministries are being formed, and new message series are being prepared and when you seem to be having some success, it's really easy to lose your "scrappy".  It happens in the buisness world, and it happens in churches.  

If you're a church planter or pastor, you need to ask if your church has lost its scrappiness.  The reality is that 70% of people are not attending any church this coming Sunday.  They won't just come.  We need to be scrappy.  We need to be scrappy because each one of those people matter deeply to God.  Each one of those people are not experiencing their best life.  Each one of those people were made to walk in relationship with Jesus.

So have you lost your scrappy?  Confession time:  I think we lost some of our scrappiness at The Journey.  And maybe we've never fully had it at our new M120 site.  So, we're working on that.  We need to lead that way, and we need those who call The Journey their home to be scrappy.  Too many lives depend on it.

What can you do to regain that scrappy heart and attitude of a new start-up?

dreamin'

Dreams are so interesting to me.  Sometimes I have a dream that just makes me laugh.  It's so odd, so strange.  Then there are those dreams where someone from my past shows up - I haven't thought about them in two decades.  What's up with that?

If you're like me you also have a couple recurring dreams.  One of my recurring dreams is that I have one week left in the semester at college and I've just realized that I haven't been going to a class all semester that I was supposed to!  I have to find the class and be ready to take the exam.  I usually wake up before I actually find the class.

But, we don't just have strange, funny, scary subconscious dreams as we sleep.  We all have dreams for our future, dreams of what we hope will be, dreams of a new and brighter day.

At The Journey this last month, we've been celebrating our 10th Anniversary as a church.  We've been celebrating all God has done, reaffirming our commitments, and this week we'll be sharing our dreams for the NEXT 10 years.

We're excited about all that God will do among us, and we're praying for greater impact, and greater reach.  We truly believe that "our best is yet ahead"!

What are you dreaming about?  I believe God has bigger and better dreams for your life and our life as a church then we can ever daydream about on our own.

Journeyers - don't miss it this Sunday at 9:30 & 11 am at both locations.  Plus you'll hear some awesome stories from Journeyers.

Sign Up today & we'll throw in some Ginsu knives

Okay, we might not be able to throw in a set of Ginsu knives, BUT . . . it will still be TOTALLY worth it for you to sign up for Journey Night Classes.  We've got multiple classes at each of our locations.  Most are 4-5 week classes (the exception of Financial Peace University, which is a 9 week course).  

You can register here!  When you click on the link, either sign-in or set-up account (it will take 2 minutes) & then on the next page click on "classes" at the top right on the next page.

We've got some awesome classes planned!  Don't miss it!  You'll meet new friends, make some good connections, and grow through these classes.

You can also sign up at the Kiosk at The Journey on Sunday's.  Classes start the first week of October!