I’ve Drunk the Koolaid!!

Having a blast at Centerpoint Church!  Loved the 1st installment of the Drive message series yesterday… Donnie preached on Erasing Darkness – how God has called believers to make a difference, allowing the light of Christ to shine thru their lives.  Amazing, when we think of it, as to how many people all around us are headed for a Christ-less eternity.  All the world around us is DARK, and darkness is basically the absence of the presence of God.  LOVED this message!

Mark and the worship team CRUSHED IT yesterday, too!  Great group of guys/girls… they minister from their hearts, which is always very exciting.

Then, we had a Ministry Leaders meeting yesterday afternoon before the Super Bowl… awesome hearing new and old leaders alike who are passionate about what they do!

I’ve drunk the Centerpoint Koolaid… and it is good!

Looking forward to preaching both services this coming Sunday… Embracing Diversity.  YOU DON’T WANNA MISS THIS!!  See you there!

 

D Plum out!

The Faith of ‘LEAP’!

Came across this quote in The Faith of Leap by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch… LOVED it!

“All disciples of Jesus (not just a select few) are called to an ongoing, risky, actional, extravagant way of life — a life resonant with that distinctly wild – and yes, Christlike — faithfulness of their Lord and Master.  This the faith that is willing to leap into service of his unfurling reign in this world, believing that by so doing we are partnering with him in a cosmic project for the regeneration of all things, far and away more amazing than anything we could have conceived of ourselves.”

The Christ Life is a life of faith… a life that is risky and adventurous, but trusting in the power of the One who’s called us.  His calling is His enablement… the question is, “What are we doing RIGHT NOW that looks like the above??”  Faith in Him causes us to LEAP into the adventurous life!  He hasn’t called us to play it safe… nor be cautious…

He’s called us to LEAP in faith… taking big steps to FOLLOW HIM…

… knowing that He’d never drop us… because He’s promised to strap Himself to us, and never let us fall.

“Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:6).
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The life of faith… the faith of LEAP… is what all Christ-followers are called to.  

What leaps are we taking for Him??

 

The OMNI-God!!!!

Preached a few weeks ago, in a tag-team format, with Donnie Reynolds and Joel Pazmino… LOVE serving with these cats at Centerpoint Church!  We preached on God’s OMNI-science… His OMNI-potence… and His OMNI-presence: He is ALL-KNOWING… ALL-POWERFUL… and EVERYWHERE PRESENT.

It was a good Sunday…

Something Old… Something New

Okay… so, I wanna give TWO SHOUT OUTS today: one, for my buddy Pastor Ken Patterson… who leads Grace International Church in Baltimore.  I haven’t yet been to the church, but from what I hear, they’ve got it going on!  Ken is a very creative-minded stud of a pastor (lol!!) whom God is going to use using to affect and transform the lives of many in this generation.  He and his church is the something new…

Second shout out: THIS SUNDAY… at Grace International Church… will be another friend of mine – who happens to be also my former pastor – Pastor Mark Batterson.  YOU DON’T WANNA MISS THIS!!  Mark is one of the greatest visionaries I’ve ever had the opportunity to sit under… a tremendously anointed man of God, being used MIGHTILY to transform our nation’s capital.  He’s the something old… at least, in the since that he’s been doing this for a minute.   Pastor Mark is also the author of one of the best books I’ve read in awhile, The Circle Maker.  This book has WRECKED me, I’m telling you!  I’m supposed to be reviewing it, but can’t even finish it… because it is SO powerful, you have to just digest it very slowly to get the most out of it!  In fact, it is SO good, that I WILL SEND A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK TO THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON THIS POST!

That’s wassup.

ALSO. If you make it to Grace Int’l THIS SUNDAY, you will receive a free copy.  So, get your free copy here… then go to the service and get a free copy to bless someone else!

That’s wassup.

Something old… something new.  Mark Batterson at Grace Int’l Church.  THIS SUNDAY… January 29 at 11am!  You don’t wanna miss this… they’re gonna rock your face off, in Jesus’ name!!

D Plum… out!

The Choice is Yours!

It was almost 50 years ago that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech… a cry for racial justice and reconciliation that was (and still is) so needed in our country.  We’ve come a long way since then… but we still fall oh so short of seeing Dr. King’s dream become a reality…

… and in the midst of it all, the Church… the Body of Christ… is too often eerily silent.  I’m not even sure that makes sense… that we who have been given stewardship of the greatest message of love & reconciliation in the world have nothing to say when it comes to how we relate to people who look differently, act differently, and think differently than we do.  Yes, we’ve amassed awesome numbers in our worship gatherings, we’ve built creative and compelling ministries, we’ve dug wells and erected churches in foreign lands… but when it comes to living out the gospel across racial lines here in America, we have opted to act as though we’re blind and deaf.  We may not say it… but when it comes to embracing diversity, the Church largely has lip-synced MC Hammer’s old tune, “Can’t touch this!”

No matter what we say… it’s not by default… it’s by choice…

And God is not pleased.

Before Dr. King had a dream, Jesus had a prayer: that His disciples would be ONE (John 17:20-23)

“I pray that they will be one, just as You and I are one….“
“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as we are one…”
“May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me…”

THAT is the heart of God for His people… and for our country.  A half-century ago, Dr. King said that 11:00 on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.  Nothing much has changed since then.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the acceptance of the Gospel in our communities hinges on the oneness of God’s people.  And, like Dr. King, I have a dream, too…

…that God’s people would lead the way in embracing diversity…
…that the power of the gospel would be seen in the lives of Christians of all colors, cultures, and backgrounds, as we come together in unity…
…so that the world will know…

Him.

DPlum out

Stuff Legends are Made of!

It was one of the GREATEST playoff games in recent history: the mighty Steelers vs. the underdog Broncos, led by their young and very controversial quarterback, Tim Tebow.  The Broncos would prevail, winning on the VERY FIRST PLAY OF OVERTIME, on a dramatic 80-yard touchdown pass by Tebow.

I really don’t know how the rest of this whole ride with Tim Tebow will play out…

All I know is that dude is silencing his critics… big time.

First, I don’t even wanna talk about the spiritual haters his outspoken demeanor has raised… let’s keep it on just football for now.  Here is a dude that everybody was down on: “He can’t throw.”  “He has terrible mechanics.” “He doesn’t have an arm.” “He’ll never win in this league.”  Then he goes and wins like 4 straight, and – even though he didn’t end the regular season well – leads his team to the playoffs.  THEN, he rips the mighty Steelers defense… the defense that was ranked #1 in the entire NFL… the defense that never gave up 200 yards to a quarterback all season long.  He played lights out football in his first ever playoff game.

No one… even this writer… gave Tim Tebow much of a chance to beat the Steelers.  What a confidence booster that will be for the young man and his team, as they head into the treacherous waters of Foxboro, Mass to play the New England Patriots.  Not many are giving them much of a fighting chance this weekend…

… but, then again, that’s been the story all season long.  Not many have given Tebow much of a chance all year… but he’s proven the critics wrong over and over again.

On the other hand, I’m hearing a bunch of different arguments for/against Tebow’s outspoken manner of always praising Jesus.  My problem with the criticism: if you are a Christ-follower, what can POSSIBLY be annoying about praising Jesus in every possible situation?  We’re talking about praising the same God who said, “Let EVERY THING that has breath, praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150).  Tim Tebow just makes sure he gets his praise in… repeatedly!  Jesus one time said that if we don’t speak up for Him, the very ROCKS would cry out in praise!  I think Tebow just says, “I ain’t gonna let no rocks cry out for me!”

Okay… back to football…

He’s engineered some of the greatest football comeback victories in recent memory…
He’s done it several times this year…
He’s done it in the face of overwhelming odds…

Love him or hate him… ignoring him hasn’t been an option…

… and that’s the stuff that legends are made of!

I’m not saying that the Broncos will beat the Patriots this coming weekend… not saying that at all.  But stranger things have happened… and as my friend Mark Batterson says: “You can never always sometimes tell!”   (#TheCircleMaker)

I’m not saying that Tim Tebow will be a great quarterback (though I think he will be way better than any of us expected).  But I know this: he’s a leader… he’s a winner… and before his time in the NFL is through, he will have convinced all naysayers that he belonged in the NFL.

Tim Tebow… The Legend Begins.

Sunday Mind Dump…

- Had a great morning at Centerpoint… spoke in a tag-team format with Donnie Reynolds and Joel Pazmino… on “The Omni-God”.  3 preachers… 8 minutes (supposedly, lol) a piece. Good stuff!

- I led off with God’s Omniscience… the God who knows all… everything actual, everything possible.  Nothing AT ALL ever escapes His notice… the phrase “I don’t know” is nowhere in His vocabulary…

- which should lead us (1) to TAKE HEED to how we live before Him.  Too many of us say we love Jesus, but live as practical atheists… as if God doesn’t exist. We do, say, and think things that simply are not pleasing to God… as if He doesn’t know what we’re doing!  I think sometimes He sits on His throne in heaven, sees some of the things we do, and just says, “Really??  Do you think I don’t see you???”

- But the fact that God knows everything should also encourage us to (2) TAKE HOPE… no matter where we are, what situation we find ourselves in, no matter what’s going on in our lives… GOD KNOWS.  Love this verse…

- Joel spoke on the omnipotence of God.  God is the only One who has OMNIstrength… and because of that, we need Him in every aspect of our lives.

- Donnie pulled up the flank, with God’s omnipresence… and talked about the presence of God in our every day lives… the fact that we NEED Him, and should want to experience His presence in a much greater manner in 2012.  VERY INSPIRING!!  I left church pumped today!

- Have to say, though… the next time we do that, I’m taking as much time as Joel and Donnie!  Punks! LOL!

- Have to say “WOW!” on our attendance today!!  We need to get more chairs… YAY, GOD!!!!

- The ONLY reason I even joined Centerpoint in the first place is because I believed God was working mightily and that 2o12 would be an explosive growth year for us.  We’ve already doubled our attendance since I first started in July… can’t wait to see what the rest of this year looks like!

- I believe with all my heart that we’ll hit our 300 in attendance goal before the end of 2012!!

- We had a good number of guests today, as well!  SO AMPED to be a part of this thing!!

- I believe 2012 will be a breakthrough year in my own life, as well!  I believe God will restore the time the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).  I love the gracious and magnificent God I serve…

Still Circling…

Sorry, guys…

I am STILL digesting Batterson’s book. As I said, I wanted to have the review up this week… Wednesday, actually… but honestly: this book has changed WRECKED my prayer life!  I thought I knew how to pray… jeez!  THANKS, MARK!!!

But I do promise to get the review up soon… thank you for your patience…

… I think I only received ONE email damning me to hell, lol.  Just kidding.

D PLUM out

Sick…

So sorry, guys…

Not feeling well, so I’m gonna push the review of The Circle Maker to Wednesday.  Make sure to check back…

… and get ready to win your free copy!

DPLUM out

Introducing… THE CIRCLE MAKER!

Well, folks, this is my LAST post of 2011… what a crazy year!   I wanted to cap off the year doing a book review, but came down with the flu this week, so that put a little dent in my reading schedule.  But I didn’t want to roll out without at least introducing you to this awesome book!  I will put up a review on Monday, Jan. 2, so stay tuned for that!!

But the book is written by my friend and former pastor, Mark Batterson… who is unarguably one of the Church’s bright “young stars” today (I know… that sounds real Hollywoodish, lol).  He has a powerful ministry at National Community Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.  Many of you are familiar with him… some of you are not… but all of you need to read this book!

I will be giving away free copies beginning next week (thanks, Mark!), so stay tuned as to how you might win your copy.

Review coming on Monday… be safe this weekend…

… AND HAPPY  NEW YEAR!!!