It was a good Sunday…

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!

… 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

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.

- 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…

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

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

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!!!

But sometimes, I feel like this yard must look… there is so much going on, it’s a wonder I’m able to focus at all on any particular thing.   And if it’s one thing I want to change in this upcoming new year, it’s this: LESS CLUTTER.  One of my main goals this next year is to remove all distractions, so that I can be as effective as possible… in serving Christ, in raising my kids, in working my job, in taking care of my health, with those I lead… I want  to be as focused as I can possibly be so that I maximize every moment… every opportunity… before me.  I can do better.  I can BE better…

… but not until some of the clutter is removed… not until some of the noise is silenced.

“If we’re not careful, we might find ourselves with everything this world has to offer and later find we have lost ourselves in the clutter.” — Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings

You can’t begin to fulfill your purpose when your life is cluttered with stuff.  You can’t maximize your potential if you’re constantly distracted by the noise of people and things pulling you this way and that way.  You can’t be all you can be for Christ when your heart is divided… you’ll be unstable, unaligned, ineffective… in everything you attempt to do (James 1:8).

In 2012, I want my WHOLE LIFE to be in proper alignment, so that I can move forward in simplicity and effectiveness in every area.  The last couple of years has no doubt taken a toll on me… but if what they say is true, “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”, then I’m gonna be a beast in 2012, lol…

… but a beast with less noise and less clutter… more alignment… and way more effectiveness. 

- I did have a wonderful weekend with my boys, though… those guys are crazeballs, but I love ‘em to death!  It was great spending Christmas with them… watching movies, going to the stores, opening presents… these are the moments that you cherish forever.

- Was able to make it out to Central Union Baptist to preach this morning… had a great time of worship with those folks!  Their Male Chorus sang a song, though, that I’d never heard: it was an arrangement of The 12 Days of Christmas, in a gospel quartet style… with lyrics like, “On the 5th day of Christmas, Jesus gave to me… 5 SONGS TO SINNNNG!!  4 mighty missionaries, 3 prayin’ preachers, 2 shoutin’ shoes… and He gave me the victory!!”  LOL!!  Definitely a fun song, trying to keep up with all those different things “Jesus gave to me!”

- At least 3 people told me today that I look like Cedric the Entertainer! Not quite sure how to take that…

- Spoke from Luke 2:10-11… “The Ultimate Gift”… and talked about the GOOD NEWS… that brings GREAT JOY… for ALL PEOPLE!

- The Good News of Christmas is that God sent us a Savior… Jesus Christ, the Messiah!  He is the ultimate gift!

- Jesus entered time and space as a human, because we needed to be saved from the debilitating and destructive force of sin!  He is the Only One who can save us!

- If the gospel really is good news, then those of us who follow Christ should be excited to make much of Him!  The gospel is “news that brings joy”!

- The good news is for everybody!  It’s for YOU… and it’s for me.  Not for the spiritually elite… not for those who think they have it all together… the good news is for YOU, and it’s for ME!

- In ancient times, a gospel was “history-making, life-shaping” news, as opposed to your average run-of-the-mill daily news.  It was “We interrupt your regularly-scheduled broadcast to bring you this special report…” type of news!

- If in ancient times, an ordinary gospel (good news) message was so mind-blowing, then how come the greatest news of the face of the earth does not blow our minds??

- I want 2012 to be a mind-blowing year for me, my church, my family, my close friends… because of the life-shaping power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!

- What about you??