Thursday, May 6, 2010

"Act Like Men"


This past week a 17 year old Phillies fan was tazed as he disrupted a game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. There were mixed reviews and opinions by the public on whether the security at the stadium used excessive force by tazing the young man. My feeling is he broke the law and the security and police at these stadiums have one duty and that is to protect the players and the fans. Don't want to be tazed, don't run out on the field. Now for me, that is not the real story of this story. Guys and gals interupting sporting events by running on to the field, sometimes in nothing more then their sneakers is nothing new. We should not be surprised by the fact that so many in our society will do just about anything for 15 seconds, minutes, hours of fame, no matter how shameful it is. Why do you think "reality" shows are so big today? People will willingly debase themselves for fame, and we will tune in to watch.

That being said, the real shocker here, is that this 17 year old was at the game with his dad. And as this act of stupidity was brewing in the mind of this teenager, he leans over to share it with his dad, almost as if to say "what you think dad, should I go for it?" Now I am going to let that sit there for a minute............................okay, you got it. This kids asked his dad, what his opinion was of breaking the law. The dad readily admitted that he told the son, I'm not sure about it, but if you want to go for it, go ahead. WHAT? Is that where we are today, is that how far we've come...answer is yes. Now it may seem like I am coming across hard on this dad, but I am just using this moment to highlight a greater issue...the lack of men acting like men and leading themselves, their families, their homes, their kids. Do you ever wonder why there isn't greater movement for the Gospel, don't look any further than the men that make up our society, communities and churches.

Now before you think I am trying to raise myself as the alpha-male, I'm not. I've got a long way to go, and a story like this serves as a wake up call. As a man who is striving to live for Christ and His glory there are no days off. Days off, slips in character, minor compromises in character are never minor and are always detrimental to me, my walk and those God has called me to lead. I pray that I as a man, would strive to be the man that God has called me to be, a man of Truth and of integrity and I pray the same for all my Christian brothers. Its time to start acting like men, because our lack of doing that will have a ripple effect and no telling how many the enemy will taze and enslave because of it!

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13

Monday, May 3, 2010

FastForward


Today is Summit's prayer and fasting day, FastForward. We believe strongly that if we truly want to see the mission of God move forward then we must be individuals and a collective body that is devoted to prayer. Below are the prayer points that we are asking our people to pray through throughout the day.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14


Points of Focus...
#1. Pray for our community, specifically for those who do not know Christ. Pray that God would continue to draw those who do not know Him into a loving relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

#2. Pray for the people of Summit. Pray for those who are in need of employment or other provisions. Pray for those who are hurting emotionally, spiritually and physically. Pray for the many marriages in our church that they would be strong & kids to be wise.

#3. Pray also for those who call Summit Church their home and who do not know Christ as their Savior at this time. Pray that they would respond to the Gospel. Pray for those who do identify themselves as followers of Christ. Pray that they would continue to strive to build their lives on the values: God, Truth, Love, Mission and would seek to live those values out day to day through our five outcomes.

#4. Pray for our mission partnerships and missionaries around the world. Pray that God would work in mighty ways in and through these different organizations that are striving to bring the Gospel to every man, woman and child. Ask God to continue to meet the ever growing needs of these different organizations.

#5. Pray for the Elders of Summit as they continue to seek God in regards to future expansion plans of another campus and a space in the Naples area that would give us greater opportunities for deeper community impact. Pray that God would grant them wisdom and lead them to His desired agenda, plan and mission.

#6. Pray for our age appropriate ministries, Big Enuf, Kid Zone, Reality, Crave and Ignite. Pray that God would increase the faith our students and move mightily through their lives. Pray for all of our volunteers that serve faithfully in these areas of ministry.