Thirsting for Something Real

Lessons from Memphis

2011-07-12T08:12:00.007-04:00

I have been extremely grateful that the Elders, staff and church family have given me this extended time away, to be refreshed and renewed by the Lord. It truly has been a huge blessing to my heart and spirit. For the last few days I have been in Memphis with one of my good friends Nathan. Nathan and his wife moved to downtown Memphis a couple of years ago to plant a church. As a church planter I kind of had an idea of what that entails and the sacrifices that go into such a work, but after being here I have a new profound respect for their obedience to the Lord. Nathan, and his family along with the other pastors are ministering in a very impoverished and crime infested area, and in obedience to the Lord and in the step with the Holy Spirit they have moved right in to the center of this dark region in hopes to bring the light, hope and love of the Gospel. On the surface and in the natural, you can't help but to say and think, what in the world are you doing? Are you crazy? Do you want to get shot? But, the reality is when we read the words of Jesus, when we study the Bible, we see that this example is pretty normal. I was at Grace Church this weekend and Pastor Jordan delivered a powerful and God honoring word. One of the questions he posed was this, "Are our lives and faith a seamless transition from the lives and faiths described and depicted in Hebrews chapter 11?" Many of us know Hebrews chapter 11. It has been deemed by many as the "hall of fame" of faith. But it was never meant to be treated as a memorial that we read and look at and just move on, our lives should reflect that heart and desire to sacrifice and follow God at any cost for His glory. The problem is, we as Christians have made the glory of God, the Words of God more about our comfort than God's fame. We have bought into sermons and books that tell us God wants us to be happy. Whenever my happiness becomes the center of God's glory it will always be a slippery slope to a man-centered theology. And once I arrive at that place, the truths of the Scripture will never make sense, because the truths of the Bible are NOT about me, they are about God. The Gospel is definitely about a person, it's just not you or me, it's about Jesus!

Now, before I go any further, I am not saying that what is happening here in downtown Memphis is what every Christian is called to do necessarily, but what I am saying is that sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of the glory of God and for the sake of the good of others, is the normal and plausible response to those of us who have truly tasted and seen the goodness of God. Being here these last few days has been a beautiful and convicting display of what it means to truly own the lostness of our community. Being here these last few days have reignited my heart to the importance of trumpeting the Gospel, because the Gospel is in fact every man, woman and child's greatest need. Being here these past few days has once again confirmed that what we are striving to do in and through Summit is right on point and we actually need to be willing and ready to take deeper and more profound strides as God leads us to. I am praying for myself, my family, my friends, our staff and our church that we begin to posture ourselves in asking God to prepare us more to sacrifice in such a way that our lives don't make sense in the natural, but in the spiritual realm it is but a reflection of the call of God in His Word. I am praying that their grows an ever burning and committed desire to God's glory above any other possible competing force. I pray that we grow in our understanding that if we don't become consumed as Christians with God's glory, than what is at stake is our joy, not God's glory itself. Jonathan Edwards to me stated it best "when God gets His glory, His people get there joy!" David Platt in his book "Radical Together" puts it this way, "Gospel-filled obedience, produces Gospel-filled joy!"

The beauty is that God has made His power available to us through His Holy Spirit to accomplish His purposes. So may we abide, rest in that power and find our joy solely in Him. When we do that, then and only then could moving into a less desirable neighborhood, or down sizing, or living below our means to free more assets up for God's work, or serving in some capacity that actually takes us out of our comfort zone, will actually "make sense and feel normal." Just a rambling but I do hope you'll join me in praying to this end.

"Brothers my hearts desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." Romans 10:1

Rest

2011-06-27T09:42:00.007-04:00

"You made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until it finds its place in you." Augustine

Augustine would make this a part of his daily prayers. Interesting that in this fast paced world that we live in, this world that we have pretty much everything at our disposal, that there is still one thing that trips us up and that is rest. Even with all of our technology and digital advancement, it is rest, that is still one of the most elusive things in our culture and in our lives. Rest, a four letter, simple, yet profound word, that we have for the most part neglected. Rest, something that we all need, yet try to get by without. Rest, the thing that God set in place that we all would need, but we try hard to deny. Rest, the thing that may be the wisest thing we could do to find, yet we act as though it is the weakest thing we could do. Most of us won't be active in seeking this rest out, until it is prescribed to us by a doctor or a counselor or some other trained professional. Interesting that the advancements made in society have not freed us up as much as they have in some sense burdened us more. Amazing how sovereign and omniscient God is, that from the beginning of time He knew we would struggle with rest, so much so that He not only commanded us to do it, but also gave us an example.

We read the creation story and we see that God created all things in 6 days and on the seventh He rest. God, the almighty, all consuming, all knowing, sufficient in Himself God, just chills. In a world that celebrates and cheers people for burning the candle at both ends, God would have us to remember that He instituted rest, because He knew we would need it. God does cheer our burn out, He would see it as yet another form of idol worship. It doesn't matter how gifted, how skilled, how awesome you may think you are, if you are cheating yourself of rest, you really are just building your life on sand and living on borrowed time, because eventually that lack of rest will catch up to you.

Tomorrow I enter into something I have never done before and that is take a sabbatical. I am looking forward to this time to step away from my position as an Elder and Teaching Pastor and just be. One of the hardest struggles in ministry at times is to not allow the doing to overshadow the becoming. I am grateful for this given time away to be renewed, refreshed and reacquainted with the importance of rest. I am looking forward to what God will do in me and through me during this time. Just another rambling, but I do pray we will find our rest in God, because the absence or failure of that can be quite detrimental to our souls and lives.

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10

Celebrate...

2011-06-01T11:38:00.005-04:00

For the last couple of years my wife and I have been navigating through the journey and world of Autism Spectrum Disorder as we have seen our son, Max, struggle and strive with it. There have been lots of low moments, tears, frustrations but also lots of victories and shouts of joy. Through it all we have seen the goodness and faithfulness of God. One of the things that autism has done for our family is, it has given us a new perspective on the importance of celebrating everything. The celebrations are milestones for us, they are reminders and markers of the goodness of God. We celebrated Max's first words which we thought would never come. We celebrated his first sight word, his first non-scripted conversation and the list goes on and on.

This past weekend we witnessed and celebrated his accomplishment over winning over his fear of water slides at Aquatica. Max was like a champ not just going down the water slide and plunging into the pool and exiting on his own, but even the fact of him standing in line waiting patiently for his turn is a crowning achievement. It was absolutely awesome to see his excitement and his joy. There are still many many miles for us to travel on this journey and many hurdles to overcome, but today I can rejoice that in it and through it all we can remain confident in the goodness and the grace of God, who never disappoints.

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

Things that I am enjoying right now

2011-04-05T14:06:00.004-04:00

Five things I am really loving and enjoying in this season, not in order of ranking, just random thoughts...

#1. My wife! I have been blessed with such a wonderful woman who is a great mom, friend and partner to me. I have been amazed in this season to watch God's activity in her life. Her passion for Christ, challenges, convicts and encourages me. I love that God has given me a front row seat to see His glory shine through His daughter. It's incredible and I am humbled.

#2. My kids...I have been blessed with two rug rats that have a way of bringing a smile to my face and driving me crazy all at once...This season has been so great as God grows them in stature and understanding. I have enjoyed the conversations that I have been able to have with them in this season about everything from God, Jesus, creation, to heaven. It is amazing to see how a 4 year old and 5 year old mind process things.

#3. The Yankees...yes, major league baseball is back and with it comes one of my great passions, the New York Yankees. I am hoping for another championship and a lot of lively discussion and ribbing with my misguided Red Sox friends...

#4. The Church...not only am I enjoying the great church I get to be a part of Summit, but I am enjoying seeing God's activity in His CHURCH. It has been great to hear stories of God's provision, movement and breakthroughs in the life of the churches we have the privilege to partner with. One church can not do it, we need the every expression that stands on the Gospel to reach it's highest God potential for us to see substantial movement for the Kingdom of God. I am really enjoying watching God's undeniable activity in the lives of His people at Summit in this season.

#5. Reading...I would have never thought I would ever have said that, because I read more out of necessity because of the nature of my job, but this season has been different. I have really enjoyed the latest books I have read and have taken a lot away from each of those books. If you are looking to some books to dive into, I would highly recommend Greg Gilbert's "What is The Gospel? and John Piper's "Think", are two of some of the books that have challenged me in this season.

Working on my memory

2011-03-24T11:50:00.001-04:00

It is amazing how easy I default back to living essentially like a practical atheist. Now before you jump to conclusions to soon, please give me a minute to explain. I love Jesus, and I am fully convinced that there is only one true God that exist in three persons. I believe there is only one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ. I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God. I can give you another ten evangelical doctrines that I believe and am fully resting and trusting in, but even in all of that I can say that there have been lapses in my walk with Christ that I suffer from some sort of "spiritual amnesia". You see stating belief in these things is not so much for me the hard part, the part I get tripped up on is actually living them out day by day, consistently. I can honestly say that there have been lapses of time in my life that I walk, think and live as a practical atheist. No I would never consciously deny the existence of God, but in my flesh and fallen nature, it sure is easy to live as though He didn't exist. Now, I am not talking so much about open defiant sin, though I know those things can and do occur. I am more talking about those moments, when we live as though we were in charge, as though we were the ones who were omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. Those moments in our lives where we fail to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over our lives. Those moments where we place more trust in our plans, than God's will. Those moments where we are quicker and more diligent to run to everyone for advise rather than go humbly to our Wonderful Counselor. Those moments when our faith went from believing God spoke the world into existence. parted the Red Sea, sent Jesus to defeat sin, death and the grave, and yet now we don't have faith enough to believe He can meet even our basic of all needs. What a paradox we find ourselves int those moments. But the truth is God is God, whether I forget that fact or not. He's in charge whether I fail to realize that or not. But the danger is that when I am sleep walking and suffering from "spiritual amnesia" I usually end up seeking to place my trust in other things or other people. That eventually puts me in danger. The Psalmist wrote in chapter 146..."Put NOT your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish."

You see the outcome is never to bright when my hope and faith is in anything less than Christ. Later on in that same chapter the Psalmist gives this challenge..."Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who keeps his faith forever." Praying I don't forget the reality of God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Praying my faith is not one that just rest in doctrine, but my faith is one that lives in light and reverence of the Truth. Just a rambling, God bless you!

Heart Check Time...

2011-03-22T14:40:00.006-04:00

This month we have had our people at Summit reading through the Psalms with a focus on thanksgiving and praise. Yesterday's assigned reading really challenged me. The verses were not ones that you would necessarily gravitate towards, but definitely verses that convicted me. The verses were from Psalm 106..."Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord." You see what I mean, not necessarily verses you will be using on your next prayer gram or birthday card you send out, but verses that are critically important to our spiritual walks nonetheless.

This Psalm speaks to the journey of God's people out of slavery and bondage from Egypt. These individuals witnessed first hand the power and love of God, as He led them by day through a cloud and at night through a pillar of fire, they tasted the very provision of God that rained down from heaven, they saw countless miracles and yet here we see that they still were not satisfied and not grateful. Now before we cast judgment on the Israelites, we need to take a minute and examine ourselves. I know if I were honest, at times my life and attitude can reflect the heart of the people in this passage. You see I too have seen the marvelous power of God as He has delivered me from the bondage of sin, continues to lead me through the power of His Truth and the illumination and conviction of His Spirit. I continue to see countless miracles performed through and around my life and yet at times I complain like a spoiled school-aged child. I am sure that if you have stumbled across this blog, you probably have never suffered from moments like that...(please sense the sarcasm...) We all can agree that there have been times when we have been tripped up by this type of attitude.

How do God-fearing, God-loving, humble followers of God find themselves in these types of seasons of ingratitude and ungratefulness? There could be tons of reasons, but here's one that the Lord laid on my heart. It's when I set the "blessing" or ascribe more worth or affection to the "blessing" over the BLESSOR. Whenever we set the blessing over the Blessor, we run the risk of heading down a slippery slope of ingratitude and ungratefulness. The reason I say that is because the blessing was never meant to make us eternally happy. The blessing was never meant to be a replacement for the only thing that brings eternal joy, which is God Himself. He alone is the ultimate gift of the Gospel, that has been accomplished for us by Christ. When I set all of my affections and attention on the "blessing", I may run the risk of attaching God's worth to the blessing. God's worth is not in the blessing, we may see some of God's goodness in it, but the fact remains, God is good and He is worthy of my praise, apart from His blessings. He stands alone as supreme! My heart as a worshiper must be similar to Job's who in the midst of losing all, stated "the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord..." You see as Christians, we always have a reason to be grateful, because we have already been given and entrusted with the greatest gift, Christ, and His Gospel. Does your life reflect gratitude today? Are you thankful for all that God has done on your behalf? And all that God is? If you are, take a moment to tell Him, and you may even want to include in that time a prayer of forgiveness for your murmuring. Just another rambling...

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1

The Gospel

2011-03-14T10:31:00.002-04:00

Below is the Gospel statement that was written by Jamin Stinziano, one of our Elders, with the support of the rest of our Elder Team and Senior Staff. This doctrinal statement has been reviewed and shared with pastors from around the country that we respect and hold in high esteem. It is not our intent to make the people of Summit memorize this statement, but it is our prayer that our people grow in their understanding of the Gospel.

The Gospel Message:

The one and only God, who is Righteous, created us to love, know, and represent him. We made a choice, however, to violate God's righteousness with our sin and thus we are unable to love, know, and represent him on our own. Our sin and lack of righteousness deserves a punishment, the anger and judgment of God. Because we cannot bear this punishment on our own, God sent his Son, Jesus, who was both fully human and fully God, to live a perfectly righteous life and to die on a cross that he might save us from the punishment that our sin deserves. After three days, Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus, on behalf of his people. And now, God calls us to trust in Jesus - to have faith in the sufficiency of his work on the cross and to repent, changing our minds about the sufficiency of our old way of living. When we trust in Jesus, we are forgiven of our sin, credited with Christ's righteousness, adopted as sons and daughters, and given new and eternal life. We also receive the presence of God's Spirit in our lives, thus producing the fruit of the gospel and enabling us to love, know, and represent God as we were created to do.

Think!!!

2011-01-06T14:41:00.007-05:00

I am currently reading John Piper's latest book "Think". I love the challenge and aim of this book, which is to awaken our minds and exercise them in light of God's Truth. Piper's challenge is to be committed to Jesus' command in Matthew 22:37 "And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

The mind and the heart are to work in tandem and are to serve as vehicles to an ever growing, deeper relationship with Christ. I loved this quote from the book...
"The mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart. The apex of glorifying God is enjoying him with the heart. But this is an empty emotionalism where that joy is not awakened and sustained by true views of God for who he really is. That is mainly what the mind is for."

I resonate with this so much, because I desperately as a follower of Christ want to think rightly about Him, knowing that everything else in my walk with Him will flow from there. I think if we are not careful a lot of our walk and relationship with Christ can flow out of sensationalism and emotion and not be grounded in Truth. There are so many dangers in that, one of which, we may lend ourselves to creating a God of our image, also we can become easily swayed by the ever changing circumstances of our lives. We can become as James said, "double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways."

Exercising our minds, not out of arrogance, but out of a true desire to know God rightly and out of an understanding that in turn it would fuel our worship, is a commitment that I want to have a goal that quite frankly all believers should be committed to. If we allow our minds to grow dormant, we run the risk of worshipping God from a shallow and maybe even hollow base. So may we allow the Spirit of God to stretch us and fuel our passion to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind! Just a rambling. God Bless You.

Fast-Forward...

2011-01-03T10:08:00.002-05:00

"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. Spend time praying for yourself. Ask God to reveal any unconfessed sin. Pray that God would continue to fuel your passion for Him. Pray that God would continue to give you the discipline to pursue Him and spend time with Him in the Word and in prayer. Pray that God would reveal to you any specific goals for 2011 or ministry opportunities that He would want you to pursue or participate in.

#2. 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.

#3. 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. Please pray specifically for our mission partner, Mission of Hope Haiti, and our upcoming construction trip in February. Pray that all the details will be worked out for this trip and for the building project they will be engaged in.

#4. 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. Pray that God would stir in the hearts of more people to get involved and serve especially during our “Heart of Service” emphasis.

#5. Pray for our Recovery Ministry that will be launching on January 11th. Pray for Todd Wermers, our Pastor of Recovery and all of the leaders who will be serving in this ministry. Pray for those who maybe struggling with hurts, habits or hang-ups to find healing, hope and reconciliation in Jesus through this ministry.

#6. Pray for our newest staff member David Gold and his family. Pray for their transition and for the four children. Pray for David as he assumes the role of Life Group Pastor.

#7. Pray for our ministry as a whole. Pray that God would bless our church and expand our influence in this coming year. That the mission of presenting the Gospel to every man, woman and child would stretch even further and produce more fruit for God’s glory in this new year.

Fast-Forward...

2010-12-06T07:01:00.002-05:00

"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. Spend time praying for yourself. Ask God to reveal any unconfessed sin. Pray that God would continue to fuel your passion for Him. Pray that God would continue to give you the discipline to pursue Him and spend time with Him in the Word & in prayer. Spend time meditating on Psalm 63:1-8.

#2. 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.

#3. 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.

#4. Pray for those who call Summit Church their home. Pray that those who do not know Christ as their Savior at this time would respond to the Gospel. Pray for those who do identify themselves as followers of Christ 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.

#5. Pray for Summit’s budget. Pray that God’s people would respond in obedience and faithfulness. Pray that God would grow us all in the area of stewardship of life and that as He does He would accomplish greater things in and through us as followers and collectively as a church.

#6. Pray for our Christmas Eve services at both of our campuses. Pray that God would draw many from our community to our church and more importantly to Himself. Pray that many would respond to the Gospel message and God’s extension of love and forgiveness.

#7. Pray for our Recovery Ministry that will be launching in January. Pray for Todd Wermers, our Pastor of Recovery and all of the leaders who will be serving in this ministry. Pray for those who maybe struggling with hurts, habits or hang-ups to find healing, hope and reconciliation in Jesus through this ministry.

A Watchman of Sorts...

2010-10-13T12:22:00.004-04:00

1The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. 7 "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. Ezekiel 33:1-7

I read this passage this morning and could not help but to think of my role as a husband, father, friend, and pastor. In a way God has placed me to be a watchman in all of those distinct arenas. If you are a husband, father, friend, pastor, employer, coach, whatever it is, hopefully you feel blessed to be in such a position. I know I thank God daily for the wife I get to share my life with, the kids that I get to raise, the friends I live in community with and the church I get to help shepherd. All of these arenas of life are ALL wonderful blessings from God, and I am sure you have similar arenas of blessings as well.

But the question for me today and maybe for you is, what kind of watchman am I? If I am not careful I can dwell in these arenas, enjoy them and still not be engaged to level God wants me to be. If I am not careful I can dwell in these arenas as though they existed for me, and my needs and wants. If I am not careful I can become lazy and lax in my God-given role in those different domains, and as you can see from this passage, there could be grave consequences as a result of my spiritual laziness and indifference.

I know that as a husband, father, friend, and pastor God has called me to be a watchman of sorts and if I love those in my circle of care, then I must be spiritually alert not only for my own benefit but also for those God has placed me in life with. My kids are at an age that they are solely dependent upon my wife and I for their care and protection as is all kids their age. But, in regards to my friends, and the church I help lead, I can not make decisions for them. My job is to be faithful to instruct, encourage, lead and warn about impending dangers, the choice is theirs. But woe to me, if I see the "sword coming", if I see potential harm and danger beginning to encompass around them and I stay silent. I think we fail as watchman a lot of times because we care too much about the friendship than the friend, or we care too much about what they will think of us, over what God thinks. Not sure what tower, wall, perch God has you propped up on as a watchman, I just pray that you'll be faithful while He has you there. Just a rambling. God Bless You!

Are You A Leader?

2010-10-07T15:21:00.004-04:00

In ministry all you tend to hear about is "leadership". Now leadership is a huge part of ministry no doubt. I believe strongly in leadership, I believe whole-heartily that as a leader, we must continue to grow, sharpen our gifts, challenge the process. I resonate with so much of the things presented, taught, "conferenced" around concerning leadership, I really do. The only caveat I would throw in there, is that to me, the greatest leaders, are the ones who are the greatest followers. Sometimes, in our desire to lead, and lead well and lead effectively, it comes at the expense and detriment of our followership. The greatest thing I can do as a leader is be more committed to following than to the actual piece of leading. Leading is important, but if leading becomes primary, over following, then my leading has just lost a lot of power and to be quite frank it might even be tainted.

The greatest gift to ministry, is not you, the leader, its not your gifts, its not your ideas, its not your strategies, the greatest gift is Jesus. He is the only one who is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. All of my so called "great qualities as a leader"pale in comparison to Christ. That being said, my acknowledgement of that fact should cause me as a leader to seek Him first. Everything I do as a leader should be an overflow from my direct followership of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said "follow me as I follow Christ." That's the declaration I want to make as a leader.

Leadership that flows out of following, will not allow those they are called to lead, to put them on a pedestal. Leadership that flows out of following, will cause the leader to remember that the only one worthy to be exalted and held high is Jesus. Leadership that flows out of following, keeps at the center the mission of Jesus Christ and doesn't manipulate others for selfish gain.

So the next time you pick up that next great leadership book or attend the latest and greatest leadership conference and listen to the next big thing in the area of leadership, none of which is bad, remember, it will still boil down to this one thing...how's your followership? Your leadership is effectiveness believe it or not is in direct proportion to how well you follow. So keep leading and lead well, but strive harder to follower!

Connecting with God

2010-10-06T13:10:00.003-04:00

My marathon training has officially started once again. Though I have not stopped running since my last marathon earlier this year, it is now time to bring some much need focused attention to my running. I took up running solely for the purpose of meditation and worship. It has become a very therapeutic(I hate that word because it sounds so humanistic, but bare with me)time for me. I have found that my time while running is a good opportunity to pray, clear my mind, meditate on God's Word, think through some of the things I am facing, things facing my family, places I believe God is at work and places I believe He is leading us to.

While I was running this morning I began to thank God for showing me, how in everything and in all things we could worship Him and connect with Him. God has designed us to live in relationship with Him, but unfortunately even as Christians we have designated that to be a weekend church experience, or midweek Bible Study, or private devotion, yet God desires that we strive to live in communion with him. The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians that we "are to pray without ceasing." The idea there is to strive to live in communication with God. We are not to compartmentalize our faith in such a way that we only connect with God through our different forms of religious expressions. But, that we are constantly desiring to seek God and connect with Him in all things and in all parts of our normal walking around life.

What does that mean? Well, you like to work out, use that time to pray, to meditate. Are you blessed with a friendship, relationship, spouse? Figure out how that or those relationships cause you and others to get deeper connected to Christ. Do you have a job? Remember that the actual job is secondary, to why God has you there. The primary reason you are at the place of work is not to get a check although that is important; the primary reason you are there is to be a conduit and catalyst for God's redemptive mission. You see if we desired and if we took the time to recognize, there are so many outlets provided for us to live in authentic community with God.

I love our worship services, but I certainly don't want that 1 hour to be my full of God or my commune with Him. I want connecting with the Creator, who has made it possible for me to connect with Him through Christ, a high priority and focus of my daily life. I am sure you want the same. So before you take your next run, your next drive, have your next conversation, punch in for your next shift, ask yourself, how can I maximize this time for Christ and deepen my walk with Him. I know that's a whole of rambling, but I am praying to that end. God Bless!

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 12:1-2 The Message)

What do I live for?

2010-10-05T09:02:00.005-04:00

I have been reading thru the book of 2 Corinthians right now and I have been really convicted by the verses of chapter five.
"And He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was raised." (verse 5)

It is so easy as a Christian to embrace the Gospel, praise God for the message and promise of the Gospel and still miss the full depth of it. And I know that may seem as a huge overstatement but I know that in different seasons and moments of my life it is true. I thank God for my salvation, I thank God for reconciling me and changing my reality from enemy of Christ to friend of God. I truly am grateful for that, but my flesh is so cunning and my faith so weak, that I quickly revert to making the Gospel about me. I quickly put myself in the center of God's Gospel purpose instead of His glory!l. And then I come to a verse like this and my heart is just pierced!

The benefits of the Gospel are amazing and so undeserved but the purpose of the Gospel must also grip and and cause my heart to be in awe of as well. The fact that Christ died not to make much of me, but to make much if Him and of the Father. I must stay focused on the fact that Christ died so that my old life would be crucified thru Him and my new life hidden in Him as well. I must set at the forefront of my mind that Christ died so that I in turn would live for Him. Living for myself is what was leading me to a road of destruction, living for myself is what caused me to feel empty, living for myself is what open the door for addiction, living for myself is what tainted every thing in my life, and yet while I was consumed with that type of living, God demonstrated His love towards me, but sending His Son to die on the cross for my sin and for my life, my true life.

There is no joy or freedom in living for self, true and peace is found in being hid in Christ and living for Him and Him alone. I am praying that The Spirit would lead me to not to distort the Gospel, but actually walk in the fullness of it. I pray that the Spirit continue to illuminate my heart and mind and convict my heart of the times when I put myself in the center of God's universe instead of His glory. The Gospel is the good news, not about me, but about God. So here's a question that we may not want to answer to quickly and that is what am I living for right now? And before we give the typical Sunday School answer, it maybe good just to take a moment to ask the Spirit to illuminate that answer for us and then respond accordingly. Just a rambling, but one that I hope will cause us to think about the nature of the Gospel and my full and true response to it. God bless you!

He is the same...

2010-08-02T09:48:00.003-04:00

"Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday, and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

I love how the Word of God can bring such encouragement and clarity right when you need it. In 10 words, my heart was gripped with the fact that we serve and worship a God that does not change. We have a God that is absolutely sufficient in Himself and a God who is never caught unaware, off guard or lacking in anything. The reminder that our Savior, who conquered sin, death, hell and the grave over 2000 years ago, is the same today. The Christ that we read about who extended forgiveness to those who were unworthy is the same Jesus who still extends His grace today. The Jesus who turned water into wine, multiplied the fishes and the loaves, calmed the storm with His spoken word, is the same God who does the impossible, provides in the midst of our limited resources, and who stands with us in the midst of life's storms. Our Jesus is greater and is glorious.

What great encouragement for the child of God to know, that we can rest in the faithfulness of our unchanging God. I am not sure what you may be facing or what uncertainties may have you feeling trapped in fear, but may the circumstances that you are standing in not overshadow the fact that your God, revealed to you in Christ and in His Word has not, and will not change! Be encouraged that in a world that continues to change and in a world that is so uncertain, ONE thing never does, and that is Jesus Christ. Take a moment today and celebrate that fact and may the Spirit of our unchanging God awaken us to recognize how awesome our God is. God bless!

"Act Like Men"

2010-05-06T16:20:00.005-04:00

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

FastForward

2010-05-03T12:23:00.004-04:00

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.

2010-04-30T10:33:00.001-04:00

Looking forward to spending the way with my amazing bride. God is so good. I love that I can see and be reminded of God's goodness thru my spouse. I am blessed!

Evan's Story

2010-03-22T21:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of doing the baby dedication for a couple who have been a part of Summit for a while now and who have come to be friends that I respect. Below is the challenging story of their first child, Evan's, journey. His story truly points to the power and glory of God.

Evan’s Story

We found out in December of 2008 that we were pregnant with our 1st child after we had been trying for over a year. At 17 weeks we got an ultrasound done that showed we were having a boy. We went to the Bahamas trying to enjoy a last vacation before having our son. We got a phone call from our Dr. that there was a problem with our son and we needed to call them. They told us that our son had enlarged ventricles in his brain filled with fluid. Later we got the diagnosis of severe hydrocephalus. In the Bahamas, we decided on the name Evan because we wanted our son to fight, and his name “Evan” means “Young Warrior”.

We were sent to a high risk pregnancy group that discussed what was going on. They asked us numerous times if we wanted to terminate and literally scared us to death trying to persuade us to terminate. They gave us information on X-linked hydrocephalus which had an extremely poor prognosis. They also told us that Evan had a high chance of dying before he could even be delivered.

We were crushed and so we talked to Orlando & Todd at Summit. They prayed with us and they cried with us. They took our story to prayer teams and stayed in touch with us throughout the whole pregnancy. I remember Todd saying “God hasn’t written this story yet”! We also sought prayer from family and friends outside our church. The word got around quickly and we heard about families and churches around the country that were praying for Evan!

So at this point, all we could do is research hydrocephalus as much as we could. We found a neonatal neurosurgeon in Orlando with a really good reputation with shunt surgery for hydrocephalus infants. When we saw him he was very sympathetic about our situation and gave us all the facts that he could. He told us that when Evan was born that he would have to have a shunt inserted into his brain to drain the fluid and release the pressure in his brain to survive. This shunt would be with him the rest of his life. He also said with the amount of fluid and the size of Evan’s head that we should sign a DNR before he is born. He explained that if Evan could not breathe on his own then he would pretty much be a vegetable and that we should strongly consider signing the DNR.

At 26 weeks, Michelle was in a car accident where some teenagers pulled out in front of her and she had to stay overnight because she went into pre-term labor. Pre-term labor came and went throughout the pregnancy with the doctors prescribing bed rest several times. But Evan amazingly survived a high speed car accident at around 40 mph!

We were told that with the size of Evan’s head that he would not make it to delivery….again. We had to go up to Orlando to deliver because they didn’t have a neonatal neurosurgeon in Ft, Myers. We also had to go up early because of the pre-term labor from the accident & the increased size of Evans head. The delivering Dr said we had to deliver early because his head was getting too large and it would become increasingly dangerous to wait.

In Orlando we stayed at the Ronald McDonald house and scheduled his C-section delivery for August 3rd, 2009.

On the day he was born, the doctors had a respiratory team in the delivery room because they weren’t sure if he would breathe on his own. When he came out, we were so scared but he started crying & breathing on his own and we both cried with him! He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz being 6 weeks premature. He scored a 9 out of 10 on the apgar scale which is near perfect.

That wasn’t the end. The day before his surgery they told us that they couldn’t do it because his blood work came back with some issues. After many blood transfusions they finally did a bone marrow test that came back with 10-15 percent abnormal bone marrow cells. They told us that it would either get better or get worse; leukemia is 25% abnormal bone marrow cells so they thought he could be headed that way.

He ended up having his shunt surgery on August 11th because his head started to increase in size and they couldn’t wait any longer. Evan came out of the surgery on a respirator having tubes coming out from all over but he was so strong throughout. We again had to worry about infection because his immune system was still so weak. We had to wear gowns, gloves, and masks just to be in the same room with him. At one point, they had to put his IV in his head because they had poked him so many times in the arms. We spent our days & nights in the NICU feeding him and just spending time with him, praying every day that somehow Evan would be ok.

When we were able to bring him home, his immune system was still weak and we had to get his blood work done every week. Finally in December, his immune system finally recovered and again he made it through yet another obstacle. The cancer doctor we had to go to said “you can’t rule out prayer” and with the support of family and our church family we felt that we were very well covered in prayer.

Evan is now 7 ½ months old; he weighs over 18 lbs, and is in the 90th percentile for his height. He is truly doing amazing; his neonatal neurosurgeon said he expects Evan to be a “normal independent functioning adult”! What a day that was, we cried tears of joy that could not be held back. We finally got to see God’s introductory chapter of Evan’s story that He is still writing.

Evan is a true miracle that can only be described as a gift from God.

We want to thank our family & friends, the Leadership team, and all the people of Summit church for all their prayers and support through this difficult time in our lives. Thank you to the families that brought us meals and the endless words of support that we received. Every time we felt discouraged someone or something would give us a little boost of hope, the timing of which could not be explained other than God guiding our family through this. So thank you for allowing yourselves to be the work of God to our family.

We cannot thank you enough,
Jason, Michelle, & Evan Plucker

Why do you read your Bible?

2010-03-10T13:15:00.003-05:00

The other day I was sitting in a coffee shop and there was a gentleman reading his Bible and a stranger walked up and asked him why he read the Bible. I quickly leaned in with great expectation to what the response was going to be. I thought, wow, what a divine appointment. Man, this is going to be great, bring the heat man, go for it, set it off, paint that picture of the grandness of the God we serve...and the guy answered because that's what we do as Christians...what? That's it, that's the best answer you have to why you engage in God's infallible and eternal truth. Well there were no fireworks there and there was certainly no amazement on the face of the guy who asked the question.

Now before you go judging me, understand I am not judging the man, for his answer. I am not questioning his walk or love for Christ, I was just shocked that there wasn't more to his reason and motive. Well that got me thinking. Why do we read the Bible? What would I answer? What would the people who I help to pastor answer? Reading the Word each day is great and we at Summit encourage it greatly. But obedience to the Word is the key.

The goal in reading the Word is not to finish, but to change. I hear so many Christians post, update, or even say that they read their Bible, but I wish I would read or hear as frequently about people's struggles and enlightenment's of the Truth they are claiming they read. Now before you go labeling me a "Bible thumper" or a "Debbie-downer" that's not my heart at all. My fear is that for so many reading their Bibles has become a "have to" and the wrong "have to" at that. For many they have to read their Bible because their Pastor told them to, or their small group leader, or because that's what a good Christian does...And I just wonder where the passion and power is in that. I think God's "have to" would be, because without it, we would be lost, we would be left to ourselves, we would never fully experience the joy and wonder of intimacy with God, without it we would continue to struggle with the lure and grip of sin, without it we would be lulled to believe that what this world has to offer is better than the pleasures God holds in His hands.

You see if we read the Bible because as a Christian we "have to", we may miss the wonder in communing with the eternal and connecting with the divine, and therefore we may end answering like the gentleman at the coffee shop. Why do you read the Word? Are you passionate about it? Do you see it as your map and guide? The next time you sit down to read, ask yourself, why am I doing this? Don't be in such a hurry to check your box and pat yourself on the back for doing the "have to". Ask God to show you His glory, illuminate your sin, and draw you closer to Him? Don't worry so much about the quantity of what you read as you do the quality. Remember don't read to finish, read to change. Just a rambling. God Bless!

No More Crutches...

2010-02-24T15:11:00.005-05:00

Could my life stand on it's own? That is the question that God has been using in this season to challenge, convict and prune me. What area or areas of my life, in this season could not stand on its own, but needs explanation? My buddy, Todd, and I started a discipleship group for men on Tuesday mornings, and the challenge has been to be men of the Word, men of prayer and men of integrity. Well, if I am growing in those areas my life should be able to stand on the goodness of God and reflect the transforming power of the Gospel. I want so desperately to be a man whose life reflects the character of God, and yet as you know that is a lot easier to say than to live out. But, why is that? I mean, God has promised us His grace, His Spirit, His Truth to lead us, and empower us over sin and yet there are still so many fumbles.

I don't claim to have the answer, but one thing I have come to realize in my own life is that there is a huge difference between managing your sin and image and living transparently before God and others. I think a lot of times as Christians we spend the majority of our time trying to explain away our actions than pursuing holiness and Christ-likeness. God hasn't called us to guard our image or manage our sin, He has called us to bear His manage and deal ruthlessly with our sin. That is totally different than the way we as Christians live sometimes. I know what you're thinking, this post is already five sentences too long, so let me go back to the beginning...yes the beginning.

Can your life in this season stand on its own? Could people look at your life all facets of it and walk away and say I know what that man/woman is all about? Or would they be confused that your life which is to resemble and reflect Christ looks no different than the unbelieving world. I don't ask the question in judgment, believe me, its the question I ask myself daily...whether I am at the gym, outside with my kids, out to dinner with my wife, or even sitting a lone at Starbucks could my life stand on its own. If the answer is no, or not in this area, it's time to stop talking to cover ourselves, and start talking to God for forgiveness, and change.

The Gospel is the power of God to bring salvation and transformation...maybe it's time we stop confusing people not so much with our doctrine, but with our lives. Just another rambling, but praying hard our lives will be able to stand without the crutches of excuses...God Bless.

WAITING...

2010-02-16T15:18:00.004-05:00

This morning I was reading in Psalm 27 and God really encouraged and challenged me with these verses...
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Love that faith...I am confident, that I will see the goodness of the Lord. I think so many times, the weakness of my faith and the immaturity of it is seen when I allow circumstances to define my reality. When I allow the pressures, disappointments or frustrations of this life choke out or block out the reality that God is good and that we as His children will see His faithfulness and goodness. But, what are the necessary prerequisites to experience His goodness and baste in it, well here's one WAITING! Now it sounds easy enough, but let's be honest how good are we at waiting. I have seen almost wars breakout in department store lines, drive thru's and even counter tops at Starbucks because people have had to wait. Maybe you have been one of those individuals, sadly enough I know I have been one. Waiting, sounds so nice, but spiritually it can be one of the toughest things to do. We want God to act, respond and move according to our time table. In our impatience we almost treat God like a genie in a bottle and guess what God will not NO part of it. Waiting..............................now I'm just messing with you. Here's the question, how good are you at waiting, no not just in line or at a restaurant, but more importantly, waiting on God. Are you confident in this season, that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living or are you to busy looking at your circumstances and too busy growing impatient? Well, I think God would say to each of us, WAIT! Watch my glory, rest in my strength, and don't you dare try to be me...WAIT. It's not a passive word, it's actually a word of strength.

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Just some rambling, but praying we will soar today as we WAIT on the Lord.

Greater Things...

2010-02-16T15:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we completed week two of our 5 weeks series entitled "Greater Things". It was a privilege to teach down at our Naples Campus and see some of what God is doing there. The people are excited about God's mission and the campus is growing. There is a fresh excitement in this season of ministry. The vision continues to be refined for us as a Leadership Team and we continue to see the activity of God in and through the lives of His people.

Though the wrecking that God has been doing in my heart and life are far from being over I can't help to feel a sense of restlessness. Restlessness that is stemming from a deep conviction and belief that God is about to truly blow the doors off of this place. Greater things are truly yet to be seen for the glory of God. I am desperately asking God to train my heart to say yes. I am not letting go of the fact that I believe a more permanent residence for our Naples Campus and the launch of a third campus are non-negotiables. It is going to require sacrifice, faith and obedience. And as I am praying that God would prepare my heart, and I am praying for the hearts of those who call Summit their home as well.

Over the last 6 years this ministry has lived and operated on the edge of faith, but my spirit has been letting me know we really haven't seen anything yet. I am so pumped for the next part of this journey.

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10

ING Miami Marathon 2010

2010-02-01T14:31:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I ran my second marathon with my buddy, Jonathan. This is the fourth race that I have had the privilege to run in conjunction with Organization for Autism Research in honor of my son, Max. Though I did not reach my desired goal, I was so pleased to just finish. Being sick all week and on the day of the race added to the hardship of doing a race of this magnitude. One of the great things about yesterday, besides crossing the finish line, was just reflecting on how much the Lord has done in my son's life over the past year. It is nothing short of amazing. Every day, my wife, Pam and I get to see the activity of God in and through our little boy's life. There are so many unknowns with autism, but one thing we know for sure God is faithful and He is good. There was so much frustration I felt yesterday with being sick, wanting to quit, and knowing that I was not going to meet my goal, that it was at times upsetting, but it was in that moment that I got a glimpse of the frustration that my son must feel at times, when he can not understand or do something. What I love about him though is he continues to plug away, so I figured as long as I could breathe I would press on.

I told my wife yesterday that there was a team of runners that had this slogan printed on their shirts...
"Run when you can,
Walk if you need to,
Crawl if you must,
But don't you dare quit!"

That was pretty much what I was feeling yesterday. I would not classify myself as a runner though I have run quite a few races now, nor would I say I am some great athlete. Running has become quite therapeutic for me and running these races in conjunction with OAR in honor of my son, has been a powerful reminder that my family and I are on a marathon of a journey and quitting is not an option. God will continue to give us the strength and the wisdom that we will need to meet the challenges that come our way, and as long as He is on the throne, we will always hold on to our hope. I am so grateful for my kids and my wife, who make this life God has given to me that much sweeter. And, I am also grateful for our friends and family who share this journey with us. To each of you, thank you for your love, encouragement, and support. WE did it...we pray that you will continue to run this journey with us.

Summit's Haiti Relief Efforts

2010-01-14T11:23:00.003-05:00

Summit's Haiti Relief Efforts

As many of you know, in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Haiti, Summit is aggressively looking for ways to respond through our partnership with Mission of Hope Haiti. MOH Haiti has been designated by the State Department as their base of operations for medical relief. We are currently organizing multiple teams of professional medical staff to respond with aid. Teams will be leaving Saturday morning. If you are in the medical profession, equipped for trauma response and have a valid passport please contact Michael Girado at michael@summitlife.com. Because of Mission of Hope's influence with both Haiti's government and the U.S. government they have the opportunity to make a huge impact in responding to this crisis. What they need now is our prayers, medical personnel and financial support. If you would like to donate you can directly give through Mission of Hope's site here or you can donate through Summit Church here (add a gift and choose Disaster Relief).

For updates on the relief efforts at Mission of Hope please visit http://disasterrelief.mohhaiti.org/
Forward email

God Ain't Playin'

2010-01-11T10:28:00.002-05:00

I am still working my way through the book of Amos and today I read something that just jumped out at me. In the early verses of chapter 5 you see the Prophet Amos speaking to this way-ward people and proclaiming God's heart. A few times Amos proclaims this...God says "seek me and live", yet it falls on death ears and people continue to seek everything other than God. Then at the end of the chapter God rebukes them with a strong word when the people try to treat Him as an add on or after thought.

21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

In essence God is saying you have been openly and blatantly rebelling against me and now you want to do religious acts and think that everything is going to be okay...not going to happen! God is gracious and He desires fellowship with us, but we must respect Him as Lord and not think for a second that we can have our sin and have Him without consequence as well. Worshiping God when our hearts are not pure is just giving God lip service and He won't have any of it. God does not want our lip service, what He desires is our obedience. It was a good reminder for me this morning and a great challenge.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:16-17

Spiritual Lessons from a Bear...

2010-01-04T14:55:00.003-05:00

This blog has been lying dorment for so long, not out of lack of things to write or even lack of time or desire. I have been in a season where I have been capturing more of my private thoughts and challenges and desiring to focus on those things rather than the public forum of blogging. And, let's face it, I am not really that interesting to read, but it is a great exercise in communication.

This past weekend my wife and I averted what could have been a huge catastrophe in the life of our three year old daughter...no it wasn't that she fell of her swing set, jumped off her trampoline, it wasn't that we lost her in the mall or anything like that...no, those things are definitely horrible, but this would probably rank right up there in my daughter's heart. You see her bear, her ragged, dingy, sleepy bear that she has had since birth, went missing. She took it to Publix with her while her and her mom went grocery shopping and somewhere in the store she dropped the bear---no where to be found. My wife, did a mad search, up and down every isle to no avail. She spoke to the store manager and explained the dire situation and left her name and number in hopes that maybe a good samartian or faithful employee would turn it in.

My daughter was crushed. That night she was a little restless as we put her down for her bed and there was no bear. Now I want to give you a picture of how my daughter views this bear. You see this bear has no legs and again it has taken such a beating, that there really is no redemable value or beauty to this thing. Yet in spite of what we see and how we feel, my daughter loves this bear. She talks to it, dresses it. Brings it to the dinner or lunch table and places food in front of it. Every night when I put her to bed and pray for her, she asks me to pray for bear...yeah, I kid you not, to my sweet 3yr old, this bear is valuable, is lovely, is worth being loved.

Now catch this, if you are still reading...my daughter loves this thing, and it got me thinking, what a picture of how God loves us. There may have been many and still maybe some that say, you are beat up, you're dirty, dingy and there is no redeemable quality in you what's so ever. And yet, God says I love you. In fact, I love you so much I gave my only Son for you (John 3:16). Jesus says, I love you so much I would leave the 99 to go find you. Now, don't get me wrong I am not trying to say we are the center of God's world, but we are an aim of His affection and love. Where ever you are today, may the fact that God pursues you with an everlasting love be your encouragement and hope today.

"By Faith..."

2009-11-18T10:58:00.004-05:00

This morning I spent my quiet time with the Lord reading Hebrews 11, a very familiar passage, deemed by some as the "Hall of Fame of Faith." The writer of the Book of Hebrews list some of the giants of the faith who in the Old Testament were used by God in some amazing ways. The introduction to each of the different men and women listed start with two simple yet profound words "By faith...". I spent a good portion of the morning reflecting on those two words, "by faith...". Faith, a great word, a word that is essential to our walk with the Lord, a word that as Christians we would say is crucial we embrace and yet on so many different occasions in our lives we abandon. Now we don't abandon it entirely per say, in the sense we don't have faith any longer, we abandon it, in the sense that we misplace our faith.

The key to the success of those written about in Hebrews chapter 11 is that their faith was in the Lord. In the midst of prosperity or in difficulty they remained steadfast in the promises of God. Now don't get me wrong, they failed, they were at times tripped up, but in the end they centered themselves in God.

By faith...I just continued to allow those two words to sit on my heart and mind and I began to reflect on this season of my life. What is it that God is calling me to? What mountains are currently standing in my way? What dreams and visions are at risk of not coming to fruition in this season of my life? And above all of that, what will be my response to these things? Will I cash in, give up, seek to place my faith in something else, or will I hold on to the promises of God. By faith...the Bible says.

I have been doing some serious praying in regards to our church and ministry lately. Six years ago a small remnant of people by faith...stepped out to start a church that would engage the culture and the world. God quickly grew that remnant and after 2 and a half short years by faith...300 people sacrificed their own resources to build a permanent facility that would serve as a launching pad for greater ministry. Shortly after that a small segment of people by faith...set out to start another campus in Naples. Since day one by faith...the leadership of Summit, thought it was as important to be committed to the world as it was to their own four walls, so from day one has decided to give a large portion of their resources to expand the vision of every man, woman and child in many different formats. In so many different ways and in responses to so many different what seemed to be overwhelming challenges, the people of Summit Church, by faith...acted in response to God's leading and saw the move and the glory of God in amazing ways.

Today our ministry stands at yet another crossroads with another challenge in front of us...and my prayer is that just like in our history that in our present...by faith...we will respond. By faith...we will not shrink back! By faith...we will continue to pursue God with reckless abandonment. By faith...we will continue to partner with existing churches in our area and plant new churches and campuses to reach every man, woman and child. By faith...I pray that we will continue to strive to be a generous church, that holds ALL of its resources with open hands, sharing it as God leads us to. By faith...may this expression be defined and be led.

The fact is God's Word states, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

I challenge you to take a spiritual inventory and complete this statement for yourself and for this recent season of your life..."by faith________?" What do you need faith for right now? What is it that God is calling you to do? And is your faith truly in the One who called you and who has saved you? Just a rambling, but worth a thought. God Bless.

2009-11-13T19:19:00.001-05:00

Truly a great night with the fam. Saw Santa, had dinner, raised havoc. Max did such an awesome job. Love those snap shot moments. Autism sucks but God is good!

Going Away Party

2009-11-11T09:58:00.004-05:00

Yesterday the staff of Summit threw a going away/appreciation party for my wife, Pam. Since day one of Summit my wife has played a huge role and an integral part of this ministry. In fact outside of the members of the Leadership Team up until yesterday, she was the longest tenured employee we had. And as grateful as I am for her hard work in keeping up with and maintaining the accounting for our ministry and for the many ministries we are connected with, I am much more grateful for a wife who has always supported me and encouraged me to do what God has called me to do.

The office for me will not be the same, but I am absolutely ecstatic that my wife will have the liberty and margin to be more engaged in the lives of our kids, in our community and in the lives of the women that God has placed in her path. I am so thankful for a godly wife.

What's My Name?

2009-11-03T15:28:00.003-05:00

So the other day my wife and I were laying in bed with our kids getting ready for the day and I turned and asked my son, Max, "what's my name?" and he replied "HUN!" My wife and I laughed and laughed. Over the last couple of days I have reflected not just on my son's response, but more so on my wife's amazing influence and example over our children. Why did my son respond, with "HUN" because he has heard his mom call me that throughout his life span. Now before you cast that off as no big deal, think for a moment. There are many wives out there that do not honor their husbands and I have been blessed with one that does. Just as easy, my son's answer to the question, what's my name?, could have been, chump, idiot, loser, good for nothing, but the fact remains he has copied his mom's example. Now at some point we'll have to tell him that my name is actually Orlando, but for now I celebrate the blessing of a wonderful life whose life speaks loudly to our precious kids.

Happy Birthday Emily!

2009-10-29T10:34:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Emily!!! Today you are three and yet it feels like yesterday that your mom and I were driving you home from the hospital. You were God's divine yet unexpected blessing to us. After your brother's miracle adoption we thought maybe it would be awhile before another door like that would ever open again. Boy were we surprised that after only 15 months God would bless us again with you. Your birth parents made a courageous choice and for that they have our respect and gratitude and one day when you are older I am sure they will have yours as well. My prayer for you and Max is that you would always see your adoption as God's story, because it is and He has some amazing plans for your life.

Emily, I have nicked-named you the Queen Bee, because you command attention. You have so much personality and spunk in that little body of yours that it keeps my mind running on what God is going to ultimately do in and thru you. You are an absolute joy for your mom and I. You keep us laughing and smiling and every time we have the opportunity to hold you and be still our hearts and amazed by the goodness of God seen through your little life. I pray every day for your salvation, your future which God holds, your husband who better not be a chump and your kids who I hope I will still have energy to spoil, but as I do that I pray daily that God would cause my heart not to miss a moment!

I pray that as you grow you would understand the depth of God's love for you and the amazing salvation that He has provided for your soul. I pray that God alone would shape you and mold you and that He would give your mom and I wisdom to raise you rightly and grace to live out His character in front of you. We love you very much. You are an incredible blessing!

The Greatness of God

2009-10-21T11:19:00.002-04:00

I have a friend who constantly challenges me to not miss the greatness of God around me. As followers of Christ we know that we serve a God who is most passionate about His glory and loves to display it to all humanity. It is as we gaze on the glory of God that we discover our depravity and begin to understand that nothing or noone can satisfy like God. So this morning I began to just reflect on the greatness of God and how in this recent season He has been positioning me to see and experience His glory. I was overwhelmed.

My wife, Pam, and I had the privilege to lead a team of 14 others on a mission trip to Iquitos, Peru. This is my 3rd trip in 9 months and every time I am there I see God's hand at work in amazing ways. This trip was no different. In the midst of deep poverty I saw the power, the beauty and joy of the Gospel. I talked with families that from a worldly perspective have absolutely nothing, but have found Christ and have joy that nothing in this world can compare to. I was so convicted by the evidence of the Gospel in these individuals who have discovered the true meaning in Psalm 73:25 "Whom have I in heaven, but you O God and I desire nothing on earth more than You!" That is the greatness of God.

This past weekend we ended all of our services early at both locations and we challenged our people to "be the church" and go to Publix and shop for groceries in an effort to help stock the local food pantries in our area. I was overwhelmed by the response. Our people invested over $35,000 and helped to stock four food pantries. That is the greatness of God...His activity in the lives of people, creating movement for His mission.

There was so much more that God brought to my heart and mind this morning and the challenge was clear, don't sleep walk! Be aware and attentive to my activity, to My greatness, to My glory! I pray that you will see the greatness of God today...don't sleep walk! Just a rambling. God Bless!

Prayer of Thanks

2009-08-31T10:12:00.002-04:00

God I thank you for Your continual grace and mercy. I thank You for the many who made decisions this weekend to trust You as their Lord and Savior. I thank You for the amazing stories of life change. I thank You for the many men and women who partner with us in this mission. I thank You for their willingness to lay down their name and lose themselves in Yours. I thank You for our staff and for their humility, burden for the lost, passion for Your glory and commitment to Your Truth.

Father I pray that for those who accepted Your free gift of salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that You would continue to show them Your reality and grow them in their new found relationship with You. I pray that we as believers would steward the gift of grace well and seek to dispense grace in the lives of those you allow to cross our paths.

Father I am amazed at what You are doing in and thru Summit Church, but I pray that we never forget that its not about our church, but the Your Body. I pray that we do not forget that its not about filling a building but fueling a movement of people that live on mission. I thank You Lord for allowing us to finishing our fiscal year ahead of budget. Thank You for Your incredible blessings. You are amazing. Father may Your people continue to steward their resources faithfully and may we as Your church continue to use all You have given to us in a manner that reflects You and furthers Your Kingdom. Father I am so excited about the days ahead and I pray that You would continue to pour out Your Spirit and lead us on to Your agenda. You are mighty to save Father and I thank You for continuously moving the mountains. I love You Lord. Amen.

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

Just Thoughts...

2009-08-26T09:36:00.004-04:00

My lack of discipline in updating my blog, is not due to having nothing to say, but due to not having the time to write it. And since I am at the mechanic for the third time in five days, I thought I would take the time I would spend sitting frustrated and use it to post my frustration...just kidding! These are just random thoughts, there is absolutely no rhyme or order to them, they are just the thoughts of a husband, father, pastor, friend and follower of Christ...

- I am absolutely in love with my wife. Every season of our lives together gets sweeter. I love watching God work in her and thru her. I love that she loves of kids selflessly. I love that she supports me in ministry. I love that she is quick to give me grace. I love the way she loves her friends. I love how she pretends to be interested in the Yankees simply because she knows I am.

- Speaking of the YANKS- I love that they are playing better, even though they had a tough lost last night. I love that their high price tagged players are starting to come through. It should make for an exciting fall.

- I love my kids. My son and y daughter are an absolute joy. I love how they can make me laugh, cry, drive me crazy all in the same moment, but I wouldn't trade a thing. I love spending time with them together and individually. I love watching them and wondering what God's plan for each of them are.

- I love the team I get to serve with at Summit. I love the fact that they are committed to the mission, to their call and to one another. I have never been around such a wonderful group of humble and hungry folks that care so much about the lost and about the glory of God.

- I love my friends. I love the guys that I get to do life with, that care genuinely about me, my family and my walk.

- I have a big problem with people who talk behind my back but share it as a prayer request...that's just lame.

- I love the people of Summit. My heart leaps for those who are running hard after Christ and my heart breaks for those who continue to be enslaved by their sin.

- I love the fact that our church is growing...that is awesome, but I can't help but be cautious, because the growth that we are after goes way beyond how many people are sitting in our seats. The reality is that any monkey with a suit and charisma can draw a crowd, but only the Spirit of God can bring life change and create movement.

- Pray Lee County has been a personal blessing to me and I have loved hearing the stories of others who are committed to praying for our city over 40 days.

- I am extremely restless about the future of our ministry. We have a huge God-given vision and we will be facing some God-sized challenges in this next year. And I am praying that our faith will remain in God and not in ourselves.

- I love that the Leadership Team of Summit is staying hungry for the future and are not desiring to pull back or even worse stop because of uncertainty or worse fear. I love these men's courage, leadership and faith.

- I am broken for the marriages that I continue to see that are in trouble, and I stand in amazement of the ones God is bringing restoration and healing to.

- I am grateful that God continues to break me and expose me to my sin, my pride, my faithlessness, and my independence...it hurts but it is so needed.

- I love that this weekend I get to do the wedding of a young couple who attend Summit and on the same weekend do the renewal of vows of one of my good friends.

God is good...and I pray that He is at work mightily in and thru your life. God Bless.

Running for Max

2009-08-17T11:29:00.004-04:00

I wanted to take this moment to once again thank all of you for your support of me running in the New York City half-marathon in honor of my son, Max. Your prayers, encouragement and donations to Organization for Autism Research mean more to me than I could ever express. After my son's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder two years ago I took up running as a form of great meditation, prayer and reflection. I felt strongly that I could take my love for my son, Max, and my new found love for running and do something proactive with it. I discovered the Organization for Autism Research and the awesome work they are doing in funding research, helping families and bringing public awareness to this growing epidemic. Today 1 in 150 kids are diagnosed with this disorder. Two years ago our little boy did not talk and lived in a world of his own, today with treatment, the love and support of friends and the grace of God, our boy, Max, is enjoying life as a toddler should. We have a long way to go, but we are grateful for God's grace and the progress we have witnessed.

Your financial support, however large or small, is helping change the lives and future of thousands of kids. I may have been the one running, but WE were making a difference for the cause of autism. Pam and I are extremely grateful to each of you for your continued prayers and support of our little boy. The bible says that "he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed...", you have certainly refreshed us and we pray that God in His grace will in turn refresh you. I will keep on praying, continue running and continue believing that God is not done working in and through the life of our son. If you do not mind I would love to keep you informed of future races, and as always please feel no obligation to contribute, but please do keep the prayers coming. We love you and thank God for you. God Bless You.

A Real Man

2009-08-06T17:00:00.004-04:00

This week has been absolutely crazy. Trying to catch up from being gone has been nuts and in the midst of all that striving to get ready for this weekend's teaching has been challenging as well. This weekend in our G-3 series we will be dealing with men and talking about stewarding our roles as husbands. I have enjoyed studying, reading, praying and meditating over this topic. I feel as though God has really been exposing my heart to certain areas of deficiencies as well as showing areas of His grace and glory at work in different areas of my life. I am praying that God will speak thru me this weekend and that men are ready and willing to receive what He has for them.

A verse that God has really used this week to shape my heart, meditation and preparation for this weekend is 1 Corinthians 16:13...
"Be watchful, stand firm in faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

Man, I have been meditating on that verse all week long. I want to live like a real man, I want to be a man who stands firm in his faith and does everything out of love for Christ and genuine love for others. When I think about my precious, beautiful, amazing wife and my two precious kids, I can't help but believe that they don't deserve anything less. My wife and kids deserve a REAL MAN for a husband and a father and sure the world has polluted what a real man is, but the Scriptures are clear...a real man looks lives and loves like Jesus.

That's my prayer...God cause my heart to live and love like your Son. Grow me in every way, shape and form to live and act like a REAL MAN. May I abide in you and may my wife and kids benefit from the overflow of who You are and what You are doing in my life.

Week in Review

2009-08-03T11:52:00.005-04:00

Extremely thankful for the time away with my family. The vacation could have not come at a better time and even though I am seriously going to pay for it this week, it was well worth it. Our time in Deepcreek, Maryland was absolutely enjoyable. So grateful to our friends, Kelly and John for opening up their home and making it possible for us to get away. The kids had a blast. It was awesome to see Max and Emi on the tube, and for their first plane ride they did amazing.

White water rafting, tubing, knee boarding, laser tag, we had a full week of fun. My body is so sore, but my spirit and mind feel extremely refreshed. I am grateful for a wonderful family and "super friends" that I get the blessing to do life with.

God truly spoke to me during this time away and I am still processing all that I believe He has revealed, but one thing is for sure, this fall is going to be quite a ride. I am glad that today is Fast-Forward, Summit's church wide prayer and fasting day, because it gives me yet another opportunity to pray and reflect on what I believe the Lord has spoken to me about. What I believe at this point is that there are going to be significant strides in my family, in Summit and in my personal call. I pray that my faith will be ready for the challenge and my heart willing to make the needed sacrifices.

This morning during my quiet time with the Lord, I read this verse which I thought was extremely appropriate...
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

So I have committed to actively wait for the Lord to reveal the next steps and have asked Him to continue to mold my heart to say yes. The journey is worth it and the view of His glory as we engage fully in God's activity is always life changing. May your waiting lead to engagement. Just a rambling...God Bless You!

2009-07-12T15:20:00.001-04:00

Sitting @ the food court of the Carousel Mall in Syracuse, waiting for Pam to finish shopping. Its been a great trip. Jordan & his kids are doing well.

Happy Birthday Max!

2009-07-07T07:55:00.007-04:00

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Happy Birthday Max! What a joy and gift you are to us. We can not believe that it's been four years since we have brought you home from the hospital. We continue to stand in awe of God as we watch Him write the script of your life. From the very beginnning when we got the incredible call from your eight and half month pregnant birth mom who asked us if we were interested in adopting you, to your finalization when we were awarded full and final custody of you up until today everyday has been a powerful reminder of how blessed we are to have you in our lives.

Max you have brought so much joy to our lives. You have taught me so much about the love of God, the glory of God, the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God. There have been so many twists and turns over the last four years, yet through it all God has shown us that He is mighty. In April of 2007 your mom and I took the longest two hour drive of our lives as we drove home from All Children's Hospital after your diagnosis of autism. It shook us to the core. I remember taking you to the park when we got home and pushing you in the swing and just weeping as I looked into your eyes and saw that huge smile of yours. I can't believe how much God has done in you and through since that time. Your progress, your development, yourgrowth is nothing short of a miracle. Autism sucks but Max our God is good. The reality is that no diagnosis could ever rob how special you are.

When you were in delivery your mom and I waited in prayer and great expectation. On the day of your birth the Lord led me to Acts chapter 17 where it speaks of the Apostle Paul and Silas being men who literally turned the world upside down for the cause of the Gospel. I felt in that moment that the Lord said to me, that the same would be true of your life and Max I have seen that to be the case in so many ways. Your story, your heart, your life has touched many and has created movement for the cause of Christ.
If nothing else, know this Max, your life has changed mine completely. You, have caused me to look at God differently, to examine my life differently, to measure success differently, to prioritize my time differently and you Max have caused me over these last few years to celebrate everything in my life and recognize it as the very blessing of God. Max, you are so special, not because you have been diagnozed with autism, but because you were created by Almighty God and because He has a huge divine purpose for your life. I look forward to seeing how all of it unfolds. Your mom and I pray for you every day and we feel extremely privileged and blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Birthday, we love you!

The word of the LORD came to me, saying,"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:4-10

Birthday In Review

2009-06-29T09:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday. It is amazing how quickly time flies. It felt like just yesterday I was a youth pastor in Miami telling my seniors that I wasn't that far removed from where they were and now I'm 36 and far from cool, not that I ever was. I'm not hung up on my age at all, because God thru recent events has been really showing me the importance of celebrating today and maximizing the moments He gives us. I got to say that yesterday was one of the best birthdays I have had in recent memories. Not because I got an expensive gift, or because there was a huge party thrown for me, but because God reaquainted me with how blessed I truly am.

I have been blessed with Godly parents, who kicked off my birthday singing to me over the phone, not a little happy birthday jingle, but a Christian blessing over me. They both shared how daily they pray for me and my family and for God's will to be done in my life. They shared with me how proud they were of me. As I drove to church I realized how blessed I was to have the parents that I have. Parents that love and model Jesus. They were and are not perfect, but I'm telling you that I never saw two people sacrifice more for their kids than my parents. Barely a high school education between the two of them, yet they never complained. Worked hard every day to insure that my brother, sister and I could have every opportunity available to us.

I went to church and for the first time in some weeks I was able to sit back and worship. I did not have to worry about having to bring a message, but I had the opportunity to just sit under the authority of God's Word and be convicted, refreshed and challenged. In that moment I realized how blessed I have been to be a small part of such a wonderful, thriving and amazing ministry. I have been so blessed to be a part of a Team of men and women who love Jesus and who are so willing to lose their names to live for His. God you are so good.

All day yesterday, I received calls, text messages, twitters, facebook posts, from people wishing me a happy birthday and some sharing some kind words that just humbled me. I had students that I taught when they were just in 5th grade who are now in college, students from youth ministries that I pastored over, students that my wife and I coached in cheerleading, friends from long ago, new friends, church partners, family members and some kind words from some of my closest friends. I was absolutely blown away and blessed. I realized how gracious God has been to allow me the opportunity to share life with so many different people and learn so much from so many of them.

Lastly, I got to spend a lot of time with my wife and kids yesterday. They continue to be the greatest blessing in my life aside from my salvation. It was awesome to see my kids tear into the gifts that their mom had purchased for me. It was so funny to read my wife's ridiculous card, and because I know minors read this blog, I will have to save you from the details...just kidding. The topper of the day was the last gift my wife gave me. They were pictures of her for my new office. She had done a photo shoot with a young lady who is like a daughter to us. Man, I was so blown away on so many different fronts. First, this is not like my wife at all. She does not like to stand out in any way, shape or form. She would much rather be in the background. So for her to do this for me, I truly felt loved. The other thing that got to me, was as I marveled at her outward beauty, I was tearing up just thinking of how beautiful she is inside and out, and how blessed I am to share life with my best friend. It has been an incredible 12 years with the woman of my prayers. I continue to be amazed by God's activity in and thru my wife. She has sacrificed so much, given of herself in so many different way and has been so selfless that I pray daily that I never take her for granted, but receive her daily as God's gift to me.

Yesterday, was not about gifts, it was about reflecting and celebrating the goodness and faithfulness of God. Truly a wonderful, wonderful day, even if I am one step closer to hair in the ears, chester draws and my hair falling out...it is ALL GOOD!

Long Day At Animail Kingdom

2009-06-19T16:31:00.006-04:00

It has been a great day at Animal Kingdom. It felt like 100 degrees outside, but it was awesome to have the time with my family. Emi and Max had a blast! They are quick out the gate, but they don't have much stamina. They were both out once we got them in their strollers and headed to the car. Besideds the blazing heat, it really was a wonderful day. I have been so blessed with two wonderful kids and an amazing wife. I love these opportunities to get away and connect as a family.

"YES, Lord!"

2009-06-16T08:57:00.007-04:00

This past weekend I was given the privilege to teach as we continue our series entitled "Mixed Up, Messed Up, 'Fess Up-The Kingdom and The Book of James." It has been a great study for me personally and I believe that our church has been really challenged by level of application in this Book and the urgency of it as well. This past weekend we concluded chapter four where James gives a strong word against making plans without acknowledging God. James gives a strong challenge to all of us to consider the time that we have been given and to recognize that our lives are nothing more than vapor. The reality that we live in each day is that tomorrow is not promised and so as Kingdom Citizens we need to maximize the moments God has given us. We need to live each day in appreciation, and in obedience. The challenge we threw out to our people was to over the next seven days wake up each morning and tell the Lord "YES". To declare to the Lord that whatever He made lead us or command us to do our answer was "YES!" We challenged our people to commit Isaiah 26:8 to memory..."YES, Lord walking in the way of Your Truth, Your glory and renown are the desires of my heart."

The text messages and emails have not stopped since the services ended. People have taken the challenge seriously and many have already experienced the blessing, pleasure and power of surrendering each day to the Lord and saying "YES" to Him. For my wife and I it happened just hours later as we felt God's leading to be His extension of grace and blessing to a friend in need. The stories that I have heard so far have been awesome. I pray that we will continue to strive to use the moments that God gives us to glorify Him. Have you told God "YES" yet this morning? Don't delay, tell Him that your life you willing place into His hands for His service. Don't miss out in experiencing the pleasure of God...it is amazing!

Great Weekend Away...

2009-06-08T11:30:00.004-04:00

I enjoyed a great weekend away in South Carolina for my niece's graduation. I wished my wife and kids could have joined me, but I was grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with my folks, my sister and brother. I haven't seen my brother and his family in over a year and the same goes for my sister and her family. It was great to hang out and enjoy each other's company. One of the things that I love the most about my family is that when we are together you can always bet there is going to be a lot of laughing. The family that laughs together stays together, that's not biblical or tested but its worked for us. Having times like we did this weekend have been less frequent than any of us would want or hope for, but I was glad that we did maximize this wonderful reunion. I am grateful for godly parents, a wonderful older sister and a great big brother.

I am proud of my niece who graduated high school this past week and whose
accomplishment brought us all together. I pray that God will continue to move in and through her life. As she begins this next chapter of her life, my hope is that she will hold fast to Christ and allow Him to guide her steps daily. My nephew also graduated middle school, which if you remember that time in your life is no easy feat. I look forward to see what God does in his life, I can't help but to believe ministry is going to be a part of his future. His heart is bent towards it, it is truly awesome to see. I am also blessed with a five year old niece, who is hysterical. I can not believe how big she is getting. She is so smart, beautiful and has such a wonderul personality. I enjoyed my time watching her play, listening to her talk and interacting with her. God may you continue to bless my little niece.

It was a great weekend and again I thank God for my family. I know at times it is so easy to over look or even take our families for granted, I would challenge you not to. Enjoy the times you have with them and make sure you tell them how much they mean to you. Just a rambling...God Bless!

Things I am Enjoying...

2009-06-04T11:38:00.010-04:00

I am sitting at the airport right now with a great fear that my plane is delayed. So with this new found time that God has given me...(that's my spiritual way of not trying to get upset at the fact that this plane is late)I figured I would throw up a quick blog. So here are a list of things that I am enjoying right now...

#1. My Family...I thank God for my amazing wife and beautiful kids. I am in awe of God's activity in my wife's life in this season. Every time I turn around I see more of His grace and heart pouring out of her life. Her growth, hunger and passion for God challenges me. I love watching her lead God's people in worship because I know it is not show, but an overflow of her own desire to sit and baste in the presence of God. A year ago my son was communicating thru signs and had a limited vocabulary, today he is using 4 and five word sentences and is more and more apart of our world. Autism you suck, but my God is good and He is bigger!!! My daughter is an absolute pistol. I can watch her play for hours. Her imagination and spirit for life is contagious. I can't wait to see what God does with our little fire cracker.

#2. Reading...I am not a good reader, but I understand the
importance of it to my personal growth, so I try my best to remain disciplined. The last three books that I have read have challenged the heck out of me. Currently, I am reading "The Real Church" by Larry Crabb, great book! My time in the Word has been fresh as well. God continues to wreck me with His Truth and remind me of my absolute need for Him. I am praying that God would continue to give me a pure hunger for His Word.

#3. Kodiak Cakes...yup, Hallelujah Diet friendly pancakes...so good it'll make your tongue slap your brains two times. My wonderful wife, made them for dinner the other night and I can tell you it is almost idolatry for me. I am trying to get her to make a Kodiak Pact with me that states that we have them every Monday night for dinner...I'll keep you posted.

#4. Ministry...things at Summit continue to move forward, because of no other reason than God's grace. God has really been working in the lives of His people in this season. The stories of life change have been so encouraging, and our staff continues to gel and work as one unit, with one heart and one aim. I personally feel God is currently stretching me and preparing me for something new. I have no idea what it is, but I continue to ask God to prepare my heart for it.

#5. The Yankees...come on you knew it was coming. The greatest
baseball team with the greatest history is back in first place with a share of the leagues' best record. I don't know about you, but it seems to me like all things are now right in the world...just kidding. I don't know what it is, but I have already been able to watch more Yankee' games this season than I did all of last year. I am blessed!

Ramblings of a man stuck at the airport...I pray that you are taking time to enjoy the many blessings in your life and thanking God for His grace and goodness in the midst of all of it! God Bless.

Celebrating the Wins!!!

2009-06-02T14:48:00.004-04:00

As many of you know I am a blog stalker...I love reading blogs of people I respect and leaders I learn a lot from. This past week, one of the blogs I frequent, Craig Groeschel, shared about the growth that has taken place in his life as a leader, pastor and follower of Christ. One of the things he humbly blogged about was the complete change in his attitude and outlook on how he measures success in ministry today. If you know anything about Craig Groeschel, than you probably know that he is a gifted communicator, innovative leader, really good author and one of the voices that God is using to bring effective change to today's church culture...and to top it off he leads a HUGE church. But, what I respect above all that is his humility. I have read every book Craig's written, I have listened to several of his messages and have even been at conferences where he was one of the premier speakers and I have always sensed a humble spirit. In his blog he wrote about how today he is not measuring success by how many people show up on the weekend or how much money came in the offering but how many lives are being transformed and how they are investing back into the Kingdom. As I read that I began to think about what were the success markers that I could be celebrating and thanking God for today. The key here is these are the things that I see God doing in the lives of His people and in and thru His Church.

#1. There are two guys at our church Joe and Mike who lead a Samson group every Thursday night for men. Every time I have sent a guy to that group I quickly get a response from them about how these guys have been a blessing and real help to them. Men pouring into the lives of other men and living below the surface...yeah, I'm going to say that's a win! Praise God.

#2. We have a retired couple that instead of spending their lives on themselves they would rather invest their time and resources on those in need. So what they have done is mobilized our people to give of their resources to bless the ever growing transient migrant community that live just south of our church. Every other weekend this couple Rick and Mary Alice deliver items and invest themselves in this community...anytime people see the needs of others as more important than themselves, yeah that's a win!

#3. We are in the midst of doing an overhaul of our college ministry, it is going to be awesome. One of the things that we are going to go hard after is have Life Coaches for our college students that want to truly grow in their faith and walk in Christ. Right now we have over 30 adults going through training this summer to be prepared to disciple a small group of college students...anytime people recognize the potential in the up and coming generation and desire to be a conduit that God can use to help this next generation reach their God-potential, I'm going to say that's a win.

#4. Our ministry gives away a quarter of its income to ministries outside of ourselves and has no intention to stop growing that percentage...anytime a church cares more about what God is doing to build His Kingdom and has a stronger desire to be a part of that over building their own kingdom, than yeah I'm going to say that is a win.

#5. My wife and I have personally seen a handful of marriages in the last seven months be absolutely resurrected from the dead. When most women would of turned and run and understandably so, these women have chosen to forgive and to allow the Spirit of God to work, restore and redeem. And when most men would continue to hide, justify and even blame, these men have owned their stuff, humbled themselves and have found the power of true repentance. We have seen the body of Christ actually be the body and help these couples get back to the place God desires them to live in...couples seeking reconciliation instead of a bail out plan and believing that God can breathe life into what seemed virtually dead...yeah, I would say that is a win.

I can go on and on, but the point is to recognize the wins and celebrate the goodness of God as a result of it; because the bottom line is, NONE of those wins would be possible without the Spirit of God and the grace of God. It's not our plans, it's not our efforts, it's God! So celebrate the wins and thank God for them!

Incredible Day Yesterday!

2009-06-01T11:10:00.003-04:00

What an incredible day yesterday! Yesterday at Barefoot Beach we gathered as a church and celebrated life change. We had the privilege of baptizing 25 people who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. As one of my friends told me, yesterday was a great victory for the Kingdom of God. It is unexplainable the expressions on peoples' faces when they come up out of the water. There is an expression of joy that can only come from the Lord. Every time someone came up out of the water we cheered and went crazy. We celebrated the goodness and the grace of God dispensed and showed to each of these individuals. Yesterday was a powerful reminder to us of why we do what we do. We state it all the time, Summit Church exist to glorify God through presenting the Gospel to every man, woman and child and connecting them into loving relationships with Jesus Christ and with others. Yesterday in part we saw the fruition of that. I thank God for His activity, for His grace and for the opportunity to be a small part of what He is doing here in SWFL.

Today as a church we are getting to move the mission forward as we participate in our FastForward initiative. The first Monday of every month we challenge our people to fast and pray, for our ministry, our community and for the mission God has given to us. I always enjoy to hear the stories from people of what God revealed to them during this time. I am praying today for those who are participating and for Next Level Church, who are also fasting and praying today. God is at work in this region.

"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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

God may You bring revival and may You bring glory to Your name!

Happy Birthday Babe!

2009-05-24T16:00:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of my wife's 21st birthday...there is no way I would post my wife's age, I don't have enough lives to do something that stupid. The reality is it doesn't matter how old she gets, she is still as drop dead beautiful as the first day I met her. I enjoyed a long morning of shopping for gifts with my son, Max,. Although, he didn't chip in a dime, he was a huge help believe it or not picking out some stuff for mommy. The best thing is that Pam actually liked the things we got for her. I still have a few gifts to give her and if you are wondering why I have not given Pam all of her gifts, its because she has this running joke of May being her birthday month, so this year I decided to honor that and spread her gifts out...I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Last night we went to Carrabba's with our good friends Jamin and Vicky and had a
great time. We always seem to laugh a ton when we're with them, which is pretty shocking since Jamin is really not that funny... I am so grateful for the friends that Pam and I get to do life with. I am grateful for a godly wife, who is amazing in so many different ways and who is a blessing to me that I certainly do not deserve. Pam, I love you and thank God for you. Happy Birthday and may the Lord continue to bless you and show His heart to you daily.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-05-17T17:29:00.003-04:00

Twelves years ago I married my best friend and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. It has been an incredible journey and I continue to see the goodness of God through the eyes and life of my wonderful wife. She is an amazing wife and incredible mom to our two kids. When I look back over the last 12 years I can not help but to think of all of the sacrifices that she has made for our family. I can't help but to think of all her continued support that she extends to me as I pursue God's call. I can't help but to think of all the laughter, tears and special moments we have shared together. I can't help but to think of all the crossroads we have experienced and storms of life we have endured through the grace of God together.

My wife is such a refuge for me. She makes our house a home and a place I can not wait to return to after I leave for work. Pam's smile, her genuine faith in the Lord, her concern for others are only some of the things that I appreciate about her more and more with every passing day.

I love that my wife allows me to be me, but loves me enough to never allow me to settle. I love that my wife believes as I do that God is our greatest need and our greatest treasure so we should make Him our greatest pursuit. I love that even though she is extremely busy she always has time for others. I love that she never tires of getting down on the floor with our kids to play and be silly with them. I love that even when I fail to see God's beauty in a situation she can quickly remind me of it. I love that regards how hard or difficult a sacrifice that we need to make to follow God's leading she has always been willing to follow me. I could go on, but I'll just say I am so grateful to God for His wonderful gift. I look forward to the days ahead...Happy Anniversary Pam! I Love You Crazy!

A Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

2009-05-11T07:05:00.002-04:00

Many of you asked about the prayer that I shared to end yesterday's sermon with, so I figured I would put up on my blog. May we continue to strive to be an aircraft carrying church that continues to care about the sufferings of others and lives bare before the Lord in all things and in all ways. Have a great week. God Bless.

A Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you this day and forevermore. AMEN.

Jesus was amazed...

2009-05-06T10:15:00.003-04:00

At times as you read thru the Gospel you will come across the phrase “they were amazed”. And most of the time it is referring to the fact that those who were present during Jesus’ earthly ministry were amazed by either His teaching, His confidence, His miracles, His love. And every time I come across that phrase I think, yeah, absolutely I would totally be amazed also if I was there and saw and experienced these incredible things first hand, yes certainly amazed would be a great description for me. Or I reflect on how God is amazing me today through His teaching, His revelation, His power, His miracles, His love, but this morning it was a little different. The phrase was a little different this time in Mark chapter 6.

This time the phrase was not in reaction to Jesus but the phrase was used to describe Jesus’ reaction to the people. You see in Mark chapter five Jesus had just healed a demon possessed man, than He heals a woman struggling with an issue of blood and then He brings a little girl who had passed away back to life and yet there were many who were saying, who is this guy. He is just a carpenter, He is just the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. In other words they were saying what is so special about this guy, in essence they were trying to say He is no one. And the verse that jumped out at me this morning was Mark 6:6 “He(Jesus) was amazed at their lack of faith.” I was floored by that this morning. It is easy to criticize that crowd and say what are you thick in the head or something- this is Jesus! But as soon as those thoughts quickly passed the Spirit convicted my heart with this question “what about you?”

It seems at the surface to be a simple question, but the more the Spirit pounded on my heart the more I realized that the question had depth to it. As I unpacked that question I realized that what the Spirit was trying to get across was this; would that be Jesus’ reaction of me today? Would Jesus say wow, I am amazed by your lack of faith. It was a humbling thought. I began to reflect in what areas and in what ways does my life reflect great faith in a great God and in what ways does my life reflect a lack of faith. It was a painful but a very helpful exercise, I challenge you to try it. Ask yourself the question “what would Jesus’ response be to my faith in this season? Then let the Spirit reveal those different areas of your life that God wants to break in and break thru. Just a thought and certainly just another rambling. God Bless You.

Fast Forward

2009-05-04T12:22:00.002-04:00

Today is Summit's church wide prayer and fasting day. As a Leadership Team we decided to make the first Monday of every month a day where our church rallies together and fast and prays for the needs of our church and community.

"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

We understand and recognize the importance of prayer and yet as believers we do not put this much needed discipline into practice. Prayer is not bending God to our will, but God bending us to His. Prayer is our proclaimation of dependence upon God. Nothing of eternal worth or weight will happen absent of prayer. We pray that this prayer initiative will awaken and stir our hearts to be more vigilant prayer warriors. Below are the points of focus for today and this month. God Bless You!

#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 specifically for those in your Circle of Accountability who do not know Christ. Pray that God would continue to give you access and influence in to the lives of these individuals. Ask God to give you continual opportunities to share the Gospel both in word and deed.

#3. 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.

#4. Pray for our latest church plant, Legacy Church. Pray that God would continue to give the Leadership Team wisdom as they seek God's guidance for this new work. Pray that God would continue to develop a core group of people that will be instrumental in the launch of this church. Lastly pray that God would provide the initial financial resources needed for the start-up.

#5. Please 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.

#6. Please pray for the families of Summit Church who are hurting financially as a result of the economy. Pray that God would meet their needs and pray that they would hold fast to Christ during this time.

A Call To Die

2009-04-29T07:05:00.004-04:00

I and the two guys that I meet with each week for accountability have recently completed the "Love Dare". If you are married, could I suggest picking up that book today. I guarantee you that God will use that tool to help shape and refine your view of your role as a husband or wife as well bring a deeper level of intimacy into your marriage. There probably will not be anything in the 40 day "Love Dare" challenge that will be new for a married person, but it is the powerful day to day reminder of what God wants for our marriages that makes this little tool so effective. It is a small investment in time that can breath new life into your marriage.

Well, since we have completed that and as we strive to not allow the "Love Dare" to be just a 40 day challenge that you do and put away, but a practice to implement every day in our marriages, we decided we would go through "A Call to Die". This is another 40 day challenge to do exactly what the title says "die". Not literally die, but to die to ourselves, to die to our pride, our sin, our lust, our selfishness and anything else that is trying to rob and kill the life that God longs to give us through Jesus Christ. I am in my first week of the challenge and it has been awesome. I am being reacquainted with Jesus' words that "those who lose their lives for His sake will find true life..." I am being reminded that the motive to dying to myself daily must be to glorify God! The study thus far has been a powerful reminder of the fact that I must kill this flesh daily and I must deal ruthlessly with my sin, because my sin does not deal gently with me.

The Scripture verse that the study had me memorize this week is John 3:16, yeah that is what I thought...come on, challenge me here. John 3:16 like that is the Christian gold standard. I bet some Christians memorize that verse as if it is a part of the membership into this Christian society or something, but once again in my ignorance, God gripped me and showed me the power of this TRUTH.

For God so loved the world (the world, that includes me) that He gave His one and only Son, (God didn't give a second rate gift, He gave His best, He showed in this act that He does not hold or hoard from me) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (God did not leave me in my state of depravity, but instead He sent a remedy and built a bridge) but have eternal life. (God has given me life eternal, abundant life, real life, joy that can not be quenched, a life that is now worth living)

God did all this for me, not because I was worthy, but because He is merciful, good and gracious and if I am truly appreciative of this unbelievable act of love, then my only response would have to be to die to myself and live for Him. Now that sounds easy enough, but the reality is that it is not, but we have a God who is faithful and who offers His grace to us daily. Have a great day and may you answer God's call to die today! God Bless!

Blessed Be The Name

2009-04-27T17:17:00.004-04:00

Today my wife and I took our amazingly beautiful little girl, Emily, to the neurologist. This was an appointment that had been made months ago at the request of our pediatrician. Emily has not been on a growth chart yet. She is this little fire ball, with a strong will and a lot of personality. Our pediatrician has been a little concerned and suggested that we have her checked out to make sure she does not have microencephalus, which is a fancy way of saying small head syndrome. Like I mentioned before, this appointment had been made months ago, so it's been one of those things that you didn't want to think about too much or for too long. We have just been praying and trusting that all of this is in God's hands and we know that and do believe that. Well today the doctor told us she is fine, in fact her head size is actually on the growth chart, barely, but its there. There was this huge sigh of relief for my wife and I as well as just an attitude of gratitude for God's grace.

When I got back to my office, I began to reflect on what had just happened and in a matter of seconds it felt as though I had been hit with a two by four of emotions repeatedly. I was relieved that everything was okay, but at the same time I was broken because good friends of ours were in the middle of the state at a neurologist appointment for their unborn child and the news they received today was not good. My heart breaks for this couple and what they are facing in this moment and in the months to come. I reflected on the fact that the same God that steered my daughter clear of harm today, is the same God who is allowing our friends to go through this storm. And once again I came face to face with the reality that whatever the news regarding Emily had been GOD IS STILL GOOD and He alone is worthy of all my life. It is one of those things that is easy to say, easy to hear in sermons, great to sing in Christian songs, yet we don't fully understand until we are faced with the reality and the profoundness of that TRUTH.

My prayer is that heart would be ready to say as Job did though he slay me, yet I will praise Him...because the truth is that is the surrendered life Christ calls me to. It is one thing to sing "blessed be your name" on the weekend and sing it in the midst of our storms, in the midst of our crisis, in the midst of those moments when God's ways don't make sense. I long to live there, but I would be less than honest if I did not say at times it is tough. And in those moments I am thankful that God is forgiving, God is patient and God is willing to grant me His grace. I know that this is a rambling of all ramblings but I leave you with this challenge and this question...Do you truly believe today that in your heart of hearts you can say "God is good" even when His ways don't make sense or worse, even when His ways may hurt? The answer to that question isn't in a song, a sermon, a great quote, it comes only from our intimacy with God. It comes either from our lack of or richness in our relationship with the Father. May we live so connected to Him, that regardless of where our journey with Him may take us, may we sing and live loudly the truth "He gives and takes away,blessed be the name of the Lord!" A crazy rambling, I know, have a great week just the same. God Bless You.

Psalm 104

2009-04-21T11:46:00.003-04:00

This morning I was reading Psalm 104 and I was confronted with the true majesty, power and sovereignty of God. I was reacquainted with the fact that everything I see is sustained by God and for God.

27 All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When you give it to them,they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are terrified;when you take away their breath,they die and return to the dust.30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works— 32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,who touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.

As I mediated on these verses this morning I was convicted by the fact that I fail a lot of times in recognizing the manifestation of God's glory and power around me. Whether it is in a sunrise, a sunset, a conversation, my interaction with my beautiful wife or amazing kids or evidence of life change in those I minister to, I miss a lot of what God is doing. There are countless reasons for my ignorance or inability to recognize God's beauty and activity, but none of them are justified before a Holy God and I was powerfully reminded about that today. My honest prayer this morning was "God let me rejoice in you and let me not squander the opportunities that you present before me to delight in your beauty and participate in your activity!" If you get a chance read and meditate over Psalm 104, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I pray that you also will desire not to miss the beauty of our amazing God at work all around us. Maximize the day and ask God to set your feet in the cleft so that you will have a front row seat to the display of His glory-what's better than that? Just a rambling from someone on the journey. God Bless You!

Big Weekend

2009-04-09T22:32:00.003-04:00

Alright attention all Summit Church attenders, this weekend is a huge weekend for our church. It is a great opportunity for us to partner with God in reaching our community. According to a recent study done by George Barna 83% of people will say yes to an invitation to church when invited by a friend, co-worker or family member. I like those odds...We are praying for God to move mightily in our services this weekend.

Everything gets kicked off tomorrow with our Good Friday Services at 6pm and 7:30pm. There will be programming for pre-schoolers birth to 5yrs old at the 6pm service only. Our Good Friday Service is an extremely reflective and experential service. It is the perfect environment to truly relfect on the magnitude of Christ sacrifice for us. You will not want to miss this service. I guarantee you will leave blessed. Then we will have 5 Easter services. Two on Saturday night at 5pm and 6:30pm. We will have free Chik-Fil-A following each of the Saturday Night Services. Sunday we will have services at 8:30, 10 and 11:30am. We will have an Easter egg hunt for kids after every service. So let me challenge you to invite a friend or two and join us in praying for a powerful and life changing weekend. It is going to be awesome!!!

How's Your "I"?

2009-04-09T08:58:00.003-04:00

Over the last several weeks God has been wrecking me with His Truth and it has been so liberating, humbling and encouraging. One of the things that God has been revealing to me in this season is the detrimental destructive power of the word "I" in my walk with Him, in my relationships, and in ministry. One letter, that forms one word can truly hinder and destroy all that God desires to do in and through your life and mine. Let me explain what I mean by that.

The word "I" in so many different ways and forms can put me in the center of everything. The word "I" can easily fool me into believing that some how I am the most important thing on God's mind. The word "I" can mislead me into thinking that somehow I am more important than others and that somehow "I" have become the center of God's universe! Now I know as you read those statements you must be thinking that is a little much. That is not what happens, that is not what "I" or others believe when we are, well for a lack of better phrase, "in love with myself."

Now I am not saying that we can never use the word I, that would be ridiculous. What God has illuminated and convicted me of, is the danger of failing to recognize who I am in light of Christ and what God has called me to be and reflect.

Let me give you some food for thought here...when I am consumed with "I", I will always struggle to live out the biblical mandate of Phil. 2 which commands me to look out for the interest of others. Whenever I am locked in on "I", I will always struggle with Jesus challenge in John 13 when after He washed the disciples feet He said "go and do likewise." As a husband if I become blinded by the distortion of "I", then you better believe that I will also struggle to be the spiritual leader that Ephesians 5 commands me to be to my wife. If my heart becomes clouded and darken by the trappings of "I", then you can bet that I will never be the friend that God desires me to be to those in my circle of influence. You see whatever way you slice it, "I" can be a slippery and dangerous slope to self-destruction. I mean the Bible is pretty clear that "pride goes before destruction."

Being in ministry can be a double whammy...and as a pastor a constant chant should be no whammy, no whammy, no whammy, right, you maybe too young to remember that game show. Ministry puts a person in the lime light and in ministry you can easily become attracted to the praise of men, just being honest-it happens to the best of us. The danger is that the more you listen to the "press" of people's delusion of how great they think you are, you just may start believing it and once that happens, watch out. The next steps that follow are statements and beliefs like this ook at what "I" have done", that was an awesome sermon "I" preached, "I" built this church from nothing, "I" saved this number of people and so on and so on it goes. Now most pastors are good communicators so it may not be as blatant as I just described but if you listen close enough, it's there.

These are the some of the things that God has been convicting me and stripping me of. In short I am hearing God's small still voice shouting hey buddy "get rid of the "I" and remember who you are in light of who I AM. It has been a wonderful ride and I pray that God would keep His mighty hand on my heart and continue to purge my soul of this little destructive word "I".

Here are the "I"'s that God has been reacquainting me with...they are powerful. I encourage you to try them...

"I have sinned." 1 John 1:9

"I can do nothing apart from you, God." John 15:5

"I need you, God." Psalm 73:25-28

"I am wrecked!" Isaiah 6

"I am just a voice." John the Baptist John 1:23

"I press on towards Christ." Phil. 3:7-14

May our prayer echoes John the Baptist, may "I" decrease so that the Lord could increase in and through my life.

Doers of the Word...

2009-04-08T09:51:00.007-04:00

It has been a crazy two weeks. My computer crashed while I was in Peru so I basically have been working off of my Blackberry. So needless to say I am pretty behind in keeping off with my blog. So here is my attempt to capture some of the cool God-events from the last few days.

This weekend absolutely rocked!!! Through the servants of Summit Church we were able to moilize the largest group of volunteers Habitat for Humanity Lee County has ever had. We had over 150 of our people serve this past Saturday to put the walls and trusses up on four houses in a low income area of LaBelle. It was absolutely awesome! I was so proud of our people. They never cease to amaze me.

This past weekend we also continued our series through the book of James entitled "Mixed Up, Messed Up, 'Fess Up". It was a really great weekend, for no other reason then God's Spirit was at work. On Saturday night, right before we were going to close the service down I felt God telling me to present the body with an opportunity to be doers of the Word, which is what we talked about. I have got to be completely honest I was as hesitant as all get out, but one of things God convicted me of while I was in Peru was being a man of complete obedience. When God speaks I want to act and when God tells me to say something I want to say it. So anyway before the close of the service I told our people that I had been contacted by the Fort Myers Soup Kitchen and that they were need of men's tennis shoes and bug repellent. So I asked our body this question, "what would it look like if we the body went to Target and bought a pair of shoes or a can of bug repellent?"

The response absolutely floored me. I will tell you in a moment the totals, but here is the cool part. As soon as I walked down of the stage a lady came up to me and said you won't believe this but on my way to church I felt the Lord leading me to stop and buy a pair of men's tennis shoes and bring them to church...YUP! That's exactly what I thought, NO WAY! She handed me the box of shoes and every hair on my arm was sticking straight up. God is so good! Through the generosity and obedience of the people at Summit and God's amazing grace we collected 300 pairs of shoes, close to 200 cans of bug repellent, globs of toothpaste, tooth brushes and soap. It was so amazing, and thanks to the kindness of some friends we were able to sort it all on Monday night and thanks to some good buddies of mine it is all being delivered today. Every pair of sneaker was stuffed with a new testament bible, track or personal encouraging note from one of the great people at Summit!

"Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says...Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look out for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:22 & 27

Just A Rambling

2009-04-02T10:08:00.004-04:00

I am still processing all of my thoughts from our trip to Peru and I still have not downloaded my pictures from our trip, so I am not quite ready to share about my experience and our time. So instead I thought I would drop the Truth that God revealed to me this morning from Psalm 119:33-35

33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

Currently we are engaged in our new series studying through the Book of James entitled "Mixed Up, Messed Up, 'Fess Up". I love this book. Scholars say that the book of James is probably one of the least theological books in the entire New Testament. It's not that James was not interested in theology, but he was much more interested in the practice of our faith over the profession of it. This week I have been hammered to the core as I have been studying the remaining verses from chapter one that I have to teach on this weekend. James talks about that we need to make sure that we are not just hearers of the Word but doers!

So the questions that continued to rise up in my heart and mind were, is God's Word truly being seen through my life? Is the Word of God so implanted in me as James states that it is truly making a change from the inside out? Then I read this passage this morning and what God illuminated for me, was this, I need to be very careful not to read God's Word to finish, or even read it as a form of study, but to truly read it because it is my delight. Read the Word, come to the Word, study the Word because as I do my heart is filled, my life is strenghten and my joy is found.

I think a lot of times as Christians we do our devotionals as though it was a rote thing, or something to check off our to do list. And the danger in that is that we miss the wonder and the awe of coming before God and we may even lull ourselves into not expecting God to reveal His glory to us. The Word of God is active, alive, sharper than any two edged swords, and so much more and with that it should be our greatest need, our greatest treasure and our greatest delight. Good reading to you today...God Bless You!

Peru Trip

2009-03-27T08:31:00.004-04:00

I am currently sitting in the Lima airport waiting until our next flight into Iquitos, Peru to depart. Since I have three hours I figured I would throw up a quick post. I have had the privilege of going on several mission trips. I am so grateful for Summit's commitment to bring the Gospel to every man, woman and child and because of that I have been able to be in some great places to see God's activity up close. For the last ten or so months I have been specifically praying that God would give me a specific area of the world that me and my family could adopt. An area of the world that my wife, my kids and I could pray for, invest in and visit.
Most of the partnerships that Summit is currently involved in are literally half way around the world. I wanted something close, that I personally could visit more than just once a year, an area of the world that my kids who are two and three could visit with us within the next year. This has been something that has been extremely heavy on my heart. Two years ago I went on a mission trip to Boma, which is a village deep in the woods of Dominican Republic. The poverty that we saw and experienced was almost unbelievable. We slept on the floor, went to the bathroom outside, bathed in a river, drew our water from a well that missionaries had dug years before our visit to that area. We were literally dropped off and had to hike 2miles with our backpacks into this remote village. It was an incredible experience. At the end of the week, the town mayor, the man of peace, addressed our team and said this..."this experience for you has been like going to the moon, but let me remind you that the world you live in is not the world, this is the world. The majority of the world lives like this. We ask not for your pitty, but for your commitment to not forget this fact, fight to remind those in your circle of influence of this fact that you have just experienced." I am telling you that I have never forgotten that man's words.

Those words have stuck with me and have affected me to the point that not only do I not want to forget them, but I want my kids at a very early age to understand the plight of the world and the personal and global need for the Gospel. So this trip to Peru is huge for me. I have been praying that God would show me if this is the place that He would have us give our lives to. I have been so focused on this that I asked my wife, Pam, to accompany me on this trip. Which by the way is no easy thing. My wife hates to fly and absolutely loves being a mom, so leaving our two precious kids and facing her fear is a huge ask. Yet, she was willing...I am so blessed for a godly wife. I wanted Pam here because I really want God to speak to her as way. I would love for God to speak to us and for God to show us His will. I know this a pretty long rambling, but if Pam and I come to your mind over the next couple of days, we would covet your prayers and please pray for our two little ones Max and Emily. I thank you in advance. God Bless You.

By Faith...

2009-03-24T13:41:00.003-04:00

This morning I spent time reading and reflecting in Hebrews 11. Many have labeled this chapter of Scripture as the "Hall of Fame of Faith" because it list some of the men and women that God used mightily in the Old Testament. Before each of the individuals names are the words "by faith". Everything that these individuals were able to accomplish done because of their faith. It wasn't "their" ability, their knowledge, their plans, it all centered and stemmed from their faith in God! Their faith in who God was, is and what God had told them to do propelled their life into action, that in some regards transformed the landscape of human history. May your faith in God lead you to become fully engaged in God's activity. I will leave you with the a few of the last verses found in Hebrews Chapter 11. May God jolt your heart with these words like He did mine. Just another rambling. God Bless You.

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Weekend in Review...

2009-03-23T10:40:00.005-04:00

I had a busy but extremely fruitful weekend. On Saturday night, I had the privilege of marrying one of my son's teachers. It was a great honor to perform their ceremony. My wife and I appreciated the time we got to enjoy during our pre-marital counseling sessions with them. We have been asking God to give us opportunities to share our faith and lives with these teachers who have given so much to us and have done so much for our son, Max. Saturday night was a great opportunity and on top of it my wife and I enjoyed ourselves at the reception...

This weekend we also started our new series entitled "Mixed Up, Messed Up, 'Fess Up". We will be going through the Book of James and looking at what it means to live as a citizen of the Kingdom. Jamin was kind enough to fill in for me on Saturday night and from all reports did an excellent job as always. Sunday I had the privilege to share God's Word. God was faithful and the Spirit was truly working in the hearts of people, I know He was working in mine.

Later that afternoon, my wonderful wife and I took the kids to Disney Playhouse live. Our kids loved it. It is always a joy to see my kids smile and laugh. I loved watching them call out to Mickey and Goofy and wave to them. It was awesome. The best part is that they actually made it through the entire show...what a God thing. It truly was a great weekend.

Hope you enjoyed yours... Make it a great week. God Bless You.

Quick Re-cap of the Weekend

2009-03-16T10:54:00.003-04:00

Here's a quick run down of the weekend. Mission Uganda at our Naples Campus went extremely well this weekend. We got 83 of the 100 children sponsored for the Home of Champions orphanage in Nabukala. We are confident that we will get the remaining kids sponsored hopefully by the end of this week. If you are a part of Summit and would like to get in on what God is doing to bring relief, education and hope to the kids in need in Uganda, please drop Jamin an email at jamin@summitlife.com. The Bible says that true religion is taking care of widows and orphans. I am so proud of our people for desiring to be a part of God's amazing love and grace.

The Legacy Church preview weekend also went extremely well. I think there was a general excitement about what God is leading us to do. The reports I received yesterday and today were all extremely positive. I think our people got a fuller picture of why we need to continue to plant churches even within our own circle of accountability. Hopefully this weekend will be a good momentum boost for Legacy Church as we continue to build a launch team and look forward to our official launch later this year.

Lastly, the duathlon was a lot of fun. I appreciated Jay pushing me to do it. We essentially did everything wrong leading up to this event. We spent the two days prior to the race at amusement parks in the hot sun and essentially ate anything and everything but nutritional stuff. All that being said, I wouldn't of changed a thing and I know Jay feels the same way. The time with our wives and kids was priceless. We truly had a blast and some how God gave us the strength to finish the race. Jay finished third in his age group for the triathlon and I finished first for my age group for the duathlon. It was an all-around great weekend. God is good!

Huge Weekend For Summit

2009-03-13T20:20:00.004-04:00

This weekend is going to be a pivotal weekend for both of our campuses. At our University Campus all of our services will be led by the team that will be giving leadership to our newest church start Legacy. Nolen Rollins who is one of the guys on our Leadership Team will be leading this effort. Within a five mile radius of our University Campus there are over 46,000 people and we are committed to our mission of "glorifying God by presenting the Gospel to every man, woman and child" and giving them the repeated opportunity to see, hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ. We know that one church is not going to be able to accomplish that mission, that is why we strive to partner with the existing churches in our area as well as start new churches. Legacy Church will have the same mission, vision and values as Summit but they will be strategic in targeting a different demographic within our Circle of Accountability. Our hope is to officially launch this church this fall. Thus far we have over fifty people committed to this new work. We pray that as a result of this weekend more people will catch a vision and heart for what God is calling us to do. Please lift this weekend and this new work up in prayer.

I am also excited about what is going to be taking place at our Naples Campus this weekend. This Sunday is Mission Uganda weekend. A few months ago our Naples Team Leader Jamin Stinziano took a mission trip to Uganda and was absolutely broken over what he saw. As a result of God's leading, Jamin and Jay Richardson, another key Leadership Team member who gives primary leadership at the Naples Campus, felt like God was calling us to respond. So this weekend we will be challenging our people to adopt an orphanage in Nabukalu, Africa. The orphanage is called "Home of Champions” which I believe is so providential because if you saw the faces of these kids you would quickly realize that they truly have all the potential to be just that. The statistics of children without parents, without food, clothing, decent shelter and hope is staggering. This weekend we get the opportunity to partner with God in striving to be a part of the solution and an extension of His grace. The orphanage currently houses 100 children through shelter, food, education, and discipleship. Another great thing about this orphanage is that it has a strong partnership with a church in Kampala who are fighting hard to bring the hope of the Gospel to that impoverished area. This weekend our people will be challenged to hear from God and consider adopting a child from this orphanage for just $34 a month. I believe whole heartedly that we will get these children sponsored. If you by chance would like more information about the "House of Champions" check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwdSxzdXR88 or drop Jamin an email at jamin@summitlife.com.

Awesome Group Last Night

2009-03-12T11:50:00.002-04:00

My wife and I are leading a small group on Wednesday nights for married couples at our home. We have enjoyed every group that we have had the pleasure to lead and have always felt we got more out of it than what we put in. We still have strong connections to people we have done life with through the different groups we have been a part of. This current group has been a breath of fresh air for Pam and I. This group enjoys living below the surface. There are no pet "Jesus" answers. People have been real and authentic with one another and we all have been encouraged through our times together. It has been amazing to see God's activity in the lives of each of the couples that make up this group. I am excited to see what God continues to do through each of our marriages as we strive to live out our Biblical roles, keep Christ as the center and challenge one another on this journey. God is good. Hey if you follow these ramblings, let me challenge you to get connected into a small group. Not only will you be blessed but hopefully your life and authenticity will bless other as well. God Bless!

Chik-Fil-A is now open!!!

2009-03-05T16:05:00.003-05:00

This morning my family and I went to Chik-Fil-A for breakfast. Today was the grand opening for the new Chik-Fil-A on US 41 just south of Corkscrew. It was a great time. My son fell in love with the Chik-Fil-A cow. My daughter, Emily, wanted nothing to do with that joker. She went into death grip mode every time he came around. Of course as daddy, I loved it because I know a day will soon come when it is no longer cool to hug daddy.

The owner has been attending Summit and is a great guy who loves the Lord. It is extremely encouraging to see God's people incarnating the Gospel in their every day lives. The owner of this establishment truly wants nothing more than to use his business in a way that furthers the Kingdom. I love that. I pray that God would truly give him deep access into the community and favor with people. If you get a chance stop by, enjoy a good meal and let Frank know that you are praying for his business. God Bless You!

Love Your Enemies...

2009-03-02T09:39:00.003-05:00

This weekend we continued our series entitled "Engage". Throughout this series we have been looking at the four core values of Summit Church: God, Truth, Love, Mission. We believe that values should be central to the heart and life of every follower of Jesus Christ. Last week we look at God's love for us. The aim last week was that for us to understand the depth of God's full engagement of love, we must understand the depth of our depravity. There was and continues to be no reason for God to love us. Apart from Christ the Bible describes us as sinners, ungodly, the enemies of God and objects of His wrath. But the amazing thing is the Bible also states that "God demonstrated His love towards us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." That is incredible and joyful news to those who have placed their faith in Christ. This weekend we looked at the fact that if God loved us, His enemies than we must strive to do the same. We looked at Luke chapter 6 where Jesus commands us, His followers, to love our enemies and do good to them.

It was a convicting and challenging passage for me. This morning in my quiet time I came across this passage in Romans chapter 12 and it convicted me even further. I love how The Message reads...

14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. 17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." 20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

May God give you the grace and strength to love your enemy today, Jesus said in Luke 6:35 that if we love our enemies the world will know we are children of the Most High. Don't minimize the fact that as we strive to love like Christ there is a redemptive power in that love. Let Christ love for you and in you be unleashed even on your enemies. Have a great week. God Bless!

Great Weekend

2009-02-23T09:04:00.002-05:00

We had a great weekend of ministry at Summit. Yesterday, we had our highest attendance of the year for our Naples Campus, which is just awesome. God is really doing some great things there and the people are truly beginning to take ownership of the ministry. I can not wait to see what God does on and through that campus in the coming months. We also had our first ever Starting Point class at the Naples Campus last night and the early reports are that it went really well. We will host the same class tonight for our University Campus at our facility on Ben Hill Griffin at 6:30pm.

The three services at the University Campus went extremely well. We had two individuals trust Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and one person recommit their lives to Christ. It was awesome to see the activity of the Holy Spirit. This weekend on both campuses we took time out in the services to allow our people to fill out a spiritual assessment. We have been working hard the last few months to solidify our spiritual formation process and we are excited about the structure and plan that the Lord has led us to.

The assessment was broken into five categories that coincide with our five outcomes: intimacy with God, qualitative distinctiveness, grace story, spiritual giftedness and stewardship of life. The outcomes flow out of our four core values: God, Truth, Love, Mission. We are actually in the tail end of a series entitled "Engage" where we have been walking through our core values. This assessment will be a useful tool for us to discern where are people are in the spiritual journey, and from that determine what are the next steps we need to take to help them go to the next level in their walk with Christ. The assessment was received extremely well and I look forward to getting the results. If you attend Summit and you missed the services this weekend we will be giving people another opportunity this weekend to complete the assessment, so I encourage to do so.

Leadership Lessons

2009-02-18T10:18:00.003-05:00

I don't consider myself some master leader or some leadership guru, but I can tell you that I am committed to becoming the most effective leader I can be for the glory of God. I have always heard that leaders are learners, so I have always tried to strive to learn more about what it means to be a leader and how to effectively lead people on to God’s agenda. I have read several books on the topic of Leadership, some of the books were excellent and some, to put nicely were CRAP. But without sounding too “churchy” the best place I have discovered leadership principles from have come from the Word of God. This morning was no exception. I was reading in Deuteronomy chapter 20, and in this chapter God out lines for His people the guidelines for going to war. In verses 2-4 it states the priest would stand before the army and give them a word of encouragement. In these verses I found the first of two principles that God revealed to me about strong leadership and it was this...

Strong Leaders Speak Vision and Courage into The Hearts of others...
This is what the priest would say..."Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
I love this! The priest speaks to the very core of the heart of the men in this army. He challenges them to not be afraid. He doesn't rebuke them for being afraid or invalidate their feelings of fear, he simply directs their attention to the One who is greater, stronger and more powerful than their fears. You see great leaders will have the right words to move people forward, to inspire people to do more than what they ever imagined could be possible. Great leaders will have the right words because their words will reflect God's Truth, God's nature, God's power, God's love and God's promises. How can a leader find these words? They only come through intimacy with God. Now surely we can give fluff to people, "you can do it", "I believe in you", there's nothing wrong with that, but great leaders speak words that have true power because they are God's Words and God's Words are void of fluff!

Here's the second thing I discovered this morning from verse 8 and it is this...

My demonstration of faith or lack of will have a huge impact on those around me...

After the priest speaks it is now time for the officer of God's army to speak and he releases certain men from the battle. Men who have just gotten married, men who have just built a home or had a child etc. He says to them go home and enjoy those things because you just might die in battle. Then in verse 8 the officer says this..."Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that the others will not become disheartened too." Beyond my words my countenance, my faith, my own personal outlook and disposition will speak loudly to those around me. As leaders we need to be aware that our lack of faith will have a detrimental impact on those around us. Does your life SPEAK to the fact that you believe that with God all things are possible? Or does your life look more like a wave that is tossed to and fro at the first sign of wind?

Leadership is not reserved for business leaders, or business owners or even pastors. In some ways all of us are leaders. All of us have been given great opportunities to influence the lives of others for the cause of Christ. My prayer is that we will maximize our God-given influence to the fullest. Just another rambling. God Bless!

Time To Leave

2009-02-16T09:51:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this article entitled "Time to Leave." I just loved it. This article resonates with me so much. A huge focus of our ministry at Summit, is that people discover the fact that we are to be the living sent, incarnation of the Gospel. We are called to be the church. The power of our weekend gatherings is really in our dispersing and living out the message in our work places, neighborhoods, communities, etc. We don't want Summit to ever become a place for consumers, but for apostles...enjoy the article and have a great week. God Bless!

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 1 Peter 1:1

Apostle – God is a verb. He is all action. Even His Name, blessed be He, is a form of the verb “to be”. He is the great I AM, who was and is and will be. Would you expect those who display His Spirit to be any less than verbs? We are not nouns. Nouns are nice little boxes, neatly sorted and contained. But verbs are like a three-year-old in a candy store. Verbs go wild. They won’t be constrained. They do things.

When Peter says that he is an apostle, he doesn’t mean that he has a title over his office door. He doesn’t mean that he gets a special parking place or a designated chair on the podium. He means that he has been sent away. The Greek word apostolos might be a noun but it is based in an action. To be an apostle is to be sent out. No one can be an apostle sitting at home. You have to go out and do something to qualify for this job!

In that sense, there are many apostles in the world today. God is always sending someone to do His work. They don’t hold that position because they are elevated to some ecclesiastical role. They hold that position because they are responding to God’s call. In fact, you will likely find most apostles in the same places that you would look for Jesus – the homeless centers, the hospitals, the legal aid offices and the gutters. You can’t be an apostle to your own congregation, can you? You have to be sent away.

One of the tragedies of the church is the tendency to collect people rather than shipping them out the door. The church today is like a dam on a river. It’s interested in how much water it can collect behind its doors. Churches compete on the size of the pond. But none of that water is any good at all until it is released – until it is sent out from the dam. That’s when God gets moving. The nice big still lake behind the dam isn’t much of a verb. You have to open the spillway and let it rip before you see any power generated.

Peter knew this. He knew that the church grew, not because it collected, but because it distributed. The fastest growth in church history occurred when every little collection of water opened the gates and flooded the land. No one tried to get big. They just tried to get sent. I often wonder what impact we would have if we met on Sunday morning to get our walking papers. “This Sunday we will go out. Here, you go to the shelter. You go to the hospital. You go to the golf course. You go to the game. We are sending you out to embrace those who are lost in the culture. Be apostles today. Go away!”

Of course, Peter reminds us that we are sent out by Yeshua Messiah. He was also sent. I guess the pattern must be repeated if we are His apostles. One verb begets another verb. Verbs don’t have nouns for offspring.

Today, go away! Be a verb. Be sent by Yeshua. Go do something that reflects Him.

List-o-mania

2009-02-03T15:44:00.007-05:00

It's list-o-mania time...come on you know you love it. I thought I would list the things that I am truly loving in this season. These are in no particular order...

My Wife...the Boss Lady---she is just incredible. She is an
amazing mom, a wonderful wife and a true friend. I love watching my wife with our kids, it is such a powerful picture of her genuine love for me. She truly is a precious gift.

My Son, Max---I am amazed everyday at how God's grace is at work in and thru his life. A year ago my son because of his autism lived in almost a cloud, today he is the life of the party. He is talking, engaging, laughing. I feel so humbled to be his dad.

My daughter, Emily...the Queen Bee---she is just a trip. I can not believe that God could pack such sas in such a little body. I love her strong personality and her fearless spirit. I can't help but to wonder what God is going to do with her life. I love that she always wants me to rock her to sleep. I wish I could just freeze frame those moments.

LA Fitness...I would have never thought that working out at 5:30am could be so much fun. The reality is that it is not, but I am grateful for the circle of friends that I get to share life with at the gym.

Seeing the activity of God in the lives of others---in this season God has given me front row seats to see His transforming power in the lives of men. It has been a blast meeting with men who are holding fast to Christ and are pursuing Him with wreckless abandon. This just pumps me up!

God's Word---I am truly enjoying my quiet time with the Lord. God has been revealing so much over these last few weeks. It has been painful at times as He reveals areas of my life that need to change, but it has been overwhelmingly refreshing.

Love Dare---if you're married. Do yourself and your marriage a favor, GO GET THIS BOOK NOW! Seriously, you shouldn't even be reading this sentence, stop it. You should be looking for your keys and heading to the book store. My wife and I are truly enjoying this Love Dare challenge.

You made me; you created me.Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,for I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:73

"Lessons While Running---actually Falling"

2009-02-02T10:34:00.004-05:00

My buddy, Todd, and I took our normal 7 mile Sunday run yesterday and it was great to have our friend Sam join us. It was 39 degrees so it was definitely not my favorite conditions to be running. Something happened yesterday on that run that got me thinking. We usually run to a designated 3.5 mile spot and head back home. We made it to the turn around point and we were making great time, when all of a sudden I tripped on the side walk and went down. When I say I went down, I mean I actually tumbled over. I tried desperately to keep my balance, to stay on my feet but it was no use, I was going to go down. Now remember there are two other guys there watching me. I jumped up quickly as though that would minimize the embarrassment of what had just happened to me. Then the questions came "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt? Do you want to just walk for a bit?" And right then something happened that God would use later to teach me something. You see here I am with my friends, guys who care about me, guys I know and what do I do? I lie, and I allow my pride to get the best of me and say "I'm alright!!!" The truth was that I was hurting and it would of been nice to walk for a while. Now here is the worst part. I played it off so well that my buddies, begin to say "good thing you have all those years of gymnastics under your belt because you rolled really nicely." Are you kidding me I am thinking, the roll was totally an accident. I was just hoping that I would not break my neck. That is truly what I was thinking, but what I said was "yeah."

Now before you go on judging me for being a liar, let me tell you what God showed me. God pierced my heart later on that day with this thought...Orlando you talk a lot about the importance of community and the importance of doing life with others, but it is one thing to talk about it and another to actually experience it. You see its great to have running mates, its great to have people come along side of you and push you, but the true character and heart of transparency comes when you fall and your willing to tell others that you are hurt and that you do need help. I am telling you it was a powerful lesson. You see we will never experience true community if we allow our pride to get in the way, if we allow our ego, or our fears to get in the way of our need to be honest when we are hurting. The reality is that we only do further harm to ourselves when we fail to be honest about our hurts. Now you can easily say well when I fall aren't I suppose to jump right back up and shake off the dust and keep trucking? Absolutely, but we have to be willing to admit and become vulnerable in the moments when we can't. God did not call us to live in isolation, but in dependence upon Him and in interdependence with others. So how quick are you to allow others to know you are hurting when you trip or when you fall? Do you have anyone right now in your life that you are running with who would even ask you the question? Just another rambling. Have a great week.

Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecc. 4:9-10

Is it of God?

2009-01-29T10:03:00.004-05:00

Things at Summit continue to roll. I continue to be overwhelmed and left in awe of God's movement and manifestation of power in and through our ministry. Right now in this season we have a lot going on. We are in the process of launching a new church, revamping our college ministry, finalizing what we believe is God's plan for us in regards to spiritual formation, and the list goes on, these are just some of the things we are currently working on. I love the agressive nature and position of the Leadership and Staff of our church. We always sit ready to respond to God's activity and invitation.

I was continuing my reading through the book of Acts today and a verse jumped out at me. Peter and John even after being thrown in jail and released by an angel continue to preach the Gospel which just enrages the religious leaders. These religious leaders begin to plot on what to do with these guys when a Pharisee named Gamaliel steps up and saysverse 39) Leave these men alone! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

This for me reemphasized the importance of not trying to run ahead of God, not putting plans together and then asking God to bless it as though He was an after thought. The most important thing for us and what I mean by us is not just pastors, but all followers of Christ is to make certain that what we are doing and are about to engage in is in direct response to God's invitation and leading. Because if it is not it is doomed to fail and on the bright side if it is nothing can thwart it. So how about it, is your activity or the purposes you are currently pursuing of human origin? I pray that they are not. Just another rambling. God Bless You.

Being with Jesus

2009-01-28T09:20:00.004-05:00

I was reading through Acts 4 and I was caught by a familiar verse that I am sure many have read and it is found in verse 13. Acts chapter four is the story of Peter and John who have been brought before the Sanhedrin because of the commotion they caused just outside the Temple gates by healing a lame man who was sitting by the gate begging for money. Peter in chapter 3 turns to this man and says" sliver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Incredible, unbelievable moment, this man the Bible states gets up and walks. Now you can just imagine the scene...many people knew this guy, they passed day after day week after week. And here he is now, the Bible states walking and jumping around. People were absolutely tongue to the ground astonished. Not everyone was happy about this joyous event. You see Peter and John used this divine moment to proclaim the Gospel and the religious leaders of the day were having none of that. So Peter and John are brought before this council and interrogated.

Now I love this, instead of shrinking back and becoming sheepish, Peter and John continue to remain bold. And in verse 13 the Bible states >"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Now as we pastor types like to say...that'll preach.
These religious leaders, these anti-christian, anti-gospel, ancient day thugs, the Bible states were ASTONISHED. Astonished at what? It wasn't their schooling, their articulation, it wasn't even the miracle. It was their COURAGE and it was the fact that their lives looked different. They weren't lives just professing Christ, but lives that had actually been with Him and had been transformed by Him.

I read that verse and meditated on it for awhile this morning. And a couple of questions quickly came to my mind:

#1. Does my life relect the fact that I have been with Jesus?

#2. Do I show courage/faith that reflects that I truly believe that Christ is bigger than any crisis I face?

#3. In this season is pursuing intimacy with Christ my highest priority?

For the sake of time I will spare you the answers, but I would challenge you to read verse 13 again and reflect on these questions for yourself. A longer rambling than ususal, but I pray it will stir your heart and mind. God Bless You.

WE did it!!!

2009-01-27T07:34:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that WE did it! On Sunday I completed my first marathon. I met my goal and finished just under five hours. It was a beautiful and extremely emotional day. Crossing the finish line yesterday and seeing my wife, Pam, cheering and thinking about what all this was for was to much to keep inside. It was a moment I will soon not forget.

I wanted to thank the many of you who were a part of my team. Your donation meant more to me than you could ever know. Thanks to your donation, I managed to raise $1,562.00 for Organization for Autism Research.

But, above your financial support in this endeavor I could never thank you enough for your prayers for my son, Max. You are greatly appreciated. God Bless You!

Grateful Beyond Words,

Orlando Cabrera

"Running For Max and the Many Others Like Him"

2009-01-20T14:09:00.002-05:00

Today my family and I head to Miami. Sunday is the Miami Marathon that I will be participating in. There are over 15,000 people registered for this race. It's the largest marathon to date ever held in Miami. It should be quite crazy. I am thrilled that my friends Todd and Jonathan will be running with me. I am running in honor of my son, Max, who lives and continues to strive through his diagnosis of autism. God has taught me so much and continues to show me so much through my son's life. I will be running for Max and for the Organization for Autism Research. I am very close to my fundraising goal. If you would like to be a part of the team please visit my fundraising site at http://www.firstgiving.com/orlandocabrera. It should be a challenging day, but I am looking forward to it. I would covet your prayers.

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

I pray that this verse will bring you comfort and encouragement today as it did to me.

Experiencing God

2009-01-15T09:56:00.002-05:00

This week as a staff we committed to go through Henry Blackaby's study "Experiencing God". For the next twelve weeks as a team we are committing to invest the time to this study and discuss as a staff in our regularly scheduled staff meetings. I am pretty pumped to go through this study. The last time I went through this study was seven years ago and shortly after it, I knew God was leading my wife and I to leave Miami and move to SWFL. I find myself in this stage of my life and ministry in a similar state as I was seven years ago. Don't get me wrong, I love what I am doing and I love where I get to do it, but there is a little restlessness in my spirit and I am hoping that through this study God will reveal to me what He has for my wife and I in the near future.

As much unrest I may sense at times I was so glad to get the word I did today from the study and it was this..."My primary concern should not be, what should I do with my life tomorrow? but, What does God want me to do today? As you follow Jesus one day at a time, He will keep you in the center of God's will."

Reading that today was like finding my keys after one of toddlers had hid them and could not tell me where they threw them. It was complete relief and joy. It was a powerful reminder to me that though there maybe some unrest because I so desperately want to know the step by step plan and full picture of what God is going to do with me, the key is to trust Him and follow Him today. Now of course I knew this, but for some reason I had forgotten it, or neglected it. God in many ways is more likely to call us to follow Him daily than He is to give us the detailed plan before we begin to obey. The challenge for me is to follow today and believe that as I do that God will lead me to the center of His will. Sounds simple enough...right, but as you know the key is to put it into practice, to live it out.

So if you find yourself today, in a place where you are desperate to discover God's full plan for your life, don't allow your heart to grow so frustrated that you forget that God has called you to follow Him today and today's obedience will lead you closer to what He has for you. Just another rambling...God Bless!

Snap Shot

2009-01-13T20:26:00.004-05:00

Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words...I am feel so blessed to be dad to two amazing kids. God is so good and I pray that He would continue to give me wisdom and strength to steward my kids, these precious gifts well. If you keep up with these ramblings then you probably have read about "snap shot" moments, moments that you just know you want to capture in your heart and mind because you don't want to forget them and because you know that when you think of this moment it will always in some way warm your heart. This picture is one of those moments. Yeserday, my daughter received a package from her birth father and as you can see from the picture she loved the gift. The Elmo doll is almost as tall as she is...As she embraced Elmo, I could not help but to think and hope that she would also embrace her adoption as God's story. I know that God has great things in store for her life and I pray that she would pursue Him as her greatest need and greatest treasure.

Happy New Year

2009-01-05T09:58:00.004-05:00

I am currently reading through the book of Genesis. And right now I am reading about the life of Abram as he was known before God changed his name to Abraham. He has always been one of my favorite old testament characters. I have always found his faith and trust in God to be inspiring. This morning I was reading in Genesis 12where God comes to Abram and says "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Crazy stuff right off the bat. Abram's entire life was grounded and centered in his home land of Ur of the Chaldeans. Yet in a moment his entire world is flipped upside down. He has to make a decision to let go of all that he had found his security in and follow God. Now there was a great promise given to Abram from God...
"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the people on earth will be blessed through you."
Now I would say that is a huge promise given to him by God. But the fact still remains it required some things of Abram. I believe that God is going to do some amazing things this year in the life of our church, in the lives of our people and in me and my family as well. But as I read and meditated on this passage this morning the Lord showed me some principles that I need to keep in mind if I truly want to see God's plans for my life come to fruition.

#1. Faith must be put into action...Abram had to obviously step out in faith. He had to be willing to let go of the things he found security in and place his life in God's hand. Remember God said I want you to leave your country, your friends, your home, everything. Basically God was looking for full surrender. We see in verse 4 that it states that "Abram went, as the Lord had told him;" I love that. No delay, just immediate obedience. When God speaks there must be a response from us. God doesn't reveal His heart and will for our entertainment, but for our benefit, obedience and His glory. If we are going to get to the place God has called us to or achieve the things He has placed on our hearts, its going to have to start with faith that leads to movement. We must be willing to live a "no safety net life", a life that rest in the fact that He who has called me is faithful to see me all the way through to the other side.

#2. The journey and the vision that God calls us to is one of worship...I think we sometimes confuse worship with just being the songs we sing in church. That is only a small piece of worship. Worship is my entire life lived in response to God. Worship is giving God the honor He is due. Worship is recognizing that there is a force much greater than me that is worthy of my life, devotion, gratitude and attention. Throughout this journey that Abram is on you will read this statement "So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord."Abram never allowed the vision to overshadow the One who had given him the vision. Abram remembered that as great as the promise was, the One who had made the promise was and is much greater. Sometimes we can become so fixed on God's plan that we fail to acknowledge God and worship God through the journey. If we are not careful the very promise and plans of God can become the idols that keep us from Him. It is important that we recognize that God is and will forever be our greatest need, our greatest joy and our greatest delight so therefore we must make sure that daily God remains our greatest pursuit.

#3. The plans that God has for us stretch a lot further than us...In God's promise to Abram He states "and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." What God wants to do in us and through us stretches much further than we can imagine. Our faith today and our undivided worship of God can be blazing a trail for generations to come. I know that may sound crazy, but just imagine this for a second. My faith and life of worship today will have an impact on my wife, my children and my friends. My obedience to God's call and His Truth will affect the lives of those I am intimate with. Leaving a legacy of faith is just as important if not more important than leaving a will. Don't minimize the fact that what you are doing today in the realm of obeying and worshipping God will echo loudly long after you are gone.

Just another rambling, but I pray that you are expecting God-sized things in this new year of 2009. And as you seek those things remember some of these principles, they may serve you well. God Bless.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T15:16:00.003-05:00

I pray that each of you who stumble across these ramblings have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. I pray that each of you enjoy the time with family and friends and in the midst of all it not miss the significance and power of this time. May Christ be and continue to be the greatest gift your treasure and worship.

Last night we held two Christmas Eve services. We were blown away by the response. Both services were packed and there was such a great spirit. We had six individuals trust Christ as their personal Savior. It was truly a wonderful time. Please pray for these individuals as they begin this new journey with the Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Naples Campus held their first ever Christmas Eve service and it was also well attended. Hats off to Crossroads Church for allowing us to use their facility for this service. We appreciate their Kingdom mindedness.

As I write this I am enjoying time away with my family in Miami. In just a few moments we will be gathering around the table for a special Christmas meal and then we will move into the family room where Papaw, as the grandkids love to call him, will read the Christmas story, and then we will tear into presents deep into the night. You have never seen so many gifts. Papaw and Memaw begin buying gifts December 26th and store them through out the year. It is quite the sight. Whatever your traditions are I wish you a blessed Christmas.

My son, Max, and I just returned from the park. A park that I spent a lot of time myself at as a youth. As I chased Max around the park I began to think about how much I miss the diversity of this city. My family and I love living on West Coast but it doesn't have the flavor of Miami. The diversity is certainly one of the things that I miss about this coast.

What is God Teaching You In This Season?

2008-12-22T14:27:00.002-05:00

Today we had an extended leadership team meeting. Because of the craziness of our individual schedules we have not been able to sit, discuss, dream and plan as a team for about a month now. One of the things that we talked through today is the fact that God has definitely been revealing a lot to us individually. Some of the things are extremely exciting, some are a little scary and all of it is going to stretch us and require faith. We challenged each other to take the next couple of days to sort it out and do our best to jot our thoughts down on paper. I personally feel like God is doing something new in me in this season. I am excited to spend the next couple of days sorting out what I feel God has been revealing to me in regards to my life, my family and my personal role in ministry.

Spending the time to be still before the Lord is worth the investment. We are quickly coming to the end of another year and it may not be a bad exercise for you to take an extended time to sit and reflect on what God is teaching you in this season of your life. What is it that God has been revealing to you about His plans for your life in the coming months and days? What types of things does He want to strip and chisel away from your life? What are the things that He desires you to pursue in this season with wreck less abandon? What are the things that He is asking you to trust Him with? So here's my challenge grab your bible, your journal, your pen and a couple of coffee and begin reading, praying, listening, meditating, and writing down some of the things God is revealing to you. I guarantee you it will be worth the investment of time.

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

What Are You Adding to Your Faith?

2008-12-17T10:50:00.003-05:00

I am currently reading through 1 & 2 Peter. This morning I read a few verses that truly challenged me. I thought I would share them in this post. I pray that these verses would cause you to reflect on your life and personal walk with Christ.

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

I love these verses because it is a great reminder that the life God desires for us and calls us to live, He Himself will empower us to achieve it and enjoy it. But there is a responsibility that I must take seriously and it's to continue to add to my faith. I love the things that Peter challenges us to add to our faith, check this list out: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love!

So, here's the deal what have you in this season been adding to your faith? What is missing in this season? I know God revealed some areas that are currently deficient in my life and this morning was a time of refreshing confession and repentance. Adding these qualities to our faith can only come through our personal pursuit of God. These characteristics are found foremost in God revealed to us in Christ and our Father desires that we reflect them.

So if it's self-control that your lacking in this season, kindness or perseverance ask God to give it to you, ask God to add it---the truth is that He desires to do just that. God Bless You!

Serious Mind Dump

2008-12-11T19:25:00.002-05:00

Just got back from vacation with my family. Five days of Disney...yup just have me committed now. It wasn't much a vacation for my wife and I from the sense that we did not get much rest or time alone, but we did have an incredible fun time with our kids. There is something so special experiencing Disney from the eyes of your kids. Max and Emily had a blast. And of course, Little Miss I am not scared of anything Emily, would not go near one of the characters. She absolutely loves everything Disney and she was so excited when she saw all of the characters from afar, but as soon as it was her turn to pose for a picture, the girl went bazerk. It was quite funny. I am truly blessed with a amazing wife and wonderful kids. I pray that we have many more times away as a family. Thanks to Scott and Naomi for the great hook up on a place to stay-you guys are awesome.

Vacation is over and tons to do. We have our Christmas Eve services, that I still need to write out a sermon for, we still have to move out of our current offices and into our new one by the end of this month. I still have tons of work to do to get ready for another launch of small groups in January. I still have a ton of work to recruit new leaders. I have meetings every day next week and a wedding to do in Miami next weekend. It never stops, but God is good.

I have been spending a lot of time thinking through the next stages of ministry for Summit and for me personally. I believe 2009 is going to be a huge year for our ministry. I think God is going to really stretch our faith and leadership in this next year. I am believing God for another campus by the end of 2009. I also believe we will probably have to add a fourth service at the University Campus by February. I am believing and trusting God to provide a permanent space for our Naples Campus in 2009. I truly believe that our Naples Campus is really going to take off in the next few months.

I really want to spend more time this next year connecting with more local pastors and local ministries in our area. If we truly want to see every man, woman and child have the repeated opportunity to see, hear and respond to the Gospel than that is going to be a huge component.

Lastly I have just over a month to continue my training for the Miami Marathon and to complete my fundraising efforts for the Organization for Autism Research. It is going to be a jam packed month. My wife and I are committed though to not allowing our business to take away from this special time of year. After all its Christmas and as followers of Christ don't we have so much to be grateful for...

God Bless.

Is Your Love Active?...

2008-12-03T11:10:00.003-05:00

I am continuing my study through the book of Romans and I really felt God challenge my heart with this question..."is your love active?" Seems like a weird question and it may even sound like an easy one right. Sure, my love is active. I mean I love my wife, I love my kids, love my job, love my friends, love the Dolphins, and the list goes on and on right. But God's picture of our love being active is quite different. You see I think my love is more selective than it is active.

Active defined is...something or someone that is marked by energetic activity, involving direct participation, not lying dormant, and producing an intended action or effect. Now keep that definition in mind, and keep the question "is your love active?" as you read the verses below. This is what love in action looks like...

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Now just one more question, how are you doing in the area of demonstrating God and living out God's love? I was convicted this morning because I realized that there are many areas of my life that my love is certainly not active, definitely selective, but far from being active. I was reminded of one my favorite cartoons growing up as a kid, Super Friends. Do you remember it? It was the collection of the greatest super heroes coming together to form the Justice League, it was awesome. One of the heroes of the Team was the Super Twins. Can you picture them yet? The sister could turn into any animal and the brother anything related to water-I always thought he got ripped off...Anyway before they could release their power they had to touch hands and they would say "wonder twin powers activate!"

What Paul outlines in Romans chapter 12:9-18 can not happen apart from Christ. If we want love to be active in our lives then we must stay connected to Christ and grow in our intimacy. Our hands and heart must touch his for His love to activate in our lives. May your love be active today and may Christ be glorified as a result. God Bless You!

Running for Max

2008-12-02T11:43:00.004-05:00

So the countdown is on for my first ever marathon. On January 25, 2009 I will be participating in the Miami Marathon with over 9000 other people. At the beginning of the year I began running. Running has always been something I absolutely hated, but over this past year I have grown to love it. The mornings I spend running have become a true spiritual experience for me. I have found that time to be a great opportunity to pray, meditate and reflect on what God is teaching me. Mid-way through this year I felt as though I wanted to run a marathon and run it on behalf of my son Max. Over the last year and half since our son's diagnosis of autism we have seem him fight and strive. I wanted to do something to honor his fight, and so that is where this crazy idea of running a marathon came from. So on July 7, 2008 on my son's birthday I signed up.

I have not stopped running or training, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about this endeaver. As part of this race I am working of raising money for autism research through a great organization called Organization for Autism Research(OAR). If you get a moment, please check out my page at http://www.firstgiving.com/orlandocabrera. I would ask that you prayerfully consider being a part of our TEAM and in so doing stand with our son Max and the many like him who live with this disorder. God Bless You.

Glory in our sufferings???

2008-12-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

I am currently reading through the book of Romans. The book of Romans has always been a challenging and convicting book for me. It deals so straight forward with sin, it's power, destruction and consequence and yet reminds us of the power of God's grace and the victory we can have over it.

This morning I read chapter five and was so encouraged by the first five verses. I actually quoted some this verses this past weekend and God brought them right back to me this morning.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

As followers of Christ we have so much to be thankful and grateful for. We do not need a date on a calendar to remind us to be grateful. We need only to remember what we have in Christ. Through Christ we have been justified, meaning we have a right standing with God and therefore we have continual access to God's grace. That is a benefit that is truly out of this world. Paul says we can boast in the hope of the glory of God, but he reminds us that we can also glory, praise God, be thankful even in the midst of our sufferings. If you grew up in the 80's this a total "whatcha talking about Willis?" moment. (I know pretty cheesy but I was a big Different Strokes fan, come on...) Back to the point, if you are like me, we don't usually glory in our sufferings, we usually wallow, complain and grumble. But Paul reminds us here not to look get sucked in to looking to hard at our circumstances but to focus on God's activity.

Christians are not immune to problems, heartaches or struggles. I am pretty sure if you've stumbled across this rambling you are walking through a few storms yourself, but Paul reminds us here to glory. Glory in what? Well, first don't forget as a believer a true child of God, you have peace with God therefore you will also have the peace of God. Because of what Christ has done and because of our standing with God thru Christ this is the ONLY HELL we will ever know...glory in that.

But also, glory in what God is doing in you through your circumstances. He is maturing you and growing you. Your circumstances is producing perseverance, and perseverance character and character hope and hope does not put us to shame. Glory in that. That as God is allowing tension and pressure He is not allowing it without a purpose and without hope. Don't give your circumstances so much audience that you lose sight of what God is doing. Remember that chapter 8 of this same book, states that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Press on and may you experience God's love that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit in fresh and encouraging ways today. God Bless!

List-o-mania

2008-11-19T12:24:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I did a list, so I thought I would list the things I am thoroughly enjoying in this season. These are in no specific order...hope you enjoy and I would love to know what you are enjoying right now as well.

#1. The Word of God...now I know that sounds extremely cheesey and even churchy, but let me explain before you go on judging me...As a teaching pastor it is easy to fall into the trap of reading the Word just for the sake of the next sermon. That trap tends to lead you to frustration and staleness. My speaking schedule has not changed but God has certainly changed my heart. God in this season is removing me further away from what I do and pulling me closer to who I need to be. In this season of insurmountable pressure and decisions it has been refreshing to read the Word for all it's worth and find the encouragement and strength I need.

#2. My family...if you frequent this collection of ramblings you have probably read my posts lately concerning my time with my family. Again, in ministry if you are not careful your family can take a backseat to the "doings" of the job. Right now God has me focused and I pray it stays that way on my amazing wife and beautiful kids. I am truly enjoying the "snap shot" moments I get to spend with each of them. I feel so blessed to have such an incredible family and every moment we get to spend together is awesome!

#3. The Dolphins...that right baby. We are 6-4, a long crawl from the 1 and 15 we posted last year. By this time last year I was upset and uninterested, but today I can say playoffs and Dolphins in the same sentence without people thinking I am crazy. That is a huge step in the right direction. I know there is a lot of football to still be played, but I am enjoying my Fins right now. And I will tell you right now, there is plenty of room to get on the band wagon...

#4. Kodiak Cakes...if you don't know what those are, it's probably because you are a normal human being who is not on the Hallelujah Diet. This discovery has probably saved my marriage...I am kidding of course. You see my wife has us on this life style which I have come to respect and enjoy, because we should be good stewards of our bodies, but I can tell you at times I do pout because I miss certain foods. Well, Kodiak Cakes are Hallelujah approved pancakes, which in fact are one of my favorite foods. My sweet wife, Pam, is so awesome that
she even makes these delicious creations for me for dinner, that's right for dinner! Aunt Jemima has got nothin' on my Kodiak Cakes! Can you smell 'em?

#5. The Worship Services at Summit... I have always enjoyed the weekend services at Summit, but I truly feel God is doing something very fresh and real in this season. You can honestly feel the Spirit of God at work in and through the lives of our people and the fruit has been obvious. It has been encouraging that even in these tough times our people are still seeking to live missionally, as demonstrated in their willingness to step up to the recent challenges whether it be the Walk Now for Autism Event, our Food Pantry Drive or our Safe House adopt a child program. God is good.

#6. My friend, Jamin...the last time I blogged a list he was ticked that he didn't make it, so Jamin here you go...no, but seriously Jamin is my neighbor, co-worker and a good friend, who makes me laugh. Jamin's office is also next to mine and the continual shananigans that go on between our walls helps to keep my stress level down and my gut busting from the laughter. Jamin if you are reading I do hope that you make the two man luge team, I know it is a dream of yours.

#7. The thought of going on vacation...it may sound stupid because it has not happened yet, but you have no idea how much I am enjoying the thought of getting off of this treadmill of life in a couple of weeks and getting away with my family. Even though that at times can be crazy, there is quite no refuge like the one of being with my wife and kids, and to top it off we will be at the happiest place on earth for five days...yup, Disney World. Right now my daughter Emily is absolutely addicted to Mickey and Minnie so I am enjoying just imagining what her face is going to look like when she sees them...that is priceless.

Yup, life is good and the reality is that all these things aside, God is good, thus I have so much to be thankful for, but that's another post. Hope you are enjoying this season of your life as well. God Bless You!

Pump It Up

2008-11-17T20:03:00.012-05:00

Pam and I took the kids to "Pump It Up", an indoor inflatable bounce house, fun land. Once a month "Pump It Up" has a special sensory night for children with special needs. Our kids had a blast and I would be less than truthful if I did not say that I enjoyed it as well. By the time we were done I was exhausted and the kids looked like they had not broken a sweat. It was again one of those times where I just had to step back and acknowledge the faithfulness and goodness of God. Months ago our son would of never been able to adjust or function in a place like Pump it Up, but on this day, Max enjoyed the play-land just as much as any other three year old would of. The picture was an attempt to capture him coming down this two story slide like a bullet. It was just a great night.

Weekend in Miami...

2008-11-17T10:47:00.003-05:00

This weekend, Pam and I and our kids were able to get away and go back home to Miami and see our folks. It was a great time for us. Our kids love their grandparents, both sets, probably because with them they can do no wrong...It was truly a nice break and a great time for us to not only connect with our folks but also connect as a family. On Sunday we took the kids to Aventura Mall to see Santa and their amazing train display. Emily was not wanting anything to do with Santa, she found that joker to be totally scarey. Max on the other hand loved Santa and especially loved pulling on his beard...a trick his Uncle Rick taught him a couple of weeks ago. Poor Santa, I am sure he did not sign up for that part of the gig. This weekend reminded me of the importance of just maximizing the time you have with your family. Every smile, every laugh, every silly moment was priceless. I could not help but to think, I better eat this up because the day will come when my kids will no longer think sitting on Santa's lap or riding in a train in the middle of the mall is fun anymore.

I thank God for my family and for the gift that they are to me. I pray that He will continue to give me wisdom and strength to steward them wisely. If you've stumbled across this rambling, I pray the same for you. Don't squander or leave those special moments to chance. Relationships be it with your spuse, kids, family or friends are a gift, so steward them wisely. Make it a great week. God bless you!

YMCA Prayer Breakfast

2008-11-14T20:14:00.009-05:00

This morning I went to the YMCA prayer breakfast. The Summit Band provided the music and as always they did an awesome job. This year the YMCA did not hold the breakfast in a country club as in years past but they held it in an airplane hanger at the Naples Airport. It was a pretty cool ambiance. I kept waiting for the Back Street Boys to come walking out because it looked like something straight out of a music video. The reason for the venue was because the keynote speaker was none other than three time world strongest man, Bill Kazmaier.

Bill did a good job sharing his story and the miracles that God has done in his life. The highlights of the day was when Bill rolled a steel frying pan like a burrito in about four seconds and then he closed the event by pulling a leer jet, it was pretty cool.

Click this link and catch a quick story about today's breakfast...

http://www.naplesnews.com/videos/detail/worlds-strongest-man-vs-plane/

What's Love Got to Do with It?

2008-11-13T16:16:00.003-05:00

What's love got to do, got to do with it? If you've been around as long as I have and you just read that line, then your mind had to quickly go to that old school jam by Tina Turner...come on now. She was the bomb back in the day. Whenever she wasn't dodging punches from her broke down husband Ike, she was making hits. But, this post is not about Tina, her life or her music. This post, this jumbled rambling of thoughts does have to do with love and that question.

My Life Journal reading plan had me in 1 Corinthians 13 this morning. It's a very familiar passage that most of us know and are probably tired of hearing read at weddings, and yet it is that type of familiarity that can cause me to forget that the Word of God is alive and active and sharper than any two edged sword. This morning I got to be honest I was not thinking that there would be anything earth shattering that would jump out to me, but I was wrong. I could not get past the first three verses. The Apostle Paul before he gives some of the attributes of love states the fact that even if I can do great things like speak with angelic tongues, or uncover and explain deep mysteries or even have faith to move mountains, if I do not have love, I am nothing! Paul goes on to say that even my generosity and hardworking service is nothing without love!

So of course this got me thinking and thinking specifically about what Jesus said was the greatest commandment, "loving God and loving others." Basically what I was left with today was the reflection that I better make sure that the things I do, I truly do out of a sincere love for God and a genuine love for others. God is not impressed with my doings or my stuff, He is far more concerned with the sincerity of my heart. So anyway a great litmus test to use would be to honestly answer this question repeatedly, are the things I am doing being done in love? If there not I better quickly check my motives. I don't even want to know how many things we do in the name of Christ that when we truly take a deeper look at it, we find it wasn't for Christ at all...yikes. My hope is not to allow that sad fact to become a pattern in my life. Let love for God and love for others be the reason behind the things you do, because if it's not, well it basically means squat. Just a rambling. God Bless!

Prayer...

2008-11-11T11:18:00.003-05:00

This morning I was reading in Matthew 6 and I was so encouraged as read through the Lord's prayer. God reminded me of the simplicity of prayer and about it's raw unmatched power. Prayer is not us bending God to our will, but God bending us to His. Prayer helps us to put everything in proper perspective and that is in the perspective that God is King and He will never give that place up. I was also reminded that God is not impressed or moved by my form or my words, He desires honesty and humility from my heart. I love that Jesus says in verse 8 don't pray like these clowns who essentially make it about them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him! So before I close this rambling with Jesus' words let me challenge you to take a moment and reflect on the fact that your Heavenly Father knows what you need, so go to Him, not with your religion, or your righteousness, but go to Him in humility and in faith that He will act according to His will. Take a moment to pray and reflect on the heart of Jesus' words...

9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

Another Great Weekend...

2008-11-10T10:39:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was so encouraging for me on many levels. This weekend was the Southwest Florida Walk Now for Autism Event at the Estero Community Park. It was a great turn out and a wonderful day. There were in the upwards of four thousand people that came out. As a dad of a child with autism it was truly an encouraging day. It was a pleasure to meet other families who are walking a similar path. It was a joy to watch my son and daughter enjoy all of the games and bounce houses. As a pastor I was once again amazed by the people of Summit. We had over 300 of our people participate. Many walked, many gave and many served. It was incredible to look across the park and see so many yellow Team Summit t-shirts. It was wonderful to see our people live missionally and serve our community. I feel so humbled and blessed to be a part of a church that gets it. Team Summit also raised just over $20,000 for autism research. Money aside I was just so proud of our people.

The good stuff did not end there. We had a great weekend of services. God was moving in such a powerful way in each of our services. I was reminded of what C.S. Lewis said "the perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of, because our attention would have been on God." I felt like that this weekend. I truly could sense that people were focused on God and were enjoying His presence. This weekend we also had the privilege for the first time ever to baptize folks right on our property. The church purchased a baptismal pool and we were blessed to baptize nine people in it this weekend. It was a blast. I also got to baptize a 7ft giant of a man, who in turn baptize me by pulling me down with him...it was hysterical. God is so good. I pray that as a church we will continue to keep Christ as our ultimate priority, our greatest need and our greatest delight. I pray that the mission of presenting the Gospel to every man, woman and child never grows cold in our hearts, but that as followers of Christ we would strive to live loudly for God's glory. Make it a great week...God Bless You!

Mixed Emotions

2008-11-05T12:02:00.004-05:00

There is no doubt that as I sit and write this blog my emotions are many and my heart is torn. The votes have been counted and America has clearly spoken...today we have a new president, he is not the candidate that I voted for, but nonetheless, Barack Obama will be the 44th President of our great United States.

My emotions are mixed because whether you voted for Obama or not your heart had to be moved by the fact that our nation has made history by electing it's first ever black president. That in so many ways is a milestone and a great turn from some of the ugliest scars of our nations' history. We are forty years removed from the assassination of one of America's greatest heroes Dr Martin Luther King and you can not help but to be happy as an American to see how far we have come. This election will stand as monumental moment in history, not just for democrats and even republicans who ended up voting for Barack but for every American, because last night history was made.

All that being said, as much as I can be happy as an American to see history be made and hopefully see a path to even stronger race relations for this nation, my heart is still heavy, because the some huge issues are still left on the table. When we look at how strong the Democratic victory was, we can not help, but to see how dramatic the political landscape of our country is going to change. Just quickly think of some of the issues that are on the table, the voice for the unborn just got a lot softer as we have just elected a president who by his own admittance declared his intent to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. We saw in Florida that Amendment 2 passed, praise God, but with the election of this president we can also see that biblical marriage will still be attacked as we have heard Obama say on numerous occasions he will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. All the way down the line you can see that the issues that should be central to every born again believer hang in the balance with this new president.Yet God is still in control and He is sovereign. As Christians we can not lose sight of that.

As Christians we must continue to pray for our leaders and our nation. The thought that God arrested my heart with this morning was this; now more than ever followers of Christ must allow their LIVES to be heard. Now more than ever we must incarnate the Gospel and do everything we can to move God's Kingdom forward. There is no time to hang our heads and whine about who won this election, Barack Obama is our president and we still live in a great nation. Now more than ever we must seek God in prayer. Now more than ever we must beg God to send His reign and blow fresh wind and fire on our nation. Now more than ever we must be committed to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth and have no rest until the whole world hears. Now more than ever it is time that the people of God be the church and stop hiding in one. Now more than ever it is time for followers of Christ to stop complaining about the lack of change and get busy being a part of it.

There is no doubt that as evangelicals our fight just got harder, but we take heart in the fact that God's grace is sufficient. So let's pray for our new president elect Barack Obama, let's pray for his wife and two precious girls. As Christians let's do everything we can to make America one nation under God. Avoid godless chatter and aimless disputes. Thank God for the privilege in living in such a free and blessed nation and seek to strive to make it better.

God is on the throne and He will never relinquish that spot. God is still good. God bless you and may God bless America.

Knowing Christ Produces Generosity

2008-11-03T10:22:00.005-05:00

This weekend we continued our series entitled "Knowing Christ". Originally this series was designed to be an in depth look at the book of Philippians. This weekend as a Leadership Team we decided to go away from that particular book and use 2 Corinthians chapter 8 as our text. Our aim this weekend was to challenge our people to be generous. Knowing Christ should produce generosity, considering that stewardship is a direct response of Lordship. We had a shortened service with a 20 minute message and instead of responding in worship as we usually do, we asked our people to respond in a different way. We handed out a food list to every person, and on it were the items that the local food pantries that we partner with both around our University and Naples' campuses were in need of. We had trucks and trailers waiting at Publix and asked our people to be generous and seek to be a blessing. It was AWESOME!!! I was absolutely blessed to step back and watch our people "be the church." It was incredible.

Once again I was so amazed and blessed by the people of Summit. They knocked it out of the park. At the University Campus alone we filled two trailers and two trucks and together with the Naples Campus we were able to fill four food pantries. God is good! Our prayer is that as a church even in spite of a down economy we would continue to be generous and in doing so, show the love of Christ to our community.

"But since you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in love we have kindled in you-see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8:7)

Here is a link to the piece that NBC-2News did:
www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=22735&z=3

Happy Birthday Emily...

2008-10-31T14:55:00.004-04:00

Today is our little girl, Emily's, 2nd birthday. So in honor of her birthday I thought I would write a special post to my little Queen Bee.

Dear Emily,

Happy Birthday! Your mom and I feel so blessed to have you in our lives. You are such a joy. We know that God has great plans for your life. As much as we pray for your health, well being, protection and future, we pray even more for the ever most important decision of your life and that is Jesus Christ. We pray that as you grow, your understanding of who Christ is would grow as well, and we hope that at an early age you would place your faith and trust in Christ. Our hope is that Christ would be your greatest need, your greatest desire and your greatest pursuit.
Proverbs 30:31 states "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." May you grow up to be a woman who always fears the Lord.

We look forward to see what God is going to do with your dare-devil attitude, joyful smile and outgoing personality. I am already praying for your husband, not only that he would be a godly man, but also a strong man who could handle a pistol like you...just kidding.

Watching you grow Emily has been such an amazing experience. I feel as though I get to see God's activity daily in your life. You get smarter and prettier by the day. I enjoy every moment I get with you. The scarey thing is that I think you already know that you have me whipped, that's something I will need to work on...I hope that as you grow you will come to discover and know that your mom and I love you very much and we will always be here for you. We pray that we will be able to live out Christ in front of you and we pray that our relationship would always be one that is centered and grounded in Truth. Happy Birthday Emily, we love you. I want to leave you with this prayer that I pray over you every night...

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Intimacy with God

2008-10-29T10:14:00.003-04:00

I began reading the Book of Mark this morning. I love reading through the Gospels because no matter how many times you read through them God always seems to show you something new. This morning I got to verse 35 of chapter one and it got my mind racing..."Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where He prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you."

The God Man, Jesus, in his humanity made it a priority to draw away from the crowd and commune with the Father. What I love about this is that the disciples say everyone is looking for you and yet Jesus knew that even the demands of the day or the needs of the people could NOT trump His personal time with the Father. Jesus knew what many of us fail to understand and that is what we do can not take precedent over who we are to become. So many times I jump into my day without realizing that the best thing I can do for my spirit, mind, soul, and life is to start the day pursuing intimacy with God. It is amazing how my responses, my perspective, my sensitivity to the people around me, my heart set, is so different when I don't spend that quality time with God through His Word and in prayer. I pray that pursuit of God and my discipline to seek a solitary place to commune with God in prayer and His Word would always be from a heart that is desperate for Him and not out of religious guilt or monotonous routine. Our guest speaker from this passed weekend said something that I thought was great and that was "we do not read the Bible to finish, we read it to change!" Don't allow your personal time with God to just be something you check off your to do list.

If you have not spent some time this morning or today with the Creator I would encourage you to invest the time. May God always be your greatest need, your greatest desire and your greatest pursuit. Fight for that solitary time and may the Lord increase your view of who He is and may He give you and even a deeper hunger for His Truth. If Jesus withdrew from the crowd often how much more do we need to...just another rambling. God Bless You!

My Prayer is Pure...

2008-10-27T10:48:00.002-04:00

My reading plan has me currently reading through the Book of Job and the Book of Acts. Today I was reading in chapter 16 of Job and I was floored. If you are not familiar with the Book of Job, I would encourage you to read it some time, especially in light of all the problems our nation is currently facing. There is no doubt that we have problems, but when you read the book of Job, God has a strange way of bringing things into proper perspective. You see Job was a man who had it all and lost pretty much everything except his own life and his wife. His belongings were all taken from him, his children this guy with from sitting on top of the hill to being underneath it. But all the while God was present and even in the darkest and the hardest of times Job holds fast to God. In Job 15, Job again is taking a barrage of assault once again from so called friends and nay-sayers, and in chapter 16 we see his reply. What I love about his reply is that you can fully see it comes from a heart that lives in deep intimacy with God. Job recants the things that have happened to him and how they have made him feel...so much so that this is what he states in verses 11 & 12; "God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked. All was well with me, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me." Wow! Have you ever felt like that. Like some how God has allowed your walls to come crashing down on you. But here's what you got to catch. Job, never loses sight of who God is and never allows his heart to lose reverence for the almighty. The key verses for me that showed me the depth of Job's heart were at the end of the chapter. Catch this...

My face is red with weeping,dark shadows ring my eyes;
yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.
"Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest!
Even now my witness is in heaven;my advocate is on high.
My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a human being he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.

Job says even in spite of the hill of crap that I have had to go through my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure! That is a heart that is centered and connected to God. Too many times I allow my circumstances to define my reality and because of that I miss the joy that can only come from Christ Himself. There is no doubt that in this life we will have problems, but Jesus said to take heart for He had overcome the world! May your prayer stay pure and may your heart find rest in God's grace and God's provision. God Bless You.

Do You Really Believe?

2008-10-26T19:54:00.003-04:00

This weekend we had a guest speaker, Jeremy Kingsley, speak at all of our services at both campuses. Jeremy is an author, a true evangelist and the founder and director of One Life Ministries. Jeremy speaks to hundreds of thousands of people every year around the globe. He is one of the key speakers for Compassion International and he has a huge heart for God and a deep brokenness for the lost. Jeremy challenged our people to search their hearts and answer the question; do I really believe? Jeremy spoke from John 3:14. A really cool verse that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus. I have heard many evangelists use John 3:16, but this was the first time that I heard one use this verse and tie salvation in with the story of God's deliverance of His chosen people the Israelites out of Egypt. I encourage you to go to www.summitlife.com and take a listen. It will be well worth your 30 minute investment.

Our staff and ministry council were fasting and praying this week for Jeremy, for our services and for all those who do not have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was awesome to see the fruition of our prayers as many gave their lives to Christ this weekend. The Spirit was so thick and so powerful in each of our services. It was so awesome to see God move in and through the lives of His people. I left so encouraged and so thankful that we serve a God who is so merciful and so gracious that He desires that none should perish, no not one. I ask that you pray for all of those who made decisions this weekend. Please pray that God would continue to work in and through the lives of these individuals. Please also pray for our ministry that God would continue to lead us to fight for the hearts of every man, woman and child.

Cool Moments...

2008-10-23T14:01:00.003-04:00

If for some reason you are a person who has stumbled across this blog due to extreme bordem or unability to sleep you may have read at times my challenge to enjoy the snap shot God moments that unfold right before our eyes. This morning when I got back from the gym was one of those moments. Usually when I get home the troops, Mom, Max and Emily, are still in bed. This morning they were all in the kitchen. My kids were sitting at their table coloring in their books, yeah, that right, in their books, not on the wall, not on the cat, in their books. That wasn't the best part. The best part was my wife, just racing around the house with them because they asked her. My super wife, is not only an incredible friend to me and amazing support, but she is an amazing mother to our two kids.

Everytime I see my wife, Pam, with our kids it is a powerful reminder of how truly selfless and loving she is. Even at 7am with sleep still in her eyes she can lose herself and serve our kids, just because they asked her to race and she knew it would make them smile. The snap shot came in the realization that she has and continues to do that for me. When I told her God was calling me into full time ministry she quit her lucrative career job and became a teacher so that she could have the time to be more involved in my ministry. When I told her that I felt God was moving us away from the only place she ever knew as home, she encouraged me to follow God's leading. When I told her that God was telling me to leave the highest paying securest job I ever had to start a church, she said let's go. These are just some of the moments, there have been too many to list, but today when I heard my wife respond to our kids request as hard as it may be to believe I thought of all the times throughout our marriage, that in my own way, I have said "let's race", and she confidently grabbed my hand and we were off. To my beautiful wife, in the words of Max, let's race...I love you!

So if you are not asleep yet, and you're still reading let me encourage you once again to enjoy those snap shot God moments. I am telling you they are a jolt to the heart and fuel for the soul. Just a another crazy rambling! God Bless.