Forward 2/1/08

Here's the second idea about humility from James 4.6-10.


Resist the Devil

What in the world does resisting the devil have to do with humility? More than you think. Often, we don't resist the devil or fight against temptation becuase we think we can control it. We know when to stop. You know, "I can quit any time I want to" mentality. So, we play with temptation.


That's an incredible amount of pride, don't you think? I can be the only one to pull this fire into my lap and not get burnt. I can play with this temptation--I can let it be a foothold, but keep it from becoming a stronghold.


Or, even worse, I can play with it and not get caught. I can keep it all under control and out of sight and no one will ever know. I can be the father, husband, and pastor I need to be and still have this in my life.


That's pride--not humility!


Humility understands that I can't play with temptation--I'm not good enough to mess with sin. I've got to resist the devil with all of my strength.


So, that's my prayer today--That God will help me crucify my flesh, be filled with Holy Spirit, put on the armor of God and fight against the enemy. The promise is that he will flee when we do that!

Forward 1/31/08

I've decided to call the devotional insights Forward--because moving forward is such a big idea that God is putting in our hearts during this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. So, here's today's idea:

Forward 1/31/08
During the services, we've looked at three favor magnets:
1. Your Assignment
2. Your Attitude
3. Your Actions.

The attitude that attracts favor is humility. James 4.6 is clear--God opposes the proud but gives grace (favor) to the humble.

So, what does it mean to be humbe? The answer may be found in the following verses, where James gives some instructions and then winds up with the idea that God exalts the humbe. So, what are some of the actions that reflect a humble attitude?

Submission
A humble attitude is reflected in a life submitted to God. Every area of life is turned over to God's control. Pride says, "I can run my life." Humility says, "I need to submit every part of my life to God's control." Humility understands that God knows better than I do--so I submit my life--my present, my past, and my future to God's control. I submit to the wisdom of his Word. I submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in my life. And, I submit to the delegated authority in my life.

My prayer is that God will reveal to me any areas of my life that aren't submitted to him. Maybe that could be your prayer today, too.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Christian Life Assembly is engaged in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting through February 10. As part of that I will be posting insights and ideas from my time of prayer and fasting as daily devotional material for the remainder of the fast.

Right People, Right Place, Right Plan

Read 106 pages of a new book yesterday by an author I've never read before. It's Jentezen Franklin--Right People, Right Place, Right Plan. It's about discerning the voice of God. In my prayer time today, I focused on allowing the Holy Spirit to connect with my spirit in five ways:

1. Asking God to stir my spirit--give me a holy discontent for the lost, for ministry, for the church.
2. Asking God to lead me by my spirit--to follow the gentle nudgings of the Holy Spirit throughout the day.
3. Asking God to put help me purpose in my spirit--not just decide things in my mind, but purpose eternal things in my spirit.
4. Asking God to compel me by his spirit--to so bind me to his will for my life that I don't want to and can't break free from it.
5. Asking God to give me peace in my spirit--we make tons of decisions everyday. I need peace in my spirit t show me the right decisions.

He said something I have believed for a long time, "Just because a door is wide open, it doesn't mean you are supposed to walk through it. This is where you need the Holy Spirit's guidance." Wow. What a thought.

Powerful e2 Conference

This year's e2 Conference was over the top. We had record attendance from pastors across the state and Mark Batterson really challenged us to be lion chasers. John Palmer opened up his heart and shared with raw authenticity about "Mistakes I've Made and Lessons I'm Learning." It was powerful. Thank you to these two men for hearing for equipping and encouraging the Iowa Ministry Network.

God at the Box Office--Starting This Sunday

We launch a brand new message series this Sunday--God at the Box Office. The stained glass window of the 19th century has been replaced by the movie screen of the 21st century? Is there any room for God at the Box Office? What are the questions popular movies are asking and answering and what does the Bible have to say about those questions. We'll take a look at four movies starting this Sunday:

• Sunday, September 23 Star Wars


• Sunday, September 30 Transformers


• Sunday, October 7 Walt Disney's Meet the Robinsons


• Sunday, October 14 Pirates of the Caribbean

See you at the box office!

Worship at the River

Join us this Sunday for Worship at the River at the Simon Estes Amphitheater in downtown Des Moines. Don't forget to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Childcare is available in the Potomac Room in the Embassy Suites Hotel, adjacent to the amphitheater.

It's going to be a fun service with new music, drama, and the message--Cross that River.

See You There.

Creating Culture

I'm reading an interesting new book called By Design or Default: Creating a Church Culture that Works. Of course, the principles can apply to any home or business as well. Here are four insights about church culture--whether created by design or default:

• Your culture is your packaging and presentation of the Gospel
• Culture determines who attends your church
• Whatever a culture is--it grows.
• A created culture is always evolving

In a different chapter, he talks about becoming a culture-creating leader. There he gives six practices of culture-creating leaders:

• Serve with humility.
• Endorse God's plan of abundant life.
• Exude a high value on individuals.
• Set an example of excellence.
• Proclaim that God is faithful.
• Communicate the life giving nature of God.

Barthalow Blog

Here's the link for the Barthalow blog to find out what's happening in India. There are some cool pictures. I talked to Jonathan last week and he's doing great--facing the normal challenges of culture shock with monkeys on the roof, ants in the bed, no water for days, and a 20 minute hike from your house to a car. I have an even greater respect for missionaries after talking with him.

Here's the link. You can only look--you can't post responses. Or, at least, I couldn't figure out how.

http://web.mac.com/barthalowsinindia/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

General Council Report

Here's the update from General Coucil. Our slate of officers looks like this:

General Superintendent--Dr. George Wood (new)
Assistant General Superintendent--Rev. Alton Garrison (new)
General Secretary--Rev. John Palmer (new)
General Treasurer--Rev. James Bridges (not up for re-election at this council)
World Mission--Rev. John Bueno (returned to office)
US Missions--Rev. Zollie Smith (new)

There were a couple of intersting facts in this list of officers:

Zollie Smith is the first African-American to be elected as an officer.
Dr. George O. Wood is first person with an earned doctorate to be elected superintendent.
John Palmer is the second officer to have pastored First Assembly in Des Moines (Charles Crabtree was the other).

Gone on a Jet Plane

I talked with Pastor Jonathan Barthalow just a few minutes before they boarded a flight to Newark, New Jersey and then on to India yesterday afternoon.. They are really excited about this next step of missionary service. A lady from the church in Memphis rented them a limo so they could ride to the airport in style. I'm so proud of how they are following the Lord's will for their lives. They should be landing in India in any minute now.

Quote of the Week

Here's the quote of the week--"The world is wide; and I will not waste my life in friction when it can be turned into momentum." (Frances Willard)

What a great idea--life is too short to be lived in friction with everyone and everything around us--let's turn that friction into momentum and move the agenda of the Kingdom forward in our lifetime.

Nice Post by Mark Batterson at Future A/G

Here was an interesting post by Mark Batterson at www.futureag.blogspot.com:

Here are ten characteristics I'm looking for:

1) Spiritual intensity--a raw heart for God
2) Non-conformist--appreciates our history but also challenges the Status Quo
3) Doesn't just speak in AG cliches--fresh thoughts and fresh methods
4) Imagination--more concerned about creating the future than repeating the past.
5) Contexual Intelligence--keen ability to understand the times ala the Tribe of Isachaar.
6) Proven track record of pastoral leadership--someone who's been there and done that.
7) Humor--someone who can laugh at themselves
8) Neotenic--young at heart regardless of age
9) Innovator--believes that there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.
10) Missional--huge heart for missions and church planting.

Future AG Blog

As some of you might know, the future of the Assemblies of God will be dramatically impacted in just three weeks as we cast ballots for the offices of general superintendent, assistant general superintendent, general secretary, and executive director of world missions. There is a unique blog that asks what characteristics should be looked for in a leader for our movement. It's a pretty cool way to dialogue about the future.

Take a look at http://futureag.blogspot.com/.

Men of Steel: Champions Tour

The second week of the Men of Steel: Champions Tour was just as phenomenal as the first. We have four small groups of guys that meet together each Wednesday morning at 6:30 AM. We eat a little breakfast, hear a talk, and then get coached in our small groups. The lessons come from the book Who Wants to Be a Champion by NBA executive Pat Williams. It's great stuff--all wrapped up by 7.30 AM.

Today's lesson was about speaking the right kinds of words. It challenged us to go 90 days without any negative words coming out of our mouths. What a challenge! I think I'm going to take the challenge and see what happens.

Spiritual on Your Own?

We talked about fusing brotherly kindness with our faith yesterday. I am more convinced than ever that you can't be spiritual by yourself. It's in the context of relationshps--particularly a marriage and family--that my spirituality gets worked out into my life. It's easy to be spiritual in a cave by yourself, alone with God. It gets harder when you throw people into the mix. People who disagree with you. People different from you. People who disappoint you.

I'm convinced we can build healthy relationships that spur one another on to real spiritual growth.

LIke a Lobster

Yesterday, Amberly, the kids, and I went to Valley View Aquatic Center. It was a blast. Four water slides, two pools, and a lazy river. I used SPF 50 Sunblock--but it didn't block. Red as a lobster, but it was a fun, four hours with the family.

Dick Hardy is in the Blogsosphere

My good friend Dick Hardy of the Hardy Group is blogging. Check out what he has to say at www.dickhardy.blogspot.com.

I LOVE America!

I can't wait for I Love America this Sunday at 10 AM. We finished our final planning meeting for the service. The final part of the service is a drama depicting how Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem. It is powerful. It combines live drama, multi-media, and, of course, the national anthem. I literally wept as we listened to the story. It is powerful. I'm so thankful for the men and women who have given their lives to serve the rest of us. That reminds me of another song we're doing--Freedom isn't Free.

Sunday Recap

What a great summer Sunday service we had yesterday. If you missed it, let me recap the four principles of perseverance:

1. The start is always exciting.
2. Exits come early and often.
3. You're don't finished until you say so.
4. If you don't quit, you can't lose!

This Sunday is our special "I Love America" presentation. It's going to be great! We'll keep the Fusion series going for two more weeks, including this Sunday.