Cheese Part 3: Monitor Change

Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old!

I love change.  I even love change for the sake of change.  I get bored with the same foods, fonts, clothes, furniture arrangements, music.  I like the new stuff.  I like change. 

It’s amazing how we can get so used to certain things that they start to stink like old cheese…and we don’t even realize it.  In some areas of our lives…it really doesn’t matter that much.  It’s more about preference…if you are a creature of habit and still wearing your clothes from the 80’s…that’s your deal.

But in the church…it definitely matters.  People outside of our church walls can sniff out stinky cheese pretty quickly.  We have to be evaluating regularly…what are we doing in our programming that is getting old and stale?  Let’s not change just for the sake of change, but let’s make sure we don’t let it get old, stale…or stinky!

Jesus’ Tomb

I’m not worried about James Cameron or his documentary.  It’s another ridiculous attempt to try and disprove the most important tenet of our faith…that Christ rose from the dead!  People have been trying to disprove this for years.  JESUS, OUR SAVIOR, IS ALIVE!!!  People need to deal with it.  My prayer is that this will cause more discussion and God will use it to draw more people to faith in Him.

Here’s a link to an article about the documentary showing soon on the Discovery Channel.

Cheese Part 2: Anticipate Change

Anticipating Change…Get ready for the cheese to move.

Things are constantly changing…the way we do life on a daily basis is changing.  I like the new, the latest, the coolest technology that makes life easier or more enjoyable.  These changes are great…I have a hard time remembering life before DVR. 

When it comes to the business of church, we must constantly be watching the trends to see what is changing in our world.  The church business is the people business.  If we aren’t reaching people for Christ, then what is the point?  So when I say watch the trends…I am saying we must be anticipating the change in the way people in our culture are responding to church and the message of Christianity.  If we aren’t anticipating change, our ministry will become pointless and irrlevant in this world. 

You Are An Idiot!

That was the title of a talk given by Pastor Craig Groeschel this week to a group of 3,000 pastors.  I was one of those pastors…and yes, I am an idiot…at least I want to be! 

You see, God uses idiots to turn WHAT IF into WHAT IS. Do you ever spend time dreaming about the WHAT IF’s in your life?

• WHAT IF I got that promotion?
• WHAT IF I could meet Mr. or Mrs. Right?
• WHAT IF our family could spend more time together?
• WHAT IF my kids could grow up into respectful adults?
• WHAT IF I could make enough money to get out of debt? 

How do we turn our WHAT IF into WHAT IS?  Who does God use most often to turn WHAT IF into WHAT IS?  God uses insecure, risk-taking, pain-enduring idiots! Look at Acts 4:13 “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” That word translated “ordinary” comes from the Greek work, idiōtēs.  Do I need to tell you what that word literally means?  God uses Peter & John…who people looked at as idiots…to do his work.  The important key here…don’t miss this…it’s the last part of the verse – “they also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus” Let’s talk about the 3 adjectives describing the kind of idiot that God uses: 

1. Insecure.  Can we all admit that most of the time we have no idea what we are doing?  Whether it’s parenting, relationships, job-related, financial…we all struggle with insecurity.  We want people to think we are smart and that we know what we are doing…even when we don’t.  I experienced that this morning in agonizing over whether or not to cancel services because of the weather.  God uses insecure people!
2. Risk-taking.  Peter & John were warned not to spread the Gospel.  They kept doing it anyway.  They had been with Jesus and they were on a mission from God.  Risk is involved.  If we want to see incredible stuff happen in our lives and in our church…we must be risk takers.
3. Pain-enduring.  This is the part I run from.  Who really likes pain?  Let’s try to avoid all conflict and hurt.  But when we do that, we become very dishonest people and we hurt both ourselves and others in our lives.  Idiots will endure the pain that comes with the territory.

Some of you may be reading this and saying, I might be on the right track because my wife and kids call me an idiot all the time.  Well, the question to ask yourself is: Am I the right kind of idiot?  The kind that God uses to affect change? How to become the right kind of idiot:

• Don’t believe for a moment that you have it all figured out in life.
• Become comfortable being uncomfortable in life.
• Make the right decisions even when they are painful.

“The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the painful decisions you are unwilling to make.” – Groeschel

• Spend LOTS of time with Jesus.

Thanks for reading today.  I hope you enjoy the day with your family.For some great online messages that you could watch and enjoy today:

1. www.lifechurch.tv
2. www.northpoint.org
3. www.fellowshipchurch.com

No Services Today…

This is a painful post for me!  Because of meeting in a school, we have to start setting up at about 7:15…so we have to make a decision early.  I went outside myself to check my driveway and street…it is slippery.  Based on the current snow and sleet falling and temperatures staying below freezing all morning, we have decided to cancel today’s service.  I believe this is the safest option for all of our church families.

I will post a devotional for today later this morning…please check back later.

Update on Services – early in morning

The nasty weather seems to be coming our way.  I will be checking the conditions early in the morning and will post an announcement by 7 am.

Tomorrow’s Service Change

With the uncertainty of the weather for tomorrow morning, we are moving our 5th Anniversary Celebration with Baptisms and the Basics of Life message to the following Sunday – March 4th.

At this point, services are STILL ON for tomorrow at 10 am.  We will evaluate the weather later tonight and first thing in the morning and post any announcements here.

Tomorrow I will continue with our HEROES series and be speaking on Moses…a murderer turned deliverer

We will NOT be having OverTime after the service tomorrow.

Winter Weather Service Announcement

The forecast doesn’t look good for tomorrow…more ice seems to be coming.  I am monitoring it closely and considering options for tomorrow’s church services.  Check back later for updates.

Driving in Dallas

I feel better about driving in Northern Virginia after the fiasco of getting around Dallas the last 24 hours…the traffic may not be as heavy but who designed this mess?  Funny thing…even Ed Young admitted today that he still gets lost around here.  Our mapquest directions from the hotel to Fellowship Church turned out to be a disaster…glad we allowed extra time.

C3 Day 1 Highlights

Great first day at the Creative Church Conference.  Today’s speakers were all money!  Let me rank them in order of who I enjoyed most.

1. Craig Groeschel – He talked about the fact that God uses idiots (Acts 4:13).  God uses insecure, risk-taking, pain-enduring idiots to accomplish His work.

2. Ed Young, Jr. – He talked about delegation.  “Delegation without investigation is relegation.”

3. Mark Driscoll – He talked about the Gospel…based on I Cor 15:1-4.  He focused on the 2 main enemies of the gospel: idolotry and religion. 

4. Ed Young, Sr. – Ed is 70 years old and still going strong.  His focus was on having strong theology and on focusing on reaching children and teens.

For more details…check out www.tonymorganlive.com.  He posted some good detailed notes…

The music has been awesome…no shock there!

Idol Predictions Week 1

Yea…our family loves the show…and we enjoy picking who we think will get kicked off each week.  So here’s my pics for who will get the boot Thursday night:

Boys: Sanjaya Malakar & Paul Kim

Girls: Antonella Barbela & Amy Krebs

My Cheese…Change Happens

At the suggestion of a friend, I reread “Who Moved My Cheese” on the plane ride to Dallas today.  It was a great read.  It really has me thinking about change.  I’m going to start posting some thoughts on the main points of the story.

Change Happens.  We celebrate our 5th anniversary as a church this Sunday.  I admit not realizing at the beginning how much change we would go through in just 5 years.  I’ve grown to actually enjoy change…but I’ve also learned that not all people love change quite as much.  But change happens…and if the church is going to remain relevant in this world…we must be constantly changing.  Of course…the doctrines and beliefs don’t change…but the methods gotta change.  So…the way we do church…if we are not evaluating and looking for new and better ways to do it…we will stop growing….and actually go the other direction.

Toby Mac – Portable Sounds

Toby Mac’s new CD is released today.  I bought it on iTunes this morning and burned a CD for my kids before they left for school.  Toby Mac has become a family favorite at the Markle house.  Been looking forward to this new release.  I’m listening right now…so far, so good!

Office Space Wanted

Here’s a little prayer request…pray for God to provide office space for our church staff by the end of May.  We’ve been using my home for almost a year now.  It’s not terrible, but when June arrives, my wife and kids will no longer be in school and I desire for them to be able to enjoy their home during the summer…without being invaded by our staff.  I’m praying for a minimum of 600 sft that can be divided into 3 small offices.  Also, it needs to cost close to nothing

Ice, Ice Baby

Am I dating myself with that song?  Anyone remember Vanilla Ice?  I heard he was making a comeback…not a good thing

Ice played havoc on life last week and we were almost shut out of the school building for Sunday services.  The head custodian came through for us getting the sidewalks  clear and permission for us to have church.  And it was a great service.  Even with many regulars out of town or sick, we had a great attendance.  Our church is growing.  God is good!

David & Goliath

It was a David vs. Goliath epic battle.  The winless LCC men’s basketball team vs. the “Red” Team…last year’s church league champion.  Well, just like David we kicked some Goliath tail….47-32.  So watch out league…LCC is here to play!!! (did I mention that they only had 4 players?)  A win is a win!

This Sunday, we continue our heroes series and I am teaching on David and Goliath.  This classic is one we heard as kid in Sunday School or maybe a coach used it on us in a pregame speech.  But the reality is that David became a HERO because he lived by his convictions.  He firmly held onto his beliefs and he STEPPED UP!  God is looking for some david’s…maybe undersized or undertalented…but people with the conviction to step up and follow Him.

HVAC Career

We woke up to a 55 degree house this morning.  The furnace stopped sometime in the middle of the night.  I called our HVAC guy and they scheduled us for between noon and 2 pm.  So we’ve been wearing gloves in the house. 

So he just called and said his van cannot make into the back streets of my neighborhood…and by looking out at the snow and ice on our street I see why.  So he talked me through taking apart my furnace (exagerating slightly) and reading codes, banging on a few parts…anyway, we have heat now and their company is hiring…so if this pastor thing doesn’t work out…

oh yeah…the best part of this…no service call charges!!!

Favorite Churches/Pastors

Here are my current favorite churches/pastors.  This is based on a combination of hearing them speak, visiting their campus, and/or reading their books.  I’ve even borrowed a few of their sermon ideas .  Of course, the fact that Life Community Church is my favorite church is a given.

1. Fellowship Church - Ed Young
2. Saddleback Church – Rick Warren
3. Northpoint Church - Andy Stanley 
4. Life Church – Craig Groeschel
5. Mars Hill Church – Mark Driscoll

C3 Conference

Next week Josh & I are going to the Creative Church Conference at Fellowship Church in Dallas Texas.   Fellowship Church is one of my favorite churches in America (after lcc of course). I’m looking forward to this conference, we went to C3 at Fellowship 5 years ago and haven’t been back since, I’m excited to see what God has in store for us!  Some of this year’s speakers are awesome pastors of some of the most dynamic churches in America. 

Purpose-Driven or Just Driven?

This is part of the Men of Integrity devotional from Wednesday, February 7.  I added the link for this devotional to my blog.  This one hit home for me.

Key Bible Verse: We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing (Psalm 39:6).

Driven people are fanatical time managers. Living on purpose requires skillful time management, true, but not the kind that turns brittle, that attempts to quarantine most of what makes life itself—the mess, the surprise, the breakdowns, the breakthroughs. Too much rigidity stifles purpose. I find that the more I try to manage time, the more anxious I get about it. And the more prone I am to lose my purpose.

The truly purposeful manage time less and pay attention more. The most purposeful people I know rarely over-manage time, and when they do it’s usually because they’re lapsing into a loss of purpose for which they over-compensate with mere busyness. No, the distinguishing mark of the purposeful is that they notice. They’re fully awake.

Jesus, for example. He veered and strayed from one interruption to the next, with no apparent plan other than His single, overarching one: get to Jerusalem and die. But He noticed. And those driven to get and spend, to judge and exclude, He called to attention. Look at the birds! Do you see this woman? Where are the other nine?

My Response: How is my desire for efficiency hurting my relationships?

Thought to Apply: My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered the interruptions were my work.—HENRI NOUWEN (Dutch-born priest and professor)

Loyalty has a cost

Loyalty costs.  Talking about Joseph this Sunday.  He is a true hero who was loyal to his family, his boss and his God.  His loyalty had a cost.  His loyalty to his boss (Potiphar – Genesis 39) and his God put him in prison for awhile…but God had a plan…and God used that situation to raise Joseph to a greater position of influence.  Are you and I willing to pay the price of loyalty?

Feedblitz

See that feedblitz icon over there to the left?  You can subscribe to my blog there…which means you get an email to let you know when something new has been posted.  Just thought you might want to know about that new feature…

New Website is live

We’ve changed the look of our church’s website…check it out: www.lifecc.us.

24

Any 24 fans out there?  My wife and I never watched before…but we just recently purchased season 1.  We are addicted.  We’re up to 7 pm now (in the show).  We are hoping for snow…if it looks like snow tonight, we can stay up a little later tonight and get in a few extra hours…I call it quality time with my spouse.

Better than the Super Bowl!

Just a note to thank God for the great service this morning at LCC.  We had a great crowd and a great time of worship.  We had a 14 year old girl there today who never in her life had attended a church…kind of hard to fathom.  She said she really enjoyed it and plans to come back with her friend again.  It’s cool to think that her church experience at LCC will be what she thinks of now as “church.”   Even as a huge sportslover…the highlight of my day was from 10-11 am this morning!

Tribute to Tony Dungy

Just wanted to say how impressed I am with this guy.  Yea, some people claim to be a Christian and thank God casually…but this guy is the real deal.  So glad to see him win the Super Bowl and listen to what the commentators had to say about him and his faith in Christ.  What a great testimony and example he is…a true hero in my book.  Check out this site to read more: http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/

 Congratulations to the Colts!

Superbowl Predictions

Not that anyone cares what I predict…but if I wasn’t in full-time ministry, I would like to work in the Sports world for ESPN or some other entity like that.  I love watching and playing.  (We don’t want to talk about LCC’s first basketball game last night – yea we lost.)

Anyway the biggest sports event of the year is Sunday evening.  I’m looking forward to it.  How about this….Bears 31, Colts 27 with Rex Grossman as MVP.  Yea…I don’t believe that either.  It will probably be Peyton’s day of glory…and he deserves it…a great QB and he seems like a genuinely great guy.  Either way…I’m looking forward to the whole deal except for Prince at halftime. 

I saw an espn.com poll asking whether SuperBowl Sunday should be made into a national holiday…hmm…what do you think?

my old blog

I am moving to this new blog…with much better features.  So here is the link to my old blog if you want to go there.

Our *$*%&*@ Culture

That’s my attempt at simulating cursing… Two recent occurances left my head shaking just amazed at where our culture is heading.

One took place in a family restaurant…a major chain you all know about it. The cooks and servers were carrying on with all kinds of the filthiest language…very loudly where the customers (my family) who were trying to enjoy a meal could hear it. I shot a glance toward a manager…a “what’s up with that?” glance. He shushed them…

Then I was with a friend who was making a purchase a mall kiosk. The sales person was carrying on a conversation with two of his buddies while ringing up my friend’s purchase. I cannot even begin to write here what his conversation was about except that he was detailing his latest wild escapades with the opposite sex. I mean x-rated conversation. We walked away shocked. Sure we know people talk like that and about those things with their buddies…but it’s just all wide open now with no shame. How desensitized has our culture become? And where is it headed?

Church Basketball Begins

Tonight we begin our 2nd year of men’s basketball. Last year, I think our team was 1-5. So we defintely plan to improve. The games are held at Christ Chapel in Woodbridge. Click here for the schedule. We have 12 guys on our roster…looking forward to having a good time with the guys. Pray for no injuries!