Continuing Confessions of a Pastor....

Took my boys out fishing this afternoon. Gorgeous sunset. Tides were beautiful... Boat fired up right away.... (WOW!) Perfect afternoon for a dad and his boys right? What better time to teach the boys about manhood, Godliness, etc...?
So why do I find myself, five minutes into the adventure, angry at my boys for not paying more attention at the instructions I now find myself barking out like some drill sergeant?
Don't get me wrong... There was a time not to long ago that I found it hard to be passionate about anything in life and I am so thankful to God for restoring my intensity... I want to be a passionate communicator about the Good News of Jesus. But oh how I want to be a loving father as my heavenly father is with me.
What if God hammered me when I was trying to "get it right?" God help me see the bigger picture with my beautiful young boys....
I want to be a part of molding them into fine, passionate, Christ-following young men!

God help me to find the balance between intensity, discipline, love and mercy.....

Just keeping it real and coveting your prayers!

Character Over Giftedness; The Rare Find!

In an age where giftedness wins over character seemingly most of the time, it is refreshing to see the media share a great example of self-less-ness...

Yeah, I know... It's Bama football, but it's still worth reading!

It's so refreshing to see the potential of teens with character!

http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2008/10/a_heartwarming_story_on_roy_up.html

Fireproofing Our Marriages....

I hope everyone is enjoying the Fireproof series. The movie's impact has been extremely positive in our community and church. But as we all know, emotions fade. So how do we consistently work toward an awesome marriage? Let's look at the life-changing Word of God!

Take a look at James 3
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Let's apply these principles to our marriage and other relationships:
Wisdom- The knowledge that comes from experience that brings success.
The big Key? Godly wisdom based in humility and obedience to God out of love. (v13)
The Enemy? Humanistic wisdom based on my needs and desires. (v14) The Bible warns us that exercising cultural(earthly) wisdom is opening our relationships to Satan's attack! (v14)
The Result? Earthly Wisdom- Disorder, confusion, and sin... Doesn't that reflect a lot of our marriages and relationships today? Again, James reiterates in verse 16 that these results are based in envy and selfish ambition.
God's Wisdom is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine purity in your marriage!
Imagine a peace-loving partner!
Imagine more consideration in your relationships!
Imagine loving submission!
FULL of mercy!
Good results, fairness and sincere, deep love!

In the words of Tim Mcgraw.
I like it!
I love it!
I want some more of it!

God may we write your words on the tablets of your heart!

May we as Christ-followers be the torch bearers for marriage!

Love ya'll!

On The Move... Pt. 2

Happy 6th Birthday DCCC!
And what a ride it has been!
I first want to thank God for all that He has done in and through DCCC! All that is good, fruitful and lasting comes from our loving merciful Father because I know it cannot be me!!! LOL!

I secondly want to recognize my team here at DCCC. Our staff is truly a dream team and have handled this transition with the utmost excellence and professionalism. It's been so cool for me to feed off of the energy of my team. They have truly been my encouragers through a tough decision making process as we took this leap of faith to move to a larger venue. Our first weekend service went extremely smooth and I can't wait to see our team spread it's wings using the new tool that God has blessed us with in our facilities.

Finally, I want to thank the body of DCCC as a whole. As I said on Sunday morning, the greatest celebration of our church is the relationships that have been formed. Real people sharing real love..... Far beyond an hour on Sunday... It's knowing all of you that makes this journey so rewarding. Being encouraged when Paul tells the "Ironmen" lat night how much he loves the group.... Hearing Camille talking about walking across the room to share her faith and hearing the excitement as a kid on Christmas morning.... Seeing almost 80 people show up to watch the "Fireproof" movie together and laugh and cry.... Doing life together...

Authentic people....
Authentic relationships...
Real love....
From a real, living and DEEPLY loving God!

IN closing let me remind all of our DCCC family that change is always a challenge but we are still the church and we are ready to charge the hill for Jesus, our Leader!

Love you guys!

Steve

On The Move- Pt. 1

It's hard to belive that we are entering our 7th year of the ministry of Deep Creek Community church... Wow! All I can say is thank you Jesus! It is definitely His mercy, favor and grace that has sustained us and made us fruitful.

I'd like to just share some random thoughts that you might find interesting.

Mike, Em, Ann, Steve, Sarah, Kennny, Jewel, Sandy and Diane sitting in a living room, dreaming about a church... A place that was different... A place that is about real love... Not buildings nor traditions but real relationships that go beyond a "Sunday morning thing." A place where people from all religious or irreligious backgrounds could gather together in search for a Living God!

Over 6 years ago... Wow... A handful of people with not just a dream, but a hunger... A hunger to see true measurable change in our lives and the lives of our community!

And now.... 300+ people later. I'd like to think that we at DCCC have been an agent through which the gospel has been revealed.

But we are not satisfied! We press toward the mark! We look at CPAC (Center for Performing Arts) and see merely a tool to further our potential to reach people who desperately need the love of God!

Let's pray that year 7 will be a year of harvest as we do our best to turn unchurched and unplugged people into totally devoted followers of Jesus!

Let's GO!

Get Struck By Lighten-ing!

Are you as amazed by the power of humor as much as I am?

When Sandy cook our youth pastor let me watch the Tim Hawkins DVD a few months ago it was truly a medicine that I needed. I was amazed at the stress relief I felt after laughing so hard. And with no guilt on top of that! No crude jokes, sexual inuendo, prejudice, etc..... Just good, clean, wholesome fun!

I think Christ followers need a good dose of a merry heart! I believe God wants to strike us with "lighten-ing" not lightning.

Consider these points from the Word of God:

A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (amplified)

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)

29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:29-30

Don't get me wrong.... Following Jesus is not a promise of E-Z street. In fact we are told that we will suffer with Christ. But check out the promise from 2 Corinthians 1:

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

The pressure is off and the promise is on!

God promises for every thing we may suffer for Him there is more comfort available!

In conclusion, think about this question:

Would my life be better or worse if I lighten up a bit?

Relationships? Finances? Spiritual Walk? Life in General?

Think about this quote from E.E. Cummings:

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

So now I'm gonna go look in the mirror and laugh a little bit!

Love ya!

Take A Break!

Who needs a break?
YOU DO!
After a great two weeks with my family in July I am beginning to see the absolute necessity of Sabbath and sabbatical. It's been a few years since we took a "real" vacation and I am to blame for that.

If we look at the rhythm of Jesus' life we see the requirements for rest, solitude and just "gettin' away" fo a while. Many times throughout scripture Jesus would pace himself with a refueling time after teaching and helping people. We also see that He spent forty days alone camping just to get ready to begin His ministry! Now we understand this was not all fun and games but He was also away from the pace of everyday life.
Jesus understood that to be at our best we must have rest! Rest for the body, mind and spirit.
Ask yourself these questions:
How's my pace?
Am I passionate about my purpose on this planet?
Do i wake up each day with the tank full or am I running on fumes?
Do I have a day set aside to refuel my body, mind and spirit?

You owe it to yourself to understand the principle of sabbath!
Make the break!

Silent Permission For Kids?

While watching the final few minutes of "Leave it to Beaver" (the movie), I found myself questioning the boundaries of parental censorship. I was bothered by some scenes that I found questionable for my 6, 8, and even 10 year old to see.
References to making out, sneaking out, lying to parents, were all directly or indirectly referred to. I found myself in a battle of what was acceptable and what was not.
The key question:
Is my lack of commentary or condemnation of such unacceptable standards really silent permission to my children for the decisions ahead? In other words is my lack of objection a stamp of approval? Am I saying to my kids that if Beaver does it, it can't be all that bad, right? It's not so much that the overall storyline is immoral, but this "winking" at the grey areas of life.
Romans 1 says this:
"28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

Again, it's not that Beaver promotes these dangers but is it the first step of a slippery slope for us as parents? Am I being to cautious or not enough?

Conclusion:
We have been appointed by the Father to raise our kids.
We must be DILIGENT to be good stewards of this time and responsibility.
What's the harm in being protective?
What's the harm in being too loose?

Here's some steps I think we can all use!

• Pray- pray for God's wisdom, direction and most importantly His love!
• Pay- Pay close attention to what your children watch, do and say! We must guard against the enemy!
• Play- Get involved in the games your kids play! Look for any opportunity to teach biblical truths!
• Pray- Pray that God would guide their footsteps and protect them from the attacks of the enemy! Don't forget to teach your kids to pray!

I'll bever forget hearing the awesome powerful prayers of my mom as she petitioned for me and my sister!

Hang in there! It's worth it!

Love 'em to life!

Simple Life Follow Up!

So last month we completed our series on our quest for the "simple life." Here's a brief review for all of us as we try to declutter our lives and make it more "google-esque." (My uber-sweet word of the day!)
Priorities!
Define what 's most important. Cut out any activities that don't help you reach your purpose!
Plants!
Remain in the vine! That's the source of our strength and focus. His love!
Perspective
As we remain in the love of Jesus we will begin to see life through His eyes. People become less irritating. Material wants fade as we focus on meaningful , authentic relationships with God and those we love.

Conclusion:
Your being is more important than your doing!
Remember Jesus' question:
"Who do people say I am?"

Who are you?

Who am I?

The Battle in our Schools

While watching the PBS series "Carrier" I was reminded of a recent incident with my own kids that is indicative if the battle we are fighting.

"Carrier" is a documentary that follows life on a Navy Carrier. Last night they were showing the various "religions" celebrated on the ship. I thought it very interesting that there was a recognized group of witches included in the list.

In March my kid's school would not allow us to pass out an invite to our Easter Egg hunt because it also mentioned our Easter service. Yet my kids were watching a movie about a young girl "witch" who becomes a mail carrier and delivers mail on her broom. My 5 year old began to tell me about this exciting movie. No protests by faculty there, I guess. I was crushed.


I pray.... Jesus am I over-reacting? Am I being life-giving in my response? How can I be a positive light in such dark times? Do I just pull my kids from public school and let it deteriorate or do I fight for the freedoms we once enjoyed in America?

This is just one of my personal struggles that I am praying that God's Word will shed light on in "The Battle" series this month!

Jesus is the Hope and Light of our world!

I'M A BLOGGIN'

Welcome to the world premiere of my "long-awaited" blog!
Oh well,... I've been waiting a long time. :)

I hope you'll join me from time to time as I share insights from my perspective.

I'd Love to here your thoughts!

TGBTG