Permission Slip

Recently my family made a Sunday visit at the Elevation Church Norwalk extension.  The church was started two years ago, mostly by people who had been attending Norwalk Alliance Church.  Because of that, we’ve wanted to go for a visit for a while now, and finally found the time to do so.

The week we went was week #2 of the series called “This is your permission slip”.  The premise is that the Bible is more than just a book of rules but instead it is a way to free you to live the life that God has for you .  The sermon series really hit me because oftentimes that is exactly how the outside world sees the Bible.  It’s all about the “Thou Shall Canot’s” instead of the “Thou Shall’s”.

What an idea, and something that I think we as Christians often get wrong.  We go around telling non-Christians all the things they are doing wrong instead of showing them how their lives could be as a part of God’s kingdom!

So, instead of stealing from Pastor Steven Furtick I’m going to point you to the sermon series and let you hear/watch his sermons:

http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/this-is-your-permission-slip

Be Proud

Anyone who has been to Norwalk Alliance Church in first service when my family is there knows one thing for sure.  My daughter Abby is extremely proud when she gets to participate in the service.  Every week for years now during the announcements the person leading them will say, “We're the Norwalk Alliance Church and we’re…”, and this is where the congregation responds:  “Living the Call together.”  Abby loves to make sure she’s heard during this and does so without a second thought.

The other week when she did this and the congregation was once again amused by her boldness, it had me thinking.  Here Abby is, showing not only how proud she is to know the response, but she also has an idea of what it actually means to live the call together.  She’s willing to put herself out there in front of everyone and has no qualms about it. 

What if the rest of us Christians were as equally bold out in the world every day?  What if we were not afraid to let everyone know that we lived our lives for Christ and wanted to share them with others?  What if we stopped worrying about what everyone else around us thought and instead just lived our lives for Him?

It’s something to think about, isn’t it?  I’m not saying I’m perfect, as I’m just as far from this as everyone else.  Yet, what a goal that would be, to be so proud of living my life for Christ that I made sure everyone else knew where I stand.  Not just by a bumper sticker I have on the car, a sign in the yard, or a t-shirt that I wear .  Instead, you could just see me and know where I stand, and who I stand for!  If only we could all be so proud.

Background

From time to time I like to spotlight a song that really moves me in a spiritual way.  I know that often my tastes aren’t going to match up with those of some of the readers, but at the same time I feel that the right lyrics can really hit someone and make them look differently at their spiritual walk.

That is why I’m bringing up the song “Background” by Lecrae this week in this blog.  The first time I heard this song I enjoyed the beat.  At that point the words to the song didn’t really hit me, though they have since then.  See what I mean below:

It's evident You run the show, so let me back down.

You take the leading role, and I'll play the background.

I know I miss my cues, know I forget my lines

I'm sticking to Your script, and I'm reading all Your signs.

I don't need my name in lights.  I don't need a starring role.

And why gain the whole wide world, if I'm just gon' loose my soul.

And my ways ain't purified, I'll live according to Your Word.

I can't endure this life without Your wisdom being heard.

So word to every dancer for a pop star,

Cause we all play the background, but mine's a Rock Star.

Yeah. So if you need me I'll be stage right.

Prayin' the whole world will start embracing stage fright.

So let me fall back and stop giving my suggestions

Cause when I follow my obsessions I end up confessing.

That I'm not that impressive, matter of fact I'm who I are.

A trail of star dust leading to the Superstar.

After I actually heard the words to this song, it really hit me.  This is more than just a good tune, it’s a call to my heart to do the exact same thing.  There are many times in my life when I try to take control and not allow God to work.  I try to be the headliner in the story of my life instead of allowing God to take center stage.  I try to run the finances and I don’t allow God to bless the family.  I run the schedule of the day-to-day stuff instead of letting God take control.  And that list of things can go on and on over and over again.  I may not always try to take control, but I definetly do at least here and there.

So, is it time for you to play the background in your life?  Maybe you’ve tried to take control, but now realize that it isn’t your show to headline?  When we truly give up that starring role and allow God to take charge it is amazing the blessings we will realize.  The question is, are you willing to give up that control?

If you want to hear the whole song along with the lyrics check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZosXYJYV8c

God bless!

And So It Begins...

Sunday at Norwalk Alliance Church we had the privilege of having an installation ceremony during the service. We officially installed Michael Bochman as our new pastor of family ministries, his wife Amy as worship leader, and Wayne & Christa Mushett as pastor (and wife) of the Sandusky initiative. It is an exciting time for the church as we really get to focus on what God is doing in our church and the communities in which we serve. Yet, with all the excitement and pageantry we have to remember that we’re just getting started here. We have only a glimmer of God’s plan, and so we have to enjoy this time but realize that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There will be times of joy and times of struggle along the way. Still, getting to start on this new part of the road that He has forged for us is a great feeling for everyone involved, and I pray that you will walk the road with us as we continue to push forward with the plan we feel God has for our church.

Speaking of roads, there is something else starting today in Norwalk. That is right, school has started back again! The day that many children dread, and parents that have been dealing with their kids all summer see as a national holiday! With this I wanted to note something that I feel is very important. Although we are sending our children to school to get their education, still our job is not done. Some of the most important learning kids will do is taught at home and at church. If you are limiting the teaching of your children to what they are learning at school then you are doing them a disservice. Remember that people in this country have been pushing God out of school, so these kids aren’t going to learn about Him there! The learning about God has to come from home and church. Children will learn not only from your teaching them directly, but they’ll also learn from watching you. Trust me, I know! I kept telling my kids not to crack their knuckles and that it was bad for them. So, of course they do….as I kept doing it in front of them. Same thing can happen when teaching about God. If you have them read the Bible, do devotions, etc., but you are swearing all the time, have adult magazines around the house, or are watching shows you shouldn’t be, etc., then your kids aren’t going to see God in your life. You have to set the example, be the example, and teach how to be an example.

Speaking of examples, the last thing I wanted to discuss today is Back to Church Sunday. September 18^th our church will be partnering with many other churches in Norwalk in an effort to reach those that haven't been going to any church in the area. We’re opening our arms and just asking people to come back to church and see if we’re the church for them. No, we don’t care which church you attend, just go ahead and try one out. Think of Norwalk as your church dressing room. Go ahead and try on a pair and if it doesn’t fit, see if you can find another that does fit. In order for any of us to say that God is important to us then I think that spending time with other believers should be very important. To me going through life without other believers is like practicing to play basketball without ever practicing on a hoop. Sure you can do some of the drills correctly, but there will be weaknesses in your game. Your spiritual life can be the same way, there will be weakness – and those are what the enemy looks to expose. It’s my prayer that we can reach people for Christ. You can help, just reach out to someone you know and invite them to your church, or any church for that matter. They might not attend, but your goal should be to make the effort to ask, and let God work to get them through the door. (Though it’s ok if you give them a ride if they need it! J)

As I said in the title, and so it begins. These are exciting times for everyone. We’re not just opening up doors to churches, we’re knocking down walls to the community and the world. Schools are starting, and although most kids won’t admit it, they are probably thrilled to see friends they have lost contact with over the summer. Churches are changing and evolving to do more of God’s work. So, what is new in your life? What exciting things are happening with you now? What new things have happened with you lately that you are excited about? So it begins….

Unedited

So normally when I write my weekly Momentum I have a very good friend/fellow NAC elder and ex English teacher Larry Lepard read through and correct all my errors. I know that I’m not the best grammatically and spelling also gets messed up from time to time. Well, this week I decided to do something different, I’m going to be unedited. The sentence structure may be a bit off, and my punctuation is probably going to be horrible, but at the same time I don’t care, at least not this week.

I wanted to do this week unedited for one important reason. I wanted to show that we don’t have to be perfect to present the Gospel of Christ to the world. You don’t have to cross every I and dot every t. (Yes, I did that on purpose) There are times that I feel that we get so caught up in how perfect everything has to be that we miss out on an opportunity. We can also turn off someone because we’re trying to be too perfect and the person we’re trying to reach isn’t a perfect type of person.

So, to keep this short and limit my mistakes I’ll end with this thought: Although doing things as close to perfect is an admirable goal, don’t let that search for perfection become THE goal. The goal should always be going out and reaching the lost for Christ. We are called to do this and nothing should stand in our way of communicating His love for the world, to the world…not even how we communicate.

Get The Message

So, on Sunday I was the "elder of the day" at Norwalk Alliance Church. I expounded upon a message that I have felt God screaming at me to talk about during my time in front of the congregation. I feel so strongly about this right now that I am going to include a written version of this in today's blog....I hope you don't mind.

First off I'd like you to take out your cell phone. I'd like you to put that in your right hand, and get our your Bible and put that in your left hand. I want you to look at your hands right now, as we compare these two items.

Both the Bible and the cell phone both have messages for you. On the cell phone you have voice mail messages, text messages, and most even can get e-mail messages these days. Some people even have a Bible application on their cell. Now, I want you to look at your Bible. This book also has a message for you. It's a message of hope, peace, and your salvation. It's all about how you should live your lives, bringing others along the journey.

My question for you today is, why do we all spend so much time with the messages on the cell phone? Why is it that we'll drop everything else we're doing in order to check out the message that is on that cell phone, but we're not willing to do the same with the guidebook for each and every one of our lives? I've seen people check out their cell because it sounded or vibrated everywhere from a concert, a sporting event, a restroom, to even in church. Why do we continue to allow these distractions into our lives when we aren't so quick to answer His call? His message is just waiting to be read every day, and yet we aren't nearly as fast to check out the Bible as we are our cell phones.

When we start to make Him a priority in our lives, maybe then we'll start to see a change in our focus. Maybe then we'll allow God to work more and more in our lives. I'm not saying that the messages on the phone aren't important, but I am saying that they need to be prioritized correctly. When we get that under control and allow God into our lives more and more, then we'll feel His presence more and more each and every day.