blastOFF :: It's In The Books

Wow, what a day!  I have to admit that the emotion of the day and the lack of sleep from last night has kept me from really being able to put thoughts to one of the most incredible days of my life.  My wedding, the birth of my kids and now the birth of a church.  I hope to be able to put my thoughts to words a little better later.

If you were part of today's dedication service, I'd like to start a thread of conversation where we share our thoughts and feelings about today.  Post a comment, get the ball rolling.  This will help all of us see the "largeness" of the day.  If you are getting this posting by email, go to www.pray2launch.blogspot.com and let us know about your experience.  It's simple and fast...just click on the "Comments" tab and write out your thoughts.

I will write more later and I'll be moving my posts over to www.springstalk.blogspot.com shortly.  Thank you for commitment to pray for us during the past three weeks.  I hope that the experience was as meaningful for you as it has been for me.  God bless and let's get the discussion rolling.

prayTODAY ::

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

dayTWENTY-ONE :: It's Here

It's here.

It's His.

I've gotta go.

prayTODAY::

Don't forget to pray for all those pesky details today.  And for us to realize it's really all about Him and we just get to ride the ride.  Thank you for lifting us up for the past 21 days.  Our prayer is that this pray2launch was a launch2pray for everyone involved.

I'll post one more recap later today or tomorrow, but other than that this blog is officially done!

dayTWENTY :: Let Tomorrow Be Tomorrow

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

Most of us have a tendency to let "worry about tomorrow" creep into our minds from time to time.  Today is no less one of those days.  As I type this, I'm installing video software to finish up a video for tomorrow.  In less than 11 hours, we will meet the PCI guys to get our trailer and begin the process of merging our systems together for tomorrow.  I've got banners all over my dining room for tomorrow.  I've got a presentation to build for tomorrow.  If I'm not careful, I may miss today for tomorrow.

We are only responsible for today - no matter how big tomorrow may be.  I want to be in the moment, in the day.  You just never know what God might slip into today.  May we stay focused on the more important things, as Mary did, and not get caught up in getting the "house ready" with all the little things.  It's a big weekend - all of it.  Don't miss a moment.

prayTODAY ::

Pray for the little stuff, but don't sweat it.  Pray for the details that need to get done get done.  Pray that our minds be focused and our bodies full of energy.  Pray for our community - many of which may be deciding about tomorrow.  Pray that you not miss a moment of today, we'll get to tomorrow tomorrow.

dayNINETEEN :: No Bricks No Mortar

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.  From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.  'For in him we live and move and have our being.'"

Acts 17:24-28

When I was a kid growing up in a conservative denomination of Christianity, I remember phrases like "Don't run in the church, this is God's house!" and "Shhhh, you're in the Lord's house."  I grew up with a picture in my head of God coming out of the shadows after everyone had left the building and turning up the organ, running through the halls and just enjoying himself (because nothing fun was happening while I was around).  Today, our view is much different.  We understand that the building does not house the presence of God, but the people do.  If there are no people, the building is just a building.  We rent out space, set up the drums and guitars, get out the fun stuff for the kids, make the coffee and eat the donuts...oh how the deacons of my youth might cringe.

In our passage today, Paul is preaching to the Greeks at what we refer to as Mars Hill (a philosophical flea market of the day).  He notices that in addition to all the gods of the Greeks, there is one altar marked "To the Unknown God."  Paul can't let this go, and spends a few minutes explaining the "unknown god."  Paul's statement about God not dwelling in a temple made by human hands carries significant weight because of the statement that follows.  If he doesn't dwell there, then where does he?  Instead, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.  So, instead of being in a building He lives within a people.  Now he makes an incredible declaration:  from one man He made everyone, and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  Wow.  From the beginning of time, He has appointed our very time in history and the place where we live.  If He appointed where I live, then I didn't.  But I picked the school district, the neighborhood, the floor-plan.  Oh, but He knew and has been working in us to bring about His appointment of our "land."

Neighborhood Life is founded on the belief that Paul's statement about God is true for you and for me.  He appointed me to live in Cedar Landing and you to live in Magnolia Creek, and Bay Colony, and Westover Park, etc..  Why?  So that people may seek Him and perhaps find Him because He is not far from any one of us.  It's in Him we live and move and have our being.  

prayTODAY ::

Pray today for your neighborhood.  For the families that you can call by name, pray for them specifically.  Ask God to continue to open doors to get to know the people you live next to, and the people you work next to, and the people you play next to.  Pray for those who come to our church to catch that vision and do the same, so that some may reach out and seek Him and find Him.

dayEIGHTEEN :: Strength and Waiting

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

prayTODAY ::
Pray for the excitement that is building for this weekend. Three days from now we will be setting up and awaiting our first guests to the Y. Ask God to give you a holy excitement for that day - an anticipation of Him doing great things, a sensitivity to those who may come and a passion to see this church flourish. May strength continue to rise as we wait on Him - both personally and corporately.

daySEVENTEEN :: Father and Favoritism

My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith.  If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him,  and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row,"  haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted? 

Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God.

James 2:1-5

This morning, as I thought about our launch team, I thought about this passage in James.  James was the leader of the Jerusalem church and he is writing to all of the believers in Jesus who had been spread out from Jerusalem during the persecution.  The message is clear for James: favoritism has no place in the kingdom that Jesus has established.  For us, this message rings true in our culture and in our world.  It's easy to get sucked into the us versus them mentality in our culture and believe that because we go to church that we are in some way better than others.  We are not.  Every person is an image-bearer of the One who created us.  Each of us carry in ourselves the breath of the one who exhaled life into our bones.  Every person who enters the Y on Sunday mornings, every person who walks into your office during the week, every person who drives into a garage in your neighborhood.  No person on this earth escaped the breath of God and was created outside His image.  No one.

Part of being in the position we are in as a new church means that we will be visited by many different people wanting to know where we stand on issues and how we will respond to people in their situation - rich or poor, black or white, married or divorced, gay or straight, clean or hooked.  Our response ought to clearly be the response of Jesus with everyone we encounter.  Our arms of welcome are open to everyone.  Our commitment to God's truth is unwavering.  Part of "loving your neighbor as yourself" includes loving people who are different than us in ridiculous ways sometimes.  Our church may one day be ridiculed for our love for people and our acceptance of people, and that is okay.  We will be in some pretty good company at that point.

prayTODAY ::

Spend some time with Father this morning asking where you need to grow in the areas of acceptance and love for others.  Then confess and repent of wrong attitudes, asking for His strength to be the kind of person he wants you to be.  Every person connected to The Springs plays an important part in others understanding the truth about who we are as a church.  May favoritism be far removed, though criticism may be right around the corner.

daySIXTEEN :: Comfort and Trust

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 15:13

When all is going well it's easy to trust God, right?  When your family is all healthy and your bills are getting paid and you even have a little "nest egg" for security, it's easy to trust God.  But is that really trusting God?  For some, definitely.  For most, maybe not.  Throughout the Bible, we see that God is continually knocking people out of their proverbial comfort zones to get them to trust Him.  Adam and Eve are removed from their garden of comfort.  Abraham is asked to leave his country of comfort.  Joseph is tossed from his family of comfort.  Job has his physical comfort removed.  Saul loses his mental comfort.  David loses his moral comfort.  Then in the New Testament, James and John lose their financial comfort.  Peter loses his fighting comfort.  Paul loses his persecuting comfort.  This list is long.  There seems to be something about comfort that takes our focus and dependence off of the Father.  Now, I'm not suggesting that comfort, in itself, is a bad thing, but it does produce in us an environment of apathy and self-sustainability.  And it's in those moments or seasons of discomfort that people discover that their true comfort lies in the One who doesn't shift and doesn't wane.  

In our situation with The Springs, our comfort level is being tested.  We are currently about $15,000 dollars short of the total capital cost for our project.  We are up against deadlines that were comfortably out in front of us 3 months ago.  God has continually blessed us in many different ways - like providing materials and services instead of money, and we are amazed at the sacrificial commitments people have made to see this thing come to fruition.  Now we are in that place of discomfort.  And our prayer is that the God of hope fill us all with joy and peace as we trust in Him.  Why?  So we can pay the bills?  No.  So we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot make the payment of bills the end goal - even though it may be a temporary one.

prayTODAY ::

Pray today for the financial situation of our team.  Pray that new givers will arise and that those who have been waiting for an opportunity to give will see it clearly in these days.  Pray that God will not just send givers, but partners in the mission of our church, and that they too would be Springs where they live and work and play.

dayFIFTEEN :: Builders and

A PILGRIM SONG OF SOLOMON

  If GOD doesn't build the house,

the builders only build shacks.

If GOD doesn't guard the city,

the night watchman might as well nap. 

It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,

and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don't you know he enjoys

giving rest to those he loves?

Psalm 127:1-2 (The Message)

There is this story about a corn farmer named Ray who hears a voice in his corn field one day, "If you build it, he will come."  He then interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of infamous baseball players from the 1919 Chicago Whites Sox team that were banned from the game for throwing the World Series.  The field was built and the players came.

Now, our story's not so simple, but we are building something.  We are creating environments in which God can build His church...our church.  If God doesn't do the building, then we only build cheap shacks that won't last.  This was true for Solomon, maybe the most affluent king in Israel's history, and it's true for us today.  If we try to build disciples, we will only build mere shadows of what God wants in our lives.  We can't protect, but He can.  It doesn't do us any good to work harder and harder until we are worn out, only to do the same thing again, and again, and again.  God will give us rest.  He enjoys giving it to us.  Right now we work, and we work hard, but the rest is coming.

This is all why it is so important that we be spiritually positioned to begin our newest part of the journey this weekend.  God wants to move in the Springs.  God wants to build.  It's what He does.  We must ensure that we are moldable pieces of clay for Him to channel his blessings back to others.  

Toward the end of the movie, Field of Dreams, "Moonlight" Graham says, "You know we just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening.  Back then I thought, well, there'll be other days.  I didn't realize that was the only day."  Embrace this day, this venture.  Only a few of us will be able to look back in 10 years and say, we prayed for this to happen.  We worked for this to happen.  We knew it was big and we embraced the moment, and God built this incredible church out of this ragtag group of Christ-followers!

prayTODAY ::

Today, pray for the leadership team at the YMCA.  We are asking God to bless them and their ministry in this new facility.  They have done the task of building the building, now they are reaping some of the benefits of seeing people come into the building and begin their fitness journeys.  Jamie Scaffidi is the Executive Director.  Candace Rudy and Erin Shaw (Senior Program Directors), Kari Murphy (Office Director), Jennifer Tobleman and Steven Kelly (Program Directors), Blake Knight (Membership Director), Meredith Adcock (Executive Administrative Assistant), Brandy Taylor (Program Coordinator).  What great friends of The Springs!

You might even drop them an email and let them know you are praying for them today.  They would be encouraged.  Their email addresses are firstletterfirstname+lastname@ymcahouston.org (ex. jscaffidi@ymcahouston.org).

dayFOURTEEN :: Peace Be Peace, Water Be Water

I rejoiced with those who said to me,

"Let us go to the house of the LORD." 

Our feet are standing

in your gates, Jerusalem.

  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

"May those who love you be secure. 

May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels." 

For the sake of my friends and of all the people,

I will say, "Peace be within you." 

For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 122:1-2, 6-9

What a fitting psalm for our journey today.  While most of us might be wrapped up in football games, family time or any other thing that might cause us to forget about our journey, this psalm is an excellent reminder for what tomorrow brings.  I am full of joy with those how say, "Let's go to the House of God!"  How many times have I heard the question, "When are you starting your church?"  As much as I believe we started months ago, I know what people are asking.  When people asked me last year, when our baby was due, I didn't snap back with, "What do you mean due?  He's been alive for 5 months."  I understand, partly because I get it.  I, too, can't wait to see who God brings through the doors at the Y next Sunday...sounds weird doesn't it?  Next Sunday.  Our feet are just standing in the gates, aren't they?

We are to pray for the peace of our community of believers, just as the Israelites prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.  Okay.  "Lord, give our church peace.  Amen."  Done.  While God may know more than what we actually pray, I think there is a little more to this.  The pilgrim in Psalm 122 is on a journey to Jerusalem.  An interesting note here is that the "City of Peace" didn't always experience peace.  We must remember this in our journey - Church at the Springs, may not always be living out the truth that we are the Church at the springs where we are.  We must pray that we be who we have been named, not because Cameron and I thought up a great name, but because we are living out the truth of who we are because of Jesus.

If you have a living relationship with Jesus, you are a spring.  You have within you the life meant to overflow, not lay stagnant.  Jesus wants you and me to live in that reality.  He has placed us where he has placed us so He can be near when people reach out for him in the dark...and just maybe they can find Him there.  Be the spring that you are, just as the psalmist wanted Jerusalem to be who they were.

prayTODAY ::

Pray today for Neighborhood Life.  Pray for God to prompt the hearts of our launch team to provide table experiences for the people who will be coming to The Springs.  Starting in January, we need to have as many neighborhoods ready to host a table gathering as possible.  Ask God to help us all catch a vision for our neighborhood that takes into account the truth that we are springs, meant to bring water where we are!

dayTHIRTEEN :: One Thing

This is what the LORD says: 

"Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

or the strong boast of their strength

or the rich boast of their riches, 

but let those who boast boast about this:

that they understand and know me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,"

declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (TNIV)

"A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." 

John 10:10 (The Message)

Real, Eternal, More, Better.

Real, is life lived wholly devoted to knowing Him. Eternal, the evidence of the greatest transaction the world has ever known. More, not consumed by the "cants" of life, but spurred on by the joy of being a child. Better, a life filled with purpose, contentment, and hope.

Thats what intimacy with God brings... joy and hope. Deep down. Not the kind determined by circumstances.

I want to know God, and be found pursuing Him when His Kingdom comes on this earth. I want to be found seeking His face, not His hand or plan. I find Him when I seek Him with all my heart. How true to His Word He is! Hes not playing keep away. I am moved by how much He wants to be found. Hosea 10:12 tells us that it is time to seek the Lord. Lets seek. Lets find. Lets press on to know Him.

Thats the one thing in life to boast about: knowing the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23,24 have been life verses for me since I was in college. Pursuing and knowing Him, I believe, are the keys to intimacy with God. I want the more and better. Its in intimate moments with Him that He quiets me with His love. Its there that He rejoices over me with singing.

Sam Perry is a songwriter, lead worshipper at Grand Parkway Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas.

prayTODAY ::

Pray today for F.I.T., our First Impressions Team.  These people are taking the responsibility for transforming the YMCA into a church.  Pete Trivanovich and Wayne Faircloth are responsible for the Trailer/Set-up, Craig Himmelsehr is out in the Parking Lot.  Laura Strood heads up F.I.T. on Sunday mornings in the lobby, and her team includes - Ron and Connie Sillavan, Cheryl Faircloth, and June Culver.  Pray that God fill them up to overflowing that so they will be the types of people that demonstrate and model the welcome spirit of the Springs.

dayTWELVE :: Love God Love Others

Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only! Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got! Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

For the Israelites, this is their mission statement. This is their primary objective - to love GOD with all that they have. You may have heard the verse stated this way, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This one verse is so central to the heart of God that Jesus named it as the single most important commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).

For the follower of God over five thousand years ago, these words were repeated in living rooms, on the way to the grocery store, in the morning getting ready for school and at bedside in the evenings. Today, you and I still affirm the great truth of this passage and seek to pass that along to our children. Our "shema" today are the words of Jesus in Matthew to not only love the Lord with all that we are, but to also love our neighbors. Everything we do at The Springs ought to be driven by these two commands. Everything we do as The Springs should also be driven by these commands - love God; love others.

As a church, our commitment is to help parents talk about these things with their kids in the everyday environments of life - when we are sitting at home, when we are driving in the car, when we wake them up in the mornings and when we tuck them in at night. It's more than just saying a prayer at bedtime. It's investing in the greatest investment opportunity we have been given - our kids!

prayTODAY ::

Pray today for our Kids@TheSprings community of volunteers. Kris McLendon is serving as our director. There is a lot to get done in the next 9 days, so ask God for peace and assurance for her and her team - it can seem daunting. Squirts team members include: Shannon Harris, Andrea Himmelsehr, Bev Trivanovich, Rebekah Faircloth, Josh & Rebecca Mourot, Nik Trivanovich and Nicholas Bourgeois. KidSplash! team members include: Renee Bourgeois, John McLendon, Mike Culver, Cade Culver, Jacob Simmons, Alex Trivanovich and Royce Sillavan. Take some time to pray for each person today, that God would prepare their hearts for this incredible adventure.

dayELEVEN :: Pray For Us

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.  And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.  May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.  - 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Yesterday, I had one of those parental defense moments.  We were eating lunch after the dedication service at the YMCA, and we had Graysen, our 8 month old with us.  It was the first time we put him in a high-chair at a restaurant, and he was doing great.  I fed him, then we got our food.  Rhonda needed some more gravy, so the waiter was brought her some.  When she set the gravy down, she set it right in front of Graysen.  An eight-month-old boy is going to reach out and grab anything within reach and often things that are out of reach...right?  As soon as she put it down, he went for it.  His hand went in and she said to Rhonda, "It's hot."  As soon as I heard that, I saw Graysen's little hand in the gravy and I reached in and grabbed his hand and he started crying and I had something well up inside me that was not pretty.  I wanted to say very ugly things to this woman who just did something incredibly irresponsible for a waiter, and my son was in pain.

In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, he has one of those "parental defense moments."  He wants to encourage them, but he knows that there are people out to get him and there will be people out to get them as well.  He has been addressing serious issues for this little church, and now he turns his focus just a little.  I am grateful that he does so, because I think we need to hear this message today.  Just as Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray, we are asking you to "pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored."  We believe that we have a clear vision for the people of League City West, and that simple vision is what drives us - to see the presence of Jesus active in every neighborhood in our community.  We want the message of the Lord to spread rapidly and be honored.  So pray toward that end for us.

Paul also knew that wicked and evil people were going to be after them because not everyone had faith.  While Paul actually had real people after him, you and I will have different "people" after us.  Make no mistake, we have an enemy and he is real.  Just as sure as our vision is to see the presence of Jesus active in every neighborhood, he does not want to see this happen.  Some of the people that he will send after us are named: gossip, slander, laziness, materialism, greed, lust, divorce, drunkenness, divisiveness, doubt, etc..  There is nothing that the enemy will not throw at us in hopes to take our sites off the goal.  We must pray for protection.  The Lord is faithful and he will strengthen us and protect us from the evil one - the enemy.  Our confidence lies not in the plan, but in the person of Jesus Christ, and we will continue to do the things that the Lord has given us to do.  Oh, may He direct our hearts into His love and Christ's perseverance in these days.

prayTODAY ::

Pray for your pastors today.  Cameron and Brad need your covering of prayer.  Ask God to keep them pure in their hearts and in their minds, that they may be able to discern what His will is for them personally, for their families and for The Springs.  Pray that God would protect their marriages and not allow any of the hard work to drive a wedge between them and their spouses.  Call on the Lord to keep their families strong, and their kids to be strong and courageous in their own way during the launch of the new church.  Pray for them to be the leaders that God has called them to be.

dayTEN :: Poured On and Splashing Over

And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. - 1Thessalonians 3.12 (The Message)

What an encouragement given to a young church plant by the apostle Paul.  It wasn't that they did not have love, and he was petitioning the Master to give them something they were lacking.  No.  They were full of love and Paul wants the Master to continue to pour on the love.  This ought to be our cry.  Paul wants the love to be poured on them for two reasons.

First he wants to see them grow in their love for each other.  When he says "so it fills your lives," the "your" is not an individual you, but a plural you.  Foremost he wants the Master to pour on the love so it fills them up with love for each other.  Second, Paul wants this love to splash over on everyone around them.  We should be so full of the love of God that it splashes over on everyone we meet.  This is not a gushy, mushy love.  Note that Paul wants them to have the same love that he has shown them, and he was no softy.

What incredible application to where we are today.  May we love each other more and more through these difficult and strenuous days ahead.  And may our love splash over onto those around us - in our neighborhoods, at our offices, in our schools, in our homes, everywhere we go.

prayTODAY ::

Pray diligently that the Master would pour on the love so it fills our hearts for each other.  May our love for each other be the testimony others need to see.  May this love we have received from the Master also splash all over those around us.  May we embrace others in incredibly ridiculous ways because we have had love poured on us in an incredibly ridiculous way.

dayNINE :: Pause 2 B

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 

   "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:38-42

The other morning, I was sitting outside on our back porch with my son, my daughter and my in-laws.  Graysen is eight months and is prone to spitting up, and this day was no different.  Mom had gotten hit.  Granddad had gotten hit.  Then MawMaw took one for the team.  After all the laughter subsided I looked down where some of the remains had landed on the porch, and hundreds of ants had already descended upon the feast.  There were no ants before, but in a matter of minutes, there was an army.  I watched as they scurried about, bumping into one another, hauling their bounty back to their castle.  They were busy...I mean busy.

As I look around at friends and families in our community, I am reminded of the ants.  Busyness seems to be the altar at which we sell our souls as young parents and ambitious employees.  We're busy with work, we're busy with activities, we're busy with church, we're busy with family, we're busy, busy, busy.  

This syndrome is not unique to our culture, and it's been around for centuries.  In our story, Jesus visits the home of two busy women and ends up teaching us a significant lesson for today.  The lesson revolves around the issue of doing and being.  Martha was busy doing things - important things.  It's hard to have a dinner if no one fixes the meal and gets the table ready.  Mary was busy being - sitting at the feet of a rabbi was a Jewish reference to being a disciple.  Mary's devotion to Christ caused her to pause.

In our busyness it is vital that we remember to pause.  The psalmist encourages us to "Step out of the traffic!  Take a long loving look at [the Lord], your High God" (Psalm 46:10, The Message). When are we pausing to absorb our relationship.  No day is reserved any longer.  Saturdays are full.  Sundays are full.  Mondays are full.  Tuesdays are full.  Wednesdays are full.  You get the picture.

Our Father is more concerned about being the church and warns us about doing church all the time.  This is not a struggle between what is right and what is wrong.  It's about what is good and what is best.  Martha worried about good things, but Mary focused on the best thing.

prayTODAY ::

Find some time to this week to pause and reflect on where you are in your relationship with the Lord.  Are you too busy to stop?  Is your schedule too full to simply sit and be?  Rest was important enough that God gave one seventh of the creation project over to it.  If it was that important to Him, then how much more it should be for us.

dayEIGHT :: From Now On

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people." - Luke 5:10

There's this story about Jesus that is worth noting on our journey.  Apparently one morning, the crowds were already pressing in on Jesus wanting him to teach them more.  They are up against a lake and Jesus notices two boats owned by his disciples cleaning up after a night's fish.  He hopped onto Peter's boat and asked him to let out a little into the water so he could speak to the crowd.  After speaking to them, he turned to his disciples and suggested they go out into the deep water and let out their nets for a catch.  The disciples must have been perplexed.  They had fished all night and caught nothing, and now Jesus wants them to go out and do the same, expecting different results - isn't that what we call insanity?

They do as Jesus suggests.  And they caught nothing, just as the night before!  No.  They caught so many fish that their nets began to break.  Those on Peter's boat called over to James and John and their boat came over and filled up their nets too.  Unbelievable!  Their boats were so full that they began to sink.  Peter fell on his knees and worshiped Jesus at that moment.  He and his companions were overwhelmed with awe.  Jesus told Peter to not be afraid, that from now on they would fish for people instead of fish.

Many people have asked why we were starting a church in League City.  It does seem that we are not the only ones starting churches in our area.  I just got a nice color flyer in the mail from one church that is now 1 year old.  Why would we be "fishing" in a lake where there are already boats?  We believe that Jesus has climbed upon our boat and said, "Go out into that water."  In a sense, we have said back to him, "People have worked hard in that area, do we really need another church?  But because you say go, we will let down our nets."  

We cannot say that the other "fishermen" have had no success, or even what "success" really looks like.  However, we do know that 80% of the people in our community don't go to any church on Sundays, which is a pretty good indicator that they are not connected with God in any life-impacting way.  I may not be Bill Dance, but if there is a school of fish, I'm throwing my net there.

From now on, we fish for people.  We are casting the abundant life of Jesus to those who are starving for something more than what they've been experiencing.  We are casting hope to the hopeless, family to the fatherless and purpose to the aimless.  Our vision is to be a neighborhood-centered church where the active presence of Jesus is seen in every neighborhood in western League City.  We are casting our nets, expecting God to do the unexpected.

prayTODAY ::

Spend a few moments this morning, asking God to give you faith to be obedient.  Ask Him where He wants you to cast your net?  Ask Him to show you "fish" in your world?  Who are your neighbors?  Who are your co-workers?  Who are your friends?  Our lakes may have been fished before, but Jesus is calling us to go now.  We go because He says go.

daySEVEN :: Thirsty Deer

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God. 

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God? 

- Psalm 42:1-2

Have you ever been thirsty for God's presence?  Maybe that's you today?  The psalmist was in touch with this emotion.  He had a longing that is reflected clearly in this psalm and particularly our verses this morning.  Notice that he uses the simile of a "deer."  A deer looks for water until it finds it and quenches its thirst.  Nothing will satisfy until it finds water.  "Soul pants" indicates something much more than just a weekly visit to church, or a once in a while retreat, or class.  There is an intense longing that moves him toward God.  C.S. Lewis described this longing as an "appetite for God."

The psalmist then does something interesting.  He turns toward the object of his appetite, which is God, not just God, but he emphasizes that it is "the living God."  The psalmist understands what the woman at the well in John 4 was taught by Jesus.  His soul longs for living water that will quench his thirst.  He then asks a rhetorical question, "When can I go and meet with God?"  The irony of a question like this is that God's presence is always present.  

At The Springs, our desire is that everyone begin to understand the reality of a living, daily presence with God.  We don't have to wait for anything to experience His presence.  We simply are looking for opportunities to embrace and see that presence activated where we live, work, play and rest.  The questions we want to be asking are:

Are we aware of God's presence around us?

Do we believe that He is involved in and cares about our daily lives?

Do we understand that we are carriers of His presence wherever we go?

Am I thirsty for God's presence where I am?

prayTODAY ::

Ask God to give you a thirst and a passion for the living presence of God.  Ask Him to open your spiritual eyes to see that He is near...that He is here.  The day will come when we corporately gather to express our worship of Him, but let that be a response and a fruit of our daily living in His presence throughout the week.

Check out the video today.

daySIX :: Rewards

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: "He could not be found, because God had taken him away."  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 

Hebrews 11:5-6

We constantly search for signs of God's presence through the miraculous. Yet, we must never forget that every time mortal eyes are allowed to see spiritual truth, the blind have once more been made to see. Recently, I was preparing to teach Hebrews 11:6, a verse I had long since memorized and appreciated. As I researched each word in the original language, God unveiled my eyes and caused me to discover that the phrase "must believe that He is" contains the third person singular of the words both God and Christ used of themselves, "I AM." In other words, we might more clearly understand the verse by reading it as, "for He who comes to God must believe that He is the I AM, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." As I sat alone at my worktable, the Spirit of God fell upon me.

Suddenly, a remarkable injustice, except there be mercy, appeared to me in that verse. Is it not enough that the great Elohim Adonai has purposed Himself to be found? Do we need reward, too? The next morning these words came to me in a prayer. 

Is it not enough,
Unhidden One,
When seeking
To have found you?
Has my hand yet room
For more than yours
When bound in knots
Around you?

O Blessed Condescension!
Willing, Reaching God!

What kind of souls,
O, wretched man,
Have unbridled we?
To require promise
Of reward
For having sought, Lord, Thee?

Mingled here
My shameful lusts
With Heavens shameless love
My head cast on
Your bleeding hand
O, God, Thou art enough!

Give, O Giver,
For You must
Give all You have to me
But give Your best
Starve these lusts
Give Thy Son to me.

Beth Moore

Beth Moore is an author and teacher from Houston, Texas, where she gives leadership to Living Proof Ministries. Beth powerfully communicates the Word of God, impacting the lives of countless people around the globe.  This entry was taken from the Thirsty Journal from 268generation.com.

prayTODAY ::

What areas are you lacking the faith you wish you had?  Are you facing mole hills that look more like mountains?  The things that seem impossible to us are always possible for God.  Ask God to give you the necessary faith to trust Him...with your family, your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers and your church.  Big faith builds big churches.  That statement has little to do with size and everything to do with bringing life to people who need life.  We believe that the church is God's primary way to accomplish accomplishing His purposes on earth today.  May we be the "way" He uses in western League City.

dayFIVE :: You Are

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten–stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

For the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all he does.

The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ;

he puts the deep into storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

The LORD foils the plans of the nations;

he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all humankind;

from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,

even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 33

One of the best ways to discover God more fully is to meditate and focus on the many facets of His character. When I was in college, I was taught this definition of worship.

Worship is our response, to God, both personal and corporate, for who He is and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.

It's a little lengthy, but it has proven to be foundational to my personal experience with Father. We respond because of who He is. If we don't explore who He is then we literally be limited in our response...in our worship of Him. All of us intuitively know this to be true because we have, in some way, tasted love before on earth. The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them, the more love you have for that person. I realize that for fallible humanity, it can also be the reverse, but with a perfect God that is not the case. Our love grows, or response grows, our worship grows, when we know and understand the various aspects and facets of God.

prayTODAY ::

Take some time today to select one particular facet of God and carry that with you throughout the day. You may want to talk to God about that dimension of Him. You may journal a song, prayer or praise to God about that aspect of His character. Find a creative way to continually center on that aspect at different times throughout today.

Faithful
Mighty
Father
Merciful
Eternal

Wise
Compassionate
Forgiving
Jesus
Constant
Just
Provider
True
Reigning
Healer
Loving
Patient
Creator
Friend
Spirit
Kind
Glorious
Beautiful
Life
Beautiful
Life
Understanding
Personal
Right
Trustworthy
Refuge
Savior