From Waiting to Praying

Met this really nice girl named Sarah at the car dealership while waiting on service at the Kia dealership. I was reading Church Production magazine. She saw this and started asking me questions.Eventually our conversation got to do why do you read Church Productuon Magazine. I got to talk to her about North Point and how we do church, and what I get to do there. She said she's heard of Northpoint and wants to visit Browns Bridge so very badly, that many if her friends go to a Northpoint campus. But her husband is a Southern Baptist traditional church only kind of guy, and refuses to try any other church, and won't let her go by herself. So she said they just aren't going and that it hurts her heart.(they've been married for 2 years now) She "loves going to a church that doesn't bore her to wanting to pull her hair out." (her words exactly) She went to Chestnut Mtn Church in Hall county for over 10 years, and desperately misses church.... Wow, the things the God puts in your path. I was able to share with her how she could maybe get her husband to try at least one service, at least once. Maybe by going to a 6:30 service at BBCC after going with him to his church in the AM. Or since they aren't going right now. I told her about northpointonline.tv and that she could watch it on her laptop at home.....

God please intervene in Sarah's marriage, Lord I pray that you change the heart of Sarah's husband. Not that they have to attend a Northpoint Church but that he will listen to his wife and value what she values, that he will listen to her, and be willing to try other churches. God I pray for Sarah, that you will encourage her through your Holy Spirit and know that you can heal the hurt already done in her marriage over going to church. I pray you strike down the enemy in this situation and today her husband will not be fooled anymore by the lies of the accuser. In Christ's Holy Name... Amen

When Your Sails No Longer Have Wind

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."(Psalm 107:29-30 TNIV)

Imagine for a moment you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. However, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems God has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle."

All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.

Finally, the Lord speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."

"You see my child, you are nothing without Me. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." The sailor quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize God is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.

Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like God has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options? Perhaps He is saying it is time to die in order that He might live through you. Give the Lord total control today and you will see His wind moving through your tattered sails.

God Gives Us a Desire for Our Work

God Gives Us a Desire for Our Work

December 21


You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands (Job 14:15 NKJV).

Did you know that God has already pre-wired you for the work He created you to do? We all have things inside of us that excite us when we think about it. God is the source of this passion. However, our career path may require many stepping stones before we reach the work that we were ultimately created for. The psalmist says "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Ps 139:16).

When the ark of the covenant was to be designed to contain the sacred ten commandments, God prepared a man to perform the important work.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship'" (Ex 31:1-6).

We do not know much about Bezalel, but you can be sure he had many jobs leading up to this most important assignment. He was also the first man mentioned in all of scripture to be "filled with the spirit of God."

When your work is empowered by the Spirit of God you will be hand-picked for some of the most important assignments. He says the skilled worker will even serve before kings (Prov. 22:9). God will see to it that your skills will be used for His ultimate purposes. This is the call of God for each of us -- to be fulfilled in our work and to use our work to fulfill His purposes on the earth.

He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work (Job 37:7 NKJV).

A Place of Nothingness

Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) .

Do you find yourself in a place of nothingness? There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of isolation and waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities - simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is a place of nothingness designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something" while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this place when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Many people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot see what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

***
"Has God brought you to a place of nothingness? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, your nothingness will be turned into something you will value for the rest of your life." 
-Mother Teresa

I read this today and it chimed in on my heart and life right now. I am in a place of nothingness, not knowing what God is up to, not knowing what He is planning or has in the works. It is very hard to stay patient. I know God has called me to be in ministry full-time and asked me to trust Him and quit the fire service. The key is when it's His right time. Like the words above say God is using this time to mold me and change me. I have seen evidence of this in my life, sometimes pointed out by others often in my quite times with my Father. There has been many times where I want to give up and just find some regular old job that pays well, but I know that would be by my own hand and not bear any fruit. 
"God continue to grant me your peace and security. Continue to give me patience as I wait here in the Nothingness to hear from You. In Christ name. -Amen" 

Events and The Event

I've heard the ads on the radio for Passion City Church's Good Friday event happening today at Verizon Amphitheater. I've seen countless tweets and Facebook status about it. But one stood out to me and I couldn't help but think about one of Andy Stanley's messages on the Church being a Big Idea. The FB status was talking about how this person heard the ads and a contest where you could win tickets on the radio for this huge event happening in an amphitheater and he was upset saying "isn't anything sacred anymore." The answer to that is absolutely but that's a different discussion for another day. I feel this person may be missing the point of "the event " and is hung up on that its a huge ticketed event. The point is to get unchurched people to attend, so that they might hear the gospel. So if that means creating a huge and "concert like" event to reach the lost, then we as the Church should be doing these things. It makes better opportunities to invite your unchurched friends to "the event"(church) where they will hear about The Event that changed the world. If you're a Christian already you know the importance of Easter and it's true meaning. The Church should be ever expanding and doing things to attract the lost not bore them away. We as Christians are the embodiment of Christ and the Church. Times are different, people are different, technology is different, the Church needs to be different.

Share your thoughts below:

The Calm Can Be Decieving

This world is filled with an undercurrent of sin and temptation that can entangle even the best of us. Sometimes the consequences of our choices can't be seen on the surface. But, once you go deeper is when the real danger is made clear.
Just as the ocean may seem calm at times, even though there is warning flags out, it's the rip tide you don't see that is so destructive.

The evil one is subtle, he is the author of lies, and it's his quest to seek your destruction.

Two types of people according to God's Word

"O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life" (Ps 17:14).

There are two types of people in the world. There are those whose activities are designed to generate a reward in this lifetime. And there are those who live to generate a reward when they meet our Lord in Heaven.

Not every Christian models the latter. How does one judge whether they are living for the future reward versus the earthly reward? There are several key indicators.

Future reward people tend to be givers. They make their time and resources available to be channeled for Kingdom purposes. They realize their sowing will ultimately be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ where what they have done on earth will be judged and rewarded by God (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Future reward people live a life based upon obedience-based decisions. They don't make decisions based on their perceived outcome. They realize a decision based on obedience alone may not result in an immediate outcome. Jesus was obedient to the cross, but the immediate outcome was His own death on the cross.

Future reward situations show up in daily life in a number of ways. Perhaps a person has wronged you and God calls you to forgive and even bless that person without expectation of their response. Perhaps God calls you to sow money into a ministry or another person's life without expectation of return from them. Perhaps you are called to serve another person without expectation of any earthly reward. The situations we might encounter are unlimited.

Are you living a life based on a future reward, or short term reward? Today, evaluate how you make decisions and how you allocate resources. This will reveal whether you are a future reward Christian.