Wild Goose Chase (Part Five)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Faith is not logical. But it isn't illogical either. Faith is theological. It does not ignore reality; it just adds God inot the equation...Faith is not mindless ignorance; it simply refuses to limit God to the logical constraints of the left brain." -- Chapter 4, Eight-Foot Ceilings

Faith is amazing. By faith, Enoch walked with God and was no more. (Still trying to really grasp how that one works.) By faith, Noah built a boat that saved his family. By faith, Abraham believed it was possible to have children even though he was really stinkin' old.

But even as I type this, I hear my own voice say, "Yeah, but those were all in the Bible." And I'm right (my wife thinks that I always think I'm right). They were in the Bible. But that does not make the principle wrong. I could continue. By faith, he trusted God for a job. By faith, they prayed that the infertile couple might conceive. By faith, they believed that she would be healed.

I like the statement that Batterson makes: Faith "adds God to the equation. " Too often we strive under our own might while God is waiting in in the wings. We try and try and God is simply saying, "You're weak. Allow me." His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, therefore we should boast all the more of our weaknesses.

Where do you need faith? In what part of your life do you need to add God to the equation?

Wild Goose Chase (Part Four)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

Within the third chapter is this amazing story of a person who decided that they would just start thanking God for the miracles that they experienced at that moment. They started with things like a beating heart and respiration. By the middle of the afternoon, they were praising God for amino acids (by name) and the process that creates those important chains. As I read this, two thoughts struck me. First, I no absolutely nothing about my anatomy and how my body works. Second, I take a lot, perhaps too much, for granted.

I experience miracles everyday as well. While I might not be able to lecture on how the hip bone is connected to the leg bone, I can celebrate the laughter of a 10 month old rejoicing in her father's attention. While I might not understand how muscles repair themselves, I do understand the power of community working together. While there is a much that I do not understand about how the world around me operates, I do know the God that makes such operation possible.

What are you overlooking? What are you forgetting to thank God for?

Set List Sunday

Another Sunday at Discovery, here's our set list for this morning. The team really stepped it up to fill in gaps. Way to go.

Intro to Worship video
Forever (Tomlin)
Mighty to Save (Hillsong)
Grace Like Rain (Agnew)
Feels Like Tonight video (Daughtry)
Sermon
What if I Stumble (DC Talk)
Blessed Be Your Name

Wild Goose Chase (Part Three)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Sometimes God will provide a miraculous sign that will give you just enough faith to take the first step in the pursuit of your passion. But more often than not, faith doesn't follow signs. Signs follow faith. It is the biblical pattern." -- Chapter 2, Goose Bumps

I remember it very clearly. Kitten and I felt clearly led to help start Discovery Church. We had told the congregation at Olivet that we were resigning effective the end of May. We had placed our home for sale by owner. I had even circulated resumes looking for a job to provide for the financial needs of our family. Nothing. No real interest in the house. No real interest in me. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

I was beginning to wonder if I had heard God's calling right. I had a conversation with my dad and he reminded me that God is an "on-time God." He often will not provide too far in advance and He is never late. He is on-time. With less than a month before our time at Olivet was set to end, God showed up. He sold our house (at a very fair price). He got me a job (with a great company).

It makes me wonder what might have been. What if I had given up on the calling instead of setting out in faith? The pursuit of God is worth everthing, like a treasure found in the field, like a pearl of great price. We should be willing to risk everything to discover and follow Him.

Superhero Saturday

Today's superhero is Jeremy Hawkins. Jeremy has been a friend for nearly a decade. When he and his wife Shelly joined the team, Kitten and I were so excited. Jeremy does so much for Discovery. He has played an instrumental part (pardon the pun) on our worship team. He plays bass each week on the team. He also spends countless time putting together the sheet music before each practice. As if that were not enough, he also takes care of the trailer that stores all of our equipment. Jeremy, you are truly a superhero. Thanks for all you do!

Wild Goose Chase (Part Two)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Boredom isn't just boring; boredom is wrong. You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored. Faith and boredom are antithetical." -- Chapter 1, Yawning Angels

How is that we can bore people to death with the only true source of life? What is it about the way that we worship the God of the universe that people would prefer to dream about Sunday's lunch? Why does our teaching and preaching inspire more drool than life change?

I believe that this complacency has less to do with what is happening on the platform (or front) and more to do with what is happening in the individual's heart. Too often, I think we come to worship expecting nothing to happen, expecting nothing transformative, and guess what happens? Nothing! What if we expected more? What if we expected the creative God, who formed all that we see from nothing, to show up and lead us on adventure? What if we expected more than the same-old, same old.

If you're content with your Christian life and bored, I pray that God will turn your world upside down. I pray that He would remove all your securities so that in your insecurity you can learn to rely on Him. I pray that He would destroy the map that you've laid out for your life so that you will be forced to follow Him on a terrific journey.

Wild Goose Chase (Part One)

The book finally arrived. Thanks to the incredible generosity of Billy Chia, I now am the proud owner of Wild Goose Chase. Billy created a contest in which he would award a free copy of the book to one of his readers. The sole requirement is that the recipient would post a review on her/his blog.

To satisfy that requirement I will be posting over the next week one of the learning points for me in each of the seven chapters. However, you still need to read the book (and its companion, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day) yourself. There is so much in the book for you to digest on your own. So tomorrow morning the journey begins. Chapter One: Yawning Angels.

Some quick thoughts before we begin:

1) Mark Batterson is a truly gifted writer.

2) How cool is it that this book has its own trailer?

3) Will the website to Mark's next book be chasetheplatypus?

4) His church meets in a movie theater. What a swell idea!

5) Billy Chia is awesome...and quite generous.

Set List Sunday (Three Days Late)

Another great weekend at Discovery Church. The band was forced to make some late adjustments due to an absence. They did a great job of filling in gaps and making the absence less gaping. Here's the rundown from Sunday at Discovery:

Wazzup video
Announcements
You're Worthy of My Praise (David Ruis)
Trading My Sorrows (Darrell Evans)
Always (Generation Unleashed)
Sermon "Urban Legend: God Wants You Happy"
Flood (Jars of Clay)
Blessed Be Your Name

Tuesday's Thoughts (a day late)

Without power, I was unable to blog yesterday and share my weekly mind dump. So without further ado:

• So apparently the service at Discovery Church wasn't the only thing that was powerful on Sunday. Looks like Hurricane Ike was still being felt all the way up in Indiana.
• Communication is critical. We had a case this weekend where communication did not happen early enough or clear enough. Either way that can cause big problems.
• It's awesome watching people invest not just with their checkbooks, but also with their lives. Our volunteers rock.
• Our Starbucks is closing next month. What should we do?
• Vince's series on the Church Planter Assessment Center (CPAC) is spot on.
• I passed my ordination exam even though my answer to the question regarding immutable was anything but. Don't know what immutable means? Look here.
• Can't wait to get my hands on Wild Goose Chase. Thanks Billy.
• My girls are incredible and beautiful. Good thing that they take after their mother.

I Got the Power

After being without electricity for nearly 80 hours, Vectren finally got power r

estored to our house today. What a blessing. You forget how much you rely on electricity until

you do not have it anymore. Here are a few things that I have missed being able to do over the last 3.5 days.

• SportsCenter
• The internet & blogging
• Lights in the bathroom
• Clocks
• Charging my cellphones
• Lights to read by
• The washing machine
• My refrigerator & the food in it

And think it was only 3.5 days. What would you miss?

Superhero Saturday

Planting a new church does not happen overnight and it certainly does not happen on the back of one person. While Kitten and I have been excited about what God has been doing at Discovery, we are very cognizant that it is only happening because of the hard work of others. Each Saturday I will be highlighting one of the superheroes at Discovery Church. Remember, "you do not have to have superpowers to be a hero" (Heroes, Season 1, Episode 6).

Our superhero for today is still in elementary school. Elise is an incredible young lady who helps nearly every Sunday morning when we unload at 7:00 a.m. Elise is always willing to help carry anything that she can. She arrives and begins working. Last week she did an incredible job of helping focus Alyssa, our four-year old. Together they made a dynamic team unloading and setting up in the Children's Ministry area. So for all you do Elise: thanks! You're awesome.

You Can't Handle the Truth

I went through high school and started college with the dream of being an attorney. While keeping in debate, I loved the cross-examination time. It was so fun to watch your opponent squirm as you fired questions at them. Today, the favor gets returned to me. It's my time to squirm.

Today I will stand before the Midwest Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church to transfer my ordination. As part of the process, I have already taken written exams and been orally examined by a committee. Today, all of the ruling & teaching elders at the meeting will be given the chance to play "Stump the Chump" with me. (FYI: I'm not that formidable as a chump.) They can ask anything they want to about the English Bible, Theology & Sacraments, The Book of Order, Reformed Tradition, and the Nature and Office of the Minister of the Word.

If you're a praying type, please do so. I can definitely use it. Hopefully, it won't turn into a Jack Nicholson moment where the elder is yelling, "I want the truth" and I reply, "You can't handle the truth."

Discovery Worship (September 07)

The playlist from our first weekly gathering service this past weekend:

"Faceless Man" by Creed
Announcements
Drive-In Faith video
"All Because of Jesus" by Fee
"It is You" by Newsboys
"Enough" by Jeremy Camp
I Believe video
Message
"All I Need" by Shawn McDonald
"Everyday" by Lincoln Brewster

9/11

Vince Antonucci asks the question today, "What were you doing seven years ago today?"

I remember very clearly the events of 2001. I remember hearing on Bob & Tom that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Not many details were available and I supposed they meant a little crop-duster. I went into Jojo's to meet a friend for breakfast. When I came back out and started up my car, I heard the latest update: another tower had been hit. I was headed to my parents home (less than a mile away) and by the time that I arrived there the Pentagon had been hit. I immediately went to Olivet where we spent the day wondering what we could do and how we could speak in the midst of the crisis.

Often we encounter tough times, even earth-rocking devastation. How do we continue to function in the midst of the pain? Where do we find hope in the midst of the crisis? How can we move on when there seems no where to go?

"Turn to God." The answer seems trite, a little too Sunday-School. Yet, sometimes the answer is the obvious. Just because 4 seems like the easy answer to 2+2=? doesn't mean it is wrong. Psalm 77 reminds us that even when it seems like God has forgotten us, we can continue to trust in Him.

Strip Blogging

Eric (aka Mustafa) showed me a great link. You can create your own comic strip. Check out my attempt at making a funny.

Tuesday's Thoughts

Okay many people take a break once a week and do a mind dump on their blog. I think that there is something catartic about it. So as a weekly feature, I'll place my random thoughts on here for you to read.

• Sunday was freakin' awesome. The setup in the childrens area rocked. Way to go team!
• I can't believe that I said the phrase "menstrual problems" in my sermon. Definitely a first.
• Had a really cool conversation with a friend at Starbucks last night. He has become infected with the disease called Jesus. As the Russian proverb says, "Those infected with the disease called Jesus are never cured."
• By the way, Starbucks weren't ready for us this Sunday so they gave us free coffee. They can run a little late every week as long as they give us free coffee!
• My fantasy teams took big hits this weekend. I can't believe that I took Tom Brady with the 3rd overall pick. UGH.
• I'm loving the new Chris Tomlin CD. It's in steady play on the iPod during my morning workout.
• Speaking of morning workouts, I had my body fat tested and I've lost 2.3% body fat in the past four weeks. I'm down to really fat from obviously really fat.
• The Colts looked horrible Sunday night. It just goes to show how important every cog is. Hurry up and get healthy Jeff Saturday.
• Speaking of Saturday, it's always good to see the Gators beat the Canes.
• Looking forward to an interview this Sunday as we continue the Urban Legends series.

Discovery Church Launch This Weekend

What an amazing summer it has been. When Kitten and I began this journey toward Discovery together, we had no clue what we were in store for. It has been incredible watching God create opportunities for us. It has been humbling watching others buy into the vision for Discovery. It has been incredible watching people sacrifice and serve together. I love those moments at 7:00 in the morning watching people unload our trailer and transform a theater into a gathering place for the church.

We launch weekly services this week. Our three previews services have been a great time for us to learn and to grow. This Sunday we'll begin a series entitled "Urban Legends: Debunking Spiritual Myths." I'm excited about what we learn together over the next four weeks. Feel free to come join us this Sunday at 9:00 (for free Starbucks) or 9:30 (for the service).