reachin' for real life

Heroes

2009-05-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty fired up about the new series beginning on May 31st. It's called "Heroes". We'll take a look at some regular people in the bible who did exceptional, even heroic, things with their lives! I think we'll see that the things that made them so exceptional are things that are available to every one of us today.

Another thing that has me fired up is that I will be joined by 4 other teachers for this series. We'll be team teaching the series which will be very cool. I look forward to hearing what the Lord is going to say to us!

See the Impossible!

2009-03-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

River City Community Church is a “Church for Real Life.” We have seen many thousand of lives impacted within our fellowship and around the world by what God has done through this church family. God has always birthed miraculous things in and through us; and we passionately believe that He is not done with this fellowship! In fact, we’re just getting started! We believe that God wants to multiply the impact of our ministries many times over.

For the last few years, our elders have prayed about our obvious space constraints, looking for the Lords provision and direction. In giving us the opportunity to purchase the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, we believe that God has provided us with an opportunity like we’ve never seen before! The time to respond is now!

Our campaign is called See the Impossible and it is about far more than providing much needed facilities! It is about creating a ministry center for the entire region! Can you see thousands of lives changed as people discover the miraculous power of the gospel? Can you see those thousands of disciples reaching their neighborhoods, feeding the poor, declaring the hope of the gospel to our city and around the world? God’s vision is a lot bigger than a property, but it takes property to launch that kind of work and He has provided a place beyond our wildest dreams 8 minutes down the road!

See the Impossible is about our response. God want us to step out in faith and see Him provide! It will take focus, obedience, and sacrifice on all of our parts. The good new is that See the Impossible is not just an invitation to the church corporately, but individually as well! I believe that some of the best testimonies will be the stories of what God does for individuals and families as we sacrificially step out in faith!

What we are about to do is much bigger than any one of us. In fact, it’s actually much bigger than all of us. This is a God sized vision! We have the opportunity to do something that will change the world! Please, join me in prayer and partnership as we line up to See the Impossible!

The Great Adventure!

2009-01-15T04:52:00.000-08:00

The other day, my son, Ryan, and I were talking about the emptiness of self-indulgence. What got us on the topic was our common love of good adventure stories and his comment that real life doesn’t seem to afford the opportunity for great adventures. I told him that’s because great adventures are always about pursuing something greater than self and most of us never go beyond that point. There’s no adventure really in meeting your own needs. And there is certainly no faith required in serving yourself.

One of the great ways to stretch our “faith wings” is to find a way to serve a need bigger than our own. You can start small by finding someone around you who has a need and meeting it. The less their ability to pay you back, the better! As you begin to serve outside yourself don’t be surprised if God doesn’t begin to give you a vision…maybe even a big one! A big vision and the faith to pursue it are all that’s required for a life of adventure!

We’re not talking about faith just to hear ourselves talk! We want to change our world! There is so much need around us and God wants to use us to make a difference! Let us know what God shows you as you step out in faith and begin to serve. We’d love to hear your stories.

Vision

2008-12-03T11:56:00.001-08:00

A few questions as we near the end of one year and get ready to begin another:

Where does vision come from? Why do some people seem to have it while others don’t? What takes vision beyond dreaming to action?

While I don’t claim to have the definitive answer these questions, I do think I have a clue. One thing, which always seems to accompany true vision, is desire…a strong desire to see things change for the better; a desire so compelling that those who possess it can’t help but do something to make a difference!

As the Pastor of River City Community Church, I have a question. What do we desire to see God do through RCCC this next year? An even bigger question might be “What are we willing to do to see God accomplish His vision through us…what are we willing to change?” That’s right. I said “change,” because vision is all about changing from what is to what can be. This is where we lose quite a few people. Many of us have learned to be comfortable where we are, and we’re afraid of change.

I hate to burst your bubble, but God is not done with River City Community Church! His vision is not for us to coast comfortably into eternity! There are hundreds of thousands of people within a 30-minute drive who desperately need the love of God in their lives, and He wants us to go after them. That’s exciting! But, one look around will illustrate that making room for hundreds, even thousands, of new, transformed lives will require serious change! Are we willing? Is our desire to see real life change in the people of our community great enough to drive us to change?

This is the question that we’ll have to wrestle with in the upcoming months. Please, join me in praying that God’s vision capture us all! May we be willing to do whatever it takes to follow Him.

Pray and vote!

2008-11-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

Let's be sure to pray for God's will to be accomplished this coming Tuesday. Let's pray for leaders with a biblical worldview that will uphold Godly values.

Then vote your convictions!

God Bless

Sean

Monday morning

2008-10-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday was great! I am a bit "wrung out" though. I'm off on Mondays and I usually start the day dragging but it gets better as the day goes on.

My family and I are planning on serving this Saturday in "Ike devastated" San Leon. Willy Mayfield found, what seems to be, a great church for us to partner with in this town that has very little support and is extremely poor. They were hit hard and there's a lot to do. We have groups going down for the next three Saturdays.

I've been thinking a lot about our upcoming series called, "Let's talk about sex." Honestly, I'm a little nervous about this one. I mean, I'm usually the one snickering saying, "Ha, he said sex" when the subject is brought up. Not to mention the fact that my wife looked at me kind of funny and said, "You're going to teach about sex...really?" So...pray for me.

On a different note, My fantasy football team beat Aaron's...that's always good!

2008-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a month July was!

River City Community Church had an amazing VBS! We saw God work in the lives of hundreds of kids as well as all those who served. It is always a great opportunity to serve our community as well as meet many new friends.

Leaders from RCCC led a couple of missions teams from sister churches into Mexico as well as on an inner-city, San Antonio trip. We also sent out a team of our youth who went to the valley to serve. Short term missions is always a double blessing as both giver and recipient of ministry see God's grace and experience His presence in new ways!

Our first Royal Family Kid’s Camp was an incredible success! 36 amazing foster children were shown the love of Jesus by more than 40 servants from River City Community church. I can’t tell you how impacted we all were. I truly believe that this will serve as a springboard to all kinds of other ministries to those in need.

Jody Bayless and Tom Villa were two of our outstanding volunteers!

After Royal family, Lauri and I went to pick up our kids who were staying with my brother and his family in Santa Barbara, CA. Tough duty…but someone had to do it. Santa Barbara happens to be one of my favorite places in the country. With the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other it is a truly beautiful place. We had a great time before heading home.

We serve a truly awesome God! I look forward to what He has in store for August!

2008-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

This week, my son Ryan and I, along with a small group of people, had the opportunity to meet with author and radio host Michael Medved. He was in town doing a live broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program at KLUP and he took the time to meet with a few of us at the station. He is a very bright individual who really seems to enjoy influencing people's thinking. We had a great time!

The Shack

2008-06-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

I recently read a new book entitled "The Shack" by William P. Young. All I want to say is, "Wow!" I highly recommend this book. I think it has the potential to change the way readers relate to God. If you want to move beyond religious motions to a vibrant interactive relationship with the creator, this incredible story will give you a new vision and passion. The book is fiction but the truth it illuminates is as real as it gets. Check it out!

2008-04-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Go Spurs, go!

Truth

2008-04-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

My wife, Lauri was listening to a Radio talk show a while back. They told of a survey in which people were asked, “Where do you find truth?” A good number of the people surveyed answered “from the bible”. Of people who said that they find truth from the bible, only 28% of those claimed to actually read the bible. This statistic presents an obvious question: are these simply people who don’t seek the truth? I don’t think so…I think we all seek truth. I think these people have a stated belief that is opposed with their real belief. I want to suggest these people have had the idea that the bible is the source of truth drilled into them since childhood. The problem is they have not seen that truth actually change their lives and have intuitively turned to other sources of truth. Truth that doesn’t work isn’t true.

The host went on to lament biblical illiteracy as the great problem facing the church in America. I’m not nearly as concerned about biblical illiteracy as I am about biblical irrelevancy.

Truth not applied is the most discouraging of possessions.

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free - Jesus

Is the truth setting us free? Why do so many great people who have been around the church for years continue to struggle year after year with the same things. Why is there no fruit; no life change?

We want truth to help us change our circumstances or those around us. Unfortunately biblical truth focuses largely on changing me. Yes, biblical truth can help me influence my surroundings, but its true power is in how it transforms me. If I am not willing to have my pride, selfishness, ambition or greed confronted, the bible will have very little appeal to me. Too many of us want truth that will make our lives better without the painful process of it making us better.

real life

2008-04-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10

Jesus came to give life…to the fullest. Here at River City we call it Real life. If fact we call ourselves, “A Church for Real Life.”

From the beginning, we have recognized a sort of double entendre in this phrase. Real life is the eternal, abundant life that Jesus makes available by our salvation. As a church that’s what we do; we help people find the amazing gift of a new life in Christ! However, it’s also important to remember that God works “out there”…in the real world…in real life! Our faith makes a difference in real life!

To often, I’m afraid the church has painted a picture of God pulling us out of the regular world into a “church world”. You know, out of “real life” into “real life”, if that makes any sense. The problem is this leads to pretending and a sort of spiritual schizophrenia. We begin to have 2 lives, and sadly even 2 faces. That’s not what God intended! The truth is our faith works in and impacts every area of our world: our work, our family, our relationships, finances, goals, and dreams. A Church for real life is a place where we can be who we are as we become who He created us to be!

This time of year is often a time for celebration: graduations, weddings, Mother’s day, (and Father’s day is just around the corner.) These are the good gifts of real life. Let each day be a celebration and an opportunity to give thanks.

Celebrating Real Life - Sean

People pleasing

2008-04-02T04:38:00.001-07:00

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. - 1 Cor. 4:2-5

One of the sad things about our world is our obsession with appearances. What will others think? How will it appear? It seems that Paul could care less what others think. I like that…a lot!

Don’t worry about how things appear. Concern yourself with how they really are! Really there are only 2 concerns: Have I been faithful, and what does God think? He sees the heart of the matter and one day all will be revealed and the fruit will be seen.

Don’t worry so much about what people think.

Now, isn’t that a burden lifted?

Listen

2008-04-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.1 Cor. 2:10-13

I'm reading in 1 Cor. and this passage in chapter 2 really jumped out at me. The idea that the Spirit who knows the very thoughts of God resides in you and I is really amazing. Consider what is available to us if we'll just stop and listen. What would we hear? What mistakes could be avoided? What opportunities would we see that might have been missed?

Lord, teach us to stop and listen before we act.

Money

2008-03-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend, at River City Community Church, we will begin a discussion about Money. The series is called "Money Talks - hopeful conversations for stressful times." Of course, there are those who believe you should never talk about money in “polite company” or in the church. Unfortunately God didn’t get the memo when inspiring the scriptures! The bible talks a lot about money, which is really good because it’s on everyone’s mind these days.

I want to suggest that one of the best things we can do to grow in our faith is to embrace a biblical philosophy in regards to finances. Consider how much of our lives are impacted by money. No wonder it is so near and dear to our heart! It’s hard to have a conversation about our goals, dreams, security, or future without it somehow touching on the subject of money. I want to suggest that if we can trust God in the area of provision and finances, a whole lot of other things begin to fall into place.

My hope is that we would let God give us a financial overhaul during these conversations. Approach this topic expecting to have your cultural programming and practices challenged. You won’t be disappointed.

Grace and Peace,

Easter

2008-03-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Easter was a great day at River City Community Church! The message was a simple message of hope but it resonated with us all. Sadly, hope is a rare commodity in high demand. The good news is that Easter is all about hope! The future looks totally different when viewed in light of Christ's resurrection.

Here's my hope...that we will let a resurrection mindset change our vision of the future and in turn change the way we live.

Direction

2008-01-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

Where are we headed?

This next Sunday, we are going to talk about the vision that God has given for RCCC. Don't miss this important time!

Happy Meal Living.

2008-01-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

What if we decided not to waste another year? We are given a limited number, you know. Seventy some is the average, with a few getting a bit more and some not even getting that many. When you think of it in these terms, we don’t have time to squander on trivial things. Trivial things are things that don’t last long…like happy meal toys, which don’t usually even make it all the way home from McDonalds. Everything else just goes up in importance from there based on how long it lasts.

People last forever…they have eternal souls that will live on into eternity. They are really worth the investment of our time.

God is not only eternal in that He has no end, but (brace your brain) no beginning. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Communing with Him is the most important thing we can ever do.

So…somewhere between happy meal toys and the Almighty falls everything else in the world.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Here's a New Year Challenge: Do something great in '08! I know...it's a cheesy rhyme but it's still a good challenge.

As I reflect, I wonder how the world will be different a year from now because of how I lived in '08? What difference could I make in a year if I set my heart and mind to change the world? Take it one step further...What could God do thorough me in '08 if I made my self available to change the world?

We hear a lot about our "carbon footprint", but what about our "Life Footprint?" I've never met someone who didn't want their life to matter. We'll, we've got a new year before us...a clean slate. Let's commit to make it count!

"We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one swift hour before the sunset in which to win them." - Robert Moffat

Pauper King

2007-12-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

This month at River City we will be introduced to "The Pauper King". We are taking a look at why the Lord came to earth the way He did. The manner in which Jesus entered the world was so different from what we would expect from the "King of Kings"! He must be trying to tell us something. I'd like to invite everyone to join us each week as we uncover the secrets of "The Pauper King"

Special Guest Ben Jennings

2007-10-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

We are having a very special guest visit RCCC on Nov. 11 and 12. His name is Ben Jennings. He was the long time prayer coordinator for Campus Crusade for Christ under Dr. Bill Bright. I was at a gathering of Denominational leaders where Ben led in several times of prayer. It was a truly powerful experience!

On Sunday morning, Ben will be sharing on prayer and then lead us in 2 different prayer gatherings on Sunday and Monday evenings. We will be practicing what we are learning by praying for actual issues facing RCCC! I am really looking forward to this special weekend!

Milestones

2007-08-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

My kids started school this week. Where did the summer go?

This was a big one for us. A woman very close to me (who shall remain nameless) turned 40, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, and our daughter is turning 16. This has been a summer of significant milestones in our family. It all went by so fast...I hope I took enough time to appreciate each milestone.

Milestones are supposed to be an opportunity to pause, remember, and reflect. Sometimes I'm afraid that our frantic pace has broken the pause switch on our life's remote control. This can be tragic; because as I pause at these milestones I am overwhelmed by a flood of thanksgiving. I've had the privilege of watching the "growing up" of a great woman (who shall remain nameless). I've been blessed with 20 wonderful years of marriage. Our little girl is becoming an extraordinary, beautiful, young woman.

God is very good...and I am very thankful.

Let's hear it for milestones!

Prayer

2007-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I’m learning a lot about prayer these days, which is good because I have a lot to learn. Prayer is at the same time one of the most natural, even instinctive things that we do as well as an ongoing source of frustration and defeat for many of us who call ourselves believers. My spirit regularly joins Jesus’ disciples in saying, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

One thing I think I’m learning about prayer is that it is a natural expression of our belief that God is present. God is here, I might as well say, “Hey.” It is important to note that God is present with “me”, not just with “us”. Consequently, prayer is the place where I must simply be who I am. No pretending because…well, it’s God. He’s here and He knows. To put it another way; He knows and He’s still here! I don’t have to measure up, I just have to be. Prayer is the safest place in the world. I am loved and accepted and I can say whatever is on my heart without fear of rejection. I am growing in my understanding and experience of a natural, ongoing dialog with my Heavenly Father. Prayer becomes a joy rather than a chore.

Fired up!

2007-07-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I look around RCCC people are catching vision. It's really exciting! People are seeing possibilities when it comes to reaching out to their community. Get ready, 'cause when the church gets serious about serving and influencing its world, lives start changing and good things start happening! Join me in praying that we will all catch a vision of what God desires to do in our world!

Ireland

2007-06-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

I'm in Ireland with a group from our youth ministry. We are having an outstanding time! Ireland is beautiful and the people are great! We are currently traveling towards Dublin where we will minister in a very poor area of Dublin. I look forward to what the Lord is going to do.

Honestly, what I am most blown away by right now is the students from River City. This is an amazing group of students with true hearts to minister. I am so encouraged by who they are! They are here to serve the Lord and are looking for Him daily. Our kids are getting it! Please pray that God continues to fan the flames that He has sparked in these kid's hearts. Also pray that the old timers can keep up!

Stunned disbelief

2007-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Stunned disbelief...

33 dead at Virginia Tech. Horror, shock, grief, fear. The students, their parents, the faculty, ...Cho Seung-Hui.

As a pastor, I'm supposed to have answers. I don't.

I have questions. What was going on in the tortured heart and mind of Cho Seung-Hui? What horrors defined his victims final moments? What of the grieving parents and families left behind?

I don't have answers but I do have faith. I believe that God grieves with us. I believe that what happened earlier this week is an example of the darkness of sin. It underscores why God hates sin....because it kills those He loves!

I pray for the families of the victims. I pray for the University Administration as they struggle to navigate this impossible situation amidst the media's callous criticism and blame game. I pray for a nation that has forgotten how to teach right and wrong and then wonders why people are so lost. I pray for those who will struggle with a new sense of fear.

In times like this, I am thankful for prayer. God listens and He responds. He will comfort the grieving and meet the seeking. When tragedy strikes we can become angry and fearful...

...or we can pray.

Days

2007-04-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip to Chicago and the South Bend area of Indiana. I am in a leadership position for our fellowship of churches and we had some meetings last week at Bethel College, our denominational school. The unique thing about this trip was that I took my daughter with me. I wanted her to check out our college as a possibility for her in a few years. We had a great time together and she really enjoyed the school.

I must say while we were there I was struck hard by the fact that my little girl was checking out a college. Where did the time go? Isn't she just 7...or is it 8? No, she learning to drive and thinking about college. As a parent it makes me very aware of the time I have left before she starts following her own path...without me. The time is going by so fast. I hope I have made the most of it.

As I look ahead to the next few years I am very aware that life is made up of days; I don't want to waste a single one.

The object of faith

2007-04-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. – John 15:7-8

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you practically begged God to bring it to pass? I have….and I will confess that some of these prayers have been answered in the way I desired and some haven’t. I will also confess that the ones not going my way have caused me a considerable amount of soul searching. The above passage from John 15 hasn’t really helped either. Was I not remaining in Christ? Were His words not in me? Was I not a “real” disciple?

I can see how remaining in Him and His words being in me would impact the way I pray. It causes me to pray differently; more like Him; according to His will. But in the case of many of my “unanswered” prayers, I felt like I was in Him, praying His will. Some might say I just didn’t have enough faith, which I suppose is possible, but I’m not so sure.

What if the problem lies not in the amount of faith but rather the object of my faith? I think when reading John 15:7, we get really excited about the phrase “whatever you wish”. The danger here is in putting our faith in a particular, desired outcome. “God is faithful and the scripture is true if He answers my prayer in the way I envision with the outcome I expect.” Instead, my faith needs to simply be in Him, trusting that His ways are higher than mine, His solutions better. Let me give you a hint: When God doesn’t respond as you would, remember…that’s why He’s God and you’re not. When we pray, let’s put our faith in our Father not in our idea of what should happen. He is working and some of those prayers we’ve given up on are being answered; just in a better way.

Rest!

2007-03-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Heb. 3:18-19

I’ve been thinking a lot about rest lately; largely because it seems that many people I run into aren’t getting much. When I ask “How are you?” I’m pretty sure the response, “I’m tired”, has actually surpassed the time tested, “I’m busy.” This of course makes perfect sense as busyness naturally leads to fatigue. What’s alarming is the fact that I don’t think we are any less busy…we’re just tired as well.

In the above passage from Hebrews, the writer is referring to the people of Israel who refused to enter the Promised Land because of a fear of giant people in giant cities. He goes on to warn us lest we miss out on God’s rest due to unbelief.

This leads me to a couple of observations. First, I find the comparison of the Promised Land (their final destination) to rest quite telling. Rest is not a place we are to visit…like a vacation. It is where we are supposed to live! God’s design is for us to operate in a state of restfulness in the midst of our work, play, family life, and spiritual life. Second, the connection between unbelief and unrest is worth noting. Unbelief directly disqualified a generation of Israelites from the promised land of rest; but what about us? I see how unbelief will keep us from the “rest” of salvation, but can it lead a believer to other kinds of unrest? Consider driven ness; what is the belief behind the need to do and have more? I think if we will take time to unpack the motives behind our frantic pace, we’ll discover more unbelief than we’d like to admit. Maybe God can’t provide, maybe he won’t promote me, maybe my kid’s aren’t safe in His hands…fear and unbelief everywhere! It’s time to say no to unbelief and enjoy a little rest!

God wants to set us free to live a lifestyle at rest! The big question is, “Do we believe enough to let Him?”

A life worth dying for!!

2007-01-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

…and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. – Matt. 10:38-39

This is one of those sayings of Jesus that used to scare me. The truth is I wanted to find my life. Like any young man, I wanted to find love, adventure, joy, and anything else that life had to offer. There was something inside of me that longed for a full life of meaning! I also wanted to follow Jesus and the words from this passage did not bring me comfort. It sounded like I had to choose! I could have Jesus or the life I really wanted to live.

Then I thought about the circular nature of Jesus statement. Loose it, find it, loose it, find it. The key is found in the sentence before this one; “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” The cross Jesus asks me to take is a real cross which will always involve loosing your life but the cross also always involves resurrection!

Any life I would find on my own would not be worth living. In loosing my life in Him, I find the very life I always longed for. I did have to choose but it was not between the good life and Jesus. It was between the life I could make for myself and the life Jesus would lead me to.

It’s been said that good is the enemy of best. That’s why American life can be so difficult. We can have what seems like a pretty good, passable, life just doing the American thing but the tragedy is it keeps us from the resurrected life Jesus intends for us…real life, abundant life!!

A life worth dying for.

What do you want for Christmas?

2006-12-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

What do you want for Christmas?

I have to be honest with you; I really have a hard time with this question. I’m actually a pretty content guy. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Christmas presents as much as the next person. I just have a hard time compiling a list. However, Lauri told me if I didn’t put together a list for the fam, I wasn’t getting anything! That being unacceptable, I gave her a list, which included the following items; a Great Dane, neckties (lots of neckties), a fur coat, and an autographed 8 track of Lu Lu Roman (of Hee Haw fame) singing her greatest hits! She didn’t appreciate my humor but our daughter, Lauren, did!

One thing I would love for Christmas is to have the true holiday back! Between commercialism, busyness and political correctness Christmas seems to have been completely crowded out. Even our children’s Christmas musicals at school have replaced songs like “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger” with “seasonal” or “cultural” selections. In the process of secularizing our holiday, the messages of “Peace on Earth” and “Joy to the World” have been all but lost! This is truly unfortunate for a world in desperate need of peace and joy. Christmas was once a time of year when even the most lost among us would pause to wonder if the miracle of Christmas could reach them. Sadly, that spirit of hope seems to be fading in the places that need it most.

As disturbing as the secularization of Christmas is, I believe this may be a cloud with a silver lining. As the message of Christmas becomes less popular the need for Christmas becomes more pronounced! In other words, the darker the night the more welcome the light. Far more compelling than a description of the light is the light itself! Songs and stories can only go so far so let’s not just tell them about Christmas; let’s show it to them!

Christmas is all about Emanuel, God with us! So what if the world doesn’t want to sing the songs of Christmas? Let them see the God of Christmas. Show them His awesome presence at work in His people! Sure, I miss some of the sentiment of ‘traditional” Christmas, but what really makes Christmas worth celebrating is the Presence of the King and He is alive and well! You want to make an impact this Christmas? Give the greatest gift ever given, Jesus! Let Him live, love and speak life through you!

My prayer is that you would have a blessed, Christ filled, Christmas.

I should have my head examined!

2006-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Do you know how crazy it is to try and summarize the book of Revelation in a 5 week series? What was I thinking?! My problem is I kind of enjoy getting bogged down in the possible interpretation of each and every symbol...while at the same time encouraging others not to! I keep reminding myself that this series is about the main themes! But, I can't help but wonder ...could it be that Jacques Chirac's name is encoded numerically in the description of the beast from the sea? Hmmm.

Awesome!

2006-10-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great weekend!! We had close to 4000 people come to our festival and everyone seemed to have a blast! Big thanks to all who worked to make it a huge success. You have no idea what kind of fruit your investment might yield. We serve a great God!

Big Weekend!

2006-09-25T14:45:00.003-07:00

This coming weekend is a big one for River City Community Church! On Saturday, we are having our annual fall festival. We anticipate as many as 3000 people to come and eat, play, hang out, and have a general good time on our campus. I love this event! We get to meet people from our neighborhood as well as all over San Antonio. There will be some great bands (including the RCCC house band!) playing live music all day long. It really is a good time! I'm praying that we get a chance to connect with lots of people from our community.

On Sunday, I begin the much anticipated series "APOCALYPSE NOW?...A Message of Hope from the Revelation." I know this is an area of great interest to a lot of people. I’m really looking forward to the series and praying that God really speaks to people through the messages.

A Busy Day

2006-09-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I had a lot on my plate today. This is not an unusual condition and it’s not like that plate seems to ever get cleared off, but I still am aware of “the pile”. As I face a day like today, I am tempted to hit the ground running and play catch up. This is not entirely bad except that I may run right past some very important things in my haste!

If I run too fast, I might run right past my appointment with the Lord. This is an appointment I don’t want to miss. As I talk with the Father, He gives wisdom, peace, guidance, and strength. How much time and energy will I waste if I blow by the most important appointment of my day?

I could also breeze right by our staff small group / prayer time. We got together this morning for our weekly time together and I got to hear their heart’s as we shared and prayed together. What did we get accomplished? I guess that would depend on whether you were looking at the plate or the people.

I wouldn’t have had time to spend with three different staff members encouraging them, sharing vision and helping them think through various issues related to their ministry.

Jesus said the most important thing in life is to love God with all we’ve got and to love others the way we want to be loved. This cuts right to the heart of the matter and even though I didn’t cross that many things off my list, by Jesus’ standard, I guess today wasn’t half bad.

The plate is still sitting there but somehow I feel like some very important things were accomplished today. It was a good day.

Easter evening

2006-04-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

This has been a tiring day...a good day, but a tiring day. For a minister, Easter is "big game time." I get to talk to people I may not see until next year this time about the most important event in human history...the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I get to tell them that resurrection means they don't have to go it alone...He desires to walk with us. I get to tell them they don't have to do it in their own strength, because His strength is available. I get to remind us all that resurrection means all things are possible. Our greatest fear, the fear of death, has no teeth because death has been conquered!

Then I get to challenge every one of us to stop living like the resurrection either never happened or is simply a religious story. I get to challenge us to rethink our lives in light of the reality of resurrection. Consider yourself challenged!

What matters most

2006-04-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

I find it a constant struggle to remember what matters most. You would think in my job I could keep it straight! As a minister, I regularly remind people of the eternal and the lasting. Even as I'm pointing the way for others, I am constantly tempted to focus on things that won't matter in a year, let alone a hundred. Not that things like details and deadlines don't matter at all...they just aren't what matters most. Jesus put it simply..."The most important thing is love, for God and one another"

Relationships are what matter most. The Spirit inside you and that person beside you are more important than the task before you. God help us if we sacrife what matters most for...whatever.