Proverbs 2 - "If"..."Then"

Proverbs 2 starts out with a few stipulations. In the first four verses Solomon says "if you" three different times. Each time he is referring to our search and hunger for wisdom and knowledge. He states if you search...if you call out...if you accept, then you will understand. So many times I think we as Christ-followers want everything to be easy. I have been guilty myself, but here we find a simple instruction on how to understand the "good path" (v.9) that God has for us. When it comes to Chasing the Lions that we are facing, whether it be a job promotion, a family circumstance, a financial situation, or a huge step of faith, it is vital that we passionately pursue the wisdom of God in all these matters. I once heard it said this way..."knowledge is looking at a fire and saying that is hot...wisdom is looking at a fire and saying that is hot, do not touch it or it will burn." As it relates to our spiritual journey I think many times we have the knowledge of the fact that God desires for us to Chase the Lions that are in front of us, but we sometimes lack the wisdom to know how to do so, or the guts to actually do it. What about you? Has there been something you know you should be doing, but not practically doing it?

Join The Chase

We continue in a series entitled "Chase The Lion" at The Coast tomorrow. I am excited as we focus our attention on Defying Odds. What is it that seems too big for you to overcome? What is it that you want to do but it seems impossible? What odds, What lions are you facing? Why is it that we can't seem to set God-sized goals? Why is it so hard to pursue God-ordained passions? Why is it we seem to fear going after a dream that is destined to fail unless God intervenes? You don't want to miss the next few weeks.

Driven or Called

So many times in my life I have been told Carl you are so driven. People would say things to me to encourage me that probably over-inflated my ego and played to my dark side more than I ever realized. I have always been challenged by anything that seemed risky...(except skydiving) and will generally run head first into any challenge, because like "The Little Engine That Could...I think I can." This can be dangerous for me if people like myself if were not careful. I don't want to be driven to succeed or driven to accomplish a task for the sake of conquering something bigger than me. Instead, I want to be called, and there is a difference. One is rooted in what I think I can do, the other is rooted in who God made me to be and what He expects me to do. I will say that I have gotten these things backwards in the past. But right now, as it relates to the decisions made recently in our ministry, family, and church, I truly believed I am in a season in which God has called me to lead in a different capacity than I really ever expected. It's the capacity of "transition." For the next few months I believe God has called me to unify the board, staff, and people of Gulf Coast Worship Center towards one goal...the goal is not just to find a new pastor, but to be a unified group of Christ-followers who understand their role in this time. This Sunday I will be sharing a few thoughts on what I am calling RE-Charge. If you are apart of GCWC, focus your attention the next few days on the book of Ephesians and prepare your heart to hear what God is doing.

Excited About Change

That simple phrase is not often heard in life. We tend to get caught up in routine, the norm, the status quo. But change can be very exciting. One of my core values as a leader is "there is an element of risk in every opportunity." Change is always a risk, always an opportunity. The bigger the change, the bigger the risk, but the bigger the opportunity. I am excited about the transition here at Gulf Coast Worship Center. We are all beginning to realize that this is a monumental moment in the history of this church. Julie and I are excited about serving as Interim Pastors during this time of transition. I met with the staff this morning and they seem very upbeat, excited and ready for the challenge. Tonight we meet with the transitional team and the process of searching for a new pastor hits full swing. In a few weeks I will be sharing a few thoughts from the book of Ephesians but for now this is our prayer for GCWC. Pondering Thoughts...

• What risk is God calling you to take...what are the opportunities on the other side?


• What are your thoughts about all of this "change?"

Comments?

DiSC

I always love personality tests. Last night I had to take the DiSC Analysis Exam for the first time in years. Turns out they know me pretty well. It's amazing to me how by just selecting a few words, it seems they can tell you nearly everything about yourself. As it turns out I am "Inspirational," which is a combination of Dominance and Influence, and lean a little towards being "Result-Oriented." I love seeing my strengths and weaknesses on a page. The test rarely if ever lies. I encourage all everyone to take both the DiSC as well as the Myers Briggs to see what strengths you have, but also the weaknesses that are on "your dark side." Here are a few links that you can take knock-off tests at. Seek a professional for the actual DiSC and Myer's Brigg's assessments.

Myers Briggs Knock-off - http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp (I am ENTJ)
DiSC Knock-off - http://www.gregwiens.com/disc.htm

I would love to hear a few of the results.

Dream Assassins - Let Downs

Joseph spends years in prison and finds himself meeting 2 of the kings of officials, a cupbearer and a baker. In the midst of the prison they both have dreams in which God uses Joseph to interpret. Joseph told the cupbearer in Genesis 40 to remember him when his dream came true. Had the cupbearer shared the scenario of the dream and Joseph's role the king would have likely let him out of prison in just 3 days. Instead Joseph spent another 2 years in a place he did not deserve.

Lessons Learned...

• People you serve will not always return the favor, even when promises are made.
• Let-downs may lead to more waiting.
• Sometimes let-downs come because God's timing is different than ours.
• Joseph did not know whether or not the cupbearer had made mention of him to the king or not. Many times we will be unsure of the circumstances surrounding our let-down.
• The people we serve often times remember us long after the fact... (Genesis 41)

Dream Assassins - Waiting

Continuing in the life of Joseph beginning in Genesis 37, we see another attempt to destroy the dream God had given him. In Genesis 39 following the lies of Potipher's wife, Joseph is thrown into prison for something he did not do. It was there he simply waited and made the most of every opportunity he was given.

Lessons Learned...

• Joseph's waiting came in the form of a prison cell, for you it may be a job, finances, circumstances, a relationship, or even a prayer closet until God says now!!!
• Without the prison cell (waiting place) there would be no palace for the fulfillment of the dream.
• God can still prosper you in your waiting place. Joseph found favor and was given leadership responsibilities even in prison.
• God honors faithfulness!
• People are always watching you in the middle of your darkest or most frustrating moments (v.21)

Dream Assasins - Deceit

Following Joseph's rejection of Potipher's wife and his faithfulness to God in Genesis 39, Potipher's wife set out to destroy him. As he left the house she grabbed his coat and in his persistence to get away he left his coat. She proceeds to tell a different version of the story in what seems to be an attempt to get back and Joseph for rejecting him. She lies about his intentions to her husband and had him stripped of his position and thrown ito prison.

Lessons Learned...

• There will always be people who will lie about you.
• There will always be people who will believe the lies.
• There is nothing you and I can do to keep it from happening.
• People who are offended, hurt, threatened, or rejected may gather evidence to build a case against you. (Potipher's wife uses the coat as evidence to back her story)
• Many times we will be persecuted for things we did not do.

Dream Assassins - Sex

In Genesis 39 Joseph finds himself as a servant in the home of Potipher, one of the kings officials. He finds favor with him because he remains faithful to God. In the meantime Joseph gets a not so modest come on from Potipher's wife not just once, but everyday. After many refusals she gets frustrated with him...we pick up there next time.

Lessons Learned

• Sexual Assassins are closer than most of us realize...Potipher's wife watched Joseph daily.
• Our love for God has to be greater than love of ourselves..."How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" v9
• Had Joseph given in, the dream could have been destroyed or altered (See King David).
• Joseph may have never gotten caught, but he said no anyway.
• Greater success can bring greater opportunity for failure.

Dream Assassins - Family

Joseph has a dream that in some way or another he will be in a position of authority over his family. His brothers don't take the dream well when he tells them. So they plot to kill him, but settle on selling him into slavery to get him away so that they can destroy the dream.

Lessons Learned...

• When you have a dream in your life and share it with people in your family, they will not always understand.
• The people that you feel should be the closest to you and give you the most support can sometimes be the ones that selfishly seek to hold you back
• People who do not have God's heart, can't see the things God sees (Isaiah 55:9)
• God always does and end run - he didn't allow Joseph's brothers to kill him

What has God put in your heart that you feel others may have a hard time believing. Read this blog by Steven Furtick.

Dream Assassins

I have always been encouraged by the life of Joseph beginning in Genesis 37. At 17 years old he has a dream and it takes 13 years before he sees the dream become a reality. Along the way he faced threats to his dream. Some of which sought out specifically to see the dream destroyed while others inadvertently could have crushed it. They are what I like to call "Dream Assassins." Dream Assassins are lurking around corners in all of our lives, and if we are not careful, we can allow them to discourage us and cause us to give up on the dream. Over the next few days we will walk through those assassins that are evident in Joseph's life.

Faith Crisis

I have been studying Habakkuk http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=42&chapter=1&version=31 the last few days and have been assured that all of us will hit at least one faith crisis in our lives. It's that point when what we believe doesn't like up with what we see. As I looked back on my life I realized the different "faith crisis" that I have had along the journey. I remember after wrestling with God's call on my life and having a serious injury that ended a potentially prosperous baseball career, God had my attention. To be brief, it was at that moment that I realized I had been running away from the calling God had placed on my life. So I began to pursue it. For the next 4 years I did everything I thought I was supposed to do to be the great leader I was supposed to be. My senior year in high school I began learning and reading. I took 3 college classes while still in my senior year. I went on to graduate college in 3 years, get engaged and was only months from being married when I began the search for a place of ministry. Enter "faith crisis." No one would hire me. I felt like I had done what I believed I was supposed to do. I was about to have a family. I had great dreams and aspirations, but no where to see them fulfilled. I'll continue with how it all ended tomorrow...

Give Me a Steak Please!!!

Hebrews 5 http://tinyurl.com/5csgy5 gives us a look into what God expects of us when it comes to growing up spiritually. The last year and a half has given me new insights into this scripture. Since Jase was born I have been astounded at the process of growth he has made both physically and mentally. I never really understood how much children really desire to learn. He will show you and tell you the new things he has learned everyday. On top of that random things come out of his mouth that there is no way he should understand at this age. I see him processing new things on a daily basis. Beyond that I remember the first time he could hold his own bottle (there is a God). Every step of the way I am amazed and this is the kicker for me...he is only 18 months old and so much has been learned. I think it is worth noting that in 18 months it is unlikely that a person can be and will be a fully devoted follower of Christ...that is a lifelong process. However, there are things that spiritual leaders must allow people to do for God at every growth stage. When Jase began holding his bottle on his own...I QUIT holding it for him. When he got began fedding himself I QUIT feeding him. Pastor what are you allowing those in various growth stages to do. Are we pushing people forward or holding them back.

Hallucination

Thomas Edison once said "vision without execution is hallucination." That hit me like a ton of bricks. Julie and I have had dreams of doing some very specific things for God from the time we were teens. We have seen many of them already. But that's not the end. God has put dreams in our heart that he wants us to "execute." Of course in our execution, we must be dependant upon Him, but what if we fail? Edison says we are hallucinating. Don't get me wrong, we will fail at some things, but not at the vision God has placed inside of us. I am a believer that if God gives you the vision, he expects you to fulfill it. Please don't hear what I am not saying, but I wonder how many leaders, pastors, etc are just hallucinating. Do we really have a vision from God or are we making up something in our own minds? We have to get on our face and know what it is he expects from us and not just attempt to do what the next guy has done. What are your thoughts?

Excellence

Over 2,700 passengers were on our ship last week and that is not one of the larger of the fleet. Some are currently holding 4,200 and one is scheduled to set sail next year that houses 6,000 people. What blows me away is how no matter how many people are on the ship, it never feels like more than about 600-800. The cruise industry moves people, serves people, and pampers people better than any industry I have personally ever seen. Let's break it down...the cruise director said over the course of the week they had served some 65,000 meals...WHAT!!! Not only that but the crew kept 1800 rooms cleaned and neat, not to mention every other part of the ship. It's called excellence. Where is this work ethic in the church. Sure those guys work 12 hour days to make money, but we are all working for a much higher calling. I am sick of the church being sloppy and lazy. Just because the ministry down the street is doing ministry a little lazier than you are doesn't mean your in the will of God. I am not saying neglect family and other things, but lets get over our sloppiness like misspelled words on the screen(sorry if there are some in this post - it's my blog!!!), workers being late, the sound not being set, trash on the floor, and just plain apathy in the room. We only get one shot at this thing called life, it's time we make the most of it.

The Gathering

Really good to be back last night. Have to say I miss the students. It's fall break week so everyone had tons of energy. As the night came to an end, things got intense. I guess anytime you deal with the issue of suicide, people listen. What amazed me was the amount of students who had a loved one that that had committed suicide. I am constantly blown away at the issues these kids face, yet they still give this whole God thing a chance. We have a new thing, if you had asked me a few years ago, I would have told you it was elementary, but it's amazing how it's working. Every week at the end of our service, or at some important transition I stop the service and have every student look at me until they smile (many of them really don't want to smile) but when they do, I have them simply repeat these words...He loves me!!! It is amazing how their demeanor changes immediately. It's really cool to watch God work in these kid's lives.

Communicate

Continuing in the thoughts of things I learned from Royal Caribbean is the idea of communication. I realized this week, how easy it is to forget about something that you really want to do. Every night we would receive the next days newsletter in our room. It would have the spa specials, events on board, port details etc. Anything that was happening was in that newsletter. In addition to the newsletter announcements were made throughout the day, signs and displays were posted throughout the ship. I realized how easy it was to lose track of time and miss something you wanted to attend. I am not arguing that people should live unorganized lives, but lets face it, many people have a time management struggle and in the midst of chaos, things they genuinely want to do get shoved aside for whatever reason. I think about what it would have been like if we had been given one brochure when we boarded the ship and it had all the activities for the week on it. How hard would it have been to dicipher when and where to be. As a church, we have to learn what to communicate when, and to whom it must be communicated. The sunday bulletin cannot be your primary communication system within your organization. You and I have to find strategic ways to communicate on the large scale as well as in smaller groups. Where is your communication system breaking down? What workers, leaders, unbelievers, and families are being affected?

Expectations

When our family planned to take a cruise this year, there were a few things we wanted and expected from it...to get away from the norm, good food, fun, and relaxation. Believe it or not the cruise line knew this. Although we are not drinkers, they also knew that most people on board expected alcohol, and lots of it. Everyone got more than they bargained for. Before we even checked in and received our sea pass cards, there was a cookie buffet for those waiting in line. The opening announcement was that the upstairs dining area was serving a buffet immediately when we entered the ship. The minute we set sail there was a party on the upper deck. Alcohol was being offered all over the ship, and might I add people were taking advantage of it. It was as if all of our senses were being touched by the sounds, smell, taste, and view of the activities aboard. Throughout the week, the options of food, fun, alcohol, and relaxation were endless. It was exactly what we expected. As I thought about this I realized...when people come to church, they have expectations as well. Among the most important are...1 They expect people to be friendly 2. They expect their life to be touched. I am convinced that when people walk through the church doors for the first time, they are looking for something different than the week had to offer. The question is are we as a church striving to meet those in every way possible with a spirit of excellence or are we "having service?" Just some thoughts to ponder as we prepare for the weekend. One thing to keep in mind is that the cruise line can't afford to miss it or they will go out of business. As the church, we must have this attitude.

Mentors - Part 3

Indirect Mentor #3 - Craig Groeschel
There are so many things to say here. Craig and Bobby at LifeChurch have made it possible for their impact for the Kingdom to be felt in larger ways than most of us have the creativity to imagine. I'll never forget Craig's story of how they started in a garage with an overhead transparency for their worship. He had a vision and a passion that led to things never thought of 15 years ago, and he is humble enough to admit that he stumbled on the idea during the birth of his child. The thing that I have gleaned the most and continue to glean from him is the fact that we have to do what we are good at doing. God created each and everyone of us uniquely and we are purposed to use the giftings that he has given us in the most effective ways we know how. We are not called to be like someone else!

Direct Mentor #3 - Randy Valimont
Pastor Valimont was my pastor from the time I was about 13 years old. I watched as our church grew from about 300 people to nearly 2500 when I left for college. Since that time it has continued to grow and touch the community in so many ways. Over the years Pastor Valimont and I have had a few conversations that I will not forget. As a college student I will never forget the things that he expected from those around him...1. Passion for God, 2. Work Ethic, and 3. Teachability. He also made this statement in another conversation...(paraphrased) delegation is not delegation without accountability. Now that I have been involved in full-time ministry for nearly nine years, those 2 valuable lessons still remain a part of my ministry philosphy. Thanks Pastor for everything.

Mentors - Part 2

Indirect Mentor #2 - Bill Hybels
I have read so many books by Hybels and the Willow Creek staff. He says in his book Courageous Leadership that "the local church is the hope of the world." When I first read that it was like I was hit by an oncoming train. But that is exactly the way Jesus set the stage. He spent time on earth with His disciples, and set the church into motion at His death. The "local church" (bodies of believers within a particular community) is the hope for changing that community. We must see more effective churches planted, lead, and grown in every community of the world.

Direct Mentor #2 - Tim Bach
I had the opportunity to serve with Tim Bach during a transitional year of my life. I was about to graduate college and get married. Tim taught me many things, but I think the thing that hit me like a tire iron was his passion for seeing people's life transformed by Jesus. No person was too far from God. Everyday was an opportunity. I have always heard passion is contagious, and in this situation, I am the victim. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to serve with him in other capacities and that passion is still the same.