Hey Gang,

Most of you reading this blog are Christ-followers.  Wouldn’t you agree that Jesus is a testament to tenacity?  “He set His face like flint to go to Jerusalem.”  Nothing could keep Him from His commitment to the cross.  (I think He loved us a lot!) So if we follow Him, shouldn’t we also be testaments to tenacity?  I believe we should. People who make the greatest marks for the Kingdom of God are not necessarily the smartest or the most talented, but the ones that refuse to quit.  They keep on going, knowing the road will be rough at times.  Winners keep going when others quit. Being tenacious means:

1. Leaving it all on the field.  When I leave the platform after our 5th service for the weekend, I want to walk away having left it all on the field for Jesus.  He poured it all out for me and I will do no  less.

2. Working with all you have. Very few people give it all they have every day.  If I work hard today I will get to do more in the future.  “He who is faithful in the little will be placed over more.” Do people know you work hard? If not, why not? It’s not cool with Christ to be lazy.  Don’t wait for your big break, charge the door.

3. You don’t stop until it’s done.  Most say, “I’m done,” but the question is – is the job done?  The difference between the gold and the silver is very small.  Are you an “extra effort” person? My assistant, Gloria, will not quit until the job is done.  I’m not advocating “workaholism,” but I am advocating work. Gloria’s stage in life is that she is an empty-nester and she and her husband are heavily committed to the ministry.  Our church  wouldn’t be where it is today without her support and hard work. That goes for me also. Remember no one is successful unless many people want them to be. It is called a team.

Few do great things for the Kingdom of God alone.  So put all you can into your team. Forget the credit, pay, or accolades.  Give Jesus your all, He knows and He sees, and I promise HE will reward a servant that reflects His heart.  We started a capital stewardship campaign just before the bottom fell out of the economy.  Quit?  No way! God is not deterred by the economy. WE keep going, because God Can!

Never, Never Quit!

Pastor

Hey Gang,

Let me make a statement of faith – God can!  This thought carries me through every day.  As we walk by faith we know we can climb any mountain we face because God can.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  God can.  As a pastor to thousands of people I face decisions daily that affect so many people.  I try to lead our church to do great things for our Lord.  We push the envelope in so many ways and it is the knowledge that God can that keeps me going.  If my faith falters I remind myself – God can. 

Remember the three Hebrew youths who faced immediate death in the fiery furnace if they did not bow to the King’s idol?  With the fire in plain sight and looking at the contorted face of a furious king, they said, NO!  “We won’t bow to your idol.”  “Heat the furnace 7 times hotter. Now what will you boys do?”  “We know that our God is able (God Can) but if HE does not, we will not bow.” Gang, that is faith!  They knew God Can.  Do you know it? Do you walk by faith enough to see His miracles?  He loves to do miracles for His kids.  We must “believe that He is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Live this and every day knowing God Can!  Your miracle could be just right around the corner.

Love ya,

Pastor

Hey Gang,
As you well know, I have a passion for personal growth for many reasons; one reason is that if you pursue growth you will get better. The better you get the more influence you will have with people and the more you can add value to others. It is a very simple concept. So a question for the day: Are you getting better at what you do for a living? Or ministry? Are you improving? O.K. sorry, that was 3 questions. Ben Franklin said, “Hide not your talents. They were made for use. What’s a sundial in the shade?” This was a guy that improved to a extraordinary level. How can we improve?
1. Show up every day. Be there with bells on. Are you disengaged? If so, why? Reengage. Work like this was the Friday before vacation.
2. Getting better needs to be a goal. Daily, almost imperceptible incremental improvements will put us over the top.
3. Follow through. Go the second mile. Excellence is in the details others refuse to do. I love old corvettes and try to go to several shows annually. The best cars are the ones someone took extra care with in the details.
4. Do more than was expected of you. You will get better by pushing yourself to the best you can, every time you can.
5. Encourage others. As you get better some people around you will be motivated to do better. You will help the entire team improve.
Are you the guy or gal they throw the ball to when the shot must be made? If you continually improve you will find you will become the clutch player. You are the “go to” person on the team. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team because he was not good enough. Looks like he found a way to improve! So can you. Today, give it your best shot and you will improve. Today, live life as you were being poured out as a “drink offering” to the Lord.
Love ya,
Pastor

Hey Guys,

Cracks in your driveway are ugly but really no big deal. Cracks in your character; now that is another story altogether.  Most of the readers of this blog are leaders in ministry and want to positively impact our culture for Christ.  Jesus was clear that if there is a problem with the foundation of our lives, we are in trouble.  I have watched many leaders get hurt or ruined due to cracks in their character.  When you face a difficult issue or situation do you stand with character or slip into compromise?  Your actions reveal your character not your words.  Easy talk but hard walk! Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, “The meaning of earthly existing lies, not as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering, but in the development of the soul.” As leaders we must always be constructing our character.  A few thoughts:

1. Character is far more that just your conversation.

2. Your God-given gifts are just that – gifts – your character is a choice.

3. Character will help you influence people for the Kingdom of God.

4. You can’t grow beyond your character for long. The cracks in your character are where you will fall.

I love what the Psalmist said, “Examine me Lord.”  Allow the Lord to put the spotlight of the Holy Spirit into your heart daily to check for cracks in the foundation.  Beware of what Steven Berglas called the “4 A’s of success:” 

• Aloneness
• Arrogance
• Adventure-seeking
• Adultery

“The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays clear of the grey areas.” ~Alan Bernard    Take a check up from the neck up and guard you character.

Love ya,

Pastor

Hey Gang,

Well, another week has arrived and that means another message to prepare for, 5 blogs to write, face book to keep up with, and endless twitters and emails – and that is just to start my days.  It can become maddening, especially for a techno-boob like me.  Why all the technology and communication?  It is to keep up with cutting edge ministers, for personal growth, and to help others in ministry do the same.  As Faith Promise grows, the staff, money, needs, buildings, additional services and a thousands of other leadership issues have to be faced. If we am not careful we could easily loose the Master to the Monster.  The monster is all the stuff that must be done to keep the ministry flowing and lives being transformed.  Without caution, the monster gets all of our attention and we loose sight of why we started all this to begin with.  WE started ’cause we love Jesus and we wanted to change lives, Remember?  But as God poured out His Spirit and favor more people were saved and changed, causing the church to grow and creating the need for, well, more “stuff” – the Monster. This is just a warning, to all of you experiencing the favor and Spirit of God.  So Chris, what’s the answer? Let me give you some helpful hints that I use to stay connected to the Master and use the Monster:

1. Keep your heart red-hot for Jesus.  This requires serious time with the Lord.  Dr. Cho who pastors the largest church in the world spends 3 hours a day in prayer.  Let’s not even bring up Jesus.  You must stay connected to Christ.

2. Stay anchored to the Word.  Get in the Word, not just to prepare to preach, but to prepare your heart.  Let the Word loose and let it do its work.

3. Keep a soft heart for people. After awhile you can get tired of the constant pull of the masses.  People will always have problems and they will always need you.  You can’t meet every need, but stay soft and compassionate. Psalm 103:4…”Crowned with loving-kindness and compassion.” Are you?  “Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows the issues of life.”

4. Guard your time.  Set your own agendas and keep your calendar.  If you let the phone determine your day, you will never get done what needs to be done.  Determine your priorities and then prepare your calendar; then work the day that way.  Beware of the “tyranny of the urgent!”

5. Daily be filled with the Holy Spirit.  If you don’t, you’ll find that old hymn will apply to you: “Running on Empty.” Allow God to fill you and He will work through you. I’m pretty sure the Eagles were a Christian group.Ha ha! 

6. Take your days off and ALL your vacation time.  If you will let it, the church will suck all the life out of you.  Praise God for some churches like FPC that makes sure that does not happen, but most will kill you if you let them.

The ministry is wonderful.  Both of my sons feel called into full time vocational ministry and I’m stoked about it.  I have loved it.  I have seen the two churches I have served grow from 25 on my first Sunday to 3000 now in attendance.  I have watched a lot of changes and issues.  If I would have allowed it, the Monster would have killed me. Thank God for His amazing grace.  Today walk in the power and joy of the Lord;  use the Monster to maximize the Kingdom of God, not to steal your joy or future in God’s harvest field.

Be blessed,

Pastor

Hey Gang,

Well it’s the weekend and that is my favorite part of the week. Not because work is over, ’cause for me it’s not!  My biggest time is on the weekend. I look forward to spending it with my church family, FPC. I love my spiritual family. I love and look forward to worship.  Having 5 services to lead and teach can be a bunch, yet I love it. I feel God moving through me and touching hearts – nothing like it.  I enjoy seeing the family members, and hearing all that God is doing in their lives.  I look forward to worship ’cause I get to connect with God in a special way.  I also believe God will touch hundreds of new people drawing them to the Family of God. We have the best worship leader on the planet! All our worship leaders are anointed.

Will you worship this weekend?  Do you look forward to connecting with the Lord in a deeper way?  Worship will transform you while putting a smile on the face of God.  How does HE feel as He watches His kids love and sing to Him? He smiles if we are humble and longing to be with Him.  See ya this weekend in the spirit. Remember the Lord said that, “The Father seeks worshipers who worship in Spirit and Truth.”

Love Ya,

Pastor

Hey Gang,

Dreams are awesome because they can drive you.  I am living the dream right now; I’m serious.  Daily more stuff happens that takes me closer to my dream.  I have a dream that I rarely share:  I want to build the greatest church since Pentecost. There, I said it.  Not competing with my Pastor friends, just to honor the One who died for me.  I see God expanding that dream right now-it’s amazing. You’ll find out more about that later.  What is your dream? Are you living it?  Moving toward it? You can, because God can! Never count Him out.  Your dream can take you farther that you can go on your own.

I could list many people that achieved great things ’cause they had a dream-you know them already.

Let me just give you some dream definitions:

1. Your dreams will help give you direction. Have you ever met someone that didn’t have a clue what they wanted to do and yet they were successful? Neither have I…your dreams give you direction.

2. Your dreams will push your potential off the chart. Without a dream we drift along in life, but with a dream we see new potential in life. Resources rise up, opportunities open, dollars draw near, and new days dawn every 24 hours. “A blind man’s world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limits of his vision.”  E. Paul Hovey

3. Your dreams will determine what’s important. My dreams give me hope for the future and power for the present. I know the sacrifices that must be made to make the dream a reality.  You will have to give up to go up!

4. Your dreams will add value to your work. I love to get up in the morning.  Vince Lombardi said, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour-his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear-is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious.”

5. Your dreams will predict your future.  Katherine Logan said, “A vision foretells what may be ours. It is an invitation to do something. With a great mental picture in mind we go from one accomplishment to another, using the materials about us only as stepping stones to that which is higher and better and more satisfying. We thus become possessors of the unseen values which are eternal.”  I promise your dream will take you for the drive of your life.

I am watching God bring my dreams to life.  Every weekend as I watch a few thousand people come to worship at FPC, I am amazed.  I am blown away as I see their lives transformed and as God builds a great church. What is your dream?

Dream it Baby!

Love ya,

Pastor

Hey Gang,

As most of you know I’m still a baby in the cyber-world and I didn’t know all caps in the title is yelling in blogsville-who knew?  Back to business. For years the church in America has sort of played games with the gospel and really living the Word.  I believe the younger generation coming up will not buy in; proven by the fact millions have left the church.  I know it’s one of the reasons secular society for forgotten us.  Well, it is time for a CHANGE! We must no longer talk about the Bible; if we are going to transform our culture we must live the Bible.  I’m pretty sure we only really believe the parts of the Bible we live.  That will rock your world.  We have turned the Bible into a book of discussion instead of a book of action which Jesus talked about.

Jesus said the “A wise man hears the words, my words, and acts on them.”  We are in a series at Faith Promise called MOVED. It is about social justice-you know, caring for the poor.  Bible stuff we usually read and reject, at least that is what I did.  Growing up in the projects I wanted out, not back in.  But Jesus said get back in there.  You don’t have to move back, but you have to go back and care for people.  The Bible is a radical book and Jesus is a radical. He came to start a revolution not a religion.  He moved my heart, how about yours?

At FPC we have almost a thousand young adults and they are going to change our city.  No more games. Check out the series on www.faithpromise.org. God might move you!

Just a thought.

Love,

Pastor

Hey Gang,

It would seem that all the news is reporting is the stimulus package signed by the President yesterday.  I’m not too sharp with economics, but I know a little about stimulus, or should I say Spiritual Stimulus.  The news anchors continually report on the slagging, lagging recession our economy is in, and how we can get out of the doldrums.  We all experience slumps in life, and I don’t mean just economically.  When we take a nose dive into the doldrums we need an injection – a stimulus of the spiritual kind.  Today, are you flying high or sinking low?  Some of us need a little ”wind in our sails.”  That is what the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer.  He is our Spiritual Stimulus Package. He puts wind in our sails.  I love to see and feel a full powerful sail, don’t you?

If you need a lift, then just look to the Lord.  Do what I do every day.  In the morning I surrender my life totally to the control of the Holy Spirit, as much as I know how. (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 2:20)  I ask Him to take over and He does. I ask Him to fill and flood my soul with His Spirit and He does because it is His will and desire to do so.  Too many Christ-followers are “running on empty.” Trying their best to honor and serve God without the power to do so.  “Those that walk in the flesh can’t please God.” His words, not mine. Don’t shoot the messenger.   Do you need a spiritual stimulus? Do you need energy and power? Do you need guidance and direction? That is part of the Job Description of the Holy Spirit.  That’s why Jesus said He needed to go to the Father – so He would send the Helper.  It would be better for us, or so Jesus said.  I believe it!

Open up today.  Ask the Father to fill you and you might be amazed at His power and presence in your life. “My cup is running over.”

Be blessed today!

Love Ya,

Pastor

Hey Gang, 

In this blog I really want to be a help to you.  I want to help your growth, encouragement, leadership, success, and your faith. Today I have to bury a child that died in his dad’s arms only minutes after he was born.  This will make the second burial I have done for a child in as many weeks.  It is no fun staring at a casket less than two feet long.  I am not trying to be morbid or to make you cry, but “stuff happens.”  This difficulty happened to a great and godly family. They serve God at FPC and are very faithful.  This family prayed for the Lord to heal their son.  They could have chosen to abort the child when the doctors told them there were problems, and that there would be massive physical problems with the child if they carried him to term.  This family loves God and put the whole deal in His Hands.  I applaud them for their heroic effort to go all the way for this tiny life. I can’t imagine carrying a baby to term and then watching the life pass quickly away.  Only a mom who has experienced this can know the pain.

I pray that God will give me the words of encouragement they need today as they huddle with their family and Christian community.  Death was not in the original design that God had in the Garden of Eden.  We blew it in disobedience and death was the result.  We serve a God that is good and can be trusted to do the best as far as we are concerned.  I hope you trust Him in the good times and the bad.  Today will be a day of miracles, ’cause God is going to show up.

Just a thought.

Love, Pastor 

God can show up on a sun-soaked beach, or in a storm of circumstantial difficulty.