Well tonight we really kick off the Christmas Season at Grace Community Church with a special Christmas Tree lighting service that takes place tonight at 6:30pm. Hope you are planning on being there!!!! Should be a fun time for all. If you are there, make sure to say hi!!!
On a not so serious note. Over in Fusion, we like to be serious when we need to be serious, but we like to have a lot of fun the rest of the time. Last week, I was inspired by one of our students who created a jibjab card of two of our staff guys. It was so funny I had to create a special jibjab Christmas Card that we could send out to our volunteers and other church staff just to let them know Christmas is here! Enjoy the laugh and from all of us at Fusion, Merry Christmas!!!!
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)
We tend to be confident in the things that we know, and/or the things we know we do well. However, many people tend to lack confidence when it comes to the things of God. Why is this?
I personally think fear and busyness play a big part in this. The fact is, we don’t know what we don’t know. This causes us to let fear keep us trapped from stepping out in faith and we let busyness keep us from developing and growing in our relationship with God! But what if it was different … can it be different?
For a person to be confident they have to develop intimacy with God. The intimacy I am talking about can’t happen if you never spend time alone with God. Just attending church (which is a great thing to do), just reading the Bible (which I wish more Christians did, myself included), can’t give you this intimacy. Don’t get me wrong, these things help and are good, but real intimacy happens in a one-on-one setting.
The only way to have this type of intimacy, and ultimately real confidence in the things of God, is found here, in Joshua 1:8-9. It’s found when you sit still, study scripture, meditate on what you read, and then apply that understanding to your life. That’s where intimacy with Christ and real confidence is found!
So here is the question, do you have this type of intimacy with God? Do you have confidence when it comes to the things of God? If not, why? It can change, but it’s going to take some effort on your part. Here is what I encourage you to do. Find your Bible, find a specific time, and find a spot to spend time with God, reading, meditating, praying and listening. If you don’t know a good place to start reading, start in the Gospel of John, or the book of James. But begin reading and meditating on what you read. How much you read is not as important as how much you apply. So start small, and enjoy your time with God!
Today, will you make another excuse, will you say I’ll start tomorrow, or will you make your time with God a priority and develop and intimate relationship with Him? This is where real confidence comes from and this is where you begin to be strong and courageous!
Brace yourselves, January 3rd, 2010 will be Student Invasion Weekend at Grace. It will be the first weekend of the year and Fusion is taking over the Big House. Tyler and the student band will lead in musical worship and I will do the teaching during both services. We are really excited about it and hope you will make plans to attend. We’re encouraging all the student to sit in the middle front section as a group in both service. I promise this will be a weekend you don’t want to miss!
“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” Proverbs 27:19 (NLT)
Let’s face it, we have learned to play the game. “Fake it till you make it!” has become our motto in life. At a young age we learn to adapt to situations, groups, lifestyles and so on. We even learn to look good on the outside and hide what going on on the inside. Jesus addressed this when he confronted to the Pharisee’s in Matthew 23. Check it out here:
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish,[i] and then the outside will become clean, too.” Matthew 23:25-26 (NLT)
If God is stirring that means He is going after your heart. What is in your heart will eventually be seen in your actions and lifestyle. A person of Character is consistently evaluating the condition of their heart and mind. Their desire is to be like Jesus more and more everyday. Here are some qualities of people who have High Character:
They are people of integrity (their public and private lives are consistent)
They are truthful
They are authentic (what you see is what you get)
They stand up for truth, their convictions, and their commitments
They are self-controlled
They know when to talk and when to be silent
Their words and their lifestyle are consistent
They are letting God transform them from the inside out
Being a person of Character simply means doing what is right because it is right. For a Christ Follower, that starts by allowing God to work on the inside, so the inside is revealed on the outside. Please understand that Character development is an ongoing process and doesn’t happen overnight! Everyday we have the opportunity to be transformed. So, with that being said, here’s the bottom line: If God is stirring, and we desire to be used by Him in supernatural ways, we have to become people of Character by allowing God to transform us from the inside out! It starts and ends with Romans 12:1-2,
“And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b]2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
Today, let’s ask God to change us from the inside out, that we would posses these qualities and become people of character that can be used by Him.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
When I was 18 this verse was grained in me by my Youth Pastor. He modeled and taught me how important accountability is. When we look at this verse, it sounds simple! We all want and have friends. But this verse goes deeper than just a simple Friendship. For iron to be sharpened it has to have some kind of friction that make it sharper. For you to be the person God has created you to be, and then to do the things he is calling you to do, you need to have people in your life that can and will hold you accountable. These are people you trust. People that love you unconditionally. These are people you give permission to ask you the hard questions. You need people that create Godly friction in your life so you will become more like Christ.
The fact is, we need these people in our life. Our relationship with Jesus is a personal one, but it’s not intended to be a private one. We need people to help us see the things we don’t see. We need people to help us own the things that we want to hide. We need people to hold us up, when we are fighting sin and feel weak. We need people to encourage us with words of life!
I have been blessed with some great men of God that have held me accountable. I am in a group right now that is holding me accountable to these 10 things:
Have I spent daily time in the Scriptures and in Prayer?
Have I had any flirtatious or lustful attitudes, tempting thoughts, or exposed myself to any explicit materials which would not glorify God?
Have I been completely above reproach in my financial dealings?
Have I spent quality relational time with family and friends?
Have I done my 100% best in my job?
Have I told any half truths or outright lies, putting myself in a better light to those around me?
Have I shared the Gospel with an unbeliever this week?
Have I taken care of my body through daily physical exercise and proper eating/sleeping habits?
Have I allowed any person or circumstances to rob my joy?
Have I lied on any of these answers today?
Accountability is risky! It makes you vulnerable! But it doesn’t work unless you are truthful and ask for it. I can tell you several stories of people, men and women, who have fallen because of a lack of accountability. Some of these people even had great, Godly people in their lives, but they didn’t allow anyone to love them, ask the hard questions, and help them become the person God created them to be. But I can also tell you stories of victory. Where someone seeks accountability and God changes that person from the inside out and goes on to use them in great ways.
Here is the point, God is more concerned with Who you Are, than what You Do! Many times we forget this and miss the most important things in being a Christ Follower . . . becoming like Christ ourselves. We need each other and together we can be the people God has created us to be.
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)
Today, will you be a person that tries to do this on your own, or will you invite others in so you can be the person God has created you to be?
Josiah and I have been reading the Bible together before he goes to bed each night for quite sometime now. We have made it through the Old Testament and just started the New Testament. The last couple of nights have been on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Tonight, the passage was from Acts 1 when Jesus ascends to Heaven. As Josiah and I talked about the lesson, we talked about Heaven and who gets to go to Heaven. We talked about what keeps people from heaven. He knows that sin keeps people from Heaven (We’ve talked about sin for awhile and he knows what sin is). So when I told him that sin keeps us from God and if we don’t have Jesus in our heart we can’t go to Heaven, He understood it. He asked if I (me) died would I go to Heaven and I said yes because I have asked Jesus into my heart and He forgave me of my sin. And because I have done that, when I die, I get to go to Heaven. After I said this, I asked him, “What happens to people that don’t ask Jesus into their heart?” He said with a gulp, “they go to Hell.” I asked, “Why do they go to Hell?” He said, “Because Jesus hasn’t taken away their sins.”
At this point my heart began to race. I asked Josiah, “Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins? He said, “I want too but I don’t know how!” So innocent. I said, “All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. If I pray with you, do you want to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins?” He said, “Yes!” So needless to say, we called Stephanie into the room, of coarse Jackson followed, and as a family we prayed together and Josiah asked Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him for his sins. As a dad, this the moment you pray for and as a pastor/dad you try not to rush, but tonight I am proud to proclaim we have one more for Jesus in the Gould Family! Josiah asked Jesus into his heart!
Today I took Josiah to the dentist! In between appointments we grabbed a quick bite to eat at McDonald’s. Watching Joe play with a huge smile on his face was the highlight of the morning!
As I sat at the dentist office, that mental picture of Joe looking down at me saying, “Daddy” with a huge smile on his face will forever be etched in my memory and on my heart!
It made me think back to when I was a kid. Life was much easier. As a kid the biggest stress-or in my life were rainy days that kept me from playing outside or my friends not being able to play outside with me!
Life is much different now! Even though kids are expensive (if it’s not the hospital with one, it’s the dentist with the other) they are well worth it. Everyday my boys remind me of the important things in life. They seem to always find something to make themselves happy or make us laugh. They trust and give so much not expecting anything in return. They get excited by the small things that many times are overlooked! They don’t know a stranger and are so accepting of others!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (NIV)
I have to admit, this is hard … sometimes it’s really hard. As I look back on the last two years of my life there have been times I have questioned my faith, questioned my God, questioned my calling, and questioned my effectiveness. You see when things get tough we panic and think something is wrong, therefore we begin asking the “What’s wrong questions?” Questions like:
What did I do to deserve this?
God, why aren’t you taking care of this?
Did I listen to the wrong voice?
Did I make the wrong choice?
God, where are you?
Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions?
I have asked these questions and many others. But here is what I have learned, and trust me … I am still learning, when a situation arises, I need to ask these question, but I also need to decide who I am going to trust. I can either turn to God and trust Him, or turn away from God and not trust Him. I can either worry and live in fear, or I can worship and live in faith. But ultimately, the choice is ours.
I understand that when bad things happen, we are at a loss and begin asking some major questions! I can’t tell you how many times I have had a teenager ask me, “If God is a loving God, why do bad things happen to good people, even Godly people?” That’s a great question and I answer with John 10:10, where Jesus says,
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)
We must remember, that we have an enemy. He is determined to steal, kill, and destroy anything good that God wants to do in our life. He want’s to steal our joy, so we don’t talk about God’s blessings, He want’s to steal our peace so we question our faith, our God, and our effectiveness, so we don’t talk about God’s faithfulness. He wants to destroy our confidence, our influence, and our testimony for Christ so it kill’s our ability to be impact others for God’s Kingdom. Basically he is out to make our life hell on Earth.
So, the next time a problem arises, ask the right questions, seek the Lord, and trust that He isn’t absent. Turn the Worry into Worship, the Fear into Faith and let God do the impossible. Pray Ephesians 3:20 which says,
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
You never know … your greatest challenge, greatest obstacle, or greatest question, could be the very thing that God uses to show His greatest impact through you. It could be Gods Refining Fire, that is burning away the impurities from your own life so He can maximize your influence for His Kingdom. Be Faithful!
Today, Let’s seek the Lord, Trust Him, and turn our Fear into Faith and our Worry into Worship! Let’s press through the tuff time and stay faithful to the Lord!
Tonight, Stephanie and I are hosting a group of students that have been meeting together for the last 11 weeks on Sunday Night and doing a daily study from a work book called Max Q. I know, the title is riveting! But when you understand what Max Q is, the title makes sense! 11 weeks ago we had an open call to any student that was willing to take on this challenge and be a student of influence. Here is what we introduced to them 11 weeks ago:
MAX Q
Becoming a Student of Influence
Week 1 – Introduction
Christ is the strongest, grandest, most attractive personality ever to grace the earth. But a careless messenger with the wrong approach can reduce all this magnificence to the level of boredom. ~Jim Rayburn
The real problem of lost teenage America is not a lack of evangelism but a lack of substance in the Christian students who live, study, and play among them. ~ MAX Q
As we begin this journey together our desire is that your Character would be stretched, encouraged, and challenged. At Fusion, we believe we begin to develop students of influence only as we choose to put our focus on the character of our students rather than the charisma of our environments. The breadth and power of our students’ influence on their unbelieving friends are directly proportional to the depth of the content of their character. And the effectiveness of our ministries in influencing the unbelieving student culture is absolutely dependent upon the character of our core students. Our goal in this process is that each of you would take the steps to become what we call core students.
Why Max Q? Max Q is a term used in the space-shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You see, roughly one minute after launch, a space shuttle must withstand a condition of extreme force called “maximum dynamic pressure” – “Max Q” for short. This is the critical point in flight from an aerodynamics perspective. It’s when the most stress is placed on the vehicle. It happens just after the shuttle goes supersonic, at an altitude of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (5 -7 miles up). Mission success demands that all systems on the space shuttle perform at the highest level. When designed properly, prepared carefully, and executed perfectly, the shuttle and its crew safely reach orbital velocity of 17,600 miles per hour at about 8½ minutes after launch.
Our role in your development is difficult, yet so significant. We (your leaders) must create ministry environments that develop students who can withstand intense pressure. Students who can be light in dark places. Students who will not waver from their faith while they passionately pursue relationships with their lost peers. Students who know how to gain influence and earn the privilege to lead. That’s our desire as a ministry and the question we ask you before we go any further is this . . . Are you willing to be that type of student?
If the answer is yes, here’s where we have to start.
It has to start with us your leaders! Our leaders must make a commitment to model, lead, challenge, encourage, correct, and hold you accountable to the things of Christ so you can be the person of influence God is calling you to be.
It starts with you! You have to be willing to be stretched, lead, challenged, encouraged, corrected, and held accountable to the things of Christ. It is going to take some work, there will be times it may be hard, to be honest, they may be times that you want to quit or disagree with the process … but I promise in the end, God will use this process to teach you what it means to be faithful, what it means to be a person of Character, what it means to be a person of influence, and what it means to be a person that is used by God.
The students that are coming over tonight desire to be used by God. They are a work in progress and some of them will move on to mentor the next group of students that will take Max Q in the spring. Some will retake Max Q because of their lack of doing the daily study or missing too many sessions. Regardless, tonight marks a starting point for our ministry to begin developing student leaders. In the Spring, I will offer this to our adult leadership team. We will meet at the same time as the students. Josh Harris who has been shadowing me in these last 11 weeks and will lead the next class of students through the material while I lead the adults through the materiel. (by the way, I think every adult should go through the class, these principles aren’t just for students, they are for anyone that wants to be influential.)
I am so proud of the students that took this serious, didn’t give up, and are seeking ways to be an influence in the arena of life that God has placed them. I am excited to see what God does through them and He uses them to advance His Kingdom!
For the last couple of weeks we have been letting, (should say begging) Josiah to pray and thank God for our meal each night as we sit together as a family. Typically Jackson is already way ahead of us and has to stop eating to pray. This past week as we were waiting for Josiah to make it to the table Jackson said “we pray” and put his hands together and started praying. The only thing I could understand was Amen at the end! Ever since then, now when we sit down to eat, both boys pray. Jackson prays in tongues and Joe prays in English, but God know what both of them are saying, and Stephanie and I delight that the boys are eager to talk with God! What a blessing!!!
Dan Gould 