I've Been Thinking A Lot Lately About...

I've been thinking a lot lately about this thing we have called a "relationship" with God. It makes me thankful I have a God who stirs in my heart and moves and speaks to me and calls me to know Him more. I'm thankful that my God doesn't sit on fluffy white clouds with lightning bolts and little Angel Soft Cupids flying around trying to sell toilet paper. I'm glad my God is intimate with me and knows me and longs to know me more.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what Francis Chan talked about in his session at the Innovate Church Conference this week. Specifically about opening God's Word and reading it like it's the first time you've ever read it. Reading it while putting away preconceived notions and looking for the "obvious truths" in the text. What are the obvious conclusions we come to? An example of this he gave was simply "Do you mean to tell me you read the Scriptures and when you are done the obvious conclusion you get is that you need to say a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart?" The truth is that this is not what we see Jesus saying about following Him. Jesus calls us to a deeper relationship with Him in which we abandon everything and run whole heartedly toward our God.

I wish I could lock myself in a room with a source of water and a vegetable tray and my Bible and just go cover to cover on the Bible. I want so badly to do this... I just have to plan it out.

New Song - "Burn In Us"

I just sat in a session at the Innovate Church Conference with Francis Chan. He spoke about returning to a child-like faith and about hearing the Spirit's leading on our lives. He encouraged us to dig into the Word of God for all we are and to look at the obvious truths. His words on the Holy Spirit really touched to the core of me. I came up to the office really quick and demoed it out and posted in The Great Rescue Facebook Page. You can go listen to it and become a fan if you like. It's in our media player under the BOXES section. It's just a rough demo but, whatever. I just had to write it, record it, and post it. I had to get it out there. It was like there was a sense of urgency. I had to do it. May you be blessed by it where ever you are.

Burn In Us

I feel a stirring deep within, in my heart I know it's You.

I feel a power moving deep within my soul it's You.

Let Your fire fall, let Your voice be heard

Move in us, burn in us.

Let Your fire fall, let Your voice be heard

Move in us, burn in us.

I feel a fire burning down into my bones it's You.

I hear the Spirit calling me to be more, it's You.

Let Your fire fall, let Your voice be heard

Move in us, burn in us.

Let Your fire fall, let Your voice be heard

Move in us, burn in us.

May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done

One earth as it is in heaven

For Yours is the kingdom the power and the glory

For Yours is the kingdom the power and the glory

For Yours is the kingdom the power and the glory

Amen.

Let Your fire fall, let Your voice be heard

Move in us, burn in us.

May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done

Move in us, burn in us.

The Idolizing Of The American Pastor

Sorry it's been a little while since I've posted. I feel like I need to post this one though. Some things have come up recently that have had me thinking about it. Let me begin with a question.

Do you follow Jesus more than you follow your pastor?

Here is what I'm getting at... I'm seeing a trend, mainly among mega-church members but not limited to them, to be more connected to and dedicated to following their pastor than they are to following Christ.

We can become so wrapped up in the messenger that we miss the message.

We can be so caught up in the journey that we forget the end goal.

We can be so passionate about our pastors that we steal passion and glory that rightfully belongs to Jesus.

I see this when college students will serve in the youth ministry, I have the privilege of being a part of, come for the youth service then leave to go home and skip the main service in order to go listen to their weekly podcast from Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, Erwin McManus, Joel Olsteen, Francis Chan, Rick Warren, or Andy Stanley. Now I love all of those guys and I love their teaching for the most part. However, I serve as a pastor on staff at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Thomas Road is my home.

Thomas Road is a megachurch.

If I'm going to serve here then I need to go to the main service and hear from the pastor of this church. However, if I get so attached to Jonathan Falwell or any other pastor more than I do about my relationship with Jesus then I have missed the mark.

I feel like we can do this.

Christians have begun to idolize the American Pastor into celebrity status and have taken the focus off of Jesus Christ and onto which pastor can be the most shocking or the best communicator or the most innovative.

Have we forgotten our first love?

Have we misplaced it and begun to worship creation over creator?

I pray it's not so.