Last elevation

Allison and I are sitting our last Elevation listening to Tommy teach on parenting. It’s worth a listen to this weekend at http://www.saddlebackfamily.com

Next week…First Coppell!

Resignation from Saddleback (what a great church!!!!)

Holding Pattern

Reflexions on 2 Chronicles 7:14

vs 14 “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

When we pray, we yield our heart and lives towards God/to God. As we pray we seek the face of God. As we seek God, we find God. As we find God, we realize that both sin and God cannot co-exist so one has to give….and it’s sin. When the sin is dealt with, God hears us and we can more clearly hear Him….and healing takes place….

So often times, there is a natural progression in scripture that I overlook at first glance. Meditating has allowed this passage to take root and breathe in my life. There is so much in my heart that is going on in this very moment. It is not that I need healing, but rather I need to hear. Meditation is continuing and the verse for this week is Psalm 46:10.

Meditation…

The title of my blog is obviously “stop and smoke a cigarette.” If you are confused or even turned off by that, just check out the reasoning for the title under the “about” tab and prayerfully this will bring about some sort of rest to your angst. The blog title is really another way of saying “Be Still.” This has been a major theme in my life over the past year. In a culture that is highly administrative because of the size and scope, I have to be intentional like never before and be responsible like never before for my spiritual growth. If I do not go deeper in my relationship with the Lord, I can’t expect the weekend nor the week to assist in this….I must become a self-feeder. 

But what about the tension between being still and becoming a self-feeder…spiritually? There is obvious tension and will forever be present just as the tension the exists between “already” and “not yet.” I am already a child of God and have experienced his salvation, but I have not yet fully experienced these things because I am still in the context of a fallen state. 

Meditation is that time when we don’t “empty” our mind in order to achieve “nirvana” but rather “fill” our minds with the things of God. There is a big difference here. Meditation is a way of being still before the Lord, listening to Him as much as we speak to Him, and speak back to Him His own words. 

My encouragement to you today is to begin meditating for the next 7 days. I would encourage you to do this (this is my personal outline):

1. pray that God would show me my condition (emotionally, spiritually, physically)
2. pray that God would  cleanse me
3. pray that God would speak to me
4. read a verse of passage and meditate (for at least 20 minutes- be silent)
5. record what God said to you (not an audible voice..but if so…please let me know)
6. continue on throughout the day in that spirit

God’s best to us as we are on this journey of life together!

 

Forgiveness and healing

I was studying for a talk that I gave on Saturday night to a group of single adults. The talk was titled “awkward-free dating.” As I have been a singles pastor, one thing has become really clear…a lot of single adults love talking about and hearing talks on dating. So I began what has really turned into a book called “to date or not to date”…that is the question. I never had any intention on speaking so much on a topic but God led me to the place of understanding that God loves to be glorified in all relationships…God IS relationships…..and this means that God desires to be glorified in DATING…but first DATING had to be defined…so I defined it….

A point in my talk was “to DEAL before the DATE.” The point was that the date was not the place where people need to “relationally or emotionally DUMP” on the other person. As I was studying, I came across a passage that I had read and memorized many many years ago. In 2 Chronicles we read, “If my people, who are called by My name will humble themselves, will pray, and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land.” 

God is so ready to heal our hurts, bad habits, and destructive hangups. But we have to come before him and ask for forgiveness so that He can heal us. The same is true in many many relationships. We have to come to a place of forgiving past hurts before we will ever find healing from those past hurts. 

I don’t know too many people that don’t desire healing…but the desire is not enough. We have to first ask for forgiveness or we have to forgive….don’t forget Jesus’ model prayer. “….forgive us our debts just as we forgive those who have debts towards us…..

Sunday Morning Traditions

We love Sunday Mornings at the Coates’ house. Either Allison or I get up and head out to the donut store. Our favorite is Micheal’s right across the street from Saddleback. The girls will usually want to go which gives the other parent a few extra moment of peace. It didn’t happen this morning because I needed to get to the church to Emcee the morning services. I missed it and we will have to do something special this week to make up for the missed family time. 

It is already the 6th month of 2008 and the older I get, the more it seems that time flies. I don’t want to be a parent who looks back and wonders where all of the time goes so I want to have these special moments built into the thread of the week. I am crazy about my family and love each one in a very special way. I am so grateful to God for all that he has blessed me with and remember the times not even a decade ago when I wonderd if I was ever going to be married or if I even “deserved” to be married. God’s timing is always perfect and the stewardship of God’s blessings are always expected