YouVersion.COM

Ok. So here it is Dec 30 and we're all thinking about New Year's resolutions. We're thinking about how 2010 can be better and the second chances that a new year brings. It feels like we all get a clean slate to start over. Or at least that's what we are hoping for!

I know for me that one thing I want to do more of this year is getting into the Word. Well, here is a GREAT tool for making that happen! youversion.com has got it all! There are 20 different reading plans to choose from as well as mobile applications and groups to join. Nothing like reading the Word together with other Christ-followers AND having full access to the Bible via our cell phones!



To get started, simply click on YouVersion on the right side bar of this blog. It's listed under "If You're Stuck, start here". This will take you to the homepage. Next, sign-up and you are on your way!

Once you have signed-up you can chose your plan, add those mobile applications AND join our group here at Suncrest. Our group name is "Suncrest Christian Church". Click on Community and when you get to that page click onto "Groups" and then search for Suncrest Christian Church.

One of the benefits of reading the Bible in a group is being able to share your thoughts on what you've read and read what others have gotten out that passage. It is a beautiful way to grow together and individually.

Don't wait! Get started and signed-up TODAY!
Looking forward to where God will be leading us through His Word in 2010.

See you on YouVersion~

Kay

Beyond Sunday - Let it Be Christmas: Revolution

...by Kevin McHugh

Hello to All and Happy New Year,

I really enjoyed another great visit to East Campus and I thought that Andy delivered a great message - perfectly timed with the arrival of a new year. Looking at my notes from Sunday, I find myself starting to think about this revolution Andy was talking about and wondering what it would look like if the people at Suncrest all completely joined God's revolution of love.

So God wants us to thrive, not merely survive. However I notice there are a lot more people in survival mode these days. The economy has put many out of work or reduced income, families are worried, and people are scared. Andy said that fear holds us down in survival mode. Romans 8:15 says "For you did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry Abba, Father." We believe that, so let's be revolutionary and live it!

God loves us and His Spirit walks with us at all times. Again from Romans, in 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." and verse 31, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

If everyone at Suncrest embraced the scripture Andy used in his lesson then, we would have a church full of highly confident people totally lacking in fear. But is this realistic? Doesn't our sin get in the way? I know my sin does, but I also know that this can be improved by following the greatest commandment - Love my God, and love one another. If we can all do that with all of our hearts, it would be truly revolutionary.

The Five Essentials of Cultivating: Community

Well, after a busy Christmas season, I'm back here on the Cultivate blog. I know you all missed me! Okay, just kidding.

Anyway, over my past few posts, I've taken some time to talk about different things that have been big "Cultivate essentials" for me. We talked about the importance of humility first, and then the importance of learning how to live a generous, giving lifestyle. Last time, we talked about the importance of utilitzing worship as a way to grow in our relationship with God. This week, we hit the topic of community.

Here at Suncrest, our church recognizes the importance of community, hence one of our 4 C's being "Connect in relationships where truth meets life." And to be honest, I think that for me, connecting in community with other people is so important to having a healthy relationship with God.

People just have this way of being able to rub off on you and help smooth out your rough edges. In Proverbs 27:17, we're told that just as iron sharpens iron, one person "sharpens" another. Chances are that you have some relationships in your life that are like that. Back home in Columbus, I have a friend named Ciara, and she just has this super pure heart and love for Jesus where you just can't help but have that rub off on you when you spend time with her. One of my friends in my community group is Emily Cioroianu, and when you hear her talk about how much she cares for Africa, you can't help but care too. Even at work, people like Bobby Jackson, Mike Ward, Kay Roberts, and Tina Hines have this incredible commitment to doing great work that continually "sharpens" me and pushes me to work harder and get better at what I do.

I think that community makes better. It helps us relate to and learn how to love others, which is part of the new commandment that Christ gave us in John 15:12. And as we learn to love and relate to others, I think that we learn to love and relate to God better, too. For much of my life, I just didn't believe it. But I finally took the "community group" plunge last year, and much to my surprise, discovered that to be the truth.

So, if you're not, I'd love to encourage you to be a part of a community group. Take the plunge and embrace discovering the power of community for yourself! It is amazing!

wb

Beyond Sunday - Let it Be Christmas: All the lonely people

...by Jeff Sanford

Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in life. Some experience it because of the loss of a loved one. Some experience it as a result of a move, or a misunderstanding, or even because of guilt or shame. Some experience it simply because their peers have rejected them. Whatever the case may be, feelings of isolation during the Christmas season are a common occurrence.

Listen to how Isaiah describes Jesus in chapter 53:

“…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not...But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him...”

This section of Scripture really paints a picture of Jesus’ experience here on earth and demonstrates how Christ can provide us with hope. Scripture says that Jesus was a man of sorrows and that men rejected and despised Him. In fact, the religious leaders were out to get Him and eventually crucified Him. Jesus understands loneliness. Jesus experienced the ultimate isolation on the cross, as He was punished for our sin. But God did not forsake Him, for He was raised from the grave, and it is by the wounds of the Savior that we are healed.

So in this Christmas season when many experience loneliness, there is good news of great joy that shall be for ALL people. A Savior is born and that Savior will be called Immanuel, which means God with us. Did you get that? God is with us…even in our loneliness. The same God who is “close to the brokenhearted” and who “saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The same God who “comforts us in all our troubles.” The same God who “sticks closer than a brother.” The same God who knows the depths of hearts and loves us the same.

During the holiday season, I urge you to trust in the promises of God’s Word. Trust that as you pursue Christ, that He is also drawing near to you. Trust that Christ knows everything about you and still chooses to love you. As a part of the body of Christ, during this season, won’t you listen for those who may show signs of loneliness and make an extra effort to reach out to them, to let them feel the unconditional love of God.

Beyond Sunday - Let it be Christmas: I Believe in Yesterday

...by Cindy Barker

Greg asked us to zero in on someone who’s been a bricklayer in your life and to take on the best qualities of who they are. My mom has been a bricklayer in my life.

She has a strong faith in God and has told us many times when faced with problems that God will take care of her. Through the storms of life – tight finances, when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, when he died six years later, the loneliness of being a widow, when two of my nephews died in car accidents, family strife, and a stroke, she held on to that anchor.

Recently in our family we had a situation where someone wronged another and the two have been living with that hurt for the past few years. When I found out about the situation, I was mad at the one who caused the pain. When my mom found out - yes she was upset but one of the first things she said was I wish we had known, we could have been praying.

My daughter, Tara, later told me, “Mom, do you remember when Grandma said I wish we had known, we could have been praying? I love that that was one of her first thoughts.” Tara won’t soon forget that lesson.

Neither will I. I want that quality in my future; where one of my first thoughts is prayer.

The Five Essentials of Cultivating: Worship

Well, today as we tackle some more cultivate essentials, we come to the topic of worship. I am convinced that having a great worship life is an absolute foundation for having a truly great relationship with Jesus. I mean, think about it... worship forces us to be outwardly focused. My energy and attention is turned away from just thinking about myself and is instead turned toward thinking about the majesty and greatness of God, his kingdom, and my part in all of that. When I sing about the life that Jesus offers, it makes me want to share that with others. I don't think that I can truly worship and not feel compelled and pumped to take the awesome message of the gospel and live that out better in my life, and encourage others to do the same.

But also as strange as it sounds, even though I'm an intern whose primary ministry area is worship, I'm not so sure how great of a job I always do with that. I get distracted and lose my focus. Sometimes I might be physically there in worship, but not there in my spirit and in my mind. I know that for me, on stage, it's always a temptation to think more about playing my instrument or singing or looking cool on stage or whatever than to just sit back and focus on thinking and meaning the words that I sing at each service.

I think in any discussion about worship, it's really important to first think about what worship is. In the New Testament, the Bible commonly uses the Greek word proskuneo, which means "to kiss," and especially refers to kissing the feet or hands of a dignitary like a king or queen, as a sign of not just appreciation, but also reverence and respect. I think that's kind of a cool image for what happens when I worship God.

It's also really important to realize that worship doesn't directly correlate to music, though that's a way God's people have worshipped him for thousands of years. Yes, I worship God when I sing some great songs to Him on Sunday morning, but I also worship God when I take the time to help someone in need, when I take time out of my day to talk to God or study His word and plan for my life, or even when I do something as simple as fulfill my God given roles as a teacher, son, student, or pastor (and maybe one day a husband and father). These are all forms of worship. It's not just the musical part of our services; it's so much more. It sounds kind of cliche, but it's the way I live my life.

A passage I've really been pouring over every so often for the past few years is John 4:24, where Jesus says that true worshippers of him will worship "in spirit and in truth." I'm not totally sure what that means, and am still wrestling through what that means each day, but I think that Jesus is simply saying that our worship has both a mental and spiritual/emotional component. To use the example of singing in church, I need to know what I'm singing and assent to that mentally, but that I also need to mean what I'm singing in my heart and in my spirit. Offering an action without heart behind it is just as bad as not doing something at all.

So how do we worship, or how can we worship better? I humbly offer a few things:

1. We've gotta be open for opportunities, and take advantage of them. In Ephesians 5:16, the apostle Paul talks about the importance of us making the most of every opportunity, for the days are evil (in other words, "Make the most of every opportunity, because time is often NOT your friend!"). I think that applies with our worship. If I want to become a person who is a better worshipper, that means that I have to focus on making the most of the opportunities that I do have. Each Sunday, I'm going to get a chance to worship through song. I need to do everything within my power to focus in on doing just that each morning so that I can make the most of that worship opportunity. Maybe you know a friend or family member who is hurting financially, spiritually, or emotionally this Christmas. Helping them in an appropriate way could be a great form of worship, but not if I don't take advantage of that opportunity. A big part of this also means that we just need to pray to be aware of opportunities to worship God around us, and take advantage when we can.

2. Think of your personal worship as a prayer. This is something that from time to time really helps me. When I do God's will in the world around me, I am essentially saying to God, "God, I love you and I'm going to obey you and do what you ask of me." What better form of worship is there? Sometimes when I sing, I forget that I'm singing to God! I try to think of each word I sing as a prayer to God, asking Him to help me or just thanking Him for who He is and how He's provided for me.

3. Do stuff you know is going to draw you close to God. The more I get "in touch" with God, the easier it is for me to turn right around at any point in my day and just worship and thank God. Sometimes, when I'm in a bit of a worship rut, I realize how little consideration I'm really giving to God in any other parts of my life. James 4:8 says that when we come close to God, he comes close to us. I don't think it's possible for me to make prayer a regular part of my life and not come closer to God. I don't think it's possible to study God's Word and not get closer to him in that relationship. As we do these things and naturally become closer to God, I think we just naturally love God more and want to worship him.

I really want to encourage everyone reading this to take worship seriously! It's a big deal, and an awesome way we can just give thanks to God for all the amazing things he's done and is doing for us. Let's worship together this Christmas season!

wb

Beyond Sunday - Let it be Christmas: Nothing's gonna change my world

...by Jo Anne Stas

“How well do you think you know who Jesus is?”

I’ve had different perceptions of who Jesus is at different times in my life. In my teens Jesus was the frizzy haired character with the Superman shirt and suspenders in Godspell. When I got engaged He was the figure I had to acknowledge to be married by a priest. When I had my first child, Jesus was the name she was baptized in. To me, Jesus was just tradition—someone to be recognized at key points in my life, but nothing more.

It wasn’t until I encountered people who seemed to really know who Jesus was, that I began to investigate Him for myself. Their lives were different in some way that I couldn’t put my finger on, but the difference made me feel like there was something missing in my life. I wanted to find out what the difference was, so I began to investigate who Jesus was. I read books like More than a Carpenter and I asked countless questions about this man who claimed to be God. What I discovered changed my world.

My perception of Jesus changed when I made an honest effort to find out who He really is. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) I pray this holiday season that Jesus would be more than a tradition.

The Five Essentials of Cultivating: Generosity

Well, I'm back to continue our little 5-part series on the essentials of cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus, and today's characteristic we're going to focus on is generosity.

I believe that as we explore the Bible, we discover that giving selflessly is a major theme of God's plan for how we should live our lives. Take a look at the first family, and Abel, who pleased God by freely giving the best of his flocks as an offering to the Lord. In his early years, David was tormented and chased around the countryside by the evil and jealous King Saul, but after Saul died and David was made king, he still generously offered his home and all he had to the last remaining living member of Saul's household, a crippled and lame man named Mephibosheth. Generosity toward God was a hallmark of David's relationship with God as well... just take a look at 2 Samuel 24:24 where David makes the famous proclamation that he will not offer something to God that has cost him nothing.

But the theme of generosity is clearly seen in the life of Jesus. Jesus was generous with his time; using it to train his 12 disciples and also using it to spend time with those who desired to learn about the new kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. He also was generous with his miraculous abilities, frequently using them to help those in need all throughout the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But Jesus' generosity is no clearer seen than on the cross, where he demonstrates the art of selfless giving up to the point of even giving his life for all of us, that we might be able to discover eternal life.

Think I'm over-examining the theme of generosity in Jesus' life? Think again. Right after Jesus ascended back into heaven and we read the story of the early church being formed in the book of Acts, we discover that the early Christ followers made generosity a huge practice. In fact, in Acts 4, we are told that none of the believers considered his/her possessions their own, but that they freely gave and distributed to others as they had need, so that no one had any needs among them. I think that is an incredible statement. People would give their possessions and even sell their land to give to the church to help further the mission of Jesus. This is probably their logical follow-up to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25. James sums it up perfectly in his letter to churches when he states quite simply that a real relationship with Jesus looks like us giving what we have been given to help the needy among us.

Quite simply, I believe that the Bible commands Christ followers to be people who are defined by their generosity. And it makes sense. Have you ever met people who are "married" to something? It might be their

time

money

talents

or really any other thing that God has been kind enough to entrust to us.

And it looks ugly. Really ugly. I think the reason is because we allow that thing to control us; to essentially "own" us. And that obviously conflicts that believers should submit to Christ, not their talents, money, or time. When I generously give, I am essentially refusing to allow that thing to control and consume me. And in the process, I'm able to mold my life more into the giving and generous type of life that God wants me to live.

Maybe practicing generosity looks like you giving more of your financial resources to church, or even just to start giving for the first time at church. Maybe it looks like you using some of your time to help develop and mentor someone else. Maybe it simply looks like you using the talent God has given you to help serve in the church or the community. I don't know your exact situation, but I do know that God asks us to give generously as part of following him.

It's a wild, exciting, and worthwhile ride. Get ready... and start to live generously.

West Campus Beyond Sunday - Waiting for God knows what

...by Kevin McHugh

The Waiting Room message series has been really good for me. I am a chronically impatient person and get very much wrapped in the "what and when" rather than focusing on my God - the "who." Can anyone relate with me?

Andy really had me thinking when he talked about how dangerous it is to get so caught up in what we are hoping for that it becomes our main focus. We transfer our hope from God to the "what" and the "when" that we are longing for. When I think about big things I have gone through in my life, and things loved ones have gone through, the issues can be huge and consuming. It can be hard to not become overwhelmed by the "what" and the "when."

There are things I am waiting for and I imagine some who read this have been waiting for something as well, perhaps for a long time.

I made some notes at the end of Andy's teaching regarding next steps:
1) Your waiting is about a when/where/what - sit down with God and talk to Him about it.
2) The thing you are waiting for; what would it look like if you truly trusted God? Any different?
3) What would you be willing to endure if you truly believed God was with you and truly for you?

Isaiah Chapter 40 says:

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

And now I know where one of my favorite worship songs comes from - Isaiah 40! If we can focus on the who, strength can actually rise while we wait on the what/when.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

Shameless plug for Wesley and the worship team - you were awesome!!

East Campus Beyond Sunday - Waiting for God knows what

...by Larry McManus

Waiting…for God knows what. The service at East Campus begins with an uncomfortable silence at the close of communion. “I know Doug is preaching today”, I think to myself, “where in the world is he? It’s not like him to be late; he must have somebody out in the commons bending his ear while he missed his cue. Perhaps I should go and find him…..wait, oh there he is.” A well planned pause, Doug was in front the whole time just watching his clock for 60 seconds.

Just whose clock are we going by anyhow? When will we get X? or When will this be over? What is going to happen? These seem like fair questions. Yet they can become as Doug put it, “dangerous”, when we put stock or hope in our potential answers to these two questions. I found myself thinking about both of these questions last week in regard to some pretty big ‘life changing decisions’. The moment I start to firm up in my mind, the possible answers to these two questions, I begin to put God in a box, my box. Yet the heavenly Father gently reminds us that He is uncontainable and multi-dimensional.

Larry Burkett, founder of Crown Financial Services” once said, “God is never late, rarely early, but always on time.” So the real question is: “Who?” Who are we hoping in? Who holds the best answers to the “what” and “when” questions for our lives? Let’s adopt that simple prayer this week: “Lord, when I don’t know what to do, my hope is not what or when, but YOU.”

The Five Essentials of Cultivating: Humility

December is HERE!

It's hard to believe for me, as I'm sure it is for you in many ways as well. In some ways, 2009 has been a great year. In others, a little of a disappointment. But all in all, still just can't believe that another year has run its course and I am looking forward to seeing what 2010 holds.

And that's what I want to use to introduce this blog entry. As we approach the month of December, I know you're going to hear a lot about the Christmas story (and that is not a bad thing!), so I wanted to do something a little different with "Wesley Wednesdays" on here. As we get ready for 2010, there's probably going to be some chatter about resolutions. One of mine is always to try and make my personal relationship with Jesus better than it was the year before. So over the five Wednesdays in December, I'm going to highlight what (for me, anyway) have become five essentials in cultivating my personal relationship with Jesus.

These are not meant to be an all-encompassing list. But these are five pretty good places to start:

• Humility
• Generosity
• Worship
• Community
• Discipleship

Today, I'd like to take some time to focus on humility, which for me has a two-fold definition. On one hand, it involves putting the interests and what's best for others ahead of our own, just as Christ did when he died for us (see Philippians 2:5-8). But secondly, I believe that humility also contains this idea of understanding exactly who I am and (more importantly) who I am not (that is, God... see James 4:10). Being a humble person means that I'm going to have a teachable spirit, understanding that my way isn't always the right or best way, and it also means that I'm going to think of others first. Humility and selflessness are very tied together in that way.

I know that this has been a big struggle area in my life as of late. Humility's tough. But the Bible is pretty adamant about God's people being ones who are defined by their humility. Personally, I think it's the cornerstone of a relationship with God. By its very nature, a relationship with God means that I'm going to admit I am a fallen, sinful person who's done some wrong stuff. It's going to mean me admitting that I don't have all the answers or the ability to save myself and that I need God's help. Without humility, it's impossible to come before God... the very nature of our relationship demands that!

But the example of Jesus ups the standard even more for humility. Before coming to the earth in the form of a baby boy, Jesus lived in heaven. He gave up a place more perfect than you or I could ever dream in the perfect, unbroken presence of God the Father and chose instead to embrace a life of being born in a crappy stable, only to eventually grow up and be killed in a violent, painful death by the people who said they loved God the most. That was a life that certainly doesn't sound to be in Jesus' best interests. Yet, because he was humble, he chose to embrace that life so that you and I could find grace.

I have a tendency to live my life without listening to the wisdom of the Almighty God. I want to do things my own way. I refuse to listen. I refuse to learn. I refuse to ask for help. I refuse to do things God's way. I also have a tendency to do whatever I can to get whatever I want, with precious little care ever being given to the interests of others. Neither of those are very humble characteristics, and when I find myself in a rut spiritually, chances are that when I come back to the whole humility issue, I'll realize how weak I truly am, and recognize how much wiser God is.

I really believe that humility is an essential foundation for a relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you to take some time over the next week (or month, or whatever) and think about how you are demonstrating humility in your life. The Bible tells us that God "opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." I want to be a person who receives God's grace.

And that means that I need to be a person who receives the teaching of humility.

Beyond Sunday - The Waiting Room: In the Meantime

...by Randy Parish

OK God, I did what Greg said, I waited a week and did nothing.

Hello…still waiting.

Ever feel like that? Waiting……………..on………….God………to…………..move.

One thing that sticks out for me from week one, is Greg talking about the waiting being transformational rather than transactional. Look at the insightful wisdom of the T-shirt that says, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”.

What do we do while we are waiting?

We get impatient because we have microwave ovens, instant messaging, instant coffee and instant potatoes. We want to wait for nothing. We pray and if God doesn’t answer us in 10 minutes we want to take things into our own hands.

God has never failed us. Why would he choose to fail us now? We need to remember the times God was faithful. We need to mark those points on our journey and be thankful for them.

My wife and I are in a period of waiting. We decided to put our house on the market just as the real estate boom started into its current nose dive. We just feel God is calling us to do something else right now. We prayed and we waited. We almost took things into our own hands a few times, but didn’t and continued to pray and to praise God for the blessings we already have. We laugh about the situation because we liken it to being on a journey and just looking out the window. We’re not driving, so we can just sit back and enjoy the scenery as we go through life. There have been several occasions we have said “God, we are glad you are in charge and we are not” because the decisions we were thinking about making would have turned out to be very bad for us. Life continues to change in ways we haven’t thought about before. We need to cast aside our worry and our fears and lean back into the arms of God. What a better week than this week to take some time and mark your encounters with God. A time to be thankful for the journey He has put you on. We need to enjoy the ride.

Giving Thanks...

Well, 'tis the season to be thankful.

I've heard it said in more than a few places by more than a few people this year that Thanksgiving is probably the most overlooked holiday in our churches, and frankly, in our world. I think that they have a point. Not to sound like Andy Rooney here, but I feel like each year, we get more and more hyped up for Christmas that we forget the beauty that is a holiday to simply say "thanks" to the great people in our lives and to give thanks for God putting them there (as well as all the other material blessings that many of us enjoy).

So this year, I've been intentional in trying to really be thankful around this holiday of Thanksgiving. And to be honest, I think it's really started to cultivate a great new attitude within my own heart regarding thankfulness and gratitude. Things that I normally just take for granted I'm now discovering I'm thankful for.

This Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I'd really encourage you to make a list of all the stuff you are thankful for. Share it with God. I think that's probably one of the best Thanksgiving exercises that anyone could partake in. Here's a few of mine.

1. I'm thankful for family. It's taken me a while to realize it, but I am super thankful for my family. My mom and dad are awesome; I appreciate how they always keep a positive attitude about everything, and that they're just solid people overall. As she and I both age, I'm starting to really appreciate my sister, Jennie, as well, despite all her quirkiness. There's never a dull moment at our home. I have two awesome grandparents who will never let me go needy. I don't think a person could ask for more than that.

2. I'm thankful for my friends. My first two months at Suncrest reminded me of just how tough it is to be lonely. I really felt out of place for my first little while here. But it was in times like that that I was reminded of how awesome my friends are, and how thankful I am for them. I am so thankful for my BFF (best friend forever, pretty lame, I know) C.J. and his wife Ami, who are both serving at Kingsway Christian Church in Indianapolis. Being away has also made me realize how much I miss my other best friend, Rachel, who is absolutely a joy for me to be around and is probably one of the best listeners and greatest people I know. I'm also thankful for a host of other friends... those from back home in Columbus like Justin, Kevin, Brent, and Ciara, as well as some other friends from school like Mikey B., Kelsey, and Brandon, and also some friends from the church I worked at in Dayton like the LeBlanc family, the Garlands, Jeff Archer, and soooo many others! And of course, can't forget a lot of the great folks here at Suncrest as well! I'm learning that friends are part of what help me get through life. If you haven't lately, say a huge "thank you" to your friends, because I think they all definitely deserve it.

3. I'm thankful for our Suncrest staff. I can't say enough how much I really love working here, and most of that's because we have what is, quite possibly, the greatest staff in the world. Every day I walk in and I know I'm going to get a chance to laugh and just have fun doing what I love to do with folks like Bobby, Doug, Jared, and others. I'm thankful that people like Kay Roberts and Robin McHugh always laugh at my stupid jokes. If you haven't had the pleasure, sharing an office with our leadership resident, Andy Kaser, is pretty awesome. I've never been a great children's ministry worker, but it's sure a great experience when you do it with people like Miss Sue and Julie Coons. Greg does a great job of always leading us and pushing us in the right direction. In short, what I'm trying to say is that I love our staff, and I'm thankful that for every day over the next year, I get to come in and work at a place like Suncrest.

4. I'm thankful for Bobby and Beka Jackson. Seriously. I know that Bobby's my boss/mentor and it probably sounds cheesy to say this, but I am very thankful for he and Beka's friendship. If you don't know this family, you are missing out on the experience to get to know people that really love Jesus and are totally committed to serving him. I couldn't think of two more refreshing people to be around and hang out with.

5. I'm thankful for Kay Roberts. Kay is like the ultimate volunteer/administrative support staff person. Also, she understands my extremely sophisticated sense of humor (see above), so you know she's cool. But in all seriousness, Kay has a heart for worship ministry, and watching her serve is always a real inspiration to me. If you don't know Kay, you should. She's pretty awesome.

6. I'm thankful for the kind families that have housed me. It's okay, I know... I'm kind of a slob, and probably not the easiest person to live with. That's why I'm very thankful to Lonnie and Tonia Marsh from our East Campus for housing me from August to October. And that's why I am thankful now for the Hines family, who is housing me know. And that's also why I'll continue to be thankful for families like the Stooksburys and McAgys who will be housing me in the future. Hospitality is something that is kind of missing in our world right now, and it's been a super humbling, super awesome experience living with these families.

7. Lastly, I'm thankful for Jesus. I don't get entry into heaven because of anything cool I did. I get it because Jesus decided to give a gift: the gift of grace. I can never be thankful enough for that.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Share with us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

wb

Beyond Sunday - The Waiting Room: Forgotten

...by Kevin McHugh

American society hates to wait for anything. We are a drive-thru, fast food, microwave, credit card culture - at the company I work for, it is considered unacceptable to say that you are waiting for anything. It's no wonder that we struggle with the idea that God might be trying to teach us something or grow us in some way through the very process of waiting.

One of the major points of Greg's teaching is that "When it comes to waiting, I think transaction; God thinks transformation." God wants us to be patient during the time we are waiting, all the while talking to Him and listening for His guidance. The problem for me is that I am basically not a patient person, and the world I live in reinforces speed and waiting is viewed upon as a complete waste of time, so I am taken once again to one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

Patience is tough when we are in a difficult situation and our prayers have not yet been answered. Let's keep talking to God and remain still long enough to feel a response for we may not know how he is working to transform us. When I got home from church, I went and found the Psalm that Dave selected for the communion meditation. It is a good one to mark and return to regularly.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret - it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more,
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace. - Psalm 37:7-11

Amen to that!

Prayer.

Okay, it's confession time for me on here:

I really, really, really stink at day-to-day spiritual disciplines.

I had dinner with my dear friend Mitch Wright earlier this week, and as we were eating, I shared that for some reason, I thought that when I became a pastor, when I entered the ministry, when I got to Bible college, that my spiritual life would all of a sudden fall into place. I always thought that I would just magically develop this awesome relationship with God and that amazing things would happen and I would just have this magical spiritual clarity.

Well, folks, unfortunately, that's not the case. It's really sad to admit, but there are times in my life where I haven't taken some real time to just sit and talk one-on-one with God for days, even weeks, sad to admit. There are some periods in my life where I feel I've only picked up my Bible to find a Scripture or to study like a textbook, never to read and personally reflect on regarding my own life.

But I really believe that spiritual disciplines are super important for our own personal spiritual growth and development. And for me, at least, the easiest and quickest spiritual discipline to get started with is usually prayer. I mean, think about how much time you spend each day by yourself in your car, at home, or wherever. It becomes easy for me to find time if I'm simply aware that I have it. Prayer is definitely a great way to establish a relationship with God and I believe is the most valuable thing you can do. I wish I had a better prayer life.

Even though I'm not always great at it, I want to help you develop a prayer life as well. Allow me to humbly pass on a few things I've discovered that have really helped my prayer life (and hopefully yours as well):

1. Recognize that you can pray anywhere at any time. Have you ever been totally stressed out about a situation or something happening in your life, thought about it all day, had it totally ruin (or at least hamper) your day, and then out of nowhere remember that you could pray about it and give it to God and just feel stupid? I know I've felt that. I've had stuff totally stressing me out, and then just had this moment of clarity where I remember, "I can pray about this!" Never forget that you can pray anywhere, anytime. It doesn't have to be in a church or by your bedside; praying in the car on your way to work is great. Sometimes, it's great just to pray a quick one minute prayer for something as you think of it, or just say a few one minute prayers throughout the day. You could even do something like that at work, maybe as you see a co-worker struggling or are just reminded of a need that should be prayed for. Basically, all I'm trying to say is that you should never forget that the power of prayer is accessible to you 24/7/365, no matter where you happen to be at that moment.

2. Talk to God about everything, not just "prayer topics." I think there's this feeling that some stuff is just sort of "off limits" or "stupid" to talk about with God (maybe like what you did that day, or about this girl you like... whatever). I used to be one of those people. But as I grow and mature, I'm realizing that's not the case. I truly believe that God wants to be invited into every aspect of our lives, and that includes stuff seemingly mundane or silly as our day-to-day activities or that person we're crushing on. There are no "prayer topics" and "not prayer topics." There are only "prayer topics." Anything you're going through, thinking about, or experiencing is a "prayer topic." Is your heart lying with a particular issue right now? You can totally pray about that. Prayer isn't just reserved for stuff that we deem to be especially "holy" or "sacred."

3. Give God time to speak. This is the part of prayer I stink at the most and probably need to make the most improvement on, but I truly believe this is an important aspect of prayer. It's hard for me, given the different nature of the human-to-God relationship, but I'm trying to approach my time with God as I would with a great friend. In great relationships, one person doesn't always speak... they dialogue together. Think of the last great, in-depth conversation you had with someone. Mine was a few weeks ago with my best friend Ami. I shared with her about something I'm thinking about in my life and she listened. When I asked for her advice, she answered. And after that, she shared about a situation in her life and I listened and then offered my opinion when asked.

Great relationships are like that. There's ebb and flow. Sometimes we speak, sometimes we listen. The same goes with God. Sometimes we need to talk and share. But there are other times where we need to be quiet, listen, and allow God to speak some truth into our lives. It's kind of different (and a little risky-feeling) for me, but I'm learning to ask God questions... to ask for His advice and wisdom. And then, I wait. Sometimes, I feel God responds right away. Sometimes, I feel and hear nothing, and I know I need to just keep praying or keep waiting. Sometimes, it's appropriate just for us to just sit and listen, without saying a word. Bobby Jackson challenged us to do that at our ministry staff retreat, and I believe God had something very important to share with me... and it was something I didn't expect.

4. Find a few things that you're passionate about that you can pray for every day. There's this story in Luke 18:1-8 where Jesus talks about the power of being persistent in our prayers. He talks about a widow who has been hurt by someone, and she comes before this unjust judge to offer her plea that he take action against her adversary. Because this judge is not just, he refuses. But the widow comes back again and again, and the judge eventually grants her the request for justice. Jesus uses this as an example that just as the widow was persistent with the judge, we should be persistent with our prayers before God. In Matthew 7:7-11, we are told to keep asking, seeking, knocking with the prayers that we offer God. I don't know how it works, or why it is this way, but I believe that the Bible tells us that there is something special that accompanies prayer that is persistently offered. Imagine the power we could discover if we would pick a few things, no matter how big or small, and just kept praying about them each day! I think the results could be pretty incredible.

5. Talk to God conversationally, as you would a friend. This has probably helped my prayer life the most, and is probably most closely related with #2 and #3. When I talk conversationally with God, I feel like I do a better job of inviting Him into my life, and I feel like the relationship with God grows more in those moments. As I look on my life as a Christ follower, I think that in my "infancy" years, I had a tendency to look at things in a very transactional, non-relational perspective. That was good to develop the exterior characteristics of a Christ follower, but on the inside, the relational aspect with God wasn't there. It's a challenge daily for me, but talking with God conversationally has helped me to develop that relationship aspect. I know it will for you too. If it helps, imagine like God is sitting in a chair in your room or maybe like you're having a phone conversation with Him. But whatever it takes, talk to God conversationally... there's a lot of great things that can happen from that.

Like I said, I probably need advice on prayer just as much as anyone. But for me, these 5 things have been effective in helping my prayer life and in helping my spiritual life in general. If anything, I hope they're able to serve as a springboard for you to use as you keep cultivating your personal relationship with Jesus!

Beyond Sunday - East Campus

...by Andy Kaser

Sometimes we leave informed. Other times we leave inspired. Maybe there are times we leave with a plan for change. On Sunday I left with a mixture of each of these ingredients. The reality is that as Doug verbalized scripture and concepts, the Holy Spirit was breathing strength and encouragement in me. The question I have to ask myself is; “Do you really trust God Andy? I mean really trust him? Or do you give your energy over to ‘helping’ God out?

It’s a great question. Am I in control of my own destiny? Because if I am, I’ve made a pretty pathetic run at it. I mean if my life’s worth is fueled with the ‘good’ I’ve done, I’m not sure it provides any good content for someone to say at my funeral. The heartbeat, or to put it the Suncrest way – Big Idea, is that God is involved in us. The battle is His. And the good news is that our ‘limp’ or ‘handicap’ (that we pray for God to take away) is the very thing that keeps us attached to a dependence on God. It is the thing that allows us to keep Christ at the center, and the thing that gives people the ability to understand, empathize, and relate to. The thing that should most disqualify us from making an impact on humanity is the thing that God uses to bring good. Another example of the upside down Kingdom of God.

Doug used a powerful video illustration to drive this point to the center our souls. Lonely, lost, hurting, desperate, desolate, malnourished, decrepit people who pray for ‘healing’ in some capacity…and yet God remains silent. God is not distant, he just seemingly resists that prayer. As the story unfolds we begin to see the light switched on inside them…and they worship knowing that God has a purpose to our weakness and frailty.

Doug used the story of a guy with a funny, long, and hard to spell name. So why Jehoshaphat? Here’s a brief summary; He’s a King commissioned by God to engage the battle God’s way – not his own way. God’s way always sounds insane. His confession; “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (God)." His response; "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Doug even sang this for us…you would have had to been there!)God’s victory; “And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. (Kaser’s paraphrase – the victors worshipped and put their trust in God and they did not use one of their manmade weapons to defeat the enemy…the enemy destroyed itself. God has a knack for using the low to humble the strong).

So what’s this all mean for us? It’s not about us. It’s about God. And what is impossible with man is possible with God.

“God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.”

And that is a promise that makes me dance with gratitude and peace.

What Are You Reading?

At our ministry staff retreat a few weeks ago, one of our staff members made the simple observation that you can tell a lot about a person based upon the kind of stuff they put on their bookshelf.

I think that there's a lot of truth to that.

I also think that there's a lot of truth in the simple fact that reading can be a great way to cultivate our relationship with Jesus. Of course, the first and foremost book that cultivates your relationship with Jesus is the Bible. It's never a bad idea to start there, and if you're not reading your Bible on a regular basis, I'd definitely encourage you to do so. It will really make a difference in your relationship with Jesus (and in your life).

But what I'd love to know is what are you reading or have read outside the Bible that you feel helped cultivate your walk with Jesus? I'd love to have you comment on this post and share. And in the spirit of sharing, I guess that I will go first by sharing some books I've read that have really helped me in my walk with Jesus.

1. Seeking God's Hidden Face by Cecil Murphey. This was probably the first book I can remember reading that really, truly helped me cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus. I read it when I was 16 and at a really tough time in my life. For the first time in my life as a Christ follower, I felt like God's Spirit and presence had completely left me. I was left asking questions like, "God, do you even exist?" and "Jesus, are you real?" and "Is there something wrong with me? Am I even a Christian anymore?" This utter darkness in my life just came out of seemingly nowhere, and I wasn't ready. People around me thought something terrible was wrong, but I think I was really just going through an important phase in my growth as a believer. Murphey's honesty was of great comfort to me in this time; in fact, I may not even be a Christian today if it weren't for this book. If you're going through a time in your life where you feel God is absent for no reason, you need to read this.

2. The Thomas Factor by Gary Habermas. I read this not too long after the first book. I am a skeptical, doubting type person by nature, and this book helped me to learn how to deal with that. It reminded me that even if I doubt sometimes, it doesn't mean I don't love Jesus. It just means that I'm human. I highly recommend this book if you're a doubting-type like myself. If you're looking for something more like why you should believe, I'd highly recommend The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.

3. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This was the first book I read that really made me re-think the way I looked at Christian faith. Miller writes from the standpoint of just a regular, honest guy, and I really like that. This book helped me lose some of the baggage I carried with my faith, and to embrace a relationship with Jesus that was open and honest while being grace-filled and loving to the world around me.

4. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. This book kind of goes into the Blue Like Jazz category as well; it was just a work that made me re-think what a relationship with God looks like. This book really made me re-think the teachings of Jesus and the kind of life that Jesus asks me to live. While Blue Like Jazz is more of a story, this book is a little more like a message. But seriously, two of the seven chapters in this book were life-changing for me. Maybe they can be for you as well. If you're a big fan of Rob Bell's work with Nooma, you'll love this book.

5. Sex God by Rob Bell. Okay, kind of lame to have two books by the same author on this list, but what can I say? I love Rob Bell. The title of this book implies that it's all about sex, and while sex is definitely a topic of this book, Sex God is more about what makes a good love relationship, whether that be with God, with your spouse/significant other, or just with friends and people in general. Sex God gave me a better idea of what love really looks like, and also helped me to see how sex plays a part in that. Definitely a great read.

6. Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis (so nobody) knows that I pretty much have a (totally platonic) big-time man crush on Francis Chan. I love this guy, mostly because of his incredible heart and because he's a guy with no real personal agenda; he just wants to teach people what the Bible says. If you ever get a chance, watch some of his teaching online from Cornerstone Church in California. You won't be sorry. Anyway, Crazy Love probably wins the award for the "most challenging" book in terms of my relationship with Jesus. Seemingly each chapter hit home with solid, real truth on how in a lot of ways, I've settled for a lukewarm life that only kinda loves Jesus. Crazy Love reminded me in a powerful way that Jesus teaches us to be people who live with a crazy love for Him that shows itself in the way we give, serve, and love other people in all places at all times. This book gave me a real spiritual "kick in the pants," and if that's what you need (or even if you don't think you need that), I'd highly recommend it.

7. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. I think I've mentioned it on here before, and I will do so again. This is a great book. It's a study of several spiritual disciplines (like prayer, meditation, fasting, solitude, silence, etc.) that we can use in order to further our relationship with Jesus. Foster gives some great insights on all of these disciplines, and I believe that the practice of all the disciplines in this book will be of great help to any person wanting to cultivate their relationship with Jesus.

So there's a (long) description of some great things I've read to cultivate my faith in Jesus. What are some of yours? I'd love to hear!

wb

Beyond Sunday - Passover: “Moses’ Captivity” (West Campus)

...by Kevin DeBraal

Do you ever leave church and think that the sermon was meant for you? It happens to me frequently, I’m guessing for you too. Why? Because we all are human and are susceptible to the deception and temptation of the devil. The messages we hear are reminders of the devil at work in our lives and the struggles he creates for all of us.

Blake Bergstrom did a great job of explaining the challenges the devil creates for us and the response that we frequently make to those challenges. We create our own “prison”, a place we go by addiction, habit or behavior, to escape the pain, guilt and problems that we are suffering. I have mine, I’m sure you know yours. While we feel safe in our escape mode we are really confined and restricted. We don’t live life or face it, we hide from it. We are not free and in our confinement we are separated from God.

The symbolic chains we used to illustrate our prison were a reminder of the restrictions that it creates for us, remember how it felt when you broke your chains in church. The only way to break those chains is through Christ. Through Him we can be free.

Beyond Sunday – what do I take away from this message? I am reminded that I am involved in spiritual warfare, that the devil is actively trying to disrupt my life and separate me from God. I realize that instead of hiding from my problems I need to trust God, go to Him for my refuge and know that He has already saved me.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29

Dirty Laundry

Nothing like airing out all our dirty laundry and getting things off our chest!
All those things that we cling to in fear that someone might find out about. Yeah...those secret sins that we keep so well hidden deep in our heart. Instead of confessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ like the Bible tells us to in James 5:16,"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...",
we keep them hidden allowing our "dirty laundry" to darken our heart leaving a deep dark stain.



James must have been onto something here. It's amazing the amount of healing that takes place when we allow God to light up our dark corners and expose sin for what it really is and how confession completely disarms the hold that sin has over our heart. Oh the power that God has given through confession!



I would like to encourage you to check out this website that gives you an opportunity to confess whatever it is that you are holding tight to. This is a completely safe and anonymous site that one of our sister churches has setup.

http://www.ClotheslineConfessions.com/



Go and enjoy the freedom that God desires for us to have when we confess all that we have! Experience His wonderful joy that only comes from God!

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: the power in everyone

...by Gordon Barker

I don’t know about you, but this Servolution series has really been working on my heart. Service seems to be one of those things that I’m always “going to get to”, but doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. This series has been loaded with thoughts to push, prompt and hopefully motivate me. Here’s a few of the things I hope to remember and use.

1. Greg’s questions of: What bothers me? What is the thing I cannot not do? What is my passion? He then challenged us to discover, or more likely, remember the answers to these questions. This has made me think a lot about the way I choose to live my life and I have decided it is no longer acceptable for me to hide from the pain in the world.

2. Bobby’s personal interpretation of Jeremiah 22:16: …defend the cause of the poor and needy. Is that not what it means to know the Lord? For me, I know that the next step in my spiritual maturity is to develop a deeper relationship with God, to try and know Him more. Deep thinking is hard work and easy to procrastinate doing (and I am a champion procrastinator). But here is some simple, easy to understand instruction from the Bible. Serve, and you will know the Lord.

3. The interview with Charlie and Lisa: this was awesome! It made me proud of my church and proud to be a follower of Jesus. Charlie’s description of his personal changes over the past 5 years and his heart for service now were inspiring. Lisa’s response of being motivated to serve others because of the service she received.

Now the challenge for me is to serve, I hope you are feeling challenged too.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Some Trust...

I posted about this on my own blog yesterday, but I'd love to go a little more in-depth with it here today.

I don't believe I've shared it on here before, but I have an incredible love for the Fray. I've seen them live in concert 3 times now in my life, and each time was a very enjoyable experience. Really love their sound, and while I don't know any of them personally, I've heard rumors that the guys in the band are all Christ-followers, which if true, would be pretty cool.

But I also love their music. I feel that I can empathize with a lot of the situations they write about. Something about their songwriting seems to really strike a chord with me again and again.

Take a listen to this song, called "Some Trust."

I was casually stumbling through my iTunes library the other day when I came across this little gem. Pretty catchy sounding, which got me listening at first. But then I really listened to what the song was saying, and I was quite floored, mostly because I think that at one time or another, I've been prone to trust in all of those things.

I've trusted in love.

I've trusted in others.

I've trusted only myself.

I've trusted in hate.

But a lot of the time, I haven't placed my trust in God. Granted, I'll have a little trust there, but not all of it like He asks. I'll say I've got all my trust in God, but really I'm putting it all in my possessions, in some girl to make me happy, or in my own talents and abilities. Yeah, I might disguise it as "the words I pray" or "my saving grace" or "my security blanket," but God knows what it really is.

It's the thing I trust in more than Him.

So today's cultivate question is really simple. When the Fray sings that "some trust in (blank)," what goes in your blank?

I think that answer can say a lot about each of us.

Fruit of my lips?

This week, I read a Bible verse that really got to me:

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased," (Hebrews 13:15-16.)

So, I started thinking. Fruit is a natural, God-designed product. Its growth is a long, sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, four-season process. I find it easy, for example, to think about a juicy strawberry that way: its deliciousness dripping off my chin is well worth the dirt stains on my hands in spring, the weeds and birds I had to fight to protect my crop, and the compost and water I tried to provide in perfect combination.

I find it quite difficult, though, to think of my praise to God with the same hard-fought value. My words, my "sacrifice of praise," my "fruit of lips" are just simple words, aren't they? But my life, when offered "through Jesus," is as satisfying as that juicy strawberry to the One whose hands are stained by my sin, whose angels are assigned to protect me and my mostly dumb choices, and who painstakingly places water and fertilizer in my life for the purpose of growing me closer to himself.

No, wait, I'm wrong. The fruit I offer is more satisfying to him. And God designed it that way. This fruit wasn't the result of just twelve short months. He's been gardening me since he "knit me together in my mother's womb," (Psalm 139:13.) I want to give him more than just some words or a weekly song or a random "thank you." I want the fruit of my lips to be the fruit of my life. The life he gave back to me by saving me. A life that is lived for him and through him and, continually, offered back to him. I catch myself making a little happy noise when I bite into a strawberry like the one you're imagining. And I think God makes that noise, too, when we "continually offer God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name." "...For with such sacrifices God is pleased."

~MaryElizabeth Robertson

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: In your story

...by Bobby Jackson

What makes you hold your breath?

This week our church took a risk (Greg and Andy in particular). We decided to face forward toward our pasts, and take a look at more than just the nostalgic. Midway through the teaching time, we asked people to text in key experiences in their past whether they be good, bad or ugly (worse than badJ) with the idea that we would look through the mist of our story and see possibilities of how God might view it.

What resulted was a breath-holding time for our congregation. Texts like: my best friend died in a car accident, I have guilt from premarital sex, my father is a drunk, I lost my job, my cousin was killed in Iraq, I am cheating with someone of the same sex, I am judgmental, and I have attempted suicide, made our church hold its breath in anticipation of an answer. How could God possibly use my story to serve others? Without a trite, surface answer, Greg and Andy presented ideas regarding how God might use those instances in our past. Greg encouraged us to look at our story thus far as being preparation. Can we use events, good and bad, combined with our gifts and passions, to help others? Could it be that God is able to position you and me to use the good, bad and ugly of our pasts to help ourselves and others?

I’m still holding my breath on a few of the items in my past, but I’m resolved that God would like to turn my story into my testimony. How about you?

What I Learned From a Morning of Solitude

Solitude is not a word that is usually found in my vocabulary, if at all. It's especially not found normally in my vocabulary pertaining to God or anything spiritual. For me, solitude is usually something nice to talk about, but rarely a reality. After all, we all live in a pretty fast-paced, hectic world. To set aside any time at all is difficult enough, let alone time that could be spent doing stuff to simply sit alone and spend some time with God.

My friend/boss/mentor Bobby Jackson approached me several weeks ago about setting aside some time each month for solitude. A ministry friend/mentor of his had suggested a time of solitude each month as a regular practice in his spiritual life, and so Bobby asked me to pick a day where I would basically take a morning or afternoon off, get to somewhere by myself, and spend some extended time alone with God. I agreed, but have to admit that I did so somewhat hesitantly.

I love God. I absolutely do. But there are also a lot of other people in my life that I love as well, and yet for some reason, spending an extended time alone with them can feel sort of weird sometimes. I don't know if anyone else is this way, but in a group of 3 or more, I thrive. You can sort of "play off of" the other two people. If conversation isn't resonating with one person, it usually does with the other two and it just feels more comfortable to me. Generally when I sit down to meet with just one person one-on-one, I feel this sort of weird tension like I have to always be talking to fill the silence and I have to be "on" and make someone laugh or listen. There are probably only about 4 or 5 relationships in my life where I feel like I don't feel that pressure (probably an indicator of some sort of deeper relational problem in my life).

And as much as I hate to say it, I don't know that I feel comfortable spending one-on-one time with God.

That's a terrible thing to say. I'm a pastor. I'm on the ministry staff of a growing, vibrant church of over 1,000 people. But that's honestly how I feel sometimes. I'll sit down and I don't know what to say to God. I feel that as a small, finite human being, I struggle to connect relationally with the Almighty God of the universe. I feel that inner panic much like I do when sitting down for a one-on-one conversation with a person. Sometimes 15 or 30 minutes can be a huge challenge for me. I shudder to think about several hours!

But nevertheless, this morning, I found myself backstage in the worship area, sitting on the couch, preparing to encounter God over the next few hours. And what do you know... it was great. I'm learning that if I truly believe God speaks, if I truly believe that God has something to say to even me, if I truly believe that God wants me to connect with Him, that I don't need to worry about an awkward time with God. He'll get His message across.

I could go in-depth on here about some of the reflections I walked away with today, but I think the most valuable thing I could do on here is simply share that solitude is a great thing, and that you should make time for it in your schedule whenever possible. Seriously. Whether it be monthly, quarterly, every few weeks, whatever, do it. It's a very worthwhile practice.

If you're not sure what to do for a time of solitude, I'd suggest checking out a great book (seriously, a top 5 Christian classic) called Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Here he outlines some great spiritual disciplines which are definitely worth your study, and one of those chapters is on the practice of solitude. I know that for me, just getting a chance to pray for a considerable period of time, really talking out some issues in my life with God, as well as taking some time to read the Bible and be reminded of some great truths was very refreshing for me. And I think my spiritual life is definitely better because of it.

So there you go, folks. Take some time out of your schedule to practice the spiritual discipline of solitude. I promise that you won't be sorry.

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: In your bones

...by Beka Jackson

What am I passionate about? I have to honestly say I’m not sure anymore. I am one of those people who got caught up in living life and trying to keep on top of all the responsibilities that come with growing up. And even as I say that, I know the truth is that I haven’t thought about it; it’s not that I haven’t felt that stirring inside me when I hear about certain injustices or truths that need to be shared. If I am to be completely honest, I have just, in a very sad way, pushed it away, ignored it. I have said so many times over the past six years, “I will totally do that when all the kids are in school!” That is still another six years from now!

And so for the past couple days, I have begun to remember what I was like five years ago. And as I think about what I love to do I am reminded of how great it was when I was doing that very thing!
That’s a great place to be, but nothing has really changed for me yet. The easy part is to remember and wish, and dream, and think about all the ways I want to serve. The hard part is actually making it happen. I have four kids and everything that comes with a family to take care of everyday. It is not easy to rearrange life at this point. But I know that if God has gifted me with these passions and gifts so that I can make a difference in this world, so that I can help carry out His message of grace, then I can find a way to do it all.

Stop Doing, Start Living.

On the Cultivate Blog, we try and offer up some stuff you can do in order to improve your personal relationship with Jesus. I think there are some extremely beneficial things that all of us can do. There are some great tools you can use. There are a lot of great things out there that will inevitably help to improve your relationship with God if you will do them.

But in the same vein, I think that I'm learning that sometimes the best thing I can do to improve my relationship with God is to stop doing stuff. That's been a huge change of perspective for me, and it's still something I'm definitely working through. But I think that it's true.

Right now, I'm participating in Suncrest's "leadership track" program along with almost 30 other guys from our church. Right now we're reading a book written by Gordon MacDonald called Ordering Your Private World. One of the chapters deals with the signs of a "driven person," that is, a person who is always busy, who is always doing something, and is never investing in the internal world of the soul and of the heart. Reading that chapter, I've got to be honest; I think that I can see a lot of those signs in my life.

Likewise, earlier this week I had the opportunity to get away for a few days along with the rest of the Suncrest ministry staff for our annual staff retreat. It was definitely a great time, and I really enjoyed getting to better know the members of our ministry team. Yet, for me, one of the big themes I walked away with was that I am not paid as a staff member to do, but to equip. Instead of feeling good about all the stuff I do, Greg posed to us that it would be a much bigger victory if instead we equipped a member of our church to do the same thing, so that we can spend time casting vision for something else. That goes against my natural tendency to always be doing things and to be occupied all the time with tasks. I need to personally move from a culture of doing to investing.

I've always read and heard sermons on stuff about how busyness is not necessarily a good thing, but for whatever reason (probably the fear of actually applying those lessons to my own life), I took them worth a grain of salt. But I believe that God is really working on me and showing me that in fact, I am a busy person. And maybe sometimes the best thing I can do to improve my relationship with Jesus is to simply choose to not do some things, no matter how counterintuitive it might seem to me.

Is it really possible that if we would stop doing, we could start living?

Now I'm not saying that you should quit reading your Bible. I'm not saying that you should quit praying. Those are always valuable and worthwhile endeavors that we should pursue. What I'm talking about is making an intentional choice and decision to quit always being busy (and believe me, you HAVE to be intentional about this). It stresses us out, and in my own life, I've noticed that it pushes God out of my life as well.

And I don't think this applies to just the regular tasks of our day. Even in our prayer lives, for example, we tend to be "busy" by coming to God and simply dominating the conversation. Maybe instead of doing all the talking, we could stop doing and start living by simply allowing God to speak to us. Maybe it's time we learn the truth of Psalm 46:10, in which we are asked to be still and know God. We're not asked to do something, but simply to be still. Wait. Listen.

In Matthew 11:30, we are told by Jesus that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. I think that's kind of ironic considering that for the most part, Christ followers seem to be some of the most stressed out, burdened people that I know.

So you're looking for a way to improve your relationship with God? I think that sometimes the greatest cultivator for us is simply to stop doing and to start living.

Worlds Are Colliding...

So I just finished watching a delightful season 7 episode of Seinfeld here on my computer.

Probably not the way you expected a Cultivate Blog entry to start. Nevertheless...

Now, for those of you who are not Seinfeld fans (I think the technical term is "heathens." Okay, just kidding), the central character in the show is a guy named Jerry, and he hangs out with his best friends, Elaine, Kramer, and George. Unfortunately for George, he's in a bit of a problem. You see, George's fiancee is not really part of his group of friends, so George has developed a bit of a split personality problem. Around his friends Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer, George acts a certain way and calls this person "Independent George." Around his fiancee, though, George acts another way and calls this person "Relationship George." Problems erupt for George when one of his close friends, Elaine, decides to become friends with his fiancee, Susan. Now, George will inevitably find himself in a social situation with both his group of friends and his fiancee. This, in George's mind, will lead only to his destruction. Take a look...

It might sound kind of dumb to you, but I think that a lot of us do the same exact thing in our relationship with God. We have a tendency to live two lives in our relationship with God. I know that I oftentimes act like one person on the outside, but on the inside, I am knee-deep in stuff like sexual sin, greed, bitterness, hate, and all those other not-so-great things. Yet while I'm struggling big time, I'll try to sweep it under the rug. I've got "Relationship Wes" I bring out around God and on Sunday mornings, and then I've got "Independent Wes," who secretly lives this other life when no one is looking.

You see, God isn't impressed by our acting, no matter how big or small it might be. God wants us to be honest and truthful about ourselves, about our junk, about everything. He might not be satisfied with our sin, but I believe that our relationship with God is a lot better off when we quit trying to hide our junk and come clean. Just think of the story of King David in 2 Samuel 11. David had sex with a married woman while her husband was away at war, and she conceived. So what does David do? Instead of coming clean, he tries to get this woman's husband to sleep with her so everyone will think the child was his (thank goodness Maury Povich didn't have a show back in those days). But alas, David's attempts don't work. Eventually, he arranges for this woman's husband to be killed in battle, and then marries her (a common practice to protect widows in those days), so that everyone will think David and his new wife Bathsheba conceived a child in wedlock and that everything is fine and dandy. David was secretly living two lives, but thought he was going to get away with it.

But while everyone else was fooled, God was not. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan receives a message from God and approaches David, accusing him of this grievous sin. David had been found out.

Just like George, his worlds were colliding.

Eventually, after many events transpired, David wrote Psalm 51 as a song asking for forgiveness from God, coming clean of his double-life. I think that in a lot of ways, we need to do the same. When we act like a different person before God, we never win. To paraphrase Numbers 32:23, our worlds will always end up colliding. It never ends pretty.

So this Wednesday as I write, I just want to ask you, are you living a double life? Is it time to come clean with God, with others, and with (most importantly) yourself?

wb

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: In your box

...by Doug Gamble

So what’s in your box?

I hope you were captured as I was with the truth that God gives each of us gifts to use for His kingdom. For some this was nothing new. For others this was a brand new concept. For many it is a very under applied area. We often live our lives just reacting to the events around us and we don’t take the time to consider where it is we should invest our most valuable resource: our spiritual giftedness.

I often talk to people who do not feel gifted and are really sure that God somehow skipped them when He was passing out Spiritual Gifts. That is not true! God has given every single follower of Jesus a spiritual gift that they can use for serving other people. If you need help discovering your giftedness, then please check out our Discovery Seminar. There are two opportunities coming up for West campus and one coming up for East. This seminar will be put on by Suncrest Leadership Resident, Andy Kaser and Contribute Director, David Vineyard. If you would like more information or to register for the seminar, please email David (david.vineyard (AT) suncrest.org.

Discovery Seminar:

For West Campus - 10/18 and 10/25 – 9:30am at West Campus

For East and West Campus – 11/5 – 7pm at West Campus

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: Get off your but

...by Cindy Barker

Sunday’s message on “get off your but” brought something immediately to my mind. Last week while visiting a girlfriend, I noticed a couple of bags of groceries on her kitchen floor. When I asked her what they were for, she said a mutual friend. This mutual friend has financial difficulties and some problems that I don’t fully understand. I admit that at times I have trouble feeling sorry for him as I feel he should do more to help himself. My girlfriend has expressed these same feelings to me. But while I have approached the situation with a “I see the need but…” she has gone around that but and enlarged her heart for the needs around her. It’s not a large gift, has not taken a lot of her time, and it will not make a difference in a lot of lives. It will however make a difference/impression in the life of her granddaughter who was watching, it will in our mutual friend’s life, and it has in mine.
Greg said that sometimes there is great value, joy, and satisfaction in serving. And sometimes there is great stress and frustration if you feel someone is taking advantage of you. But reaching out is not about our good or bad feelings; it’s just a part of walking with God. I know I have other “buts” to work on besides this one but this one should be easy to work through. Hopefully it will be a step towards being the servant God wants me to be.

YouVersion: Reading the Bible Just Became Cool Again

So you may not be aware, but there is an awesome Bible study resource online now called YouVersion, sponsored by Lifechurch.tv. You can check it out at www.youversion.com or simply by clicking on the above "YouVersion" link.

When you go to the YouVersion page, you'll be immediately taken to the home page, with a text window on your left and then some fancy looking stuff on your right. Basically, YouVersion functions as your own personal online Bible. Just by signing up and creating an account, you have access to every major Bible translation as well as translations in several other languages.

But you can do more than just read the Bible on here. In fact, while reading, you can also make what's called a "contribution," or read other's "contributions" on a particular passage. For instance, if you go to YouVersion and look at Jeremiah 1:5, under the "Community Contributions" tab, you'll see one called "Chosen" which was actually submitted by me (wblackburn0316). If you're reading along and you have a particular thought or something that you'd like to share, just click on that verse in the text, and then click on the "Contribute" button and then you can share whatever's on your heart. If you want, you can even link videos and pictures to your particular contribution.

Maybe you're not up for sharing your thoughts with an entire community or maybe your thoughts are just a little too personal for public viewing. No problem... just click on the "Journal" section and you can make your own (private) journal entry for that passage that you can refer back to at any time. It's a really handy thing for some more personal application for just journaling your thoughts to God or even just for having a way to track your own personal spiritual journey. In the journal and contributions column, if you scroll up and down, you'll also see that they offer several different Bible reading plans for those of you looking for that and there is also an audio Bible available if you'd rather listen instead.

You can also find other people you know or like on YouVersion and then "follow" them which basically means that when you click on the "My" tab at the top of the webpage, you can see any action that people you follow have taken. For instance, if one of the people I follow posts a new contribution on a particular Bible verse, when I click on the "My" tab, I can see that they did that and choose to read that contribution if I wish. With YouVersion's new "live" feature, you can also join groups online and then go to the group page and see what all the people in that particular group are doing (check Suncrest out at www.youversion.com/groups/suncrest).

But by far, the coolest feature about YouVersion is the "mobile" option. If you have a smart phone like an iPhone, BlackBerry, etc., you can actually download YouVersion onto your phone and have instant access to the Bible at any time or any point you have your phone with you. That might mean that you now have a few minutes to read the Bible on your way to work if you take a train, bus, or whatever. Maybe you have a valuable opportunity to share your faith... don't need to worry if you're at work and don't have your Bible because you have it on your phone! Pretty awesome feature if you ask me! Go to the "Mobile" tab at the top of the YouVersion page and then on the overview page, click on the type of phone you have, and YouVersion's site will give you the appropriate instructions. YouVersion also has a mobile app in the iTunes store so you can also download the app if you have an iPod touch.

YouVersion is an awesome study resource. If you're stuck or looking for something to jump start you or just to get you started on the journey of knowing God's Word better, I'd highly recommend it. You won't be sorry!

wb

Way cool prayer tool!

Couldn't pass up this opportunity to share this with you!
A friend of mine turned me on to echo prayer manager. It’s a neat little tool that is quick to set up and use. Essentially you put in a prayer request and it will send you an email or text message to remind you about what you want to pray on the day and time you specified. Simple, quick, and helpful. For me, this becomes a great reminder to call or shoot an email to the person I’m praying for and either check up or encourage them.
It just makes sense doesn’t it? If I want this to be in front of me on a regular basis, I need to put it in my schedule on a regular basis. I have the sense that this will be great for seeing how God responds as well. There is also place to journal for those that like doing that.
Check out another prop for this tool in Lynn’s prayer blog “The Air I Breathe” on the sidebar.
Enjoy!

Thrive: Week 3, Day 7

Matthew 14:22-33

This week, remember that it is your direction that determines your destination, not your intent or your hope. Because that is true the very best thing we can do is to continually head in the direction of Jesus. Follow Jesus where He is leading. You are always headed in the "right" direction if you are being led by him.



What distracts you from following Jesus?

What helps you keep your eyes on Jesus?

Thrive: Week 3, Day 6

Psalm 34


When we are in the middle of getting back on course, it’s easy to lose sight of God and what started us out on this new course or direction. That’s when we simply need to refocus and spend time praising Him for how far He has already brought us. As you read today, worship Him for how far He has brought you and where He will lead you tomorrow.

Thrive: Week 3, Day 5

Matthew 16:13-16; Matthew 20:32; Mark 5:9


What direction is God showing you to correct your current course?

Beyond Sunday - Thrive: Correcting Course

...by Jo Anne Stas

“The natural drift of our lives is toward the comfortable.” Greg Lee

When I rewind to 2004 and recall my goals like Greg suggested, I think about the goal I had to go back to school. It had been 23 years since I graduated from high school and the prospect of entering college after so long was intimidating. It was certainly more comfortable to keep the status quo and never take the next step, but in 2004 I set aside all my comfortable reasons and enrolled in college. Five years later, I’m still plugging away at my goal and in two years, Lord willing, I should reach my goal. Over the last five years I have had times of doubt as well as times when I wanted to give up. In fact, one semester I did give up, but I got back on the path and kept going. When I think of comfortable I usually associate it with good things and uncomfortable with bad things, however, stepping out of my comfort zone has taught me that when I come out on the other side of my discomfort, I gain something. Whether it is more trust in the Lord to see me through or a character lesson learned such as patience, there is always a gain. No doubt, there are still plenty of areas of my life and plenty of times in my life that I have not stepped out of the comfortable but with each win I can gain a little more confidence to step out again.

Lord, help me to step out on the narrow path even though it may be uncomfortable. Amen

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14

Thrive: Week 3, Day 4

2 Corinthians 8


Who am I helping?