Here is some video from our recent trip to Chicago.  We really enjoyed spending time with family on the first day of our trip, and I especially enjoyed meeting some of Amy’s extended family for the first time.   We were also glad to meet up with Kacy who got us some great seat to the cubs game, and we had a good time eating some Deep Dish with Daniel and Heather Gray.

Theses videos come from the site seeing and touristy things Amy and I did. The summary video is simply just shorten clips from the other videos without all of our talking included.

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Having so much fun in Chicago this week.  Getting to meet tons of different people with different backgrounds.  I have been really excited to share my faith with these people, and see God work in their life. Some cool things have happened from cabbies giving Amy and I free rides to even witnessing to an astronaut (his identy verifed… hehe). Here is one of the most memorable experiences I had sharing my faith so far.

Ever get intimidated to share you faith with someone on an airplane? I know I do.  I mean, what if it goes REALLY wrong and you are stuck sitting next to this person for the next hour? That would stink.  Well anyway, on this trip I ended up taking a flight on an airline that allows you to choose where you sit.  With this fear in mind, I decided the best thing to do would be to specifically pray that God would show me someone who needed to hear the gospel before I sat down.  I thought this would give me a little more confidence to actually share my faith; if I already knew God had placed me specifically where he wanted me to be (doesn’t He do that already anyway?).

It soon became obvious who it was that I needed to sit by.  Funny thing is that when I came closer to the two open seats next to him it appeared that he did not want anyone sitting next to him.  The first seat had the tray pulled down like a barred gate protecting his fortress of solitude, and the seat next to that had a bag and papers in it to give the appearance that someone was already sitting there.  I was on to his con right away and thought to myself, “If this man does not want anyone sitting next to him, then he definitely doesn’t want anyone preaching to him either!”  None-the-less, I stuck with my instinct, and took a seat.

It didn’t take long for me to realize he didn’t want to talk.  He was stuck to his paper, and after what appeared to be a catholic prayer before take off, I thought I had made a mistake and fell asleep.  I woke up to the flight attendant delivering Amy a diet coke, and the man next to me some alcohol.  I thought it was weird that he had ordered two cups of ice, and it turns out he was a very generous drinker. Not generous in that he drinks too much, but generous in that he likes to share what he drinks!  He offered both Amy and I a drink, and I was a little a surprised at his willingness to share.  I thanked him for his generosity and then told him when you have the Holy Spirit, you no longer need alcohol and quoted Ephesians 5:18.

This of course led to a conversation about Jesus, faith, and eternity where I was able to share the good news.  Like most people, he listed to me all the charitable projects he has worked on, and all the other “good deeds” he has done as merit for heaven.  I was happy to use this as an opportunity to share the “good news” that not only does he not need those good works to enter heaven, but that they won’t help him either! We had a good talk the rest of the flight where he thanked me repeatedly for showing him things he had never learned, and even said he believed God ordained that I sit by him.  When I asked why he believed that, he turned and showed me where he had planned on sitting and there was a little girl vomiting on someone (could have been me if I would have wimped out earlier)!

By the way, it turns out that this man is over the educators union in his city where thousands of teachers and principals are members and influence the entire school system from elementary to high school in his city! Be bold and step out!

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Not Forgotten is off to a great start.  Things kicked off last night with Pastor Joel and the Deluge Band.  Pastor Joel shared a powerful word on the conference them, and many hundreds were saved and set free.  It reminded me of a giant encounter retreat with thousands of people crammed into the North Campus.  What a tremendous way to start things off.

We also debuted a couple of new things for a 220 Conference that went really well. One thing that we are doing for the first time is displaying people’s twitter messages about the conference on the Big Screen before sessions.  We select from tweets that have the Not Forgotten Hashtag in them (#Not Forgotten).  This is a great way for us to interact and share the stories of those who are at the conference with us this year.  We also decided to work into the conference something everyone in 220 always looks forward to at our local gatherings, and that is our wacky rules videos.  Seeing Wayne dressed up as Mr. T as apart of the “B” Team is not something that I will soon forget!

We actually just finished our first ever Hippo Water Festival.  At some point we stopped planning a conference, and just plain lost our minds.  The fun everyone is having is only the result.

I am also really enjoying getting to hang out with a couple awesome Aussies: Pastor James Murray and Dan.  Here’s a sampling of some Australian words I have picked up on so far: Marker (mocha), jumping stars (jumping jacks), sunnies (sun glasses), skuns (scones), and bitters… don’t have a translation for that one yet I’m afraid!

More conference updates to come!

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1 Corinthians 5:12-13 - “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

What we say: “Judge not less you be judged,” “the same measure you use to judge others will be used to judge you,” or “take the log out of your own eye.”

What God says: “It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside of the church who are sinning.”

The mix up: The problem here is understanding of what it means to “judge” someone, and knowing when it is the right time to “judge.”  ”Biblical judging” is not murmuring, complaining, gossiping, or pretending to know the motives of others you disagree with.  These are all sinful and dangerous behaviors that only reveal the pride of heart of those engage in these habits.  We also cannot have people constantly pointing out everything that others do wrong as if they are the designated slow motion reply camera for the Holy Spirit.

WRONG JUDGING – Let’s be clear, there is such thing as being critical and judgmental in a wrong way.  This is when someone is not “sinning” (like the example given here in scripture), but judgment and criticism is passed on their motives and intentions without the use of scirpture.  It is not your place to pretend to know the secret thoughts and intentions of someone that you don’t like.  This is the wrong kind of judging that often leads to gossip, slander, and strife.

CORRECT JUDGING – You cannot fault a blind man for tripping over a chair, or a deaf person for not hearing an alarm clock.  In the same way, we cannot be surprised when those who do not have Christ sin.  That is why Paul says here it is not his responsibility to judge those outside of the church.  On the other hand, believers who venture into the waters of compromise and sin need to be warned before their actions bring harmful consequences to themselves or others. Three ways faith is destroyed when those in compromise or sin are not warned:

• Wrong attitudes and action are learned by new believers, causing them to fall away
• Reproach is brought on the name of Christ in the hearts of outsiders, causing them to reject the faith
• Those living in sin will eventually destroy their own faith if not rescued

When the scripture says, “It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside of the church who are sinning,” it saying when you see someone living a life in contradiction to scripture, you have a holy obligation to point them in a better way.  The key here is when it says, “who are sinning.” This does not release anyone to condemn others, or put them down, but it does empower you to lovingly assist those who are in sin with the authority of scripture (not just your opinion).   Just because it is uncomfortable, does not mean that it is wrong or even unnecessary!  Do not misunderstand and think that constructive Biblical criticism based on the word of God is not good.  We all need it! Confrontation is not easy, but it becomes impossible when we do not understand it is for our own good!

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It seems so convenient that many preachers are blessed with revelation on some of the most pleasing and popular parts of scripture. I wish I could be released by the Holy Spirit to only preach on the things that are most appetizing to those who may listen.  Instead, I find myself puzzled by the difficult, and dare I say “problematic,” passages of scriptures.  This leads me to investigate portions of the Bible that challenge what I know about God, and cause me to question what I value, understand, and believe.

Maybe that is why some do not take the adventure to study these parts of the Bible.  It’s not that God has not released them, but they have not released themselves… released themselves to question, debate, and ponder.  It is a brave and even stupid thing to question.  Brave to question yourself, and stupid to question God.

When you refuse to investigate the difficult to understand, and seemingly contradictory portions of scripture you make a decision to question God, and not to question yourself.  You question God in that you can’t understand why He has allowed this to be in scripture (because it contradicts what you want God to be), so you doubt its significance and relevance by not not studying it, processing it, and eventually sharing it.  When you do investigate these types of passages you make the brave decision not to question God, but to question yourself.

Ask yourself this, “Am I willing to change what I believe if my search leads to a conclusion other than what I already have,” or “Am I going to already conclude what I believe about God and then search the scripture until I find something that brings me to  that conclusion?” Can I say, that perhaps that is how heresy is born? By questioning God and not questioning yourself.  The Bible is a tool that God should be using to form us, not something we should be using to form God.

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Life is easier when you have the Book of Proverbs at your disposal. My life has not been the same since I started reading Proverbs over 13 years ago.

Proverbs 1:2 – “Their [proverbs] purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.”

It is hard for me to put into words how much the Book of Proverbs has changed my life.  I began reading the Bible at about 11 years old, thanks to the encouragement of a Sunday School teacher.  I became completely fascinated with the stories of the Old Testament, the Psalms of David, the miracles of Jesus, and event the “acts” of the Apostle.  One thing it took me time to appreciate though was the Proverbs of Solomon.

The little nuggets of wisdom never seemed to appeal to me until I was 15 years old.  Up until this point, I had a sovereign respect for God that would cause me to pray at times, read my Bible at others, and even sometimes choose to be holy.  The best way to explain my Christian experience as an early teen was mediocre and full of compromise.  Not passionate and purposeful.  This all changed when I began to read Proverbs.

It was sitting in a Bible class at Christian School that I was first exposed to the infinite value of this book.  Learning the intention of proverbs is  to make me wise, successful, and equipped with the knowledge of God was an invitation I could not ignore (Proverbs 1:1-7).  I realized that God was standing in the streets of my life and shouting for me to stop and give Him a hearing through this book (Proverbs 1:20-33).

It only took me three chapters for Proverbs to change my life, and launch me into an entirely different existence as a believer.  The clear call of chapter one, the universal application of truth in chapter two, and the epic poetry of chapter three opened my eyes to world I was unaware of before, and a relationship with the Holy Spirit that had escaped me until this point.

Proverbs 3:14-15 – “For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.  Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

This is the verse that taught me to purse God.  Before this I knew how to receive from God, and knew that I was to “try” to be obedient.  When I read the words, “nothing you desire can compare with her” something clicked for me.  What was I desiring?  What is it that I really wanted out of life?  After thinking about it, I realized even though I considered myself a Christian, God was not even close to the top of the list of things that I desired.  This confronted the self-righteousness and hypocrisy that I had lived with, and was the sad side-effect of learning about God, without developing a desire to pursue God.  I learned to know God without pursuing Him, and therefore didn’t know him at all.  I was only collecting the postcards that others were sending me from their travels with Him.

That day began my pursuit of God, my relationship with him, my sanctification as a believer, the beginning of life long habit of applying scripture to my life to solve problems, and even the beginning of receiving one of the most  precious treasures I have in life – the rhema.  I would say that I would not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit without the Book of Proverbs.  I cherish every verse of this book with the deepest and gratitude to God.  I love Proverbs!

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On Tuesday night Pastor Joel shared a word with our group about “passion for Jesus.”  I have to say it has really stirred me up.  Without a passion for Jesus fueling everything we are doing, what are we really doing, and what could possibly be taking the place of that passion if it is not there?  The answer to both of these questions is nothing good or worthwhile.  It is a passion for Jesus that caused me to be a leader in the first place, it has been a passion for Jesus that has kept me going, and it is a passion for Jesus that is going to lead me to finish.

Acts 20:24 – “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

This is an excellence verse on passion.  The first thing it shows is that passion is not about excitement, but endurance. Passion is not about how much noise you can make, or how many people you can get to look your way, but about how much you are willing to suffer in order to see God’s vision come about: “my life is worth nothing to me unless…”  You know you have passion when you have found the one thing that will make your life worth something if it is accomplished, and worth nothing if it is not.

The next thing this verse shows us about real passion for Jesus, is that real passion does not just start strong; it also ends strong. This means that real passion is more than a state of emotion, but must reach a place of conviction.  Conviction is not just something your feel when you do something wrong.  It is a passion boiling inside of you that causes you to hold the line, keep your standard, and stand strong in the midst of temptation.  In order to finish what you started your passion must become a conviction connected to the Cross.

The next thing we see is that real passion originates from an assignment of the Lord Jesus and not a desire to please man.  Learning certain behaviors and habits that you know will cause you to be seen as favorable in the eyes of man, without going through the necessary heart transplant that is required to truly obey GOD will lead to hypocrisy; not passion.  Repentance is not about changing what you do.  It is allowing God to change your heart, so that what you do is different.  The proof of a changed heart that can be obedient to God’s will is found in a renewed mind (Romans 12:2). Real passion transforms your behaviors by transforming your heart.

The last thing we see here about passion is that real passion is directly connected to work of winning souls. Without a passion for Jesus fueling what we are doing, what are we really doing?  When the flame of passion for Jesus begins to flicker  and die out it is revealed by your lack of passion to see the lost saved.  Hiding behind a microphone and pulpit does not excuse this passionless existence either.  Boldly declaring the gospel in a room where 95% of the people will clap and applaud your message does not reveal passion.  If that same boldness is there in the midst of certain rejection, or obvious ignorance to the good news, then passion can really be seen.  If a passion for Jesus is not fueling your ministry then what is?  Without real passion for Jesu can your ministry continue without losing its focus of “doing the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God?”

Lets not be like Eutychus who while sitting among “flickering lamps” lost his passion to endure and fell asleep.  Though he seemed to have died, the passion for Jesus inside of Paul awaken Eutychus again, and then they both continued “until dawn.” Jesus coming again! Let us continue in passion until he returns!

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Over the years the 220 Conference has been a powerful experience for both leaders and believers.  Each summer thousands of young people and pastors pour into Bethany North for a life changing experience in God’s presence.  We always have such a great time, but each conference leaves us wishing we had spent more time with the leaders who attend.  The question is, “How do we focus on the leaders without taking anything away from the young people who get saved, filled with God’s spirit, and set on fire for souls while at the conference?”  Then God gave Pastor Joel the vision of two different 220 Conferences focusing specifically on the two groups of people who come to our Summer Conference each year.

There is such a great need for workers in God’s harvest of souls.  Matthew 9:37 says, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” Many church leaders are praying for more harvest in their services and events, but God didn’t say that there was a lack of harvest, but a lack of laborers.  Why does the devil have the biggest youth group in many cities?  It is because he has the most workers.  A lack of harvest is the result of a lack of laborers: “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields (Matt. 9:38).”  You do not need better sermons, worship, or creative ideas.  You need more workers in the fields.

This year’s Leadership Conference is themed, “Harvest Explosion.” This is because through the discipleship of believers you will see a harvest in your ministry like never before.  This entire event is focused on leaders from start to finish.  The schedule is even tailored to keep you from missing your Wednesday night and Sunday morning services.  No matter what stage of leadership you are at, whether you are on staff as the youth pastor, or just a young person desiring to be used as a leader, there will be something for you at the 220 Leadership Conference.

Learn more at www.220conference.com.

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I mentioned this is a previous blog, but would like to focus on it a little more here.

God has given every man a conscience, a creation, and a Cross to draw him to himself.  Any preacher who does not use all three to bring people to the Lord is fighting unarmed in age-old battle, and will lose.  You may draw a crowd, but in the end it was the crowed that crucified Jesus because they accepted his goodness without repentance.  These are the 3C’s God uses to invite us to heaven

Creation – is evidence in itself that there is a God.  Those who say there is no proof of a Creator are throwing out the obvious before beginning their empirical study.

Romans 1:2 – “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

Consider this humorous story about Sherlock Holmes:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a telling some stories and roasting some marshmellows they lay down for the night, and went to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend awake. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” Holmes questioned.

Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. “Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent.”

Conscience – God has placed eternity in the heart of every man, and the evidence of that is your conscience.  It is not the mind that is convinced, and therefore someone is saved, but it is the soul that is converted.  When you stand before God on Judgment Day without receiving forgives, you will experience what your conscience has been alarming you off your entire life: There is a God, and when you sin you violate His law.

Romans 2:15 – “They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right”

Cross – God made it easy to serve Him, by first serving us.  Although He has done nothing wrong, He came to us first in the form of a man to establish relationship with us.  God gave us his very best, and we gave Him our very worst – the Cross.  Because this, the Cross will always stand as the most significant sign of God’s love and invitation to come home.

1 Corinthians 1:18 – “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

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