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What have you done to try to get God’s favor?

 

Favor comes through relationship not by behavior!

Stay tuned this Sunday for part 2 of this video series…

Favor…pt. 2…

Starting this Sunday, we’re going to be talking about one of the most well known, 1st learned, hard to believe, controversial stories in the Bible, about a huge boat filled w/ 1 family, & 2 of every animal on the earth; a devastating flood; and the world’s first rainbow!

All of these things make Noah and the ark a remarkable story! However,  to me, the most remarkable part of the story is one that’s never talked about! Here’s God getting ready to mark the end of the world as we know it; basically wipe humanity from the earth…but ONE man on the entire earth finds “favor” in God’s eyes;

Enough favor to spare him, his family, and ultimately all of humanity from extinction!

So the real question is…WHAT was it about Noah that enabled HIM to find FAVOR in God’s eyes? HOW did HE get FAVOR?

But the bigger question is: “Can WE find favor from favor from God?

If so, HOW do WE get it? 

That’s what we’re talking about over the next 3 wks!

Get here!!!

Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK an hour!!!

Sunday Reflex 10-11-09…

• Yesterday we increased the transition between services by 15 min. by moving service times to 9:30 & 11:15.  It was so much less congested between services in every way!
• Yesterday was a great reminder once again that it doesn’t matter HOW many seats we have in our auditoriums, if getting to, or home from those seats is a miserable experience for people.
• We MUST make sure these systems run like clockwork and are staffed by COMPETENT, SMILING volunteers: Parking, Greeting, Children’s Ministry Check-in; Greeters who give direction to people who walk in w/ that “deer in the headlights” look; Helping people find their seats; 
• Professional Christians will wait in lines and put up with a lot of hassle to come to church.  Disconnected and marginalized people won’t.
• We kicked off our new series: “In my own skin.”  I’ve never done a whole series based on the life of on David! It really IS going to be awesome!
• I thought the little INTRO video was one of the coolest we’ve ever done! Thanks, James Rodder!
• I KNEW God was going to really use this series, but the feedback affirmed it: WE all struggle with self worth issues: The feeling that we’re ugly; a or a failure; or not good enough.
• “If I’m uncomfortable in my own skin, it’s not because of a circumstance, another person, or my position in life. Our comfort level in our own skin is a spiritual issue and has everything to do with our relationship with God.”
• “Being comfortable in my own skin is about getting comfortable with who and how God made me.”
• Trying to wear someone else’s armor can be: Someone else’s look; someone else’s abilities; someone else’s stuff; or someone else’s expectations.
• “We don’t need more self-confidence. We need more God-confidence.”
• God-Truths from David’s experience w/ Goliath:

“Being comfortable with who and how God made me brings my greatest confidence.”

“Being comfortable with who and how God made me brings my greatest chance of winning.”

• We baptized another entire family yesterday that’s been coming to mtn. lake for over 3 yrs! Love it when a plan comes together. 
• Our Children’s Ministry held “Big Splash” yesterday, our explanation of baptism for our children and their parents. We had over 70 people there!
• I went out with the guys in my Growth Group last night: had wings and watched football. Love these guys. Love the safe, fun  place called Growth Groups in our church!
• Almost forgot: We had a great Good $ense Weekend Friday & Saturday. God did miracles! We cut up credit cards with over over $100,000 worth of credit lines!  God did miracles in people’s lives & hearts and gave them hope! I hope you’ll sign up for the next one.
• Don’t forget Tailgate Merge this Wednesday!
• God continues to be at work. What do you think?

Mtn. Lakers in their own skin…

Check out real Mountain Lakers getting

comfortable in their own skin!

Don’t miss this Sunday!

New Service Times 9:30 and 11:15!

Send THIS LINK to someone now!

In My Own Skin Video Bumper from Mountain Lake Church on Vimeo.

Building THE Kingdom, not OUR Kingdom…

The last 24 hrs have been unbelievable! Yesterday we started a new Pastor’s coaching network with pastors from all over the Southeast,  and spent an entire day investing into them, giving them permission to plant and lead churches that change the way people think about church. Here are the guys: some of the sharpest around!

Greg Bearss, Lake Pointe Lutheran Church: Hot Springs, AR

Chris Goins, a2 Church: Birmingham,AL

Paul Peterson, New Life Church: Rock Hill, SC

Jeffrey Hickman, LifeSong Church: Lyman, SC

Ken Joslin, Life Church:  Gainesville, GA

Matt Adair, C2 Church: Watkinsville, GA

Howard Koepka, Eagle Pointe Church: Acworth, GA

Kevin Bullock, Reality Church: Carrollton , GA

The greatest news is that impacting God’s Kingdom doesn’t end there for us! Right now, we have a team headed to Turkey to train pastors who have a desire to start and lead churches all across Europe and the Middle East.  In December, I’ll lead another trip to Egypt where we will have 200-300 pastors in the annual Church planting conference we host there now!

Today I also got to hang out with  a church planter from Amsterdam, Holland: Sebastiaan van Wessem (pictured below), pastor of  thousand hills international church and founder of Europe Advance, a church planting network founded out of his church plant (sound familiar?), that is  catalyzing collaboration among planters and churches across Europe, and starting new sites and churches!

Mountain Lakers, I want you to know that it’s my heart for our church to keep building, not the “Mountain Lake Kingdom,” even thought I want to reach and minister to thousands in our own backyard!  I just don’t want us to forget that the Kingdom of God is bigger than one community, city, state or even nation! I want all of us to keep before us God’s desire to impact His Kingdom everywhere: OUR Jerusalem (community) ,Judea (state), Samaria (region), and to the ends of the earth! It is my honor as pastor of this church to be allowed to invest in, and build HIS Kingdom!  I hope you;re just as honored to be a part of what God is doing in and through us together!

Sunday reflex 9-20-09…

• I can’t believe how many people showed up during a FLOOD yesterday at Mountain Lake! If I had been a marginally disconnected person, I would NOT have taken my family to church yesterday.  In fact, if I had not been the pastor, I might not have!
• People are expecting God to show up every week at MLC and speak to them.
• Rodney Anderson taught yesterday in our series “Relationship Rehab.”
• Matthew 5: 4: “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”
• Rx#2: Come clean. We can rehab our relationship with God and others by: Coming clean a/b our pain; and coming clean about our faults. GREAT STUFF. Clear. Relevant. Easier to say than do.
• What did God speak to you about? What do YOU need to come clean about? WHO do you need to come clean TO?
• After yesterday, we will create a better RAIN plan for the THOUSANDS of umbrellas draped all over our lobbies yesterday!
• We’re still working on getting people of campus more rapidly after each service. I don’t even know if the State Patrol showed up to work the light at Hwy 369 & 9. Anyone see him/her?
• Todd Nichols has done an excellent job cultivating vocalists and worship leaders since he’s been at MLC!
• David Putman, Russ Sorrels, and Marie Lindelli make a great Guest Services Team!
• Courtney Templeton did a great job leading our Children’s Ministry in Chad’s absence. Great job, Courtney!
• Yes, I’m back teaching this next week for the next four weeks in a row! I can’t wait to share Jesus’ Rx#3!
• How is you relationship rehab coming?

Sunday Reflex 9-13-09…

Just when I don’t think it could get any better around here, it does! Here are a few reflections on yesterday.

• We finally got a state patrol man posted at the intersections of Hey 369 & 9. Cut our wait time to get on and off campus DRASTICALLY! Did you notice, Mtn Lakers?
• We baptized again!
• We kicked off our new msg series called: “Relationship Rehab.”
• Believe or not, I struggled with how to deliver this msg up until 6:00 yesterday morning, when I just felt like God brought it all together.
• “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
• Becoming poor in Spirit means we stop trying to play the role of God in our lives and the lives of others and let God be God in us; and then work THRU us!
• At the conclusion of the msg, we had an old fashioned altar call to the song: “I Surrender All.”
• Hundreds came to kneel and humble themselves before God and surrender their lives to the Kingdom of God in their lives!
• It was unbelievable!There were tears being shed every where. In a good way!
• For those of you who missed the msg, it will be posted HERE by lunch time.
• We announced several new workshops coming up in connection with this series: a Fighting Fair Workshop led by a licensed Professional Counselor; a ne Divorce Care Workshop, led by Bert & Kim Boudet; and a Good $ense Workshop, led by myself, David Putman, & John Shepherd! More details to follow here.
• We announced yesterday to our congregation that Louie Lovoy, one of our Pastors, is moving to  join the Ministry Team at one of our newest church plants, MyChurch. Go, Louie! We’re with you and with MyChurch!
• Yesterday, GOD attended Mountain Lake! He moved;  He changed people’s hearts! He began relationship rehabilitation all over the place.
• Have you got a story you would share here?  What did God say to YOU yesterday?

Prevenient grace: God is at work…

Confession: My tendency is to think that God is only at work where I am. In me. Through me.  I often forget that all the time, everywhere, with every person, God is working!  God is at ALL TIMES working in other people’s lives, drawing them toward Him; speaking to them through His still small voice; calling them closer; convicting, encouraging, challenging , and wooing people all around us! This is the concept of prevenient grace. Prevenient grace is the grace that allows God to speak and work in someone’s life BEFORE they ever become a Christian; before THEY start searching for God; when they could care less about spiritual things. Prevenient grace means that even when we don’t SEE God at work, He’s working in people’s lives!

Do you understand how this affects our thinking about other people and our relationships with them?  This means that God is ALWAYS at work in our kids’ lives; always at work in our spouse’s life; always at work in our boss’ life;  always at work in our employees’ lives; always at work in our church; always at work in our community; always at work in our nation; always at work in our world!

God is always at work! Even when we don’t see it,  He’s there, extending enough grace to draw people closer to Him. ALWAYS. EVERYWHERE. EVERYONE. THAT’S PREVENINET GRACE. BELIEVE IT. CLAIM IT. HAVE FAITH IN IT.  Where and in whom do you need to claim the promise of God’s prevenient grace today?

Here are a few Scriptures of hope today:

John 5:17 (NIV) 17Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

Romans 1:20 (NIV) “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

Philippians 2:13 (NLT) 13For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

Acts 8:30-31 (NLT) 30Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31The man replied, “How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?” And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

Addressing our most critical need…

Has anyone told you that we’re living in interesting times? Finances are tight. The future is uncertain. Things are tense: at work; at school; at home. Domestic and school violence are up. Marriages are strained. Arguments are more frequent. Fuses are shorter. CNN reported just this past week that 58% of Americans say the economy has put a greater strain on our relationships. Yet, when Jesus was asked what the most important command was in the Bible, He gave two: love God; love people. In other words, nothing is more important to God than the quality of our relationships! We’ve got to get this right!

That’s why, beginning this Sunday, we’re kicking off a new series called “Relationship Rehab,” aimed at repairing and restoring happiness in our relationships: at work, school, in our families, friendships, and in our community. Several months ago, God led me to a passage of Scripture I believe He wants me to share with you that could radically alter all of our relationships—for the better. This Scripture passage contains some of the provocative, life changing teachings ever given by Jesus. Believe it or not, I’ve never taught on this Scripture passage before. I really believe God has led us to this place “for such a time as this”. I hope you’ll join me this Sunday! I hope you’ll invite someone ELSE to come, too! We’ve enclosed an Invite card for you to give away this week! Don’t miss journey toward rehabilitating our relationships! It’s going to be fun!

Beginning This Sunday, September 13.

Service Times: 9:30 & 11 AM

BEING WITH my kids…

I’m not the perfect dad. By far. My kids are growing up so fast, and I know when they’re up and out of the house one day (at least I HOPE they move out) I’m going to wish I had a Do-over.

I want my kids to KNOW that I love them. I tell each of my kids (all three) “I love you”   at least three times each every day. I tell the girls they’re beautiful. I tell Paul he’s strong. I hug and kiss all three of them A LOT. I KNOW my kids feel loved.

I have been reminded once again this morning that  there’s a difference between LIVING WITH  and not BEING WITH my kids.  I can TELL them I love them all day.

However, there’s nothing I do that communicates love MORE to my kids than BEING WITH them. Spending time with my kids communicates that I value them, and that they are the most important things in my life at that moment! Yesterday I dusted off my golf clubs and and went out in the back yard with the kids and we hit golf balls together. Priceless. America’s Funniest Home Videos would have loved it! Today, we’re headed down to Atlanta to visit the “College Gameday” set and try to get my kids on TV! They’re loving that! But even more than being on TV,  they’re excited because their DAD will BE WITH them!

My question for you  today is: Are you LIVING WITH your kids?

Or BEING WITH your kids?