It's nice to knock the dust off the ole blog. It's certainly something I need to do more frequently, especially since it's been linked to from several outside sources.
Things are changing! I love it. Pastor Shannon, my colleague and friend at Lighthouse, was charged last fall with making a big statement in our church and the way we use technology. Boy, has she! We have a new web site, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and personal blogs. The church's technological profile is growing, as are the people we're able to reach in free, quick, & fun ways. Not to mention we're keeping up with the times. It's absolutely fantastic! The only thing is I have to do a better job of writing and updating my stuff.
But something else is changing ... me! Lent and Easter did me some good this year. I dedicated myself to prayer and fasting this Lent and found myself comforted and challenged in ways I haven't experienced since seminary. God was really working within me to grow closer to Him and in my understanding of ministry. It worked.
The very first day I fasted, I sat with my Bible and asked the Lord to reveal to me something I needed. This is the passage that I was immediately led to read: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2.2-5, emphasis mine)
WOW!!! It was me, right there in 2-thousand years worth of print. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I had begun to lose my first love and it was time to realize that though I might have been forsaking my first love, God had never forsaken me. It started changing me from the inside out. I began to rediscover a couple things that had brought me closer to God in the midst of my teen angst when I first became a Christian and heard my call to ministry: music, my guitar, and a commitment to care for the temple God had given me. (1 Cor.6.19-20)
Then came Easter Sunday and this picture that was taken as the Easter Bunny from the Wyndham-Peachtree Conference Center came to offer me "Easter Greetings." When I saw the shot, I could hardly tell myself from the egg. At that point, I was reminded of a morbid thought I had while at Disney with the family last February: I am closer to the age when my dad (and paternal grandfather) passed away than I was the age when I heard my call to ministry. I don't want to go that early if I can help it, and if I continued eating and gaining weight at the alarming rate I was, then I could pretty well guess what my fate would be.
With the last morsel of chocolate cake following Easter dinner, I rededicated myself to caring for the temple God had given me. Since that Monday morning, I have been far better with my health and nutrition than I had done the last five years, or so. I cannot tell you how many pounds I've lost because I'm not getting on a scale right now. I'm just eating much much better and exercising every day. I am feeling infinitely better after just two weeks and based on a picture I saw of myself from a day or two ago, it's already paying dividends.
So here I am: endeavoring to lose weight, grow closer to God, and become a more effective servant in His Kingdom. I invite you to join me as we walk this journey with God together, for as the Bible tells us, we all will be changed (1 Cor. 15.51). Let's make sure we're being changed for the good of ourselves, the world, and of course, God!
Things are changing! I love it. Pastor Shannon, my colleague and friend at Lighthouse, was charged last fall with making a big statement in our church and the way we use technology. Boy, has she! We have a new web site, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and personal blogs. The church's technological profile is growing, as are the people we're able to reach in free, quick, & fun ways. Not to mention we're keeping up with the times. It's absolutely fantastic! The only thing is I have to do a better job of writing and updating my stuff.
But something else is changing ... me! Lent and Easter did me some good this year. I dedicated myself to prayer and fasting this Lent and found myself comforted and challenged in ways I haven't experienced since seminary. God was really working within me to grow closer to Him and in my understanding of ministry. It worked.
The very first day I fasted, I sat with my Bible and asked the Lord to reveal to me something I needed. This is the passage that I was immediately led to read: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2.2-5, emphasis mine)
WOW!!! It was me, right there in 2-thousand years worth of print. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I had begun to lose my first love and it was time to realize that though I might have been forsaking my first love, God had never forsaken me. It started changing me from the inside out. I began to rediscover a couple things that had brought me closer to God in the midst of my teen angst when I first became a Christian and heard my call to ministry: music, my guitar, and a commitment to care for the temple God had given me. (1 Cor.6.19-20)
Then came Easter Sunday and this picture that was taken as the Easter Bunny from the Wyndham-Peachtree Conference Center came to offer me "Easter Greetings." When I saw the shot, I could hardly tell myself from the egg. At that point, I was reminded of a morbid thought I had while at Disney with the family last February: I am closer to the age when my dad (and paternal grandfather) passed away than I was the age when I heard my call to ministry. I don't want to go that early if I can help it, and if I continued eating and gaining weight at the alarming rate I was, then I could pretty well guess what my fate would be.With the last morsel of chocolate cake following Easter dinner, I rededicated myself to caring for the temple God had given me. Since that Monday morning, I have been far better with my health and nutrition than I had done the last five years, or so. I cannot tell you how many pounds I've lost because I'm not getting on a scale right now. I'm just eating much much better and exercising every day. I am feeling infinitely better after just two weeks and based on a picture I saw of myself from a day or two ago, it's already paying dividends.
So here I am: endeavoring to lose weight, grow closer to God, and become a more effective servant in His Kingdom. I invite you to join me as we walk this journey with God together, for as the Bible tells us, we all will be changed (1 Cor. 15.51). Let's make sure we're being changed for the good of ourselves, the world, and of course, God!
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