Big Announcement

Dear Friends and Family,
THANK YOU so much for your encouragement and prayer. You are truly a blessing to Ashley and me, and we're so grateful you're in our lives. As many of you know, we've been praying about the possibility of moving ot Florida where I would become the new Senior Pastor of "Christ's Church" in Fleming Island (www.ccflemingisland.com) which is just outside Jacksonville. We spent this past weekend there and I wanted to give you an update of our visit and the next steps...

The church enthusiastically welcomed us and actually broke an attendance record with more than 1000 people. They are a wonderful, loving and grace-filled congregation. I believe God used this visit to confirm in my mind and theirs that He is indeed calling me to Florida. Essentially, I have been offered the position and I have accepted it, but it won't be official until I return next weekend (Feb. 7) and the church follows its written bylaws and allows the congregation to vote on my candidacy. The bottom line is that unless God supernaturally slams the door, it's going to happen. We will most likely stay at The Creek through February, and make the move to Florida the first week in March. Now, we're just praying that God would allow the details to fall into place (which He's been doing all along and I'm sure He will continue to do).

Thanks again for your support, prayer and encouragement. This is a very exciting time for us, and we're honored to get to celebrate with you.
Dave

Prayer

As I write this, the impoverished Island Nation of Haiti is experiencing the devastating effects of a major earthquake. The Haitians are in desperate need of help and hope. Many Christians are calling for prayer, which obviously is important, but I just read a facebook post from an agnostic friend of mine that truly convicted me. He wrote that Christians seem to be rallying to prayer as a way of feeling better about not doing anything. He suggested the practical alternative of sending money instead of sending prayers.

As a follower of Christ, I wholeheartedly believe in the world-changing power of prayer, but I must also admit that we Christians have too often used prayer as a substitute for rolling up our sleeves and making any form of real sacrafice. Our prayers should realign our minds with the mind of God and rally us to revolutionary action. Our prayers should chase away our selfish motives and replace them with Kingdom-minded agendas. Our prayers should open up our hearts (and our wallets) to the greatest needs in this broken world.

The world says show me action, not prayer. The Church says, show me prayer, not action. God says, "Show me BOTH!"

Homosexuality (I had to tackle it at some point)

Homosexuality has become one of the most divisive issues in our culture and that division has also stormed into The Church. I believe it's important for all Believers to have a Grace-filled and Truth-filled understanding of this issue from a Biblical foundation. I will do my best to address it in a few paragraphs. This post will be far from comprehensive, but I'm hoping it will spark some healthy dialogue.

I believe that most churches have done a shameful thing by singling out the Gay Community as some sort of special breed of "Super Sinners" and the schism between Evangelicals and those living a homosexual lifestyle continues to grow. I do not believe that this is God's will or a Biblical expression of God's love and grace. With that being said, I also know that the Bible has very set guidelines for the powerful gift of Sex. It is to be used and enjoyed within the context of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any use beyond that will eventually cause emotional, spiritual, and possibly even physical devastation. Any form of homosexual sex would fall into this category of being outside the boundaries of God's plan or more specifically...sin.

If you're living a homosexual lifestyle, please know that God loves you. He is for you. This, however, does not mean that He is for your lifestyle. Anyone of us can fall into the trap of trying to justify any type of sin, but whatever the sin (whether sexual or otherwise), if we choose to continue in it without repentance, we will slowly become more calloused and blind towards the Truth of God in our lives and find ourselves in the dangerous trap of rewriting Scripture to fit our choices instead of rewriting our choices to fit with Scripture. I encourage you to trust God enough to seek His plan for all areas of your life. They are plans to prosper and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future (see Jeremiah 29:11).

So what is a "Deep" Church, anyways?

I often hear people say that they want to go "deep" in their faith, but when I pry a bit, I've found that most folks don't have a good answer for what "deep" really means. I personally believe that a church's "depth" should be measured by the waters of baptism. Without Salvation, love for people and changed lives, a church becomes nothing but an institution of higher learning that no longer functions as a Biblical Church. The depth of your church shouldn't be measured entirely by what you learn on Sundays, but by how you treat people on Mondays.

I also believe a truly "deep" church should be unapologetically "seeker sensitive" on Sunday mornings. Life-giving, Christ-centered Churches should welcome the Prodigals home. If we're not careful, we can easily turn into the self-focused, self-righteous Elder Brother in the Prodigal Son Parable who was, ironically, just as lost as the younger brother. A church filled with very knowledgeable Pharisees can provide an attractive mirage for those who seek growth and "depth" but ultimately there is no real growth without a passion to reach the Lost. That's why the amazing depths of God's Love and Grace should always be the primary focus. Proclaim the Word of God with Boldness, Love God and People Passionately, Serve Selflessly & then you will experience true depth in Christ.

New Creation

Last Sunday was a powerful day at The Creek. Many decisions were made for Christ and this song reminded us all that we are a NEW CREATION in Him. What a beautiful promise. I love being a part of a church that continues to find new ways to praise and celebrate our amazing God.

Lies

I don't believe that there is any decision more signifcant that deciding what you will choose to believe. The world is filled with lies that sound true and truths that are falsely labeled as lies. The Bible gives us clear direction as to what we should believe and while this list is far from complete, I've listed some of the most wide-spread lies in our culture today:

1. Lie: "It's my life and I can do what I want!"
Truth: You were bought with a price (the blood of Jesus) and your life is not your own.

2. Lie: "It's my money and I can spend it however I like!"
Truth: You don't own anything. You are only a temporary manager of "your" possessions.

3. Lie: "My choices are nobody's business but my own."
Truth: Every decision you make has consequences on others.

4. Lie: "There's no point to my life."
Truth: God has plans and purposes for you beyond anything you can imagine.

5. Lie: "It's all about me!"
Truth: It's all about God.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

The Voice of Truth

The one command that God gives in the Bible more often than any other command is simply, "Be Not Afraid". Our Creator realized that fear would be our biggest obstacle in acieving a courageous life fully-devoted to Him. There simply isn't enough room in our hearts for Fear and for Faith. We all must choose which voice we trust...the voice of fear or the voice of our Father.

In this video, my four-year-old son, Cooper, makes his actinig debut. I'm a little bit partial, but I think he deserves an Oscar! I believe this short video captures the essence of fear and the power of faith. Remember, your Father loves you more than you can imagine and He has not give you a spirit of fear.