Get Drenched Fall 2010

The Best Advice Ever...

Once upon a time, there was a boy who really loved a girl. He loved being with her for every time he was with her, everything was better. It did not matter what it was, it just was always better when he was with her. This boy knew he wanted to be with this girl forever, but he was scared to ask her the question. He could not articulate why he was scared, but he knew he was. So this boy asked his friends who had already asked the question and they would always say to the boy – “you’ll just know.” He would always walk away feeling frustrated that he did not know for he had been with this girl for a long time.

Then one day it happened. The boy met with his pastor and asked him the question that he had asked so many before – “how do you know if she is the one?” After making some small talk, the boy just came out with. “Pastor Larry, how do I know if she is the one for me?” Without hesitation, Pastor Larry with boldness, conviction and a smile on his face replied – “when you meet a girl that you have to run to keep with, then you know she is the one for you.” As soon as Pastor Larry spoke, the boy had his answer for he knew that the girl he loved would be one that he would have to run to keep up with.

As not to be confused in this epic tale being spun, running is a metaphor for the spiritual condition of one’s heart and soul. This girl was genuine in her passion of loving Jesus and loving others. If this boy even had a shot to keep up with her nonetheless lead her, there would be no room for lollygagging for he would have to sprint just to keep in step with her. The advice Pastor Larry gave this boy 13 years ago was the best advice ever! Ten days later, the boy put a ring on this girls finger and 4 months after that, this boy stood before 400 people and promised to love this girl forever.

Today is a special day for the girl for she celebrates the day she came into this world. She is more beautiful to the boy today than she was when he first saw her. But there is a beauty that transcends what the eye can see and when one catches a glimpse of this beauty of soul, it both captivates and inspires. The boy continues to be captivated and inspired by the girls love for Jesus and her love for people. She longs to love Him more and be increasingly loving to those who cross her path which makes her ever more beautiful to the boy who loves her more today than when he first asked her the question. There are days when the boy gets tired of running just to keep up with the girl, but he is so thankful that she continues to run so hard.

On this special day when the girl turns 37, the boy wants his girl to hear the words – “keep running.” The girl is now not only making a profound difference in the boy’s life, but in the lives of three little people as well. We all see you and love you. We are all so grateful for you. We are all so blessed and thankful that you’ve run so well so far – keep running for it is a joy to run with you. Happy Birthday K – love m, t, r & c…

WAVES

This past Tuesday, I enjoyed a day at the beach with my family. We’d been to this beach before, but on this particular day, the waves were rather large – a few that even crashed over my head. At first, the kids were a bit trepidacious about playing in the waves because they were so much taller than them, but it did not take long before they soon could not get enough of being knocked over by the waves. As soon as one would knock them over, they would get back up and look for another one to jump into. This went on for hours – literally. For those of you who are familiar with the beauty and magnificence of the ocean, you know something about waves – they just keep coming. Sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are large – but regardless of size, they just keep coming.

As I considered these waves that just kept coming, I could not help but reflect on the love of God. His love towards humanity - towards me - towards you, just keeps coming. There have been seasons where the waves of His love knocked me off my feet, and there have been seasons where His love is demonstrated in in smaller yet steady ways. Point being, His love for people just keeps coming. And similar to my children playing in the waves the other day, one who has stepped into the waves of God's love, they cannot help but keep going back for more.

As my children could not get enough of the waves, there were some who were missing it all. There were a few in the water that day enjoying the power of the waves, but there were even more who were just sitting on the shore just watching the handful of us playing in the waves. For certain, there would be many reasons why not everyone was in the water that day, but I can’t think of one good reason why everyone would not want to live in the waves of God's love - can you? I imagine that for many its similar to my children who were nervous at first at the sheer enormity of the waves coupled with the uncertainty of what would happen to them once in the water, but they entered in. There must be a point of decision for us all - will I enter into the water, or will I stand on the shore?

For those who might read this and think to yourself that the love of God is great in theory, but you struggle to believe that God loves you because you've never experienced it before - my encouragement to you would be to turn your eyes to the greatest demonstration of God's love towards humanity {which includes you} - the cross of Jesus Christ.

Who's In?

Some thoughts and reflections from Men's FIGHT CLUB held on Sunday, May 28th at GENESIS. To learn more about FIGHT CLUB, please visit www.genesisthejourney.com. Next FIGHT CLUB is Sunday, April 18th at 6:30 PM.

Men like William Wallace and Maximus Decimus Meridius inspire most men. They were men who lived with passion and conviction, a character trait most men long to have. Not only was there passion and conviction in how they lived, but married to this passion and conviction was a reckless pursuit of something far greater than themselves.

I am convinced that if men want to rise above mediocrity to become godly men, they will be men of great passion and conviction. Some will argue that passion and conviction are personality traits reserved for the more charismatic and extroverted types, but to see passion and conviction as personality traits would be a grave mistake. Passion and conviction are character traits that are born deep within a man who longs to live for something greater than himself.

If a man wants to be a godly man, he will not be confused as to who his God is and how he pursues godliness. Some will argue that pursuing God and godliness is easy, anyone can do it. The reality is that those same people who argue that are typically the most self-absorbed, self-focused, and self-centered men. Any man can live life seeking to make much of himself, but it takes a courageous man, a godly man to die to himself daily, not seeking to make much of himself, but of the God he follows – namely Jesus!

I believe that a godly man pursues God and godliness in such a way that he cannot and will not be distracted from that which he pursues. Do you know what or who you are pursuing? Is what you are pursuing really worth it?

Many men will struggle to answer these questions because we pursue anything and everything that will advance our name, our cause, our pleasure. A godly man who pursues godliness will know how to pursue God and godliness. He will know how to pursue his wife or girlfriend in such a way that God is honored and she is blessed because she is being pursued as she deserves to be pursued. He will know how to pursue a relationship with his children in such a way that God will be honored and his kids will be loved, trained and equipped to one day walk with God as well. He will lead in such a way that those he leads will grow closer in relationship not with him, but with the God he continues to make much of.

The Apostle Paul did not want his spiritual son Timothy to be confused as to what he should be pursuing. “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Called to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Called to pursue eternal life, meaning we don’t pursue things that will not last.

In a 2^nd letter from Paul to Timothy, he calls Timothy to “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

What a tragedy it is to see a man who physically looks different 20 years removed from High School, but still lives and acts as he did when he was in High School. If you are to be a godly man, there must come a point where you say enough is enough, I’m done living like a little boy in a grown man’s body.

If you are to be a godly man who pursues the things and ways of God, you must…

1. Know whom you serve – see Joshua 24:14-15

2. Know what God wants you to do – see Acts 13:22

3. Know what distracts, detours, and derails you – see Hebrews 12:1-3

I’ve by no means arrived, but one thing I know for sure – I know my God and His name is Jesus. I’m done with seeking to make much of me because to be honest, there’s not much to make much of. It doesn’t take much to be a man, but it will take a death to self to be a godly man. A godly man knows his God and pursues godliness know matter the cost to himself. Who's in?

LIAR

Have you ever told yourself something that was a lie? Has time went on, you actually began to believe it to be true. For years, I told myself that I was 6.2, when in actuality, I’m only 6.1. It happens a lot – lies get so deeply embedded in us that we actually begin to embrace them as truth.

As you consider your speech, how much of what you say is actually true? The mouth gives voice to the heart, so how much of what your heart says is true? How much of what you say is exaggeration, half-truths, ‘white lies’, deceptive, sarcastic or manipulative?

Why do we do this? Why do we lie so often. Its rarely the case that we intentionally plot out elaborate lies, but why is it that when talking to people, before we know it, lies are spewing forth? How is it that lies seem to flow a lot quicker and more frequent then the truth does? I believe that we lie because we want to appear before others in a certain way and the truth does not always match up with how we want to appear. So the LIE helps us achieve the perception we ultimately want to project.

Many might argue that what we lie about is ultimately not that big of a deal, but the reality is that our words are a really big deal to God. Matthew 12:36 – “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” This is a verse that sends shivers up and down my spine because I have let many careless words fly out of my mouth.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged His listeners to a higher standard of speech. Matthew 5:37 – “Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'” We are called and commanded to be people who speak the truth – at all times – in all places – no matter who our audience is. But how?

TRUST GOD WITH THE TRUTH

Many of us tell lies because we are afraid of what the TRUTH might bring. So in order to manipulate outcomes to our favor, we lie. When we lie in order to achieve or accomplish certain outcomes, we reveal a reality about ourselves that we don’t want to admit – we don’t trust God! If we believe that God can work all things in order to accomplish His will in our life, then there is no need to lie. Often the thought goes something like this: “If people knew the truth, then I wouldn’t be able to…”

If we have to lie in order to accomplish what we think is God’s will, then its safe to say there is a confusion as to whose will is actually being pursued. The reality is that lying (sin) will always find us out {Numbers 32:23}. What we think will never be discovered will be uncovered in time. It might be a few days, weeks, months or even years, but the truth will always be discovered. The beauty of being honest upfront is that we not only honor God with our speech, but we won’t always be wondering what lies were told, and what lies need to keep being told in order to keep the story going.

Jesus calls his followers to truthful speech at all times, in all places no matter who our audience may be. Let it be said of you that when you speak, your audience is not left wondering if what you’ve said is true.

To watch or listen to the full message called LIAR, visit the GENESIS website.

The Gospel - Part II

To watch the full message, visit GENESIS on Vimeo, or to listen to the message, visit the GENESIS website.

Something or someone is at the center of who we are, and whatever is at our center will determine who we are becoming. From our center flows such things as our attitude, actions, reactions and behaviors. What’s at the center of our lives not only impacts how we view ourselves and the world we live in, but it impacts how we understand and relate with the God who is creator of all.

If we would be people that would have the Gospel at the center of who we are, then a healthy and accurate understanding of the Gospel is essential. The Gospel simply means ‘Good News.’ But what exactly is the good news of the ‘Good News’?

Before that question gets answered, one thing must be made perfectly clear. The Gospel is about GOD – not about man. The Gospel is about what God has done – not what we’ve done. The Gospel is about what God is doing – not what I am doing. Simply put, the Gospel is God-centered, not i-centered

In many ways, the good news of the Gospel can be summed up in the following verses:

John 3:16-17 – "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The good news of the Gospel is that God loved humanity enough to pursue us despite our sin and rebellion against Him. We know God loves us because of Jesus – He showed up! Jesus stepped into a depraved world for one purposes – to be the Righteous One who would bring the unrighteous ones (us) to God through His perfect life, bloody death and glorious resurrection.

The good news of the Good News is that God did for humanity what humanity could not do for itself – salvation!

As one looks through the epic story of God (the Bible), the news that makes the Gospel so good can be seen in the following;

1. There is a Living God! Meaning, God is not dead as some throughout history have suggested, but God is ALIVE and He is the creator of all. Acts 14:8-15

2. Our God Reigns! There is no god (idol) that is more powerful then our God! Isaiah 52:7; Psalm 146:10

3. There is NO God like OUR GOD! There is nothing or no one in all of creation who is comparable to our God because there is NO God who is like our God! Deuteronomy 4:35-39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:60; 1 Kings 18:36-39; Isaiah 43:10-13; Isaiah 46:5-10

4. JESUS is the SAVIOR, the CHRIST, the LORD! Humanity does not need to be confused as to who the Savior is because Jesus, the only Savior who could save stepped into humanity nearly 2,000 years ago. Luke 2:10-11

5. JESUS died for our SINS in accordance w/the Scriptures! Simply put – because of Jesus, all of our sins have been FORGIVEN! Mark 10:45; Romans 5:1, 8; 1 John 2:2; Colossians 2:12-14.

6. JESUS is ALIVE – HE is RISEN from the DEAD! The one that was brutally murdered conquered death. The Savior who sacrificed His life so that we could have life eternal was victorious over sin, Satan and death! Luke 24:5-7; 2 Timothy 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:13-17.

7. Salvation is for all who believe. To those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save sinners and confess Him as such, salvation is not a possibility but a reality! Romans 1:16; 10:9-10; 1 John 5:11-13

8. Our eternity will be spent in heaven with God, not in hell separated from God. Jesus death and resurrection secures for those who believe a new eternal home – heaven! John 14:1-3; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:1-4.

9. The promise of the Holy Spirit. To those that confess Jesus as God, we are not left to figure out on our own how to live lives that please God. We have been given the Spirit of God who resides in us that guides, teaches, convicts and empowers us to live the lives God has purposed for those who believe. John 14:16-17; John 14:26-27; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Acts 1:8.

10. The promise of a new life. Because of Jesus, I am not just a refurbished version of my old self, but I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:1-4; Galatians 2:20.

What makes the good news of the Gospel so good is that without the Gospel, the news would be horrific. The headlines might read something like this –

· Humanity has no hope of ever being RECONCILED with GOD!

· Humanity has no hope of ever having PEACE with GOD!

· Humanity has no hope of ever KNOWING GOD!

Thank you God that the news coming from you to us is Gospel – Good News!

The Gospel - Part I

To watch the full message, visit GENESIS on Vimeo, or to listen to the message, visit the GENESIS website.

Some questions to consider…

What is at the CENTER of your LIFE? We all have something or someone at the CENTER of who we are. And whatever is at the center drives us to do what we do, act like we act, think like we think, or respond like we respond. Simply put, whatever is at the center determines who we are, and who we are becoming.

For some, FEAR is at the center. And if FEAR is at the center of who you are, your life will be marked by INSECURITY – a life that is desperate to be loved, accepted and embraced. The desperation is so great that you’ll do whatever you can to obtain the favor and approval of others in hopes that you’ll be able to taste the security that comes with knowing you are loved.

For some, ANGER is at the center. And if ANGER is at your center, then your life will be marked by UN-FORGIVENESS. Not only will you lack joy, but when ANGER is at the center, there will be a trail of broken relationships largely due to your inability to forgive, be gracious, compassionate and merciful.

For some, LUST is at the center. And if LUST is at the center of who you are, then your life will be marked by EMPTINESS. You will always be telling yourself, “If I could only have that, then I would be filled and content.” Your life will be a constant chase of consuming that which you hope will fill – whether that be the relationships, career, fame, fortune, etc. The pain is great when you realize that what you’ve chased not only did not fill, but only exposed how great your emptiness actually is.

For some, TIME {past, present, future} is at the center. And if TIME is at the center of who you are, then you will live an utterly CONFUSED life. The confusion comes because you’ll allow your past to not only shape who you are, but who you are becoming. For some, the present is marked by an overwhelming sense of worry & anxiety over what was, what is and what ‘might be’. For others, thoughts of the future fill you with paralyzing uncertainty because of thoughts like: ‘what if that or this happens?’, or, ‘what if they do that or don’t do that?’, or, ‘what will I do, or where will I go and when will that actually happen?’

We ALL have someone or something at the CENTER, it's just a matter of identifying what’s at your center. When we decide to place the GOSPEL at the center, the core of who we are, something amazing happens –

There is no need for FEAR which manifests itself in insecurity because the Gospel declares that I am loved perfectly, completely and unconditionally {1 John 4:18; Romans 8:35-39}.

There is no place for ANGER which manifests itself in un-forgiveness because the Gospel floods our life with the love, mercy, compassion and the grace of God, and that which is at the center of you, overflows to those around you. The Gospel brings freedom from anger, and births within us healthy fruit {Galatians 5:22-23} that breads healthy, deep, meaningful relationships with those around you.

There is no room for LUST which manifests itself in emptiness because the Gospel at work in us does what only the Gospel can do – it fills us completely. Not only does the Gospel fill, it brings with it great contentment {John 10:10; Philippians 4:12-13}.

There is no concern over time which manifests itself in a confused life because the Gospel at work in our lives brings transformation. The Gospel does not cover past wounds with band-aids. The Gospel does not offer cliché answers to present situations and circumstances which are neither helpful nor beneficial. The Gospel does not speak of empty promises for your days ahead. The Gospel transforms time – meaning, the Gospel at work in us leads us to declare that I can trust God in ALL things at ALL times because He is Faithful, Sovereign, and Worthy of my trust. The Gospel not only redeems time {past, present, future} and ALL that has happened within it – but the Gospel has the power to transform you so that it is not time that shapes you, but the Gospel! {Genesis 45:7-8, 50:20}

If you are going to have the Gospel at the center of your life, you must understand fully what the Gospel declares. The Gospel means Good News, so what is the Good News of the Gospel? This question will be answered in The Gospel – Part II.