Merry Christmas

I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I prayer sincerely that 2010 will be the year your dreams come true!

My one thought for you this Holiday Season is to not forget the greatest gift of all; given to you from God almighty ... His one and only Son, Jesus, the savior who loves you deeply.

Thank you for reading my blog posts, it really does mean a lot to me that you would even care what I think! I love you!

Moving to Prairie Village

MERCY CHURCH VISION
To lead people to a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ

On Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 Mercy Church will celebrate it's 7th Year as a church community; and during that time we have not moved more than across the parking lot of one school into another school next door. But, on Sunday, February 7th of 2010 we will be moving (re-locating) to another location in Johnson County that will better facilitate the vision and mission of Mercy Church and put us in an area that is in need of a church like Mercy Church ... and not to mention an area that is not overly saturated with churches on every corner.

On one side it's really not a big move since we are staying in the same county (Johnson County), but it is a big move for us since we've never moved more than a couple hundred feet and we are actually leaving the city of Olathe.

If you are a part of the Mercy Church community I would highly recommend you attend our service on Sunday, January 10 - 10AM to hear all the juicy details of WHERE, WHEN, WHAT, and WHY. You never know, we may be coming to your neighborhood.

The decision to move Mercy Church to another area has actually been rolling around in our hearts since early 2009, and we've sat on it for a while to really make sure it was God leading us.

Lesson to learn here as it relates to KNOWING God's Will for your life: When it's God today, it will be God tomorrow. Meaning, He won't change His mind from minute to minute and say, "nah I change my mind, I know I said to do this a minute ago, but let's do this instead..." God is not finicky, flaky, or confused. This is why we sat on it so long ... we wanted to make sure it was God, not just us ... and if it wasn't God it would fade from our minds. I have also learned that where God guides He provides... and there are some wonderful opportunities that this move is affording to Mercy Church that I am not at liberty to share at this time.

Side Note: This is a good practice for purchasing things; what I like to call the 24 HOUR RULE or even better the ONE WEEK RULE. This means no impulse buys! If you think you really want an item, sit on that idea for a while and see if you still want it in a week. Often what happens is you end up not wanting it after a few days.

Yet one more thing we looked at was the Bible (the best source for direction in life!) We searched scriptures for answers and we saw God MOVING His people on several occasions to a land that He had prepared for them.

Nothing to Fear

Psalms 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Sometimes the path that God calls us to follow is scary ... but if He is with you, you have nothing to fear!

Hamster Heaven

My daughter's Hamster, Mr. Snuggles, died yesterday. He was 3 years old, so he lived a long full life, and just fell asleep and never woke up.

I am not sure what your experience has been when people have died; but in the Christian world people say that famous line, "everything happens for a reason" a lot. Which is TRUE and NOT TRUE depending on the context. You also here that phrase used when something bad (or good) happens; for example - you get in a card accident, break your leg, end up in the hospital next to a person who you lead to the Lord ... or even better yet ... you meet your future spouse in the hospital because he too had been in a car accident and broke his leg ... and there you lie side by side ... like it was a divine game of God crashing cars to bring you two together(the examples are endless).

In the context of cause and effect, this "thing" happened because this "thing" was done ... in other words all effects do seem to have causes. Yes, this is true. BUT in the context of God is in the business of crashing cars is ridiculous and in my personal opinion not a God I want to serve.

In the case mentioned above, don't you think that God could have brought those two people together in a less violent and in a more humane way? I think so, if indeed He really was trying to bring them together. Those stories always amaze me, cause I have heard those kinds of stories before to only here them later getting divorced ... and I am left puzzled at how "God" could have brought them together so positively (in their minds) to only a few years later ... end it all.

Back to original "car-crash" story; the REASON the car crash happened was because the driver had bent down to pick up the tipped-over Starbucks coffee cup and took their eyes off the road at the same time the car in front of them had to slow down drastically for the school zone speed change. So, yes there was a REASON for the car crash, but it wasn't God and Jesus playing a heavenly game of car-crash-derby!

Now, I will say that God CAN and often DOES use unfortunate circumstances to accomplish His will ... it can happen. In other words can will work in the midst of tragedy ... but that doesn't mean He caused the tragedy. Understand?

A truth you should know: Things just happen sometimes ... it's called life!

I have been to many a funeral to hear people say; "God must have needed another angel" (no, humans can not become angels), "They must have had sin in their lives" (this one is totally ridiculous ... because if true, then we would all be dead ... for we are all sinners), "They were just so close to God that He took them" (Very unlikely, you only see this 2 times in the Bible ... and if this is true I don't want to get too close to God), "it must have been their time" (what? They were only 12 years old ... how could that be fair?), "they died so this person could find God" (Seriously, I thought Jesus already died so we could find God ... so was Jesus not enough?)

On and on we could go ... but I hope you get my point; life is life, and yes God interacts and is involved in our lives, especially as we allow Him access. But we make choices each and every day that have consequences ... sometimes good, sometimes bad. I believe this is why PRAYER and LISTENING to God is so important!

I do not believe we are stringed-puppets and God is on the other end bouncing us around ... I believe that God is a very active God on our behalf, and this is why He has given us the scriptures to study and read and to know Him more, friends to get guidance from, churches to gather for worship and serve people through ...

God bless you today as you follow Him!

Fair Weather Friends

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

I googled "Fair weather Friend" and here is the first definition that popped up; "A friend who is only a friend when circumstances are pleasant or profitable. At the first sign of trouble, these capricious, disloyal friends will drop their relationship with you."

Have you ever had friends (not sure you can call them friends really!) like that? I have.

Have you ever been a "fair weather friend?" I hope not!

I love the verse from Proverbs above; "a friend loves AT ALL TIMES." That's what we all want from our friends, and what our friends deserve from us.

Jana and I just gathered with our closest friends for a Christmas Dinner and we all laughed, cried, laughed some more ... we talked about the good times, the bad times, the challenges of life, the victories of life, the uncertainties of life, the fears, the hopes, the dreams, the path before us and much more. And we committed to being there through the thick and thin of it all. Are you that kind of friend? Do you have those kinds of friends?

There is no doubt that when things are UP, and things are SUCCESSFUL friends are plentiful ... I have seen this first hand in my life ... and I have come to the conclusion that the only friends I want are those who will be there through it all.

Call, Text, Email a friend today and let them know that you aren't a Fair Weather Friend ... but a true friend who will stand by their side in the good times and in the bad times.

Fishing on the Wrong Side of the Pond

I am not a big fisherman or anything, but I do like to fish and have even caught a few worthy-to-talk-about fish. I remember when I was just 10 years old, down at the Lake of the Ozarks with my Grandpa (call him Papa) we were fishing off the dock of the great grandparents place there and I was using stink bait (nasty stuff by the way ... a challenge to wash that stuff off the hands) great stuff to get-ya a Catfish. The only thing about fishing for Catfish is the lack of activity ... it's a waiting game really! You cast your line out there, then sit and wait. I know why so many fisherman either dip, smoke or whittle wood ... it can be boring. But when you are with someone its the LIFE! It's like smoking a good premium cigar ... always more enjoyable with someone to talk to! On with my "worthy to tell story" ... my bobber made a small ripple in the still water which caught my attention. I jumped up to take a closer gaze to see if it was the real deal, or if it was just a turtle playing with it. All of a sudden the bobber is gone, my pole is is shaped like the letter "n" ... I grab that sucker and yank it and start reeling it in ... seemed like a long time later (maybe 15 minutes) I was standing on a 7lbs Catfish.

What happened next was actually horrifying, and why I now throw back when I fish, my Grandpa took a hammer ... well you can imagine. I may need to see a counselor about this after all. Lol!

The majority of my "fish" stories, unfortunately are times not like the 7lbs Catfish story, I have reeled in more then my share of 4oz Perch over the years, though honestly it's always exciting to reel in something.

I tell this story because I have also many stories, where I was casting, casting, casting, and casting and catching nothing. I changed bait, still nothing, change poles, changed dip, lit a new cigar ... still nothing. Then I walk around the pond with the same bait, same pole and cast ... and wham ... caught a fish, cast again ... catch another ... on and on it goes. And all I did was MOVE to another part of the Pond. Too many times we are either too stubborn, or ignorant to move and we over analyze WHY the fish aren't biting; it's the bait I am using, it's the pole, it's the weather, it's the guy over there, I need a toolbox, or a bigger toolbox ... we then start to second guess and think, maybe I need to read more books on fishing.

I think life is like this sometimes ... sometimes we are just fishing on the wrong side of the Pond.

This reminds me of a great story about Jesus and His Disciples that John tells us.

John 21:1-11 1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.[a] It happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[b] 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." 11Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

Notice Jesus said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." ... interesting. So they apparently had thrown the net on the wrong side of the boat (I would assume he didn't mean "not the left side") and that is why they hadn't caught anything all night OR maybe they caught the mother load BECAUSE they were fishing WHERE Jesus had told them to fish.

There are so many things to unpack here, and I will do so in my NEW January Series ... but you must realize these guys were full time fisherman! They knew what they were doing. They weren't doing anything wrong all day long that lead to them not catching any fish per say ... they just weren't on the right side of the boat.

Starbucks Patch

I have a confession to make; I may be addicted to Starbucks Coffee? Me and millions of others ... so i guess I am not alone. I am sure that in a few years there is going to be a huge CNN (or FOX) news story released about some addictive chemical that Starbucks sprays on their coffee beans to make us feel like we need it! I have heard that QT sprays on that same chemical. Lol! I am thinking of inventing a Starbucks patch!

What is it about Starbucks that is so addictive? I would guess it's the whole Starbucks experience.

I guess I should have some deep truth to convey here with this thought, I am sorry to say that I don't! i guess I would just say, drink responsibly!

Change is Coming

I love fall for so many reasons; one is that you see so many things changing ... the leaves on the trees, the grass, the temperature, store decor and so on.

I have always been a person who welcomes change, but as I reflect on the last 7 years here at Mercy Church, where I serve as senior pastor, I've played it very safe ... too safe, if I am honest. In our short 7 year history we have been meeting in the same location here in Olathe (we did move after our first year across the parking lot to the high school to better facilitate our growth at that time) but other than that the only sizable change was a name change back in late 2008 which was a much needed change to have our name more reflective of who we were as a church rather than the city we held our services in. I personally didn't see this as a real big change ... it wasn't like we were a 100 year old established church with a real established history in the community and an expensive church sign to re-do, we were (are) a mobile church with only 6 years under our belt and a wrong name (not to mention that there are 12 other churches within a few miles of us with a similar name.)

We, like any other progressive church in America, have also made minor changes here and there in an attempt to improve our services and leadership ... but this isn't any different than what any organization would do in trying to fulfill the company vision and purpose for existing. We are no different!

I have been having many one on one conversations with members, regular attenders and leaders here at Mercy about where do we go from here ... God's plan, God's vision ... where is God leading ... what is God doing, saying ... where is God leading us. I am asking God many questions these days to get a clear answer for our future.

I like many of you reading this want your church to be effective in reaching the lost, and making disciples of those already found ... we all want to be a part of a church that is doing it's part in fulfilling the great commission. I am sure you understand that each church has a particular role to play in the great commission ... the question is WHAT IS YOUR part and ARE YOU DOING IT? And if not, then there MUST BE CHANGE! Somewhere, somehow! You must shake it up!

Here is what I know: If you keep doing what you've always done, where you've always done it, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten (a Timmy original quote - lol!)

So for all of you reading this, if you want 2010 to be different than 2009, then change some things and see what happens! Don't dare stay the same ... if I am honest, that would be stupid!

God bless you as you search for God's next step for you!

S.H.I.T.

“According to a profile in Christianity Today entitled The Positive Prophet, ... I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.” - Tony Campolo

2010 Advent Daily Readings

I was not raised in a church culture that practiced or focused on the Advent Season like more liturgical or traditional churches did ... yet I find it to play a vital role in the life of a Christian.

Our family is doing the daily Advent readings as a devotion and reflection time to educate and engage our children in the story of Jesus ... I encourage you to do the same.

These daily readings were chosen to help capture four main Advent themes: hope, peace, joy, and love. Be encouraged as you read, knowing many others in our church community are reading and reflecting on these themes with you.

Week 1 - Hope

Dec 1 - Psalm 42
Dec 2 - Romans 8v18-27
Dec 3 - Isaiah 11v1-10
Dec 4 - Hebrews 6v13-20
Dec 5 - Psalm 33
Dec 6 - Isaiah 35

Week 2 - Peace

Dec 7 - Isaiah 40v9-11
Dec 8 - Philippians 4v4-7
Dec 9 - Jeremiah 33v7-16
Dec 10 - Isaiah 42v1-9
Dec 11 - Zechariah 9v9-17
Dec 12 - 2 Corinthians 1v2-5
Dec 13 - Isaiah 52v7-10

Week 3 - Joy

Dec 14 - Habakkuk 3
Dec 15 - John 16v5-28
Dec 16 - Isaiah 55v9-13
Dec 17 - Psalm 66
Dec 18 - 1 Peter 1v3-9
Dec 19 - Psalm 96
Dec 20 - Isaiah 12

Week 4 - Love

Dec 21 - Zephaniah 3v14-20
Dec 22 - Psalm 89v1-4
Dec 23 - Ephesians 2v1-10
Dec 24 - Isaiah 9v6-7