The Ripple Effect

Tybee 1/2 Marathon- The race that keeps on giving

2012-02-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

Today's blog is a combination of things that have happen since my running of the Tybee 1/2 Marathon Saturday, 2/4/12.

It was my first 1/2 & I did finish. HOWEVER, it nearly whooped my butt. It seems the pain in my right leg during the last 2 weeks of my training was not shin splints...but a stress fracture (found that out 3 days AFTER the race, after the Dr read the x-rays).

We had a group of 8 that trained together from LifeSpring Church over the last several months. The final race times for our team ranged from Alex, who ran the fastest for the guys in his first ever 1/2 marathon and finished at 1hr. 41 mins. Next for the guys was Josh, who was not far behind Alex.

Deb, finished in 1hr & 50 mins. which was top for our girls, with Courtney & Shannon just a few mins or so behind her.

Dave, Rebecca and I, like Alex, were attempting our first ever 1/2. Dave and Rebecca did remarkable finishing in 2hrs. 44 mins & 2 hrs. 41 mins respectively.

Check out the pictures of the team racing on our facebook page called LifeSpring Fitness Lifegroup

Then come the ole preacherman. Yep, 3 miles of running before the pain was so bad that I had to walk and run mile 4. From then on is was a slow, tearful, and extremely painful hobble, to the finish line that was 9 miles away.

I had time to ask lots of questions: questions to God “why me”, and questions for myself “what the heck are you doing Dorsia”.

I had time to pray: Pray for my teammates, pray for the pain to stop, pray for the strength to endure the pain, pray not to throw up because of the pain, pray for that 100 year old lady not to pass me at mile 6…(she passed me, along with several hundred others).

So, with all that time, I “shuffled on”, until I crossed the finish line..... at a blazing time of 4 hrs. 21 mins.

Since Saturday, I have been put in a walking boot and placed on crutches for 3-4 weeks, and told no running for 10 weeks (there was a time when that phrase “no running” would have been good news...but honestly, I already am missing running...crazy for an old, fat guy, right?). The doctor just shook his head and said, “the pain alone should have stopped you…unbelievable”, before he said “mid distal tibia stress fracture” and suggested I drink more milk and take calcium supplements.

And, unbelievably, I even preached the next day…sitting in a chair. Moreover, some said it was the best, emotional sermon they had heard from me… to bad we didn’t recorded it for posterity.

Below is a copy of an email that I sent to those who attended that Sunday’s worship service with a few things that I felt I needed to say. I hope your will read it and that God will give you encouragement and hope through the words.

From the LifeSpring Church message series titled RUN: the 2/5/12 sermon called: Execution.

As you could tell, this was an emotional message for me to deliver. Early on, as a young man, I was taught to keep your emotions in check… sort of like that old Secret deodorant commercial; “never let them see you sweat”… well, for me, it was; “never let them see you cry”. This is really difficult for a person who is as passionate about life as I am, and who also has my mother’s blood running through their veins (Momma Ruth will start crying when she reads just this much of the email…sorry about that dad).

Anyway, due to time on Sunday (and my emotional state), I was not able to tell you of the BIGGEST blessing I received during the ½ marathon race at Tybee. I feel that it is important that you hear this, and this is why you are receiving this email.

This Sunday’s message, as well as the others in the RUN series revolved around Philippians 4:13 “I can do EVERYTHING through (Jesus) who strengthens me.”

I spoke of about my goals for the race were: 1-having the endurance & stamina to finish the race & 2-not passing out or throwing-up in front of anyone.

I also shared some of my intimate personal commitments (aka…promises…covenants) I had made with Jesus over the years: 1) I will walk to you and with you 2) I will follow your plan 3) I will give you my all 4) I will give you glory in all areas of my life 5) I will do all this in a way that others will see the Life-Change I have is from you 6) I will lead others to a similar type Life-Change found in their living out Jesus’ purpose in their lives

I talked about how I liked the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible when it uses the word “BELOVED” verses the New International Version (NIV) when it uses “Dear Friends”.

I spoke about the bonding that I had developed with my “Beloved” runners from LifeSpring, especially my running partner, during our training. I told of how the LifeSpring running team’s words of encouragement, as well as just seeing them running their race and achieving their goals as we passed one another on various parts of the race route, was so encouraging to me.

I even had an overhead that emphasized this by saying; “Christians are drawn together to strengthen each other, so they can stand alone.”

Yes, for over 3 ½ hours, the thoughts, memories, and past words of encouragement from my teammates helped me to continue hobbling toward the finish line. And maybe that is what has helped you get to where you are today with your spiritual journey with Jesus. The past thoughts, memories, and past words of encouragement from significant people in your past… your teammates.

But, as Paul Harvey says, “here’s the rest of the story”… Hobbling alone in pain somewhere past the 11 mile marker, I heard a yell behind me…a yell loud enough I heard it over my headphones (Yes, even though I was injured and hobbling I was still listening to my “running playlist” of songs). I looked to see Lindsay & Laura, two LifeSpringers who had come just to support our running team & take pictures for historical documentation of this great event. Behind them were Alex and Rebecca, my running partner, who had just finished the race a good while earlier. I quickly turned my head and acted like I didn’t hear them, and proceeded to thank the nice policeman for his patience for waiting on me as he blocked traffic so I could cross through intersection of the road. As I kept hobbling, tears just started flowing out of my eyes like a water faucet. The good thing is since Lindsay & Laura had not been training to run, and Alex and Rebecca were exhausted from already running 13 miles, it took several minutes for them to catch up to me. This allowed for me to collect myself (aka “get my stuff together”) before they got to me.

And do you know what? They all walked the last 2 miles of the race with me. In fact Josh, Shannon, Deb, Dave, all came back to walk with me (Courtney had also came, but she went a different direction looking for me and never found me). OUR WHOLE LIFESPRING TEAM CAME BACK FOR ME! Even though they had finished the race, had the car keys and had other things to do that day, THEY CAME BACK FOR ME. Even though there was a period of time when we were separated and alone, and had to rely on our thoughts, memories, and past words of encouragement from each other…they understood that wouldn’t be enough. AND THEY CAME BACK FOR ME! They went the extra mile (in my case 2 ½ miles) and walked it with me. They said things like, “we started as a team, and we’ll finish as a team”, “no one gets left behind…no one, not even you preacher”.

I’m not sure of what you are looking for out of life. I’m not sure what you are looking for out of a church. I’m not sure what your relationship is with Jesus. I’m not sure of how God is going to use you and our church to bring about Life Transformation in our areas of influence. I’m not even sure of why I am writing you this email, other than to say this….

I am sure I am trying my best to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

I am sure our church will do everything we can to obediently follow Jesus wherever He leads.

I am sure you are invited to be a part of Jesus’ Team of Christians.

I am sure you are invited to be a part of the LifeSpring Team.

And I promise you this, if you join Jesus’ Team & the LifeSpring Team, you may feel at times that you are alone… but YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I also promise you this. Your fellow Christian teammates, especially the ones at LifeSpring, WILL COME BACK FOR YOU! You won’t finish the race alone! Because we believe that Life Changing encounters of Jesus’ love are best found when DOING LIFE TOGETHER. “We started as a team, and we’ll finish as a team”, “no one gets left behind…no one, not even you”.

I hope to see you this Sunday as we take church to a “Whole ‘nother level” as we begin the SUN STAND STILL message series.

Blessings,

Dorsia, Pastor of the most AWESOME LifeSpring Church

May The Legacy of Truth Never Die

2012-01-16T13:09:00.005-05:00

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today written by Seth Godin, which is called Seth Goldin’s Blog (real unique). In his Blog, Seth placed a couple of quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.

This sparked me to search and read more about Dr. MLK, Jr., one of the greatest leaders, heart-moving speakers, passionate lovers of God, Jesus, and his fellow man we could all learn from.

Martin Luther King, Jr’s willingness to put his life of actions behind his words (words which were very Biblical based) demonstrates one of the best modern day examples of a person living out a life of sacrificial love and leadership with the purpose of transforming a community (a state, a nation, a world) into the likeness of the Kingdom of God, that has been seen in the last 75 years.

Take a few minuets and read some of these quotes and reflect on their truth…truth that continues to be lived out today in each of our lives. When reading them, keep in mind the conversation between Jesus and Pilate found in John 18:37-38 “What is truth?”

Martin Luther King, Jr. Born: 1/15/29 Died: 4/4/68

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.”

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Money Mistakes

2011-11-17T10:07:00.005-05:00

If you haven't heard yet, our Church has started a new series about becoming Balanced in our finances. The more we dig into it together, the more we realize that we all have something that we're struggling with financially; whether that be trying to make ends meet from week to week or trying to get out of debt that we're in.

The good news is, you are NOT alone! We all have something that we're struggling with in this area. We are trying to bring those things to the surface, seek after the Lord for His guidance & find ways that we can honor Him with our money.

One of the things we discussed this past Sunday was knowing where we are. We need to know where we are currently sitting in our finances before we can make any changes. This requires us to be:

Honest with ourselves
Honest with God
Honest with each other

This also requires a certain level of vulnerability in admitting our mistakes and shortcomings. But we can't move forward to action into where we want to be until we come to terms with where we have been and where we are.

Perry Noble is the pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina and has written a few blogs on his past financial struggles. He openly shares his failures and how he overcame them. Go check them out and see if you can relate in anyway. I know I sure can!

DO SOMETHING!

2011-11-15T17:50:00.001-05:00

3 John 1-4 (NIV)

The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

I was reading today in 3 John how excited the author (John) was when he heard that a good friend of his, Gaius, who he had spent time with leading and teaching about the truth of Jesus, not only had a “faithfulness to the truth”, but was “continuing to walk in the truth.”

John, full of excitement over this wonderful news then made this statement:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

As I reflected on these four verses, I realized something. Yes, John had “great joy” from hearing of Gaius “faithfulness to the truth” but John’s greatest joy, came from hearing the Gaius was “walking in the truth”. In other words, John’s “greater joy” came from Gaius putting his faith into actions!

Gaius had moved from being a hearer of “the truth” of Jesus in the worship service on Sunday morning or his weekly LifeGroup to a person who was willing to try and live it out daily.

Gaius moved from a person meditating and thinking about “the truth” of Jesus to a person who was willing to actually try and demonstrate “the truth” of Jesus by how he treated those around him.

“The truth” of Jesus wasn’t a just a good idea or theory to Gaius. “The truth” of Jesus was an actual belief and faith that was so strong within him, that it couldn’t be contained. He had to do SOMETHING with what he believed. He chose to allow “the truth” of Jesus that was growing within him, to be shared with others by his actions.

To our knowledge, Gaius didn’t have to move to the mission field in another country, he didn’t have to go to seminary, or anything that earth shaking. He was just LIVING OUT the truth of Jesus right where he was.

And guess what. As Gaius LIVED OUT “the truth” of Jesus in his daily life, word spread (how else would John have heard about it). And that positive word about how he was LIVING OUT “the truth”, became a source of encouragement to his teacher, John (which was earth shaking to John).

Is “the truth” of Jesus just another belief or good theory on paper that comes up in our conversations with others around the water cooler at work?

Or is it an actual belief and faith that is so strong within you, that it can’t be contained and you just have to DO SOMETHING, like living it out each day, wherever you are, so others can experience it?

I promise you this, when we chose to take our faith in “the truth” of Jesus to the next level and actually begin LIVING OUT “the truth” of Jesus in our daily actions, not only will people experience the positive life change Jesus can bring, there will be such a contagious excitement within the body of believers that others will join with you as well.

Start the Ripple Effect of “the truth” of Jesus right where you are. DO SOMETHING!

Who am I?

2011-11-09T18:05:00.002-05:00

What a beautiful day it is. I had a speaking engagement at the High School today that I had to prep for and was not able to jog this morning. So after a few text messages, I was able to switch around a few meetings so I could take a “Late Lunch-time Jog”.

It was so beautiful and warm, and I felt pretty good, so I half-heartedly stretched and decided I would walk for a while to loosen up. After 5 minutes of walking in the beautiful weather (which may not be this good much longer as winter is approaching), I thought, “why don’t I do some interval work.”

Recently, I have been hanging around some real runners who take this stuff seriously. I have jogged with a couple of them (until the leave me in their dust) and have heard them talk about doing “interval work”. You know, run as fast as I can for a couple of minutes, then walk 30-45 seconds, and then repeat, doing this for total of about 25 to 30 minutes. That didn’t sound that bad, and if they can do it, so can I.

So, off I go. The first couple of intervals were good. In fact, I was increasing my pace and stride length and feeling good about myself on this beautiful day. Then it hit me. A burning pain in the back of my left leg. Pulled hamstring. NO WAY! It’s warm today, I sort of loosened up walking, and its beautiful outside, this can’t be. So I stopped doing intervals and just walked for a while. As the burning stopped, I started jogging. After 100 yards, there the burning in my leg was again. Long story short, I kept trying to jog and walk, but the last part of the trip was all walking (BTW, I should have headed back toward the house when this 1^st happened instead of continuing heading away from the house… I ended up traveling a total of 4 miles, with 3 of that being on a bum leg)

So, what’s the point? The outside environment (whether it is beautiful or not) doesn’t determine what is going on inside of me. Beautiful, warm weather on an AWESOME day doesn’t mean my body was prepared to do what I was asking it to do.

Mistake # 1: I didn’t prepare like I should have. I just went through the motions, walked a little bit and was ready to go. I should have stretched my muscles to begin with. No mater what the outside conditions were, no mater how much I wanted to get out there and get started working out, I STILL SHOULD HAVE PREPARED MYSELF for what I was about to do.

Mistake # 2: I’m not a runner yet! I tried to be something that I wasn’t ready to be yet. Just walking and jogging a few days a week doesn’t make me a runner yet. Hanging around with, talking to, and even jogging with runners, doesn’t make me a runner. Really, I’m a poser. I act like a runner, talk like a runner, but when it comes down to it, I haven’t put in the training or time yet to be a runner. I am a “walker/jogger” right now. Doesn’t mean I won’t or can’t become a runner. I just ain’t one now!

Truth is, there are people just like this in our churches today. Oh, I’m not talking about “walkers/joggers” posing as runners (Thought there are some of those). I’m talking about those who are posing as disciples of Jesus and aren’t prepared for what Satan is throwing at them, and are blaming God for them getting their butts kicked all over town by Satan.

Take a look at Acts 19: 1 – 23 pay close attention to verse 13-23

Remember the mistakes I made running today. 1- I didn’t prepare like I should have and 2- I tried to act like something that I wasn’t yet.

Satan is just waiting for you to “get too big for your britches”, and when he gets through with you, a pulled hamstring might be the least of your worries.

2011-11-05T19:17:00.003-04:00

Hey LifeSpringer's,

I received this copy of a Blog (As Iron Sharpens Iron) from our District Superintendent & a good friend of mine, Ben Martin. It is pack with some AWESOME and Insightful comments, which I totally agree with. This is exactly the attitude and challenge that we, the Leadership and Congregation of LifeSpring Church (and every church) need to be reminded of. (I have also cut and pasted Ben's Blog to the bottom of by blog today)

As I read each line of this blog, I found myself NODDING IN AGREEMENT with Ben's statements. But it is more than "head nodding" and "un-huh's", and even "Amen's" we need today. We need vision (direction), a plan, and individuals to be bold and courageous enough to step outside their comfort zone and DO SOMETHING!

This Sunday (11/6), The LifeSpring Leadership Team will be meeting with me to - Remember our vision and internalized it, develop a plan to make that vision a reality, and then, with God's help, we will move forward with boldness and courage unlike any we have displayed before to invite, encourage, involve, and lead our congregation & community to the positive Life-Change found in Jesus Christ we all are called to.

Pray for us each day as we will for you as we move further outside our "comfort zone" to DO LIFE TOGETHER & making a Ripple Effect of Jesus love that change all of us!

LORD, let it be so.

Dorsia

The Real Problem?

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 08:16 AM PDT

Traveling across the District during this Charge Conference season I have heard many conversations about the economic challenges facing in our churches. It is not surprising therefore that when I attend conference meetings, one of the main topics of conversation is the economic challenge facing our conference. If the local churches are struggling the inevitable fallout is that the conference is struggling. Everywhere there is talk of scarcity, budget shortfalls, unpaid apportionments, staff and salary reductions, questions about our future.

While we have to address those issues because they are real and immediate, it is disturbing that we have more conversations about a decline in giving than we do a decline in membership and worship attendance. While we search for ways to teach stewardship and decrease budgets, I have always found the most effective way to increase giving and meet budgets is to grow the church. We should be far more disturbed about the lack of confessions of faith in our churches than the lack of giving. Many of our churches are working hard, and rightly so, to audit rolls, correct numbers, and take off inactive members. We do need to know where we actually stand. But, are we investing the same energy into our efforts to reach new people? We are ready to entertain new ways of raising money and carrying on our ministry with less money, but are we as ready to entertain new ways to worship to appeal to unchurched and younger adults, new ways to open our doors to the community, new ways to share the gospel? I would venture so far as to say it is not the economy that is killing our churches. In many places we have just gotten too comfortable with our church the way it is. Many of our churches have never decided that we wanted to grow (and in so doing have decided that we don’t). Too many of us have no passion to be intentional about meeting new people, and building relationships with people who are unchurched. Most of us don’t know the neighbors three doors down and sometimes even those who live next door. After twenty plus years of serving in the local church and never being out and about on Sunday morning, I have been shocked traveling from church to church to see how many people are at Wal-Mart and restaurants on Sunday morning. Maybe we are in the wrong place on Sunday morning. Undoubtedly the greeter at Wal-Mart has a better chance of sharing the gospel with someone who doesn’t know Jesus than we do in the church. We can no longer operate with a “build it and they will come” strategy in our local churches.

Our mission is the same as it has always been, “Go therefore into all nations and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.” Could it be that our financial struggles are simply the result of having lost sight of what we are to be about?

2011-11-03T21:44:00.005-04:00

Here’s my thoughts today on 2 Peter 1

In reading vs. 12-15 several thoughts came to mind

- Peter is determined to remind the readers of “these things” (see vs. 1-11), even though he admits that they are “firmly established in the truth you now have”

o What is this truth? Well, I took a look at John 14:25-27

o 25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

o Connecting these 2 thoughts is Peter speaking of the Holy Spirit that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. If you don’t think so… read John 14:15-19

o 15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

- Peter wants to remind them of things they “know”, even though they know it (maybe they aren’t doing the things they “know”…hum)

o What makes me forget things

§ I’m get distracted

§ I treat something that’s important as unimportant

§ My focus shifts

§ I don’t memorize it

§ I don’t practice regularly what I know that helps me refresh my memory

o What things am I forgetting that I know about Jesus Love for me?

o What things am I forgetting that I have recently learned about Jesus Love for me?

o What things am I forgetting that I have experienced about Jesus Love for me?

- Peter also wants to “make every effort to see” that they will “always be able to remember these things”

o Why would Peter do this? Well, who was Peter’s teacher? Jesus. And isn’t this the same thing Jesus did/modeled for all the disciples? I think so. “do this in remembrance of me…” when they were at the last supper…. I will leave you “another Counselor to be with you forever…the Spirit of Truth”.

Now’s the time for me to say WOW! What about you?

2011-11-02T15:05:00.001-04:00

This weekend is the beginning of daylight savings time. In the Spring, we “sprang forward”, meaning we lost an our of our day. But in the fall, we “fall back” and actually gain an hour back. This Sunday, we get an hour we already have used back! Most of us will use that hour to catch up on our sleep.

But I have challenged our LifeSpring Leadership Team (LLT) to do something different this year with that hour. Maybe you would be interested in joining us. Here’s the challenge:

Take 15 minutes a day on Wednesday 11/2/11, Thursday 11/3/11, Friday 11/4/11, and Saturday 11/5/11 (15 minutes a day times 4 days equal 1 hour) and do the following

1) Take 5 minutes & read 2 Peter chapter 1 and jot down anything God shows you. (Read expecting God to show you something). Continue to do this for the whole 5 minutes.

2) Take 5 minutes & memorize Proverbs 3:5-6 (speak it out loud as you practice)

“Trust I the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

3) Take 5 minutes & Pray about what you have read, and memorized. Ask God to guide you and your church to becoming the loving, serving, & encouraging individual and community of believers that lead others to life changing encounters of Jesus love. Pray about whatever God lays on your heart.

Here is a sample of what I jotted down after reading 2 Peter 1:

Vs. 1. Peter identifies himself with Jesus as “a servant” and “an apostle” of Jesus Christ. As I looked at this , I realized that Peter is putting these words, these labels, in a certain order.

- Peter sees himself as a “servant” of Jesus before an “apostle”.

o Though the title of “apostle” or “disciple” may seem to carry some authority and power behind it, Peter seems to rather be identified as a servant of Jesus Christ first.

o Maybe I should do the same.

§ Would I rather have on my tombstone to identify what I did with my life …. “Pastor” or “Reverend” or “Husband” or “Father” or “Friend” or “Servant of Jesus Christ”.

o As I look at these words in print, I realize that in order for me to be the pastor, reverend, husband, father and friend God desires me to be, I must FIRST be the Servant of Jesus Christ that God calls me to be.

Thoughts on John 8:1-12

2011-04-06T14:19:00.004-04:00

Here are a few of my thoughts and observations as I read John 8:1-12. I'd love to see your comments for additional discussion.

Jesus got to church (temple courts) pretty early to serve and to teach. You would think that there wouldn’t be that many people interested in being taught (especially that early in the morning), but we read that there were people gathered around him to desiring to learn.
- Is there an opportunity in my life to meet with people early in the morning, before work or school, to have a moment to teach/learn about Jesus and what it is to be an obedient follower?
Jesus sat down to teach them. This is a very good posture to teach from; sitting down among the people, with them at their level (I’m referring to their spiritual maturity level, as well as their physical position of their bodies) to teach them. There is a place for “lecture” or “monologue” methods of teaching, but when teaching about applying the truths of the scriptures to our lives, this is best taught in a group discussion format with sharing and empathy.
- How can I find and develop more “group discussion” dynamics with others to teach/learn about Jesus and what it is to be an obedient follower? Is social media an avenue to do this? If so, what are the pros and cons of doing it this way?
I’m not sure what Jesus wrote down in the sand, but I do know that he waited until he was ready to speak before He answered the Pharisees questions. No matter how much they continued to question or how persistent the Pharisees were, Jesus waited until He was ready to speak, not letting the actions of the Pharisees coaxing Him into responding unprepared.
- This is a good example of patience displayed to myself and others who tend to “shoot from the hip” when faced with a ton of important questions from others seeking our response. Being patient and getting oneself prepared to speak is a discipline we all need to practice.
In a way, when Jesus says, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” His actions and His words are basically comparing all sin (that an individual commits) as the same as adultery while not ignoring or lessening the consequences of the sin. Jesus is implying that all sin is worthy of death and requires grace, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement to overcome for us to sin no more. This is exactly what Jesus gave to the woman when He said, "Then neither do I condemn you" and "Go now and leave your life of sin."
- As an obedient follower of Jesus, how do I distribute grace, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement to others so they can overcome sin’s control in their lives?
Just like the Pharisees, the religious leaders of that time, people today are always quick to point out the sins or problems in other people’s lives without giving much attention to the sin in their own lives. I guess it is easier to see other’s sins than our own. I think we also do this because it deflects the “light of truth” from us to others, and gives us a sense that our sins are “not as bad” as theirs sins, thus we must be better and more loved by God.
- Pointing others sins out does not lessen my sins in God’s eye, or justify my sins. Sin is just that, sin, and we should seek Jesus’ grace, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement to overcome our sins, as we freely give to others the same grace, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement to overcome sin.

So, what do you learn when you read John 8:1-12? Click "comment" below to join the discussion!

Is it a Job or is it Ministry

2010-10-20T11:36:00.002-04:00

I just received a newsletter from a Warwick UMC, the church I was a pastor of before starting LifeSpring Church. In it, the pastor, Rick Hamilton, quoted a devotional that was read on his recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic. As I read it, I thought, WOW! Whoever first wrote these words has given a great description of the difference between “doing a job at church” and “being involved in ministry”. Take a look and see for yourself:

If you’re doing it because no one else will, it’s a job.
If you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.

If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job.
If you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a ministry.

If you’ll do it so long as it doesn’t interfere with other activities, it’s a job.
If you’re committed to staying with it, even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministry.

If you quit, because no one praised you or thanked you, it’s a job.
If you stay with it even when no one seems to notice, it’s a ministry.

If you do it because someone else said it needs to be done, it’s a job.
If you do it because you are convinced it needs to be done, it’s a ministry.

It’s hard to get excited about a job.
It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry.

The average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people involved in a ministry. If God calls you to do a ministry, for heaven’s sake (Literally), don’t treat it like a job. If you have a job in the church, give it up and find a ministry! God doesn’t want us feeling stuck with a job, but excited, fulfilled and faithful in a specific ministry

What is God calling you to do?
Is God telling you to do a “Job” in the church or to do “Ministry”?
Which would of the two would you invite a friend to come join you in doing…a Job or Ministry?
Which of the two would a friend be more excited about getting involved in with you… a Job or Ministry?

For me, I’m called to lead and grow a GREAT CHURCH for Jesus Christ, expanding His Kingdom by involving people in MINISTRY not in jobs!

May I never loose or deny doing the ministry God has placed in my heart! ... Nor may you!

Let’s Do Ministry Together,
LET’S DO LIFE TOGETHER

LifeSpring Church

Attitude Reflects Leadership

2010-10-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so now I’m watching all my favorite clips from Remember the Titans and I am getting ALL FIRED UP!

Today I was watching the clip where Gerry Bertier (played by Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (played by Wood Harris) have, well let’s say it’s a coming together of the minds.

Take a look at the clip here….

First of all, both Gerry and Julius are extremely exhausted, basically because they have not been working together as the leaders of the Titans team to get their teammates to perform to the best of their abilities. So, the coach has the entire team doing 3 practices a day. Being an ex-football player and coach, that makes me sweat just typing the words “3-a-day practices.”

Gerry is trying to blame it all on Julius who isn’t doing his assignment. He is trying to “blow right past ‘em” and is taking the bait of the other team and when he does, he leaves Gerry and the rest of his teammates “hanging out to dry.”

Julius on the other hand is questioning Gerry’s leadership as he is allowing half-hearted effort from his teammates (including from Gerry himself) all because Gerry and some of the teammates don’t like or respect the other teammates. Then he says the crushing line that every leader of a team would hate to hear, “I’m suppose to wear myself out for the team?! What team?” Julius is saying that we may look like a team, but we certainly aren’t acting like one.

And finally, Julius delivers the knock out blow that actually stuns both the sender and the receiver…”Attitude reflects leadership.”

The attitude of the team reflects the leadership of the team.

As individual leaders serving on the Leadership Team of LifeSpring Church or as leaders of other ministries in our church, or as leaders in other churches who are also working to expand the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, what attitude are you INTENDING to project to others and what attitudes are being PERCEIVED by those who you are leading?

Are you stepping up to the tough challenges that exist within the church and that exist outside the church and face them head on with the ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE that “We are fighting to expand God’s Kingdom, what’s the problem here, have you lost focus of the importance of that!” It should be more than the exhaustion of the “3-a-day practices” that is driving our ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE in what we are doing as the leaders of the church. It should be that people’s LIVES are hanging in the balance of our actions that drives our ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE!

Remember what Julius said… “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain”

I love you guys.

Strive for Excellence, Leave No Doubt

2010-10-01T11:12:00.003-04:00

This week I sent the following email to the Leadership Team for LifeSpring Church. In it I was reminding them of the importance of striving for excellence in all areas of our ministry. I told them I was not looking for perfection, and I encouraged them to keep improving because there are lives at stake.

Maybe as you read parts of the email, you will be encouraged to strive for excellence when serving as a follower of Jesus Christ…He did!

I want to tell you with all my heart that I believe THIS IS the Leadership Team that God is loving, guiding, & pressing into as individuals and as a team to PROPEL LifeSpring Church to the next level of EXCELLENCE.
YOU ARE NOT HERE BY MISTAKE, BUT BY DIVINE DESIGN! GOD has SIFTED out those who aren't BOUGHT IN AND SOLD OUT to this VISION... YOU ARE THE 10 that will get it done!... I personally am TRUSTING in you! And I Believe that GOD is ENTRUSTING you! ENTRUSTING you with His CHURCH and His PEOPLE.
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!
WE HAVE TO HELP PEOPLE REMEMBER!
WE HAVE TO "LEAVE NO DOUBT" WHO WE SERVE IN EXCELLENCE!
We are in a battle with Satan...a War that has costly casualties... but a war that GOD will win through those of us who are loving, obedient followers of Jesus Christ!
This is were we draw the line in the sand and say to Satan... NO MORE... We will stand in the gap for God's children! We are the warriors Jesus has chosen to lead the way. Yes, we don't have a lot of money, yes, we don't have a lot of people, yes, there are a lot of uncommitted people hanging around ...
BUT JESUS HAS CHOSEN US TO LEAD HIS TEAM TO VICTORY THROUGH LIFESPRING CHURCH....
With that said, I want you to watch this clip from Remember the Titans:
When I watch this clip, I can imagine Jesus as the Assistant Coach Bill Yoast (played by Will Patton), who finally takes all he can take of the evil represented in the corrupt referees, and the punishment from the Evil One (the coach of the opposing team) and the Evil One’s followers (the opposing team themselves).
He pulls his team around him, to prepare them for the upcoming battle, having to make some last minute changes to insure that together, the whole team about to step on the battlefield is BOUGHT IN and SOLD OUT to His Vision of what could be. All this is happening under the watchful eye of God, His Father, as seen in the Head Coach Hermon Boone (played by Denzel Washington).
Listen for two memorable quotes Assistant Coach Yoast says to his players before they take the field.
The first quote: “Alright, now I don’t won’t them to gain another yard. You BLITZ ALL NIGHT! If they cross the line of scrimmage I’m gonna take every last one of you out! You make sure that they remember forever the night they played the Titans!”
Listen to the second quote that Assistant Coach Yoast yells to the team as they run onto the field, and then later he repeats to the Head Coach after his defensive team has STOPPED THE ENEMY.
“Leave NO DOUBT!”
To the LifeSpring Leadership Team… I LOVE YOU! I don’t want Satan to gain another soul! YOU BLITZ ALL NIGHT!! You make sure they remember forever …JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!!
LEAVE NO DOUBT!

I wonder how they will respond? How would you respond?

Jim Collins Interview

2010-09-10T08:20:00.000-04:00

I saw this video and just HAD to share it with you guys.

Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great", discusses six attributes of great employees. But when I heard this, it sounded like key characteristics of effective leaders within the local church.

Jim Collins Interview from LifeSpring Church on Vimeo.

(Credit to www.bigthink.com for the interview section of this video.)

Plodding for God

2010-09-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm currently reading Plan B by Pete Wilson, one of the pastors at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. He recently recommended a blog post calling for "fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries." (Which, yes, makes this a blog post recommending a blog post that recommended blog post... but anyway...)

Here is a bit of what he said:

There are times I get so frustrated with the church that I just want to scream and walk away. Generally it’s because I see something in her that reminds me of something glaringly obvious in my own life. Trying to consistently lead a church to be everything God has called her to be is the biggest challenge of my life. So thankful for all the “plodders” God has put around me.

You can read the rest of the article here.

So often we see people react out of emotion or people who jump in line because of the latest, greatest fad. But following God HAS GOT TO BE MORE THAN THAT! Those things (emotion or the crowd) may get our attention, but those won't last or carry us into discipleship to Jesus. That has to come from a CONVICTION of God working in us and working on us. That has to come from complete TRUST IN JESUS.

Now don't mistake "plodding" for settling for mediocrity or being lazy in our faith. There are times when our faith calls us to sprint! And God ALWAYS deserves our best efforts. This is more about a steady consistency in our willingness and obedience to follow God.

And I am so thankful to have people around me in my life that are willing to "plod" along for God.

News from a Road Trip

2010-09-03T16:07:00.003-04:00

Trip to Emmanuel UMC from LifeSpring Church on Vimeo.

Sunday Night Musings

2010-08-22T23:50:00.000-04:00

A few random thoughts on a terrific day at LifeSpring Church

- Today was the first day @ LifeSpring Church for our new worship team and new worship leader, Rebecca Shealy. They were AWESOME and brought their A-game today. They say they were a little nervous, but I couldn’t tell. I am really FIRED UP about what God is going to do through them each week! I can’t wait for our next week’s service!

- Several more people signed up for LifeGroups this morning. I am so glad we are able to offer a LifeGroup in both Statesboro and Brooklet. This should help ease some of the time constraints for our participants.

- We had one of our biggest crowds in the children and nursery areas today. And Katie’s teams were READY. It is such a blessing to parents of small children to be able to leave their child in a safe, loving, and encouraging place while they are in worship. And we certainly have that at LifeSpring Church.

- I think Jesus was pleased with many people today who are committing to be Bought In and Sold Out for Jesus over the next 40 days.

- I have been reflecting today on a couple of comments that I made this morning in the worship service. God is still working on me about the change I need in my life.

o The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life. Francis Chan

o We Love the idea of following Jesus until it disrupts OUR plans and OUR dreams…

o We all want to be changed, but we don’t want to change.

o I believe Jesus is saying to us; “Don’t try to change Me… when you deny yourself, pick up God’s will, and follow my example, THEN I can change you! And then you can join me in changing the world.”

o Who do you say Jesus Is? Our answer to this question is so important, because it sets the foundation of how we live our life day to day.

- We will start planning our first “tail-gate baptism” this week. This service will be TOTS OFF THE CHAIN. We currently have 2 people lined up to be baptized that day (Sept. 12th) and I expect more to join them.

- I exercised early this morning before I got ready for church. I have been preaching for more than 12 years and have NEVER done that before. But that high school reunion is only 40 days away… & I need some PHYSICAL change before then.

Peace-out & Love all

Dorsia

Matthew 10 (Part 5 of 6)

2010-08-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

Today Matt 10:24-33:

"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Those that seek to harm us are no more powerful than their master. For those who follow Beelzebub (Satan), they are no more powerful than Satan is. With that said, Jesus has power and dominion over Satan. By us following Jesus, rather than Satan, we have power through Jesus to overcome his evil.

Fear can distract us from our focus on following Jesus. Fear can distract us from doing what Jesus has instructed us to do.

Jesus is telling us that God watches over all His creation. Nothing goes unnoticed with God. Our value to God is great enough that he notices us, our actions, and our motives.

Acknowledging Jesus before men (giving witness, testifying about what we know) and not allowing men to dominate us or to instill so much fear that we don’t act, that is what Jesus wants to reward and acknowledge to His Father in Heaven.

Do you need to be reminded that, in Jesus, you have no reason to fear evil?

Are there fears you need to hand over to the God that loves and values you?

What are some ways that you are acknowledging Jesus in front of others?

Matthew 10 (Part 4 of 6)

2010-08-20T21:48:00.001-04:00

Today Matt 10:17-23:

"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Ok, I have to admit that I have struggled with this passage. On the surface, my mind keeps jumping to all the troubles that are about to happen to these 12 guys who Jesus has empowered and instructed, and the warning he gave them, “be on your guard against men”.

However, there are two other phrases that are critical, and if we read too fast we miss them. They’re in verse 18, “On my account…” and in verse 22 “…because of me…”

Lets start with verse 18. If you read this one sentence only, you see that Jesus is saying that because of Him these 12 guys “will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles”.

What have they witnessed?

What will they witness about?

FYI, verse 19 begins with the conjunction “but.” That means “on the contrary” or maybe “otherwise”. The big difference in verse 18 and verses 19 and 20 is that in verses 19 and 20 they are told that the “Spirit of your Father” will speak through them.

SO, who is speaking through them when they are witnesses before governors & kings?

Being a witness to something is significant in Old Testament writings. I think it is one of the BIG TEN … commandments that is… Exodus 20:16 (NIV) says, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

Oh, that’s right, the word’s different now … yeah, about that …

The Greek word used for “witnesses” in verse 18 is MARTURION (pronounced mar-too'-ree-on). Long story short, its root meaning is translated “be testified, testimony, witness” according to Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.

So I guess my question to you today is, if you were brought before people; friends, leaders, governors, or kings … are you prepared to witness about Jesus to them?

What would you say? Will you speak the truth of Jesus? Even if “all men will hate you because of me (Jesus)?”

I certainly hope the cat doesn’t have your tongue when the time comes to speak up as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Who knows, you may get the opportunity tomorrow! Are you ready?

Matthew 10 (Part 3 of 6)

2010-08-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

Today Matt 10:11-16:

"Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Jesus chooses 12 followers to go out and instructs them to “preach the message” and perform acts of mercy to a “specific group of people” (some worthy person) within the group of “specific people” that is their target audience (the lost sheep Israel - not Gentiles, not Samaritans). Once the person is fnd, spend time with them in their home.

To me this is saying that a disciple must invest time and energy into those that are worthy, but worthy of what? Worthy of the message they are bringing!

Hold on, my eye catches something else. Oh, I see, Jesus is instructing them to find some worthy people and then if the home is deserving to let their peace rest on it, if not, "let your peace return" he tells them. That must mean that some times the disciples will get it wrong! They will offer peace to those whose home is NOT deserving of the peace that they are offering.

No problemo. Jesus says just move on, there are others who need what you have to offer. God will take care of those who reject the message on the Day of Judgment. Offer peace, preach the message that “the kingdom of heaven is near”, perform acts of mercy, and when your efforts are not welcomed, don’t let that discourage you to the point you quit doing what Jesus has instructed you to do. Just move on to the next place.

How many times have you felt you failed at reaching someone with the Good News of Jesus?

How many times have you wanted to quit because it was tough, or it didn’t go like you wanted it to, or you made a mistake and failed?

Well, Jesus is telling these followers that it is going to be tough, you might make mistakes, and it’s not easy out there. “Like sheep among wolves.” Dude, that’s pretty tough! But, Jesus instructs the disciples to be shrewd as snakes, yet innocent as doves, and he definitely doesn’t tell them to quit because it is tough.

In fact, in a way, Jesus is saying ‘know what you’re getting into’, ‘Get your facts together, do your research, know what you’re talking about’. Jesus doesn’t want these 12 guys to underestimate the degree of evil that is out there where they will be doing their work.

Being sure you understand that shrewd and deceit are not the same, let me ask this question: How have you been shrewd in expanding God’s Kingdom?

Matthew 10 (Part 2 of 6)

2010-08-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

Today Matt 10:5-10:

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

Previously we saw Jesus call out a small group of men to become an active part of growing the Kingdom of God with Jesus, and they accepted.

Next Jesus gave these 12 guys authority to 1) drive out evil spirits, 2) to heal every disease and sickness.

Notice it wasn’t until after he had given them authority that Jesus gave instructions. What would have happened if they went out with the AUTHORITY but without the INSTRUCTIONS? It could have been a mess. Have you done that before?

Also notice, even though these 12 guys had been with Jesus and previously witnessed first hand Jesus doing these things, he still gave them specific instructions of where & how he wanted THEM to do it.

A lot of people can read books about leading a new church start. They may have been in the congregation of another church start. Some might have witnessed Jesus first hand doing phenomenal things through the leadership of another church. But even with all our life’s experience, we each need to HEAR what Jesus is instructing each of US to do right now where we are!

Are you leaning on your past experiences with Jesus more than what you are currently HEARING Jesus instructing you to do now as the part of the leadership of LifeSpring Church?

Jesus gave SPECIFIC instructions of WHO (the target) he wanted the disciples to reach!

He told them who NOT to go to, and who TO go to. Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t care about the “Gentiles” or the “Samaritans”? Nope, just means it wasn’t who he wanted THESE 12 guys to go to at this time (BTW, later Jesus will give them new instructions of who to go to…so, don’t get ticked when Jesus updates your instructions!). Jesus wanted them to focus on a specific target, not just a general direction.

Who are the people Jesus is instructing LifeSpring Church to go to?

Who are the people that Jesus is instructing you to go to?

Are they the same people?

(Is this a trick question, since LifeSpring Church IS made up of people like you?)

Jesus gave SPECIFIC instructions of WHAT TO DO as the 12 guys go to the specific people (the target). Notice the order of the WHAT TO DO list of instructions they were given. (There is ORDER in what Jesus instructed them to do, matching the authority he gave them to do it -Matt.10:1-4.)

Preach a message. (A specific message that “the kingdom is near." You ask, "Me a preacher?!? I’m in the band, on hospitality team, lead the production team, etc. I’m not a preacher! That’s Dorsia’s job." WRONG… BUSTED… SMELL THE COFFEE!)
Heal the sick. (Cool, he gave them authority to do that earlier.)
Raise the dead. (WHAT?!? Jesus didn’t say anything about giving them the “authority” to raise the dead earlier. I wonder what kind of dead he’s speaking about… physically dead… or spiritually dead… ? The things that make you go hmmm.)
Cleanse those who have leprosy. (Ok, got that, it’s like the disease thing Jesus gave them authority to do.)
Drive out demons. (Yep, same as above.)

To wrap things up here, I’ll ask you a couple of reflective questions…

What has Jesus freely given you that he EXPECTS and INSTRUCTS you to freely give away to a specific group of people?

Jesus refers to “the worker” (Matt. 10:10). Who are you working for?

Are you worth your keep?

Matthew 10 (Part 1 of 6)

2010-08-17T20:00:00.001-04:00

I'm reading through Matthew 10 this week and posting my thoughts and comments here.

Today: Matt10:1-4:

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

This passage of scriptures speaks to me a couple of things:

Jesus called (asked) some of his followers, not all, to separate themselves out from all the others, and come to him.
It was only after these 12 men left, or separated themselves out from the others and came to Jesus, that he gave them authority to do specific things.

Jesus gave these guys an opportunity for something more! Something miraculous!! The chance to actively join him in what he was doing!!! To move out from a spectator and be on the field of play!!!!

But it seems to me that it was conditional upon them making a choice to come closer to Jesus. In other words, they had to leave from where they were, step out of the group of people (spectators) they were with and “come to him”.

Now realize that these 12 guys had already left friends, family, and their livelihoods behind to be “Fans” of Jesus. You know the ones. It’s like those fans who are die-hard GSU fans, but who never actually went to school here or even had a kid go here. They just are spectators. (I also include in this “fan” category those who did/do go to school at GSU, but never participated in any extracurricular activity at GSU; just classes, library, exams, diploma, and gone. They’re the ones who only experienced “part” of the “WHOLE” experience of being a student at GSU.)

Some of these guys had been with Jesus for nearly a couple of years. They had witnessed first hand “Jesus teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing every disease & sickness” (Matt4:23-25) and even casting out evils spirits. They heard Jesus preach the sermon on the mount (Matt5–7), they saw a man healed of leprosy (Matt8:1-4), and another who was paralyzed was healed (Matt9:1-8). They even saw Jesus bring a dead girl back to life! And all this time Jesus was teaching, training, and loving those devoted “fans”, people who were constantly around Jesus…especially those who left everything behind to be with Jesus, to follow him on this journey.

And now, Jesus is asking them to step out and come to him again!

Have you been hanging around Jesus for a while?

Have you witnessed first hand Jesus’ acts of life changing love, either with yourself or someone close to you?

Have you ever wondered if Jesus has more in store for you?

Have you recently heard Jesus’ familiar voice as he again calls you to him?

These 12 guys, by moving out from the crowd of people who were following Jesus as “fans” and moving closer to Jesus, were transformed from being “observers” of the kingdom of God, growing by the transforming power of Jesus, to “active participants” with Jesus growing the kingdom of God.

Oh, by the way, LifeSpring Church’s leadership team is looking for "fans of Jesus" who are transformed into “active participants with Jesus”! The choice if yours!

Axiom: Found People Find People (Part 3)

2010-07-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

If you've followed along with my blog posts earlier this week (Part 1 and Part 2), then I can imagine what some of you are thinking:

Ok, I get it already! I can see that Andrew, Phillip, and the woman at the well all invited someone to come experience time with Jesus. I also get that Jesus is a center of any church, the main dish of the meal, the driving reason behind our love of God and others….

Sidenote: If Jesus isn’t the center of your church…you may want to change locations! Seriously...

So you can put 2 + 2 together and understand that

FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE
OK…. But I also know many people think, "This is the real world, over 2000 years after those guys first met Jesus. It's not THAT easy!"

People have lots of reasons for why they can’t share what they have experienced with Jesus, why they have a hard time telling others, why it's difficult to invite people to church. Two of the reasons I hear often are:

"I don't know who to invite!"
"I don't know what to say!"

Ok, well lets look at these stories from the book of John a little further.

In John 1:35-42, Andrew finds his brother Peter and invites him to meet Jesus.

In John 1: 43-49, Phillip finds his friend Nathaniel and, even after receiving some push back, invited Nathaniel to “come and see” Jesus for himself.

And in John 4:7-42, the woman at the well invites a bunch of people from the town.

Even though they invited different people - a brother, a friend, and a bunch of people from the town - they all had something in common.

They each knew people who were searching for something missing in their lives. People looking for something important. Something like hope, freedom, healing, direction, leadership, prosperity, inclusivity, or something else missing from their lives. People, that through previous conversations, it was understood were looking for same type of things that they were looking for.

Who do you invite?
So, who are the first people we should invite? Those we are closest to and share a lot in common, like family, or friends that are so close they are like family.

Then next people we should invite? Someone we know somewhat but we share some things in common, like friend or neighbor or co-worker.

Then next, we should invite someone we have a few things in common with, like those in our neighborhood, those whose kids attend the same school as our own, people who are in the same clubs or civic organizations with us, etc.

Now, what do you say?
In each one of the stories, the person only told what they experienced and found out for themselves when they spent time with Jesus.

When inviting people to church, don’t tell them what other people experienced. Tell what you personally experienced. “I saw this…” “I heard this….” “I did this….” “I learned this…” “I felt like this….”

Basically tell what you understand to date. Even if you have only been there a short time. Because people don’t want to go to a place you suggest, if you haven’t tried it yourself.

Found people find people.

Oh, and one last thing. Make a personal VERBAL invitation and then offer to bring them with you…

Try it and see for yourself.

Axiom: Found People Find People (Part 2)

2010-07-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

I love the out doors, especially early in the morning or late in the afternoon. (And you’d know why I said those times of the day if you’ve ever lived in south Georgia for even one summer!)

Earlier this spring, Jodi and I decided to put in some new flowers and plants in to help make our backyard more colorful. Off to Lowe's Home and Garden Center we went. Knowing how tight our finances were, we decided to get some things now and then the rest after our next payday.

DUDE! …flowers and plants are EXPENSIVE!

All I wanted was some nice flowers to plant, some colorful hanging baskets, and a few other plants to brighten up the place WITHOUT having to mortgage two of my children, and sell one of my kidneys.

So we picked up a FEW things, and headed home. After our “STICKER SHOCK” we decided it might take several months to do what we wanted in the back yard.

Later that week, though, we came across a fresh seafood business in town that had expanded their business to include, get this, local grown plants and flowers. That’s right; fresh seafood for your grill and fresh flowers and plants for your backyard! (Crazy combinations of product lines seem to do well here in Georgia.)

And get this, the plants were twice as large and more healthy than the plants we had just bought at Lowe's! Oh, and the nail in the coffin… about 35% cheaper. Oh, yeah, we have found our new place to buy ANY plants and flowers from now on! Larger, healthier plants, at two-thirds of the cost!

EVERYBODY wants to save money, right! EVERYBODY wants to get more for what money they do spend RIGHT!

And you know what, I have been sharing this story to anyone who I meet who is about to do some backyard beautification. I mean when you find the answer to a problem or dilemma (over priced, unhealthy plants) that others are looking for too, don’t you want to “help” them out and give them the “inside scoop” on how they can save to?

In the stories I mentioned earlier this week, Andrew, Phillip, and the woman at the well were all looking for something.

Andrew was looking for the Messiah (even following John the Baptist around to learn more about the Messiah that was coming). Phillip was looking for the Messiah written about by Moses and the prophets. The woman was looking for where the right place to worship was- a place where all people could worship in spirit and truth.

In other words, they were looking for what the Messiah, the Christ, represented to each of them! Acceptance, Hope, Forgiveness, Love, Purpose, Freedom, answers to hard questions, and many other things...

Whatever they were looking for, they felt they had FOUND in Jesus, that Jesus was the answer to what they were looking for. And they knew others who were looking for the same thing… so off they go to share with others this great find, this answer to what they had been searching for.

Because found people find people.

Imagine finding larger, healthier, and inexpensive plants for sale at a Fresh Seafood Market??? But I did. I found the answer to what I was looking for in my quest for flowers.

Think about your church. No mater the shape, size, or music style, can people meet Jesus there? I hope so, because I'm SURE He's the answer to what people are looking for! How much greater is the world's need for a Savior than flowers? Isn't that something worth telling others about?!? Isn't that something worth inviting people too?

Axiom: Found People Find People (Part 1)

2010-07-20T13:00:00.001-04:00

In this past week’s sermon, we began our new message series AXIOM, where we’re looking at five unmistakable signs of a growing relationship with Jesus.

I began this message series by sharing the first axiom we’ll look at…
FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE

I think this AXIOM is too often ignored by churches today - and I mean the people who make up the church.

What I am talking about is simply INVITATION!

Invitation to a worship service, invitation to small groups, invitation to volunteer, invitation to a meal, invitation to return again, or an invitation to BE A PART of the body of Jesus Christ, which we call THE CHURCH!

It is ridiculous how people who have encountered Jesus and chose to follow him are reluctant to invite others to experience Jesus too.

I hope you'll take a minute (OK - a FEW minutes) to read three short stories where the Bible emphasizes this axiom - FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE.

John 1:35-42 The story of Andrew , meeting Jesus firsthand, then finding his brother Peter and inviting him to come and meet Jesus, too.
Key verses are John 1:41-42 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah’(that is, the Christ) and he brought him to Jesus.”
John 1: 43-49 The story of Phillip, meeting Jesus 1st hand, then finding his friend Nathaniel and even after inviting him to meet Jesus and receiving some push back, persisted for Nathaniel to “come and see” for himself.
Key verses are John 1:45-46 “Phillip found Nathaniel and told him ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’ ”
John 4:7-42 The story of the Samaritan Woman meeting Jesus at the well and running back to town to invite all the towns people to “come and see” Jesus .
Key verses are John 4:28-29 “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ “

What each story has in common is that each person (Andrew, Phillip, & the woman) only encountered Jesus for a VERY brief period of time before they knew they HAD to tell SOMEBODY what they had found for themselves!

Whether it was a conversation at a well, or spending the afternoon talking together, all of these stories show that each person only had a short time with Jesus. Yet this time, as brief as it may have been, had tremendous impact on each one. Nothing replaces a personal, face to face encounter with someone. It’s different than an email, a letter, or even a phone call. You can hear the tone of their voice, watch the body posture and hand gestures as they talk, you can see it in their eyes…what’s that old quote, “the eyes are the windows to the soul”. WOW! Imagine hearing Jesus speak as you are looking him in the eyes. He listens intently as you ask the questions you have been struggling with, as you share with Him about your doubts, fears, dreams, hopes.

Never underestimate the power or change that can occur when a person has an encounter - a personal experience - with Jesus. No mater how long that encounter is, it’s important.

Jesus found these very diverse people, their paths crossed, and Jesus invited them to meet and spend some time with Him. Then they found others.

I was found by Jesus, and that makes me a found person… and it started with an invitation.

Found People Find People

RETHINKING CHURCH (Part 3)

2010-07-07T09:24:00.002-04:00

Recently, Perry Noble’s blog post "It’s Not the Product… It’s the Service, Part Two of Two" caught my attention. I wrote my thoughts about the INSIDE of the church view. Today, I’m going to speak to the “outside of the church” view, giving my commentary on what he had to say.

OUTSIDE of the Church View

“Nope…it’s not enough to just come to church and then go home…what we do outside the walls of the church in many ways is way more important that what happens on the inside. Saying that here are some ways we can take it to the next level in regards to making Matthew 5:14-16 become a reality.
Teach people to read their Bibles…to discover the reality of Hebrews 4:12, the LIVING/ACTIVE Word of God. A person who learns to hear the voice of God through the lens of Scripture is UNSTOPPABLE!

In order to teach people to read their Bibles the LEADERSHIP of the church need to be reading it themselves...REGULARLY…and I don’t mean reading the Bible for information…but TRANSFORMATION!

Challenge the church to take care of “one another” instead of hiring professionals to do it all!
Treat people outside of the church like they have a heart and soul…for example, being incredible kind to the server at the restaurant, DESPITE the “service” that they give. They might have had the roughest day of their life…and the last thing they need is someone wearing a Christian t-shirt and has a fish on their car being a complete butthole to them because their water glass wasn’t filled!

We teach that we should all be living out EXTRAVAGANT GENEROCITY

SERVE the world we live in rather than screaming at it. (The stupidity of some people in the church who believe lost people should act like Christians still blows my mind!)

Plain and simple: saved people serve people!

Stop looking down on others who commit “those sins” and realize that, were it not for the grace of God that we would be the very people we criticize!
Repent of our own sins before we call out the sins in others! (It blows my mind how an obese person can look at a drunkard and try to point out their sin without addressing their own! Whew…that was tense because FOOD has become the idol in the American church that many pastors are afraid to address.)

Ok, Perry got me with this one! But the truth is the truth.

STOP trying to isolate ourselves from the world that God was so desperate for that He sent His Son to LIVE HERE for 33 years and then gave His life for it!
Stop trying to win God’s approval through legalistic effort and walk in the incredible grace that HE gives us in Christ.
The world can try to deny Christ and Christianity all day long…but when a church gets on fire because the people are on fire and we actually do and become what Jesus has called us to do and become…I believe we’ll see an outpouring of God’s favor and anointing like NEVER before.

I'll close with a quote from John Wesley…."Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.” 

At LifeSpring Church, we’re trying to love, serve, teach, and develop the “one hundred” men and woman that John Wesley speaks of… disciples of Jesus Christ… are you one of the “one hundred”?