Sunday, May 27 - the Creature from the Cash Lagoon...

Memorial Day weekend - the kick-off of summer, a time for BBQ's, swimming...and monsters!(?) At The Journey on Sunday, we explored three monsters that try to eat us up by getting us to live in such a way that we drown in debts - the plastic-people-eater, the media monster, and the budget boogeyman - all who work with the creature from the cash lagoon to get us drowning and living ineffectively. It was a great day, as we looked at practical ways from the book of Proverbs to deal with financial issues in our lives and learn to avoid the pitfalls of bad financial management.

[As an addendum to Sunday's message, we offered a Budget course on Tuesday, May 29th, from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and about 20 people showed up. The information was FANTASTIC as we learned about telling EVERY dollar where to go in your budget - a much needed lesson for my own finances. Good job for those of you who decided to take the extra step, and may God reward you as you pursue Godly management of the resources God has given to you.]

On top of the good word, on Sunday we intro'd the song From the Inside Out and I believe it was received well (see previous post for words and video). But the worship, specifically in the 2nd service was phenomenal today. THANK YOU for coming ready to worship God together.

GREAT day here at The Journey - we had 164 - and it is exciting for me to see God shaping so many in this area of finances. We cannot pursue wisdom enough, especially in the area of our resources. Since Sunday's message was almost exclusively from Proverbs, let me share with you one passage from Proverbs 8:17-21 - this is Wisdom speaking about resources:

17 “I (Wisdom) love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. 18 I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. 19 My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver! 20 I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice. 21 Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries.

May we discover the very heart of God as we seek His ways in every area of our lives...

New worship song lyrics...

Tomorrow we will be introducing a new song called From the Inside Out (click to see video) by Hillsong. May God be glorified at The Journey, and may justice and praise be embraced by us as we seek to live our lives committed to Him.

Below are the lyrics:

From The Inside Out

by Hillsong United

album: United We Stand (2006)

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains,
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace.
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending,
Your glory goes beyond all fame.

Your will above all else,
My purpose remains.
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise.
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending,
Your glory goes beyond all fame.

In my heart and my soul,
Lord, I give You control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out.

Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades!
Never ending,
Your glory goes beyond all fame!
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise!
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out!

Sunday, May 20, 2007 - Detour or Highway?

The weather today was wet and dreary, so it was a great day to be indoors with a bunch of great people worshiping the Lord!

It was a good day here at The Journey as we tackled the topic of materialism and talked about how it can detour our Christian walk. In my opinion, it was one of my favorite messages of the year because materialism is a chronic problem in the American church, and yet we underestimate just how much it can cripple the effectiveness of the Body of Christ...amazing.

I am excited to see this topic explored in our small groups this week, and loose the vicious grip of materialism on this church. You see, the fact is that materialism can have you in its grip regardless of your wages or circumstances, and most Americans (myself included) need to be regularly reminded to let go and be like "teflon" when it comes to what God blesses us with. It was a good word.

We were missing our drummer today, so it was an unplugged, acoustic-driven worship set, with the congregation really deciding to Lay It Down and let God have everything. I was excited to see so many people come down to the altar and respond to the Lord about materialism, and to truly worship the Lord.

We had a good day today - 149 was our attendance, and although we were missing a number of people, The Journey was a great place to be today.

Thank you, God, for continuing to meet with your people here at The Journey. May Your dream for this area be realized as we respond to You and surrender all that we have to You. Lord, may our preoccupation be with You. May we truly understand that what we don't have in this life does not compare to what we DO have in You...

Sunday, May 13, 2007 - Mother's Day

Well, today was Mother's Day, and it was a good day here at The Journey. We had many moms with us, and we handed out flowers to our deacon's wives, Amber, Brenda, and Diane; our deacon, Kathy; our associate pastor's wife, Elizabeth; and our nursery director, Kim Becker.

It was also a good day, as I was able to lead one lady into a relationship with God for the first time - it was good. You see, the message Rod and I spoke on today was from the In the Zone called series "Walking the Check" which is based on walking out of a restaurant without paying for a meal and how we need to bring the tithe to church. It was also a tough message (see last week) in that we really wanted to lead people in this idea of understanding what God asks of us, and when it comes to finances, it is always difficult.

But there was one woman in particular who was struggling, and she was ready to leave church because she couldn't see how she could bring the tithe and yet at the same time, she didn't want to block the blessings of God. What I realized, after speaking with her, that it was something that was putting her in bondage, not freeing her. And then I realized that she wasn't free in Christ yet - the view of God was still one of rules and regulations, so a message on giving only acted like another handcuff on her spiritually.

After we talked, I talked to her about freedom that comes from knowing Christ, and I was able to lead her in inviting Jesus Christ into her life - it was good. I would ask that you pray for her, as she begins her new life of faith in Jesus Christ.

It was a good day - a little lower in attendance specifically in the 2nd service as we had many people missing. But it was still a good day as we had 148...

God, thank You for Your truth. May You be the One that leads and guides this church, and may I be faithful in leading people into deeper walks - living "in the zone"...

More on tithing...

I have received some GREAT questions on tithing over the past few days, and I wanted to share one in particular that has actually popped up a few times. The question deals with the idea of bringing the "whole" tithe to the church, as I spoke on Sunday that breaking up the tithe is not bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse (Malachi 3:10). One of the ladies emailed me about this, and I wanted to share my answer with the whole body:

I think a closer look at Malachi 3:10 can give us a better idea of what it means to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. The storehouse in the Old Testament held the funds for four different groups - the widows, the orphans, the stranger, and the priests. The modern context then would suggest that the tithe is meant to finance the church that in turn distributes for ministry. The fact is, The Journey does give to missionaries, Christian education, projects, church planting, people in need in the community, community sponsorships - and as well supporting our children, teen, and adult ministries - AND paying me and a part time staff.

Here's the catch - who is the church? If the church distributes money, who is the Journey Church - it's all of us, right? Now here's the deal. Every time we need to spend money, I don't call for a vote or go to the church body. The elected deacons (elected by the church body) along with myself decide where money goes - who gets what.

Sometimes the deacons don't need to get involved, and I myself, as the pastor, distribute money to needy causes as well (although I have a cap on spending and everything is recorded). But even beyond that, individuals within the church can request (and bring about) for us to fund/underwrite different causes. Regardless, the distribution of our funds is a church matter. Using checks and balances, we do everything we can to operate the finances in accordance with how God leads (and with the IRS!), specifically to affect the world around us in as many good ways as possible. Overall, with the tithes the church receives, the church endeavors to be financially responsible and effective.

Now, imagine if everyone brought the whole tithe to the church - if everyone did their part, then this church could really make an impact for Jesus Christ in this area. Right now, too many split up the tithe (or don't bring the tithe), and our church has to move forward at a much slower pace. We need to hire another staff member and we need to build- but because the tithe gets broken up, WE have to wait until enough money comes in before making either of those kind of commitments - it is actually a difficult matter. But I am trusting that as I teach on this, that people will realize that level of effectiveness that we can have and not only involve themselves financially, but get involved in BEING the church! What a great thing that would be! :)

Thanks for the dialogue. God has been and continues to be so good to The Journey.

Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Skittles

It was all about the Skittles today, as we focused for the service on how to be managers of the "skittles" God has given to each of us. We began with a story from me and Seth visiting Fenway Park two years ago and Seth refusing to share his skittles with me that I had purchased for him...and it was a great start to a good day.

However, speaking on living In the Zone and bringing our tithe into the local church was a tough message to preach. Not because it isn't true or because we shouldn't walk in the truth of the Word, but because any time you speak on money, there are all kinds of reactions:

• Disagreement - "Tithe is Old Testament" or "I don't need to bring the whole tithe to the church."
  
• Anger - "That's all church is about - wanting my money!"
• Misunderstanding - "Church is all about rules!"
• Depression/fear - "I could never afford to tithe!"
• Mistrust - "Pastor is just trying to line his pockets!"

And then there are those that agree and those that wrestle - and most of our church is made up of these kinds that will consider and wrestle with what is taught - and I am so grateful for them! :) But I just want to be a teacher who teaches the whole counsel of God, and that means talking about the grace of giving - rather bringing. Wrestle with and ask God what you should be bringing, and step out in faith. I thank God that the negative reactions are few and far between, and that the vast majority of people at The Journey truly desire to follow God in every area of their lives.

And realize - while Sunday's message was hard to hear for some, for me, it is much harder to preach. BUT I am excited to elaborate and clarify more this weekend, talk about money management next weekend, and then on Memorial Day weekend to communicate Vision Inside the Zone - when you and I and this church get into the zone, what great things can happen!

It was a good day - we were missing some people due to illness, but we still had 161, and God continues to bless!

One last note - if you would wish to further discuss what's been taught, feel free to comment and leave your questions on this blog - I would love to hear some questions and help us understand some more ways that God can bless this church.