Pollenating all Nations!

This past week I was able to attend a practice round at the Master's golf tournament in Augusta. It was an amazing event. The golf was great, but the pollen was bad. Some big name golfers were even whining about how bad the pollen was. The Master's Green was beginning to look very Yellow!

Later that week I was blowing the pollen off my porch and I began thinking there had to be a disciple making principle in this sea of yellow dust. I was right! After checking things out on Wikipedia I was reminded that pollen is all about plant reproduction. You'll have to read about it for yourself but trust me, pollen is a great picture of reproduction.

Reproduction, of course, is where disciple making comes in. We are here to reproduce disciples for Christ. We are here to cover all nations in disciples. Much like the pollen that covers everything in sight, God wants us spreading the message of Christ all over the place. Wouldn't it be cool if we were impacting our world for Christ the way pollen impacts our lives?

I, for one, actually believe that God really wants us to be making disciples in such a way that the world is impacted. I think we should actually be changing the landscape and affecting the people around us. In many ways we ought to be like pollen that covers everything and lets you know it is here.

If you take away nothing else from this blog at least take away one thing. Instead of cursing the pollen, let it remind you of why you are here. Pray that you life will have great impact for Christ and live in such a way that God can use you to impact the nations.

Five Tips for a Healthy Marriage

Having finished our recent message series on How to Have a Healthy Marriage I wanted to share some very practical things that I didn't get to share in the series. These are very simple "tips" for keeping your marriage healthy, but they work! I hope you will implement these timeless tips in your relationship.

1- Pray together regularly! You don't have to pray together every day, but spending time with your mate in prayer will make a huge difference in your relationship. Find a time to spend a few minutes together- with God.

2- Study God's Word together! I have never yet met a couple that was spending time together in the scriptures who said it was a waste of time. In fact, the opposite is always true. Couple's who read the Bible together or study together will draw closer to each other. This is exactly why I wrote the 30 days to a Healthy Marriage.

3- Have regular dates with each other! Someone has said, "the things we did to fall in love are the things we must do to stay in love". Having a regular date night is one way to keep a marriage healthy and alive.

4- Find a common interest! At times the only thing couples' have in common are their kids and their bills. Find a hobby, a sport, or an activity that both of you love to do and not just something you "have" to do.

5- Do something special for no reason! We give gifts and cards and do things for our spouses on certain days and for special occasions. Spice your relationship up by doing something for each other for no reason at all. You will be surprised how much a surprise builds your relationship!

These five simple tips are simply a way to get you started on building your marriage. There are literally thousands of things you can do to keep your marriage healthy and vibrant. You simply have to work at it.

A Multiplying Movement

I recently received a You Tube video from a friend that shows a great picture of how a movement gets started. You've got to watch this clip! This is how the Church ought to work.

Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ came to earth to do two things. First, he came to make the redemption of mankind possible. His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead make it possible for man to be reconciled to God. Secondly, Jesus came to start a movement of multiplying disciples that would be committed to passing on this message of redemption. Jesus began that movement with only a handful of followers, but that group has multiplied into thousands and thousands of followers.

Today the plan for having a movement of multiplying disciples is on our hands. If we do not pass on to the next generation what has been given to us, the movement ceases to exist! This causes me to wonder if there is really anything more important for the church to be doing other than making disciples? I think not!

I continue to be amazed at how many believers are not making any effort whatsoever to fulfill the priority of multiplying a movement of Christ followers. With good intentions we have churches filled with Christ followers who give no thought at all to doing the very thing Jesus himself came to do...make disciples!

The world needs us to get serious about making disciples. The nations need the church to become a movement of multiplying disciples. Are you willing to be one of the "nuts" that makes a ripple for Christ? Are you willing to start dancing for Jesus until others are dancing as well? I challenge you to live your life as a personal multiplier of disciples. Very few people are willing to do so.

Finish the Race

The world is filled with plenty of starters, but not many finishers. The story in the video above is a great example of how much courage it takes to finish the race. Watching this clip immediately reminds me of something Jesus said. In John 4:34 Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." Jesus finished the work of making disciples that would in turn make more disciples.

I believe God is looking for finishers today. He is looking for men and women who will make the commitment to make disciples and will see it through. I pray that you will be encouraged and motivated to live a life of making disciples for Jesus Christ. The finish line will be the day you hear Him say, "well done my good and faithful servant!"

Building Disciples the Brazilian Way

I just returned from a ten day mission trip to Forteleza Brazil. It was one of the best mission trips I've ever been on. My first trip to Brazil was ten years ago. We had agreed to help start a new church in Forteleza and I went down to see how things were going. There were around 75 to 100 people attending that church. During our time there I stressed the importance of planting new churches that would make more disciples. This past week I spoke in five different churches that were all a part of that original church in some way. That group of 75-100 is now over 500 people learning what it means to be and build disciples of Christ.

Jesus said, "make disciples of all nations". We've got lots of work to do, let's follow the Brazilian model!

Keep On Driving!

I saw this video and was trying to figure out how in the world it connected with the value of disciple making. Other than the stressing the importance of persevering, I am not sure it does. Anyway, it is just a great clip and worth watching. I do hope I am walking as Jesus walked as well as this woman is driving when I get as old as she is.

A Disciple Making Tool

This past weekend was one of the most exciting weekends I have ever experienced in ministry. Coming into our brand new worship facility on Highway 16 was a blast. You could sense God's presence in a powerful way. We had a couple of people accept Christ and dozens of others take a step of faith to deal with the stronghold of pride in their lives. God received great glory on day one in our new building. Our plan is to do the same every time the doors are open.

Our new building is really just a tool. This new space, combined with our current space gives us some neat opportunities to do even more disciple making. Ultimately that is what buildings are to be used for anyway. Jesus isn't going to ask us if we decorated our building well. He is going to ask us if we made disciples well! I am thankful for our new building. It is a neat tool, but I am even more thankful for all the disciples that will be made there.

Here are some cool photos of our first week in the new tool!