[sp]

long time no post

2007-09-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

Well, long time no post. No excuse except for being busy. Hopefully, I will start to post again. If not here then at our new site when it gets up. I will let you know when it is ready.

Dangerous men are we!

2007-01-03T19:38:00.000-06:00

Here is a quote I recently read:

"Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds

Awake to find that all was vanity;

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,

That they may act their dreams with open

eyes to make it possible.

- T. E. Lawerence [Of Arabia]

2007 will be a year to remember.

Get rid of our monsters...nothing else!

2006-11-12T10:16:00.000-06:00

I was reading this morning in Matt 8 about the demon possessed man[or men? Why do you suppose that it is two demon possessed men here and only one in other places?] and how Jesus cast them out and all that bit. All the people who were tending the pigs went to everybody in the city and told them everything that happened. I was kind of reading it differently this morning as if I was expecting a different ending to the story for some reason. I mean Jesus does this great miracle and even service to these other people by getting rid of these demon possessed monsters. You would think the sequence would be 1. there is a problem with demons. 2. Jesus comes and does great miracle. 3. The people go and spread the word to everyone else. 4. Everyone comes to meet Jesus. 5. REVIVAL. All of the steps happened except the last [number5] When they saw Jesus they didn't beg him for more, they begged him to leave! It sounds ignorant here in the story but how true it is in modern day. Most people don't REALLY want Jesus or revival in their lives, they wish that He would just leave them alone so that they don't feel a spiritual burden or responsibility for eternal actions. Most just want to live a simple, quiet, fun, american dream of a life. Sometimes I feel that way. Sometimes I wish I didn't have this "call" that drives me everyday. Sometimes I wish that I could just be left alone to live life like it seems others are called, or at least at peace, to live. But if I think about it too long I think...that would be the most senseless, purposeless, meaningless and boring way to live. If I have to live that way then just shoot me now and send me to heaven! I would rather have nothing but the will of God than have everything and the will of Shawn.

First Public Gathering

2006-10-26T07:13:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give an update on Journey Church. This Sunday we are having a meeting at the Liberty Community Center in Liberty, MO. It starts at 10:00am. I can't wait for people to start an authentic journey with God! All are welcome to come! Hope to see some of you there.

How do you become a child of God?

2006-09-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

Seems like a pretty important question doesn’t it? Oh, I’m sure there are a million ways to answer this question. One could say “seek God first”, another might say “by faith” and yet someone else might quote a scripture about salvation. These are good starting points but the problem is… that’s all they are…starting points.

I’ve given my fair share of altar calls and I’ve seen thousands over the years respond to them just to find that they didn’t have any apparent lasting spiritual value. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in planting seeds and that there may one day be a harvest but it makes you wonder sometimes if the seed has simply fallen on thorny ground. I believe giving an altar call is great and I will continue to do them as often as I have opportunity, I just wish we could be more effective in producing life-long Christians.

On the other hand, I have talked to people who have been a Christian all of their lives and, in some ways, are in the same place spiritually as these who walked down to the altar simply to return no different. These Christians have been on the church scene, sang in the choir, taught a Sunday school class and still don’t know if they are a child of God any more than the one who engages in the “one night stand” at the altar of salvation.

So how do you BECOME a child of God? I obviously believe that there is a moment of new birth where your spirit becomes alive, but I also believe that there is a process of sanctification that will continue as long as we live in this temporary home. The moment of faith that is required for the new birth can be assuring at the time but too often it quickly fades away to just a distant spiritual moment in the time-line of our lives. [Case in point- the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation chapter 2] This causes people to eventually question if they have ever known God in the first place. Oh, you probably haven’t heard anyone say this because everyone is too spiritual to talk about real spiritual issues in the church today.

So what’s my take? How do I think you become a child of God?

I hope to make the point with one of my real life stories as a Youth Pastor. I was a Youth Pastor for 5 years and for those of you who don’t know, youth pastor years are probably equivalent to doggie years. It’s about seven youth pastor years for every regular human year. In other words, a lot can happen!

I have had the conviction all of my life to abstain from rated “R” movies. As a part of my requirements for youth leaders to serve with me, I asked that they abstain from rated “R” movies as well. One of my points in doing that was to be an example for the teenagers. I mean, if Hollywood says they are too young to see a certain movie then how much more a youth pastor should say it…or so I thought. You wouldn’t believe how much flack I have gotten over the years for simply not seeing one of those movies! I had youth leaders threaten to leave if I would have a legalistic requirement such as that. I also had people just say “heck with it, I’m going to do it anyway, I don’t care what he says.” I thought it was great! To me, it revealed the heart. It just took a movie to bring it out.

Still, it troubled me. I would ask them why they thought it was okay and they would say stuff like “Well, God hasn’t convicted me about it so you shouldn’t either.” That always made me question. God, why would you convict me and not them? Is it wrong or not? Am I legalistic or right in what I’m doing? Are they just not hearing Your voice?

One of the keys to staying out of trouble in life is simply minding your own business. I can’t do that. I’m a pastor. But God did show me that I can have a high standard for myself and that’s okay. He taught me to swim upstream. He taught me that I don’t know what He is doing in someone else’s life and heart. He taught me not to be God for somebody else. [He’s plenty capable of that!] He also showed me a key to knowing you are one of His children. You see, what I saw through this whole experience, and through several others, is not that God wasn’t convicting other people but that God WAS convicting me! Right or wrong wasn’t important. God was disciplining me. Like a child. It was a good thing to know that He loved me enough to require something out of me. It was good to know that the pain of correction and discipline leads to joy unspeakable and full of glory. Why? Because He knows I’m here. That’s enough for me.

Hebrews 12:5-11 confirms this when it says:

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

He disciplines who He loves. If He’s not disciplining you, you’re not a child of God. It could be something different for you than for me but just thank God for His conviction. Learn to love to hear God’s voice! Whether it is an encouragement or a correction, it is still His voice and it reminds us that we are His children.

Vacation

2006-09-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well, just got back from vacation last week. Thought I would put up a picture or two. We went down to Branson. Not a bad trip, although I found myself saying a lot of things I didn't expect. Some of the phrases were... "Stop chewing on that seat belt!", "Don't throw rocks at the fish!", "yippee, gas is $2.19!", and the infamous..."If you don't stop doing that I am going to pull this car over!". All in all, it was a great trip. It's good to get away from it all every once in a while. My problem usually is that after a vacation... I need a vacation!

I dream of a church...

2006-09-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

We had our first "official" church meeting last night. It was just a group of people who feel some sort of draw or calling to what God has begun in our hearts. It was basically a vision casting meeting where I could lay out what has happened so far with the church and what the values and vision will be in the future. We talked about what our "dream" church would be like. I asked "what do you see when you think of a dream church that is of God?". What is in it? What does it look like? What does it represent and value? We wrote them down as a list of things. I will continue to add to mine but here is a short list of the first things that came to mind. I am sure I will post back later with more:

I dream of a church...

that is not boring
that is full of people doing their best to live the bible way rather than their own
that Jesus would be proud of
that Jesus would call His
that has real answers for people's problems
where my family is valued and included
that makes an impact on the community around them
that is full of God's power untainted by men's influence
that has real friendships and accountable relationships
that is a highway of holiness, a hospital for the hurting and a home for the homeless
that befriends tax collectors and sinners for the saving of their souls
that dares to pray
whose prayers get answered
that has the compassion of Jesus and the conviction of the Holy Spirit
where husbands and wives are true examples of Christ and the Church
that is full of worn out bibles and tear stained altars

God's grace be upon us as we put our hand to the plow.

Journey Church

2006-08-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. I have been very busy. God has called me to start a church. Never thought it would happen but now it makes perfect sense. For the past month and half, we have started preparations for a launch which will probably happen around the first of the year. We will spend the next few months building with small groups and ministry refinement. Our team is assembling and there are big things on the horizon! The location...North Kansas City somewhere. Details are not finalized. With much prayer, fasting, humbleness and an openness to do church the way God intends, I am excited to see what God wants to do. This probably won't be your typical church but hey, we need all flavors right? Pray for us if you get a chance.

I have a sexually transmitted disease!

2006-07-13T05:56:00.000-05:00

It was passed to me by my parents and they received it from theirs. It is called sin. It has been passed down through generations and unfortunately, I have passed it on to my children. Thank God that Jesus was born of a virgin and bypassed the disease. He was without sin. He is the only antidote for sin. He is the only one with pure blood and He offers it to me.

So you want "next-step" wisdom?

2006-07-04T07:23:00.000-05:00

I do. Or at least I have been praying for it. I really can't remember a time when I wasn't. We all want to know what is "God's will" for our lives. But how do we discover it? How can we unearth it from all of the worldly ambitions and selfish desires that we have no matter how noble or worthy they may seem on the surface? It's like mining for a diamond with a spork!

Let's crack open the book and see what it says for those seeking wisdom. Of course, we turn to the ever familiar scripture...James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." I don't know how many times we have quoted and stood on this scripture and believed for wisdom. It's a great verse! But God began to show me something. You see, I have discovered how God speaks to me. This is very important to learn. God speaks to me with a consistent message, brought to me in numerous ways over a period of time and then strings it all together to me in a flash of revelation. Sounds pretty intense right? It's really not that complicated but this is not the topic. God began to show me how wisdom comes in unexpected ways.

I was reading a book by Watchmen Nee. In the book he was talking about Christians who pray for something and don't receive it. They pray again and don't receive. This goes on for months and they still don't receive. Why is that? Is it a lack of faith? It depends on what God is trying to accomplish in their life. You see, after months of praying and not receiving, they get desperate and start letting God deal with their life. God begins to show them something that they need to change or adjust. They make the adjustments and then...like "magic" almost, they receive what they had been asking for. Why would God do that?

Let's take a trip back to the book of James to discover the answer. We have already looked at verse 5, now lets rewind to look at verses 2-4. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." And, of course, verse 5 starts out with "If any of you lacks wisdom..." The first point that I want to make that is apparent in this group of scriptures is this: If you have patience, you don't need to ask for wisdom! If you have patience, you are "perfect, complete and LACKING NOTHING! If you lack nothing, then you don't need verse 5.

The second point I want to make on this subject is that we may be looking for the wrong thing. We want a specific answer to what we are praying for regarding direction. The problem is that we usually are praying with some sort of end in mind. It may be that we are asking God a question and we are wanting an answer. What if we are asking the wrong question?!!! This is where patience comes in. If we are patient with God we will not lack wisdom. We have to let God be God and not try to point Him in the "right" direction as we sometimes do with our pointed prayers. It's just like the people Watchmen Nee described earlier, they prayed for one thing but God really wanted them to gain something far more important from the whole experience. Gods ways are higher than our ways. God gives us wisdom through our patience. It's usually not what we started out praying for at all but it ultimately answers the questions that we had about the original topic.

Free your mind to be in a real relationship with God. Let's not be so focused on one thing that we miss the real thing that God wants to show us when it comes.

Love Triangle

2006-06-10T00:34:00.000-05:00

Picture a triangle. Now, aren't you glad you used your imagination today? On one side of the triangle picture the word "passion". One another side of the triangle picture the word "intimacy". Finally, on the last side picture the word "commitment".

Got it? Ok.

I was reading a book about marriage this week and this is how the guy described the elements of love in a relationship.

Passion is excitement. [romance, sex etc.] Intimacy is closeness. [conversation, deep interaction and connection] Commitment is longevity [you're in it for the long haul, even if you don't have any excitement or closeness. It is a decision that you have made and will not turn from it]

At different times and different stages in a relationship one of the three areas may be more dominate than the others. A lot of times this causes conflict and misunderstandings. One person may value passion at a certain time in the relationship while the other is wanting commitment. One may value intimacy while the other values passion and so on.

I began to think of my relationship with God in this way. Sometimes I will experience passion and excitement with God. Other times a great closeness and intimacy. Still other times just the raw decision of commitment.

There are times in our lives and in our relationship with God that we don't feel the passion. We think something is wrong. We think we have done something wrong or that we are not doing enough. I think it is important to remember that love has three sides.

We don't always get what we want in love, but we get what we always need. We don't always need to feel passion and intimacy with God. Sometimes we need to just feel solid in our commitment to Him. I am being convinced [not yet decided] that more growth happens when you don't feel God than when you do. If your commitment is great enough, you will come out on the other side with more intimacy and passion than ever before!

Love has three sides.

I Don't Believe God!

2006-06-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

That seems to be what most Christians are saying these days. "What are you talking about Shawn? How can you say that?". Let me expound...

I was reading my Bible the other morning [I forget where it was now because I stopped so abruptly and didn't finish] and as I started to read, I found myself analyzing every word in the verse. Oh, it was more than just an analysis, it was questioning. It was actually more than questioning, it was doubt. In the end, it was much more than doubt. I was trying to find a way that it could be wrong!

I've seen a trend of late and of young adults to question everything about God and about the church. Overall, I think it is a good thing. I think it can be a great thing! The search for truth is a worthy search. God gave us a brain and He gave us the power and desire to use it.

I have also been on this quest for truth. Just because I have been told something, been a part of something or experienced something doesn't mean that it is truth. We all come to that place at some point in our lives where we have to "leave home" spiritually. We have to grow up, explore and find out things for ourselves. Involved in that maturation process is an establishment of one's values. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wake up some morning 10 years from now and find out that I don't know what I believe or probably worse yet, I have been believing the wrong thing! So I think spiritual exploration is good, healthy and needed.

Frankly, the body of Christ needs a good bowel movement! It has had some pretty goofy stuff happen in recent history. A lot of stuff I personally just don't understand and maybe I never will. Because of this, there seems to be a trend to try to expose everything about God that is "wrong". By this, I mean, questioning everything that Christians think is right. This has the potential to lead to great error.

Acknowledging that there are errors in the church and that we need to search for truth ourselves, I think that something is missing in this process. It is called FAITH! Don't tune out on me now! What ever happened to simply taking something by faith? What happened to believing something because it is the Word of God? Why must we twist it, dissect it, question it, tear it up, tear it down and throw it out? It is possible to talk yourself out of something you know to be truth!

The problem is that everyone wants to be an intellectual. Everybody wants to sound smarter than everybody else. We want to find a way to logically explain the Bible and our relationship with Jesus so that we won't be embarrassed if we are ever in a conversation with a non-Christian. We falsely think that this "logic" will somehow be the thing that leads them to Christ. It is wrong! Like it or not, being a Christian requires believing in somethings we don't understand or can't see. That is the facts.

We try to explain scientifically how the sun stood still for 24 hours for Joshua. We try to explain practically how all of the animals fit on the ark. All these things are fine to think about and a lot of them have good, practical, scientifical and biblical explanations but there are some things that we need to just believe! If you can't have faith, you can't have God!

I think great care needs to be taken in all of this questioning. Ultimate truth may come or ultimately disbelief. There is a big difference between questioning and demanding an answer. Too many times I think we are saying, "I need the answers or I won't believe".

Get out of the ditch! Both of them!

2006-06-03T15:49:00.000-05:00

Where to begin? The Bible says in Matthew 7:13 to "enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction." This road called the "Christian life" is very narrow and focused if it is a true road that we claim to travel. However, even on this narrow road, it is apparent that it is broad enough to have a ditch on either side. On the one side there is the ditch called "legalism". On the other side there is the ditch called "lawlessness". Every Christian has found themselves in one ditch or the other at some time in their journey.

Let's first explore the ditch of legalism. If you climb down into the ditch of legalism you will most likely get a few glances and glaring looks from some of its most respected residents who seem to have it all together and won't miss an opportunity to tell you that you don't. These are people who, at one time, had a passionate relationship with God and a genuine experience. Somewhere on the road they got a flat tire and ended up here. It could be for many reasons.

For some, it might be that they started to figure out how to live this thing and pride crept in. Eventually, they thought that everyone should have at least as much going right as they do. They wouldn't want someone to do better than them because they always want to be in a position to tell others that they need to clean up. It has, in effect, become their superficial relationship with God. They are the kind that try to get to do things FOR God rather than trying to continually KNOW God. By telling people how they should live, they feel like they are doing something for God and , in their minds, being close to God. For others, they really believe what they are saying is right. They believe that they are helping people. The problem is that they are deceived. They have boiled this relationship with God down to rules and regulations. Basically, a 'Leviticus" relationship with God. And still others are JUST PLAIN OLD! They are set in their ways and they can't accept anything new...at all! Most of what all these people say is good but they say it for the wrong reasons, in the wrong spirit, at the wrong times and usually gets the wrong results!

On the opposite side of the road there is the ditch called "lawlessness". If you crawl down into this ditch you will, once again, receive glances and glaring looks from it's residents. If you have never had a drink, you are seen as someone who is not free. If you don't go see the horror flick, you are stuck up. If you have been tempted to see a porn movie but resisted, you are seen as a fake christian. All this in the name of genuineness. People with this attitude are usually new believers, complacent christians or offended. The narrow road seemed to cramp their style so they decided to make it a little bigger and ended up in this ditch.

The problem with both of these ditches is that most people in them don't realize that they are there until it is too late. It is hard to get out once you are in.

I LONG for authenticity! I think it is a cry of a generation. We have seen the fake christian thing. We have seen the hypocrite. We have seen the sex, drugs and rock n roll christianity. What is real? I think that it is essential in our search for God to stop looking at ourselves! Let's stop looking at what we want and look at what God wants! God hates the lukewarm church! He hates the fakeness! But God also hates SIN! And lets not forget that. God loves people, God hates sin. Both ditches are sin.

This "come as you are" Christianity doesn't mean "stay as you are". Peter came to Jesus as a cussing sailor but he didn't stay that way. Sure he had the bout with cussing as Jesus was on trial but he had to be restored for that whole time of rejecting Jesus in John 21. Paul came to Jesus as a murderer! But he didn't continue to murder did he? To follow God requires constant growth and change.

I may be way off here but I don't' think when I get to heaven that I am going to go up to Jesus and say, "Hey man, what f#@& s going on here? What the h*)$ are we supposed to do for forever? You need to get this s%$# straitened out and give us a schedule of events or something." As "authentic" as that may sound to some of you, I don't think it is acceptable. Neither will it be acceptable to make sure that the lighting is just right or to make sure that the angel choir is wearing the GQ clothes that you picked out for them before you can worship Him. So obviously in the kingdom of God there are standards that are not our own and both sides of the debate could learn from that.

True Christianity is not about rules and regulations. It's not about being myself. It's about becoming like Him. Now that's something to focus on!