Open Mike

Walking with Christ for Easter; and A Word to My Pastor Friends About Our Privilege

"Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."  John 13:1

It's Good Friday.  We will hold a worship service and communion tonite at 6pm at Lake Forest-Huntersville.  We'll meditate on some of Jesus' prayers during Holy Week, interspersed with musical leadership by Liz, Reeve, and Matt (those guys are all 'first name' people at LFC, like 'Tiger' is to you).  Then many of us will fast from Good Friday evening until Easter morning.

Today or tomorrow I invite you to identify with the passion of Christ by walking the Lake Forest prayer trail.  Every person who braved the cold this week and has already prayed through this artistic experience has run out of words to tell me how grateful they are for it, and how powerfully the Lord met them there. I'm thankful for the strong biblical narrative throughout the trail, and its meditational aids. Its warming up.  Our family is going to pray through it together today or tomorrow.  Some have taken a specific question with them, some a need for relinquishment, most a strong devotion.

PASTOR FRIENDS.  I received this yesterday from my long-time buddy David Dwight, encouraging his pastor friends about the privilege we have this weekend (David and I and David Beatty went through Church Planters Assessment together 16 years ago and continue a friendship anchored by a monthly conference call to talk about how our lives and our churches are doing).  I share it with you because he's said so well what us pastor types are feeling this weekend:

Good afternoon guys,

 This week of Holy Week and Easter is always the week of the year I enjoy the most. The fulness, the poignancy, the sacrifice, the sin and the forgiveness - and the empty tomb are so full and so deep.  I enjoy Thanksgiving, I enjoy Christmas, I love Easter.  

 Can you believe that we have the privilege of being the ones who get to announce to lots of people, the incredible gift of new life and hope in the resurrection? It's the weekend of the year when I feel more privileged, more humbled, more honored to do what I do - than any other time.  

 I was trying to think of an analogy for this role we get to have - especially given that Jesus did all the work.  I thought - bear with me - that it's a bit like a family that have gathered at a hospital with the news that a new grandchild is on the way. We are with our wives while they travail through the birth, and when the baby is born, we - the husbands, we the one's who didn't do the travailing, get to go out to the people waiting and announce the great news.  We get the hugs and the joy and the celebrating.  Our wife, who has done all the work - she isn't the one who made the announcement - we are.  She's with the new child, she's holding the new life - with a deep joy - but we who did none of the work, get to be the ones who get to announce it.  

 Like all analogies, it has its flats - but it has a place of meaning for me too. Christ, through the travail, has brought new life.  This time it's eternal life - for all who trust in Him.  We get to tell about it and
spread this hope.  

 When I go into the weekend's services, it's also a joy for me to think of you - guys with whom I share a love for Christ, a love for one another, and a call to ministry.  Together, we all get to share this news.  

 I'm really grateful. Have a great easter friends.

…death where is thy sting?"

 David Dwight, Hope Church
http://hopecentral.com http://becomingcast.com http://www.wordandway.blogspot.com

LFC Soldier Prays in Jerusalem: You and I Pray Jesus' Wounds in Huntersville

The Lake Forest prayer garden has been lovingly prepared as a prayer journey through the 'Wounds of Christ' for all of us during Holy Week. You can spend unique conversational time with your Heavenly Abba - Daddy- Pappa anytime you like this week.  I did it Sunday evening late, in the fog.  Powerful is all I can say.  I've never fingered a crown of thorns before.  One of the stations stopped me in my tracks, i was  undone for a moment before the Lord. Please prepare your heart for Easter by praying through this trail this week.

But check this out...

Jason Edwards is an LFC ministry partner who served God regularly on Sunday mornings (cameras, tech) until Uncle Sam asked him to serve for a year overseas in Egypt.  That's where he is now (with wife, child, and parents back here in H'ville and at LFC), except for his current week at home (and I ran into him at Chico's last night).  Jason told me that he was able to travel to Jerusalem and follow the via de la rosa - the road of sorrows that follows Jesus' painful journey to death on Good Friday.  He says there is a church at each spot where it is traditionally believed that Jesus was wounded.  Jason has seen wonderful sights I pray I can see in my lifetime.

The LFC prayer team, led by Jeff Hathcock (aka Barstool Pastor) and his community group, has constructed a prayer journey for us during this Holy Week.  I hope you will make the time to come pray through 'The Wounds of Jesus' on his way to the cross in our prayer garden.  This is a unique week for Christians, and a unique prayer journey we offer you in conversation with your Heavenly Father.

You can do so anytime this week for as few as 20 minutes, as many as 60.  Park at LFC, walk to the front of the property on Gilead Road (at the top of the wooden stairs) and begin there.  If you'd like to wait until Good Friday, you may pray the 'Wounds' just before our Good Friday service (at 6pm) or on the Saturday before Easter.  Thank you Jeff, thank you Community Group.  I can't wait to identify with my Lord and Savior's wounds on the way to the cross.  I have many wounds myself, and I have dealt wounds to others.  I look forward to praying this part of my life.

It's Working!

What do you love about your church?  The Psalm I prayed this morning led me to celebrate over something in mine - maybe you'll celebrate with me.

In one of our recent membership classes (we call it Welcome 101), exactly half of the participants checked box two or three on this card:
Yep, half of that group of folks new to our church either took the new step of faith in Christ OR are still on that journey considering his person and claims. 

In my terms:  WOOOOO HOOOOOOO. 

In business terms: It's working!!!!!!!!

The business we are in, that every church is in: making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ.  So that class was half full of 'more' people coming to follow Jesus with our existing tribe.  That's the church we dreamed of being back in 1998 with 42 people praying together on Sunday evenings in the local bowling alley's back room!  That's the church we became and loved being in the skating rink and YMCA gym for years.  That's the church we dreamed we would STILL be after locating ourselves in a permanent building (we knew there would be danger of mission drift when all this got physically easier).  We dreamed that God would graciously allow us to intentionally be a Holy Spirit incubator of new faith (and for some rediscovered faith) in people hungry for God and living outside of the love and grace and salvation of Jesus.  It's working.

Now I pray these new disciples (and the ones who've joined who are already Christians - about half are Christians who have never vitalized in their walk with Christ, and the other half of the already-Christians have been active servants and ministry-minded leaders for years) relax in and grow 'better' by conforming more to the image and life and indwelling of Jesus Christ year by year through worship, Word, servanthood and mission together.  I hope many go all the way through to the graduate-credit seminary classes in Bible that we offer.

The Psalm I was praying today that led me to this moment of celebration is Psalm 21:6 "Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence." 

I couldn't ask for greater blessings than this as a pastor and church member, to participate in God's fresh work like this.  And he simply makes me glad with the joy of his presence through this Body of Christ.  So today, perhaps you will name the most clear work of God that you love in your own church, and celebrate that blessing.

Can I say it one more time?  WOOOO HOOOO

 

Praying Scripture

If you're praying along with me daily for Lent, the form we are using to talk to our Heavenly Father this week is praying Scripture.

Matt Glass led us to do this in worship on Sunday in Huntersville (it was good to swap worship teams between lfc-h and lfc-d). He said that when we pray what's already written in the Bible, we have the advantage of knowing our prayer is 100% Gods will and desire. I prayed Gods Word this morning here at the Windy Gap retreat center, where some of our staff are planning what Words of God to lead the people of God with for the second half of 2013 (aka sermon series, especially those shared also by children and student ministries).

I've been praying scripture daily since August by praying a few Psalms daily. For the rest of this week pray the Psalm that corresponds to the day of the month (I just prayed Psalm 19, a beautiful praise to God for his guidance to us through physical creation and his Word - if you pray this Psalm today know that the words law, statutes and precepts are ways of referring to Gods written Word to us in the Bible). Just direct your reading at your Heavenly Dad. As you pray/read the Psalm, allow yourself to linger on any thought that particularly strikes you as relevant to you today. Or feel free to allow one line or word to send you into a full on conversation with Him about that subject. Enjoy!
Psalm 19:8 "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes."

St. Patrick's Actual Writing: No green beer, but Pirates!

You may know that St. Patrick is one of my heroes. For many reasons he continues to inspire me as a man of strong character, a leader, a missionary of the good news of Jesus, and someone who gives personal evidence that God CAN be known and enjoyed by us. I seek to bear witness to that same fact every Sunday morning.

The way I was introduced to Patrick was by reading one of his two writings that have come down to us from the late 400's. I fell in love with the singular voice and life of this man. My gift to you this St. Patrick's Day is to invite you to read St. Patrick's 'Confession.'  Its linked below, and is about 15 pages long.  What you'll find is an old man's account for his life and his work. Most credible historians in this field attest the veracity of these words being from the hand of Patrick (my favorite and the best translation, unfortunately, is not one I can gift you with - its buried in an expensive book). 

It's his life and ministry story told a bit spirally (not completely linear), with many glimpses into his ministry methodology, his unique walk with God (ahh Lord, visit me with such visions!), and odd details which we moderns cannot interpret (let me know what you think 'suck the breast' means, then I'll tell you the majority opinion).  It also helps to know that part of his reason for writing was to defend himself against people in the church hierarchy, back in England, who were seeking to de-pose him from ministry.  They were highly threatened by Patrick's unorthodox calling and methodology (calling himself a pastor and 'bishop' to not-yet-Christian people, instead of simply being chaplain to already-Christians in his home country).  Oh, and there probably was beer associated with St Patrick.  Other (though later) accounts of Patrick's mission to the Irish include mention of a personal brewmaster as part of his missionary band.  Here you go...

Download Confession

Jeremiah 6:16

This is what the Lord says:“Stand at the crossroads and look;  ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,  and you will find rest for your souls.