Just a Thought...

Just a thought...

Often when I'm around people that are praying I hear things like:

"Lord we just pray that you would...."

"We're just asking that you..."

"Lord, just show up tonight..."

I'm not trying to be hyper-critical or anything; I just feel like it's time we drop the just when we pray. It's as if we're asking God to do something in our lives as long as it's not too much of an inconvenience for Him.

In all of these cases the word just comes off... well... just so passive. It's like what we're really saying is, "Hey it'd be nice if you could lend a hand down here God, that is of course if you're not tied up."

Or:

"Hey God, I know you have a lot to do so if you could just get this one tiny favor taken care of I'd really appreciate it."

When I read scripture I read things like:

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face... I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

"You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it... Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" (John 14:13-14)

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20)

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16)

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6)

I propose that we eliminate the "just-prayers" from our repertoire. They seem so wimpy. Let's boldly ask, believe, and expect God to act on our behalf. We serve a risen savior who is for us; in fact, He says we're going to do even greater things than He did:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works..." (John 14:12)

To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine, "Let's pray dangerous prayers," and let's not be so shocked when He answers!

Just sayin'...

Dear Students...

Dear Students,

As I write to you today I am on my way to Mexico for a week of fun & relaxation with Stacey. I wanted to take this opportunity to write you and let you know how proud I am of each and every one of you. Over the last five weeks we have seen some incredible momentum at Live Youth Church. Our St. Patty’s Day Bash tied an all-time attendance high for us and we have grown through two very successful Live After Parties. Your friends, the ones you have been boldly inviting to church, have been making decisions to follow Christ week after week. As a ministry, we are all truly living the adventure together.

Stacey and I have been your youth pastors for seven years (with more to come) and it seems like we’ve been praying, hoping, and believing for ministry like this since we started. I want you to know that this great momentum we’re riding is merely the beginning of what God wants to do in and through us. When Jesus told Peter what his purpose would be in the God’s Kingdom he said that upon him he would BUILD his church and the gates of Hell would not overcome it. That word build sticks out to me. God has been building His church right in our midst and this is only the beginning. I want you to join in on the fun; being on His construction crew is the best job imaginable.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories that help illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. The stories are about a lost sheep, lost coin, and perhaps the most famous, the lost (prodigal) son. Each of these stories helps us understand the truth about our Dad in Heaven.

In all three stories something is lost. Wow, amazing observation huh? Keep reading. In each of the stories Jesus tells the lost item is incredibly valuable. So valuable in fact that even though the shepherd who already has 99 “found” sheep he leaves them to go after the ONE.

God feels the same way about US! Let me put it to you this way, Even if 99% of our population was born-again and in right standing with God, He would still want us to go after the 1%. Let’s all have that mindset when we walk our campuses and put in our time at work. Lost people are incredibly important to God. “He is not willing that any would perish…”

You’ll also notice that in the stories Jesus tells the lost item requires an all out search by the one who's responsible for the item. The shepherd searches for the sheep; the woman calls friends to help her find the coin, and we can only imagine, the father of the lost son had contacts giving him updates on his son’s whereabouts.

Finally, I want you to see that when what was lost becomes found it’s time to party! I certainly hope you feel that same sense of amazement and accomplishment I feel when we reach your friends and win them to Jesus. The Bible tells us that all Heaven stops and rejoices when one person chooses Jesus. This past month Heaven has been stopping to party a lot thanks to each one of you who have been inviting and bringing students to Live.

In light of all that has been happening I want to say this one thing, "Let’s keep going." Let’s not quit, give up, or get tired. We are just scratching the surface of what God will do through us. Let’s help Him build. However you can with whatever you’ve got! I love you and maybe even more importantly I believe in YOU! God has placed you where you are for a reason. Leverage your relationships. Let’s connect people in our community, schools, and places of work to the God of grace. Don't ever get tired of serving, loving, caring for, and reaching people for Christ. By the way, the kind of work we're involved in has a benefit package that is out of this world!

Grace,

Andy

2010 Breakfast Cereal Champion

Congratulations to Lucky Charms for winning the 2010 Breakfast Cereal Challenge. I'm sure this will boost sales nation wide for this General Mills juggernaut.

It was a lot of fun doing this challenge, next year I think we'll do a tournament with the best candy bars. In the meantime keep checking in on this blog as I write about other fun stuff, my family and my faith.

Thanks for participating,

Andy

Time to Crown a Champion

Well here we are. After the dust has settled only two cereals remain, Lucky Charms and Golden Grahams. Today the voting for the finals in the Breakfast Cereal Challenge has begun. You can vote through Sunday as many times as your heart desires. Make sure to tell others to support your cause.

Polls will close Sunday at midnight; let's try to get over 100 votes for this VERY important match.

Good luck and may the best cereal win.