Down Time

After a very busy spring leading up to Easter Sunday, Rachel and I loaded the Tahoe, packed up the girls, and headed 8 hours down the road to spend a week with my mom in Dallas--thank God for lots of beef jerky and a DVD player with "I Love Lucy" re-runs. It makes those long trips bearable! (What did our parents ever do with us before the age of technology? You can only play "I spy" and count Volkswagons for so long before you end up declaring war and marking off your "do-not-cross-this-line" space in the back seat.)

It was a great time to let off the accelerator of life and get caught up with what's happening in the world of sports. I must have watched a dozen hours of ESPN Classic, getting caught up on the past 15 years I have gone without cable! It's amazing what you can learn by watching old news...I just found out that Larry Bird retired from the Boston Celtics--just teasing...it's not that bad.

One of the highlights of our time off was the day we went to the Galleria and decided to try out some ice skating. The girls have never seen snow before, much less gone ice skating. Talk about "down time." I think I spent more time being down than I did standing up! Word of wisdom to all you rookie ice skaters like me: never do an intense leg workout 24 hours before you try your luck on ice...it can be brutal! Alexa, is my little ice princess. She's never seen a risk that she didn't like to take. Mikaela, on the other hand, took a lot more convincing before she reluctantly strapped on the blades and held on for dear life! It took some creativity and a lot of perspiration to do our laps around the rink, but we finally found a way that worked. I scooped her in with my right arm, pinned her little body between my knees so her skates were on the ice, and grabbed the rail to pull us forward with my left arm (do not try this at home without the help of a trained professional). I've been walking funny for the past 4 days!! If you've been praying about how to kill your pride and destroy the "cool-factor" that can hinder your spiritual development, I think I have the revelation you've been looking for.

Rest and recreation are two important components of God's plan for our spiritual and emotional health. If you've been runnin' and gunnin' with little time for either, make sure you carve out time soon to include them in your routine. It will help you laugh at yourself more, learn about life easier, and love those around you better!

Easter 2006

What an incredible experience we had at the River Center this Sunday! The countless hours of planning, the weeks of prayer and fasting, the muscle used in setting things up, the choir practices, the creativity, the give-aways and outreaches, the massive energy and spiritual push--it all culminated in an amazing time of spiritual discovery for over 7000 people. I am so proud of our staff and volunteers. I have never seen a group of people stay so focused and work any harder than our very own HPCers. I heard that Lance LeBlanc and Toby Bohl never went home Saturday night--now that's commitment! Rachel and I are humbled to be connected to so many great men and women who are sold out to the vision of our house.

Anytime you take a risk for the kingdom and step outside your circles of comfort, you can be guaranteed two things: 1) God will kiss it and pour His favor on it 2) it will stir up opposition--including religious spirits. The blessings on this city-wide event were obvious. But it was unfortunate to see a group of people with signs, yelling outside the arena in protest of our service. It created confusion in some and incited anger in others. My heart was grieved. It was obvious what the devil was trying to do: use the misguided passion of a handful of people to create a distraction from the primary purpose of the day--the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior!!

Opposition like this is nothing new to Jesus. He didn't even bat an eye at the small gathering of sign-wearers and screamers outside the arena. He came up against religious spirits in His day all the time--they were called the Pharisees.

Instead of being drawn into debate and playing right into the enemy's hand, our church responded with grace, dignity, and the spirit of Christ. One of the marks of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control, resisting the temptation to jump into a situation on fleshly impulse. The fame of Jesus was not tarnished Easter Sunday. In fact, he was exalted in such a mighty way, that nearly 100 people stepped out of their seats and came to the front to commit their lives to Christ! Don't you know that gave the devil a black eye!!

I love what the prophet Isaiah said in chapter 54 of his book: "But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong..." The Bible didn't say that weapons would not be formed against us--or protesters wouldn't shout at us. It said that the weapons formed against us would not be successful! Ha! The proof: 100 people born again. I think that's a sign I could wear around my neck for a long time!!

CFNI

I had the wonderful opportunity this week to travel to Dallas, TX, and minister at one of the foremost Bible colleges in America--Christ for the Nations Institute. CFNI is a ministry training center with an incredible history of raising up generations that have shaped the spiritual landscape of this country and many others for over 6 decades. It was berthed by a man named Gordan Lindsay with a vision to equip and send men and women to the nations with the Gospel.

A good friend of mine, Adam McCain, now serves as director of the school and invited me to spend a week speaking into the lives of these future world-changers. When I first arrived Sunday night and checked into my room, I began to read the story behind CFNI and was blown away. The size of the ministry, the global impact, all the great men and women who have ministered there before...I was absolutely intimidated! I saw pictures of people like Reinhard Bonnke, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Jack Hayford, Wellington Boone, Tommy Barnett, Tony Evans, Miles Munroe, Ron Luce, John Bevere--this was a who's who of the Christian zoo!!

Suddenly, I felt microscopic--like an amoeba in a sea of spiritual giants. Then God reminded me of how small all of us are compared to his massive glory and strength. I was not there to make a name for myself--my purpose was to represent One infinitely bigger than me! My life should be one continual effort in making Jesus famous, and the only way I can accomplish that is if I become anonymous. John said it best in his gospel: "He must increase, and I must decrease." I realize that I'm just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, about Somebody, that can save anybody!

We had an amazing week learning, laughing, and growing together. I don't know what God accomplished in those students, but I will never forget what He did in me!

The Blessings of the House

With Easter quickly approaching, HPC buzzing with activity, the release of our brand new worship album "Wonder of the World" and the countless testimonies of God changing lives all around us, I came across a verse in Psalm 26 that sums up perfectly what God is doing in my own heart. In verse 8, the psalmist David says, "I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glory shines." I absolutely love what God is doing in our house at Healing Place Church because the glory of the Lord is on display--it shines all across this community!! I love experiencing the presence of God during worship. I'm challenged by the preaching and teaching I hear. Sharing life with others in biblical community has brought my walk with God to a level I could not achieve on my own. There is no other place I would rather be--no other vision I would rather be serving under.

When I inventory the things I enjoy most in my life, I can always trace it back to a connection to the house of God. I gave my life to Christ as a boy after walking an isle and kneeling at an altar in church. I met and married my wife in church. Both of my daughters were dedicated to the Lord in His house. Through God's house, I have built relationships with my closest friends, discovered my calling, and now use my gifts and talents to serve my generation. My purpose and destiny are completely tied to the local church.

I believe that the church is God's primary agent to reach the world. We are plan A--there is no plan B. When Jesus sacrificed His life on a cross and rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven to be with the Father. What's amazing, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to continue His work! The hope of the world now rests in the hands of the church! Wow! What a calling--what a responsibility--what an opportunity!

If you are not currently plugged into a Bible-believing, life-giving church, let me encourage you to do that now. If you're in the Baton Rouge area, come worship with us this Easter at the River Center. Where ever you are as you read this, seek out a group of men and women who can walk with you, grow with you, and challenge you to a whole new level of living. You will discover your destiny when you commit to God's house!

Decision Making for Dummies

I am really pumped about our current teaching series called "Decision Making for Dummies"--maybe because I have made my share of totally dumb decisions! Haven't you? Have you ever made a decision that at the time seemed perfectly logical, only to look back and wonder, "Man, what in the world was I thinking?" What made perfect sense at the beginning, turned out to be a BAD idea. As we have gone through this study, we have laughed at our own folly, cried at the hands of our own regret, and been comforted to know that we're not alone. Our approach has been light-hearted, but the topic has been anything but lightweight.

I truly believe that the quality of our lives will be determined by our ability to make wise choices. Fortunately, God does not leave us to our own demise or passively watch as we stumble in darkness trying to find our way. In John chapter 10, He compares Himself to a shepherd that calls us by name and leads us out. He gathers us, walks ahead of us, and guarantees to mark out a path for us to follow...because we recognize His voice. You see, that's the key to making wise decisions: hearing His voice. When we listen to wrong voices, we make wrong choices.

Good decisions are the result of hearing the voice of God...and in order to hear God's voice, we must spend time with Him--it's that simple! All of us can look in our review mirror and be filled with regret over some poor choices we have made in the past--maybe choices independent of wise counsel or Godly wisdom. Regret has a powerful way of blurring the lines between what we can and cannot change. I've learned two things about regret: (1) If there is something you can fix, then fix it and move on. (2) If there is nothing you can do about it, then make your peace with God and move on...either way, you have to move on!

Don't miss the final week of this teaching. We'll more than likely offer it as a complete set on CD later this spring. God bless you as you continue to seek His leadership in making wise decisions!