This will be my final blog post for awhile. I've done some reflecting and even been coached on whether to keep this blog going, and I feel that now is the time to end it.
When I look at what energizes me, if I'm really honest with myself, blogging is not one of those things. I blog (irregularly) more out of a feeling of obligation rather than believing I really have something significant to share in this format. My primary audiences are individuals and small groups, and I need that personal interaction and give and take to know that I'm really contributing to one's life, so this is a difficult format for me.
Speaking of what energizes me and when I know I'm contributing, if you, or anyone you know would like to receive coaching, please email me at jon@fccphx.com. I love helping people accomplish more in their life through coaching.
I appreciate all who have been regular readers. Thanks for checking my page for new posts and for reading what I've written. I'll let you know if I start up again!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Our Most Important Command
The most important command we have from Jesus is found in Matthew 28:19-20a. "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (NIV)
I grew up in the church and but was never discipled. I was taught the importance of accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior, but not what it meant to be a disciple or how to make other disciples. It wasn't until my first position as a church staff member in California that I was discipled in relationship with other guys. I remember thinking, "why hasn't anybody taught me this before?" I committed myself to discipling others, and when we went to our next church in Indiana I began to develop relationships with guys who I thought I might disciple.
I went through a discipleship process with a few guys over the time we lived there, and they subsequently discipled other guys. They gave me my first spiritual grandchildren. The guys they discipled have discipled other guys who have discipled other guys, and I now have at least spiritual great-great grandchildren. I've also discipled some guys here in Phoenix who have discipled others. It's amazing what God does when we obey His command to make disciples.
Have you ever been discipled? I'd love for you to leave a comment below to share your discipling experience.
I grew up in the church and but was never discipled. I was taught the importance of accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior, but not what it meant to be a disciple or how to make other disciples. It wasn't until my first position as a church staff member in California that I was discipled in relationship with other guys. I remember thinking, "why hasn't anybody taught me this before?" I committed myself to discipling others, and when we went to our next church in Indiana I began to develop relationships with guys who I thought I might disciple.
I went through a discipleship process with a few guys over the time we lived there, and they subsequently discipled other guys. They gave me my first spiritual grandchildren. The guys they discipled have discipled other guys who have discipled other guys, and I now have at least spiritual great-great grandchildren. I've also discipled some guys here in Phoenix who have discipled others. It's amazing what God does when we obey His command to make disciples.
Have you ever been discipled? I'd love for you to leave a comment below to share your discipling experience.
Monday, November 28, 2011
What's Your Plan for Your Life?
Last year, I began to get serious about having a life plan. What's a life plan? A life plan is an intentional direction you point your life in order to end up where you want. Most of us go through life as spectators and reactors, allowing life to happen to us. A life plan allows you to be proactive and intentional instead.
I'm linking to Michael Hyatt's e-book on Creating Your Personal Life Plan. I strongly encourage you to read his post, download the e-book, and get to work on creating your own life plan. It has been very beneficial to me personally by helping me stay on course with what I have determined to be important to my life and where I want to end up.
I'd love to hear from you. Do you have a life plan? What keeps you from doing one?
I'm linking to Michael Hyatt's e-book on Creating Your Personal Life Plan. I strongly encourage you to read his post, download the e-book, and get to work on creating your own life plan. It has been very beneficial to me personally by helping me stay on course with what I have determined to be important to my life and where I want to end up.
I'd love to hear from you. Do you have a life plan? What keeps you from doing one?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
An Immersion Experience
A few weeks ago, the other guys on the leadership team and a couple of our Elders and I had the opportunity to participate in a training experience in Idaho titled "Immersion 1." The event is hosted and led by Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, ID. This is a church that began 11 years ago with 4 people meeting in a home and now has over 8.000 attend their weekend services. The point of the conference, and it is something that RLM does very well, is to help churches focus on their primary goal - making disciples who make disciples.
This conference brought great clarity and conviction to our team that we are on the right path with our vision and mission, but we need the laser focus on our goal - making disciples who make disciples. We were created for relationship with God, but we were also created for relationship with one another. Without relationship with one another, we are not complete. Our relationship with God and with others is the key to becoming, and making, disciples.
Jesus told those who would become His disciples, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." From this, we can see that:
This conference brought great clarity and conviction to our team that we are on the right path with our vision and mission, but we need the laser focus on our goal - making disciples who make disciples. We were created for relationship with God, but we were also created for relationship with one another. Without relationship with one another, we are not complete. Our relationship with God and with others is the key to becoming, and making, disciples.
Jesus told those who would become His disciples, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." From this, we can see that:
- A disciple is one who is committed to following Christ - has made Jesus Lord of their life. Luke 9:23; John 8:31 - being changed at the head level.
- A disciple is one who is committed to being changed by Christ - is becoming like Christ in attitude and action. John 15:8; Romans 8:29; Galatians 5:22; John 13:35 - moving God from the head level to the heart level.
- A disciple is one who is committed to the mission of Christ - the ministry of reconciliation. John 15:8; Matthew 4:19; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 - when people know God - head - and their relationship with God begins to change their heart, that's when they begin to engage - putting their faith in action with their hands.
Our goal at FCC-Phoenix is to make disciples who make disciples by connecting with God, growing together, and serving others to see real life change in Central Phoenix. I'm really excited we are on this journey together.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Too Busy to Connect with God?
One of the common complaints I hear from people is how busy they, and everyone they know, are. I was struck by a passage from Luke 5 that speaks to how busy Jesus was and how He responded. After healing a leper in verse 13, Jesus instructs the man not to tell anyone about it but to go to the priest and present himself as clean. But word about what Jesus did got out, and "the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses."
What a ministry opportunity! Crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed. I can see the disciples telling Him, "Jesus, all our dreams are coming true! Look at the crowds of people coming to hear you and to be healed by you! This is great!" But then verse 16 throws us a curve: "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Why would He do that? People had come to listen to Him teach. They had come to be healed. But Jesus thinks it is important enough to withdraw to lonely places to pray.
I think there is a significant lesson for us in this. In the midst of our busyness; in the midst of all of the "good" things we are doing, are we connecting to the source of our strength? Are we spending time talking to, and listening to, God? Do we know what we are missing out on when we are too busy to connect with God? I want to encourage you to carve out some times during the day to connect with God. Just plan on a few minutes several times a day just to quiet yourself and to talk to and listen to God. I believe you will be surprised at what it will do for you.
What do you need to do to make time to connect with God?
I want to encourage you to click on this link to watch a powerful video from International Justice Mission. Then determine how God wants you to respond. Go ahead, ask Him.
What a ministry opportunity! Crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed. I can see the disciples telling Him, "Jesus, all our dreams are coming true! Look at the crowds of people coming to hear you and to be healed by you! This is great!" But then verse 16 throws us a curve: "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Why would He do that? People had come to listen to Him teach. They had come to be healed. But Jesus thinks it is important enough to withdraw to lonely places to pray.
I think there is a significant lesson for us in this. In the midst of our busyness; in the midst of all of the "good" things we are doing, are we connecting to the source of our strength? Are we spending time talking to, and listening to, God? Do we know what we are missing out on when we are too busy to connect with God? I want to encourage you to carve out some times during the day to connect with God. Just plan on a few minutes several times a day just to quiet yourself and to talk to and listen to God. I believe you will be surprised at what it will do for you.
What do you need to do to make time to connect with God?
I want to encourage you to click on this link to watch a powerful video from International Justice Mission. Then determine how God wants you to respond. Go ahead, ask Him.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Be On Your Guard
We're going through Andy Stanley's book Enemies of the Heart, and yesterday's message I preached was dealing with Greed and it's antidote - Generosity. In Luke 12 Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (vs. 15 - NIV) At the end of the parable of the rich fool, Jesus warns us that those who store up things for themselves but are not rich towards God will lose everything.
In his book, Stanley recommends that we ask 2 very important questions of God and ourselves: "Why do I have so much?"; and "Lord, what do you want me to do with the extra that I do have?" The answer to both is to be generous. If we are willing to look into our hearts and deal with our selfishness, we can really be generous and do some good Kingdom work with our finances! Be rich towards God and those in need (see Matthew 25:31-46)! Be generous with the time, talents, and treasure He's given you and don't use it all on yourself!
Post your response below with how you answer the question, "why do I have so much?"
We had another great day of service this last Saturday working on 40 different projects for Serve Sunnyslope. We tried moving the projects into our neighborhoods where we live and meet, and from everything I've heard it was a great success. Thanks to everyone who came out to serve and help us accomplish our mission to connect, grow, and serve.
It was so great to see 3 more baptisms this last Sunday! God is on the move and we continue to have increasing numbers of baptisms over these last 2 years. As Perry Noble says, seeing people get baptized "never gets old!"
In his book, Stanley recommends that we ask 2 very important questions of God and ourselves: "Why do I have so much?"; and "Lord, what do you want me to do with the extra that I do have?" The answer to both is to be generous. If we are willing to look into our hearts and deal with our selfishness, we can really be generous and do some good Kingdom work with our finances! Be rich towards God and those in need (see Matthew 25:31-46)! Be generous with the time, talents, and treasure He's given you and don't use it all on yourself!
Post your response below with how you answer the question, "why do I have so much?"
We had another great day of service this last Saturday working on 40 different projects for Serve Sunnyslope. We tried moving the projects into our neighborhoods where we live and meet, and from everything I've heard it was a great success. Thanks to everyone who came out to serve and help us accomplish our mission to connect, grow, and serve.
It was so great to see 3 more baptisms this last Sunday! God is on the move and we continue to have increasing numbers of baptisms over these last 2 years. As Perry Noble says, seeing people get baptized "never gets old!"
Monday, October 17, 2011
Catching Up
I'm loving the current message series we are in: Enemies of the Heart. It's based on Andy Stanley's book by the same name, and it is a great book. We have some for sale each Sunday, or you can order one here. If you've missed either of the first 2 weeks, listen to Chuck's messages here. I challenge you to read the book and listen to the messages and let God work on you.
This Saturday, October 22, is another Serve Sunnyslope day for FCC-Phoenix. Be at our campus at 7 am on Saturday to get connected to a job in your neighborhood (or where we need you!) where you can serve.
We are collecting a Thank Offering on November 20 to benefit some ministry partners: Missions of Hope International in Nairobi, Kenya; Tornado Relief in Joplin, MO; and New City Church right here in Phoenix. Our goal is to receive a $25,000 offering that day to share with these ministries. Our hope is that giving to the Thank Offering will be over and above your normal giving as we all have so much to be thankful for. Thanks for sharing generously with us in this special way.
In September, June and I were able to take a 5 day trip into the beautiful mountains of northeast New Mexico. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary which was in last August. The weather was great (we enjoyed the nice cool temps!), the scenery was beautiful, and we really enjoyed hiking and exploring the area and our time together. We're very grateful to some friends for making this trip possible!
See you Sunday.
This Saturday, October 22, is another Serve Sunnyslope day for FCC-Phoenix. Be at our campus at 7 am on Saturday to get connected to a job in your neighborhood (or where we need you!) where you can serve.
We are collecting a Thank Offering on November 20 to benefit some ministry partners: Missions of Hope International in Nairobi, Kenya; Tornado Relief in Joplin, MO; and New City Church right here in Phoenix. Our goal is to receive a $25,000 offering that day to share with these ministries. Our hope is that giving to the Thank Offering will be over and above your normal giving as we all have so much to be thankful for. Thanks for sharing generously with us in this special way.
In September, June and I were able to take a 5 day trip into the beautiful mountains of northeast New Mexico. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary which was in last August. The weather was great (we enjoyed the nice cool temps!), the scenery was beautiful, and we really enjoyed hiking and exploring the area and our time together. We're very grateful to some friends for making this trip possible!
See you Sunday.
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