Wow 4 weeks have come and gone since my last entry, time is screaming by. In the last 4 weeks we have preached in Noosa, attended the prayer and fasting summit in Port Stephens, bought a new home and moved in, done lots of renovations, yard clearing, we discovered a pond in the front yard and rockwalls in the back yard and best of all the views from Surfers through to Q1.

This house was so overgrown!

Proverbs 24:30-34 (NLT)
I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one lacking sense. [31] I saw that it was overgrown with thorns. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.


Proverbs 24 tells us that the consequences of a “little sleep a little slumber” are not emptiness but the wrong kind of fullness.
Our abdication does not prevent growth it just allows the wrong kind of growth to develop.
The seeds that we sow whether good or bad will produce some form of growth in our lives.

You and I have fruit growing right now, good or bad we will produce something!

Not so smart

Last week I shared on another of the names of God in our aka:God series. Jehovah Roeh which means “The Lord is our Shepherd”. It also means to be companions, to associate with, to be a special friend, to shepherd, ruler, teacher.
In the bible a shepherd was responsible for the welfare of his sheep. His role was one of bring guidance, safety and security to get his sheep from one place to another. But if God is our shepherd what does that make us?
Wouldn't it be nicer to be likened to a lion, or maybe anything else that even resembles strength? But the truth is we are like sheep, fearful, prone to disease, easily lead astray, follow the crowd and sometimes not real smart...have a look at the video.

Do we see what He see's

I am presently sitting at Gold Coast airport waiting to catch a plane to Sydney so I can drive to Nowra for one of my friends opening of his new church facility. Its pelting down rain and all the arriving planes have been diverted. I hate waiting and even more tormenting not knowing, I really hate not knowing. Are we flying from here, will I make it in time, will I even get out?
Genesis 22 is one of the great bible stories of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is about to sacrifice his son when at the 11.59 and 55 seconds God interrupts (I like those interruptions) and tells him to stop. As they lift there eyes there is a ram caught in a thicket which Abraham swaps out for his son. And Abraham's response! "You are Jehovah Jireh" which means the Lord see's and provides". What a great reminder when we are stuck at 11.59 with seemingly no way out, The Lord see's and provides. Thank God that His eyesight is better than ours.

Who moved the stone 2?

We pick up this story in Matthew 15 and Jesus is again confronting some Pharisees about their perspective about the disciples not washing their hands. Bottom line is they were angry because the disciples seemed to be ignoring these customs.
These few verses I think capture our leadership success or failure better than any other verse.

Matthew 15:15-20 (NLT)
Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat."
[16] "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. [17] "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body.

Even the Pharisees didn’t argue with that one!

[18] But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. [19] For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. [20] These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"

If we have heart problems we will have leadership problems. Just as a healthy lung can’t cover for a bad heart good leadership, great with people doesn’t make up for a corrupt heart.

A. What’s inside ultimately gets reflected on the outside.
1. Our words reflect the condition of our hearts (v. 18).
When we say, “I didn’t mean that,” the truth is that we didn’t mean to say that, but . . . we meant it. It was in our hearts and slipped out. In those unguarded moments, our hearts are revealed.
2. Our actions reflect the condition of our hearts (v. 19).
In youth ministry, parents would say about their kids, “He’s got a good heart, he just got into a little trouble.”—WRONG. Your child’s heart is fouled up. It’s a heart problem, not just a behavioral problem.

More next time!

Moving Fast

Here is a great video that reminds us just how important it is to stay relevant with what is taking place around us. Although often viewed as "unspiritual" technology is still the best way to reach as many people as we can.

Who moved the stone?

Just got back from a week at church planting school in Sydney with about 120 keen emerging planters, what a great time. Nothing better than being in an atmosphere where people are hungry to give their lives to building the church. That thrills the hearts of us guys on the leadership team because we have given the rest of our lives to seeing the church become the relevant force that it was always destined to be. I see the biggest challenge to growing churches isn't the unchurched. They want God its the church, as they know it, that is their problem. Their lives are under incredible stress and pressure, they come looking for answers and the we fulfil their greatest suspicions....that the Church doesn't have any answers.
But this is what we have all given our lives to, to see changed.
On Monday night I shared from Luke 12 where Jesus was talking with the then leaders of the faith.

Luke 12:1 (NLT)
Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and crushing each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—beware of their hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy: an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction
Its acting as if you are something that you are not
The church leaders of the day wanted to change the boundaries between:
· What is acceptable and what is not
· What is good and what is evil
· What is right and what is wrong.
What used to be called sexual perversion is now called ones “sexual preference”.
What once was living in sin is now an “alternate lifestyle”.

And this is the tension that as we spend longer in the leadership process the greater the temptation can be. That we start to blur the lines of our core convictions. None of us started of thinking about money, the fact that we even got paid to work at the church was overwhelming. To get asked to preach somewhere was huge in itself, but then to find out that they give you an offering as well!! Any home, hotel, caravan park was a joy to stay in you were just thrilled to be asked to preach somewhere. But now your decisions may be more about the size of the offering or the crowd or the rating of the hotel before you decide whether to go or not.

Proverbs 22:28 (NIV)
Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

Moral authority is when we lead from who we are and not what we say. Its when our character talks more to people than our words do. Its when we lead from the integrity of our lives. Not all that our fore fathers did or said needs to be embraced but not all of it needs to be brushed aside. There are some characteristics that they had that we need...more on that tomorrow.

Love hate

I have a few love hate relationships. One is exercise, I love what it does in my body but I hate getting motivated to go. Another is hot chips, I love them early but I hate what they do to me and a third one is fasting. I love the spiritual impact that takes place in my life but I hate the process of giving up food. Our church has just begun its 12 day fast with a heart to say God let me place you first in all I do this year. Easier said than done!
I read this verse this morning and it is a beauty for someone who is fore going food to seek God.

Job 23:12 (NIV) I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

What a place to come to. When our desperation exceeds our comfort!