Stale Fish Saran Wrap

A couple of years ago Sue gave me tickets to a motocross freestyle event in Dallas. I’ve never felt more loved. She looked deeply into my soul and found a birthday gift only a wife who is tuned into the passions of her man’s heart could find. We headed down to Dallas for the spectacle that is freestyle motocross. My expectations were high. As the live metal band kicked into its ear shattering set the energy of the stadium was crazy. Then the two hour onslaught of Nac Nacs, Lazyboys, Stale Fish Saran Wraps, Cordovas, McMetzes, and No Footed Back Flips began. It was electric. It was way beyond my expectations.

God has really been dealing in my heart about how flippantly we spend time in His presence. How can we come into His presence, whether in our daily relationship with Him or when we come to church, completely void of any awe or reverence of God’s power and holiness? I know this seems like a big leap from motofreestyle, but hang with me. I was reading accounts of different people in the Bible who came into the presence of God. Isaiah immediately was overwhelmed by his filth and unholiness before a holy, powerful God. Moses was filled with fear and hid his face when God spoke to him in a burning bush. The man whose name would be changed to Paul was blinded by God’s presence. John fell as if dead. Why is it that I can watch a guy on a motorcycle do a “Kiss of Death” across a 90 foot gap and feel like I can die a completed man, but when I open up the living breathing Word of God I give it the same respect as the sports section of the newspaper. How can I scream like a lunatic in a stadium packed with rednecks and stand in the presence of God with my church family and act like I’m in high school detention?

I believe many of our issues stem from extremely low expectations. I want to challenge us all to think honestly about how we approach God. What do you expect when you open up the Bible? Are you looking for God to speak to you from His living, breathing Word? Are you searching for the answers to your life? Do you expect to be challenged – to be changed? 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” When you pray do you really think of it as speaking to Holy God and Creator of the universe? Do you believe it makes any difference if you pray or not? James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” When you go to church what do you expect - to be entertained, see friends or do you wonder why you are even there? Read I Kings 8. How did Solomon feel about church?

We are allowed to get a glimpse of the glory of God. Think about what that means. How crazy is it that we have a relationship with immortal, omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful, all loving God and we cavalierly prance through the ritual because that’s what we do to be religious. How we approach God says so much about our relationship with Him. Empty ritual may help us feel better about ourselves because we are able to check it off the Christian “to-do” list, but it is an empty sacrifice to God – a stench in His nostrils. I’m convinced that if God would give us a small look at how we could live, we would be appalled by our current existence. Enough of empty rituals, it’s time to seek God and actually believe we will find him.

--Pastor Dennis

Leadership is on my mind...in my heart.

I’ve just recently finished the first ever all-church leadership introduction forum for LifePoint Church. Under 3 years into our plant and we had 70+ people in attendance. I’m stoked about the group of phenomenal people that filled the room. Every area of the church and multiple levels of leadership were represented. I have to celebrate a great team of leaders called the Key Ministry leaders of LifePoint. They are the strategic leaders of ministry and environments at LifePoint and have worked tirelessly to assemble this group of front-line leadership. They are a huge blessing to the Elder Council and doing an incredible job of training and equipping people to minister.

Leadership was becoming a bottleneck for LifePoint. We have not had bad leadership, or even a lack of, but our previous model to raise up new leaders was no longer adequate. It all started several months ago when we began praying, planning and searching for a third full-time staff position for LifePoint. I knew this was our logical next step in development and no doubt, we desperately needed it. As we worked to create a process to accomplish this task there was a constant hesitation in my spirit. I was never fully sure why, but knew something was stirring. As we progressed through the interviewing process, I never sensed a peace from the Lord. The Lord began to turn my heart away from ‘candidates’ and toward engineering pathways. I had never considered this as a way to accomplish what we currently needed, but rather thought it would come later in our development. It seems I was wrong. The Lord began to give us favor with people and we caught some traction with the internship program. We are still in the early stages of fully developing what it will look like, but the Lord is using this to build a vision in me to not only raise up leaders in the church, but also to create an environment for leaders of churches to be raised up.

The one compelling factor that Jesus is using within me is his vision of the harvest. When I read how he looked upon the crowds of people and saw the harvest, I’m convicted that my expectation of harvest is nothing like his. I’ve sold his vision short. I’ve expected too little. I’ve been much too satisfied with a few when he has seen the multitudes ready to be harvested for the Kingdom of God. I’ve too often envisioned a harvest that I could achieve and not one that only the King could bring about. I’ve repented. I’m asking Jesus to show me his harvest…to see what He sees…to envision the harvest that he wants. I’m becoming consumed with the harvest. I’m praying for laborers. The Lord is answering my prayers. Pray with me.

I’m not completely sure all that will develop through the new ‘leadership farm system’ that we are creating, but I am positive that new leaders will be raised up for the fame of Jesus. I have three immediate goals in mind to guide me. I want to create a pathway whereby new leaders can constantly be identified, engaged and trained. I want to create a community of encouragement and equipping for leaders, where the Gospel is richly growing in people’s lives and the stories of redemption are ridiculously abundant. I want to create a culture where leadership is celebrated and aspired unto, where every person sees a new challenge and senses a fresh calling, a move of holy resonation that will require surrender, sacrifice and suffering in order to be honored to participate in the King’s harvest story…and they joyfully say “Yes”! Come…join the move of God called LifePoint.

--Pastor Lane