I SURRENDER!

Listen to this story that I had the honor of hearing:

A woman came into a courtroom asking for orders against her ex-husband. She was haggard with emotion, nervous and upset to the point that she seemed ill. Trembling, she related at length how bad her ex-husband was, how ever since their divorce he had been poisoning her son’s mind against her and was constantly interfering with their relationship.

She seemed a bit old to have a young child at home, so the attorney interrupted and asked the age of her son.

"He’s just turned 32," she said.

"Oh," said the attorney, "And how long ago was the divorce?"
"About 17 years," she said.

This woman had made her divorce a career, a way of life! 
Do you know of anyone like this?  Does this sound like anyone you know?  Is it you?

This woman and many like her are trapped in a prison of idolatry - because the focus here is herself.  It is her story, her life, her topic - I can tell you that people avoid this woman like the plague because of her self-centeredness.   Wholeness will never come to her until she surrenders - and it is true for each one of us too - wholeness, health, life will never come to us until we surrender that which is keeping us the center of our own attention. 

Truth is it isn't just about the negative things like divorce, death, depression, addictions, that keep us in the prison of self.  Good things like our families, churches, jobs, money, possessions also keep us from being free.  These must be surrendered just like the bad things, they keep us focused on ourselves, instead of God.

Surrender today.

WHO IS YOUR GOD?

Have you joined the journey the last two weeks? Have you been thinking about what it means if life isn’t about you?

So many have been told all of our lives that life is about “ me” – and that it is what I think and about what I do that is important. But there it is – one line at the beginning of a powerful book: “It’s not about you.”

The journey has started with focus? Where do we look? Who is God in our lives? Is it me or is it somthing I possess? Is it cash or a job? Family or social standing? What is God in our lives? Who is God in our lives? This is a very important question for each one of us. I think it has a relatively easy answer that I would like to share. Our God is the person, place or thing that we turn to in our hour of need. Where do you turn when there seems to be nowhere else to turn? The answer to this question is your God.

Even those in the church have a hard time with this question, maybe most of all. We are supposed to have “the” answer, the God of gods! But I also know that I have kept God in my little “God-Box’ many a time, when if I had simply let him out to be powerful, life-changing, life-giving my life would have been hugely different.

When faced with a trial, a temptation, a struggle or in the face of suffering we often turn to our own strength, our own devices, our own answers instead of trusting the one who is big enough to take care of all the issues. Even life-long church members are known to only go to the Lord in prayer as a last ditch effort.

Today I want to encourage you to answer the question:

“Who is my God?”

I hope you will answer this question with Psalmist’s answer found in Psalm 145:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you.

Have a great week -

Pastor David

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!

This is the first line in Rick Warren's book - The Purpose Driven Life and in my opinion it is one of the most powerful lines ever written and here is why.


Each and everyone of us has two choices in life - we can choose to live for ourselves or we can choose to live for God. Now I know - we have lots of sub-categories that we think tell the world we are living for others... - things like our job, our families, our children, even our church. But all of these things - are about ourselves. So there two choices for who we are going to live for.

The choices I believe are choices of focus. We can focus on ourselves, our desires or we can focus on God and God's desires. Scripture tells us clearly that we can live for one or the other - but not for both. (Matt. 6:24) So which will it be for you? If life is really just about me - then it is just about you and I don't think it really can be both. Because we already know that if it is only about me - or only about you - then we will want what we want and won't care about what the other one gets - as long as we get ours...... It becomes a rather vicious circle really very quickly! But if it is about pleasing God instead of ourselves, then how we live will change - our focus will change from what "I" want to what God wants. Now here is the really cool thing - God wants you to have it all. Love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, happiness, understanding, hope, (Galatians 6:22) and more.

When we focus on what God wants for us do you know what happens? We get it all - Abundantly -(John 10:10) We end up being the blessed ones.

So what are you focused on today? Yourself & your own desires or God - and God's desires for you? Who do you think knows best?

Join us on the adventure - and live life to please God!

Pastor David

The Best Gift of All

Question:


What is the best gift YOU received this Christmas?

I think that the best gift I received this Christmas was the presence of people in my life. Having so many people come to our home for the open house. Having JaiLeigh here experiencing these two weeks. On Christmas Eve I was touched by the number of people in worship with us and how they responded to the arrival of hope that night. On Christmas my family touched the lives of the boys at our Allendale Shelter by fixing breakfast for the 10 boys and 5 staff members there. Then there were presents and the feeding of family and friends – and relaxing together because of Jesus coming. My Christmas continued with worship on Sunday and finding a gift here at the church and then more time with family Sunday afternoon. Christmas just kind of seemed to drag out – peacefully and wonderfully – the presence of people being so wonderful.

What I found to be true is that the best gift we can give is the same gift that God gave to us on the first Christmas – the gift of “presence.”  To be with – to spend time with, to include our loved ones in our day schedules – to touch lives with relationships that truly matter day to day.

Each gift that truly mattered to me this Christmas was the gift of presence – and I believe that this was true for each of you too. Your presence matters in the lives of the people who love you and whom you love.

As you get ready for the new year – I believe that the best resolution you can make is to be the best gift of all – to everyone you know and everyone you meet. Make your life a gift of presence – and really make a difference in your world.

Blessings with you on the journey!

YourPastorDude,

Pastor David

Excellence with A Common Purpose

Excellence with a Common Purpose


Question: What would happen if each one of us reading this article lived our lives with excellence for a common purpose? How would your life change?

How would your marriage relationship change if you and your spouse lived for a common purpose – only doing each and every task with excellence? How would your relationship with your children change if you lived by excellence with a common purpose? And what about the church? How would it change if every member lived by excellence with a common purpose? If the Pastor lived this way, worked this way, taught this way, preached this way? What if the choir sang this way? The greeters greeted this way? The ministry teams did ministry this way? Would there be a difference?

To live by excellence means to do everything we do to the very best standard – not just to our ability. To live by excellence means to strive to perform at a higher level in everything we do. To live by excellence means to aim higher, to live with greater distinction, quality, merit. To live by excellence means to no longer live with mediocrity. And what if we lived with a common purpose? Would that make a difference in our relationships? Paul says we are to live by watching out of the needs of others. (Phil. 2:4) In Acts 6:1-7 we read about how the church was mobilized for the first time to meet the needs of those who were suffering. The early church always moved with a common purpose.

We have a purpose at FCC in Gurnee – to be a community of intentional grace where people are loved, accepted and forgiven. What if every one of us in the church lived by excellence with this common purpose? What if we used our gifts to love God and love others? Accepted people as they really are with judgment or condemnation? And forgave as Jesus forgave?

I love this phrase. Why is this important? Because I believe that what you and I do here on this world today makes a difference for eternity and I am committing today as your Pastor to live this way beginning now.

See you Sunday!

Pastor David

http://www.disciplesgurnee.org/

Pursuing Love: 15 Minutes to a Better Life

15 minutes a day to change your life.


That is all it takes to start developing the mind of Christ in you. So many of you have told me that you want to be better followers of Jesus, that you want to know God’s will for your life, that you want to know the one who can change your life for the better. I have heard all the excuses, I know all the reasons you can’t, now I am telling you that you can. And all it will take is 15 minutes a day.

In 15 minutes a day you can set the stage for a better day. In 15 minutes a day you can prepare your heart to be open to helping others. In 15 minutes aday you can change your attitude, your financial status, your hopes and dreams. In 15 minutes a day you can change the world by changing your world. And it all starts as soon as you say I have 15 minutes!

This is because God’s word is living. It has a life of its own through you. It lives and moves inside you. This is because God’s word is powerful – able tochange the worst ones life for the good. This is because God’s word is penetrating - touching the deepest part of your life. This is because God’s word is discerning – able to tell you between good and evil, right and wrong, best and better.

The challenge to you is the 15 minutes. Do you think a better life is worth 15 minutes? Do you think a stronger faith is worth 15 minutes a day? Will you accept the challenge to spend 15 minutes a day in reading your bible. For the next 5 weeks you won’t even have to decide what to read – I will give you that. This first week I want you to read Matthew 5 - 7. 

That’s all. 3 chapters. Spend 15 minutes every day reading it. Let it soak into your soul, let it fill your mind. and let it change your life.

See you here next week -

Your Pastor Dude

Gurnee First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

What are we living for?

Make sure the thing you’re living for

is worth dying for.

– Charles Mayes

Found this quote and wondered what you were living for. What I am living for. What we are living for together.


Its a great question isn’t it? Can you think about that for a minute. Can you think about this question for a minute every day this week? Answers for this question I believe will change how we live our lives together. Are we living for ourselves? Our jobs? Our bank accounts? Our children? Our God? I want to know the answer to this question because how you answer this question determines how you will live! It is as simple as that.


If you are living for the love of others – you will love others. If you live for your bank account – you will live to make it grow. And if you are living for Jesus – you will live doing it what it takes to make Jesus your primary reason.

This week – check out Luke 18:18-30 and try answering the question. Send me an e-mail or a note to let me know what it is your are living for. 

See you on the journey!