My grandpa is in the hospital. Has been since last Friday. Will be until early next week.
I love him more than words on this blog can explain. Sorry. Not too much of a devotional. Just a sad grandson who really really loves his "pop"
He is in Legacy Hospital, Room 544, Salmon Creek. Pray for him if you can.
The verse that has just stuck in my heart is "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Super hard to be joyful. I love the verse in Nehemiah that says "The joy of the Lord is our strength". Joy is so critical, but can be so evasive, ya know? It is a good and a right response to God's gracious love, but nevertheless can be the most difficult response we can have. Maybe that is why it becomes our "strength"?
I pray and AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY POP!
He is my hero. He was married for 65 years to his bride. He never has had an enemy in his life. He accepted people genuinely and authentically. He was the only dad I have ever known.
He asked Jesus into his heart 12 years ago. I had the unspeakable privilege of leading him to Christ. I talked to him today, prayed with him and thanked him.
Life is short. AT BEST.
Love people. When the day is over it is all that matters.
Live like today is your last day. It really may be.
Leave a legacy like Pop. He accepted, loved and lived simply. A legacy begins today.
My eyes hurt and my heart is a bit heavier today than yesterday. Thanks for your prayers. Pop catalyzed the vision for Living Hope Church.
Thanks for listening, for your prayers and for your hearts.
John
I heard great things about the campus pastors this weekend.
19 different campuses, almost as many different speakers, yet with one message that for sure changed hundreds of lives.
If you can, take a minute and share the best thing about your campus experience this weekend.
I love spending time with the campus pastors almost every week. It is one of the highlights of my whole week. I love that we are one church that meets in a bunch of different locations and now in different countries. I love our campus leadership teams. I love that they love their communities.
I think that campuses can be the hardest to start, but can become the healthiest way to do church. To serve each other and do life together.
I think encouragement is such an important and powerful thing.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says, "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now..."
The author of Hebrews is writing to a group of people who were literally watching their friends and family members die for their faith. Not only die, but in some cases tortured. The early church was riddled with intense persecution, and they were "tempted" to walk away from their faith and return to Judaism, and the law. These Christians watched as religion died and grace was birthed in their midst. Talk about a cultural change. The ones who didn't shrink back changed the world.
I believe that churches and campuses that are healthy are churches that emphasize the work of Christ and the rest of grace. This thing called Living Hope is truly becoming "living hope" to the world around us.
It is our time to wake up to reality and opportunity. To NOT shrink back, or to "settle". The early church made history, and it is our turn. It won't come because of comfort or ease. It will happen by prayer, truth, grace, serving, dying to ourselves and living to God's purpose.
The author tells them to think of ways to encourage one another. Outbursts of love and good deeds.
The only way the church would survive was to not shrink back but get offensive. They really loved each other. They were really a team together. They shared everything. In the midst of the movement, they had to choose to work together. To accept each other. To be ONE church. I think acceptance is such an incredible key to influence. Outbursts of love....good deeds......
Campuses. I pray for each of you everyday. You stepped out in faith, in Kona, in India (so excited that India is officially launched, go Caleb), in New Zealand (Peter and Karen you are just amazing servants of God), in the Philippines (thank you Ilde and BCP), in Cabo and all around the Pacific Northwest. In fact, just last week I heard of a new Living Hope that has begun in Gresham Oregon. ONLY GOD.
You have risked to reach and lives are being changed. You won't honestly know until eternity how much your lives have mattered. I think of you and thank God for you. I am all about allowing the rest of my life to help you fulfill God's purpose. I believe in you and see God pour through your lives. You "get" grace and are "giving" grace to communites around the world.
You are the ones who are the pastors to the people God has entrusted to your care. Thanks for being part of what ONLY GOD is doing.
Don't ever quit. Don't ever lose site of what matters. Take breaks (I am learning this). You are sons and daughters of the Most High God. The One who put breath in your body, the One that gave you eyes to read these words and the One that one day you will stand before and give an account for what matters most. PEOPLE.
Never forget who you are and "whose" you are.
To the rest of us.
Encouragement. It is so hyper critical in our lives. I think truthfully the most insecure people in our lives are those who cut others down.
Encourage means "to inspire with hope, courage or confidence".
For the rest of my life I want to do better at encouraging. I want to inspire hope and courage and (God) confidence in others.
I want Living Hope to be known as a worldwide community of believers who are desperate to see and seek the people around us. To be conduits of grace and environments of truth.
ENCOURAGE OUR CAMPUS TEAMS. One church, separated by little roads and oceans, serving One God who is passionately in love with people. For God so loved the WORLD.
Tell them. Thank them. Think of ways to encourage them. Go on their blogs (on the front of my blog).
Your words to them matters.
John
P.S. I also wanted to say thank you to the people who read this blog. I appreciate the connection and the comments. I just want to reiterate what this is and what it is not. It is a place of communication, growth, encouragement and connection. I value very much the time people give to reading this blog. It is a place where I can share my heart. It is read by thousands of people and at this point, comments can be anoynomous. The intent of this blog is not to debate or criticize. In the world, we have lots of opportunities to do that. Just not here. In barely 3 years, there have been well over 3000 comments, there have only been a few times where comments are deleted. I hope that it stays that way, and that we can continue to encourage each other. Enough said.
Today I have thinking about influence and the power it has on all of our lives. I want to talk about influence from a couple different vantage points.
A NOUN, meaning "the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others"
All of us have been shaped negatively or positively by the people around us. Every day there are divine interactions with people who have the capacity to be a compelling force or produce...behaviors, actions or opinions.
Because of the series we are in I wanted to pause and think about the influence of others upon our lives, which eventually and in some cases "eternally" affects us.
Good and not so good, right? First, let's talk about the "not so good" influences. The pain, the confusion, the "stuff" that we hate. Without getting into a theological treatise about pain and suffering, let me say this about me: I have had pain in my life. I can safely say that most of my "stuff" is directly related to the absence of my father, who died a few days after my 4th birthday. Suffice it to say, I have no memories of him. Mostly I know him by what others have told me about him. I grew up confused, angry, sad, depressed, abandoned, unsure about where I "fit in" and because of that "void" and abuse by other "dads", I could go on and on about the ways it was unfair, why me, etc.
When I came to Christ I woke up to a complete new reality. A new hope. I can't explain the difference but because of Jesus, my perspective changed. I had to do the Romans 12:2 thing and "change the way I think" which eventually transformed my life, my behavior, my attitudes and my family.
I made a choice to allow the influence of what happened to my life make me better. My story, my pain, my choice, my life and my family.
Truth is, if I didn't know God, I am not sure what I would do and certainly I would be uncertain of who I am. Do I miss my dad? More than words can say. I would sell every single thing I have to spend one day with him. To look at his eyes, to hug him, to hear his voice, to cry, to tell him about my life, my fears, and my children. IF I had one day I would give everything for my 3 kids to simply hug the grandpa they have never known and may never see.
I DO NOT HAVE THAT. I WILL NEVER HAVE THAT. I HAVE TO SEE WHAT I WILL NEVER HAVE THROUGH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
SIDE NOTE. Life is SO stinkin short. Stop stressing about crap that doesn't matter. Start giving time to what matters. Familes so often get left over time. Not the best. This weekend I want to talk about the value of balance in our families. You only really have today.
Influence. The power of a person or a circumstance to change our behavior.
Because of my relationship with Jesus, EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. I have this tendency to think "some" things work for good but God promises that ALL THINGS will work for the good of people who love Him... The timeless truth of the Bible is SO right on. "... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
"all things" I have to see the pain in my life through the lens of God's absolute and total control in my life, coupleed with His unconditional love. Not having a dad, of course, can (and does) cause extreme issues in life. For me, I have always struggled with abandonment. Left to myself and my circumstances, I am pretty messed up. Knowing that I am messed up but am in the arms of God CHANGES EVERYTHING. In some ways it really has been tough, but today I was thinking and thanking God for my family. Stay with me. BECAUSE of pain, I have always tried hard to stay spot on in relationships. I don't do goodbye easily. That has been hard, but has built in me a pastor's heart to love people. Our pain can be used by God to strengthen others.
Pain absolutely influences our lives. As a leader I have seen hundreds and hundreds of people misinterpret God's control and total love and walk away from a relationship with someone they love or the God they were created by. Learning to interpret is important. Listening is non-negotiable. Leaning on God makes the difference.
When life is good, God will talk to you. When you are in pain, it seems His voice is loud, focused, and in that process He gets our attention.
Because of the no dad thing, I have held so tightly to the verse where God promises HE WILL BE THE FATHER TO THE FATHERLESS.
Without the pain, I would never cry as I type those words. Make sense? I may have missed the promise of that verse.
Pain is part of the condition of the human existence. I HATE IT. It is the thing I hate about pastoring because I have no answers and sometimes all I can do is sit, hug, cry with and be there for someone. But, God is the difference. ALWAYS.
Pain will either push you closer to the heart of God or pull you further from him.
Pain will never ever leave you where it finds you.
Influence matters. Pain happens. Our response is the only play we have.
Sorry for the long blog. I just wanted to share what is on my heart.
JOHN
Our series.
Rock Star.
You had to know we would get to the subject of temptation.
This weekend. Different campuses, different pastors, one HUGE topic that affects all of us. TEMPTATION.
I hope you can visit a campus and hear from one of our pastors about something that truly affects our identity immensely. A weekend you really won't want to miss. DIFFERENT campus pastors at Brush Prairie.
Made in the image of God. Tempted to become God. Tempted to take control of our lives.
Thank you campus pastors for dealing with a pretty tough subject. I am praying for you.
See you soon.
I am still planning on posting about Matthew 7. Thanks for the comments and thoughts on such a critical issue. We will continue to look at the passage, and will be able to unpack some pretty important things Jesus said. The smell of grace matters SO much to the heart of a church and to the life of a Christ Follower.
Ever wonder what is true about your heart? I think it is easy to talk about what matters. The Bible says our hearts are deceitful. I know mine can be.
I began to think about the topic of image. How we are made in the image of God, made new in Christ and called to reflect His image to the world around us.
I wanted to talk about this last weekend, our service and my personal vision for India. Pictures can say a thousand words. I have seen pictures that pastor Duane took in March this year. Thankfully he took pictures that I was able to share this weekend. Sometimes pictures can wreck you. I think we will be wrecked one way or the other. For what God has for us or for what we want for ourselves.
Isn't it true that our image is very much associated with what we own? I think so often that we miss the point. The big thought for the weekend is "It isn't about what we own as much as what owns us."
If you want to know what really "owns" you, simply follow the money trail and the time trail in your life. So often we will say how our heart is, but the reality and condition of our heart is less about what we say and more about what is true about our decisions.
If you have time, read Matthew chapter 6, verses 19-24. Jesus is pretty straightforward (as normal) about stuff. In Luke 12 he warns us to be on guard against all kinds of greed.
All kinds? Who would ever admit they had issues with being greedy? Jesus tells us to NOT store up treasures on earth, but to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.
We are a storage nation. One of the hottest investments in America is storage. There are1.875 billion square feet of storage in America. That is 39,000 football fields. 1 out of 11 Americans owns a storage unit.
Greed is not about what something costs. It is ALL ABOUT what it costs YOU. We will either trust, serve and follow God or trust, serve and follow money. We will be in bondage to stuff or be in bondage to Christ.
This weekend, we talked about the reality of where you put your treasures, your heart will follow. Again, if you want to know where your heart really is, follow the money trail. When we begin to be about others and not ourselves we will begin to develop a heart that is content in Christ.
Paul said, "I have learned the secret of being content". Phil 4:11
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have."
The translation of the word content in the Greek is better translated "contained". I love that. Contained in Christ. In essence, being content means for me that God is enough. He is my portion, my strength, my wisdom and my life.
How easy it is to forget, to think it is about my stuff, my deal, my kingdom, and in the process get sucked into becoming discontent about my world.
What if it really wasn't about "our" world? What if Paul was right when he said don't be conformed to this world? (Romans 12:2). What if we could stop the cycle and get on the restoration side of the equation?
Becoming content. Paul called it a secret. AND he said he learned how to become content. Learning is about engaging our hearts and our minds. Being content is so important, because until we learn how to become content in this world, we will never become discontent about God's world or Kingdom.
WHEN we really get this, when we really become "content", then God will birth in us a God-focused DISCONTENTMENT. The more content we are will result in the more discontent we can be for His Kingdom.
The definition of discontent is "a longing for something better than the present situation."
So much of what we miss in life is the dream God has for our lives.
We have been given a couple acres in India and an orphanage is being built to house up to 1500 orphans. Every 3 seconds a child dies in India. Millions never see their fifth birthday. SO hard to think about the "world" because we become so consumed about our world.
God so loved the "world" He......... gave.
We are never more like God than when we give. And yet the opposite is so true. We never feel more like God than when we attempt to control the resources we have been entrusted with. Tough thought but true.
When we are contained in Christ we find our identity in Christ and our strength in Him. THEN, as we are content, we become discontent about what matters to Him. In other words, His heart becomes our heart. Our image becomes a reflection of His image.
I have never thought too much about India, but as I begin to pray, talk to Dr Kumar, look at pictures and "give", my heart began to follow my investment.
Jesus said it, modeled it, and it is so true. Where your treasures are, your heart will also be. Follow the money trail and you will find your heart.
He said in Luke 12 that our life is not about our possessions. He told us to stop storing up here on earth. I am a slow learner, but am getting it.
Follow the money trail and you will see what matters most to you. When you see what is true, you can change your heart by changing the money trail.
Excited about this month's bucket offering. We are planning on going to India with the money that is donated to this vision. Investing in people who desperately matter to God, helping children who have no hope or parents.
Change the money trail, God will change your heart and He will change the world through you.
We have one life.
JOHN
I want to do a few blogs about the value of Acceptance and the destruction of Playing God by judging others.
Funny how people don't change. Jesus knew 2000 years ago what we still do today. We look at each other and judge each other.
This morning I was reading in my Bible, thinking about Living Hope, our mission, our history and our future. It has been a good series so far with good response, and I am excited to continue teaching about the intrinsic value of learning what it means to be made in the image of God.
I want to spend several blogs talking about something that has made up what I call the "smell" of Living Hope.
One of the things that happens is WHEN we have a wrong image of God, we will by default develop a desperately wrong image of ourselves, which then translates into a distorted image of others.
Same thing, different century. Jesus taught in Matthew 7, during his Sermon of the Mount discourse, "Stop judging others and you will not be judged." Matthew 7:1
Pretty straightforward wouldn't you agree? For the next few posts, I will try my best to bring clarity to one of the most misunderstood, and sometimes abused, action of judging the people that have been made in the image of God.
"Stop" is a present, active imperative. In other words it is a command from Jesus himself.
"Judging" is a greek word, KRINO (pronounced Kreno). It is a word that means to "condemn or bleep." Romans 8:1 talks about how there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Same word.
This isn't a "throw the truth out of the window" message. It is a perspective thing. It is taking literally the words of Jesus Himself.
There is a world of difference (by the way) between "making" judgment and BEING judgmental.
One definition says to be judgmental is "to pass judgment or to pronounce an opinion of concerning right and wrong."
Another definition is "to form an opinion or estimation of, after careful consideration".
This is a secular definition, but even if this could be a Biblical foundation, which it isn't, do we ever pause to give the opinion AFTER careful consideration? Not too much, at least I haven't in the past.
This is a critical concern area for church leaders. Acceptance is like a smell. It is either there or not. Accepting people right where they are is important and something people pick up on, like a smell. It is something really you don't program or add to a church's agenda. Accepting someone is incredibly important and provides the foundation for a healthy church.
I hear stories each and every week from people who "felt" loved or accepted from the moment they walked into the church. Like a smell. Walk into Starbucks, what do you smell? A church should smell of radical acceptance.
Dodge City. I had the privilege of meeting the ones who initially came to the "bar" and then came to Christ in the process. I spent some time talking to the three of them and they all had stories of not feeling accepted at churches, and hadn't been for 15 or 17 years. Now, through the smell of acceptance, they love going to church and haven't missed a weekend since Easter this year.
It was interesting during the SEX series (that we have and will still give away, free of charge, to all church leaders), that the ONLY people who had issues were Christians that 1) didn't go to Living Hope and 2) never took the time to understand where we were coming from and 3) didn't ask why we were doing the series.
Judging has to stop if revival in our generation is to happen. When we judge and condemn we send a message to the world that we don't care. People want the truth, they want to have hope and it begins with accepting them. Truth, coupled with acceptance has been the thing that has changed the world the most.
I think this is worthy of a few days of posts. I will carefully go through all 6 verses in Matthew chapter 7. By the end of the day, I think we "can" be better positioned to do what we are called to do. To change the world.
You can't change the world until you change you, and you can't change you until you change how you think (Romans 12:2).
Maybe today just start seeing people as people created in the Image of God?
Maybe try to see the good in them?
Maybe be their friend?
At least let's stop bringing condemnation to what (or rather, who) is made in God's image.
Today's thought about this subject: How many times have we made split second judgments about people without even thinking through it? Like looking at someone and making a snap judgment about them just by what they're wearing, etc.
-John
Did you know that more cards are given out on Mother's Day (83% by daughters), and many restaurants report Mother's Day to be their busiest day? It is the second highest gift giving holiday in the United States (only to Christmas). It is the peak day for long distance phone calls. Statistically 96% of Americans recognize or celebrate Mother's Day.
Mother's Day.
The National Holiday first came about when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill declaring the second Sunday in May a day to recognize and appreciate mothers. Cheers to the woman Anna Jarvis who, in remembering her mother's words, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers,” lobbied businessmen and three US presidents before the day was signed into legislation. Her mother founded "Mother's Work Day" to raise concerns in the Civil War torn West Virginia of poor health conditions. She believed the cause would be best advocated by mothers. Did you know, however that before 1914 two other women were key in creating a day to honor mothers? In the United States, Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of Mother's Day in 1872.
Julia Ward Howe was a Boston poet, pacifist, suffragist, and author of the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." She organized a day encouraging mothers to rally for peace all over the world, since she believed they bore the loss of human life more harshly than anyone else. She invited mothers of all nationalities, races, and creeds to make a stand. Another woman, Juliet Calhoun Blakeley, was a mother of three and a member of the temperance (prohibition) movement. On her 59th birthday, May 13th, 1877, three boys were found drunk on the streets of Albion, her hometown. One of the boys was Charles Daughterty, son of local Methodist minister Rev. Myron Daughterty, who was speaking at the Methodist Church. Rev. Daughtery began services at the church, but according to sources, "the grief which resulted from finding his son intoxicated the day before made it necessary for him to leave the pulpit before the services had been concluded." Juliet, who was in the front row, stepped up into the pulpit and urged mothers in the congregation to make a stand for the health and safety of their children and society. Two of her sons were travelling salesmen and as they entered a new city, urged the residents to commemorate this day as a day for honoring mothers because of what their mother had done.
I know of no other imprint on a person's life like the one a mom makes. Talk about sacrifice. Moms just do. When people are interviewed and asked the question, who has impacted your life the most of anyone, people always respond with my mom.
President Theodore Roosevelt recognized the power and value of mothers and wrote this: "When all is said, it is the mother who is the better citizen than the soldier who for fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be men and women of the next generation is of greater use to the community and occupies a more honorable as well as a more important position than any man in it."
He went on to write, "The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is far more important than the successful statesman, businessman, artist or scientist."
Proverbs 31 says, "we are to rise up and call her blessed."
So to all mothers who happen to read this blog. THANK YOU. Your imprint has touched the lives of everyone around you. In a series about success and status, I can't think of a position of more importance to our world. Thank you. We cannot erase your influence and appreciate you so much.
I love Mother's Day weekends.
John
I am sitting in my office looking at an HP printer that I can't quite figure out. My life. As I turn it over, trying to find instructions, I notice a little sticker. A product of China. Nice. Doesn't help me alot, but at least I know where it was "made".
Most everything we buy has a label or a tag that says "Made in China", Korea, USA or somewhere else in the world. A label that marks the product. Maybe it is a sticker, but inevitably you can always find the origination of something that was created, that you ended up with. The country of orgin, the place where the work happened. The factory it came from or the hands that made it.
I have NEVER picked something up, and questioned the authenticity of creation or origin.
It made me think of our new series, which is called Rockstar, and is all about image and identity and worth.
I was thinking how we were "made" or created by God Himself. Why is it that we never question where a printer or stuffed animal was made but we have this acute tendency to question where we were made, or who made us?
We talked about how, at creation, God spoke everything but one thing into existence. We are the only part of creation that was breathed into existence by God Himself. Created in the Image of God. The latin term is Imago Dei. It is something that is in you and has never or will never change. You were made in His image. It is the beginning point of our journey. The "made in..." part of the series. From here we will be able to hopefully learn some things and really unlearn some things.
The big thought for the weekend was "What you dance with is what you will eventually love the most." When our value or identity is about a car, a job, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, money, retirement or whatever you will eventually get your worth from that person or thing.
The Bible says your worth is settled. Created in God's image, and made new in Christ.
I for sure think it is one of the most difficult things to change, our self concept, but I really believe it really changes our lives the most.
Romans 12:2 says that we can let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. The principle works in every area of life. All change begins with first changing how we think.
When you change the way you think about God, you change how you think about yourself. Over time, as you change the way you think about yourself, you inevitably change the way you see people and love the people who were created in God's image.
Over the course of this critical series, we will be able to rest in the reality that our identity is in Christ alone. When we realize that we were "made" in the image of God, it settles two things. First, it settles our worth, and secondly, it elevates our attitude toward each other.
I was thinking about how in our world it is so easy to get our identity from our activity. Is that you?
When the day is over will we allow culture to push us or God to lead us?
Satan's most pervasive lie about our identity is: WHAT WE DO PLUS WHAT PEOPLE SAY EQUALS WHO WE ARE.
Our Image distortion becomes our mission distraction.
We were made to do good works. We get it backwards, thinking that good works bring value to our lives, when really the good works ought to reflect God's glory through our lives.
"We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10
Not sure if you were able to see the service, but I love the Paul Potts story.
I see a community filled with people destined to do the GOOD, God things that He planned for us before He created the world.
Hopefully, together we can get a little further in our journey toward seeing and believing what God says about us.
This weekend, I want to talk about the moms, the ones who change our world because of their investment in their children. I think moms believe in us more than anyone else does or even could.
I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY AT LIVING HOPE. It is one of those precious weekends where we have the undeniable privilege of speaking into the lives of so many women and especially moms.
You probably won't want to miss the weekend.
John
Here are the sessions from the conference we did in Seattle about Multi-Site.
People have asked for the ability to either watch or download, so thanks to Mars Hill you can do both.
Check it out. The first session is with Greg Ligon from Leadership Network (who sponsored the event), Mark Driscoll, Dave Browning and myself.
There is so much to learn, and I wanted to thank all of our volunteers who went up and served so faithfully and willingly. It was noticed.
Here is a link to the videos from the conference: http://theresurgence.com/multi-site_exposed
