The Third "Take Away" From the PD Gathering

Brian and I were introduced to Straton at the PD Gathering. Here is his story: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0SUJOcRU-_w&feature=related&fmt=18

http://www.thepeaceplan.com/

PD Summit 2008 - Day 3

This is the final day of the gathering. It's been a truly spectacular experience. Right now I'm sitting next to a guy from Time Magazine who is here covering the conference and blogging it. You can bet I'll corner him before the day is over and see what he thinks of it all.

Later today Rick is going to explain the P.E.A.C.E. Plan and how that has been working.

One of the things I do when I'm at events like this is, rather than try to grab everything that is said, I always as God to clearly show me the two to three things He wants me to take away from it all. I'll gotten the first two, an idea for small groups and an idea about how to take our global and local influence to the next level. God is good.

Brian and I are both preparing ourselves to be blown away by Rick's challenge to join the PEACE Plan.

More later...

Purpose Driven Summit - Day 1

Today was the kick off for the PD Summit. My brain is full. The worship this morning was truly amazing. Rick Muchow is incredible.

Rick Warren spent the entire morning (actually he blew right past lunch) catching us up on a lot of the things Saddleback has been trying and testing getting ready to pass on to churches.

The afternoon was packed with three panel discussion. The two best take home quotes today go to Mark Batterson of National Community Church in DC:

Speaking of the church - "We're educated way beyond our obedience." "Church is a tag team sport."

The verse that summed up the challenge for me today is James 1:25 (NIV) "The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it --he will be blessed in what he does."

Jet Lagged

Brian and I made it into CA without any major problems. I'm a little jet lagged which is why I'm blogging at 5:00am CA time.

We are here for a gathering of pastors and other leaders from around the country that Rick Warren invited to join him for a discussion about how we can partner together as churches to tackle some of the global giants.

I especially excited to see what God is going to do, especially with this event falling right in the middle of FCBC's strategic planning.

Lessons in the Rain

Andrew (my nine year old) and I were driving to church this past Sunday. It was pouring rain and he became very concerned about a flood. In those situations, he almost always recognizes, without my prompting, that it's time to pray - so he did.

When we arrived at church we discovered that part of our building was taking on some water. At that point Andrew got really scared that we really were going to have a flood. He started to panic a little more. So I asked him about his prayer and if when he asked God to protect us from the rain, did he really believe God would do that? He said he did. I pointed out that at that moment he was not acting like he believed God. He got the point.

My question for myself and for anyone reading is "Do you get the point?"

Stop. Be Quiet. Make a Connection

This past Sunday in worship we talked about how to "Stop and Refuel" our spiritual lives. Six simple words, "Stop. Be quiet. Make a connection."

What I Learned This Week

Our church, working through several local agencies and faith-based groups, served some of the homeless in our county this week by providing shelter and meals for nine days. Here are some of the things I learned this week.

I learned...

...we have an awesome church who loves and cares for one another.

...God is teaching us to be a church that cares about those on the outside, especially "the least of these."

...when you let volunteers loose and they are passionate about what they are doing and allow God to guide them, you create an unstoppable force.

...from watching some of our volunteers that sleep is optional (way to go 4:00-8:00am shift.)

...that God has provided this church with some incredibly talented people and giving people.

...that some homeless really prefer that, while others are hard working people who are just victims of a broken world.

...that some in corporate America are willing to partner with churches to make a difference in our world.

...that because God loves everyone, so must I.

...that when people serve others out of true compassion and love that can only come from God in their lives, they are changed in significant ways and will never be the same again.

Thanks to 85+ volunteers who made HRW possible.