Sunday Night Reflections

Today was a challenging day for me. WOW!! Being interviewed about God's vision and direction for NP was a blessing and "an out of the box" moment for me. But thank you for all the affirmation of how you feel like you "get" be a part of what our Lord is doing through NP. Yes, these are challenging and adventurous days, but we have a challenging and adventurous God. So "thank you" Lord for letting me, too, be a part of such an awesome, challenging, and adventurous church.

God never intended the Church to be a "one to two hour" a week meeting place; He intended for it to be a lifestyle. He never intended the Church to be a museum of religious moments. He intended the Church to be a bunch of radical, sold-out people that are dangerous to the god and ways of this world. I do not believe for one moment that God has called NP, or any other New Testament church, to be a luxury liner cruising across the beautiful seas enjoying the scenery of an awesome creation while discussing exactly how God the Creator made it all happen. Yes, we need to study and learn, but guys the bottom line is this--God has called the Church to be a battleship and not a luxury liner. He has called and commissioned us to conquer the world for Jesus. The Church is not about a "cause" we are about the "cross."

Being a Christian means we are people of action. Just read how it all began in the book of Acts. Really---just read the title to the book---The ACTS of the Apostles. In other words, "The ACTIONS" of how the Church began and the mandates to keep it moving forward as an active, action-oriented, progressive body that is to tell and show the people of this world who and what Jesus can do. We are not saved to live in a museum or a zoo to be stared at. We are saved to be life changers that ACT as a catalyst of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Well, in a nutshell, that was the vision that I cast this morning. NP has a great future and we are NOT trying to be the biggest church in town an we are NOT trying to just become a different church. We are NOT just trying to build on 20 acres. We are asking God to mold us into a church that the lost and unchurched people of this community will want to come and be a part of.....Let's get busy NP'ers.

I Absolutely Love Being Your Pastor. Thanks for your trust and love.

It Just Can't Be Advertised Enough!!

I am so focused, pumped, and juiced up about what's going to be happening at NP that I am beside myself. We have great days ahead. Let me just share with you what is going to be happening here over the next few months.

• The Choice, Desire, and Will of God series is just really beginning. I am blown away how God has already begun to change and tweak hearts...and we have three weeks left...three weeks that is going to get down to the nitty-gritty of understanding how to interpret God's will for your life.
• Community Groups in February are going through a Francis Chan study called, Sold-Out To Jesus. Chan is going to take us on a three week journey through Philippians 3:1-11.
  
• In March we are going to take a journey through Scripture on how to have a strong, God-honoring marriage. We will entitle the series, The Secrets of a Successful Marriage. This is going to be awesome for all of us, but also, if you know of a couple (or maybe even a single person) who is wounded because of a strained or broken marriage----bring them to NP.
• On March 28th (the Sunday before Easter) we are going to have "Bring a Friend Day." This is when we are going to be challenged to invite a friend to NP...bring your best friend...even if they have a church home. You may have to pay them back by going to church with them....it's okay!! Here's the point. If everyone brings a friend and our focus is on filling up NP with our friends...surely in a crowd of people that size, there will be some who do not have a church home. They will see and experience a "jam-up" worship service and they will feel so welcomed that they will want to come back...the following Sunday is Easter!!! Get the point. Now, if they have a church home, that's okay. It's good to sit in church with a friend. Pay them back by going with them one Sunday (not Easter though...lol). I just figure that odds are if we have 50 guests, surely there will be a few unchurched "friends" at NP on the 28th.
  
• EASTER!!! THE BIG CHURCH DAY OF THE YEAR. It is going to be "crash-bam-boom-bang" on that day at NP. I don't know what that phrase means, but what I am trying to say is Easter Sunday at NP is going to be Jesus honoring and a "blow-out" worship time. It's going to be so awesome that we are going to have THREE (3) WORSHIP SERVICES (8:00am; 9:15am; and 10:45am). We are going to really work our community with evangelism and invites that God is going to honor our efforts and pack us out. On March 28th, each Community Group will receive 200 door-hangers (that's over 2000). Each group is going to be challenged to saturate their neighborhood with door hangers that will advertise the Easter Sunday Services and the series for April called, Get Ready! This is going to be a series on the Second Coming of Christ.
• Oh, almost forgot. The GOOD FRIDAY worship service and Lord's Supper will be held at 7:00pm in NP's worship center. You don't want to miss it either...what a great day to remember and celebrate Christ's redemptive work. Also, at some point on Good Friday afternoon we are going to begin reading the New Testament out loud in the worship center (time will be announced soon). Several of you are going to be asked to be readers. We will start in Matthew 1 and read through Revelation 22. The entire New Testament will be read out loud at NP. You are welcomed to come sit and listen to the whole reading or just show up when you can, come and go as you please, but from beginning to end, God's Word will be read on Good Friday. Ain't that just cool?
• Last thing. Your Pastor and Staff loves you so much. We serve God by serving you. God is about to do something HUGE at NP. He already has, but we anticipate a great movement of the Holy Spirit in a way that is going to be unprecedented. The table is set. Here's what your Staff needs----PRAYER. THE HARDER WE ATTEMPT TO SHEPHERD A CHURCH UNDER THE GREAT SHEPHERD'S GUIDANCE, THE HARDER SATAN ATTEMPTS TO THWART GOD'S WORK THROUGH US. The enemy loves it when we get discouraged, gossiped about, torn-down, and stepped on. I am going to ask you to really pray for us. And when you see Shannon Byrd, Kevin White, and Jay Baker tell them how much you love and appreciate them. They are working and serving their fingers to the bones.
  

I love you guys and love being your pastor.

My Personal Valentine (Part 2)

In June of 1989 my life totally changed. I was at Ben Geren Park playing softball when I noticed this "sports trainer" who was working for Parker Orthopedics. I was smitten. Allow me to back-up a little bit. Now I will say that I had been smitten a few times before, but this one was different. Pryor to meeting this sports trainer, I had been on a marathon run trying to escape the call of God on my life to be in the ministry. I thought pastor-types were sissy's--some really are too. In the summer of 1988 I got serious about God and surrendered to His call on my life. I began praying for the "perfect" girl. And it had been my experience to this point, that the "perfect" one did not exist. I was getting so frustrated because I was getting very serious about following my Lord but I was also 23 and lonely for a companion. And then it happened--after all the dates, blind-dates, and scary dates---I saw Kassandra Williams walking to the concession stand where her training room was located. I saw her..that's all...I just saw her. Something happened in my heart on that June day. So, I conveniently got hurt...it worked to. We met, she patched me up...we dated a year...was engaged a year and the rest is history. Actually there is more to the story of me asking her out--maybe I will tell that one later. Let me get to the main point of God's special gift to me that I call "MY WIFE."
Kassandra and I will have been married for 19 years this March 16th. I was in the ministry before we met and God knew just what He was doing when He joined us together. Being in the ministry is all we know. We have had no dating, engaged, or married life outside of a ministry to our Lord through a local church. To be honest with you, that has been a little tough over the years. Our lives have always been transparent and to top that off, I am a very extroverted, transparent guy...I know that is tough for a woman too. A large number of pastors/ministers never have a fruitful ministry because the wife has a hard time with transparency and "sharing" a marriage and husband with a church.
Of all the women that God ever created, He gave me the best. I truly believe that too. She is my best friend, lover, life partner, mother to our children, and prayer/ministry partner. She is completely committed to all the above statements---she is completely committed to me and I can honestly say that I have NEVER doubted it for one single moment.
I could fill up pages with braggadocious statements about what an amazing mom she is, but this blog is for me to brag about her being an amazing wife to me. Proverbs 31:10-23 sums up her life.

• I trust her more than I have ever trusted myself.
• Her intentions are to always pray, protect, and provide ministry to her husband and pastor.
• She is the most amazing prayer warrior I have ever met. If you only knew how she hovers over me with prayer, even in the middle of the night and has been known to pray for me all night so I could sleep. Even in those "angry" moments that pastors go through...she makes me pray with her. If I say, "I can't," she will grab my hand and pray anyway...and yes it has made me mad before too...but oh how God has blessed me with a prayer warrior wife.
  
• I am her ministry. She keeps the nursery at NP...but that's because she loves babies. But I am her ministry. She is seen more than she is ever heard at church...but then again, I am her ministry. Most pastors don't have this joy either.
  
• She never complains to me...I'm serious, she is the least complaining person I have ever met in my entire life. I would know, because I am a complainer.
  
• She is not a drama queen..LOL. That may sound funny to you, but drama queen women get on my last nerve...praise God I am not married to a drama queen.
• She has an amazing ministry outside the walls of NP...very few know about it, but she blesses women and children in need...that's all I can share about that.
• She understands the heart of the Ephesians 5 "submissive" wife. I have never, no not ever had to worry about her being anything less.
• Often times when I see a woman acting in an ungodly way and usurping the spiritual authority of their husband or even acting in a way that is embarrassing to "womanhood" I often walk away thinking to myself, "I will never have to be embarrassed because of Kassandra."
• She is my lover...and she makes me feel like the most manly man in the entire world. Enough said there...right?
  
• I have never one time ever thought that we were not going to make it...if anything it has been her who has held us together through thick and thin.
• She has been my strength, resting place, my safe place, and my sounding board as I have been filled with much grief, anger, and tears...and she has not one time made me feel as if she gets tired of me expressing any of those things.
• We have been impoverished and now are comfortable...her attitude has remained the same through it all...uplifting, encouraging, and satisfied. When we were poor, she made us rich.
  
• She is my girlfriend, bride, and gift from God.

I will not apologize for bragging about my wife. She deserves it and much more. I am who I am as a husband, dad, and pastor because of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life coupled with the best and most worthy wife a man has ever had.
I LOVE YOU KASSANDRA--YOU ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL TO ME TODAY THAN YOU WERE 21 YEARS AGO WHEN I MET THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TEENAGE GIRL IN THE WHOLE WORLD. IF WE LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO CELEBRATE 75 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, I WILL STILL THINK YOU ARE SMOKIN' HOT AND WILL LOVE YOU MORE THEN, THAN NOW.

The History of Valentines Day (Part 1)

Why is it that every February 14^th we celebrate a love holiday called Valentine’s Day? According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Another interesting history mystery that surrounds the celebration of Valentine’s Day goes back to 270AD, the supposed death date and burial of Valentine. The Christian church banned the celebration of many Roman feasts and declared them pagan. However, there was an effort to appease the peoples by “Christianizing” certain pagan celebrations—Valentine’s Day being one of them. The pagan Roman celebration went something like this:

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goat hide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Okay, now to the fat baby with wings, diapers, and a bow and arrow named Cupid. What the heck is up with this? Cupid has not always been a flying baby angel. It all started about 3000 years ago with a Greek mythological sex symbol named “Eros” (The Greek word for “erotic” kind of love). Supposedly, he was so handsome that he could make both gods and humans go weak in the knees. His bow and arrow was for both love and hate—a gold arrow tip for love and a lead arrow tip for hate. Apparently Eros was a little deviant too. In one mythological story he shot Apollo the sun god was in love with a nymph named Daphne. Eros shows up and shot Apollo with a gold tipped arrow and Daphne with a lead tipped arrow. Their relationship never worked out.

Eros’ downfall came when he fell in love with a mortal named Psyche (actually he shot himself in the butt with his own golden tipped arrow in the site of Psyche). As he became less and less the erotic god of love, he became younger and younger in the hearts and minds of people. Through the centuries as Greek myth gods begin to be less and less important, a few stuck around under Roman rule and festivals; Eros’ name was changed to Cupid. During the Renascence Period, artists began to paint the symbol of cupid using baby angels called “Putti” as his symbol. In the 1700’s when people started sending Valentine’s cards, the little “Putti” symbol called Cupid became the icon and he is just as popular. However, if Eros the love and sex symbol could see what he has become today, I think he would be ticked off.

A Few Reasons Why I Am Juiced About NP

I am so focused, pumped, and juiced up about what's going to be happening at NP that I am beside myself. We have great days ahead. Let me just share with you what is going to be happening here over the next few months.

• The Choice, Desire, and Will of God series is just really beginning. I am blown away how God has already begun to change and tweak hearts...and we have three weeks left...three weeks that is going to get down to the nitty-gritty of understanding how to interpret God's will for your life.
• Community Groups in February are going through a Francis Chan study called, Sold-Out To Jesus. Chan is going to take us on a three week journey through Philippians 3:1-11.
  
• In March we are going to take a journey through Scripture on how to have a strong, God-honoring marriage. We will entitle the series, The Secrets of a Successful Marriage. This is going to be awesome for all of us, but also, if you know of a couple (or maybe even a single person) who is wounded because of a strained or broken marriage----bring them to NP.
• On March 28th (the Sunday before Easter) we are going to have "Bring a Friend Day." This is when we are going to be challenged to invite a friend to NP...bring your best friend...even if they have a church home. You may have to pay them back by going to church with them....it's okay!! Here's the point. If everyone brings a friend and our focus is on filling up NP with our friends...surely in a crowd of people that size, there will be some who do not have a church home. They will see and experience a "jam-up" worship service and they will feel so welcomed that they will want to come back...the following Sunday is Easter!!! Get the point. Now, if they have a church home, that's okay. It's good to sit in church with a friend. Pay them back by going with them one Sunday (not Easter though...lol). I just figure that odds are if we have 50 guests, surely there will be a few unchurched "friends" at NP on the 28th.
  
• EASTER!!! THE BIG CHURCH DAY OF THE YEAR. It is going to be "crash-bam-boom-bang" on that day at NP. I don't know what that phrase means, but what I am trying to say is Easter Sunday at NP is going to be Jesus honoring and a "blow-out" worship time. It's going to be so awesome that we are going to have THREE (3) WORSHIP SERVICES (8:00am; 9:15am; and 10:45am). We are going to really work our community with evangelism and invites that God is going to honor our efforts and pack us out. On March 28th, each Community Group will receive 200 door-hangers (that's over 2000). Each group is going to be challenged to saturate their neighborhood with door hangers that will advertise the Easter Sunday Services and the series for April called, Get Ready! This is going to be a series on the Second Coming of Christ.
• Oh, almost forgot. The GOOD FRIDAY worship service and Lord's Supper will be held at 7:00pm in NP's worship center. You don't want to miss it either...what a great day to remember and celebrate Christ's redemptive work. Also, at some point on Good Friday afternoon we are going to begin reading the New Testament out loud in the worship center (time will be announced soon). Several of you are going to be asked to be readers. We will start in Matthew 1 and read through Revelation 22. The entire New Testament will be read out loud at NP. You are welcomed to come sit and listen to the whole reading or just show up when you can, come and go as you please, but from beginning to end, God's Word will be read on Good Friday. Ain't that just cool?
• Last thing. Your Pastor and Staff loves you so much. We serve God by serving you. God is about to do something HUGE at NP. He already has, but we anticipate a great movement of the Holy Spirit in a way that is going to be unprecedented. The table is set. Here's what your Staff needs----PRAYER. THE HARDER WE ATTEMPT TO SHEPHERD A CHURCH UNDER THE GREAT SHEPHERD'S GUIDANCE, THE HARDER SATAN ATTEMPTS TO THWART GOD'S WORK THROUGH US. The enemy loves it when we get discouraged, gossiped about, torn-down, and stepped on. I am going to ask you to really pray for us. And when you see Shannon Byrd, Kevin White, and Jay Baker tell them how much you love and appreciate them. They are working and serving their fingers to the bones.
  

I love you guys and love being your pastor.

Sunday Night Reflections

Well, it's time to wrap up an exceptional day! Looking back on this Lord's day a few things really stick out:

• The worship time in the first service this morning was a little different for me. I'm not too sure why, but while I was preaching I just felt like I was not connecting....then it happened. God just saturated me with a peace that said, "Hey, don't forget, this is for Me and My Word will penetrate hearts--and it did. God so spoke to people that have been struggling with hearing His voice in their decisions. Thank you for sharing with me how God speaks to you during worship times at NP.
  
• The second worship service was....well....stinkin awesome. As always NP's praise band rocks. They did extremely well in the 1st service, but the 2nd service...they were jammin, folks were praising, and my confidence in what God had already done encouraged me so much that I just "let go and let God."
• I met a new couple this morning that God is doing a work in and they have been longing for a place like NP.
• The interview time during the sermon with Jay about God communicating with he and Kim just cinched it all up.
• Today was my Mom's birthday and yesterday was my oldest niece's birthday. After the first service my dad came to my home and fired up the smoker. By 4:00pm we had near 15lbs of pork and grilled deer steaks. My whole family (and my buddy Bob Fry) ate and prepared for the Super Bowl.
• Oh yes, the Super Bowl. My youngest child, Haley was born in New Orleans while we were attending seminary there. We were all pulling for the Saints....Way to geaux Saints!!
• With the exception of not having Community Group, today was a great Sunday...but they all are. GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME, MY FAMILY, AND NP. THANK YOU LORD!
  

God The Communicator

This Sunday is week two of the series, "Choice, Desire, and the Will of God. As we kicked off the series last week, my purpose was to just give us an overview of the "guidance of God" in every aspect of the Christian walk. This Sunday we are going to start peeling back the layers of understanding God's Will--and we will do so by grasping the fact that God is a God of communication; He talks to us constantly....we listen rarely. Allow me to give you just a brief snippet of this coming Sunday's challenge.

If anything is crystal clear from the Bible, it's the fact that God speaks to His people. From Adam in the Garden to John the Revelator, God speaks. The hard task for us is clearing up sinful ears, and cluttered mind to simply listen. GOD DOES SPEAK. We seem to always want a "burning bush" experience like Moses had; some miraculous sign like Moses and the Israelites received in the wilderness; an angel speaking and warning us like Lot heard; a vision/dream like Peter received. We are asking for a sign, a voice, or something. Listen to the words of Jesus as He addressed a people who constantly wanted to see God work in a way that would prove that it is really God who is speaking and working, "...Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe" (John 4:48). Actually, Jesus was saying this in a condescending way...basically "where's your faith people?"

I like what Henry Blackaby said "The fact that God spoke to people is far more important than how He spoke." God may use the miracle of a "burning bush" experience to speak to you. But I hope we all understand that the very fact that the God of the universe sent His Son to be a Mediator between His holiness and our sinfulness, and when we embrace His Son through the work of the cross, and when we do the Holy Spirit invades us and makes our bodies His dwelling place---THAT'S A MIRACLE!! The same God that walked and talked with Adam, lit up the bush for Moses, and wrote on the wall for Daniel to interpret is the SAME God who lives in me....and He talks to me. How? "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world" (Hebrews 1:1-2). How does He speak to me? Through His Son who now dwells in me...I don't need a burning bush or some donkey...I have the indwelling Word in me.

Come to NP Sunday and let's unfold just how God speaks to us and moreover, let's talk about how we can best hear a "thundering, still-small voice" that is always communicating with us.