GREAT MESSAGE! "Lies We Believe" by Ed Stetzer

If you love the church and have the time, watch this message. An outstanding word!

Lies We Believe: Pt. 6 from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

The Older the Book...(Anointing and Memories)

This is surely not an absolute statement, but I am certainly beginning to wonder if there is some truth here...

The older the book, the more anointed and powerful the content! (Note that I am referring mainly to older Christian writers, writing about matters of faith and spiritual discipline.)

Let me explain...before leaving on Sabbatical, I went through my library and gathered books on personal spiritual growth that I would use to supplement my Bible reading!! I refused to bring any books with me about church, ministry or leadership. I've had enough of that over the last few years. Time for me to be more concerned with growing me than growing the church. God will grow His church! Anyway....as I gathered what books I owned that met this criteria, I noticed that quite a number of them were old...like written-in-1900-old. The pages were no longer white, instead they were creamish-yellow! I though that was noteworthy, then otherwise shrugged it off.

Well, over the last few weeks I have been reading books like this:

And this (which I posted about HERE a while back):

And this:

Tonight or tomorrow I will finish up this (I will be blogging about it later...great book!!):

I just could not help but notice that these books were all:

• So Word-centered!
• Free of clutter...like churchy stuff, technology, technique, political jargon, etc.
• They seemed to be written under strong anointing. Meaning, I would read stuff and just have to stop and re-read, think, cry or pray! That does not happen too often with many of the books that I seem to read.
  
• Oldies but goodies??

Oh and a BIG THANK YOU to people like:

• Lew Good, who gave me many books from his Library in 1998 before I left for college!
• David Eshleman, who also gave me many books during our years of working together.
• My Parents, who have bought or given me many books over the years!
  
• My Grandfather, "Pop" who was an avid reader and after he passed, I cuffed many of his books! In fact, "How to Pray" that I am reading now and that is pictured above was his!

As a matter of fact, this is the note written in the front of it. The book was given to him by the late Ron Fenwick who died in a plane crash. I blogged about him HERE! You can always click the photos to enlarge:

And inside of the book I found this 28 year old love note that my oldest Sister, Joeley wrote to her "Pop"...the book probably has not been cracked open for 28 years:

Well, these are just some musings that are dear to me this evening.

God be glorified!

--Noah

Follow Your Heart

Not!!

I have heard people say these types of statements more times than I can count:

• "Follow your Heart."
• "Do what you are feeling."
• "You need to do what you feel is best for you."

I understand that people mean it harmlessly and in the best intention most of the time. However, I object to this thinking and submit that it is dangerous. I think that the intentions are pure, but the outcome can be deadly. Here is what I mean.

The Bible says this:

• "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jer. 17:9 Why would we follow something that is deceitful. Is your heart without sin? We might as well follow some demons.
  
• "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3 We need to subject our next moves to GOD, not ourselves...and the Bible says that we will succeed.
  
• "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

So, my theory is this...

Do NOT follow your heart. Follow your God. Walk with him and aim to please him, NOT yourself!!! Instead of following your heart, follow God's heart for you, which is revealed all over the Bible!!

Then, we can say as Paul....

"Follow me as I follow Christ!" I Cor. 11:1

Always!!

Let me share with you one of the strongest lessons that I have learned over the last month:

God is ready for me to be with Him!!! Any place. Any time. Any mood. Any circumstance. Any state. Any country. Any reason. He is ALWAYS ready for us!

Been really appreciating a Steven Curtis Chapman song recently called "It's All Yours". From London to Africa to the sun and the moon and the depths of the ocean floor...it's all yours God!!

One of my few goals for this sabbatical was to develop spiritual habits of seeking God that will remain with me for the rest of my life. I have spent more quality and quantity time with God in the last 5 weeks than ever before!

But here's more to this lesson:

In a recent conversation with my friend Jaye, I was telling her how powerful it was (and seemingly easier) to find God in the Colorado mountains. Her response was: "Colorado is beautiful but you really can see him everywhere, you just have too slow down and look". Now, THAT is some good preaching.

I have met God on a bench in Colorado Springs. On a hill In Monument. At a local coffee shop near the place we are renting. Behind my steering wheel one rainy morning last week. Not wanting to go far from my Babies this morning (because we are in a rough side of town), I spent powerful time with God on a curb in Albuquerque. I found Him here. And he found me.

Jesus wants to be with you!! Wherever you are at...geographically, emotionally, physically, financially, mentally or spiritually. Stop! Greet him!! And invite him to sit with you or walk with you!!

Interesting Spin on Forgiveness!

At the Ascent Conference a few weeks ago I heard Doug Weiss (A Nationally recognized Counselor) speak on the topic of forgiveness. He shared something like this:

Would you rather be:

1. Forgiven and Sick OR
   
2. Forgiven and Healed?
   

I John 1:9 says this: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

So, confess to God. An independent and private confession approach and you will indeed be forgiven! Cleansed, but not necessarily healed or accountable to change, but certainly forgiven!

On the other hand, James 5:16 says these powerful words: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."

So, confessing to God in a given. But, confession to others is not always so easy for us. Instead of an independent forgiveness approach, this one is more interdependent within community. But, in doing so, the Bible says that we will not only be forgiven, but we will be forgiven and healed!! ...and accountable for that matter...because they know now!

So, I leave you with that same question again:

Forgiven and sick?

OR

Forgiven and healed?

Your call.

I think that it's super important that we involve (trusted) others in our journey of forgiveness and accountability!

What do you think? Weigh in.

This is my prayer!

I first prayed this prayer on June 8th (in tears). I have prayed it many times since. It seems to be the prayer of my heart these few months. Today, I felt I should share it with you. Maybe some of you need to pray it with me. May we pursue God!

Oh God, I have tasted your goodness and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. Oh God, the Triune God, I want to want you; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me your glory I pray, so that I may know you indeed.

Father, I want to know you, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. Please root from my heart anything that I have cherished that has become a very part of my living self so that you may enter and live in my heart without a rival! Begin in mercy a new work of love in me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then, give me the grace to rise up and follow you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

(Adopted from "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer)

So far...

Been on Sabbatical one month now. First week was "detox", second week was "detox and vacation", then, we got out here to Colorado and it really started!

The theme for this sabbatical has really been spiritual and physical renewal driven more by the leadership of the Holy Spirit than my own laid out plans. There are certain things that you just cannot plan for. That is just the nature of life in the spirit.

Well, we have been in Colorado 12 days and so far......

• I am spending the first 4-6 hours of every day with God! Praying, walking, staring at mountains, reading the Bible, studying it, writing, and devouring and engaging the scriptures in ways I never have in my life. (Basically, 5am-10am, it's me and God!)
  
• Found a sweet coffee house with huge glass windows facing the mountains. Their seating is stupid-comfortable and their coffee is great. Needless to say, this has been a positive contribution to my experience! ;-) Some days, a few hours of my morning routine are spent here.
  
• It is becoming clear to me that much of what God is showing me so far in this sabbatical is to be preached, not blogged. Already have 4-5 sermon series and 20+ sermons in the pot cooking! Loving this time to pour into messages that are flowing out of time with God. There is no way to measure the eternal value of these moments!
• I am totally and absolutely loving the time that I am getting with Tricia and Davis. Just about every day when Daddy is back home, we go do something special together. We are making memories and really bonding as a family. I have seen a difference in both of them for the better and I attribute it to our together-time. This whole experience is a blessing that we do not take for granted!
• We LOVE Colorado!! Perfect weather, no humidity, outstanding scenery, friendly people, loads to do and see, and due to the elevation, it feels like the clouds are within your reach! We highly recommend this as a vacation spot!
• It is pretty tough to breathe if you do any intense exercise in these elevations when you are not used to it...but, who cares!! Quit your crying and do it anyway!! And we are. We are kicking our butts working out and hiking. May my stomach shrink and my heart grow! ;-)

Oh and so far....

We miss you!!! As much as we are loving this experience, we are people people and we miss you!!

A Video of Davis (and my 1,000th Blog Post)

Hello all! I've had a great Birthday today with my two sweeties! We are getting ready to go have dinner in an airplane! Decided that we would film a video of Davis. They develop and learn fast at this age and some of our family and friends are beginning to feel some Davis Withdraw.

Oh, this is also my 1,000th blog post!! Wow! I thank God for the many memories and thoughts captured here. Thanks for reading.

I spoke too soon!

Remember the other day when I blogged about the mountains and the views. Well, I spoke to soon. That was before I drove to the summit of Pike's Peak and through Rocky Mountain National Park. So, allow me to amend that blog with these masterful pictures of God's wonder!!!













I also posted a bunch of pics on facebook tonight. See them here!

A Divine Appoinment

I think that what happened over the last three days was a divine appointment, not a coincidence, and I want to tell you about it. Probably best for me to put the story into chronological order:

• We arrived in Colorado Springs on Friday.
• We started researching churches on Saturday. We even drove to a few of them so we knew where they were. I forget how, but we decided to go to New Life Church first. (Now I know it was the Lord.)
• We worshiped there on Sunday and LOVED it! While we were there, one of the Children's Pastors was incredibly kind to us. She asked us if we were here for the conference? Of course, we said "what conference"? (Mind you, we know no one and nothing here in this area. We just randomly selected it because of its beauty!)
• So, Christine (the Children's Pastor) takes our cell number and says that she will call us in the morning.
• She calls with excitement on Monday morning and tells us to come to the church to pick up our free passes to this conference (that people paid big money for).
• So, Monday, Tuesday and Today, I attended (Tricia and Davis came to some of it as well) the Ascent Conference at New Life Church.
• This week was a divine appointment of worship and hearing from the Lord!!
• This morning I heard Bill Hybels speak a powerful word on the whispers of God.
• Tonight we attended a Chris Tomlin concert at New Life. Outstanding night of worship!
  

After feeling thoroughly welcomed by this massive church of 10,000+ people....who treated us like we were royalty...and the sense of authenticity and revival in this church was stunning....we found out 2 things that shocked us:

• This is the church that Ted Haggard started many years ago before being exposed for being in a homosexual relationship about 2 years ago. Haggard was also the President of the National Evangelical Association.
  
• This is also the church that had a gunman walk in and open fire killing 2 and wounding many just 13 months after their Pastor (Haggard) had a moral failure.
• (You can google either one of these topics and find more than you will ever want to read.)
  

After these 2 massive blows to this church, New Life has experienced healing, restoration and now revival! It is obvious that God is at work in this church! It has been our honor to be here this week and I was also blessed to meet their new Lead Pastor, Brady Boyd. Great guy!

So, here is my shout out to New Life Church, the Ascent Conference and the Lord Jesus for orchestrating this divine appointment for us this week! What a warm welcome to Colorado Springs. In 4 days we have favor and relationships! PTL!

These Mountains...

Since arriving in Colorado on Friday, I have struggled to find adjectives for what I am seeing. These views and these mountains are absolutely.....ummm....I had to look up words that seemed to get close to describing them:

• Magnificent
• Grand
• Resplendent
  
• Glorious
• Statuesque
  
• Majestic

I am in awe of God. I keep pulling over, pulling out the camera and and looking like a silly tourist. We intentionally selected Colorado for our Sabbatical for these glorious views. They have delivered.

Here are a few pictures with verses that I have been quoting every morning as I sit at "my spot" and stare upward to the mountains and the Lord (with a jacket on as it it 45-55 in the mornings).

__________________

Psalm 65:6 “You formed the mountains by your power and
armed yourself with mighty strength.”

(Pike's Peak)

Isaiah 55:12 “You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!”

Psalm 95:3-4 “For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Finally, if you look closely in this picture you can see Pike's Peak peeking above some other mountains. Pike's peak is the 2nd highest mountain is Colorado and we are climbing it today...
In our van!!!
Fooled you, huh?
This should be a great day.

The Pursuit of God

The Pursuit of God. That is precisely what I want this sabbatical to be about. Pursuing God. Not pursuing man, ministry, technique, or experiences, but pursuing God.

Not sure if I shared this yet, but before I left for this trip I packed only the Bible, Bible reference books and old(er) books on spiritual growth or spiritual formation (unsure of whether I would read any of them). I left every book on church ministry, church growth or leadership laying right on its shelf. I have had enough of that in my reading diet over the last 10 years. It is time for pursuing God and his heart; not man and his techniques.

Over the last few days, I read a book by A.W. Tozer entitled, "The Pursuit of God." It was written many years ago by a man who struggled to make something of himself and became an anointed Christian Author.

Due to the fact that I wrote in the margins of nearly every page, I will not even attempt to do a review of this book, but suffice it to say that reading it turned out to be a divinely appointed task for me. This short little book rocked my world in a big way. It is profoundly anointed and had me in deep reflection and tears several times.

Read "The Pursuit of God" by Tozer.

Go to the library and get it.

Buy it here for $7.79.

Borrow it.

But, whatever you do...read this book!!! Other than the Bible, I rate it as the best book that I have read in years, maybe ever!!! You will see why once you read it.
_____________

Practical Update:

• We had an amazing cruise.
• I am officially disconnected! On Sunday, I forgot it was Sunday. Made it to Church just in time. Attended Severn River Church where my friend Ben Rainey Pastors.
  
• We left Monday to start our drive to Colorado.
• We are taking our time and making a 3 day trip in 5.
• Arrived in Nashville, TN today to stay at the Gaylord's Opryland Hotel. There are no words for this place. 45 minutes and lost 3 times just to walk from one end to another.
• Truly enjoying Tricia and Davis and nice to be largely disconnected from technology.
• My heart is heavy for Lisa Savoy's family and friends after her passing this morning. What a dear saint who will be truly missed. Read about her on my blog here, here and here.
  
• Perhaps I will blog again in a week or so.

Love to you all!

Noah

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." -Numbers 6:24-26

Unwinding

I know some people that always insist on taking all of their annual vacation at one time because it is the only way that they can maximize it. For some of us, it takes 3-5 days just to unwind, let go, disconnect. Usually I can disconnect in about 2 days. This time, it is going to take me longer (probably because I know I have the time to do it).

Unwinding. That is precisely what this week has been about so far:

• Been home or doing anything that I think of when I think of it.
• I have nothing on my CCF task list.
  
• Have not read a single work email all week.
• The only "appointments" I have had all week, have been personal friends and family.
• No blogging, no twittering, no facebooking, not even thought about it much at all.

Tomorrow, we finish packing for a week out at sea. Really looking forward to celebrating our 7 year anniversary this week out on the ocean blue, in the Caribbean and with my love!

After that, we start our trek west to our Summer Destination in Colorado where we will spend the majority of our Sabbatical.

I may check in again in a week or two.

Signing off again for now...

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." -Eph. 3: 17b-18

Let the Sabbatical Begin! (Video Blog)

God's Chisel (Video I shared in service today)

MLL Capturing the Moments!

(Thanks to Akeia and Paris Rossiter and Nu Light Photography)

Our First Married Life Live Event...

....has come and gone....and tonight.....we put a BIG "W" on the board!!!!

• We laughed.
• We learned.
• We sipped coffee and punch.
• We ate cookies.
  
• We watched.
• We listened.
• We played.
• We sang.
• We reminisced with old music.
• We danced.
• We went home.

We all had a absolutely beautiful evening.

For the team of you that not only made this happen, but made this happen with the highest class, I say Thank You!

See you in the morning!

Open House this Sunday at our Place

Attention CCF partners and attendees!!!

Seeing as how this is our last Sunday before we leave for our Sabbatical, we have decided to invite ALL of you over to our place for a little drop-in open house.

Open House at Pastor Noah and Tricia's




Address: 12405 Stonehaven Lane Bowie MD, 20715

This Sunday, 4pm-8pm

Stop by for a few minutes! We love you and want to give you a hug!

Whole church welcome!

Sabbatical FAQ's

What is a sabbatical?
A Sabbatical is an extended time of absence from a position or role for the purpose of renewal or other specific purpose. For pastors, it is a time off intended to encourage spiritual refreshing and renewal for continued long term healthy service.

• You can read about it on Wikipedia by clicking here!!
• You can read what the Mennonite Church has to say about sabbaticals by clicking here!

Why are you going on one?
Each staff member at CCF has a contract agreement of employment. CCF has graciously built into my contract a 2 month sabbatical every 4 years (we are celebrating 5 years, but we postponed it last year). Why else would we be going?

• We receive the obvious benefits of refreshing and renewed perspective spiritually. Great family time and rest.
• The church also benefits!! To name a few of those benefits: the exercise of lay leadership gifts, the increased leadership possibilities of our staff, a reminder that no church is built on a person or a personality, people to learn to trust other leaders, etc.
• Because I want to last here! So many pastors burn out or have moral failures because they focus on leading everyone else and ignore their own growth. This is a time for Noah and God to work on Noah.
  

Is this basically a long vacation? If so, is it OK for me to be jealous?
No, it is not a vacation. It is a time dedicated for spiritual growth, not simply recreation. Thou shalt not envy.


When do you leave CCF?
This Sunday, May 31 is my last day of service. Sabbatical begins June 1, 2009.


When will you return?
I will be back in the Sunday service on Sunday, August 16th and in the office the 17th.


Where are you going?
We will start with some personal time and vacation and then we will be headed to spend a month+ in Colorado in the Rockies...staring at the beauty of God's creation! Then, I will be flying to Hong Kong to spend the first half of August with the Kauffman's doing missions work there. (Tricia and Davis will not be there for that part...bummer.)


Are Davis and Tricia coming?
YES!


What will you be doing?
For the most part, I will spend the first segment of most days in solitude, reading and prayer (in the presence of God). Then, we will do things together as a family. We are actually preparing to do a lot of exploring, hiking and outdoorsy stuff! The area and the weather will both be gorgeous!


Who do I contact if I need something that I would usually contact you about?
The church. Any Staff member. Your Small Group.


Will we still get prayer emails?
Yes. Direct all requests to Jaye or Pastor Nelson. They can both send them.


Who is preaching and who is serving in your role while you are gone?
Pastor Nelson. He will be assuming an Interim Lead Pastor Role while I am away. I have downloaded much of what I do to him over the last few weeks and I am confident that he will do an excellent job serving this summer. He will be preaching and coordinating other communicators throughout the summer.


Now that Tricia works at the church, who will be doing her job in the Kid's Ministry?
Tonya Wood, Rebecca Martin, Lisa Lewis and all the wonderful Capi's Kids workers!


Will you be reachable?
I will be reachable to Staff and Board for emergencies.


Will you be blogging?
Yes. But, much less then I normally would. Check in a couple times a week. During this time, I need to do more listening than talking. More taking in than giving out.


Will you be twittering?
Very little, if at all! I do not want to say no, because if we see something really cool, I may really want to tell you. Like, what if a bear is climbing on our windshield? That would be an AWESOME twitter! You get my point. (Besides, if I say no and then I do, you all will have some comment to make, smile.)


What about emailing?
I will NOT be receiving CCF emails this summer. Jaye Lindo will be serving as my assistant and will be managing my email account while I am away.


Will you be on Facebook?
Very little, if at all! I need to be getting God's Status Updates for a while, not yours.


Will you be reachable by cell phone?
No. Tricia will be. This way, I do not spend my sabbatical texting! The fruit of the spirit is self control. ;-) It will do me well to step away from technology for a while and focus on the Lord.


What about emergencies?
The Staff and Executive Board know what I would want to be contacted for and they know how to reach me in an emergency.


Can I use your car while you are gone?
No.


Can I use your house while you are gone?
No.


What if you really like it where you are going and don't want to come back?
In the words of the Terminator..."I'll be back!"


How can we pray for you this summer?
Pray that with God's help I (we) will lock in new spiritual and physical habits that will go with me for the rest of my life and ministry. Plan to spend time in the presence of God like NEVER before and to be physically fit like NEVER before. Pray also that the 3 of us grow together as a family and make wonderful memories. We truly appreciate your prayer support.


Will we miss you?
Does the sun come up in the morning? Does Billy Graham have a quiet time? Is snow white? You bet we will!! Like crazy!

One more thing....we want each of you to know how thankful that we are for this gift that CCF is giving us! This is not an entitlement or something that we expect, rather a gift that we are grateful to receive!

We love you!

Noah, Tricia and Davis

Vision: a journey, not a destination

If my recent experience at the Drive Conference did one thing for me, it revealed for me the fact that we have not "arrived" at the "vision station." Vision development is a journey that we remain on, not a destination that we arrive at.

A few things are becoming glaringly clear to me recently:

1. We have come a long way, baby! But, what we have done at CCF has been more "mission" establishment and clarification, than "vision" development. We have defined the game that every church should be playing. We HAD to to that first. If we do not know what game we are playing, we will never figure out how to win it!
2. We have a long way to go, baby! Felt compelled to re-read "Vision Sticks" by Andy Stanley. It is a short read. Read it today. It reminded me of 3 key factors to vision:

• You must clearly name a problem that needs to be solved (people will likely know about the problem)! Without a problem, nobody needs your solution (vision) and nobody needs you! Has CCF clearly and corporately identified the problem in Lanham/PG County/MD Suburbs that we exist to solve?
  
• Then, you must must offer a clear and compelling solution. How as a church, are we positioned as a solution to that problem?
• The third component to a convincing vision is the reason that something must be done now!! Plenty of people see problems and many have solutions. Few leaders and only excellent organizations decide that something must be done...NOW!! It's more than "why must we do this"? It's "why must we do this now?"

We know the game we are playing/the mission for which we exist. Jesus gave us that! How are WE going to win? What strategy will we be employing to cross home plate in the years to come at CCF?

Seeking the Lord on these things. Will you join me?