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I found this site today (heart support) while doing some research for an upcoming message series, and realized that this is the type of thing that really grabs my heart – There are so many people around us that are hurting and many of them don’t think anyone else cares. We have access to a peace that transcends all understanding, but we hide it and keep it to ourselves. Why do we judge people so much for what they’ve done and what they’re going through? Don’t we realize that we have our own sin and struggles? If not for the grace of God each of us could be in the same position at any moment.

Reach out to each other. Support each other. Share the love of Christ with each other – not the words, but the LOVE.

Here is the transcript from my message, The Game of Life.
Please note: this is written from the perspective of speaking to a large group, complete with gestures, vocal emphasis, non-verbal communication and improvisation. It is not necessarily grammatically correct or coherent as written communication.

Good morning. Today we’re going to talk about something that I struggle with on a daily basis… Life. Who here has played The Game of Life? This is one of my all-time favorite games. It’s so simple, but awesome at the same time – spin the dial, move your car, get a job, get married, have kids, pay your taxes and retire – it’s awesome! But it’s funny how true-life this game can be. We spin our wheels and rely on chance to take us where we’re supposed to go. We try to coast through life’s ups and downs until we make it to one of the big highlights, then we go on auto-pilot again, and all along we way we are comparing our lives to the others playing the game – my house is better, they have more kids, I wish I had a better job, and on and on until we finish the game and the person with the most net worth wins… and that’s where the analogy falls apart. Because at the end of our game, it doesn’t matter what your net worth is. It doesn’t matter how many kids you have, what stocks you traded, or what your house looked like. One of my passions in life… Read more

It’s official - Jennifer and I are expecting our first child. Sometime in February 2009 we will make our first contribution to the global population, and I couldn’t be happier. Jenn found out while I was at phase 1 of OCS and told me on the phone when I got back to Texas. As soon as I heard the news I shouted out to the OCS class, “I’m going to be a daddy!” I guess that pretty much sums it up.

This is something that’s been on my heart a lot lately. What makes a person a good Christian? I’m not asking what makes a person a Christian – I’m asking what makes someone who is already a Christian good at what they do? I’d argue that it’s the actions they take on a daily basis. Of course our actions don’t save us- it’s clear in the Bible that we are saved by grace- but after we are saved… what then? Isn’t it our actions that set us apart?

Here’s what I’m getting at; If we are not doing everything in our power to share God’s love with the world, we’re not doing enough. Yes, I’m talking to you. And I’m talking to the person standing next to you. And I’m talking to myself. What did you do this morning? What about on your way to work? What were your lunch plans? What did you do this evening? Big plans for the holiday weekend? Now stop and think about how every routine task we do in life could be radically changed if we took the attitude of serving God in EVERYTHING we do. Your morning commute has meaning because you drive to serve God. Lunchtime has a whole new purpose because each conversation could be the one where you share Christ with your coworker. Saturday mornings are not just for sleeping in because there is work to be done all around your city – people are in need all around you.

Specifically with Fellowship of San Marcos, I want people to get off their butts and come to the work days at our new building. We don’t have the money to hire a construction company to come renovate it for us, so we have to do the work ourselves. Is it dirty, sweaty, hard labor? Yes! But does it have a greater purpose? YES! We’re not just up there putting up walls and painting so it will look nice and we can congratulate ourselves on the work we did. We are creating a place were people can come and learn about God. If we don’t care enough about our own church to invest our time and resources in it, why are we even doing this? And that brings me back to my point. Whether you slept in this morning or got up to come help work at the building doesn’t determine if you’re a good or a bad Christian- but it might be a symptom. Search your heart and see why you’re not involved somewhere.