Being a Vietnam movie with some Mel Gibson style gore, “We Were Soldiers” is a must see. Gibson plays the role of military commander Lieutenant Colonel Harold Moore. The Colonel gives his men a speech just before they are to leave for battle. He promises them “I will be the first man on the battlefield and I will be the last man off the battlefield. And I will leave no one behind, dead or alive.”
The words from the Colonel are a battle cry for the men at Life Church. The American male is under siege from political, social, scientific and religious critics. In many ways this criticism is justified - yet the result has been that men have lost their way. We have no unified vision for good manhood. Consequently, men have responded by becoming chauvinistic oppressors, immature idiots or selfish pansies distracted by the pleasures of life.
It is time we respond differently.
If you are a man who attends Life Church, we will not leave you behind. You can not hide in the back row, you can not disappear into the crowd. We will find you and challenge you to be a man for Jesus. Jesus’ calling on your life is profound and challenging. We are here to help you join the men who are on the battlefield of life fighting alongside Jesus for the gospel, our wives, our sons & daughters, our grandkids, our communities – you must join us. We will not leave you behind.
Pastor Jason
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Its All About Jesus
If you have been attending Life Church for any amount of time I hope you have heard one consistent message from us: Jesus. Being a Christian means that I am someone who is learning to trust Jesus - nothing more, nothing less.
It’s not about moral achievment.
It’s not about religious rituals.
It’s not about working hard to be good.
It’s not about making promises and vows.
It’s not about getting gold stars on heaven’s chore chart.
It’s about Jesus.
Like a rebellious teenager we thought we knew better and we snuck out of the house, went to the party, got drunk, and woke up in a jail cell with wet pants and smelled like vomit. Jesus came and found us, paid our bail, brought soap, a wash bucket and fresh clothes.
We don’t deserve what Jesus did. We don’t deserve His kindness & forgiveness. We never will. But he freely offers it to ALL who are willing to put their faith and hope in Him. This is good news.
This is why at Life Church - It’s always going to be about Jesus.
It’s not about moral achievment.
It’s not about religious rituals.
It’s not about working hard to be good.
It’s not about making promises and vows.
It’s not about getting gold stars on heaven’s chore chart.
It’s about Jesus.
Like a rebellious teenager we thought we knew better and we snuck out of the house, went to the party, got drunk, and woke up in a jail cell with wet pants and smelled like vomit. Jesus came and found us, paid our bail, brought soap, a wash bucket and fresh clothes.
We don’t deserve what Jesus did. We don’t deserve His kindness & forgiveness. We never will. But he freely offers it to ALL who are willing to put their faith and hope in Him. This is good news.
This is why at Life Church - It’s always going to be about Jesus.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Gentlemen: An Offer For You
Hey guys, In talking about “moral margin,” one great way to keep yourself from really screwing up is to download a program called “Covenant Eyes”. This software program is not a filter. Rather, for $9 bucks a month it simply monitors your Internet activity and sends a report to your predetermined “accountability partner.” This always leads to exciting and helpful conversations. This software will help in your fight for masculine honor, purity and wholeness. I highly recommend it. I use this software along with many other leading guys at Life Church.
So here’s the offer: due to a generous gift from a Life Church dude who cares about men of Life Church, the first ten guys who respond to this we will give you ten bucks for trying it out. That covers your $9 fee with an extra buck to spare. Check out their website and then go here to see the details of how we are working this promotion. Fight the good fight - or it will kill you.
So here’s the offer: due to a generous gift from a Life Church dude who cares about men of Life Church, the first ten guys who respond to this we will give you ten bucks for trying it out. That covers your $9 fee with an extra buck to spare. Check out their website and then go here to see the details of how we are working this promotion. Fight the good fight - or it will kill you.
No More Margin
Our MARGIN teaching series is over but I hope a life with margin is just beginning for each of you. So many of you responded positively to this series. Many of you are working hard to make room in your life for the most important things and I am excited to see the results of your determined effort. So in order to be most helpful to you all, I wanted to pass on to you a few resources I have found which helped me learn about margin.
The best book I found on the topic as a whole is called “MARGIN: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives” by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. As a Christian medical doctor, Swenson brings a good perspective to this topic.
Time Margin
I highly recommend the small book “Choosing the Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide” by Andy Stanley. Andy says this is the most important book he has ever written. Andy’s chapter on “Watch Out For Falling Rocks” alone is worth the price of the book. Its a quick read but its message could change your life.
Financial Margin
The best resources I have found on gaining financial margin are Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace” material or his “Total Money Makeover” book. I am hoping in the future we will be able to host a Financial Peace University course at Life Church. Many of you have already been through this helpful course.
Spiritual & Emotional Margin
I recommend the book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” by Peter Scazzero. I listened to a podcast of Pastor Scazzero from Denver Seminary and found his thoughts very helpful. His major premise is that we can not be ‘spiritually mature’ and still be ‘emotionally immature.’
These authors and resources have been helpful to me and I hope they will be to you too.
The best book I found on the topic as a whole is called “MARGIN: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives” by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. As a Christian medical doctor, Swenson brings a good perspective to this topic.
Time Margin
I highly recommend the small book “Choosing the Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide” by Andy Stanley. Andy says this is the most important book he has ever written. Andy’s chapter on “Watch Out For Falling Rocks” alone is worth the price of the book. Its a quick read but its message could change your life.
Financial Margin
The best resources I have found on gaining financial margin are Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace” material or his “Total Money Makeover” book. I am hoping in the future we will be able to host a Financial Peace University course at Life Church. Many of you have already been through this helpful course.
Spiritual & Emotional Margin
I recommend the book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” by Peter Scazzero. I listened to a podcast of Pastor Scazzero from Denver Seminary and found his thoughts very helpful. His major premise is that we can not be ‘spiritually mature’ and still be ‘emotionally immature.’
These authors and resources have been helpful to me and I hope they will be to you too.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Financial Margin
Last Sunday we talked about the importance of gaining financial margin. I explained the first step in getting financial margin is finding contentment in your relationship with Jesus (Heb. 13:5). Here I will share with you some practical steps that will help lead you to a place of financial margin.
1. Learn Contentment.
This contentment can only come from Jesus. If you do not learn to be content with what you have - you will never have margin. Focus on Him. Think about what He has given you. Remember & believe that ‘He became poor so we could be come rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)
2. Give Generously
This is counter-intuitive. Most of us think “once I have margin, then I will start to give generously.” The reverse is true. The more money people make, the less generous we become. Americans were much more generous during the great depression than we were in the booming economy of the 90’s. The more you make, the more you want, the less you give. Give generously now. Give sacrificially now. Then you will begin to experience the joys of generous giving. Additionally, as you give, the firm grip which ‘desire-for-more’ has on our hearts will slowly loosen its hold.
3. Distinguish Between Your NEEDS And Your WANTS
We have convinced ourselves that we need way more than we really do. You don’t need a brand new car, you don’t need 1800 square feet of living space, you don’t need a full data plan, you don’t need to pay $80 bucks for a pair of jeans, you don’t need to eat out, you don’t need to go to the theater, you don’t need to buy the jumbo value pack with a one gallon soda and drywall bucket of popcorn, you don’t need the full cable package... you don’t really need cable at all.
We tell ourselves we need these things (and many more) or we are convinced we deserve them. “I work hard” you say. That’s good. We should all work hard to earn a living - but no one deserves to live beyond their means. Remember Prov. 21:20? “the foolish man devours all he has.” Ouch!
Getting margin in any area of life means putting first things first. To gain financial margin follow this order - Find contentment in Jesus, Give generously, Save, Pay your bills (needs) - then with the remainder enjoy the good things God gives you (wants).
This contentment can only come from Jesus. If you do not learn to be content with what you have - you will never have margin. Focus on Him. Think about what He has given you. Remember & believe that ‘He became poor so we could be come rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)
2. Give Generously
This is counter-intuitive. Most of us think “once I have margin, then I will start to give generously.” The reverse is true. The more money people make, the less generous we become. Americans were much more generous during the great depression than we were in the booming economy of the 90’s. The more you make, the more you want, the less you give. Give generously now. Give sacrificially now. Then you will begin to experience the joys of generous giving. Additionally, as you give, the firm grip which ‘desire-for-more’ has on our hearts will slowly loosen its hold.
3. Distinguish Between Your NEEDS And Your WANTS
We have convinced ourselves that we need way more than we really do. You don’t need a brand new car, you don’t need 1800 square feet of living space, you don’t need a full data plan, you don’t need to pay $80 bucks for a pair of jeans, you don’t need to eat out, you don’t need to go to the theater, you don’t need to buy the jumbo value pack with a one gallon soda and drywall bucket of popcorn, you don’t need the full cable package... you don’t really need cable at all.
We tell ourselves we need these things (and many more) or we are convinced we deserve them. “I work hard” you say. That’s good. We should all work hard to earn a living - but no one deserves to live beyond their means. Remember Prov. 21:20? “the foolish man devours all he has.” Ouch!
Getting margin in any area of life means putting first things first. To gain financial margin follow this order - Find contentment in Jesus, Give generously, Save, Pay your bills (needs) - then with the remainder enjoy the good things God gives you (wants).
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