to the sexy prayer...

so i was thinking about guys that lead worship. some cool, others not so much.

either way, when they get into, there's almost always that pause or break in the middle where you can sense that something cool is going on. it's at that point that the sexy prayer begins.

passionate words are uttered. hand gestures are used. it even becomes emotional. 

the catch is in the tone. the voice and feel changes. it's...well, it's sexy.

am i the only one that thinks so?

todays services at downtown...

this am i had the opportunity of teaching at both the christ fellowship downtown services; 9.30 am leader service(my heroes) and the 11 am service.

as i was processing what was shared, i thought i might highlight some of the points that were shared. 

here goes (in case anyone out there cares):

1, we have found the saskwach(bigfoot) in the bible, his name is Goliath. he's big, mean, and hairy

2, the inaction of a nation, people, or person demonstrates what they believe about God

3, God’s invitation for us to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. (henry blackaby is the man)

4, no action = no faith

5, hasn't God proven Himself to us over and over and over again? why can't we just trust Him?

6, i can only do what i can only do. once i've done my part, God does his part

7, impossible is nothing...for God

i'd love to hear what different folks heard around the city in their houses of worship. 

what's God telling you out there?

to the least of these...

so tomorrow am i'll be teaching at christ fellowship - downtown campus. pretty excited about the opportunity.

however, there a ton of other good things happening while service is on. to name a few, a worship environment is created for our homeless friends. about 150 strong show up. we sing, teach, we don't push it, but many of the folks there even give of the resources they have. i'm floored every week.

showers, clean clothes, breakfast, and a hot lunch are served -- this happens every week. 

sunday mornings are great for different folks, for different reasons. 

so glad to be working within areas that are serving the city; regardless the cost. 

to the least of these...

easter at Christ Fellowship

so this weekend starting on friday night, i had the opportunity of serving at Christ Fellowship Church here in miami - it was an incredible weekend. 

the thing that stuck out the most was that regardless of the campus, style, or even demographic of the group, the gospel message was clearly presented

of all the times of the year when the message needs to be easily understood and presented, i can say with confidence that in all aspect of the programmed hour, the gospel was shared

thanks to all of you who helped participate and make this weekend possible

i'm looking forward to following up with all of the visitors who came this weekend

friday was good, sunday was awesome...Jesus lives.

to serving...

so this morning, despite the hour change, i was at the caring place (downtown cf missions dept) working with an incredible group of dedicated volunteers (you all are amazing - i'm honored to serve with such incredible people

the task was beautiful...serving the under resourced and under privileged of the downtown community. 

among those present were homeless men and women, recently laid off people with gifts and talent, transexuals, hung over guys, and the 2 or 3 guys that everyone is scared of.

then tonight, at cf palmetto bay, i got to teach 401 - connect to the world. 

i was reminded in the middle of the session why we do what we do

God's priority isn't those present - it's those that aren't present (we call them the lost)

Luke 15 talks about...

-lost sheep

-lost money

-lost son (family)

all of them valuable, all of them equally lost. 

today i was able to serve genuinely. not for show and definitely not because people were watching. i'm happy to be able to say that. in the past, my motives have been mixed. but not at 7  in the morning after a hard hour change and poor night sleep.

yet i've had more than enough energy today to do what matters most. worship God, love my family, and serve other. 

how are you serving where you are?

what are you doing to add to the kingdom in you community?

let me know

to cf live...

so just want to put it out there

cf live will be happening this weekend at 6.30 pm at cf palmetto bay - it will feel like a service with an extended time of worship and a powerful message by pastor rick

this saturday night only at 8.30 pm, right afterwards, the music portion will be repeated; no message or child care

hope to see you guys there!

to slum dog millionaire...

besides the fact that the movie is a good one, even great one (if you haven't seen it, it's a good one to watch -- much thanks to our friends at fox for the home preview)

something that happened while i watched...i sensed God stirring, yet again.

i was reminded of perspective. over 90 million people living on less than $1 american, per day. this weekend alone i went out to eat twice and spent about an average of $10 per plate -- for one meal.

i know that life here is different. i get that. but knowing that life here is different doesn't change the fact that life over 'there' (wherever there is) is still going on; regardless of me being there or not. 

so i wrestle with stewardship...

-my resources

-my time

i realized that while i'm busy here doing great things for God, i've forgotten about those out 'there'... He still cares deeply for them.

that's what i'm wrestling with...and it hurts.

to the unruined life..

fyi

this weekend we start the new series about dealing with the bad things in each of us -- the jekyll hyde problem

check it out

www.cffamily.org

to an interesting opinion...

so as i was reading this morning in luke 4, they gave Jesus beef about the coming of a new day. a shift was occurring around all who were there and they didn't even know it. when He tried to warn them, they didn't want to hear about it.

came across an interesting opinion this afternoon as i was doing my daily reading (check out the column to the right for more info on what i'm reading). here's the opinion:

"doing church differently is like rearranging the chairs on the titanic. we must realize that slight tweaks, new music, creative lighting, wearing hula shirts, shorts, and flip flops won't make doing church more attractive.  church must not be the goal of the gospel anymore. church should not be the focus of our efforts or the banner we hold up to explain what we are about. church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the very way of Christ."

pretty hard. 

what do you think? right? wrong? some right or some wrong?

let me know.