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Now wasn’t that easy!?!?

In short…stay connected, fruit happens.

1.  THE GOAL

Every 60 minutes to give as much of yourself as you understand to as much of God and his will as you understand and see if God doesn’t show up in your life in the next 60 days in ways you can’t imagine.

2.  THE BIG IDEA

Use external reminders to get our attention to remind us of the 60-60 experiment and break us out of our normal daily routines, preferably something that beeps – watch, timer, phone or computer alarms.
Here’s a link to an online timer if you want to use it:  http://www.online-stopwatch.com/interval-timer/

If you don’t have anything like this, you can use something as simple as sticky notes or signs posted on mirrors, you computer monitor, your steering wheel, the refrigerator, etc…when one catches your eye, use it as a 60-60 reminder.

3.  WHAT TO DO

Here are some suggestions of what to do when the beep goes off:  stop and give thanks to God for something specific, ask God for his help, pray for a coworker, tell God you surrender yourself to Him, confess a struggle, cast your cares on Him, ask God to be real to you and to speak to you, be still and silent and listen for God’s voice, take 2-3 minute walk outside and see the glory of God in creation, worship God for who he is and what he has done in your life…

4.  WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE

Everyone!  From skeptics and non-believers to life-long Christians.  See John 7:17.

5.  GUARANTEES

a.  It will be hard.  Push yourself.

b.  It will be inconvenient.  It will take sacrifice.

c.  None of us will do it anywhere near perfect. But doing it perfectly isn’t the point.  You can’t lose.  There’s no downside.  If you only pause once or twice a day and connect with God, that’s once or twice more than before.

6.  FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT

This is about training.  There is a HUGE difference between training to do something and trying to do something.  Your life becoming more and more like Jesus isn’t a matter of trying harder but of training wisely.  That’s what the 60-60 experiment is all about.  Training ourselves to stay connected to Jesus.

Please email me or stop by our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/BaysidePlumasLake) and let us know how it’s going and how experiencing God in your life.

I’m so excited to be doing this together!

Ok, it’s been a BIG while since I last blogged.  I’m not gonna lie, there have been times where I have felt guilty.  And I’m not really sure why.

Truth is, there can be any number of things that I feel guilty or badly about when there isn’t really any compelling reason too.

How about you?

One of the things I’m learning lately is the power of a “stop doing” list.  As the rhythms of life change, there are definitely things that I need to stop doing.

Some of them I need to stop doing for good.  Others I just need to stop doing for a period or season of life.

Blogging fell into the latter category for me for a while.  Truthfully, I have missed it.  But, not blogging  freed up some much needed time to focus on school work or ministry or family.

One of my favorite verses lately is 1 John 3:19-20.  Here they are:  “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

There are areas where we need to listen to what our conscience is telling us.  But there are also times when our heart is condemning us, making us feel guilty and we just need to set it at rest in God because it is not the final voice, Gods is….and he knows everything.

So, what are feeling guilty about and what needs to go on your “stop doing” list?

One day the books are going to open.  And not just any books….God’s books.   God’s accounting books.

Romans 14:12 says – “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

Hebrews 4:13 drives the point home this way – “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Pretty sobering stuff in light of today’s reading.  There is a day coming when God will open the books and we will all be held responsible for what they say about us.  And I’m pretty sure that God’s accounting system is painstakingly accurate.

All of humanity coming face to face with the darkest details of the lives we lived.  Every one of us exposed for who we are.  There is a day when we all will be held accountable.

This is a terrifying reality.  But there is good news.  It’s found in this sentence:  ”Another book was opened, which is the book of life.”

You see, among all of God’s books, one book trumps them all…the book of life.  We don’t know the complete contents of the book of life, but we do know that it contains a list of names.  Names that belong to a different account.  Jesus’ account.

The Scriptures tell us that the names of those who have a relationship with Jesus are recorded in his book of life.  He takes responsibility for their account.  He is accountable for them.

Remarkably, he has paid their debt in full and credited to them his righteousness.

John, the one who wrote the book of Revelation, wrote in 1 John 2:12 these words, “your sins have been forgiven on account of his name”.

Wow…that is so powerful.  Our sins forgiven on his account.

When the books are opened on our lives, it will say, “Forgiven on Jesus’ account.  See book of life.”

So, what’s our response?  I guess it depends on where we’re at this morning, on whose account we’re living.  On our own, or on Jesus’?

Just a quick thought for today from our reading.  There is a good deal of life (Christian or otherwise) that falls into the category of “calls for patient endurance”.

None of us like it.  And, we’re not really good at it.  But there it is staring us in the face.

I know we all know what patient endurance means.  But it is sometimes helpful to break the words apart and look at their definitions.

Patient is defined as: bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc…, with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

The definition of endurance is:  the ability or strength to continue or last, despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina

What a combination!!  The person possessing this would seem unbreakable.

We are invited and instructed not just to endure, but to endure patiently.  The flip side of that we are not just to have patience, but we are to couple it with endurance.

The Scriptures are holding up a massive warning sign, “DANGER, ROUGH WATERS AHEAD!!  IT WILL BE DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL AND YOU WILL BE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP, BUT DON’T.”

The key to patiently enduring anything is the “why”.  What is waiting for us on the other side of this difficulty and pain?

Mothers patiently endure pregnancy and the pain of childbirth because their baby is on the other side of it.  Athletes patiently endure all the bumps, bruises, and injuries because there is a prize to be had.

Check out Hebrews 12:1-3.  The question becomes, what is the “why” for us?

The promise of life in God and God himself is the “why”.

As a follower of Jesus, patient endurance is a part of your calling.  It doesn’t have to be your favorite part. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus, our lives will be characterized by patient endurance and…we win.

See you tomorrow.

As we near the end of our Growth Project, admittedly it remains hard to stay disciplined in blogging.  It doesn’t help that we’re ending with Revelation.

It’s not that there isn’t anything worth talking about, but sometimes it’s difficult to draw application to everyday life.  That being said, there is some good stuff in today’s reading.

First, notice that the great battle between good and evil isn’t an equal one.  Satan is not equal to God.  In fact, when the war breaks out, God doesn’t fight Satan, he sends Michael and a band of angels.

There is an enemy of our souls.  He wants nothing more than to destroy us.  He is like a roaring lion.  He is powerful.  But he is no match for the work and power of God in our lives.

Also, check out verse 11.  Want to overcome and defeat pure evil in your life?  Here’s the prescription:

1.  blood of the Lamb – Jesus’ death was in our place.  His victory is our victory.  Through his life and death, we are hidden in Him.  When we bury our lives in the depths of his love and sacrifice, there is no place for the evil one to go.

2.  word of your testimony – we don’t hold in high enough regard the story of what God has done in us.  It is no small thing.  When we commit ourselves to the work God has done in us, we protect ourselves from any lies and deception and guilt that is thrown at us.

3.  don’t love your life, even up to death – when we willingly abandon our lives to the beauty of the life of Jesus, we have nothing to lose.  There is no longer any threat that can harm us.  Nothing Satan or any evil person or thing can do to us because our life is found in him.

Take a few minutes today to work through each of these things.  Thank Jesus for his sacrifice.  Invite him to wash over your soul with his blood.  Reflect on his work in your life and your testimony.  Choose today to die to yourself.

And know that you can triumph over everything that comes your way.

Some pretty horrific and terrifying things begin happening in today’s reading. Whether literal or figurative, they stand as a sober warning and reminder of judgment that is too come.

Lots of things swirling around my heart as I read.  So, could be a long post as I process it all.

I couldn’t help think about 2 Peter 3:8-10, especially verse 9.

God is patient and loving and desires everyone to come to repentance.  He is patiently holding off judgment and destruction.  But there is a point when that will no longer be the case.

The remarkable thing is that even at that point, he isn’t willing that any perish but that all would come to Him.

I think God gets a bad rap.

He is seen as wrathful and vengeful, especially when it comes the message of Revelation.  After all, how could a loving God unleash such destruction and pain upon the earth?

Hebrews 10:38 tells us that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of those who don’t respond to His love.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not really like that.  The broken part of me can easily enjoy seeing people get what’s coming to them.  Especially if they’re jerks.

But not God.  He takes no pleasure in the destruction of even the most wicked and evil of humanity.

In fact, the coming judgment (like we see spelled out in today’s reading) is the ultimate declaration of God’s love.  Let me explain.

Today, millions of people will perpetrate unspeakable violence upon other humans.

Thousands of men, women, and children will starve to death needlessly while others could have prevented it.

Thousands of innocent children will be sold into the sex slave industry where they will be abused and violated in unimaginable ways for years, only to be discarded at the old age of 14 because they’ve contracted HIV.

Thousands more will be put to death in the name of religion or political ideology or because they’re the wrong ethnicity.

I could go on, but you get the point.

That will all happen today.  And it will be repeated tomorrow.

At some level we are moved by these realities.  We know they exist but still we tolerate them.  In a way, we can ignore them because they don’t touch us.  We don’t see it.  It’s not personal.

But all of it rises up before God everyday.  He hears every cry.  He sees every act of violence.  He knows every injustice.  It is ever before Him.  It touches Him.  He sees it.

For God, it’s personal.

If the coming judgment tells us anything it is that there is coming a day when God will say, “enough!”.  When he will intervene and put an end to it all.  When he will no longer allow humanity’s atrocities on one another.

Mercy will lock hands with Justice and God will make all things right.  That’s what all these angels, seals, trumpets, and judgments are all about.

So what will you do today?  How can you respond to God now?  How can you live today to bring both mercy and justice in to dark places?

My dream is for our church to be that kind of place…

Wow.  If that’s all I posted today, it would’ve been worth you coming and checking it out!

Revelation 7

What struck me as I read this chapter today is how redemptive the story of Scriptures is -all the way to the end.  I know people are scared of the end of days and judgment and all the unthinkable things that seem to be spelled out.

But, I can’t help but notice that it all point to Jesus and his love and redemption of humanity.

Just read the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and go and read some of their stories.  Yes, you will find incredible lives of integrity and honor like Joseph.  But you’ll also find some pretty messed up lives.

Even the stories of their birth and conception are sordid.  They are all the sons of Jacob who became Israel.  But among the twelve, they have four different moms:  Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah.  Two of them were never even married to Jacob.

But there they are, swept up in redemption’s story.  When you get to the last section of today’s chapter, there is a powerful declaration about Jesus shepherding his people.

Some of what is written is quoted from Isaiah chapters 25 and 49.  You should go and read them when you have time.   They’re beautiful promises of restoration and redemption.

I love the last line of Revelation 7.  There is coming a day when all the pain and hurt of this life and a thousand lifetimes will be washed away.

There is coming a day when God will wipe away your tears forever because your heart will be healed completely.

There is coming a day when yearning and longing of your heart will be satisfied.

That day is coming.

No matter what your today looks like, I know that your tomorrow is full of redemption and healing and victory.

So hold on….

Revelation 6

When we read the book of Revelation, often times we’re left with lots of questions.

How much is literal and how much is imagery?

What does it all mean?

When will these things occur?

How will we know when it’s happening?

What should I do?

When we get to this part of the Bible, it seems to be creating more uncertainty for us than really helping us be more certain.

When I read our reading today, it occurred to me that there are some things I can be certain of.

I know that I don’t know.   There are a lot of smart people who debate the meanings and particular of these writings.    They can provide some insight.  But nobody knows.

I know that I am small.  The end of the chapter paints a vivid picture for us of just how small we are.  There is a God.  It’s not me (thankfully!).

I know that God holds all of my tomorrows.  Whether 24 hours or 24 millennia from now, He holds them all.

Of course there are more things that we can know.  This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list.

My point in all of this though is that too often we allow these parts of Scripture to pre-occupy us with dates, times, and occurrences that are unknowable and out of our control.

I want to advocate that we allow them to do for us what they were intended to do – to cause us to run to God and focus on him.

No doubt we should live with an urgency born out of a keen sense that time is not unlimited and that there is coming a day when God is going to put everything right.

But may all of that drive us to the one who it’s all about anyway….Jesus.

Start your week focusing on him.

See you tomorrow…

There’s a lot of striving in this life to make a name for ourselves.  To be the top dog.  To wear the crown.

I don’t know about you but if I’m not careful, I can have a way of making everything always come back and be about me; about the here and now.

Even when it comes to God, it can be easy to fall into a rut and become nonchalant in prayer times, or in worship times, or when reading the Scriptures.

And then I read stuff like today’s reading and it jolts me.  Check out verses 6-8 again.

The creatures themselves seem terrifying.  And they spend eternity declaring the greatness of the One who sits on the throne.

Their refrain is similar to that of the angels Isaiah saw and wrote about in Isaiah 6.  Even the repeating of “holy” three times demands our attention.

I love their description of God at the end of verse 8, “who was and is and is to come”.    He is the first and the last and everything in between.

He was before all things.  He was the one who laid the foundations of creation.  Reminds me of Job 38.

He is.  So much in those two little words.  Who is the one who love you?  He is.  Who is going to help?  He is.   Who has come to rescue you?  He is.  He is the answer to every significant life question.

He is to come.  Whatever you’re facing, whatever is ahead of you – he’s already there.  He is the plot.  He is the setting.  He is the star.  He is the climax to the story.  He.  Is.  To.  Come.

Lastly, there is a day coming when, like the elders at the end of the chapter, we will lay our crowns down at his feet.  We will take whatever glory has been given to us and give it back to him.

On that day we will join the great chorus of Heaven an declare the glory of the One on the throne.  On that day, we will gladly lay down all that we have accomplished and become and offer it as a tiny offering for His glory.

All the crowns of our lives will gladly be given to him.

They amazing part is that we don’t have to wait until then.  We can begin right now, today.

In fact, I can’t think of a better way to start the day.  Take some time and engage his presence and worship Him.