This WEEK in Jerusalem!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

The Jewish people have a popular saying, “Next year in Jerusalem”, but for 15 CLCers, including Chris & me, it will be this WEEK in Jerusalem, as we leave later this morning for O’Hare airport and the first of 2 flights that will eventually get us to Israel.

There are 7 others from around the country joining us on this trip, including my sister Barbara from Jonesboro, AR, and of course, our host, Melva Lea Beacham. We will have opportunity to see many of the famous sites in the Holy Land, where so much of Scripture took place, but more importantly, we’ll be connecting again with our partners in the Land, to deepen our relationships and join our hands & hearts with theirs in serving the Jewish people.

Thanks in advance for your prayers for all of us (and our families left behind) – I’ll be posting daily with pictures & reports from our time there, so I hope you’ll stay tuned.

AND I want to encourage you NOT TO MISS this Sunday as we continue “This Little Piggy Had None”, with the single-most-important principle for anyone who wants to be financially free. And it’s not too early to invite a friend or family member to join you for the close of the series on March 4, when we’ll practice generosity by helping lots of folks with their debt – making house payments, car payments, cell payments and giving away gas cards & even some iPads. It’ll be a service to remember!

This week in Jerusalem!

Using your MOUTH to get out of debt

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

I ran out of time Sunday before sharing the final Scripture I had planned to use: Ecclesiastes 10:20.

At first glance, it probably seems to have nothing to do with this series about being financially free. Think again.

One thing the Lord has dealt with me about in this series is our attitude and the power of our words. This verse addresses both:

1. If our attitude is negative about those who have more than us, or if we fall into the entitlement mentality toward the government, we will remain in financial bondage. (Notice the verse said “even in your thoughts“!)

2. When we speak, even in private, there are both demons and angels listening nearby, and both of them will take our words and try to bring them to pass.

So if I’m complaining about my situation compared to someone that I perceive has it better than me, I’m empowering demonic forces to keep me in financial bondage. The rich are not my problem. The government is not my problem. I must watch my attitude!

And, when I speak positive, life-giving words, confessing God’s promises to me in spite of my circumstances, I’m empowering God’s angels to help bring me into financial freedom. That doesn’t relieve me of my responsibility to plan well & manage well, but it does release God’s supernatural assistance to bring about my financial breakthrough!

Say it today. Say it often. “I do not serve a god of debt; I serve a debt-canceling God!”

P.S. If this series is helping you in practical ways, or if you have a financial testimony to share that will encourage others, please leave a comment below:

Talking Bible

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

Saturday just before our weekly prayer meeting, I read Psalm 37:1, and in light of our current series and yesterday’s message (especially Ecc. 10:20), I thought, “that’s another really good reminder, Jerry – don’t be envious of what others have or do”.

But then I read Psalm 37:3, and the end of the verse jumped out at me. I’m using the ESV for my devotions this year, and I don’t think any other translation puts it quite that way: “befriend faithfulness”. Selah.

Of all the principles that I’m seeing in God’s Word & sharing with you about being led out of the bondage of debt into prosperity (Psa 68:6), I think this is The most important one: befriend faithfulness.

So many of us are going at taking off weight for a while. We’re good at hitting the gym for a while. We can watch our spending for a while. We have no problem tithing for a while. But for so many of us, the old adage is still true: “consistency, thou art a jewel”.

Yet Scripture is FULL of encouragement that faithfulness is the key to having the kind of life, ABUNDANT life that God wants for each of us.

So I challenge you today, especially if you want to be led out of debt’s bondage into prosperity – befriend faithfulness.

What have you learned that helps you be more consistent & faithful? I hope you’ll share it below so all of us can benefit-

Today’s notes

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

Some asked if I would post today’s outline, with the answers filled-in, since I didn’t have time to cover everything today in our services. Here it is:

Breaking the curse of debt_02.19.12

Don’t dare miss next Sunday – I’ll be in Israel, but Pastor Ben will continue the series with an important message, and then we’ve got a VERY special ending via video. Wish I could be here – it’s gonna be that good!

Sunday reflections

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

Another good day at CLC, around the horn:

about 1,400 in attendance again at the Tinley Park campus, which is a jump of at least 100 people from where we were this time last year! (Don’t have to tell you that if you worshiped at 9:30 today – jam-packed!) Maybe it’s time to consider the 8am service, where we still have plenty of chairs & parking spaces (I’m just sayin’)
Wore myself out again preaching today – but hearing the stories afterwards is making all the effort worthwhile. I’m SO excited about testimonies from CLCers who are already being set free from debt – thru persistent effort AND supernatural help from the Lord! (we’re going to capture these on video so everyone can be encouraged – if you’ve got a story to share, let us know here.)
BEST NEWS of the day: I think about 6 people got rid of a debt they could never have paid – the debt of sin that Jesus nailed to His cross – by walking forward publicly to give their lives to Him today – that just never gets old! And we baptized 6 others in water, including 3 precious Hispanics from CVC!
Also heard great reports from our Next Steps 2 & 4 classes today, with over 20 people in each class. I love that people want to grow in their walk with the Lord!
At our South Bend campus, Pastor Doug told me for the second week in a row how much FUN he’s having with this series & how much he senses it’s helping there! God is bringing us out of bondage into prosperity!
In Lisle, Pastor Eric reports a very strong attendance, and better yet, a tangible spirit of joy as they celebrated in worship. The message was received very well and they had 5 people come to the Lord at the close!
And Pastor Jaime says CVC enjoyed a good attendance & a great Presence of God today. We hear it often, but really, ‘Presence’ is a core value of CLC – because only HE transforms!

Finally, for those of you at the 8am service in Tinley Park, I had a good report tonight that Hattie Howard (the CLCer who fainted during service) did not have to be admitted to the hospital and is doing fine at home now.

P.S. I promised the packed of helpful worksheets would be up on my blog as well as on our website later, and here they are:

Track Spending

Actual Monthly Expenses

Monthly Spending Plan

Debt Repayment

Ways to save on groceries, insurance & more

Ask the Pastor

Posted on February 17, 2012 by admin

After last Sunday’s message, a CLCer emailed me, “You touched a little bit on how filing bankruptcy is NOT the answer. Does the scripture say anything in particular about that specifically?”

Great question – and I’m bumping it to the front of the line, especially because of our current series and also because I’m sure there are other Christians who have asked the same question. Here’s my best shot:

As to whether Scripture mentions bankruptcy specifically, the answer would be “no”, since there was no such thing as bankruptcy then. And I want to quickly tell you that I am sensitive to the plight that some Christians have gotten into with their finances, just as I’m always sensitive to questions about divorce. It’s easy for any of us to sit in judgment and condemn someone for filing for divorce or filing for bankruptcy, but I’ve observed thru the years that few issues are black-and-white; there are almost always difficult circumstances that make it nearly impossible to give ‘one-size-fits-all” advice. I have a real sense of compassion as we begin this series for those who find themselves trapped in financial hardship.

Having said all of that, I do find verses that speak in principle to the idea of bankruptcy. For example:

Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrow and do not repay.” (That’s pretty strong – God says it’s wicked to borrow & not repay)

Romans 13:7-10 says “Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”* These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” (Would refusing to pay those we owe through bankruptcy be doing wrong to them?)

Here’s a possible suggestion for any believer who’s contemplating bankruptcy:
Write a letter to your creditors and say, “I am a Christian and I don’t want to file for bankruptcy. I don’t want to stiff you on what I owe you but I can’t pay it all off right now. But I will pay it all off. Here’s my plan.” And you tell them. Maybe your payment is supposed to be $25 a month and you say, “I can’t pay you $25 a month. I’ll pay you $5 a month. But if you’ll be patient with me, I will pay it off.” You might even beg for mercy and say “If you keep compounding interest on this note I’m never going to get out of debt and you’re never going to get repaid. Please. Stop the interest from this point on and let me just pay it down.” Ask them. Many might do just that. If you’ll take the initiative by communicating honestly with your creditors instead of ignoring the bills and letting them keep piling up – people hate it when you ignore them – but if you write them a note and say, “I can’t pay this but here’s what I can pay and I intend to pay it off. I’ll be good on my loan.”

Here’s what God says in Proverbs 16:7 – “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Hope this helps a bit. And I especially hope you (and all my readers) will be a part of the rest of this series, because with God, nothing is impossible – including our financial problems!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Inspiration AND practical tools

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

I confess: that ought to be true of every message at CLC.

Tools without some inspiration can be an awfully dry Sunday.

Inspiration without some practical “how-to’s” can actually be frustrating, since we’re motivated, but don’t know how.

That’s why I’m really excited about this Sunday at CLC when we continue our new series, This Little Piggy Had None. Because we’re not only going to look at Scriptural principles about breaking the curse of debt, but we’re also providing practical tools to help you and your family to make good plans to do just that. Inspiration from the Word; practical tools to help you figure it out at home.

(I’ll try not to yell so much this week, but no promises.)

Talking Bible

Posted on February 14, 2012 by admin

it happened again this morning. My Bible talked to me.

Read it for yourself: Proverbs 9:6-9.

Here’s what struck me: it sounds so simple – but simple doesn’t mean easy!

You would think that any of us would appreciate receiving wisdom, correction & instruction, so we could learn, do better, be better. Don’t we all want that?

Yet so often, when the correction, instruction or wisdom comes to us, we reject it because we think we know better. (“Who does he think he is, telling me that?”)

Here’s my prayer: “Lord, forgive me. Help me me humble enough to receive the correction, instruction & wisdom that You send my way, no matter who delivers it.”

Amen.

In God We Trust

Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin

I talked about our national motto for a moment yesterday as it relates to us being led out of the bondage of debt into prosperity (Psa 68:6), but our daily reading chart elaborates even more in Psa 33:13-22.

I was especially encouraged by verses 16-18, as I noticed:

a king is not saved because he has a great army;
a warrior is not saved by his great strength
we should not count on a warhorse to give us victory

ALL of the things that David’s culture would have relied on…..just as today we would rely on our money or our job or our education.

Instead, our reliance is on God’s steadfast love AND the fact that HE is watching over us!

No one ever said it would be easy to get out of debt and into financial freedom. But I am encouraged that GOD is going to lead us out, as we place our trust in Him, not in the world’s system or methods. We serve a debt-canceling God!

Invite someone to be your guest at any campus of CLC next Sunday – we’re going deeper and we’re getting practical help from Scripture to break the curse of debt over our families!

Sunday reflections

Posted on February 12, 2012 by admin

Finally….I’ve been preparing for so many weeks, it seemed like the new series was never gonna get here. Here’s my random thoughts from the first installment of “This Little Piggy Had None”:

first (not in importance, just pressing on my mind right now), I preached myself hoarse. My throat still hurts from all the yelling….during a finance series of all things! (Hope I didn’t hurt your ears today)
Only the second time all year we were under the 1400 mark in attendance in Tinley Park (I’m guessing Valentine’s weekend had something to do with that)
Loved seeing the first 2 baptisms following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among our students (many more to come), and at least 3 people who prayed to receive Christ today!
I’m still fired-up about the fact that Proverbs 22:6 is immediately followed by Proverbs 22:7 – I hope every parent at CLC will help me get our children on the debt-free path from childhood!
announcing here for the first time: this series will include a couple of special features we’ve NEVER done before on Feb. 26 and March 4 (when we’ll help several CLCers on the path to financial freedom by making their house payment, their car payment, their cell-phone payment and MORE!) You must be present to win these gifts, so don’t dare skip a Sunday during this series!
Loved the report from Pastor Doug at our South Bend campus, as he said it was “by far the most fun I’ve had talking about money & debt with any congregation”! He challenged people’s faith to believe that “while we’re doing our part, God is working on our behalf to supernaturally bring us out of debt & into financial freedom”! Couldn’t have said it better myself, Pastor Doug!
At our Davao City campus, Pastor Herley tells us they had 90 new people who came forward to receive Christ this Sunday!(One reason the revival continues is because for more than a month now, over 500 people have been gathering from 4am-6am for “Dawn Watch” as they seek the Lord for revival – picture below)
Dawn watch at the Davao church
Pastor Jaime Flores reports another good day at CVC, but he made my day by texting me afterwards that he & Jeannette had been able to teach their kids to live free of debt because of what they learned at CLC. I want that for ALL our families, as God leads us out into financial freedom!
Last report comes from our Lisle campus, where Pastor Eric says they had a great celebration of last week’s baptisms and many said today’s teaching was “life-changing”. They closed the service with a corporate faith declaration that felt like it “literally raised the roof!”, first confessing their past financial mistakes & debt, then surrendering their financial affairs to JESUS, and finally declaring, “I am not bound to this world; I am a child of God, free from worries, anxieties & fears about money — I replace them with faith, creativity & strategy! The word I speak is freedom. I am walking into freedom – out of bondage into freedom; out of bitterness into freedom!” I love it! (can a pastor say, I wish I’d thought of that first?)

Boy, after these reports, I think I’m more pumped than I was before this morning – CLC, get on board with us, because God is doing to lead us out into financial freedom!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

One of my favorite CLCers asks, “In our daily reading, Genesis 42:38, why does Jacob tell Ruben that Benjamin is “all he has left” when he clearly has 10 other sons in his presence…with Simeon having remained in Egypt; and he believed Joseph to be dead?”

Great question. And while it was somewhat of a figurative expression, I think it’s understandable when you remember that Benjamin and Joseph were the only sons by Rachel (Gen. 35:24). Scripture is very clear that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah or the other mothers of his children (Gen. 29:30-31). So it’s only natural that he would favor Rachel’s sons more than his others. Then when you add the fact that Benjamin was born as Rachel died in giving birth to him (Gen. 35:18), it’s obvious that Jacob regarded Benjamin so dearly, since he was all he had left from Rachel.

Thus, his statement to Reuben.

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

what you won’t hear in the news…..

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

You probably are hearing the rhetoric from Iran about a potential strike against Israel and the USA, and the responses about how we could counter-strike.

What you won’t hear is that more Iranians have come to Christ in the last few years than since the book of Acts, and that there are now more than a million believers in the underground Church there.

Here’s a specific request for how we can pray in the light of what’s happening. I’m glad that CLC is able to partner with the ministry of Elam each month, and I hope you’ll join me in praying.

Another Amazing story from Super Sunday

Posted on February 8, 2012 by admin

If you attended the 11:30 service Sunday, you may recall that while my wife was calling out several words of knowledge having to do with physical healings, in the middle of all of those, she stopped & said “someone has a GUN in your house & God says you need to get rid of it today!”

Seemed strange at the time, but with all that was happening, I didn’t think more about it.

Yesterday we heard from a single mom who’s been having difficulty with her 18-year old son, and Sunday on the way home from church, it boiled over again, and she ordered him out of the house.As she packed his belongings, she discovered not one, but two LOADED guns in his things.

She had them turned in to the police that afternoon, and learned they had been stolen from a neighbor when his house was burglarized a few weeks earlier. She’s praising God for warning/protecting her from what could have been disastrous!

Is God amazing or what?

Coming home different

Posted on February 8, 2012 by admin

I don’t like hype. Besides, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. But I believe something happened to me at Global 2020.

John Maxwell said the Lord told him that HE would pour out the spiritual gift of leadership Tuesday morning, and I believed. Later he laid hands on me & dozens of others at the altar & imparted the anointing that’s on him, and I believed.

This much I know: it’s an honor just to be associated with the ministry of EQUIP, and with all my heart, I want to be a transformational leader, both at CLC and in the Nations where I’m privileged to serve.

I can’t wait for this Sunday!

Yesterday, today, this Sunday

Posted on February 7, 2012 by admin

A few random thoughts at the start of my day in Florida:

I’m blown away by reports I continue to receive about Super Sunday! One CLCer told me it was the “best service of my 50+ years!” and I had reports of healings, Holy Spirit baptisms & more! For sure, RUAH was in the house and none of us want to go back to normal church again!
The Global 2020 event got off to a great start here with a parade of nations (I’m such a softie at missions stuff) – get this: EQUIP is actively training leaders in 150+ nations (over 5 million leaders already) with curriculum in 65 different languages! AND John Maxwell announced the goal last night of being in EVERY NATION by 2020! I’m so glad CLC is a part of this….and it’s all because of your faithful financial support!
Chris & I will be in more sessions here today & tonight before flying home tomorrow for the kickoff to “Heart to Heart” and “CLC Iron Men” this Wednesday – hope you’re planning to join us!
I literally don’t have words to describe my feelings about the new series beginning THIS Sunday…..I believe the Lord has spoken to me that HE’s going to “lead us out” of debt, much like He led Israel out of bondage in Egypt! It will be unlike any finance series we’ve ever done at CLC, I promise. You MUST invite someone to be your guest (everybody you know is interested in more money)….& mark your calendar for March 5 when we’ll close the series with a BANG! (that’s not quite right, because I think this series won’t ‘close’; it will become a movement into financial freedom!)

Quick trip

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

Chris & I are off this morning to West Palm Beach, FL for the EQUIP “Global 2020″ conference. This missions arm of John Maxwell’s ministry has already exceeded all expectations of training one million leaders around the world, and is continuing that most important task through hundreds of country coordinators and Associate Trainers (that’s where Chris & I come in).

We’ve SO enjoyed our work in Perm, Russia for the past couple of years, so we’re excited to see some of our friends from there and other pastors & leaders from all over the world, as Equip celebrates 15 years of training pastors & leaders in the Nations.

We’ll be back Wednesday afternoon in plenty of time for the kick-off to this semester of Heart to Heart and CLC Iron Men, so we’ll see you then!

Sunday reflections

Posted on February 5, 2012 by admin

Super Sunday, indeed!

Seems like 3 forces came together: the conclusion of 21-days of prayer & fasting, plus 4 weeks of focusing on the Holy Spirit in our ‘RUAH’ series, AND the end of our CSM Student Winter Camp – and it all combined for an explosive Sunday:

at the Camp on Friday & Saturday, 12 students gave their lives to Christ, 7 asked to be water baptized, and 22 were baptized in the Holy Spirit!
Jon Jones & the entire S.O.P. team did an incredible job of leading us into the manifest Presence of the Lord in all 3 services – (I’m sure they’re exhausted tonight, and Jon did all that while his son, Jon Jon is at Children’s Memorial Hospital downtown for testing – so join me in expressing your appreciation).
The “fire tunnel” was the highlight of each service, but especially at the 11:30 service when the tunnel was made up of the students fresh from their Winter Camp, instead of the pastors & elders & prayer team that served the first two services. I love seeing the kids on fire & them sharing that with us!
Favorite ‘fire tunnel’ moment (and there were many) was when one CLCer came through, obviously ‘under the influence’ of the Holy Spirit, and I asked him, ‘Did you have a prayer language before you got in the tunnel?’, to which he replied, ‘No’. Then, ‘do you have one now?’, and he quickly said, ‘yes’!
Also loved the Word that Melanie Hilton gave our youth after their Camp today – Luke 10:38-42. Agree with me in prayer that what they received at Camp will NOT be taken away from them by the busyness & distractions of life!
Kudos to Sam & Taylor Hamstra and their whole team – the proof is in the pudding, as they say….you’re doing an AWESOME job with our teens!
At our South Bend campus today Pastor Doug says they had a SUPER service, with special prayer over several folks identified with gifts of helps and a number of prophetic words were released in the house. He called it a ‘unifying, purposeful & powerful’ day!
Pastor Eric reports described our Lisle campus as “dynamic joy” today, with 11 water baptisms and at least 7 people baptized in the Holy Spirit!
If you’re keeping track, that’s more than 100 CLCers filled with the Holy Spirit in the last 2 Sundays! And God says, “this is just the beginning!”
At our Philippines campus, the ‘dawn watch’ continues with over 500 people showing up for prayer from 4-6 a.m. each day – and the results are amazing, as 105 new people came to the Lord in their services this Sunday! Pastor Herley also had the honor of ministering to more than 1,000 provincial employees at a neighboring province last week, with several mayors & the governor in attendance! Truly God is at work in the Philippines, and CLC is part of it!
At our Spanish service today, Pastor Jaime reports another strong attendance and 3 adults who gave their life to Christ! Gloria a Dios!

Here’s the 2 canvas’ of CLCers impressions from our 21-days of fasting:

people were invited to write a 'word' or Scripture of what God did in them during the fast.

I know I’m biased, but I don’t think the Super Bowl will be as exciting as Super Sunday at CLC! But I think I’ll watch just in case….

Prayer & Fasting, day 21

Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin

We made it!

Today is the last day of our 21-day fast, but I hope not the end of our hunger. See, more than I want a hamburger & some pepperoni pizza & some fried chicken & a juicy steak (that’s just the first day), I want to be changed!

I’m asking the Lord that this time of prayer & fasting will become the new normal at CLC. I don’t mean that we’ll become vegetarians or continue fasting every day – after all, the real purpose of this fast is NOT what we ate or didn’t eat – the real purpose was for us to disconnect from our bodily appetites in order to truly connect with the Holy Spirit! And I don’t want to lose that simply because I begin eating meat again.

I personally want to maintain this hunger for God….this hunger to be changed by His Presence…this hunger that causes me to go after the things I need & want in prayer, knowing they won’t be obtained any other way! (Jer. 33:3)

How about it, CLC? Let’s not ever go back to trying to live this Christian life in our own strength, but let’s live each day hungry & dependent on Him! As we read yesterday in Psa 27:8, let’s respond to His voice with our whole heart!

One final thing: would you come Sunday prepared to share a Scripture that has particularly spoken to you during this fast? You’ll also have an opportunity to share a “one-word testimony” of what this season of prayer & fasting has done for you. We’re expecting the full ministry of the Holy Spirit at each campus as we celebrate the end of our fast during “Super Sunday“!

Today’s Prayer Focus: at every campus we’re praying today that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go!

What are you hearing? We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you. You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here. We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Ask the Pastor

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

An anonymous reader writes, “What does the Bible say about people who insist on spreading rumors of molestation, homosexuality and other sensitive topics about a person? Does that mean that the gossiper is struggling with those issues?”

Interesting question. Actually, the Bible doesn’t say anything about that specific issue – but the Scripture is FULL of admonitions against gossip, period. (See Leviticus 19:6; Psalm 15:1-3; Proverbs 11:12-13; Proverbs 16:28; Proverbs 20:19; Romans 1:29, just to name a few)

If you read those verses, you’ll see that gossip is NOT an ‘innocent pastime’; it’s a serious sin! I’ve wondered for years why some churches focus on other sinful behaviors but seem to ignore this one that can be SO damaging. In fact, as I’ve said many times at CLC, I’ve never yet seen a church destroyed because one of its members smoked, or drank or committed adultery (for the record, I’m not in favor of any of those behaviors), but I’ve seen numerous lives destroyed by gossip.

Does this mean the gossiper is struggling with these issues? There’s nothing in Scripture that would indicate so, but that’s really not my concern. It does mean the gossip is disregarding the Word of God and the Savior who died for him/her, and damaging another member of Christ’s body – and the way we treat each other is ultimately the way we are treating our Lord (see Acts 9:1-5)

Let me be a pastor for just a moment: the wording of the question makes me think that perhaps my questioner is harboring some deep resentment or bitterness over the rumors and gossip. I understand that words can hurt. But I also know that resentment will destroy you. I would plead with you to forgive those who have caused you pain with their words – not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you don’t deserve to live with the bitterness – and because you, too will need God’s forgiveness, which He promised to withhold if we don’t forgive others (see Matthew 6:14-15). I pray you’ll find grace to release all those who have wounded you.

Hope that helps. Now what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Prayer & Fasting, day 20

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

Notice what Proverbs 6:22 says about God’s Word: it will lead us; it will watch over us; and it will talk to us! At our prayer gathering Wednesday night, the Word certainly talked to all of us, but one verse in particular really encouraged me: Jeremiah 33:3.

According to that verse, when we call on the Lord, He promises to show us things. And not just ‘things’, but great things. And not just great things, but hidden things. In fact, the word ‘hidden’ there can actually be translated ‘inaccessible’ things. In other words, there are things that we want from God that cannot be obtained any other way except through prayer, when we call on the Lord.

When we realize that what we so desperately need & want cannot be gotten through any other efforts, but is promised to us when we pray…..well, that motivates me to pray with greater passion & persistence – how about you?

What is it that you want today that can ONLY be obtained through prayer?

Today’s Prayer Focus: this is one request I’m circling (if you haven’t read Mark Batterson’s, “The Circle Maker”, you really should!) this entire fast: to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.) In fact, there are 2 specific desires that I’m asking the Lord for in this regard, and while I don’t feel at liberty to disclose them publicly, I ask that every CLCer will agree with me for greater opportunities to impact our world!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 19

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

If you’ve been using the Bible reading chart, you’ve probably followed the story of Israel being delivered from Egyptian bondage these past several days. What has struck me again is how Moses resisted the temptation to compromise, which Pharaoh offered repeatedly.

First, it was “go, sacrifice in the land” (Ex. 8:25). Then it was, “ok, you can go – but not very far” (Ex. 8:28). Later, it was “only the men can go” (Ex. 10:7, 11). Finally, it was “ok, all of you can go, but leave your flocks behind” (Ex. 10:24).

Notice that Moses was adamant & unyielding to each attempt – in fact, I love his response to the last compromise in Ex. 10:26 – “not a hoof will be left behind!” No wonder Exodus 14:8 says the people of Israel went out “defiantly”!

What does all of this have to do with us? Well, all too many times we pray timidly and we settle for less than what we really want. But today I’m encouraging you NOT to give in – to be bold in your asking – to defy the enemy’s efforts to deter you – and press your way violently into every Kingdom desire! (Matt. 11:12)

Today’s Prayer Focus: this request originated with our South Bend campus pastors, but it’s a need that each of us pray from our heart, that we might identify & live out our purpose and discover the resources to accomplish what God has called us to do.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 18

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin

As I read my Bible yesterday, David’s prayer in Psalm 25:4 became my prayer. Even though all of us are no doubt fasting & praying for some specific breakthroughs or needed guidance in decision-making, the reality is that fasting is more about what’s happening in me than in what it might cause God to do.

As we’re nearing the end of this season of prayer & fasting, my prayer is that the Lord would help us know His ways and teach us His paths. I want to know Him better on February 5 than I did on January 15 – don’t you?

(Speaking of February 5, this Sunday at every campus of CLC is going to be unlike ANY we’ve had before, as we celebrate what God has done during our fast AND make room for the full ministry of the Holy Spirit as we end our ‘RUAH’ series – don’t miss it!)

Today’s Prayer Focus: a big part of our vision at CLC has always been to reach the next generation, so today at every campus we are praying for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 17

Posted on January 31, 2012 by admin

I’m just going to share with you my experience in the Prayer Room yesterday, in the hopes that it will encourage you as much as it did me. Actually, it was the second or third time during this fast that I just had a strong ‘sense’ of God’s pleasure with what we’re doing. In other words, in my spirit I heard Him say that He is pleased with us!

Would you take that from my heart today? No matter what your fasting efforts have been – whether it’s a hardcore ‘juice’ fast, or a Daniel fast, or some form of restricted diet or foregoing of certain meals during these past 16 days – or even if you’ve not been able to be consistent as you’d hoped – would you accept the fact that God is pleased with your effort! There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1) and there is certainly NO condemnation in your attempt at fasting, no matter what form it’s taken. And to paraphrase the Scripture that we’ve been singing of late, “If God be for us (pleased with us), who can stand against us!

Let’s believe Him for the desires of our heart today!

Today’s Prayer Focus: this request was submitted from our Lisle Campus, but it certainly applies to each campus of CLC, so let’s all join in praying for the multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry. Our worship director asked that we also pray specifically for multi-cultural growth at CLC, so let’s ask in faith that the multiplication of families & leaders will reflect our communities, too!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Favorite story from yesterday’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit

Posted on January 30, 2012 by admin

I got an email last night with my new favorite story of yesterday at CLC:

One of our faithful CLCers, a retired, 60-something woman, wrote that during the teaching she felt like she must be one of the ‘hardheaded’ ones. It seems she had come forward a few months ago to have the elders lay hands on her to receive her prayer language, but nothing happened. She thought something must be wrong with her, since she didn’t receive.

So when we made the invitation yesterday, she said she was ashamed to come forward again, and fearful that she probably still wouldn’t receive. She remembered that my wife had said you only need to believe Jesus, repent, forgive any who’ve wronged you, let an elder lay hands on you, and then open your mouth to speak – but she was still too afraid to come to the altar.

So she stayed at her chair, and rehearsed the steps again, repenting, forgiving other, believing the Lord – but she thought to herself, “all I’m missing is the part about someone laying hands on me”. As she continued to pray, she overhead another CLCer next to her who was praying in tongues.

She then lifted her hands to worship the Lord, and when she did, she lightly brushed the hand of the lady next to her, and immediately she received and began to worship in her prayer language – and she said it wasn’t like baby talk, it flowed as freely as the wind. She was so elated, as she was overwhelmed with a sense of joy and peace at the same time!

I think I’ll start a new teaching about the ‘accidental’ laying on of hands! Love it!!! Love what God is doing among us during this season of prayer & fasting!

Prayer & Fasting, day 16

Posted on January 30, 2012 by admin

Exodus 8:9-10 was part of our daily reading yesterday, and it’s also the passage that has given rise to all sorts of sermons about procrastination, including perhaps the most colorful title I’ve ever heard, “One More Night with the Frogs”. But it still spoke to me, and gives us all a challenge for the last week of our fast: what are you putting up with unnecessarily? What prayer need have you neglected, perhaps just because you’ve accepted the way things are, instead of seeking your heart’s desire?

The reason I ask is because you don’t have to accept things as they are. During this time of prayer & fasting, you can press your case…..pray for your heart’s desire….and believe God to do what He has promised now – not “tomorrow”.

Today’s Prayer Focus: At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC. (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31) This certainly applies to every ministry and every pastor and every leader – we want God’s favor to accomplish what He’s called us to do!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Sunday reflections

Posted on January 29, 2012 by admin

Speechless.

That’s how I feel about today at CLC, as we brought the RUAH series to a close by teaching about the benefits of having a prayer language. I had put my faith out there this week by asking the Lord for at least 30 people to be baptized in the Spirit today. Have you ever read Eph. 3:20? Well, that God showed up today, and 70 CLCers received their personal prayer language in our 3 services at the Tinley Park campus – 11 at 8am, 26 at 9:30am and 33 at 11:30am!

Out of all the people who received and all the individual stories that I heard, my favorite of the day was when a veteran member of our praise team thanked my wife afterwards for her “baby talk” illustration, because it inspired her to believe God and while she was on stage helping with the altar music, she received her prayer language by singing in the Spirit!

I honestly don’t know what else to say about that. WOW!

Meanwhile, at our South Bend campus, Pastor Doug reported the “most powerful move of the Spirit since they’ve been in South Bend”, with a great time of worship & communion and at least 3 people who were baptized in the Holy Spirit afterwards!

Our Hispanic service has had their largest attendance in years these past 2 weekends, even though their pastors Jaime & William were on a missions trip to Argentina & just returned at the end of service today, and they also report a real move of the Spirit among the Spanish-speaking members of CLC!

Finally, Pastor Eric says the Lisle campus was very receptive to today’s teaching, with many people who had received a prayer language previously were renewed in that experience and activated their gift again today. Since the chapel is not so conducive to a time of altar ministry, they’re believing for a real harvest on the seeds that were sown today when they return to their normal location at the Lisle Hyatt next Sunday.

Speaking of next Sunday, you do NOT want to miss “Super Sunday”, when we make way for the full ministry of the Holy Spirit in all our services at every campus – it will be unlike any Sunday morning we’ve ever had, & after what happened today, I can’t wait!

Prayer & Fasting, day 15

Posted on January 29, 2012 by admin

Just 7 more days…..perhaps you’re craving meat or your favorite dessert or ??? But even more than you want that food or that meal, remember WHY you’re fasting in the first place – it’s because you want to disconnect from the world and connect with God (see Job 23:12). That hunger is helping me stay focused as we enter this final week of our fast – and I’m pressing in for the requests that have motivated me to deny myself.

Join me today – even if you haven’t been fasting with us until now, or if you started but stopped at some point in the last 2 weeks. Regardless of that, let’s finish strong and believe Him for supernatural answers to prayer this week, starting today!

Today’s Prayer Focus: At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for increased activity of the Holy Spirit among us – in our services, in our pastors & leaders, indeed, in the lives of every CLCer!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 14

Posted on January 28, 2012 by admin

I know it’s almost a cliche’ in Christian circles, but as I read Matthew 18:19 yesterday, I was struck by the power of unity in prayer. When we agree in prayer, God promises that it will be done!

That simple verse so moved me yesterday that I felt we should make every effort in the closing week of our season of fasting to pray in unity. We’ve had a daily prayer focus since the fast began, but I want us to especially agree this next week for each of those prayers to be manifest at CLC.

Here’s the complete list again – I suggest you may want to print this out & place inside your Bible where you will be reminded each day to pray in faith that as we unify around these needs, God will answer:

for increased activity of the Holy Spirit for all of CLC.
for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC. (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)
for multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry, multi-culturally.
for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.
to identify & live out our purpose and the resources to do it.
to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)
that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Ask the Pastor

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

A dear, faithful CLCer writes, “sometimes I pray better silently. When I pray aloud sometimes I stumble remembering Scripture or what I want the Lord to know, yet I could be laying in bed and just having a good time with my converstation with Him. Any ideas about that?”

GREAT question. I’m sure you’re not alone in feeling that you express yourself better to the Lord silently, in your thoughts, than aloud. And there’s certainly a Biblical precedent for that, in the case of Hannah, who was noted in Scripture for her prayer in 1Samuel 1:1-18. Note especially verses 12-15, where it clearly tells us she prayed, even poured out her heart to the Lord, but no sound was heard, for she prayed in her heart, silently. And God answered her prayer! So I know that praying silently is acceptable to the Lord.

However, I would be misleading you if I didn’t quickly add that silent prayer in Scripture is the exception, not the rule. Instead the Bible repeatedly encourages us to “lift up our voice to the Lord” (see Psalms 5:2, 17:1, 18:6, Acts 4:24, etc.) and Hebrews 13:15 makes it quite clear that some of our praise must be verbal (“the fruit of our lips”).

So probably the best answer to your question is that both kinds of prayer are acceptable to the Lord – silent and aloud, but the normal practice in the Bible is to pray aloud. The good news is that HE answers both – so let’s pray!

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Prayer & Fasting, day 13

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

In yesterday’s Bible reading, I was blessed by Exodus 2:23-25. I’m using the English Standard Version (ESV) this year, and I was really struck by the close of verse 25, for after describing Israel’s misery while enslaved in Egypt which caused them to groan and to cry out and that God heard them and saw them, it simply says “and God knew“.

I’m sure you’ve prayed prayers and brought needs to the Lord before and in your pain & discouragement felt that your prayers weren’t rising above the ceiling, or that they weren’t doing any good at all. But I’m encouraged today as our fast nears the end of the second week, that God knows! He knows exactly where you are and exactly what you need, and in His perfect timing, He will take care of it! He KNOWS!

Knowing that He knows should give us fresh hope & faith to press on a little more – to not listen to the lie of the enemy that our prayers aren’t making a difference and to believe God for the answer that may already be on the way (see Daniel 10:2-14, especially verses 12-13!)

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 12

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

In my devotions this week, I noticed in Genesis 49 that shortly before he died, Jacob pronounced individual blessings over each of his sons. But verse 28 particularly stood out to me, because it says he blessed each of them “with the blessing suitable to him”. In other words, God has a specific blessing that is appropriate for this season of your life!

Then I read in Psalm 20:4, a blessing from King David that God would grant our heart’s desire and fulfill all our plans, PLUS in the next verse, that He would fulfill all our petitions!

I don’t know if that encourages you like it does me, but on this 12th day of our season of prayer & fasting, I am believing the suitable blessing of the Lord would be to grant my heart’s desire by answering my prayers!

And I’m confident of that because I’m not trusting in my own strength or ability to bring those prayers to pass, but HIS! (see verse 7). I hope you’ll claim those promises with me today!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 11

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

After this past Sunday’s message about hearing the Holy Spirit speak to us, I love this excerpt from Mark Batterson’s, The Circle Maker:

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear. Mark 4:23

Praying isn’t about talking as much as it is about listening. Prayer is the way we tune into the still small voice of the Spirit. Call them holy hunches. Call them God ideas. Call them prayer promptings. When you get into God’s presence, you’ll start hearing that inaudible yet unmistakable voice of God.

Last year I spoke at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama for my friend, Chris Hodges. While I was there, I toured their Dream Center in downtown Birmingham because we are on the verge of launching a Dream Center in Washington, DC. They have an amazing outreach to pimps and prostitutes. They mentor kids. They feed the hungry. You name the need and they are meeting it.

One of the women working there is a former journalist named Lisa. She had a good job with a good salary, but she quit because she knew God wanted her to work at the Dream Center. Lisa is one of those people who exudes joy, exudes life, exudes energy.

During our tour, Lisa talked about their daily dependence upon God to meet the overwhelming needs in their community. It’s takes hard work and hard prayer. Then she told me about one of the miracles she had experienced. One day, as she was circling the Dream Center in prayer, she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to take her woolly socks with her to work. She thought she was losing her mind. It was one of the strangest promptings she’d ever had, but she couldn’t shake the impression. So she grabbed her woolly socks, put them in her purse, and headed downtown. When she got there, a prostitute was literally passed out on the doorstep. Lisa opened the door, carried her inside, and just held her on the floor until she regained consciousness a few minutes later. She was so cold she was shaking. That’s when Lisa asked her: “If you could have anything, what would it be?” Without hesitation, the woman immediately said, “Woolly socks.” Lisa about lost it. As she told me the story she started tearing up. Then I started tearing up. Lisa then told her, “Look what I have.” She pulled out the woolly socks, and the woman said, “They even match my outfit.”

God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him. God is great because nothing is too small for Him. A sparrow doesn’t fall without Him noticing and caring, so it shouldn’t surprise us that he cares about a woman who wants woolly socks. God loves showing his all-encompassing compassion in little ways, and if we would learn to obey His promptings like Lisa, we’d find ourselves in the middle of miracles a lot more often.

The reason many of us miss the miracles is because we aren’t looking and we aren’t listening. The easy part of prayer is talking. It’s much harder listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. But two-thirds of praying hard is listening and looking. Then we need to obey those prayer promptings.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 10

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

In yesterday’s reading of Matthew 15:21-28, I was struck again by the tenacity of the Canaanite woman. As you’ll recall, when she came pleading for Jesus to have mercy on her demonized daughter, (a) Jesus ignored her; (b) the disciples wanted to ‘get rid’ of her because she bothered them; (c) Jesus informed them he was only interested in the Jews to whom He had been sent (not a Gentile like her); (d) He finally spoke to her, only to tell her it wouldn’t be right to answer her request, since she was a “dog” (in the eyes of the Jews). But after all that, she said, “yes, Lord”.

I won’t ask how many of us would have still been in His Presence, because I know the answer. In fact, I think we would have been justified to stomp off indignantly after being treated that way in our time of need. But not her – she simply said ‘yes’ to the Lord. Sort of reminds me of the first miracle Jesus ever performed, when He wasn’t even ‘ready’ to act, but His mother told the servants, “whatever He tells you to do, do it!”

My encouragement today is that whatever you hear from the Holy Spirit during this fast – do the ‘smart thing’ and just say “yes”. You’ll be glad you did.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 9

Posted on January 23, 2012 by admin

Last week, when I read Genesis 45:26-27 in our daily Bible reading, I immediately remembered a Sunday morning about 4-5 years ago, when I woke up at 4am with the declaration, “I see wagons coming!” in my head.

Jacob couldn’t believe the good news about his long-lost son until he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent from Egypt, loaded down with all sorts of gifts for him. Likewise, I’m believing today that what God has in store for us after this time of fasting is beyond our imagination! I want to encourage you today that God already has the wagons loaded with what you’ve been asking Him for, and they’re already on the way! Don’t be discouraged and don’t doubt – keep pressing through on this fast and believe that His promises to you are true and that every word will come to pass!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Sunday reflections

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

What an exciting day at CLC, around the campuses:

at the Tinley Park campus, for the second week in a row, we had at least 1,400 people in attendance! (in spite of the snow….or maybe because of it!)
the anointing & energy from the worship team was unreal today, and it sure makes it easy to talk about the Holy Spirit when He is so obviously at work in the room before we even get on stage! (thanks, Jon & the whole S.O.P. team!)
Favorite report of the day: after one of the services, my wife talked with a CLCer who had been sexually abused as a child & who has been dealing with bitterness ever since – but today, after hearing the word about the poison of bitterness, was able to release the pain and forgive the offender, in order to be set free!
favorite announcement: Pastor Ben’s story about the emergency phone call he received from the CLCer determined to send her son to Winter Camp! YES!!!
favorite video announcement: that “thank you, Jesus” from the squirrel who helped us kick-off Life Group sign-ups today! We all need some folks who’ll stand with us when life is about to run us over!
I’m also thankful for the young couple who heard the Holy Spirit drawing them to Jesus today & responded to the invitation to receive Christ! Never gets old!!!
We kicked off our new CLC Growth Track with 2 classes today during the last service, so we used the video of the teaching from the 9:30 service – and some folks told me they couldn’t see us on stage, but the Word was coming thru loud & clear via the big screens! (I don’t know that we’ll make a habit of this, but Chris & I both wanted to be in the classroom for these first ones, so I’m glad it worked!)
At the South Bend campus, Pastor Doug reports another great day despite all the snow they’ve had, as one new lady testified how she had received prayer a week ago because of an infection in her left leg that went all the way to the bone, and doctors feared they would have to amputate the leg – but today there is NO infection & even the spot where it could be seen had cleared up!
Pastor Eric just weighed in on the Lisle campus, where they were forced to meet in “the chapel” today rather than the Lisle Hyatt, but he says worship was great, over 120 people crammed in to the building & lots of energy as God was filling & transforming folks!
Finally, from our Philippines campus, Pastor Herley says they’re now up to almost 500 people gathering at 4am for 2 hours of prayer at the “Dawn Watch”, followed by their morning services where over 20 new people gave their life to the Lord! Gotta love what God is doing in the Philippines!

So many good things happening at CLC during this season of prayer & fasting – can’t wait to see what God does next!

Prayer & Fasting, day 8

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

For the second time in our first week of fasting, the same phrasing jumped out at me from 2 different daily readings on Friday: first, in Genesis 39:21 & later in Psalm 17:7. Did you see it? In Genesis we read that despite all of Joseph’s setbacks, the Lord “showed him steadfast love”, and in Psalms David prayed that God would “wonderously show your steadfast love”.

Made me think about all the times in my life when God has shown His love to me – regardless of what I was going through at the time or how others might have been treating me. I can truly say, He has shown me steadfast love! Can you remember those times in your life? Anything come to mind that you want to share with other CLCers, to encourage those who may be questioning His love during this fast?

If nothing else (which is a dumb thing to say, because there have already been so many other benefits), I pray this time of fasting & prayer will give you a greater sense of God’s steadfast love for you personally!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

If you’re reading this early on Sunday morning, I’ve got to tell you today’s installment of “RUAH” is going to be amazing! Can’t wait to see you here!

Prayer & Fasting, day 7

Posted on January 21, 2012 by admin

As we finish the first week of our fast, I want to encourage you about the prayers you’ve been praying. My #1 personal request for CLC is something that’s been in my spirit for at least 2 or 3 years, seemingly without any change. But yesterday I received an email that indicates God is at work to bring it to pass!

Now, I must tell you, the email was a small indication. Some people might not even connect it to my prayers. But I’m seeing it as a little fist! (1Kings 18:41-46)

Let me encourage you to be alert & aware of those little indicators that God is working on your behalf. We sometimes miss the fact that oftentimes His work is progressive – read Mark 4:26-29.

I’m expecting a full-grain, gulley-washing downpour soon!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Ask the Pastor

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

A faithful CLCer writes, “In our daily reading of Matthew 9:29-30, Jesus heals the 2 blind men. Jesus sternly warned them to “tell no one about this.” Is there a reason Jesus would want them to remain silent concerning this? Also, I wonder if Jesus became upset when they did not listen! Any thoughts on this?

Good question. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Bible ever explains this one, so we’re left to our own logic and some inferences from other passages. Here are my thoughts:

I know Jesus was concerned about timing(see John 2:3-4 ; John 7:8 for examples). He did not want to rush his betrayal & crucifixion, and he knew his fame/popularity would no doubt result in attention by the Pharisees that would eventually led to that.
Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah wouldn’t call attention to himself (lift up his voice in public, etc), which was connected to another incident where he told those healed not to talk about it – see Matthew 12:15-21
Some have suggested that Jesus didn’t want to call attention to physical healings, knowing that many people would then be attracted to him only for their physical needs, whereas He came primarily to heal us spiritually.
Maybe it’s just me, but I even wonder if perhaps He was using some reverse psychology, because it seems the more He told people to keep it quiet, the more His fame grew! (see Matthew 9:30-31; Mark 7:35-36)

As to your last question, no, I don’t think Jesus would have been upset – since He’s called each of us to be His witnesses! Even today, the more we tell our story of what He’s done for us, the more people will be drawn to Him!

Hope that helps. Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Prayer & Fasting, day 6

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

I read a post from Mark Batterson yesterday that I thought was perfect for this 6th day of our fast:

Blessed is he who is not offended at me. Luke 7:23

At this point in the 21-Day prayer challenge, you might be experiencing a little faith fatigue. You aren’t alone. All of us go through prayer slumps! Sometimes it’s the slow erosion of faith. But more often than not, the loss of a prayer life is traced to unanswered prayer. Death by disappointment. What do you do when God doesn’t answer how you want or when you want? Let me tell you what you don’t do: you don’t stop praying! It’s always too soon to quit. It’s always too soon to give up. You need to resolve that you’ll keep circling until the day you die.

John and Heidi are part of the prayer circle that prays for me. In fact, they are some of the most prayerful people I know. God has given them some amazing answers to their prayers for others, but many of their own prayers for their own challenges have seemingly gone unanswered. But there is no quit in them. They just keep on praying like it depends on God because they know it does. They haven’t thrown in the prayer towel despite the disappointments. Their secret? One promise has sustained them through the toughest times and deepest disappointments. They circled Luke 7:23: blessed is he who is not offended at me.

Here’s the context.

Jesus is doing miracles right and left. He is healing diseases, casting out demons, and restoring sight to the blind, but John the Baptist misses the miracle train. It seems like Jesus is rescuing everybody except his most faithful follower who is in prison. And John is his cousin, nonetheless. It seems like Jesus could have, and maybe should have, organized a rescue operation and busted him out before he was beheaded. Instead he sends a message via his disciples. He tells them to tell John about all the miracles he is doing and then he asks them to relay this simple promise: blessed is he who is not offended at me.

Have you ever felt like God was doing miracles for everyone and their brother, but you seem to be the odd man out? It seems like God is keeping His promises to everyone but you? I wonder if that’s how John the Baptist felt. What do you do when you feel like God is answering everyone’s prayers but yours?

In the words of my friends who have experienced their fair share of unanswered prayers: “We try to live our lives unoffended by God. Jesus promises that we will be blessed if we aren’t offended. Obviously we aren’t in prison about to be beheaded, but we have seen many answers to our prayers for other people when we have prayed for their finances, their health and their kids. Yet in our own lives, well…”

When God doesn’t answer how or when you want, you have a choice to make. You can give up or hang on. You can let go or pray through. You can get frustrated with God or choose to live unoffended.

My friends have chosen to live unoffended: “Jesus promises blessing if we are not offended when He does things for others. And if He does it for them, He might do it for us. I don’t know why God does what He does. I do know that 100% of the prayers I don’t pray won’t get answered.” I love that approach to prayer, that approach to life. It’s the circle maker’s mantra: 100% of the prayers you don’t pray won’t get answered.

Live unoffended.

This devotional is taken from The Circle Maker. To purchase copies, go here.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 5

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

In one of my daily readings this week, I noticed the last part of Matthew 12:15 where it says that “many followed him and he healed them all”. I suppose it could be argued that everyone who followed Jesus in this passage needed physical healing, but what occurred to me as I read was that all of us need healing in some area of our life. Whether it’s physical or emotional or spiritual, in our relationships, or wherever we aren’t whole, the bottom-line is that if Jesus could heal ALL of them in Matthew 12, He can heal ALL of us today! (Heb 13:8).

So today, as you continue your fast, why not ask the Lord to heal you in your area of deepest need? I believe He will answer ALL of us when we follow Him!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 4

Posted on January 18, 2012 by admin

My Bible talked to me yesterday as I read Genesis 35:9. What jumped out at me was when it says “God appeared to Jacob again”. You’ve had those times in the past when God met with you or appeared to you, as I have – but during this fast, I’m asking the Lord to appear again! Let’s believe Him today for a new & fresh appearance – with revelation & insight for us personally!

If you read the next verse, you may find that when God appears again that it’s to reinforce something you already know, because we’re so prone to forget who we are.

The rest of the passage is wonderful, but I especially noticed verse 18, that the place where God appeared to Jacob was the house of God. It’s no coincidence – He often chooses to speak to us in His House, so I’ll encourage you to join us tonight at 7pm for a special time of prayer & praise where He can appear to you again!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, day 3

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

I don’t know about you, but yesterday my body was wanting to eat! Honestly, I don’t think it was hunger; I think it was just my ‘spoiled’ flesh wanting to exert its will – which is why fasting is important. Remember, Jesus said we should deny ourselves daily (Luke 9:23) and Paul taught us to discipline our body (1Cor 9:27). In fact, self-control is even listed as a ‘fruit’ of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-24). So regardless of the type of fast you’ve chosen or how difficult it may have been these first few days, be encouraged to know that you are winning! And if it’s any encouragement, from my previous experience, it’s usually the first 3 days that are the most difficult physically – it seems after today our battle with the flesh is less and we can really begin to connect with the Holy Spirit. I pray that each of you experiences a new & fresh sense of His Presence today!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting, Day 2

Posted on January 16, 2012 by admin

As we move into the second day of our fast, I want to share a ‘word’ that one of my favorite CLCers submitted yesterday: “Heard the Lord say obediance rather than sacrifice……..if the Lord told you to do something and you have been putting it off………….NOW is the time to do it!…….I know He has plans for those who love Him!”

That certainly resonates with me, for as we’ve seen in Isaiah 58, just doing without food is not the key to our fast. So even as we push away from the table again today, let’s examine our heart as to whether the Lord has asked us to do something that we’ve neglected – THIS is the time to obey!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Sunday reflections

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

This is what I call just an all-around good day at CLC:

one of the highest-attendances for a ‘regular’ Sunday at the Tinley Park campus, as our ushers counted 1,415 people in worship today!
speaking of worship, I loved the new song, “Anthem” that Jon & the SOP taught us today!
boy, I felt absolutely full of the Word today – I love teaching Bible truths that are life-changing! John 16:7-11 is definitely in that category! (and women do see better than men, too!)
great lobby conversations with several newcomers and recent guests who have decided to join CLC at our Next Steps class next week – loving the momentum that always seems to happen at the first of the year!
The texts from Pastors Doug & Shanna Neal at our South Bend campus were ecstatic as they described some “SERIOUS breakthroughs” during worship there today – in fact, Shanna said she’d never seen anything like it in South Bend!
Who said we have to wait until the END of the fast to see breakthrough?!?!
Pastor Eric at the Lisle campus was also excited about fresh momentum there, with a full house, several more folks joining the fasting effort, powerful teaching from my wife, and 19 people joining CLC at their Next Steps class!
Our Hispanic service today had another strong attendance and Pastor Jaime called it an awesome service.
In fact, the only ‘downer’ today was saying goodbye to Pastors Jim & Cheri Garrett, whom we’ve all grown to love during their two-and-a-half years as our Pastors of Family Ministries. Our prayers go with them tomorrow to Bogota, Colombia and for their ministry in the future.

Now if the NY Giants would just beat the Packers, I’d call this a really good day…..

P.S. Just heard from Pastor Herley at our Philippines campus, where 20 new people prayed to receive Christ today after a powerful time of worship & the Word. He also says the ‘dawn watch’ is continuing every morning from 4-6 a.m. at their church and more & more people, pastors & churches are participating, as they believe for a revival in all of Davao!

Prayer & Fasting, Day 1

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin… ” (Zech 4:10).

That’s my ‘word’ for this first day of our fast. Maybe you’ve been excited (like many CLCers I’ve talked with), expecting these 3 weeks to accomplish BIG things. Probably you’ve spent some time thinking & praying about exactly how you’re going to fast: juice-only, a Daniel fast, a hardcore water-only, or some combination of all of those. But now that the first day is finally here, it’s entirely possible you’re already feeling other emotions as the battle begins – perhaps you work up starved today (even though you normally don’t eat breakfast)….maybe you already have a headache….whatever.

My point is simply this: the enemy may already be opposing you, and you may not sense all the excitement that you had earlier – but don’t “despise” this first day. What you’ve purposed to do IS going to bring real breakthroughs in your life – and, as the verse says, the Lord is rejoicing over the fact that you’ve begun today!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Prayer & Fasting FOCUS

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

Someone asked me last night WHEN our fast is to begin, and it dawned on me that we’ve been advertising the date, but not the start time! So if you’re wondering, our plan is that we would begin the fast at bedtime or midnight tonight (whichever comes first).

Even more importantly, here are the 7 major prayer focus’ (focuii?) for the fast:

Sunday: for increased activity of the Holy Spirit for all of CLC.

Monday: for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC. (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)

Tuesday: multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry, multi-culturally.

Wednesday: for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.

Thursday: identifying & living out our purpose and the resources to do it.

Friday: to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)

Saturday: that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go.

(I’m excited just reading the list – happy fasting!)

Ask the Pastor

Posted on January 13, 2012 by admin

One of my favorite CLCers writes, “What are your thoughts on the infamous Christian cliche: “WE ARE SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE.” How can we be sinners if we are saved? I thought we were “saints” once we got saved. How then can we still be sinners? It’s like a former drug user getting in front of an NA group ten years after he has been delivered from drug abuse and saying ” Hi, my name is so and so and I’m a drug addict who hasn’t used drugs in ten years.” I know we still sin in word, thought and deed, but if we’re still sinners, then we’ve emptied the Cross of its power and Christ died for nothing. Please advise.”

I love this question, because I’ve never been able to address this issue before – and I totally agree with the questioner. I do understand (I think) why so many preachers & believers use that cliche’, in an effort to try to connect with unsaved people and not come across as spiritually superior or arrogant – and I agree with each of those desires!

However, I do NOT find any Biblical use of that phrase or even support for that concept. Instead, we read in 1Cor 6:9-11 that we were like that, but we were cleansed, made holy and made right with God! Yes, absolutely we were sinners, but Scripture never refers to us now as “sinners saved by grace”.

Before someone cites 1John 1:8-10, let me quickly say that I’m not suggesting that we never sin after coming to Christ. But I am contending that that is NOT who we are – our new identity in Christ is that we are called to be “saints” (Rom 1:7; 1Cor 1:2; 2Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2; etc.). In fact, I found about 60 times in the New Testament where believers were referred to as “saints”, but not once where they were called “sinners”.

Why does it matter? Because how you see yourself affects how you live! If you see yourself as just a sinner, it will be easy for you to go on sinning. But if you see yourself as a saint (made holy by the blood of Jesus), you will strive to walk worthy of that calling!

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Anticipation

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

There’s nothing like holy anticipation – it actually doubles the joy of a breakthrough, because you experience it twice – once by faith & expectation, and again when it is manifest!

That’s what I’m sensing about our upcoming 21-days of prayer & fasting at CLC. Last night was the largest-attended Bible study I ever remember here, and the buzz I’m hearing everywhere is how excited people are about this fast!

Here’s one more request I have for every CLCer, to maximize the benefits of this fast (if you didn’t hear the 9 benefits of fasting last night, you can get it here, as well as the intro from the Wednesday before) – would you subscribe to my blog (if you haven’t already), as I’ll be posting a daily encouragment during the 21-days, along with the Prayer Focus for that day. As we know, unity is the key to a corporate fasting effort such as this, and to enhance that unity (and our anticipation), we’re going to focus as a body on one request each day – and I’m anticipating powerful results!

Can’t wait for Sunday!

I love to teach!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

That shouldn’t come as any surprise, since you love to do what you are gifted to do, too. But I’m especially excited about it today, because this week I get to double my fun:

tonight is the second installment of our ‘old-school’ Bible study, and I’m really excited to share with you some of the promised results of fasting, as we prepare ourselves for the 21-day prayer & fasting effort which starts this Sunday! You can get details & resources here – but I really encourage you to join us tonight at 7pm – there’s ministry for the whole family!

this Sunday will be off the chain! I was excited last weekend when we began the RUAH series, but after yesterday’s planning meeting with our pastoral team, I’m even more so! I love the team that I get to work with at CLC, and yesterday was incredible as they took my rough outline, changed it around, helped me hone in on what’s most important, added some new thoughts, and by the time we were finished, it sizzled! I can’t wait – you do not want to miss this Sunday as we look closely at “The Helper”!

Don’t forget that we’ll also be honoring Pastors Jim & Cheri Garrett for their service at CLC and receive a special love-offering as they depart for their next ministry assignment. I know you’ll come prepared to bless them.

Talking Bible

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Just finished my devotions, and noticed something today I have to share – in the Bible reading chart that we’re using in 2012, there are readings from OT, NT, Psalms & Proverbs each day.

Today’s reading from Proverbs included chapter 3:3-4 (I’m using the English Standard Version for my devotions this year). Our readings also included Genesis 24:49, and I couldn’t help but notice the phrases “steadfast love and faithfulness” repeated in both passages. (Stuff like that always grabs my attention).

I don’t know about you, but the Proverbs mention of steadfast love & faithfulness caught my attention only because of it’s promise of favor & good success – but when I just read it in Proverbs, I didn’t really grasp what ‘steadfast love & faithfulness’ meant. But when I saw it repeated in Genesis in the context of Abraham’s servant finding a wife for Isaac, it made sense: it’s another way of saying “obedience”. When we show ‘steadfast love & faithfulness’ to the Lord, we obey Him. It’s that simple.

And when we obey Him, He promises to give us ‘favor & good success’! Selah.

I’m going to be a little more careful today to listen to His voice & obey Him – how about you?

Preparation is BIG

Posted on January 9, 2012 by admin

Thinking this morning about the 21-day fast we begin at CLC this coming Sunday…..I’m hearing from so many who are excited about it (as Sam said yesterday, we’re not excited about doing w/o food; we’re excited about what God is going to do in us as a result of the fast!).

Like so many other things in life, I think preparation can make a BIG difference in the results we see. If we just wait until Sunday without any thought or preparation or even prayer to ask the Lord for specific instructions, we likely won’t get the maximum benefit He intends for this time.

For instance, if your fast is not going to include coffee or caffeinated drinks, you will do yourself a favor to start ‘weaning’ yourself off the caffeine this week; otherwise, you can plan on some killer headaches next week that will make the whole fasting experience a real challenge for a few days.

More than the physical preparation is the heart-preparation – so I encourage you to join me this week in asking the Lord what it is that He wants to work in you during this time. I’m going to compile a ‘prayer list’ of corporate priorities for CLC, so that each of us will be circling (gotta read Mark Batterson’s “The Circle Maker“) the same things for our church, in addition to our personal or career or family needs.

I’m excited….but I’m not waiting until Sunday to get ready! Any other suggestions you might have for CLCers to get prepared?

Sunday reflections

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin

Based on today, I’d say 2012 is off to a wonderful start at CLC! Here’s why…

First, at the Tinley Park campus, we managed to do everything we had to do in the service and get in all done within the time allowed. (I say all of that tongue-in-cheek, but only partly, because we had a ‘ton’ of extra items on the agenda today, including honoring Kevin Carter for his 4 years of service as our Director of Ministries/Operations, welcoming the Ben Stewart family as our new Executive Pastor, saying goodbye to Caleb & Summer Baker as they move to a new ministry assignment in Fayetteville, AR and receiving Missionaries George & Alison Burch, who’ve served in Turkey for over 40 years!) Whew, I’m tried just spelling out all the ‘extras’ in one service…..but we made it!
Must say I’m still pumped about our new series – even the trailer gets me excited!
And I thoroughly enjoyed introducing the subject today (but haven’t ever cleared my throat that many times while preaching – not sure I’d ever make it as a Hebrew speaker!)
Especially excited about the number of CLCers who committed to joining us at some level of the 21-day fast starting next Sunday! Remember fasting helps us disconnect from the world so we can truly connect with God!
Before I left the building, Pastor Jaime from our Hispanic ministry grabbed me to say that they had a FULL house today, with many brand-new guests in their service today. He’s excited, and so am I!
GREAT report today from our South Bend campus, where Pastor Doug says the people really pressed in to the Presence of the Lord in worship, after beginning the service with 4 baptisms(including the Neal’s 2 daughters, Kayla & Caitlyn!) followed by a powerful prophetic declaration & prayer and my wife’s usual great job with the message about the Holy Spirit!
It was also neat because after the South Bend service concluded, an African church nearby came over to baptize 8 of their new converts in our building, and after they left, an Indian church came to celebrate with a Christmas party! Doug said it was just unusual to enjoy such a move of the Spirit and then have two very different cultures come to celebrate in the building, as 1/8 became an Acts 1:8 day!
Pastor Herley from our Philippines campus emailed that the Presence of God was so strong in their services today as people really received the Word, and 18 precious Filipino’s gave their life to the Lord afterwards. He’s also quite excited about a “Dawn Watch” prayer meeting from 4-6 a.m. each day except Sunday. It started on January 1, and more than 200 people are coming each day at 4am to be a part of the prayer meeting – AND, it’s not just folks from our campus; many churches throughout the city are cooperating together to seek God at dawn!
Finally, Pastor Eric just weighed in from our Lisle campus and said today was probably a “top 10 favorite” day there, with ‘laugh out loud’ moments to ‘liquid love’ sweeping over the congregation!

I’ll be posting several times this week to prepare us for the 21 days of fasting, so stay tuned – 2012 is gonna be a WILD year!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

Well, I thought the last question of 2011 was….ahem……different….but it seems like the first question of 2012 is out of the ordinary as well, as a faithful CLC volunteer writes, “my question is more of wanting to hear your thoughts about Tim Tebow. I’ve been watching ESPN as they debate whether or not Tebow should dial back his faith.”

Interesting question, both as a pastor and as a sports fan. Here’s my perspective:

First of all, I happen to know that Tim Tebow spent his formative years in a charismatic church much like CLC, so he grew up in an environment of the Word and the Holy Spirit, and from everything I’ve seen and heard, seems to have embraced those values fully as his own. In other words, in my humble opinion, Tim is the real deal – a genuine follower of Christ, not someone who is grandstanding the Christian faith in hopes of some publicity.
Secondly, while I don’t pretend to know about every interview he’s ever given, I can say that everything that I have personally seen him say or do in print or TV interviews, he definitely comes across as a genuine believer. In spite of the fact that the liberal media wants to portray him as a religious nut, he has consistently given balanced, sensible, and Biblical answers.
Finally, there’s really no such thing in Scripture as a “private” relationship with God – personal, yes, but private, no. As believers we are called to do everything for the glory of God. (see 1Cor 10:31 and 1Peter 4:11)

As a pastor, I wish that all of us in whatever occupation or arena of life we operate could so publicly demonstrate our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – and I, for one, thank God that Tim Tebow is using the huge platform he’s been given as a sports celebrity to glorify God!

So there you have it. Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

Old-school Midweek Bible Study

Posted on January 5, 2012 by admin

It’s BAAAAACK!

After about 6-7 years, we had our first “old-school” midweek Bible study at the Tinley Park campus of CLC last night, and I had a blast! We start promptly at 7pm, worship for about 15 minutes (sweet!), I teach for about 45 minutes and we open up for Q&A for the final 15 minutes, so folks are on their way by about 8:15!

We also had a terrific attendance for this first one, and I’m expecting it to grow! So mark your calendar and plan to join us each Wednesday in 2012-

If you missed last night and you’d like the notes so you can be in sync with us next Wednesday, they’re attached here Midweek study notes

Woo-hoo! I love teaching the Bible study!

Please read this

Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve just passed along something someone else wrote, but this was just TOO GOOD to not do so – thanks, Pastor Steven Furtick for reminding us all how to really face our problems!

(honorable mention to our Student Ministries Director, Sam Hamstra for pointing this one out to me!)

AND for those of you who asked if we could get the prophetic word online that my wife gave at our weekend celebrations, here it is:

Many are thankful that we are at the end of 2011 for it has been a year of loss and death. Death of hopes, dreams, plans, thoughts, and identity. All of which was preparing us, pruning us for what God wants to do for and through us in 2012. For this year will be a year of birth and NEW LIFE. Now it’s been a while, but what I remember of childbirth is that it is painful and messy. But we endure knowing what it will give us, a precious new life. So it will be this year. Things might be painful and messy at times, but we will not be discouraged for we know that we are giving birth to precious new life. The Lord gave me one word to describe 2012 for CLC and that is “WILD”. When I asked what that meant, because I didn’t know if I really liked the word, He said, “FULL OF GOD.” He then gave me three pictures…

1. Picture was of a man with a child on his lap reading a large story book, and as he turned the pages he was reading, “and this I my personality, this is my gifts and talents, this is my plan and my goals.” Then God said, “Put the book down, it’s fantasy, fairy tales. It’s based all on you. What I want to do in you and through you this coming year goes beyond you, what you can do and what you can accomplish, into my territory, miracle territory. What I want to do through you is so big that your personality and gifts could never accomplish it. Give me your life. Don’t just say “no.” Ask me, go to me for direction. I am going to take you in a totally different direction than what you think, but it’s part of the journey that will ultimately lead you to your heart’s desire, the desire that I have placed in you. Look to me for direction for every aspect of what you say and do, wear and go.” God says “I know the plans for you, and they are not where you would go on your own, but they will take you to my purposes and you will be lead by joy and peace.”

2. The second picture was of a boardroom. The men and women around the table all had their heads bowed in prayer, there was someone praying in the corner, rocking back and forth and someone laying on the floor before the Lord. And I heard the Lord say, “More prayer, less planning, more dependence on God, less dependence on human reason. This is not just for the church or ministries but also for businesses, and relationships.

3. The third picture was of people on fire…totally engulfed in flames. But they were not running around panicking like one would expect, because they were consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, walking with purpose, touching people and things with intent…lighting fires where ever they went. And I saw then the map of the Chicago area and the little flames grew until they totally engulfed Chicago.

SPECIFIC WORDS FOR PEOPLE

There are people in music, business and ministry that will go international this year. God says, no borders, no boundaries, no limits. Take the limits off and see what God wants to do through you internationally.
There are Sarah’s here that will give birth in their old age. Seasoned saints don’t panic. It’s not necessarily in the natural. People who are settled, have life all figured out, and think that it’s about time for them to slow down, are going to start all over. Scary yes. But if you surrender to the purposes of God your youth will be renewed, your joy will be restored and your strength will be reborn. It is not time to slow down.
There will be some who will be ministering to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those with aids, and in the process, there will be two people healed of aids.
There are those God is going to lead into the political and higher education arena as influencers in these fields. We are not just to shake our heads at what is happening. God is commanding us to make a difference, to be an influence in these areas.
Lastly, we are to raise up an army of militant intercessors of radical faith, not afraid of radical surrender and sacrifice. For all that God wants to do in and through CLC in 2012 it must be first birthed in prayer. You know who you are. No one has to tell you that this word is for you. God has already been dealing with you about this very thing.

IT WILL NOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL!

First theme of 2012

Posted on January 3, 2012 by admin

We had so much going on this weekend we didn’t even announce it, but I’m so EXCITED about starting off this New Year with a 5-week series on the Holy Spirit!

“Ruah” (pronounced, “Ru’-akh”) is the Hebrew word for “Spirit” (or ‘wind’ or ‘breath’) and we’ll spend this whole month of January looking at the Holy Spirit & what He brings to us!

So excited – between a focus on the Holy Spirit AND 21-days of prayer & fasting (beginning January 15), it’s going to be a WILD ride – so c’mon and join us!

A final look at 2011

Posted on January 2, 2012 by admin

Yeah, I know it’s already the second day of a brand-new year, but I also know that some of you missed the video review that our Media team put together (kudos, Ed!) for our weekend celebrations – so here it is again:

2011 recap, part 1

2011 recap, part 2

2011 recap, part 3

and if you missed the recap from our Philippines campus, here it is again.

Enjoy!

Weekend reflections

Posted on January 1, 2012 by admin

It’s not often that New Year’s Eve falls on a Saturday, which means we had the opportunity to say ‘goodbye’ 2011 and ‘hello’ 2012 on a single weekend, and I thought it was one of the best ever at CLC. Here’s a few random thoughts on this first day of the new year:

I was pleased with the number of CLCers who joined us to celebrate at the Tinley Park campus - it wasn’t quite a normal attendance, but certainly much better than I expected during these extended holidays.
Worship at all 3 celebrations was great, but New Year’s Eve was high energy! I honestly felt like we could have worshipped into the New Year if we turned your folks loose – thanks, Jon Jones and the whole Servants of Praise team!
So many good memories from 2011 – thanks, Eduardo Marroquin for the video review that we enjoyed in each service. (Man, we heard some Word last year!)
I loved the video greeting from Pastor Herley Montes at our Philippines campus! (Wasn’t it awesome to see the mass baptisms & the repainted bus we provided?) If you missed his video, here’s the link to watch it now.
Sure sensed anointing on the ‘word’ shared by several of our pastors & others who shared, but I thought Sam Hamstra absolutely knocked it out of the park!
If you missed my ‘word’, here it is just for you.
Was the painting by Caleb Baker just amazing or what? We actually had several requests to purchase one of the finished paintings, so we decided to auction them off to the highest bidder, with proceeds going to our ‘Kingdom Expansion’ fund. If you wish to bid, just submit your name & the amount you’re willing to donate here. (We’ll get in touch with the winners via email)
Pastor Eric from the Lisle campus reports a “sweet, sweet service for a new year”, as they shared communion & deep prayers of commitment for 2012!
In South Bend, Pastor Doug says attendance was very low, but spirits were rejuvenated as the congregation there highly anticipates great things this year!
If my wife’s prophetic impressions are on, we’re ALL in for a ‘wild’ ride in 2012, as God has promised to birth some things in and thru CLC – and I for one, cannot wait!

And even a Bears win….what a weekend!

Happy New Year!

Year-end giving at CLC

Posted on December 30, 2011 by admin

Happy New Year!

Actually, I’m hoping you’re able to read this before the New Year, since some CLCers are always interested in year-end giving and receiving tax credit for their donations.

In order for us to give you credit for the 2011 tax year, it’s necessary for us to receive your contribution before midnight on December 31, OR for your contribution to be postmarked by December 31.

So if you wish to make a year-end gift to CLC and receive credit for this tax year, there are three ways you can do so:

mail your contribution to any of our 3 locations before midnight this Saturday-
give your offering at the New Year’s Eve service in Tinley Park this Saturday (service begins at 5pm)-
donate online before midnight this Saturday (you can do so here)

By the way, it’s not too-late to be a part of our “Gifts Outside the Box” project this year. We’ve already received over $13,000 to help make Christmas a lot brighter for our partners from Chandighar to Chicagoland, including a number of needy people right here in the South Suburbs and some in our own CLC family. If you wish to designate a gift for those needs, you can do so here.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for your generous & faithful giving throughout 2011. Because of people like you, we were able to see lives changed, both here and in the Nations!

Chris & I declare the favor of God over you in 2012!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on December 30, 2011 by admin

Our final question of 2011 comes from a friend to me & CLC who writes, “If a man has had a sex change, surgery and all, and now lives as a woman and wants to be a Christian attending church, how should the church respond to him/her? Also would you tell her to stay a woman or go back to a man?”

When I first read the question I thought (in my best Lovie Smith voice), “Now what kind of question is that?”

But in case it’s a serious question, I’m gonna give it a serious answer, as my final Friday post for this year. Let’s consider the facts:

since there was no such thing as “sex changes” in Bible times, we must understand that the Bible does NOT address this question.
Since there are no direct references to this dilemma in Scripture, our only hope would be to apply Biblical principles to try to answer this.
The ONLY verse I can think of that might somehow apply to this hypothetical situation is 1Cor 7:20-24. Since this person had the sex change before becoming a Christian, as I apply these verses, I would say ‘she’ should remain as ‘she’ is.
As to how the church should respond to her, I would hope that any local church would respond to this individual as we would any other person; i.e., with love and compassion and the same Christian courtesy that we would want for ourselves – while also helping to disciple this individual in the ways of Christ, including sexual purity and wholeness.

For sure, it’s an interesting question – but probably not that far-fetched in today’s world. May we shine as lights in this dark world so that people who are hurting and lost without Jesus, regardless of how their ‘lostness’ (sin nature) may be manifest, will be drawn to the light and not repelled by it.

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

And I hope you’ll join us Saturday at 5pm as we bid farewell to 2011 and welcome 2012!

Necessary Endings, good beginnings…

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

No, this is not about the book titled Necessary Endings (although it’s been highly recommended to me and I do hope to read it soon). I’m writing about this weekend’s services at CLC.

For as long as I can remember, New Year’s Eve services have been part of my family’s tradition. It must have started while I was a child, and for sure it’s been a part of my entire pastoral ministry for the past 39 years.

For most of those years our services began at 9pm and continued past the midnight hour, as we literally prayed & worshiped in the New Year. A few years ago several CLCers told us they didn’t feel safe in their neighborhoods at midnight on New Year’s Eve, so we adjusted the start time, but kept the tradition.

At the risk of sounding religious, I really do see value in spending time on the last day of the year in the house of the Lord. I love the idea of closing the year in His Presence. Whether you’ve never tried that before, or if you’re a ‘Watch Night’ veteran, I hope you’ll join us at 5pm this Saturday at the Tinley Park campus!

And the way the calendar falls this year, we also have the opportunity for something I feel just as strongly about: getting a New Year off to a ‘good’ start by beginning it in God’s House. What better way to put Him first than to literally be in worship on the first day of the first month of a New Year? We’re planning 2 services for this Sunday – at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.

Here’s the deal: all 3 of these services will feature heartfelt worship, excellent music, testimonies & exhortations from fellow CLCers and some special video tributes from 2011, as well as expectations for 2012. Would you plan to join me? It’s a GREAT way to end one year and begin another!

Christmas Eve TRADITION…

Posted on December 24, 2011 by admin

It’s Christmas Eve!

Don’t know what’s on the agenda for you or your family today…..maybe it’s a mad dash to the Mall for some last-minute shopping…..or a visit to Grandma’s house for dinner…..or maybe even this is the day the kids get to unwrap the gifts under the tree. Whatever your tradition is, I’m sure there’s something warm & nostalgic about it, that makes this time of your special for you & yours.

I’d just like to propose another tradition – whether this is the first time, or whether it’s already established in your household. Why not join us at CLC for a special Christmas Eve Celebration at either 4pm or 6pm today?

We’ll sing some familiar carols (and some worship songs, too); enjoy a video or 2, and dig deeper into the Christmas story to find some uplifting truths, thru the stanzas of more “Christmas Classics” carols! I’ve got a ‘rhema’ Word to share, and I’m convinced someone’s life will be changed for eternity!

There’s even time left to invite a friend or family member to join you!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on December 23, 2011 by admin

A faithful CLCer writes, “What does Deuteronomy 7:20 mean when it says, ‘Moreover the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you are destroyed’?”

Hmmm, maybe I’m missing something, but just in case, I think it means exactly what it says. In this chapter, the Lord explains to Israel that He chose them to be His special treasure and that He is driving out the previous inhabitants of this land in order to give it to Israel as a permanent possession. So in verse 20 He says that even if some of those nations try to hide, He will send hornets among them, to drive them out.

So unless your question is about some deeper, ‘spiritual’ truth contained in this verse, it simply means that God was fighting their battles for them, in order to give the land to Israel as He had promised. He specifically charged them not to compromise and intermarry with the previous inhabitants, since that could entice them away from the worship of the true God (verses 2-4).

As to a New Testament truth for us here, I just see it as another aspect of how thoroughly the Lord takes care of His people and how He watches over every detail of His Word to fulfill it (Deut. 7:16-20; Jer. 1:11-12)

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

What I’m reading…

Posted on December 21, 2011 by admin

Someone asked me the other day what books I’m reading right now, so I thought I’d share with all of you in case you’re looking for last-minute Christmas gifts for someone special:

The God I Never Knew by Pastor Robert Morris. If you didn’t know it, I’m a real Robert Morris fan anyway, but he really knocked it out of the park with this easy-to-understand look at the Person & Ministry of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know that I learned anything new, but Pastor Robert sure made me hungry for more of the Holy Spirit’s manifestation in my life!
The Secret of Teams by Mark Miller. I read this one while Chris & I were in Hawaii last week, and I plan to take our whole pastoral staff through it. The guys at Chik-fil-A are just on top of it, and this easy read makes great sense for any team, anywhere!
The Circle Maker by Pastor Mark Batterson. We’re offering these at a 25% discount at CLC, and we sold out before the 11:30am service last Sunday. The good news is that more are on the way, and this is the PERFECT read to prepare you for our upcoming 21-days of prayer & fasting at CLC. I got my copy yesterday & stayed up way past bedtime last night because I just couldn’t put it down! Pastor Mark is a friend and I’m excited about his next visit to CLC in July, but I can say without hesitation – this book will make you want to pray!

Of course, I’m reading a lot of fun books, too – mystery novels and other mindless escapes – but these 3 are the ones I’d recommend for anyone still on your shopping list.

Better than I could say it myself

Posted on December 20, 2011 by admin

I read this article from Pastor James Emory White today and thought, ‘wow, he said everything I wanted to say, better than I said it’!

We’re not compromising in any way this week; we’re doing what we believe the Lord would have us do to reach the most people with the message of Christmas!

And I’m blown-away at the POWER of that message as it’s portrayed in the Christmas Carols we’ll use this week, so I’m urging you again to NOT come alone! Bring somebody who needs Jesus with you to any one of these 6 opportunities:

Wednesday at 7:30pm at the Tinley Park campus

Friday at 7:00pm in our Spanish-language service

Saturday at 4pm at the Tinley Park campus

Saturday Candlelight service at 4:30pm at the Lisle “chapel” (1006 Ogden Ave. in Lisle, IL 60532)

Saturday at 6pm at the Tinley Park campus

Sunday at 10am at the South Bend campus

I think it’s going to be a Christmas we NEVER forget – for all of eternity!

Be a bringer!

Posted on December 19, 2011 by admin

Did you know that Christmas is one of the loneliest holidays of the year?

While most of us are enjoying the festivities, gathering with our friends and family and kicking back with some of our favorite traditions, the truth is for many people Christmas has become an awful reminder of the loss of loved ones, or the pain of divorce, or just how dysfunctional or strained their relationships have become.

That’s just one more reason why I want to challenge you to ‘be a bringer’ this week! I’m encouraging every CLCer to NOT come alone to celebrate Christmas – but instead to make sure that you bring at least one person with you to any of our 6 Christmas experiences this week:

Wednesday at 7:30pm at the Tinley Park campus

Friday at 7:00pm in our Spanish-language service

Saturday at 4pm at the Tinley Park campus

Saturday Candlelight service at 4:30pm at the Lisle “chapel” (1006 Ogden Ave. in Lisle, IL 60532)

Saturday at 6pm at the Tinley Park campus

Sunday at 10am at the South Bend campus

Each celebration will feature special Christmas music and the grand finale of our “Christmas Classics” series and believe me, we saved the best for last!

I think it will be the most encouraging Christmas celebration EVER, and someone will be changed for all eternity — if we bring them!

Don’t come alone – be a BRINGER!

Weekend reflections

Posted on December 18, 2011 by admin

Well, it wasn’t a good day for the Chicago Bears (can you say ‘embarrassing’?), but things weren’t bad around CLC this weekend:

Enjoyed sharing all 3 carols today in our “Christmas Classics”, and still can’t get over how the message of ‘Drummer Boy’ affects me (every time!)

Thankful for responses in Tinley Park: CLCers who gave the Lord their treasure in our ‘Gifts Outside the Box’ initiative; others who signed up to discover their talents on January 22; and yet others who made specific commitments to give the Lord their time this Christmas!

As always, love the fact that after a message from Christmas Carols, we had at least 4 people who prayed to receive Christ…..just never gets old!

Favorite lobby conversation of the day: hearing from a new attender & her teen son who had been involved in a horrible car wreck and the doctors had said wouldn’t survive, but one of the nurses at the hospital was a CLCer who told the mom about us & requested prayer – and now the young man is alive, healed, and determined to live his life for God’s glory! Yay, Jesus!

Pastors Jim & Cheri preached at our South Bend campus today while the Neal’s were in Atlanta for the wedding of one of the members, and they report it was a very good day, in spite of a lower than normal attendance because of the wedding. In fact, they said the worship team really “knocked it out of the park” today, and at least one person prayed to receive Christ!

Pastor Jaime Flores says our Spanish service was filled with the Presence of the Lord today, and their attendance is growing, too!

At our campus in the Philippines, Pastor Herley reports a very good weekend, despite the fact that nearly a third of their congregation has already traveled to their province for Christmas celebrations with their families. (He also requests our prayers for the many families affected by the flash flooding in Mindanao this week, with over 450 already confirmed dead. Herley has several pastor friends who lost members in the floods.)

Finally, the “report of the day” goes to Pastor Eric from our Lisle campus, where they broke 200 in attendance again! One of their first-time guests said, “I never laughed so hard in church”, and Eric said they had an overflow of JOY today as their children performed and their entire team “killed it” (I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing!)

That’s a wrap for this Sunday….already looking forward to our Christmas Celebrations this Wednesday & Saturday – INVITE someone to be your guest!

On this date…

Posted on December 16, 2011 by admin

On a snowy December 16, 1972, a little teen blonde just 6 months after her graduation from high school joined me (just 2 days removed from my teen years) in standing before our pastor and a small church crowded with family and friends to pledge our love and our lives to one another. In the 39 years that have followed, we’ve seen everything that we vowed that night: both better and worse, both richer and poorer, both sickness and health. We’ve experienced incredible moments of joy and we’ve had to work our way through some awful times of sorrow. But through it all, the one constant is that she has always been by my side.

I’ve watched her grow and develop from that shy teenager into an incredible woman of God. I’ve marveled at how she has stretched herself and found her own calling and purpose that has enabled her to minister to others in several different congregations that we’ve been privileged to serve. She’s endured the rigors of travel and the challenge of cross-cultural ministry in over 20 different nations, and I’m a witness as to how she is loved by women from all those nations and cultures as a result.

The greatest moments in my life are making her laugh, and the hardest times for me are seeing her cry (especially when I’m the cause). She’s a great mom to my three children and the wonderful ‘Guys’ (his term for her) to our grandson, Jaeden.

I’m looking forward to growing old with her, because she’s still the woman of my dreams. Happy 39th Anniversary, Chris – I love you today, and I always will.

Ask the Pastor

Posted on December 16, 2011 by admin

A faithful CLCer writes, “I have heard the statement ‘If the Devil really knew who Jesus was when he was on earth he would have never crucified Jesus’. I am not too sure this is a true statement; if it is not, then my question is answered. If it is, then I do wonder!! Here is the question: If the Devil did not really know who Jesus was, then how did the demons know who he was every time he was casting them out?”

GREAT question. Great because it does have a Biblical answer, and I don’t just have to give my opinion. I think the statement you’ve heard is based on 1Corinthians 2:7-8. As you’ll note there, it doesn’t say the devil didn’t know who Jesus was; it says he didn’t know the hidden wisdom of God. My understanding of that passage is that the devil and his cohorts didn’t understand that God’s plan was for Jesus to die in order to redeem us from the Fall and make it possible for us to receive eternal life. (If the devil had known that, surely he wouldn’t have tried to have Jesus executed at the Cross!)

As you point out in your question, the demons always seemed to know exactly who Jesus was when He cast them out; but thankfully, they didn’t understand God’s hidden plan, and thus even the enemy of our souls unwittingly cooperated with God’s plan and became a pawn to help bring about the very plan of God from before the foundation of the world – that the Lamb of God would be slain for us! (see Revelation 13:8)

So the bottom line is, the statement you’ve heard was just a little bit off – but thank God for the truth that God’s plan, though hidden from the enemy, is clearly revealed to us: we can have eternal life because of the death of His son!

Hope that helped. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

I mean every word

Posted on December 15, 2011 by admin

After our sermon-planning meeting yesterday, I couldn’t be MORE EXCITED about this Sunday at CLC!

If you’re a part of our CLC family, I’m telling you, right now – stop what you’re doing:

call a friend
send an email
invite someone personally
ask someone you’ve invited before
invite someone the Lord puts in your heart
look around for someone you’ve never invited to CLC
WHATEVER you have to do – bring someone to church THIS Sunday!

I mean it. It’s going to be that good. The Gospel will be preached. Someone will be changed – for eternity. And you could have a part in it.

Simply by inviting them to share a Christmas service with you.

I can’t wait.

Overwhelmed with blessings!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by admin

I’ve always loved the verse in Deuteronomy 28:2 (especially in the good ole KJV – I mean, if it was good enough for Paul & Silas, it’s good enough for me!).

The wording implies that God’s blessings will chase us down and overtake us – and tonight, that’s exactly how I feel.

Why?

Because I just took the last several minutes here at the end of the 59th anniversary of the day of my birth and read the postings on my FaceBook wall – each one of the birthday greetings from all 250+ of you who took time out of your day to brighten mine. I am a blessed man!

I was particularly humbled by the fact that I heard from at least one friend in each & every church I’ve ever served:

members of the first youth group I served in Troy, Michigan (1972-1977)
friends from the first church I pastored in Mt. Morris, Michigan (1977-1981)
people from our time as missionaries in Cebu City, Philippines (1981-1984)
folks I pastored in Dexter, Missouri (1984-1989)
former members of First Apostolic Church in Tinley Park that brought us to Chicagoland (1989-1990)
lots & lots of wonderful people from Christian Life Center (1990-present), including our
Tinley Park campus
South Bend campus
Lisle campus
Hispanic campus
Davao City, Philippines campus
and even lots of precious “ex-CLCers” who now live in several different states around the country,
not to mention several of my fellow pastors & church leaders throughout the USA
and even folks we’ve served in missions travel in Africa, the Mid-East, and Asia!

I still remember being a young teenager feeling a call to ministry in Jonesboro, Arkansas, even though neither of my parents completed high school – so to hear from all these folks who’ve been an important part of my life is, well, overwhelming.

God has been so good to me – so much better than I deserve. And He still gives me the privilege of serving His people. I’m thankful for EACH one of you. I love the TEAM He is surrounding me with here at CLC. And of course, I’m grateful for the faithful love of a woman who has been by my side for two-thirds of those 59 years (I’ll have more to say about her Friday when we celebrate 39 years of marriage).

As to your many wishes for my birthday, despite a full day of meetings at the office, my family did kidnap me for an extended lunch where I sat at a table with my wife, daughter, youngest son, his wife and my grandson, enjoying good food & their hilarious birthday cards – and my oldest son called from Canada while we were eating – so I’m not just blessed in ministry; I’m blessed as a husband and dad, too – and that’s even more important to me at this time of life.

Thank you. From my heart – thank you for being a part of the blessings of God that have overtaken me tonight. I love you all-

Talking Bible

Posted on December 13, 2011 by admin

Another nugget from my devotions: in Daniel 6, I am fascinated with the information we’re given about Daniel. First, we learn that he excelled above other leaders because of his great ability (Daniel 6:2-3). But as I’m learning, to truly succeed in life, it takes more than ability. (Let’s face it: there are always people who have more natural talent than you or me – and when you reach a level of excellence, there’s always someone who’s better than you)

That’s why the next verse jumped out at me: when the ‘haters’ wanted to find fault (they always do, you know), they couldn’t find anything to criticize. That in itself seems astonishing – but it’s still not what grabbed me. It’s the next part of the verse that says Daniel was “always responsible”.

Selah.

Or maybe, ‘ouch’.

Always?

That’s huge. And it’s not just one isolated verse either, as you notice as you continue reading: in verse 10 we’re told that after the King’s decree went into effect, Daniel knelt down as usual and prayed three times a day, just as he had always done. (That’s what I call “consistent” – or ‘always responsible’!)

And later still, in verse 13, the haters didn’t just tattle to the King that Daniel was praying in spite of his decree, they said “he still prays to his God”!

I’ve said many times that faithfulness is the key to success in God’s kingdom, and I’ve talked about our ‘plodding’ ability that accounts for most of the blessing on CLC through the years, but I’ve got to tell you, I’m challenged by the “always responsible” tag put on Daniel by his critics.

Perhaps someone reading this is tempted today not to do what you know you should. Maybe you’re tired of making the sacrifices, always being the one to initiate the hard conversation, weary of paying the bills when you’d rather splurge on yourself…..but my Bible is talking to me loud & clear that I need to be like Daniel and be “always responsible”.

I truly want that. Don’t you?

Ask the Pastor

Posted on December 9, 2011 by admin

Our next question is regarding dreams. A reader writes, “I know that in the Old Testament God spoke through dreams. Also, there are instances in the New Testament that God still spoke through dreams. Sometimes people dream and it seems that there is a message in the dream and sometimes the dreams don’t make sense. How are we to determine if God is trying to speak to us through our dreams in this time?”

GREAT question. This is, in my humble opinion, a much overlooked subject in Scripture. In fact, Job said the God speaks to us again and again in dreams, though we don’t recognize it, while we are asleep! (Job 33:14-15) I suspect, for some of us, that’s His best opportunity, as we often don’t slow down long enough to hear His voice when we’re awake, so He tries to get our attention when we’re asleep!

I’m sure there are many answers to your question as to “how” we can determine if it’s a “God-dream” or just “bad pizza” that’s speaking to us, but here are a few:

Generally, I think the dream stays with you. I don’t mean by that that you won’t ever forget the details, because that’s certainly what happened to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 (assuming he wasn’t just testing his sorcerers, but actually couldn’t remember the details). But in the other examples in both Testaments, the individual who had the dream was often troubled by it when they awoke, because the dream stayed with them.

Sometimes, you just “know” that the dream is from the Lord. Personally, I almost never remember a dream, and in all my ministry I only recall one dream that I knew was from God. It happened about 13 years ago, when I saw the main stage of a General Conference service for my former denomination and heard the emcee say, “And now, introducing our newly-appointed missionaries to Senegal, Jerry & Chris McQuay”. With those words, I awoke. It was so specific that I just ‘knew’ it must be from God. I also felt certain that He wasn’t calling us to return to our denomination, so the only conclusion left was that God had an assignment for us in the nation of Senegal. It’s too long a story to go into now, but after a couple of years of searching, we finally found a contact there and we’ve been involved in that West African nation ever since, as CLC has since provided 20% of all the evangelical church buildings in the entire country!

It may be that the dream results from a prayer you’ve prayed or a desire you’ve had. In my case above, while I certainly hadn’t even thought about Senegal (didn’t even know where it was located in Africa), my friend David Shibley from Global Advance had challenged me earlier to find CLC’s unique role in fulfilling the Great Commission, and I was asking the Lord to show me what HE wanted specifically from CLC in that regard – and now, I consider that dream a major part of His plan for CLC.

There are books and teachings now available in the body of Christ on the subject of dream interpretation, so if this subject piques your interest, I suggest you search for those. By no means is my list complete, and others will offer additional insights, I’m sure.

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Talking Bible

Posted on December 6, 2011 by admin

My devotions last week were especially fruitful, as I heard the Lord several times. Here’s what I gleaned from 1Peter 4:10 in the NLT, 1996 Edition from which I’m reading this year (unfortunately, it was revised in later editions):

“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”

What jumped out at me is the implication that mismanagement on my part would cut off the flow of God’s generosity!

That’s really NOT new news; the Scripture teaches that in other places, such as the parable of the three servants, in Matthew 25:28-29. To our human (carnal) minds, it doesn’t seem fair to take the little that someone has and given it to someone who already had more (kinda like robbing from the poor to give to the rich) – but it makes good sense in God’s economy: the person who has already demonstrated good stewardship of the gifts he has will likely put additional resources to good use, while the fellow who hid his gift doesn’t deserve to keep it!

SELAH.

SELAH some more!

What gifts has God given you that you aren’t fully utilizing?

I know this much, I don’t want Him to take anything away from me – I need every gifting He’s put in me, and then some! And I sure don’t want to hinder the ‘flow’ of His generosity in my life.

How ’bout you? Are you managing well what God has gifted you to do?

Off to Kona

Posted on December 5, 2011 by admin

It’s that time of year again…..

No, not Christmas….the McQuay anniversary getaway!

Most years we try to get to someplace warm to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and this time we had an opportunity for free tickets to Hawaii if we were willing to travel a week early, so we’re celebrating #39 a week in advance. We’ll catch a flight (well, 3 in all – that’s one of the problems of award tickets – you have to take what’s open) this morning that will eventually get us to Kona on the big island of Hawaii, for a week of sun and r-e-l-a-x-a-t-i-o-n. (That’s my way of saying we’re not planning any vacation activities, unless laying out on a beach with a mystery novel counts)

I hate that we’ll be missing “A Baby Changes Everything”, but we had locked-in these free seats before the dates were set for the Christmas musical. I know that Jon and the entire team here will knock it out of the park, and your whole family will enjoy the production, even without us being here – it’s our loss, not yours!

See you next week!

Weekend reflections

Posted on December 4, 2011 by admin

Long day for me…already sleepy…but here’s my recap of the day at CLC:

Pastor Doug says our South Bend service today was “a blast”, with a wonderful atmosphere “from start to finish”. The congregation there found the symbolic meanings behind the “12 Days of Christmas” carol especially interesting, so we’re off to a good start with Christmas Classics!

Not to be outdone, the Lisle campus report from Pastor Eric indicated that 3 people prayed to receive Christ today, with several others making a re-commitment. He felt that communion & worship really opened hearts wide to receive the message about redeeming Christmas!

And in Tinley Park we rejoiced with the young woman from France who was baptized in water today, as well as at least 5 or 6 folks who prayed to receive Christ – that’s really redeeming Christmas. It’s always fun to team teach with Chris, and today was no exception, even with a few gaffes along the way (or maybe they made it more fun!).

Don’t have a report yet on our “Gifts Outside the Box” today, but I’m excited about ALL the people here and in the Nations whose Christmas will be brighter because of your giving – stay tuned for a full report as it becomes available.

That, and an ugly Bears loss makes me ready to sign off until tomorrow-

Ask the Pastor

Posted on December 2, 2011 by admin

My favorite questioner is at it again: “Can you explain to me the Heart versus the Soul, versus the Spirit? Are all of these connected together some type of way? If yes, what way?”

No more softball questions, huh? This one is difficult, because while there are many opinions, I’ve not found much in the way of clear-cut, unequivocal statements in Scripture about these terms. Anyway, you asked, so I’ll give it my best shot:

The heart (and I’m assuming you aren’t thinking of the muscular organ that pumps blood throughout our body, enabling us to live) is usually considered the center of who we are, our inner-most being and the seat of our emotions.

The soul is also usually defined as the center of our will and emotions – so, in my mind, those two terms of pretty much interchangeable. Having said that, I know that Matt. 22:37 uses both words, so I can’t really defend my opinion. Perhaps someone reading this has a better definition – if so, please leave your comment below and help us all!

The spirit seems to refer to the life-force that comes from God and that enables us to relate to God.

Boy, I’ll readily admit that this is not a strong suit for me – does anyone else have insight beyond just your own opinion? (As I sometines say, opinions are like belly-buttons – we all have one, but we that doesn’t mean we have to pull it out & show everyone). But if you have some Biblical insights on this question, I’m all ears!

Not sure that helped anyone, but I’ll still say: Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Excited about this Sunday!

Posted on December 1, 2011 by admin

Christmas is such a magical time of the year, and THIS Sunday we kick-off our Christmas Classics series at CLC. After our pastoral staff worked on the message this past Tuesday, I’ve got to tell you: you don’t want to miss this! If you’re expecting a sweet little sermonette about baby Jesus, you probably won’t be comfortable Sunday, because we’re going to dive in deep!

Not only will we explore how we can redeem the Christmas season for ourselves and our families (and others!), but This Sunday is also the big day when we’ll receive our “Gifts Outside the Box” Christmas offering. If you haven’t yet taken the time to sit down with the catalog and decide how you want to make a difference for some needy people this Christmas, I challenge you to drop what you’re doing and go to our online catalog now. You can actually make your donation online quickly and easily, or you can come prepared with your offering this Sunday. Either way, you’ll be helping to change lives, both here and in the Nations!

Talking Bible

Posted on November 30, 2011 by admin

I heard my Bible speak this morning….from an Old Testament prophet, in fact.

In Daniel 5 is the story of King Belshazzar (grandson of Nebuchadnezzar) having a drunken party and using the golden cups taken from the temple in Jerusalem to toast his idols, when all of a sudden the fingers of a hand appeared and began to write on the wall of the palace, “Mene, mene, Tekel, Parsin”. No one understood the writing, but everyone was terrified by it, especially Belshazzar.

He offered significant gifts to anyone who could interpret the writing, and the story got interesting for me when Daniel the prophet told the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else…” (Dan. 5:17) In this day of so much abuse from politicians and corporate greed and even big-name ministers, it’s refreshing to hear from a man of God who isn’t in it for the personal rewards, but has a Word from God! (I want to be that kind of man!)

Daniel then rehearsed the story of Nebuchadnezzar (verses 18-21), who had been incredibly great before being incredibly humbled by the hand of God (if you’re not familiar with the details, read Daniel 4:28-37) – but what got me was his conclusion in Daniel 5:22!

Someone smarter than me said that “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.

Someone else has said that we Christians are “educated way beyond the level of our obedience”.

As I searched my own heart this morning, I ask you to search yours: what do you know that you aren’t acting on? The “handwriting on the wall” is there for all of us – let’s be doers of the Word today!

CHANGED testimonies

Posted on November 28, 2011 by admin

I think ALL of us were touched and moved during the CHANGED series by the real-life, true stories of people just like you and me at CLC who have been changed by the Lord Jesus. That’s why I’m excited to tell you that you can now download one or all of those testimonies, to listen again, or better yet, to send to a friend or family member that you want to encourage.

After all, it really is a Biblical principle: when the virgin Mary asked the angel ‘how’ she could possibly be the mother of our Lord, part of his answer to her was to consider her own cousin Elisabeth, who had been barren until her old age, but was now 6-months pregnant (Luke 1:34-36). There’s something about seeing God do it for someone else that inspires faith that He can do it for us, too!

You can get each of the testimonies here and pass them on to your family and friends – it just might make someone’s Christmas even more special!

Weekend reflections

Posted on November 27, 2011 by admin

Random thoughts about this post-Thanksgiving weekend:

Why do I always eat too much at Thanksgiving? (In the McQuay household, it wasn’t just Thursday; it was a 3-day exercise in over-eating with turkey followed by honey-baked ham followed by my wife’s incredible chili….not to mention everything that accompanied those main courses). I’m feeling motivated for our 21-day fast in January!

Preached myself hoarse today in Tinley Park…not sure now why I was yelling so much, but it felt like the thing to do at the time!

As always, I especially celebrate the fact that at least 7 people prayed to receive Christ today – heaven is rejoicing with us!

Had a great report from Sam Hamstra about the outreach sponsored by CLC-1929 last night – and there was at least one couple in service today as a result!

Speaking of Sam, loved the stats he shared today, especially this one: studies show that the less one reads the Bible daily, the more debt one typically incur! Thanks for giving us fresh motivation to read the Word, Sam!

At the Lisle campus, despite a ‘holiday Sunday attendance’, Pastor Eric reports a beautiful service that took folks to the feet of Jesus and says “CHANGED” was “impactful for ALL of us!”

favorite lobby convo/testimony: one of our unemployed members landed a temp job about 3 years ago that eventually turned into a permanent position – but at the lowest rank/pay scale in the whole Fortune 500 company. Last month, the company announced it was laying off 100 workers in her department and last week they broke the news to her: not only was she NOT being let go, they were promoting her two pay grades! She’s praising God for her harvest in “due season”! (and so am I!)

Haven’t heard from our other campuses yet today, but I’m gonna kick back now & see what Caleb Hanie can do against the Raiders – hoping it won’t be a “c’mon, man” afternoon!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

A faithful CLCer asks, “In Acts 9:8-9, why did God blind Saul for three days and he didn’t eat nor drink until he got to Damascus?”

Hmmm, good question. I don’t know.

Just kidding, sort of. It is a question I’ve never been asked before and never given a lot of thought to. But since you asked, I did a little digging. Here’s what I found:

the blindness no doubt was to humble him. Imagine: this persecutor of the Church, who was capturing Christians and throwing them into jail was now a helpless captive himself, who had to be led by the hand just to get into the city. I’m sure it was a humbling experience that resulted from his vision of Christ on the road.

Every scholar says the three days of no food or drink was a fast – and again, it was a very humbling experience for Saul. Imagine, in just a moment of time he had been told by the Lord that everything he had ever believed and fought for was mistaken! Don’t you know those three days were a real time of soul-searching, as he tried to make sense out of what happened to him when Jesus appeared and told him that HE was Paul’s Lord! Anyone who has ever fasted, especially for three days, can testify of what a humbling experience it is (yet how good for us!)

Seems like a great segue, after we’ve all stuffed ourselves full of turkey and all the trimmings yesterday, to be talking on Black Friday about fasting. (I’m sure we all need to repent of some of yesterday’s excess, and the fasting would do us good in more ways than one!) But while I’ve got your attention, it’s not too early to get this on your radar: we will join with churches all over the world to set aside 21 days of fasting and prayer in early 2012, and I want to challenge you NOW to purpose in your heart to participate in some way. At CLC, we believe God will lead you as to how you and your family should fast with us, whether it’s a juice fast, a ‘Daniel’ fast, designated days of absolute fasting within the 21 days, or even fasting certain meals throughout the fasting period. The important thing is that each of us takes some time to humble ourselves before the Lord (Ezra 8:21; Psa 35:13). I hope you’ll start making plans to join us!

Hope that helped. Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Thanks-living!

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

I’ve said it publicly before, so I’ll say it again: today is probably the most “spiritual” holiday on our calendar!

I said that because of all the commercialization of Christmas and Easter (still trying to figure out chocolate bunnies in the Resurrection story) – it seems that we Americans have figured out how to ‘ruin’ what should be the 2 biggest days on the calendar: the birth of our Savior and His triumph over death, hell & the grave!

But THANKSGIVING is pretty special. Oh, I know some resort to calling it “Turkey Day” and for others, it’s all about stuffing their face while watching non-stop football on the tube. But think about it: what other day of the year do we spend surrounded by family and expressing our thanks for the goodness of God?

What are you thankful for this year? I promise you: no matter how difficult or painful this year has been for you, you still have a LOT to be thankful for – if you just think about it. One of my favorite stories from past Christian heroes is that of Matthew Henry (perhaps you’ve read from his commentary of the Bible) – who was once robbed. After the robbery, he wrote in his diary:

“Let me be thankful. FIRST, because I was never robbed before. SECOND, because although they took my wallet they did not take my life. THIRD, because although they took my all, it was not much. FOURTH, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

That’s what I call ‘Thanks-living”, which is far better than just one day of the year!

If you’re still not sure what you have to be thankful for in 2011, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

If you’re in town this weekend…..

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

…you’ll WANT to be at CLC!

(In fact, even if you’re out of town for Thanksgiving, you may want to come back in time for service on Sunday)

I’m serious.

After our sermon-planning meeting today, I so excited at how this Sunday is going to help a LOT of people who truly want to be CHANGED!

The stories of life-change that we’ve heard this last few Sundays have been awesome, but I’m just as convinced that what God has done for those individuals, He is able and WILLING to do for many more – in fact, exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or even think! (Ephesians 3:20)

Maybe you’ve tried before and the change you so desperately want still hasn’t happened. (Come Sunday and see how that may even be part of the problem)

So enjoy your Thanksgiving with the turkey and all the trimmings on Thursday, but come HUNGRY for change on Sunday – I believe the close of this series is going to be the icing on the cake!

Today is the day!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

Our 2012 “Stand with Israel” tour is departing in just 90 days! Can you believe it?

As simply as I can say it, there’s something about walking in the Land where Jesus walked and where the Bible took place that is, well, like no other place on earth. Seeing those places that have only been names in your Bible does something to you – in fact, you won’t ever read the Bible the same way again.

Not only is sightseeing in Israel truly a trip of a lifetime, but our trip also includes the opportunity for you to connect with our Messianic partners in the Land. These brave Christians face ostracism and persecution for their faith in Jesus as the Messiah on a daily basis, yet they are not only standing strong, they are reaching other precious Jews with the Gospel. Reaching the Jewish people has become our #1 priority in missions at CLC, so I love the fact that our members are making those personal connections with our partners. You’ll pray differently as a result!

But today is the deadline for your deposit, in order to hold your seat on the plane and your space on the tour. Everything you need is right here – but there’s NO time to waste. Get your deposit in to the travel agent today!

If you really, truly, absolutely want to be a part of this trip but don’t have the deposit right now, contact me today and I’ll see what can be done.

Next year in Jerusalem!

I was wrong…

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

I was sincere about it.

I truly believed it.

But I’ll be man enough to admit it: when I posted here back on October 11 that the Bears season was over, I was wrong. For these past five weeks, they’ve played like a different team. Yesterday was as good as I’ve seen them play for an entire game all season.

That’s why losing Jay Cutler for the rest of the season (as the early injury reports indicate) seems like a cruel twist of fate. But that’s the NFL, and we just have to roll with it – unless my early-season prophecy is going to come to pass. In that regard, I have just one thing left to say:

Caleb Hanie!

Weekend reflections

Posted on November 20, 2011 by admin

Our 2011 Friend Day is now history – here are some random thoughts on this weekend:

At the Tinley Park campus, it was an unusual day: I think we had the fewest guests that I ever recall at a Friend Day (not sure why – will be rethinking how we promoted this one compared to previous years), but, at least in my humble opinion, I think the testimonies were the most compelling ever!

In that regard, MEGA-KUDOS to Steve Mezger, Barry Johnson, Gerard & Carol Terrell, Wendy Durham, Marc & Rhonda White, Aaron & Elizabeth Rosinski, Harry Gomez, and Jonathan & Phailon Edmon! Your willingness and courage to share your stories touched all of us, and I believe God used you to change lives for eternity!

As much as I wish there had been more ‘friends’ visiting today, I AM rejoicing over approximately 10 people who prayed to receive Christ, and numerous others who came forward to receive prayer for change in their lives!

Pastor Doug reports from our South Bend campus that cardboard testimonies were “awesome” but that the best moment was when Charlotte York, a worship team member who’s been hospitalized for months, came to share her story!

At the Lisle campus, Pastor Eric says it was an “amazing…victorious…life-changing, kick-the-devil-in-the-butt kind of day!” He’s rejoicing over several salvations & healings that took place after their cardboard testimonies!

As usual, the “best report of the day” came from our Davao City campus, where Pastor Herley reports 30 guests prayed to receive Christ in their services today. He was even more excited about their week, as they completed 3 nights of revival called “Ignite” where they experienced a visitation from heaven. He says “The presence of God was so strong that a lot of our people saw visions of Jesus, angels, and heaven. There was gold dust falling in the services. A number of young people spoke in tongues and were so intoxicated on the Holy Spirit they could no longer speak our dialect.” Get this: some of the Chinese members of the church heard some of the youth speaking fluently in Chinese languages, even though they don’t know those languages – it was a miracle of the Holy Spirit like that on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2!

My favorite report from this Philippine outpouring was that during the day of the revival meetings a group of their young people visited a sister of their cell group member who was hospitalized with typhoid fever. The doctor had given up on her because the virus had already spread to her brain. But these young people (most of them are new in the Lord) went to the hospital and prayed for her boldly in the presence of her unbelieving relatives. After prayer, as they prepared to leave, the sick girl got out of bed and started dancing because she was healed! I believe Jesus STILL changes lives today!

Wow….as we move into the Thanksgiving holiday, I think ALL of us have a LOT to give thanks for!

By the way, this Sunday we’ll look at “What if the Change Hasn’t Happened?”. I believe it’s going to be life-changing close to the CHANGED series – so enjoy your time with your family and then bring ‘em all to church at any CLC campus on Sunday!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on November 18, 2011 by admin

A faithful CLCer writes, ” If people commit suicide, yet ask for forgiveness for the act that they are “going” to commit, do they have an opportunity to find Heaven or are they damned for all eternity?”

Ouch. I sense the pain behind that question, and my heart grieves for anyone who has ever had to ask themselves that question in the aftermath of a suicide.

Let me say this upfront: The Bible is silent on this issue. From my 40+ years of studying the Scriptures, I’ve never found anything in the Bible that addresses this question directly. SO, anything that I say (or that anyone else says on this subject) is strictly an opinion, and NOT ‘thus saith the Lord’.

In my humble opinion, the act of suicide (besides being a horribly selfish act considering what it does to the surviving family and friends) is an action taken in a moment of ‘temporary insanity’; i.e., I can’t imagine that anyone in their right mind would rationally choose to end their own life.

Having said that, it’s my opinion that such an act would NOT be the final criteria by which God judged an individual for all eternity – just as I don’t believe He judges an innocent child or handicapped individual who doesn’t have the mental capacity to choose Jesus as their Savior.

Instead, I think that someone who commits suicide would instead be judged just like all the rest of us, on the basis of whether they had turned from sin and fully trusted in Jesus Christ to be their Savior. After all, there is salvation in no other way (Acts 4:12; John 14:6, Galatians 2:15-16)

How all of that sorts out in eternity is really in God’s hands, not ours, but you asked, so I gave you my opinion.

Hope that helps. Now what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Continuing education…

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

In this day and age, I’m sure continuing education is a must in most careers. After all, with the explosion of knowledge and technology, if you keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, you’ll soon be obsolete.

That’s one reason we’re taking ten CLC pastors and leaders to the Catalyst One Day event today at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. It will make for a long 11+ hour day, but as far as I’m concerned, Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel are two of the most amazing communicators in the body of Christ today, so I’m sure there will be some worthwhile insights for all of us.

As we’ve said so many times before, “A leader is a learner”, so I’m gonna practice what I preach today!

News about the Israel tour deadline

Posted on November 16, 2011 by admin

2010 Israel tour group from CLC - could you be in the picture in 2012?

We’ve announced that November 22 was the deadline to register for the 2012 “Stand with Israel” tour, but last week I learned that there was some confusion – with some CLCers (including me) thinking that it was the deadline for the initial down payment, not a deadline for payment in full.

I felt so bad about the misunderstanding that I appealed to our travel agent this week for some additional time.

I’m happy to report that she went back to her suppliers (the airlines & hotels) and they have now agreed to extend the deadline to December 31, 2011.

Please note that he new deadline does come with these stipulations:

the minimum down payment is $800

the penalties remain the same as before

I’m hoping this may help some of you who are still in the process of raising your funds for the trip, or those of you who want to go but hadn’t yet made the commitment.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Pastor Jerry

One more appeal

Posted on November 14, 2011 by admin

Well, I gave it my best shot in all 3 services yesterday, but we’re still short of volunteers for the cardboard testimonies this coming Sunday.

Now I’m pleading: if you have a story of how Jesus has changed your life in some specific way, WE NEED YOU! You don’t have to say a word, so there’s no need for stage fright or biting your fingernails.

All you have to do is hold a piece of cardboard and take a short walk. And we’ll even coach you!

The upside is that you could make an eternal difference in someone’s life…and that’s no joke.

If I’ve twisted your arm successfully, please sign up here.

You and I both will be glad you did.

Weekend reflections

Posted on November 13, 2011 by admin

Here are my random thoughts about this weekend, in no particular order:

Kinda neat sitting in the CLC-1929 service last night & getting a couple of insights from my son’s teaching that I could use today!

LOVED the courage & willingness of several CLCers who shared their story in Tinley today – kudos to Tarshwa Carter, Linda Ellison, Archie Stephenson, Johanna Shubak, Audrey Laye, Kim Wesley, Latasha Benjamin, Adrienne Shipley and Anthony Gomez! They each proved my point, as their stories lifted our faith & changed the atmosphere in the room today!

Proud of how the church family responded to them – what an encouraging family this is!

Seems like there’s never enough time in service to mention everything that should be mentioned: the ARC video during our offering is one of our missions partners, and I wanted CLC to know the part that you play in planting churches here in the USA through your missions giving!

My wife enjoyed preaching in South Bend today, and Pastor Doug says it was a very encouraging word, despite lower-than-normal attendance.

Pastor Eric says the “CHANGED’ series is changing the Lisle campus & they are pumped for cardboard testimonies next weekend!

Enjoyed lunch today with Pastors Harry Schmidt & Jim Revelle at the All Nations Community Church banquet celebrating (get this) their 100th Anniversary! (I’ve never known a congregation that continued for 100 years, so my hat’s off to them!)

Pastor Herley Montes at our Philippines campus reports that another 15 new people gave their hearts to the Lord in Davao City today!

Excited about the future: we welcomed about 26 new people in our Next Steps class this afternoon – and they seemed pumped about joining CLC!

Add to all of that a lopsided blowout against the Detroit Lions, and I’d call this a pretty good day!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

A faithful CLCer writes, “My friend and I just discovered the pagan roots of the celebration we call Christmas and were thinking about not celebrating it the conventional way and time. But by doing that are we acting as those under the law or are we just being responsible for what we now know?”

Interesting question. Let me begin by applauding your sincerity in wanting to please the Lord fully, as evidenced by your willingness to go against peer pressure and all of our culture in order to not do something that might be displeasing to the Lord – I wish every believer were so motivated! (It also fulfills 2Cor 5:9 and 1Thess. 4:1)

As to whether you are being legalistic or responsible, I’m not sure I could answer that, since only you would know your true motive.

However, in my humble opinion (since you asked me), I think you may be starting down a slippery slope IF your motivation is to avoid the ‘pagan roots’ of Christmas. I say that because virtually everything has some pagan roots – (including our calendar & the days of the week!) and if we start “majoring on minors” it won’t be long until you can’t observe any holiday or enjoy almost any tradition – because almost all of them have some kind of pagan roots somewhere. Most of this is so because after the Roman Empower Constantine declared himself a Christian in the early 300′s A.D., the Roman church made it a ‘strategy’ whenever engaging in missionary activity among the heathens to incorporate any of the pagan’s holidays & beliefs into their practice of Christianity. That strategy or practice is usually called syncretism.

My personal practice with my own family (and my suggestion to you) is that you observe the holiday according to your belief’s; i.e., just because someone somewhere at sometime in the past observed Christmas in a certain way doesn’t have to dictate to me how I celebrate. For instance, I understand that colored eggs and marshmellow bunnies don’t have anything to do with the Resurrection of Jesus, but as long as I know the meaning of the holiday and celebrate His Resurrection (actually, every day!), then I don’t see the harm of allowing my children or grandchildren to enjoy the festivities — and I do know that some well-meaning Christians have ‘scarred’ their children by requiring them not to participate in similar activities, causing the children to feel they were missing out and making them feel isolated among their classmates, sometimes even to the point of ridicule, etc.

That’s my opinion. Pastor Mark Beeson has this great post on his blog about observing Halloween, which may have some similar principles to what I’ve stated here. The only Scripture that comes to mind that might have some bearing on this whole issue is Romans 14, so I’d encourage you to read it carefully to see all the principles involved.

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Don’t miss the DEADLINE!

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

If you’ve always wanted to go to ISRAEL where the Bible comes alive and you can walk in the footsteps of Jesus, this is your chance!

Our CLC “Stand with Israel” tour departs on February 22, 2012 and you can get all the details here. (This includes the informational flyer, the registration form, our travel itinerary in Israel and even a sample fund-raising letter to help you raise support for the trip.)

We worked really hard to make this the most-affordable trip of a lifetime ever, but the price goes up after November 22, and I’d hate to see you miss that deadline – so please complete your registration and get your deposit in to the travel agent ASAP – we’re only a few days away from the price increase.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Pics from the final day of our trip

Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

I tried to post a few along the way, but here’s some additional photos from our last day in Russia at the New Testament Church of Perm that I thought you might enjoy:

New Testament Church worship team

Their first service at 11am is FULL! (including all 3 balconies)

when did I get so old?

at close of first service was a traditional Russian wedding

the bride & groom enter from the top balcony

the happy couple (both long-time members & she's on staff at the church)

both fathers prayed over their children during the wedding

per tradition, the Groom prays over their wedding

as does the Bride (both parents on the left)

2 women received Christ at the first service

2 men also came for salvation at the first service

2 women came for salvation at the 2pm service also

Chris teaching about a 'listening ear' at the parent's class

and enjoying this baby boy after the class

Chris & I LOVED how they bring the children onstage (with applause) at each service & pray for them before sending them to their classrooms.

The power of YOUR story…

Posted on November 8, 2011 by admin

I did a little recruiting before the “CHANGED” series began, but it’s clear now that I must have communicated poorly – so I’m scrambling now to try harder.

I’m still excited about this series, in which we want to focus on several Bible characters whose life was CHANGED by the power of God – primarily because I believe the series can be a tremendous encouragement to both members and prospects who desire a ‘change’ in their life. But I’m also convinced that just sharing Bible stories alone won’t have near the impact of supplementing that Word from the Bible with a flesh-and-blood example of someone whose life has been changed here-and-now.

Our goal was to enlist at least 6-8 CLCers who could share their story either in person or via video this weekend, and an additional 75 or more who could share via a ‘cardboard testimony’ on November 20. However, the response isn’t even a fraction of that. I suspect that I wasn’t specific enough as to what we’re looking for, which caused most of you to not realize that YOU have a story to tell. Please answer these questions:

have you ever been:

homeless?
in prison?
healed of a serious illness or condition like cancer, heart trouble, etc?
a recreational drug user?
a drug dealer?
bankrupt?
foreclosed upon?
unemployed?
an addict?
broken-hearted?
addicted to porn?
addicted to sex?
involved in a gay lifestyle?
a racist?
in overwhelming debt?
an alcoholic?
troubled with low self-esteem?
abused: physically, verbally or sexually?
severely depressed?

If you answered ‘YES” to any of those conditions, your story could become God’s way of encouraging others & changing their life! That is, if you would be willing to share. I know the enemy would tell you that revealing your past will bring shame & embarrassment – but that’s simply not true. The truth is, sharing your story will empower others and give them hope that what HE’s done for you, He can do for them!

I’m pleading: would you contact us today with a detailed description of how you were changed by God’s grace?

OR, if you just cannot bring yourself to share publicly, but would be willing to reduce the details to a few words on a piece of cardboard, tell us here.

I’m praising God for you already.

Russia, day 5

Posted on November 6, 2011 by admin

Wow….not sure when I’ve had such a fun day of ministry overseas:

The first service today lasted 3 hours, as the congregation shared communion together after I preached, and it was NOT rushed (in fact, it was the first time I’ve participated in a “common cup” observance, and it took about 30-40 minutes for everyone to be served, but everything was so organized & orderly, and the choir was leading us in worship the whole time, so the Presence of God filled the place – loved it!)
after communion was the traditional Russian wedding, as the head deacon’s daughter (a staff member of the church) was wed to a young man in the congregation. Both fathers prayed over their children and the couple each prayed themselves, before the pastor blessed their union. It was neat to see!
Then we grabbed a quick bite in the church dining room before coming back for the second service. I had a lot of fun getting their involvement during the message, and felt like I really connected with them
Next was a parenting class where Chris did a bang-up job of sharing principles she’s learned as a mom.
The icing on the cake was at the final service, when I taught about Jesus’ first miracle and then invited everyone forward who wanted Him to use their hands (just as He used the servants’ in John 2). To my surprise, probably 75% of the congregation came to the front of the church. After we prayed over them, we invited those who needed a miracle to come forward, and then instructed the first group to pray for them. It was my favorite moment of the entire trip, as we watched these precious Russians pray with fervency & faith, and God answered! There were several people who testified of healing & answers to the prayers of those who prayed for them!
In the 3 services, we saw at least 7 adults pray to receive Christ – that never gets old, no matter where we are!
As I remembered from our last visit in May, I absolutely LOVE this local church’s practice of bringing all the children onstage before they are dismissed to their classes (after worship) and as they are coming, the entire congregation is applauding them! (You have to see it: kids soaking up the applause of their parents & congregation – how affirming that must be, Sunday after Sunday – I love it!)

Now we’ve got 5.5 hours to catch some sleep before getting ready for our flights home. GOOD NEWS: our travel agent emailed a couple of days ago that 2 seats opened up on the direct route – so instead of a 7-hour layover in Moscow, we are flying from here to Frankfurt, Germany and then Frankfurt to Chicago, with almost no time in between – so our return home will only take about 17 hours instead of the 36 it took to get here!

Can’t wait to see you all again-

Russia, day 4

Posted on November 5, 2011 by admin

Finished! The EQUIP seminar went very well on Saturday, as the leaders not only drank in every word, but they tried so hard to express their appreciation for the teachings. Missions is really all about PEOPLE, and these folks sure have found a place in our hearts!

Chris also preached their youth service last night, so it was a LONG day (13 hours from start to finish). She was a little giddy that her part was over (I’m preaching their 3 Sunday services today), until she learned on the way back to the hotel that they want her to teach a parenting class between the 2nd & 3rd service today.

There’s also a traditional Russian wedding at the close of the first service today, so that should be interesting!

As always, my wife excels at object lessons & creative ways to make the lesson memorable, and yesterday it was Jenga! Each volunteer could take a turn AFTER they expressed some principle they had learned at the conference….and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such intense concentration! Enjoy a few pics:

some of the leaders at the conf.

poor Ksenia has been our ONLY translator for the entire conference

Jenga intensity!

our only Nigerian was one of the first to volunteer

these sisters were focused!

but none more so than this professional Builder

they loved it when Chris called on Pastor Leonid

but the biggest cheers were reserved for Pastor Slava, who directs the One Year for Jesus outreach & the Bible school

Chris dramatized the Good Samaritan coming to the aid of the wounded man

Russia, day 3

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

Got off to a GREAT start at the EQUIP conference here Friday, starting with break-out sessions with the pastors & wives of this region (Chris with women; me with men) – the guys really seemed to relate & connect with my “Lessons I’m Learning in my Pain”

Then we spent about 4.5 hours covering the first 2.5 lessons of the John Maxwell material, with 3.5 lessons left for tomorrow. I think the leaders are soaking it up…at least by all outward appearances.

Highlight of the day for me was a conversation over dinner with Pastor Larrisa Grabovenko & two of the staff pastors who complimented last night’s teaching at the midweek service. It seems one of their members shared afterward that he had gone swimming with a friend 30 years ago & an undercurrent or something tried to pull them both under…..he managed to survive, but his friend drowned. For the past 30 years this brother has been tormented with guilt, thinking there was something he could have done differently to save his friend. But last night, the Word of God set him free & ALL THE GUILT WAS LIFTED OFF HIM!

Sure made my day!

Those of you praying & standing with us will share in every reward, so thank you again….can’t wait to see you next week!

Ask the Pastor

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

For the 3rd straight week we’re focused on this area of forgiveness & consequences, as another follow-up question came: What does Romans 9:18 mean? Does God allow some people to have consequences for their sins, and others to not have consequences?

Big question. Hard to understand subject – but lets try:

The short answer is no, I wouldn’t say Romans 9:18 is addressing the idea of consequences to our sins. It really speaks to a much bigger, more difficult issue: the sovereignty of God & the doctrine of “free will”. (if you read a larger section of that passage, say, verses 10-24, you’ll see what I mean – that God is God, and as mere humans we may not always understand, but we’re not in a position to tell Him what He must do!)

That probably opened up a can of worms that’s bigger than this post to resolve.

But to the heart of what I perceive your question to be, I would say 2 things:

just because WE don’t see consequences for some people’s sins doesn’t mean that THEY don’t have any. Everything is not always visible – and they may be suffering in ways we know nothing about.
Just as importantly, we live in an imperfect world, where bad things sometimes happen to good people, and good things sometime happen to bad people. When it comes to consequences, why is it that I’ve known Christian youth who lived godly lives until a moment of weakness & passion they committed fornication one time, and became pregnant, while other youth sleep around with no regard for God’s Word and never faced pregnancy or shame for their actions. That’s not a hypothetical; I’ve pastored & counselled people in those exact circumstances! WHY? Because we live in an imperfect world and sometimes things just happen that way.

I do realize that’s not a satisfying answer, and maybe I set up unrealistic expectations by inviting people to send me their questions, because the truth is: there are some things in this life that we won’t ever understand until we get to heaven.

The bottom-line on this issue, for me at least, is that while God is ALWAYS ready to forgive our sin if we are willing to truly repent, sometimes there will still be consequences to those sins that we’ll have to deal with, even though we’ve been forgiven. Sometimes, in God’s mercy, there are no lasting consequences.

Hope that helps a bit. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?