5 Reasons Why I Love Serving

In the months of October and November, our church family has two (2) different serving opportunities on our calendar:

       1)  Old Tyme Days in Hutto (October 19; 7am to 10pm)

       2)  Fall Fest 2013 (November 9; 11am to 2pm) 

These events are what we call "bridge-building" opportunities.  In short, they give us a chance to serve people in our community in some way by giving our time, talent & resources (...and occasionally, even some blood, sweat & tears!).  Our desire is to demonstrate the love of Jesus in a tangible way.  We want to do more than share the Gospel, we want to show it.  We call it "building a bridge." Sounds awesome, right? Well, it is!

But occasionally, someone asks me, "Why do you guys like serving so much?"  That's a good question, and it got me thinking.  I have listed 5 reasons why we love building bridges...TOGETHER:

1.  It's modeled by JESUS, so it must be important, right?  He said of his own purpose: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28) 

2.  It's a picture of GRACE.  I am always in awe that God's love and mercy toward me, especially because it is so undeserved.  I could never earn his love, but He gave it anyway.  In the same way, giving free stuff is a powerful thing, because it awakens our sense of unworthiness.  "What did I do to deserve this?"  Nothing.  It's yours.

3.  It makes people feel LOVED.  Remember the phrase, "Time is money"?  Well, in this crazy, fast-paced world we live in, time may actually be worth more than money.  Calendars are full.  Schedules are packed.  Every minute is precious.  If we're honest, we'd rather give away 20 dollars than 20 minutes. So, when someone makes time in their day to care about mine, it means a lot. 

4.  It's CONTAGIOUS.  I like serving by myself, but I LOVE serving with others!  The more, the merrier.  When you assemble a group of friends to work on a construction project, or fold clothes for the homeless, or build flower beds for a senior citizens home -- there's nothing like it!  Laughter. Belonging. Teamwork. Fulfillment.  These are the treasures you'll find...buried within a good day of serving others.

5.  It's FUN! Nothing makes us feel more "accepted" than laughing at inside jokes.  And nothing creates inside jokes quite like serving with friends.  A duct tape ball thrown at your head.  A paint brush "accidentally" touching your face. A cup of ice dropped down your shirt.  Nicknames.  Bathroom breaks.  Spontaneous sing-a-longs.  There's no telling what you can expect...but it's always fun!

So, how about joining us on BOTH of these upcoming days?  As your pastor, I get super excited about building bridges in our community.  However, nothing happens without lots of smile-wearing, Jesus-loving helpers.  So, here's our simple 3-step plan: 

          A. Recruit like crazy.  (we need you!) 

          B. Put a t-shirt on every volunteer (pick up yours on Sunday! $10/adults; $5/kids)

          C. Sign up & show up (see Julie Bell for Old Tyme Days event; Fall Fest is a month away)

Does going to church help you with the "rest of your life?"

"There's a lot of life in between Sundays."

I often make this statement when speaking to our church family about the importance of RELATIONSHIPS for our spiritual health. What I typically mean to imply is that we need one another. It's that simple. Sunday services are good, but there are 6 1/2 other days in the week, as well. Even if the sermon was challenging and the worship was inspiring, the "real life" of the "real world" can be hard.

So what are we supposed to do about that?

Make more friends? Invite someone to Starbucks? Have deeper conversations? Join a small group? I suppose the answer to all of these suggestions could be "yes," if you can. The truth is we DO need to pursue new friendships, make time in our schedules to get together, talk about stuff that's meaningful, and connect with others in community. In fact, I'm guessing we all long for this quality of life, at some level. But let's be honest: if it were EASY, we'd already be doing it.

John Maxwell said, "Most Christians are already educated far beyond our level of obedience."

We all know relationships are important.
We also know that spiritual growth is important.
And sharing your faith is important.
And raising up godly children is important.
So is Bible study.
And tithing.
And serving in a ministry.
And let's not forget obeying God's Top 10 List (you know, the ones carved in stone...twice!)

KNOWING is not the problem for many of us.
DOING is the hard part.

So my question is this: How can the church help?

In other words, beyond sermons & songs on Sunday mornings, how can we better equip you to LIVE for Christ in the real world? I have some ideas that I trust would be helpful, but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. For example: Do you need help establishing a consistent devotional life? Would you like some helpful tips on biblical parenting practices? Need real-world insights on how to strengthen your marriage relationship?

I think the Home Depot slogan says it best: "You can do it. We can help." if this is true of a home-improvement store, it should be true of the Body of Christ. With the Gospel at work, we should be a life-improvement store! In 2012, we'd like to refocus on our God-given task of making disciples, so let's get to work!

Get Connected in October

Hope you are having an awesome week!  I want to give you my Top 5 ways to connect with BCC family during the month of October.

1. Follow us on Facebook!  This is the best way to get reminders about what's coming up.  Also, starting last week, we've begun posting the weekly bulletin on the BCC website. (Find it here.) You may want to print a copy to hang on the fridge, or put on your desk at work.

2. Come party with us!
a) The TX/OU game is this Saturday October 8th @ 11:00am, and our tailgate party begins at 10:30am.  Whether or not you enjoy watching football, this will be a fun atmosphere.

b) "The Blessed Life" lunch on Sundays. This week, we're eating chili, while we watch a DVD lesson about financial health. (There's no cost.)

c) Sunday Night Fellowship on October 9th & 23rd. Watch for details to find times & locations nearest you.


3. Attend the new series, WALLS: Life Begins on the Other Side. This week, I'll be sharing how Jesus can help you break through the wall of GUILT.  There's no reason to keep hanging on to the pain of your past -- rather, embrace the love, acceptance & forgiveness that only Christ can give.

4. Invite the friend(s) you've spent the last 60 days praying for & serving.

5. Join our team of volunteers for the Family Night Outreach on Sunday October 30th, 5:00pm to 7:30pm.  This will be a great way to connect with other Bridgers, while serving our community in a tangible way.  Just see Michele McLain this Sunday for more info.

It's an exciting time to serve at The Bridge.  God is about to do something BIG in our midst.  Please continue praying with me that we will be found faithful to the opportunities He is sending.  As Luke 10:2 says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Just think...this is one prayer you can actually answer yourself!

David

Religion or Relationship?

My wedding day was June 18, 1994. On that date, I officially became a married man.  We held the ceremony. We tied the knot. We said, "I do." We have a certificate to prove it (as well as 4 kids, 2 dogs, and a mortgage...but those are for another post).  June 18th was a very significant day for Michele and me, but it marks neither the beginning nor the end of our relationship.

The date our relationship truly began was March 26, 1992.  That was the night I met this beautiful girl from Beggs, Oklahoma in a Whataburger in Waxahachie, Texas.  She was wearing a blue denim shirt with a Mickey Mouse sequin tie.  That was when I first saw her green & brown eyes up close & personal. That was when I saw her smile.  That was when I found out she loved Jesus, loved basketball, and loved Larry Bird.  (It was the trifecta I had spent my life looking for!)

From that night on, I pursued a relationship with her. I wrote letters (remember those days?). I stood at a pay phone in a dorm hallway with a pocket full of quarters, hoping time would stand still for just a few more minutes. I sent cards, gifts, flowers.  It was long-distance relationship for the first few months, so I planned trips to Oklahoma as often as I could.  And somewhere along the way, this "like" turned to "love" and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Eventually, there came a ring and a question. Then, a Yes. Later on, there was a wedding...and a honeymoon. A few years later, there came one baby, and then another, then another, and finally one more. All in pink, no blue. 

The family grew.
The waistline grew.
And all the while, the RELATIONSHIP grew.

But along the way, I've learned a valuable truth: My relationship with my wife is at its best when I continue to PURSUE her. She's already "mine," right, so why pursue something I've already caught? Wrong!  If I want our relationship to keep growing, I must pursue her heart. July 18, 1994 was a great day, but what about August 2, 2011? The wedding day is gone, but TODAY is a new chance to love her. I don't value the contract, I value the intimacy. I don't value the certificate, I value the marriage.  And it's still up to me to pursue the relationship with the woman I love.

I am finding this same principle applies to my relationship with Jesus.  I remember some "good times" we've had. The day I first trusted Him for salvation.  The day I was filled with the Holy Spirit.  The day I sensed a call to preach. Many other highlights jump out at me during our long-lasting relationship, thus far.  But if I want this relationship to keep growing, it's still up to me to pursue Him. 

He says, "Seek me, and you will find me."
He says, "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you."
He says, "Fix your eyes on me."

My relationship is over three decades old (going on four), but what really matters is TODAY. If I will pursue a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus through daily prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, He will fill every longing of my heart.  If not, I am left with "RELIGION"...and who really wants more of that?!?

Try this today, and see what happens:
A thoughtful deed for your spouse, and a prayerful moment with Jesus.

And watch both relationships grow deeper, right in front of your eyes!

Love, Acceptance & Forgiveness

Lately, it seems I am spending a lot of time thinking about GRACE. It's such a common word that perhaps we don't often stop to fully examine its meaning. (neither will attempt to fully define it in this post, so don't worry...) For now, let me just point out that all of us are sinners, both by nature and by nurture, and that we need our sins to be removed/forgiven in order to have relationship with the holy God.

In Ephesians 2:8, we learn that salvation comes "by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast." In other words, what we couldn't do on our own, Jesus did for us by his death & resurrection. Here's the key: GRACE cannot be earned. It is a GIFT. I'm not worthy of it, I don't deserve it, and I can't work for it.

The problem, however, is that although we all want to RECEIVE grace, we often have a hard time GIVING grace to others. Especially those who have hurt us. Those who have failed us. Those who are different from us. We just have a hard time loving them unconditionally, accepting them as they are, and forgiving them when they fall.

Recently, I read a book by Jerry Cook that made these 3 simple, but powerful, statements. Together, they sum up what GRACE is all about, particularly the grace we are called to extend to others:

LOVE is not license.
ACCEPTANCE is not agreement.
FORGIVENESS is not compromise.

Once we can get past the fears of "lowering our standards" or "compromising our beliefs," we'll realize that God's GRACE is bigger than our small ideas about righteousness. This world is a mess. People are broken. What they need is NOT religion -- they need Jesus. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's good news for me, so it should apply to my neighbor as well, right? So why would we ask others to "straighten up" BEFORE we will love and accept them?

They don't need a lecture. They need God's GRACE...and He wants you to give it.

Can I change?

At BCC, we speak with conviction about "changed lives," because after all, it's a pretty obvious truth in Scripture. Just take 2 Corinthians 5:17 for example: "If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, and all things are made new." Kind of hard to miss, isnt it? God sent his Son to change lives. Jesus died & rose again for changed lives. The Holy Spirit guides & empowers changed lives. Changed lives are the goal for any church, any ministry, any believer.

But what about me? I sometimes wonder, "Am I changed?" (or at least change-ING...?) I confess that I often ask this question. At times, the answer seems like an easy YES, but that's usually after a few good days of disciplined Bible reading, praying, and sin-avoidance. You know the feeling...it's like you're finally starting to figure this thing out. Finally learning to ride a bike better. Almost ready to take off the training wheels. Look mom, no hands!

Then just when I least expect it...I hit a rock, blow out a tire, and crash. Never saw it coming. I pick myself up, wipe off the dirt, and climb back on the bike. Good as new, right? Wrong! Nope, this time, the failure leaves a bruise -- and I'm left disappointed, discouraged, depleted... During these times, the answer seems like a resounding NO. Me, changed?!? Nope, it's just the same old me making the same old mistakes. Can you relate? Trust me, you're not alone.

But don't be fooled. There's more to life change than just stringing together more good days than bad ones. Life change is about a relationship with Jesus. Your "new life" is NEW because of what He did, not what you're trying to do better. Jesus changes lives. He's changed mine. And He can change yours.

If you're trying to do it on your own, well...good luck with that.

Blind Spots

Everybody has blind spots. That should be no surprise to you. The real question is, do you know what they are? Chances are you don't. That's why they're called "blind" spots. My quick temper that wounds the hearts of my kids. My dry sarcasm that's not really funny after all. My bad breath. My body odor. That piece of hair sticking up in the back of my head. Those sneaky extra pounds gathering around my waistline. (I always blame the dryer for shrinking my pants...). Often these things are clearly evident to those around me...so why am I always the last to know?

Because I don't want to see them.

As Jack Nicholson's character shouted in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!" I believe it is our human nature to deceive ourselves. We want to think the best of ourselves. We forgive our own mistakes easily. We give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. We know what we meant to say...

But what if my version of reality is actually wrong? More importantly, what if my assessment of my own spiritual life is wrong? If I really got honest, it might hurt too much...

On Sunday, I began a new series called, "Let's Get Real." The primary text for the series is 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" We'll be spending the next few weeks getting honest about our spiritual growth (or the lack thereof). The goal is for each person at BCC to recommit themselves, not only to spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, stewardship, and service, but also to new personal relationship with Jesus!

What are the blind spots the Holy Spirit is revealing in your life? What are you doing to change in those areas?