Reflections on a Great Sunday

We had a great mother's day at LifeGate.  I shared a message from John 4 about the woman at the well as part of our "Looking for Hope" series.  God did some great stuff at the end of the message.  People were moved to tears as God worked on putting their broken hearts back together.  It was cool.  Kudos to Alea and the worship team for being obedient and really pressing in at the end of service.  

We also had some great Mother's Day gifts for everybody.  Hand crafted jewelry for every mother in the church, made by Bethany Boggan.  It was special.  My wife loved it.

This coming Sunday we'll be wrapping up our Looking for Hope series as we talk about looking for hope when life throws you a curveball.  Because of the LCA baccalaureate service, we'll be meeting in the LCA preschool cafeteria this Sunday.  It should be cool.  The school has assured me that we'll have adult size chairs for everyone to sit it:-)

One other thing.  I had promised to post a link to an unbelievable testimony from Shaun King, a native of Lexington who just launched Courageous Church in Atlanta.  Take a minute to check out this amazing miracle here.  It'll make your day. 

When You're Down To Your Last Dime

We've gone through some tough financial times as a nation over the last few months.  Tough times are nothing new as we live in a world that sees financial ups and downs all the time.  The Bible is full of stories of God's provision in tough times.  This past Sunday we talked about the widow who was down to her last pack of Ramen noodles (ok, it was actually flour and oil, but I'm trying to be culturally relevant).  God came through in a big way for her, when others around her were being ruined.

We also looked at 7 financial principles which we can use to order our financial house that can be found in the Word of God.  Allow me to share them with you.

1. Remember that God is Our Source:  Deut 8:18 tells us that God gives us the power to obtain wealth.  God is the source of all of our talents, abilities and opportunities.  All that we have comes from him.
2. Put God First:  From the beginning of Genesis through the New Testament, God requires those who follow Him to put Him first.  This is a principle that should apply to every area of our life, including finances.  Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us that when we honor God with our wealth our storehouses will overflow.  In my life, this means that the first check that I write after getting paid is my tithe check.
3. Be a Steward:  God has entrusted you with the money that you have.  He expects you to manage it well.  When you are trustworthy over a little bit, you can be trusted with more.  Luke 16
4. Have Integrity:  Pay your bills and meet your obligations, even when it hurts.
5. Get Out and Stay Out of Debt:  Proverbs tells us that the borrower is slave to the lender.  If you've ever been buried in credit card debt, you know exactly what the Bible is talking about.  Quit working for MasterCard and Visa and get out of the slavery that is debt.
6. Save:  Proverbs 21:20 - "A foolish man devours all he has"  How many of us live from paycheck to paycheck without ever putting anything aside.  The Bible says that is a foolish way to live.  Put money aside so that when something unexpected happens you can handle it without going into debt.
7. Be Generous:  God is a giver.  He gave the best thing that he had:  His Son.  We should be generous because God has changed our hearts.  And as we bless others, we ourselves will be blessed.

Stay tuned, because sometime over the next few months we'll be tackling financial issues in greater depths at LifeGate Church.

Looking for Hope

We had a great day @ LifeGate yesterday.  I shared the second installment of our "Looking for Hope" message series, "Looking for Hope When You've Fallen and You Can't Get Up."  It was awesome for a couple of reasons.  First, I got to use the 1987 LifeLine commercial as an intro to the message.  I thought it was hilarious.  If you are too young to remember it, or have never seen it before, you can check it out on youtube here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ  Second, I believe that God really touched some people and gave them hope that they can get back up again.  

Coming up this Sunday we'll be talking about Looking for Hope When You're Down to Your Last Dime.  If you are a college student living off Ramen Noodles or just a regular person that is trying to make ends meet in a down economy, then you need to be there.

One other thing.  I'm trying to figure out if it is worth the effort to start twittering.  I think I may be too verbose to twitter.  On the other hand, it might help me refine my communication skills.  I want to know if you are twittering.  Drop me a line or post a comment and tell me what you think. 

My Life Would Suck Without Jesus

So the lead team for LifeGate Church was sitting around the other day trying to think of some ways to reach new people for Jesus and attract people to LifeGate for Easter.  During the middle of the discussion my wife chimed up and said "Did anyone here see American Idol last week?"  She started telling us all about Kelly Clarkson's appearance on the show and about her new hit "My Life Would Suck Without You" (FYI...Jamie is a huge AI fan and a super huge Kelly Clarkson fan)

One thing led to another in the conversation and somebody made the comment that life would really suck without Jesus.  Immediately, we knew we had an idea.  So we decided to issue a challenge to people to share with us why their life would suck without Jesus.  We started a facebook group called "My Life Would Suck Without Jesus" and are inviting people to post a 2 minute video about why their life would be different without Him.  We're also asking folks to e-mail us and vote for which video they like the best.  The maker of the winning video will get $100 to spend at Best Buy.

I've been overwhelmed by the response to this little project so far.  In a week we've had 400 people join the group.  We've gotten inquiries from people whose lives suck right now and who want to know more about Jesus.  It's been great.  

We are already planning on doing this contest again next year, but on a bigger scale.  

If you get a chance, drop by facebook and check out the group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147713390197  

Lift-Off: Reflections on the LifeGate Launch

This past Sunday we launched LifeGate Church with a bang.  Everything went smoothly.  For those of you who weren't able to be there, here are a few highlights of the day:

• 129 People in attendance
• 24 Children in our LG Kids program
• 32 Connection Cards
• 3 Brand New People who've already signed up for the Dream Team
• Most Importantly, 1 person who decided to follow Jesus and Enter a Whole New Way of Life.

It was amazing to witness a dream that I have had for 8 years unfold before my eyes.  All of the Dream Team performed at a top level.  LG Kids was a big hit with their "Rated Aaargh" pirate themed series.  It was great to see kids running around the hallways after church with their pirate eye patches.  Alea and the worship team rocked.  I got a ton of compliments on how great they sounded.  And our hospitality and usher teams were phenomenal.  

For pictures of the launch, visit the LifeGate facebook group page @ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65739340832

Now we get to do it all over again in 5 days.  I am so excited to see what God has in store for us.

Missionary Heroes

For those of you who don't know, one of my major fields of study in college was missions.  Since I was called to the ministry as a teenager I've felt like doing mission work was part of my calling.  For a while I thought that meant I would be living in a slum in India or some grass hut in the bush of Africa.  People who do overseas missions are some of my heroes.  Very few people have the guts to leave behind everything, immerse themselves in a strange new culture and invest their lives so that people from half a world away can know about Jesus.

My sister Sara, her husband Shaun and their daughter Abi are three heroes.  Tomorrow morning they'll be boarding an airplane in Atlanta to travel to Paraguay (for those of you who don't know, that's in South America between Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina) where they'll be managing an orphanage for the next couple of years.  I'm proud of them and excited about the work that they'll be doing.  If you want to find out more about their work you can check out their awesome blog at www.mortonmissions.blogspot.com.  

I've come to realize that all of us are called to be missionaries.  Most of us will never take the plunge and move overseas, but we can share the life-giving power of Jesus with the co-worker in the cubicle next to us.  

At LifeGate we are totally focused on the mission of Jesus to "Seek and Save What Was Lost" both here in Lexington and around the world.   We plan on sending teams across the planet to share the gospel of Jesus, sending financial support to missionaries in other nations, planting churches in the United States and encouraging you to step around the cubicle and introduce someone to the greatest news the world has ever heard.

What's a Dream Team Member?

In 1992, the greatest group of basketball players ever assembled on one team put on the uniform of the United States of America. For two weeks that summer, the Dream Team, with Barkley, Jordan, Bird, Drexler, Pippen and a host of other hall of fame players, dominated every nation on their way to winning a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Watching them was like watching basketball perfection. In fact, I found an old highlight reel of them on YouTube you can watch by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9oXs9x3Vdg

Well, at LifeGate Church, we're not playing basketball (at least not very well) but we are putting together a Dream Team to help us build an awesome Life-giving, Spirit-empowered church here in Lexington. Membership in the dream team is open to anybody as long as you have the following four characteristics:

1. Positive - An LG Dream Team member has to be positive. As much as Winnie the Pooh liked hanging around with him, no one wants an Eeyore as part of the team.

2. Passionate - God has given us one chance to live this one life. And He has invited us to join him on an awesome adventure. We need to make the most of every moment and live at 100% for Christ.

3. Excellent - God gave us his very best when He gave us Jesus. In return, the least when can do is to give and be our best in all that we do for Him.

4. A Servant - In God's kingdom, the way to get ahead is to serve. An LG Dream Team member has to have the heart of a servant. When we serve others we find true fulfillment and joy.

Maybe you need to develop some of these characteristics in your life. Or maybe you're already living life this way. In either case, we invite you to join with us on the LifeGate Dream Team.