« June 2008 | Main | August 2008 »
Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 that He came to serve and not be served. Saturday morning at 8:00 am some of our WCC'rs decided to follow in His footsteps. For all of you who showed up and shoveled and spread mulch, cut hedges, mowed grass, pulled weeds, picked up clippings etc...You absolutely ROCK! Because of you our community is a better place.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about how spiritual growth occurs. Many believe that it is the role of the church and it's leaders is to grow them up spiritually. As a result, statements like the following are what pastors and ministry leaders frequently hear:
1. We are looking for a church where we can go deeper in the word.
2. We like expository preaching. Going verse by verse as you preach takes us so much deeper.
3. You are such a young Pastor. We need a more experienced man to help us grow.
4. We just can't figure it out, but we aren't growing at your church.
5. We need a church with an established Sunday School program, that is where WE grow.
These are only a few of the misconceptions that people have about the church and pastors in general. These reasons, among others, are never going to be the measuring stick by which one experiences spiritual growth. For example, no one walks into a gym and shakes hands with the trainers and expects to all of the sudden be in physical shape. Having the trainers say the right things and introducing you to the right equipment doesn't create the desired result. Getting in shape physically takes effort, it takes time, and it takes commitment...on YOUR part. In the same way, spiritual growth occurs as you take necessary steps and actions towards that goal. Yes, it begins with showing up and learning God's word, but being actively involved with effort, time and commitment are required if you want the desired result. It will involve sacrifice, so be prepared.
Here are some of the things that have helped me on my spiritual growth journey:
1. Hardship. Any time I walk through difficult times, I always seem to depend on God more. It's during those times where I find myself completely reliant upon Him that He demonstrates that He is God and that I can trust Him. God hasn't always done what I want Him to do in situations, but He has always been faithful to teach me valuable lessons as I have walked through the fire. And, the suffering makes me stronger as I remember God's faithfulness and more compassionate to others who go through times of hardship.
2. Mentors. My dad taught me early on in life that one of the most beneficial things I could do in my spiritual journey was to find people who had been on the journey a little longer than me. I took his advice and all through my life I have had men who were older than me speaking truth in my life. Two men that come to mind right now who are invaluable men of wisdom for me are Elder Rob Smith and my dad. I value and trust what these men say because they have weathered the test of time, while relying on God's help.
3. Solitude. It is rare that I have an opportunity to do what the Bible encourages us to do by getting still so we can recognize that God is God. But when I do, God speaks. While I was away at the beach recently, I made time to sit out by the ocean by myself and just pray and listen. What an encouraging time of fellowship I had with God. If I could only make more time for these encounters how much more spiritually mature I would be!
4. My Kids. As crazy as it may seem, God has taught me so many lessons through my children. One of the greatest lessons I think has to do with His unconditional love for us as His children. I can't tell you how many times I have stood over one of my children as they rested quietly in bed after a terrible day and thought, there is nothing that they could ever do to make me love them less. It is during times like these that God speaks directly to me reminding me that that is the kind of love He has for me as my heavenly Father.
5. Positive Attitude. Whatever it's worth, I am best when I focus on the positive things in my life. It's so easy to get caught up in things that need improvement, that could be better, that aren't perfect etc. However, when I consider all that God has done in my life and how blessed I am, I feel content. This positive attitude definitely takes effort, but definitely creates spiritual growth.
Infants are cute, but God doesn't want us to be spiritual infants. He expects us to grow. Growth isn't dependent on others, but on our determination to do what it takes. I hope you're encouraged to do it.
One of the things that I have experienced my whole life is that after I have gone to a spiritual mountain with God, Satan always attacks. For instance, two weeks ago I had a spiritually exhilarating experience when I went to camp BigStuf with our youth. I mean every day it just seemed like that God was noticeably present and speaking into my life. However, that all changed when I got back from the trip. I can't explain what happened or why it happened other than to say that I believe that Satan will do anything to try and stop us from experiencing God like I did at camp. I know many of you who read this blog probably have experienced the same thing. One moment God is moving in extraordinary ways in your life and then Satan attacks. Below is a list of things that help me minimize what Satan tries to do.
1. Making sure I get enough rest. One of the things I am confident that Satan capitalizes on is our exhaustion. Any time we are mentally, physically or spiritually exhausted, Satan has an easier time of having his way.
2. Staying busy. I know this seems like a contradiction to #1, but a full schedule with little idol time helps defeat the adversary. Whenever we know that we are vulnerable, getting busy and focused on productive tasks keeps us from from being easy prey.
3. Being held accountable. Recently I downloaded a tool called "Covenant Eyes" to my laptop. This is a program that enables my accountability partner to see wherever I have been on the Internet. I did this not because I struggle with porn or going to sites that I shouldn't. I did it to make sure that I never will. Having someone holding us accountable to living a Godly life is essential to keeping the adversary at bay.
4. Making sure I don't forsake going to church. Interestingly enough, one of the optimum times for people to stay away from church is after they have been on a spiritual retreat. Heck, I almost didn't go the Sunday I got back from BigStuf. Mark Patterson was preaching and my rationale was that I had had enough spiritual stuff for the week. It wouldn't have hurt me to stay home and rest on that Sunday, but it certainly didn't hurt me to go either. I am convinced that the discipline of going to church and being around others who can encourage us in our faith is essential to defending ourselves against Satan's onslaught.
I hope this helps any of you who feel like you have been under attack lately. Remember, the Bible makes it clear that if we "Submit ourselves to God and resist the devil then he will flee from us." James 4:7. You and I can be more than conquerors if we are prepared and ready to rumble when Satan comes knocking.
God Bless.
Blake
Check out this passage from Luke 15:8-10. Jesus says, "Imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a
lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she
finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends
and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on
it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul
turns to God."
It was party time for the angels while the youth of WCC were at camp Bigstuf. The final night we were there, Jared Herd told the gospel story about as clear as it could be told. He then offered the opportunity for any of the 2500 youth that were sitting in the huge auditorium to respond to God's offer of forgiveness and salvation. The way in which he asked those who had asked Christ to become their master was to stand. Now, that seems like a pretty simple invitation, but it's not. I mean, to stand up in a room full of 2500 teenagers, many of which you don't know, and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord is hard! In other words, you have to be serious about your decision to become a Christ Follower or it ain't happening. AJ Gile was SERIOUS. As soon as Jared offered the invitation, without hesitation, AJ stood up! It was absolutely unbelievable! Not only did those around AJ celebrate that evening, based on what Jesus said, Angels were partying like mad. Last night AJ's decision was celebrated by WCC's youth as he again declared that Jesus Christ was his master and took the plunge of "believers" baptism. All I can say is this is what it is all about! AJ, I am proud of you my friend. Your decision to follow Christ is the best decision you'll ever make.
This afternoon I sent two of my sons, Brett (13) and Brad (9) out to deliver post cards for the "Color Your World Green" event. The cause of Christ and serving our community is something I want my whole family to always have as a very high priority. Every chance I get I try to involve my children in some way for this "Cause". Brad, in particular, was excited about the opportunity to help WCC and "the cause" of Christ. He may have been too excited. In his attempt to hastily pass out over 100 postcards, he busted. When he came home, he said, "Dad, I hurt! But it's ok, it's for a good...you guessed it...CAUSE." Here's to you Bradley. I am proud to see you are willing to take a few scrapes for the greatest CAUSE in the world.
Part of being a "missional" church means that WCC attempts to do things in our community for no other reason than to demonstrate that we love people and want to serve them in very tangible ways. We have no other agenda. This Friday, the way we plan on doing that is by having a community wide event called "Color Your World Green". This event is designed strategically to teach children and families how to prepare for great outdoor adventures while minimizing the impact on the environment. In other words, very simply put, it is our way of helping the community develop a sense of stewardship for the world around them. I am stoked about this opportunity and all that plan on participating. We have REI and Earth Fare topping the list of vendors that will be there.
I hope you plan on attending. Saying we care about our community is one thing. Demonstrating it is another. Friday night will be WCC's night to demonstrate that we mean what we say when we say we care about people. I hope all of you who read my blog and attend our fellowship will block out 2 hours from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm to come to Weddington High School and be a part of this event. For those of you who read this blog and don't attend WCC, I want to invite you to come and allow us the opportunity of showing you we care about you and your family. Come Color Your World Green! I will see you there.
Blake
Crazy stuff...God stuff is happening at Bigstuf!
Friendships are being forged at BigStuf!
An Elder and his wife sacrificing at BigStuf!
Thousands of lives changed....at BigStuf!
We finally made it. When the alarm went off at 4:00 am at the Bouldin house, I wasn't in the mood to head to BigStuf. Angie and I had literally spent the night playing ping pong with a house full of teenagers dying to head down to Panama City, Florida for a week of fun....and more importantly growing closer to God. 12 hours and 500 million bathroom stops later, we arrived. Needless to say....It was worth it.
Highlights from the night included James David Carter singing Glorious One with 2,500 kids singing with him. If you haven't ever experienced it, I can't even begin to explain.
Jared Herd knocked it out of the park with a message named "Live Loud". His major points included:
1. Your life is broadcasting something
2. What we broadcast doesn't just come from our mouth, it comes from our lives
3. What we DO is louder than what we say
4. Ultimately we broadcast what we care about most
5. When what we care about changes, what we broadcast changes