Grow & Go One Bite At A Time

When God calls us to give SACRIFICIALLY – like He has with the “Grow & Go” initiative – we can’t become overwhelmed with trying to “swallow the elephant whole”. Denise and I have been praying separately and together for several weeks now about what we’d give to “Grow & Go”. The past year has been a financially difficult one for us with the medical bills piling up. Yet, we still want to be faithful to God and GENEROUS to Impact! Church’s vision – over and above our normal tithe. We knew we couldn’t just write a $500 in one swoop…so we decided to take “Grow & Go” ONE BITE AT A TIME. We noticed that we were both eating out for lunch at least once a week. That was costing us $25…so we decided to stop eating lunch out and started putting that money toward “Grow & Go” on a WEEKLY basis. That comes out to $100 a month with little effort on our part…and no real “hit” to our finances. In a few months we will have given that $500 we wanted to give to “Grow & Go” along with our normal tithes.

Impact! Church what are some things you can do to give to “Grow & Go” one bite at a time? Remember what I talked about Sunday…start small and God will take it to GREATER!!!

Half-Pint Impact

Last Sunday I was a part of an AMAZING opportunity…I volunteered with Impact! Kids so parents could participate in the “Foundations” class. Words cannot begin to express how humbling…and exciting it was…holding children that a short time ago I was dedicating to the Lord during a Sunday service. Denise and I prayed for many of these children while they were still in the womb. To know the impact that Impact! Church has had on the kids and their parents got me pretty emotional.

In Matthew 19 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Christ himself established the importance of making an impact in the life of a child.  Over the last few months we’ve seen more and more infants, toddlers and grade-school children attending Impact! Church.  They need a safe, fun place with caring adult mentors to hear about Jesus.  As we talk about leaving behind “good enough” for GREATER I can’t help but feel that one of the best ways to experience GREATER is to invest in the life of a child.  To know that kids are being reached for the Kingdom of God and change is happening in young lives is such an incredible thing to be a part of.  Impact! Church you have a chance to be a part of that…part of something GREATER…part of something that will have an impact beyond you.  One way is to volunteer to be an adult mentor in Impact! Kids by contacting the church office.  You can also invest financially in Impact! Kids by making a donation to our “Grow & Go” initiative. Be a part of something GREAT…be a part of Impact! Kids.

A Part Of Greater

Last year I received a book in the mail by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church entitled Greater.  At the same time I was studying the great prophets of the Old Testament in my personal devotional time…especially the prophet Elisha.  I was blown away when I read the first few pages of Pastor Steven’s book and realized that he was using the story of Elisha to convey how everyday followers of Christ can be used by God in mighty ways.  In essence we can ALL be a part of something GREATER than ourselves – if we let God take control.

If you are like me there have been areas of your life that you’ve settled for “good enough” instead of the best.  Where life seems like a day-to-day survival of grinding away just to make it through the week.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live like that!  I want to know that I counted for something GREATER than myself.  In my study of the Old Testament and Pastor Steven’s book, I realized that God hasn’t called us to merely survive the world…struggling along in our daily routine. No…He is calling us to a different path that will lead us to a destination of something GREATER than ourselves.

As we start out in our “Grow And Go Initiative” I want EVERY person at Impact! Church to have a chance to be a part of something GREATER.  To experience a life beyond belief…a life that makes an impact in others…a life that only following God can bring.  It is for that reason that I am STOKED to be able share with you what I learned as I studied the life of Elisha.  This Sunday we will start a new 3-week sermon series entitled GREATER.  I guarantee you that it will rock your world…help you step away from “good enough”…and allow you to be a part of GREATER!!!

Health Update

Since I’ve been receiving a BUNCH of questions recently about my health I thought I’d give a quick update.

Aneurysm - “Arnold The Aneurysm” is still with me.  The last definitive shot the doctors were able to get of him was back in late November.  From what they can tell he has not grown much – if at all.  However, the other side of the coin is that the aorta wall is still shrinking and the doctors don’t know why.  They have some theories and have put me on some medicine that could curb it.  They tell me it’s still critical and life-threatening – though it’s hard to comprehend that since I don’t feel much pain with the condition.  I will go back into the hospital sometime in late March or early April for another round of intense testing to gauge the growth or shrinking of Arnold and the aorta wall.  At that time the doctors should be able to make a final diagnosis whether an operation to repair the aorta is even possible.

Epstein-Barr - The biggest mystery that the doctors faced was my constant level of fatigue for the past year.  After months of tests they finally concluded that I have Epstein-Barr Virus.  Epstein-Barr is the virus that causes chicken pox, mono and Chronic Fatigue Syndrom.  It can also be the pre-cursor to MS.  Most everyone has had the virus, but in rare cases the body does not fight it…I’m apparently one of those cases.  I will have 6-18 month bouts of Epstein-Barr off and on for the rest of my life.  The good thing is that is lays dormant for several years in between bouts.  The bad news – it’s like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome times 10 when I’m having a bout.  It also causes short-term memory loss.  It mainly means a LOT of rest at night, naps during the day (yes even work days), a BUNCH of vitamins and several injections s a month.  I’ve been in this bout of Epstein-Barr since about March of last year.  The recent blood tests show that I could be entering the “slow-down” phase fo the disease and might be symptom-free by summer.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Denise and I during this time.  They are a HUGE help and source of comfort.

Hey Impact! Church

This has been one AMAZING week for Impact! Church…and it’s not over yet.  Here are SIX things I want you to know:

1. Thank you SO much for the volunteers and leaders that made last Sunday night possible – you ROCK!!!  We had a PACKED house at Churchwell Elementary School for the “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” event with a bunch of NEW faces in the audience.  I also want to thank all of you that INVITED some one to attend…you also ROCK!!!

2. In case you missed it….Impact! Church will be permanently MOVING to Churchwell Elementary School on January 20, 2013.  To say that I am STOKED about God opening this door for us would be an understatement.  This move will allow us to accommodate further growth and expand our kids ministry.

3. Speaking of GROWTH…every week in December our Sunday attendance has been inching up.  We have had a record number of FIRST TIME guests and our kids ministry has almost tripled in the last 30 days.  God is up to SOMETHING at Impact! Church.  Keep investing in people and inviting them to church…God’s Kingdom is growing because of it!

4. This is the LAST Sunday to get 2012 tax credits for your tithes and offerings. You will able to donate ONLINE through December 31, 2012…but all checks and cash must be in by this coming Sunday to get credit.  Any donations after December 31, 2012 will be credited to 2013.

5. While January 20th is going to be a HUGE day in the history of Impact! Church…January 13th is going to be as equally a big day.  The staff and I have a very SPECIAL service planned that Sunday to say goodbye to the YMCA…and a few other “old friends”.  I promise…January 13th will be one of the most UNEXPECTED and craziest worship services in our history!!!

6. Please pray for the staff, team leaders and myself as we work hard – AFTER the holidays – to prepare for the move to Churchwell Elementary School.  We only have a few short weeks to get ready and need all of the help – and PRAYER – we can get.  If you’d like to help out, please email the church office at hello@impactinglives.tv.

Hey Impact! Church

Hey Impact! Church.  SIX things that I want to share with you are…

#1 - This past Sunday ROCKED!!!  I was blown away by all of the first time guests we had…and Impact! Kids was PACKED!!!  Words cannot express how stoked it gets me to see all of the babies, toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-age kids having a blast each Sunday…and LEARNING ABOUT JESUS!!!

#2 - I can barely contain my excitement about THIS.  Our “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” night of music and worship at 6:00 pm on December 23rd is going to be HUGE.  I am praying that God will use the night to further His Kingdom and that Impact! Church will PACK the Churchwell Elementary School auditorium [map and directions] with people that are far from God.  Do me a BIG favor…click here and send one of your friends, family members or loved ones an email invite.  A few moments of your time can change a life…and their eternity!!!

#3 - I’ve been looking over the setlist for this coming Sunday’s service.  The music is going to be AMAZING and I’m excited about my good friend Adam Mayfield preaching.  Adam has been the pastor of Journey Church in Lakeland for the past several years and I am always challenged by his sermons.   I PROMISE that this Sunday at Impact! Church is not one that you want to miss.

#4 - Thank you for ALL of the prayers for my health.  I’m still struggling some days…but do feel like I’m starting to get some strength back.  I am relieved to know that the respiratory and fatigue issues will NOT last forever.  Obviously I covet your prayers as I continue to deal with “Arnold The Aneurysm”.  :-)

#5 - Seriously…go HERE and send someone an evite to our “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree” night of music and worship…it is going to ROCK!!!

#6 - Speaking of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”…that night I am going to make a BIG announcement that will forever IMPACT Impact! Church in a massive way.  Again…it’s 6:00 pm on December 23rd at Churchwell Elementary School [map and directions]….be sure to make plans to attend!

Digital Firstfruits

Rarely does a month go by where I’m not asked by an Impact! Church attender, “So pastor, do you prefer for us to tithe online or in the offering plate on Sunday?”  My usual response has been, “It doesn’t matter to me as long as you tithe.”  Yesterday, however – as we began our new “The Blessed Life” sermon series – I made it clear that I preferred online giving as the easiest way to follow Scripture with regular tithing.

Deuteronomy 26:1-15 is pretty clear about the concept of firstfruits – that you are to take the first and the best and RETURN it to God.  All resources come from God – you can’t give Him something that you do not own – you can only return to Him a portion of what He owns – and has entrusted you with.  Scripturally that is 10% – a tithe – which MUST be the first and the best.  This is supported throughout Scripture (Proverbs 3:9-10, Ezekiel 44:30, Nehemiah 10:35…).  Firstfruits is an important part of the process for tithing…it is also where most of us get messed up.  We get paid on Monday…but worship services aren’t until Sunday.  We deposit the paycheck on Tuesday, pay the house note on Wednesday, get a haircut on Thursday, hand the kids lunch money on Friday, grab a bite at Cracker Barrel on Saturday and then tithe the 10% (if we still have it) on Sunday morning in the offering plate.  That is all well and good…but it is not the firstfruits.  The firstfruits – the first payment out of the paycheck – went to the mortgage company!!!  The tithe amount may have made it into the offering plate…but the blessing that God wanted to extend for our firstfruits giving has passed.  Some may argue that this way of thinking is legalistic.  Yet the Scriptures seems to make a BIG deal about firstfruits…therefore I think it a BIG deal to God.

Denise and I learned this several years ago…before we had the option of online giving.  We’d deposit the paycheck and then make sure that the first money coming out of the account was the 10% we wanted to RETURN to God.  But it was tough holding onto a pre-written check until Sunday…or not re-deposit a cashier’s check or money order when the bills got tight during the week.  NOW with online giving we can deposit the paycheck and then IMMEDIATELY go to Impact! Church’s giving page on the website – and return to God the firstdruits.  No more waiting until Sunday to tithe…no chance the money will get away from us…no opportunity for Visa or McDonald’s to get God’s firstfruits.

Let me close by saying I have absolutely no issues with giving by kiosk, Square or the offering plate.  However, many times those are impulsive or emotional giving.  They are definitely one of the first steps into the discipleship process…but they are not geneally the ongoing, every week, come rain or shine tither.  I truly believe that with the ability to give online these days…faithful and generous followers of Christ now have a much better way of tithing to God our firstfruits. It’s the reason I prefer online giving…and prefer Impact! Church folks to use it as their primary way of tithing.