Big Is The New Small

 
The Secret To Kevin Durant’s Success:  It’s What’s In His BackPack!

I digg this guy, his amazing talent and how he represents the City of Oklahoma City With Class.  I love that he begins every post-game interview by first “Thanking his Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.”

What’s in the backpack: iPad, Bible, Headphones & Phone Charger.  The Secret To His Success is The Bible & his relationship with Christ.

I got a chance to meet him and my boys were able to get this amazing picture below:

Thunder Up!

Should The Church Be Culturally Relevant? This is a question that I hear often, as a matter of fact I received an e-mail from a friend, pastor and speaker who was recently defending this question with her peers.  She asked me my thoughts and my brief email response to the question is below:

It’s about being relevant and engaging culture.  The church must be relevant and understand that we live in an ever-changing and ever evolving culture, if we want to reach people for Christ.  The methods must change, but the message “the word” never changes.  Some of fastest growing and thriving churches have cultures that understand the concept and terminology culturally relevant.

One example of the importance of cultural relevance is the YouVersion Bible app. This app was created within the local church “LifeChurch.tv” with one purpose, leveraging technology to engage people in God’s word.  The app now has over 110 versions and is translated in over 40 languages.  Over 19 million people have downloaded the Bible App (3.5 million in the last 2 months).  Over 5 billions minutes have been read on a Bible that is not bound with paper.  This is a form of being culturally relevant and engaging people “where they are” which is on their mobile device.

This app can be viewed as important and historic as Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, as it relates to people engaging in the Bible.  I would say a Bible Reading Revolution is one form of cultural relevance that outlines the importance of engaging people where they are.  The youversion Bible App was an easy one, but this applies to many other aspects of evangelism, style, worship, the church, sharing the Gospel and reaching people with the Good News of Jesus.

Dean William Inge says it this way, “A church that marries the spirit of an age, becomes the widow of the next generation.”

Those that argue that cultural relevance should not exist within the church; ministry and the body of Christ… are probably not culturally relevant.  The bottom line is that every church is culturally relevant, some are just relevant to a culture that has long past.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22

Should The Church Be Culturally Relevant?

Yesterday our church kicked off a 21 day fast.  For most participants, it will be the Daniel Fast.  Last year was the first year to do this as an entire church family and it was truly amazing.

My wife and I look forward to this corporate fast and spiritual connection.  I will do about 3-5 days of water only and then join her in the Daniel Fast.

We are fasting, praying, reading His word, believing, dreaming BIG and thinking BIGGER.

2011 is The Year…  No Excuses!

Does your church do any sort of fast?  If so what type?

How can I pray for you?

Christmas is just a couple of days away and it’s not only “The most wonderful time of the year…” its the busiest day for application downloads on smart phones and smart devices.  Share The Bible Day will help people engage with the Bible, as well as increase the number of FREE applications being downloaded on iPhones, iPads, Android Devices, Blackberry’s and smart phones of your choice.

My personal favorite Bible app is the FREE YouVersion Bible app that has been downloaded by millions and millions of people.  Those millions of people have engaged in reading the Bible for Billions of minutes.  The App has been in the Top 10 FREE iTunes applications in recent days. (Currently #11 as I type this post.)  How cool would it be for the App to be #1 on Christmas Day when people around the globe open up their new devices and download their application of choice.

Share The Bible:

• Post it to your Blog, Twitter & Facebook (Use #Bible hashtag)
• Share scripture through your YouVersion account via connecting to Twitter and Facebook
• Tell a friend, take a few minutes on Christmas and do your part to Share The Bible

Note: As a little “extra” incentive to get the word out, my friends at YouVersion are giving a few lucky winners who post it online their choice between an iPad, an iPhone 4, or a Nexus S! (Click here for details.)

Read The Bible:

2011 can be your year to get a fresh start reading the Bible. Check out the Reading Plans online at our website, or directly in the Bible App on your device. All you need to get started is the Bible App and a free YouVersion account. Want a little extra support in meeting your goal? When you’re at YouVersion.com, sign up for progress update emails for yourself or an accountability partner.

What are you waiting on Start Your Plan and Get Ready To Share The Bible!

Will you share the Bible on Christmas Day?  Leave a comment and say “I’m In!”

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours.

This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.  Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life.

God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.

Ephesians 6:20 MSG

I was reading through Ephesians in the Message Version and this spoke to me. Sometimes The Message version just tells it like it is.  Remember God is strong and HE wants you strong.

~LIVE STRONG

Everyone has a different opinion about the sequence of numbers 666.  Often times people will change their hotel room, phone number or a host of other things if the number 666 is anywhere within.  As a matter of fact just recently I had a family in my church that had to ask me to write a letter to the Social Security Administration on behalf of their young child who was issued a Social Security number ending in 666.

Here is the context from scripture in the book of Revelation.  “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Revelation 13:18

Again, there are some people who are not bothered at all by the number…  I have a pastor friend whose mobile number ends in 666.  On the other hand there are people who are really bothered and the thought of the number causes them mental discomfort.

Where do you fall?  Are you bothered by the number 666.  Are you the person who will change your numbers and such or do you simply say no big deal?

Share your thoughts!

It truly breaks my heart every time that I hear about people having affairs; especially those who have been entrusted with a leadership role.  It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the President, Politicians, Teachers, Pastors, Coaches, Worship Leaders, Sports Superstars…  These individuals who have been blessed and entrusted with the responsibility of leadership influence should hold that influence tightly, lightly and responsibly all at the same time.

Honestly, as a pastor this selfish cheating mess is probably one of the most frustrating/irritating areas to counsel people through; especially when the individuals don’t seem to understand the impact of their selfish actions.  Not only do they not realize the impact, but they would have probably continued if they hadn’t gotten caught.  This tragedy can also be one of the most rewarding areas to celebrate/praise on the other side, through total repentance and legitimate restoration.

I know people may say Scott you are naive and it can happen to anybody, but I say this with all the humility I can muster up “IT DOESN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ANYBODY!”  I read through 1 Corinthians 6 again today and I don’t care what version I read, The Message, New Century or NIV, they all communicated the same thing.  Run, Flee, Your Body Is A Temple, You Were Bought By God For a Price.  As Christ Followers and especially as Christian Leaders; we don’t get to pick and choose how we act.  We are held to a higher standard and if we can really do all things through Christ who gives us strength; I have to believe that “all things” encompasses honoring our covenant vows before God and to our spouse.

None of us are perfect, we all sin, we all fall short, we all know right from wrong and I would argue that even a non-believer understands that they are not supposed to cheat on their spouse. Marriage is serious, Treat It As Such!

A word to Pastors, Leaders or anyone else who is cheating, flirting or going down that road: Stop, Flee, Run and Pray.  Proverbs 5:5 talks about the adulteress woman this way, She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death; she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

Satan doesn’t have any power over you, only the power to deceive.  If you’re choosing to go down this road of deception, ultimately Satan is Playing you like a drum and Pimpin’ you like a prostitute!

Pastors, Leaders, People…  Stop Having Affairs!  Thank You!

This is by far the easiest solution and application to Read The Bible In A Year via iPhone.  YouVersion has updated the app to reflect the new changes and offers many daily reading solutions.  Start the year off right!

Do you use your iPhone for your daily Bible reading? If so, What do you like best about the app? If not, Will you this year?

Salvation Animation from s mchargue on Vimeo.

Here is Salvation Animation Video put together by my man Sean McHargue.  For those of you who are creative types, the details of how he put it together are here.   This video does a great job of simplifying sin, Jesus, The Cross and Salvation.

Although my boys had already seen this video in LifeKids, we watched it again together.   Take a look at this video and once you finish watching it (alone or with your children), share your thoughts!

Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching.

If you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.  Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.  Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody.  Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”  Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.

Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. To Be a Responsible Citizen.

This is a profound rant that describes how we should live and what we should do (aka Romans 12:6-21 MSG ).  Sometimes I have to read the Message Version, because the “real talk” speaks loud and clear.

This Is How You Should Live…  Don’t try to be something that you aren’t!