Vision

Still chewing on the messages from Marilyn Hickey this past weekend, and particularly the “sofia” kind of wisdom, the-big-picture-kind-of-wisdom that God gives us.

One of the most insightful verses of Scripture about that is Proverbs 29:18 that tells us without vision, people perish (that’s the KJV that I grew up with). However, many other translations express it a little differently: notice the NASB,  or the ESV, or the NLT, or even the Message - and see that without an overarching big-picture vision for our life, we are unrestrained….we cast off restraints, or we run wild, stumbling all over ourselves.  In other words, unless we see God’s ‘big-picture’ for our live, it’s easy for us to chase after most anything, trying to find the fulfillment that ONLY is found within HIS plan for us!

The problem with promiscuity isn’t that we enjoy sleeping around; it’s that we don’t see God’s big picture plan for our life, so there’s no reason to pursue a more noble lifestyle.

The issue with sleeping late, wasting time playing video games, or allowing trivial pursuits to steal our days and nights is not that we’re just bored or lazy; it’s that we don’t have a ‘big-picture’ vision that’s compelling us to become the person God has caled us to be.

The reason even Christian leaders can just ‘punch the clock’ and put forth half-hearted, mediocre efforts in our area of ministry is not that we can’t do better; it’s that we still haven’t seen the ‘big-picture’ vision that makes our ministry meaningful and fulfilling.

I’ve got to get off my soapbox and get some work done, but let me simply ask: do you see the Big Picture that God has for your life?

If not, I’m praying Col. 1:9 over you today (the ‘wisdom’ there is ‘sophia’ wisdom!) Once you see it, you’ll never do life the same again!

Afterglow!

Well, it’s a couple of days since Marilyn Hickey was with us at CLC, and I’m still enjoying the afterglow! She was everything her website says about her: encouraging, optimistic, upbeat & energetic….at 79 years old! I kept checking on her between services, etc., asking if she wanted to rest a bit, have some refreshments….but honestly, I think she had more energy than I did!

I’ve been thinking about some of her quotes:

“God thinks you can do anything”

“You give people flowers, they wilt; give ‘em chocolate, make ‘em fat; give ‘em the Word, change their life!”

“I’ve been married for 54 and a half years, and I can still fit into my wedding dress!”

“I just tell the devil, it’s not over until I win!”

She must have told me a dozen times, “I’m a pastor’s wife“. In fact, she told me at lunch that she had never been ordained; she just holds a license with the AoG.  I mean, here’s a lady after my own heart: she hasn’t worried about titles or positions all these years because she’s been too busy teaching the Word and doing the stuff!

I loved how she illustrated the 3 Greek concepts of ‘wisdom’ by showing each one in the lives of Joseph, David & Esther – and she actually taught those principles in about 20 minutes per service!  (I’m trying to make my sermons shorter, I really am – but wow, what an example!)

For me personally, the biggest takeaway was just the simple truth of holding onto the Word during the process. We all know it, but it seems we often struggle during the process and sometimes doubt the Word we received, or (oh me) complain about our circumstances, instead of just standing in faith & holding onto the Word.

I want to change.  I want to be a better example of staying positive, remaining optimistic and just holding on to the Promise! I want to be more intentional about making friendships for the purpose of reaching people with the Gospel.  I want to make a difference, like Marilyn has for the last 50+ years.  And I think I want to invite her back to CLC, to do it all again!

How ’bout you?

A mosque near the World Trade Center?

I’ve been asked to weigh-in on this controversy that you’ve no doubt heard about by now.  As a pastor, I normally steer clear of political issues, since there’s usually little to gain and a lot to lose in doing so.

But because of our missions heart at CLC, I’ve decided to comment:

• Please understand that Islam is, in the words of George Otis, Jr., “The Last of the Giants” that the Church faces in fulfilling the Great Commission.  If you look at the areas of the world that are still unreached with the Gospel, for the most part they are Islamic-dominated societies.

• We are called to reach Muslims with the only Gospel that saves.  At CLC, we are investing our missions dollars heavily in Muslim nations such as Senegal, Turkey and Iraq – knowing that Islam must eventually yield to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• From my understanding of the world, this determination on the part of the Church to reach Muslims is matched by Islam’s determination to dominate the world.  If you’ve read the statements from the leaders of Muslim nations in the Arab world as I have, then you know that the religion of Islam is really not seeking to live in peaceful co-existence with other religions; Islam seeks to dominate, and it’s adherents are convinced that one day Islam will rule the world.

• Part of that mentality throughout history has been for Muslims to build a mosque in places they have conquered for Islam.  That’s why the holiest site of Judaism (and Christianity, for that matter), the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is also home to the Dome of the Rock, the oldest Islamic shrine in the world – for when Muslims conquered that area in the Middle Ages, they built a mosque to show the world they had conquered.  There are numerous other examples of this mentality, including some that I’ve visited personally, such as Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, which was the largest Christian cathedral in the world for a thousand years, before it was taken over by the Muslim Turks and turned into a mosque.

• For that reason alone, I personally feel that building a mosque so near the World Trade Center sends a message to Muslims in the Arab World that we don’t want to send: namely, that they were successful on 9/11/2001, and that they have prevailed in America!  Not all Muslims will see it that way, for sure, and particularly moderate Muslims here in the USA – but in the nations of the world that I often visit on missions assignments, trust me, that IS the message they will receive.

• In addition, even moderate Muslims have spoken out as to how inappropriate this mosque would be, in light of the emotions of so many Americans who lost loved ones at 9/11 – and even in the interest of advancing their religion, they feel it would be wise not to provoke Americans by building at this site.

Of course, I understand that political leaders, including our own President, often times say things to be “politically correct”, whereas you and I still have the freedom to speak from our heart.  My heart hurts at the thought of a mosque being erected just 600 feet from Ground Zero.  But the bigger concern I have is that we (The Church) continue to reach out in love to Muslim nations with the Good News that can set them free – just as is happening in various nations all around the world, as Jesus is appearing to sincere Muslim believers in dreams and visions, and thousands are coming to faith in Christ.  May the name of Jesus be lifted higher, not only in lower Manhattan, but in ALL the nations of the earth!

PP on the devil!

Tonight really was a “Summer Revival” at CLC – in fact, as I type this, our youth are still going strong, sharing testimonies of what God did in them during Destiny Youth Camp 2010!  I’ve heard from parents who say they’ve got brand-new kids since camp – so great was the transformation!

Meanwhile, our Hispanic Pastor, Jaime Flores preached in the adult service – “How Do You Battle Your Problems?”, using Acts 16:16-31 as his text.  My favorite quote from his encouraging message was when he told us, to win our battles, we should PP on the devil!

In case you’re wondering, PP means “Pray & Praise”, which is exactly what Paul & Silas did, instead of complaining (as we’re so prone to do when things aren’t going our way)….and God showed up in a supernatural way!  He. still. does. that. today.

One of my preacher friends often says, “If your experience with the Lord isn’t supernatural, it’s superficial“.

I’m glad we serve a BIG God!  I’m enjoying these Wednesday summer revival services.  Our final one for the season is next Wednesday when Pastors Dan & Pat Johnson will be ministering – hope you’ll join us.  Now go PP on the devil!  (thanks, Pasttor Jaime – we won’t forget that one)

The Blago trial & CLC

Probably like most of you, I’ve had a little interest over the last several weeks in the trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich that ended in a mistrial yesterday on 23 of 24 counts.  But as the news came out from the jurors about their deliberations, it sure seems like the Blago trial is helping us preach.

Think about it: were it not for one person, Gov. Blagojevich would be looking at a long prison sentence today.  One jury kept the panel from a conviction.  One person stood against the prosecution.  One woman enabled our ex-Governor to remain a free man (at least until the retrial).

The power of ONE.  That’s what we’re talking about this entire month of August, and I’m excited about the remaining two messages in the series.  THIS Sunday, we’re going to dig even deeper into the parables Jesus gave us in Luke 15 and look at the unique & different kinds of people we’re reaching for, and how we can most effectively reach “One Like These”.  I hope you’ll join us at any campus & get the scoop on the difference YOU can make as ONE person (even without serving on a jury).

And of course you’re invited to join us for our annual PICNIC afterwards – get your tickets here.

Who wudda thunkit?

Some things are just beyond the imagination:

• On our first full day here in Alaska, during our wilderness hike, I learned that a certain kind of frog here in Alaska actually freezes every Winter – heart stops, eyes freeze, brain activity ceases…….and then thaws out every Spring, and resumes normal activity again!  Did you know that?  Amazing!

• On our second full day here, standing in a buffet line for some Alaskan baked Salmon, I saw a guy who looked familiar.  When he made eye contact with me, I said, “I know you”.  He was Darryl Carnley, who pastors a growing church in North Pole, AK and belongs to a ministerial fellowship that I’m a part of – so that wasn’t so amazing (he lives just 15 miles away) – but then he said, “Joe Parker” is with me – and I’ve known Pastor Joe Parker for almost 40 years!  (He was the founder of a great church in Seattle now pastored by Gordon Banks, and now is planting again in Boise, ID!) What are the odds of us being in ALASKA at the same time, and bumping into each other in a restaurant???

• Finally, THIS SUNDAY at every campus of CLC we’ll kick-off one of the most timely and important series that we’ve ever done: “ONE”! I’m not sure what the odds are that we’d start such a strategic series while the senior pastors are thousands of miles away in Alaska, but I can tell you for sure that you don’t want to miss this Sunday at CLC!

P.S.  I was THRILLED to get the report up here about Wednesday night in Tinley Park, where Terrell Wilson led a wonderful time of worship before Pastor Eric Stone preached and two young ladies were baptized in water and at least one was filled with the Holy Spirit!  Midweek revival in the summertime – gotta love it!

Alaska-bound!

Chris and I leave this morning on the trip of a lifetime, thanks to the kindness & generosity of CLCers.  (If you weren’t there for CLC’s 20th anniversary celebration at the OneFamily service in March, one of the BIG surprises that day was when we learned that you all had secretly received an incredibly-generous offering to send us on a 12-day Alaskan Adventure land tour & cruise.) It seemed like a dream that day, but the time has finally arrived!

I probably should tell you that I was in Alaska over 28 years ago doing some missionary fundraising, and what little I saw then made me say, “I want to come back here someday with Chris and show her the scenery” – but we’ve never had the opportunity since that time.  MORE than that, your generosity has provided stuff that we would NEVER have splurged on for ourselves, from the mini-suite cabin onboard the ship, to the incredible excursions we’ve planned in addition to the cruise.  We’ll be doing a bit of everything, from riding a dog-sled, to taking a helicopter ride, to a floatplane tour, to a whitewater rafting trip, to a you-name-it-we’ll-be-doing-it over the next 12 days!  THANK YOU!

I’m taking my laptop & camera with the intention of updating this blog daily with our adventures, in case any of you want to experience it vicariously with us.  In fact, if you want a preview of our itinerary, here’s the link to see what’s up for each day.  Meanwhile, today we’ve got about 8 hours of flying before we get to our destination of Fairbanks, AK tonight.  (Did you know that when you fly from Chicago to Vancouver, British Columbia you’re only about halfway to Fairbanks???)

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for making this dream vacation possible for us!  We love you & we’re grateful to be your pastors-

Vacation!

I am happy to report that Chris & I are leaving for our summer vacation this morning, and I’m determined to take an “e-vacation” as well.  That means I will not check email or post to this blog again until at least July 15.

I know; I know – you’re thinking, how will I make it without PJ’s riveting reads for the next couple of weeks?

Yeah, right!

My suggestion is what I learned back in Sunday School in the 1950′s: “Read your Bible.  Pray everyday.  And you’ll grow, grow, grow!”

Love you guys – enjoy your Independence Day – hug your family – bless your spouse.  I’ll be back before you know it.

OH…and in Tinley Park, you’ll enjoy Eduardo Marroquin….and Pastors Jim & Cheri…..not to mention our Summer Revival with Pastors Doug & Shanna and some of our mentorees, plus another WORSHIP NIGHT with Atmosphere of Heaven on July 14…..good stuff all summer long!

well…….

Well…….I won’t be back for tonight’s service as planned.  Our flight was cancelled this afternoon and no airline in greater New York (3 airports!) had a single available seat into Chicago tonight.  So Jon Jones and I are on the first flight home tomorrow morning.

I think I may be maturing…..or maybe just mellowing in my old age.  At any rate, I’m not as frustrated as I used to get.

Perhaps it’s because our time with Bishop Garlington included a lot of brokenness and lingering in His Presence….including an “encounter” this morning where I really believe I heard the Lord for myself.  It happened as Bishop & Pastor Barbara prayed for us individually in the final session we attended before driving to the airport to get the news that all Chicago flights were canceled, so I’m fighting to hold onto what I received.

I’m looking forward to sharing with CLC this Sunday – all 3 services in Tinley Park – see you there!

New Jersey bound…..

Headed to O’Hare again this morning for a flight to LaGuardia and then a short drive to Kearny, New Jersey.  Pastor Vinnie Manzo and his City of Hope Church will host the Reconciliation! Ministries International team meeting with Bishop Garlington, and pastor friends from around the country.

Bishop asks that we all attend at least 2 of the 3 meetings he conducts for the network each year, and I missed in January during our 21-day fast, so I’m feeling the need to be there – but I also want to take this time to hear from the Lord personally as well as for CLC.

Jon Jones will be my traveling companion and we’ll enjoy several sessions with Bishop & others before returning home in time for our “Summer Revival” this Wednesday night.  Later-

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