Monday, January 27, 2014

A Letter To CenterPointe

Hey CenterPointe, here are 6 things I want to share with you today…

#1 Jesus + Nothing = Everything—today marks the start of our 40-day journey. 40 days of prayer. 40 days of fasting. 40 days of personal devotion. 40 days of getting in the presence of God and discovering His purpose for our lives. I am PUMPED! I believe our lives, our families, and our church will never be the same. My prayer is that over the course of the next few weeks we each discover that Jesus is ALL WE NEED, that we’re able to set aside distractions, set aside the things that steal our attention and divert our focus and simply get lost in his grace.

#2 Daily Devotional—Our writers have created a FANTASTIC resource to guide and lead and inspire and encourage us through the next 40 days and it’s FREE! Head over to http://centerpointe.tv/greater and download your copy of the devotional today! I’ve read it. I’m reading it again. And it’s still wrecking me. BIG thanks to Michele Grissett, Chris Hersh, and Steve Parrill for allowing God to use you in such a BIG way!

#3 Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing—during a fast it can be all too easy to become focused on what you’re GIVING UP instead of who’s presence you’re GETTING INTO. Fasting isn’t about food. Fasting isn’t about social media. Fasting isn’t about Candy Crush. Fasting is about creating a deeper connection with the God who created you. Don’t get all legalistic. If you stumble, don’t GIVE up, GET BACK up. God wants to meet with you RIGHT NOW, not once you meet certain REQUIREMENTS. Throughout the next 40 days focus on the FATHER, not the FOOD.

#4 God Is Not Done With You Yet—your PAST does not dictate your PURPOSE. God’s plans for your life were laid in place before you took your first breath! You might’ve made some stupid decisions along the way. You might’ve done some things you’re not proud of (in fact, you keep them secret because you’re afraid of what people might think or say). All that stuff DOESN’T MATTER! The only thing that’ll disqualify you from making a difference in this world is DEATH. As long as their breath in your lungs there’s purpose in your LIFE! What is it God is calling you to do? What’s your next step?

#5 When You Realize You’re Not God You Open The Door To Be Changed By God—you and I are powerless. Trust me; I don’t like writing that just as much as you don’t like reading it. We have tried to control things and do things our way from the Garden of Eden (and look where that landed us). We gotta stop trying to control things, stop trying to do things our way, and start listening to what God has to say and then doing something about it (it’s called obedience… another “bad” word). As long as it’s about YOU you’ll never close the distance on a relationship with HIM. Hey, let me put it this way, when the manure hits the fan and the world around you starts to fall apart, you won’t pray to YOURSELF and ask YOURSELF for help. God isn’t here to help you with a MOMENT in life; He’s here to give you ETERNAL life.


#6 Greater Relationship With Others—if you’ve ever struggled with a broken relationship be sure you’re here this Sunday.. God loves people. God loves people more than you and I can possibly imagine or fathom. And if people matter that much to God, they should matter that much to us. This Sunday I’ll be talking about how to have a GREATER relationship with others… why? Because people MATTER! YOU matter! And so does your ex. And so does the family member you refuse to see. And so does the friend you refuse to talk to. And the child you won’t have anything to do with. Sunday’s gonna be rough. Want to REALLY make it a good Sunday? Invite that person to come with you and see what God will do.

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