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...So my two year old son couldn't wait to go to this year's Harvest Festival.
My wife told him early in the morning on the day of the event that he could go after he took a nap. Let’s just say that Easton thinks naps are a huge waste of time, so he is never wanting or even willing to take one. At 10:00am, Easton lay down and fell asleep (4 hours earlier than normal).

Stop!...Pause!...Timeout!

It's funny how similar we are to little Easton.
Not only do we avoid doing something that is good for us--we spend massive amounts of energy fighting it! However, when there's a “personal prize” waiting for us at the end of doing something good, all of a sudden we're able to be up for the task.

In Easton’s case it was being able to go to the Harvest Festival, play games and receive handfuls of chocolate.
So much of what God shares with us in his word would be good for us to listen to and obey. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves asking the question "What’s in it for me?" or justifying why we're not able to do certain things that He is asking of us.

Do you know what I mean?
Are you hearing what I am saying?

It would be so nice to watch Easton go lie down and take a nap because he knew it was good for him (I know that sounds crazy, but we can all dream), instead of fighting it.

• What are you fighting doing that you know God would like for you to do?
  
• What do you need to do?
  
• What would be the first step you could take?
  

Don’t let the prize be the motivation.
Let our awesome God be the motivation for your obedience.

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40

Changed lives!

I was recently asked, "If you could say one thing Journey is all about, what would it be?" The answer is quite simple--“Changed lives”. There is nothing more exciting in ministry or life than to see light come into darkness, hope enter into hopelessness, or life into lifelessness.

As I ate lunch the other day with a person that used to attend Journey, but had moved away, I was reminded of how much life change I've been blessed to witness in others. God is still very alive and well in 2009. He is still in the business of changing lives.

It's been a wonderful journey preaching on the gospels over this last month. Just this past Sunday I was able to share on the gospel of Luke. In this book, there is one story after another detailing life change as a result of hanging with Jesus Christ. In Luke 19:10 we read “For the Son of Man came to seek and save that what was lost”--this is exactly what the book of Luke is filled with. One story after another of Jesus coming alongside of people, and bringing amazing change to their lives.

I'm so proud of the people at Journey who have allowed Jesus into their lives, and as a result have found new life. The change is such a powerful testimony to those who are out there still searching. Being hit over the head with a bible will only leave a mark...and lots of anger, but watching a life change before your eyes--for the better--can leave a mark on the heart that also brings change to one's life.

Here is what I would love to leave you with to chew on:

1) Read the book of Luke with the idea of looking for life change

2) Identify and thank God for the life change He has brought to you

3) Share this with those who do not know Christ

We will be finishing up on the gospel of John this Sunday, love to see you there.

Changed life,

Rob

Good news anyone?

Why is it that when I preach on a topic I often times must live through it? In no way do I want to depress anyone, or even cause you any concern about your pastor, but when is enough...enough?

It seems that around every corner there is another challenge or heartbreak--can you relate?

It's been very nice to be reminded of the “Good News” that is available at your fingertips at any given time. God has given us not just one, but four books filled with the good news of Jesus Christ.Good news that I can proclaim for my own life everyday.

That’s right...EVERYday.

Each of us can break open one of the gospels and start reading about the life of Christ and how his life can bring so much hope into ours. We are so fortunate to have been given the gospels as a light in the darkness. I gave a challenge to the church on Sunday to read the book of Matthew--Have you? If not...why not? I believe God has something very powerful in this book that he is wanting you to read and proclaim in your own life. I would also like to challenge you to share one insight you received from reading Matthew on this blog. This can be an encouragement to others that are on the same journey and may be struggling.

I also want to let you know that I will be preaching on the gospel of Mark this Sunday. I have just finished the sermon and I am excited to share with you what God has placed on my heart . I will see you there!

~Rob

Where in the world would any of us be without grace?

The older I get (having just turned 41 yesterday) the more I realize how valuable grace really is. I can’t begin to imagine how much grace has been shown to me as a child, student, friend, pastor, husband, father, friend and Christian. Today, I sit here with a thankful heart for having been shown so much grace. For without it I would have been deemed a failure in every area of my life, but instead was given new opportunities which allowed for me to grow and succeed.

Think about that. What if grace had not been extended, and all we got is what we deserved? I’m not sure any of us would be where we are today. As we read the bible it is filled with one story after another of people who experienced the grace of God in “Huge” doses.

I want to encourage you to sit down and read the words of David as he gives us a very clear picture of the God we serve. David understands the grace that has been given to him and wants to shout it out from the mountain tops.

Wow!

• Forgives ALL our sins
• Compassionate healer
• Redeems us from the pit
• Gracious
• Slow to anger
• Abounding in love

...just to mention a few.

Along with David, all I can say is “Praise the Lord..Praise the Lord...Praise the Lord."

How about you?

I am honestly speechless as I sit here and type, realizing this is the God I serve. His grace is so refreshing and so amazing.

As I close I would like to share with you a story of how refreshing grace can feel and be:

Some 15 years ago I spent 2 weeks over in the Ukraine on a missions trip. It was a wonderful and eye opening experience. There were many ways in which I was challenged, but not being able to bathe for much of the time was the hardest. I remember on the way home we had a one night layover in Vienna, Austria. After checking into our hotel, the first thing I did was run up stairs, turn on the shower, and for the next 30 minutes I sat underneath the shower head that brought, fresh, warm water and watch as all the dirt left my body, making its way down the drain. I can't tell you how good that shower felt and how refreshed I was afterward.

The grace of God is better than this.

We enter into his presence with all of our dirt and filth and HE provides a shower of grace that removes all the bad choices we have made right down the drain. We then go out, renewed and restored, to take on the new day before us.

Maybe it's time for you to go and take a shower?

I thank you God...

Life can be really hard sometimes, can't it?

Just before service on Sunday I was greeting different people, and my last two conversations were really intense--Two different men, both facing overwhelming realities in there lives. I found my self speechless in both circumstances, only able to share the words “You will know why you are here tonight after the services.”

My passage for the night was Psalms 91 and I would be focusing on the truth of God being our refuge. As I stood singing before I was to preach, I was overcome by emotion. I could not shake the overwhelming idea that people come every week with so much on their hearts, and wanting to hear something from God that would bring hope, strength or answers.

I thank God that through his word, I have something to share of great value. Where I come up short with words to share, God brings all that we need.

Psalms 91 promises us that God is our refuge, shelter and safe haven. I need to hear that as I face my own challenges in life.

How about you?

Remember, a shelter is only good if you seek it out and enter it. God wants to be our refuge, but we must allow him to be by seeking him out. I thank God for being that safe place in my life and for me to be able to share that with my 2 friends.

Join us this Sunday night at 5 as we take a look at our God who is so gracious.

So this week I started a new sermon series entitled “The God you are looking for”. Just having come off a series where I preached on heaven, I've found myself very humbled. Really, I am going to tell people about what heaven is like and what God is all lot about?!? Don’t get me wrong, I am honored, but feel very inadequate.

If I understand the bible correctly, John--who hung out with Jesus and was also given a peek into heaven--had a hard time putting down on paper what he had seen. Then we turn to David, who is said to be “a man after Gods own heart,” who struggles through the writing of psalms to communicate his thoughts and feeling about our living God. Do you see where I may be coming from?

HUMBLED.

With that said, I was really excited to share about how David described God in psalms 139. As God is described often times in our society, I feel like we come across having figured him all out and then put him in a box and sell him (or criticize). When you read David’s words in pslams 139, you see a man who is taking God out of a box and admiring God for who HE is:

• Lord
• All knowing
• Creator
• Comforter
• Gracious
• Caring
• Forgiver

David doesn't seem to be concerned with how God is who HE is, but rather he is just caught up with who God is.

Where are you with this? Is it time for you and I to just sit down and take God in?

I want to encourage each of you to grab your bible, sit down and read psalms 139. Take God out of the box that you may have placed him in, sit back and watch our living God reveal himself in a powerful way.

Golf

We're just days away from our 9th annual men's golf retreat. It's time to dust off those clubs and start hitting the driving range. We are excited to be having Real Life Christian Church join us for the 2nd year. Currently, they are holding the "Isaiah Open" trophy. Maybe we can win it this year with your help!
Pray for us...we'll need it.

Samoan Adventure Blog

Click on the photo above to

follow the Journey team

on their Samoan adventure

The Helmet of Salvation

"The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"

Do you remember that commercial from way back when?

Well this past Sunday we took a look at the last defensive piece of armor which God has laid out for us--“The Helmet of Salvation”. Helmets are made to protect our brains/our mind. As the commercial reminded us, we cannot waste our mind. Yet as Christians we have often times walked out onto the battlefield of life leaving this essential piece of equipment behind, exposing our minds to the fiery darts of the evil one.

You know what I am talking about? Right?

You and I cannot afford to do this. We wouldn't stand in a batting cage and allow baseballs to be shot at us at 90 mph without a helmet...That would just be plain “stupid”. So why would we leave our mind exposed to all the garbage out there?

As I shared on Sunday, the devil wants to trip us up, take us out, and knock us over. He does this by attacking the mind. I believe some of his most effective arrows go by the names of DISCOURAGEMENT and DOUBT.

Do you agree? Have you experienced these arrows in your life? Do you have one stuck in your brain right now?

If we would just put on the helmet, we could find certainty and courage. Now hear me, I’m not saying everything will be easy and carefree. I am saying that we'll be protected from being taken out of the race. Just as helmets in life only protect us from serious damage, we still can experience having our bell rung when hit hard by an object. This can even mean a little pain and suffering. But, we can still stand because of the hope we have in our salvation.

1. Past=forgiveness of sin (justification)
2. Present=change in our lives (sanctification)
3. Future=heaven (glorification).

So gear up and let’s go kick some butt!

The Shield of Faith

I was able to take off this Sunday from preaching and listen to a young man whom God is developing into a fine preacher. Josh Phillips shared from Ephesians 6, continuing where I had left off the previous week. Josh focused on the wonderful piece of armor--“The Shield of Faith”.

Faith is a really hard topic for some and yet for others it seems to come so easily. It has always been funny to me that we are so inconsistent with our faith. Let me explain...

• We seem to be able to drive our cars and not have to know how it all works before we do so.
• We can go to a restaurant, order food from a stranger, cooked by a stranger, delivered by a stranger and then have no problem placing these items into our body.
• We can board a roller coaster; strap ourselves in for the ride of our life with no hesitation.

Yet, when it comes to God, some of us want to know all the answers before we will trust him with our lives. Is that fair?

If this is how we feel we must go through life, then be consistent with this way of thinking when it comes to all areas of life, right? All I’m trying to say is that everyday we display all kinds of faith in our life (like when we travel through a green light, trusting that total strangers will all be stopped at the red light).

• Why not bring this same faith to our relationship with a God that is absolutely in love with us?
• He has our best interest, he wants the best for us, why not trust him? Today? Right now? What are you waiting for?

Grab your bible and read Proverbs 3:5-6 (not later, right now) and chew on what this means for you today:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths

straight.

Have fun, and oh yeah--Join us this Sunday night at five as I finish out the rest of Ephesians 6.

The Belt of Truth

Would you stand if front of a goalie net in your street clothes, while hockey pucks are shot at you at over 100 mph? I hope you would come to the same conclusion as me--NO WAY!

I shared this thought with the church Sunday night as we began to look at Ephesians 6:10-14...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...

Paul shares his thoughts with us about the hockey pucks being shot at us daily by the devil and his crew. We have the choice to take these shots protected or unprotected. Together, we took a look at some of the armor God has provided in helping us stand and defend our “goal”...our life.

So today, are you going to put on the belt of truth--Jesus and his word? How about that breastplate of righteousness? I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want my heart exposed to those pucks coming my way. Perhaps today would be a great day to tighten up that belt, throw on the breastplate, STAND & DEFEND!

On a lighter note, it is amazing how fast summer is going by. I absolutely enjoyed some beautiful sunsets and the warm summer nights of this last week. It has been nice to make myself go outside, stroll around the neighborhood, and wind down with the sun. If that's not something you've done in awhile, I would encourage you to give yourself permission to do so.

I look forward to seeing you this week at life groups, and at Journey on Sunday...Join us for the BBQ!

Home from Alaska

I’m back!
We landed at LAX, jammed home, changed clothes and headed for the Journey service. It was a wonderful trip on the Alaskan cruise, and even though I was really sick most of the time, I didn't allow that to stop me from taking in the beautiful sights, eating tons of food and sitting under the teaching of an amazing man--Chuck Swindol.

We saw Glaciers, walked through rain forests, toured 4 cities and viewed all kinds of wildlife. One of my favorite moments happened when I finally was able to spot an American Bald Eagle that was less than 100 yards away. I slowly approached as it sat 30 feet above me on a tree branch. For the next hour, with camera in hand (big lens...of course), I watched that eagle's every move. I was reminded of the passage in Isaiah 40:31

...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

The eagle just has strength oozing out of its appearance alone. What a special treat that was for me. Thank you God.

I want to thank Jim Bell and Greg Green for taking on the difficult topics of Angels and Demons. I hope it was good to hear about these topics, how to apply them to your life today in 2009, and perhaps even struggle with them as you figure out what God's thoughts may be on these issues.

I have the task of sharing with you the awesome tools God has left with us, to take on the fiery arrows the demons may send our way. We will be looking at Ephesians 6 over the next 3 weeks, so I would encourage you to read this in preparation for this week’s message--here's a little preview:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We don’t want to give the devil more credit than he does not deserve.
Invite a friend, it should be a real encouraging time.

P.S. No, I did not see any fireworks, as I was in Victoria, Canada on the night of the 4th of July. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't shoot off fireworks for me and Chuck. Oh well! Guess I'll have to go to Disneyland and let Mickey take care of that for me.

Alaskan Inspiration

A month ago my father-in-law walked into my office, sat down on the futon in front of my desk, and said "Rob, I want to take you and your family on an Alaskan cruise."

So...Here I am writing this blog while looking out at Glacier bay. Wow! Talk about seeing another side of God's creation. Not only is this a wonderful experience, but it is also a cruise sponsored by Inspiration Ministries. This is a ministry sponsored by my favorite christian author, Chuck Swindoll.

Chuck and his staff are all on this cruise. It's a conference during which every morning Chuck (we are on a first name basis) shares a bible study with us, along with a hymn (I had to explain what hymns were to Drew--my oldest son :) ). It is a real privilege to hear Chuck speak on such a personal level. He will meet with the forty attending pastors on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to that.

I did go directly from the morning session to bed all day, as my youngest son gave me the gift of a bad cold. Needless to say, I slept the rest of the day. Today I am feeling a little better.

I do want to share with you a thought that Chuck shared with us yesterday...

He really encouraged silence.

Taking time in our busy lives to just listen.
Chuck gave the following illustration:
He had just landed and the plane's engines turned off. As usual, the cabin was immediately filled with music. He wondered why this always happened, so he asked the captain. "Because people hate silence" was his response.

Maybe today you can turn off the phone, television, iPod or radio and just take some time to be silent and listen.

Well, I hope all is well and look forward to being back with all of you this Sunday (10 pounds heavier).

Father's Day 2009

Wow! What a crazy father’s day. It was my first without my dad on this earth, which made for some emotional moments throughout the day. I had the privilege of preaching at both morning services, and spoke on the passage of II Timothy 4:

(1)In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, (share the Good News)...

I never really made the connection that the relationship between Paul and Timothy was like that of a father and son. Sure, Paul was Timothy’s mentor, but it made for a different read as I saw a fatherly-like approach in Paul’s words to Timothy. It was fun to share stories of changed lives happening at Journey with the morning service, as it was a great way to communicate the text as Paul encouraged Timothy to “Preach the word”.

***By the way, how are you doing at sharing the GOOD NEWS with others? And how am I doing?

Last night at Journey I shared a different sermon. I was in my office on Saturday finishing my sermon for the morning service, with the intention of preaching the same thing that night, when I felt as if God was guiding me somewhere else. After struggling for a while with this, I honestly just wanted to go home and sleep. Then I remembered a verse I had shared with a good friend as she was struggling with the news of a close friend being diagnosed with colon cancer at 25 this week. That, combined with a little bit of sadness about my dad, inspired me to share the great promise of Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

As tough as life can be at times, I am so grateful we have a God that tells us to come to him, and he will give us rest...AMEN.

***I want to encourage you to meditate on this passage this week, and claim it as a promise in your own life as you lay your burdens at HIS feet.

Yes! My family and I had a great time with our fiends at the lake. Jim Cordle’s parents live on Lake Naciamento and are always so gracious to us in opening up their home. We had a great few days of wake boarding and eating great food. It's always nice to see another side of God's wonderful creation, and be able to change the pace of life just a little bit. Drew had a blast landing 180’s on his board, and just missed landing his first 360 (next time). Little Easton was not so sure about the lake at first, but then enjoyed floating in the lake and riding behind the boat in an inner tube.

***Join us this Sunday as we start our new series “Angles and Demons”. We will take a look at what the bible has to say about these two topics, followed by how we can deal with spiritual warfare in our own lives.

Wake Boarding with the Wild Goose

My family and I are on our way up to Lake Nacimiento to spend a few days relaxing and wake boarding with a few friends - “The Cordles”

I just wanted to say that this last series, The Wild Goose Chase, was awesome. We got a lot of great feedback, and over 80 people identified one of six cages they wanted to brake out of.

The Journey Staff spent the morning praying for these people and we can’t wait to see what God is going to do. It is always a good thing to be challenged to let the Holy Spirit work in your life.

If you were not able to be with us, I want you to know the six cages we talked about that hold you back from pursuing a God ordained life:

*Responsibility
Our God-ordained passions can get buried beneath day-to-day responsibilities. Without even knowing it, we start practicing irresponsible responsibility. The Wild Goose Chase begins when we come to terms with our greatest responsibility: pursuing the passions God has put in our heart.

*Routine
At some point in our journey, most of us trade adventure for routine. While some routines can be good, we have to be careful. Sacred routines become empty rituals that keep us caged.

*Assumption
Our assumptions keep many of us from chasing the Wild Goose. As we age, many of us stop believing and start assuming. We stop living out of right-brain imagination and start living out of left-brain memory. And we put eight-foot ceilings on what God can do.

*Guilt
The Enemy’s tactics haven’t changed since the Garden of Eden. He tries to neutralize us spiritually by getting us to focus on what we’ve done wrong in the past. Satan uses guilt to turn us into reactionaries. Jesus came to recondition our spiritual reflexes and turn us into revolutionaries for His cause. As long as you are focused on what you’ve done wrong in the past, you won’t have the energy left to dream kingdom dreams.

*Failure
Sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed. Divine detours and delays are the ways God gets us where He wants us to go.

*Fear
We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Instead, we need to start playing offense with our lives. The world needs more people with more daring plans.

You can listen to these messages on our website-- Journey365.org

I want to encourage all of you with
Ephesians 3:14-20:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...

I look forward to hearing all the great stories to come as we bust out of our cages.

I want to remind you I am doing a stand-alone sermon on Father’s day, June 21st, and want to encourage you to join us at the BBQ & Classic Car show that follows the Journey service.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

On June 28th, we start our Summer Block Busters 2009 sermon series with Angels and Demons. Have a great week and pray that I don’t break any bones on the lake!