Reverb... 'a faint echo of the original source.' I love this new series. I really loved the way that we launched the new series.... 4 students playing buckets.... in one of the services, the crowd noise was so loud and so electric and so incredibly fun that I was knuckling Ian and saying, this is SO right. Then, to launch into "Did You See the Mountains" was crazy. Fling wide the heavenly gates was happening and our hearts, lives, and worship was a reverb as we responded to our God. I love Him. I love getting to love Him with the EBC family.

Reverb will be an incredible study. I loved the kick-off this weekend. I have a new heart. Christ gave me that heart. I share that heart with you guys. As the church, we have the heart of Christ! I long that we share in the rhythm of His grace and His love and His heart. The story of Caleb was incredible to read, study, and think about. That guy was relentless in heart.

What really moved me was when I was talking about Caleb being 85 years old and taking the largest hills and the biggest challenges. I love sharing life at EBC. Having been with at EBC for 11+ years now, we have grown together. The idea of sharing a long life in Christ and watching each of us dream and implement God-sized dreams is awesome. Sharing this Christ journey is awesome. Thinking that we might just get old together and, as a bunch of 85 year olds, keep asking God for big hills and big dreams and big assignments and big hopes and.... well, that we never stop pressing each other own toward this beautiful God-sized adventure.

As we walk through these years, I have no doubt that God will invite some of us to other parts of this planet... some to the nations... some with the military.... but, that we will all, with wholehearted passion, live, move and have being for the glory of God! I love this place!!

By Grace... For Glory,

Mark

I was reading of an incredible moment this past week. I was reading a great book entitled 'Chasing the Wild Goose' or something along that lines. If I just butchered the title, sorry! Mark Batterson wrote the book and I am miserable with titles. Anyway, he was describing those who chase this huge Kingdom concept and whose lives are consumed for one singular passion. In a particular section, he wrote about 'one-way missionaries' from the early 1900's. Essentially, these band of mission-impassioned Christ-followers built their own caskets; stored their resources in the casket; bought one-way tickets to a foreign land; and left. Wow! So, I'm reading about a guy named Milne, who went to a place where those who had preceded him had already been martyred. Pretty risky and pretty impassioned. Casket and resources in tow, he bought his one-way ticket and left. 35 years later, he died. His epitaph read, when you came, there was no light. When you left, there was no darkness.

Wow. Oh my! As I finished that reading, I put the book down and I was undone before God. I am asking God, 'okay, what is my holy passion and glorious obsession that will reveal and unveil LIGHT in the midst of darkness?' I cannot think of a better epitaph. When I came, there was no light. When I left, no darkness. As I was praying for EBC, I am convinced that God has wired each of us uniquely and profoundly with amazing gifts, abilities, passions, and circumstances. He will use each of us to dispel the darkness. My heart-cry is that we build our caskets and give the rest of our lives away for the advance of the gospel.... as God uniquely expresses that through our fellowship in remarkable and "God-only" ways.

Out of that, we might just become the 'most humble people on the planet.' I love that verse describing Moses. May that verse describe us as well. 'That group of Christ-followers at EBC, they are the most humble people on the planet' BECAUSE we are experiencing so many God-sized, God-ordained, God-glorifying moments that we simply cannot point toward anyone but Him and His fame and His glory and Him alone. Yeah!

Perhaps, because we gather and because we are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and because Christ is finding much room to be Himself in and through us and because we exist to ignite and inspire a passion for Jesus Christ.... because all of that is going on we will find that the darkness that abounds is being driven away by the ever-increasing glory of God's renown and His light and life living through us! May it be....

When you came, there was no light. When you left, there is no darkness! Amen. So be it, Lord.

By Grace... For Glory,

Mark

Have you ever thought that your greatest spiritual moments were not solely for you, but for the advance of the Kingdom? God divinely orchestrates moments in order that I have these incredible experiences with Him. These moments serve to deepen me in my vision for and passion for God. That deepening vision should leave me under compulsion to live and share and express Christ in my sphere of influence.

As I make my way through this day (Monday), I realize that I get to read the Word today. That should have dramatic impact on my day and Kingdom advance. I get to worship today... impact. I get to communicate with Christ today....impact. I look back over my life and the myriad of experiences (camps; worship moments; personal encounters; retreats) and I realize that these moments have been used by God to give me deep conviction and a core reality that I am here in awe of Him and I have an incredible role to advance His fame in my generation. Impact!

With much privilege comes much responsibility! What if my greatest spiritual moments are not solely for me, but for the advance of the Kingdom? What if that truth catches root in our fellowship? What could happen?!?

Your Kingdom come, O God. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

By Grace... For Glory,

Mark

Hebrews 13.11 - 16 are phenomenal verses of Scripture and loaded with truth. These verses, simply by their content, are life-challenging and life-changing. However, over the past few weeks, this particular truth has impacted me (and the Emmanuel fellowship) in ways unexpected. God used the teaching of John Piper, on these particular verses and at a particular point in time, to galvanize Doug & Sara Whitaker's call to the mission field. Since that point, in the Spring of 08, the invitation of God and the immediate 'yes' from Doug has become more and more clear. It was a fresh encounter with God as I was able to sit with Doug at the front of our worship room and to talk about the next adventure in their family and the next adventure for the life of EBC. It is always incredible to watch as God calls and we respond in obedience.

These verses are compelling. As Doug stated yesterday, they invite each of us 'outside of our camp' of comfort and complacency. Because Christ stepped outside the camp and sacrificed His life for the sake of God's glory, likewise we are to step outside of our own camp of comfort and live a life that expresses our passion for Jesus Christ. So, I guess that I find it challenging to ask myself (and you) how God is asking you to step outside of your camp? How is He inviting you to uniquely live, move, and have your being for His glory? Your step outside will probably not look at all like Doug and Sara's. God is incredibly unique and creative and He has wired you to leave His life-impression on this earth in a very profound way. Will you step outside the camp?

I love Opie Watt. He is just an incredible guy and I am so thankful to count him a friend. He said, a few years ago, that God would love to use a small town and a small fellowship to lift up a great God. He asked the question, 'is it possible that God will elevate worship around the globe and that He just might use EBC?!?' Since that point, God has placed one of our team members on the African continent.. another on the Asian continent...another on the European continent... and now, we are sending Doug and his family to South/ Central America. Amazing! (Wow, we haven't touched the myriad of partnerships that we, as a church, are going, living, and doing!) God seems to be saying, "Yes, I'll use a fellowship whose hearts are turned toward mine and who love and live for my Kingdom!'

So, what will happen when an entire fellowship of believers step outside the camp and filet our lives for the advance of the fame of Christ? Could God use us to lead His worship parade around the globe? What will that look like? Honestly, I have no idea, but I think that it will be utterly beautiful and will involve a bunch of people whose hearts fully belong to God.

Willing to go outside the camp....

PS... the band was so so so good yesterday! Our 're:Group' band brought it with double barrels and it was the most musically eclectic service that I remember. How about the 'band-described' "Grannie Gospel" version of I'll fly away. Yeah, I loved that moment and I actually got in on that song six times during our three Encounters! I love our bands!!

By Grace... For Glory,
Mark

Doug...

Opie Vision

Asking, answering, and applying the Best Question Ever (Stanley book) offers a grid through which all decisions are made. What is the wise thing to do? That is an incredible question that can be a lens for life-altering decisions. Pursuing wisdom is an opportunity to discover God's intense goodness and grace and truth for our lives. As we study Colossians 1.28 - 29 and we are challenged to seek PERFECTION through wisdom, it seems that asking, answering, and applying this question would be amazing and used to move us into spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. The pursuit of God's wisdom seems to be a pretty sweet lens as a life-view.
Amazing things around EBC:
- AWANA is totally insane. Almost 300 kids and leaders are on the campus the past two Wednesday. Kids are deepening in wisdom and truth as they discover God's Word together...
- Students are also hanging out and chillin' on the Word. Hanging out in their worship on Wed night is such a spiritual blast...
- We are connecting dozens upon dozens to our small groups. I cannot wait to re-launch our study of Yahweh this weekend.
- God is radically changing lives around here and that is good....

I love this place! Holy Spirit, stir!!

Just a a forward thought, the Advent Conspiracy is on the horizon. What if the Advent Conspiracy is not ONLY an Advent Conspiracy (Christmas)? What if God is calling us to a Life Conspiracy?!!?

After Wisdom Together,
Mark