I've been thinking alot about the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. I am giving much thought to a single sentence. "The death blow for Jonathan was to hear the words, 'stay where you are and do nothing.'" Jonathan knew that the call of God was the call to advance.

The death of the church of Jesus Christ is to do nothing.... to maintain... Jesus left with these words echoing in our soul: Go. Make disciples. Immerse them in the Kingdom. Teach. Live. Move among the nations. Lift high the name of Christ. Go.

Go. Advance. That has to be the posture of Emmanuel. I am praying that we are a people who are eagerly awaiting the name, renown, and move of God and that we will move heaven and earth to join with Him in His endeavors.

Go. Be.

By Grace... For Glory,
Mark

Love Moves.... May we not love solely in word and speech, but with action and in truth. 1 john 3.18 (mcsv) The theme of disciple now was the challenge that love must move among us. We live under compulsion because of the abounding love of Christ. We love one another because we were first loved by Him. We love those who have yet to experience His perfect love because we have tasted and seen and we know it is good.


The weekend was amazing for a plethora of reasons.... a couple of hundred kids experiencing God. Good. Auburn U students leading them. Good. Riverside Worship Project parking us at the cross. Good. Hundreds of adults at Emmanuel serving and advancing this weekend. Good. Our students blanketing Crestview and serving the city. Good. It really was good news to this city that we had D-Now.


A few samples of serving.....
- yards were cared for...
- cars washed
- loose change was collected.... as in $600+, which will be given to:
*loose change to loosen chains - liberating and serving children who are trapped in the sex trade
* rice bowls - feeding hungry in this world
* our AWANA missionary
- I also helped load over 500 cans of food that will serve the food bank in Crestview


Yeah, it was an incredible weekend. All that I typed above was good. What really captured my heart this weekend was....


The cross of Christ. Once again, I was parked at the cross and positioned to determine what I will do with Christ. Honestly, it is a daily question and a daily decision to lay down my life so that I can take up His. John Taylor drew a chalk art picture of Christ as we worshipped and a video left me undone at the cross. I want to live at the cross! I long to deny myself and take up my cross and follow hard after Him.


I was also captured by a five year old. Asher was undone by I John 4.19. He and his parents were reading the Word and the Word said that we are liars if we claim Christ yet do not love those around us. He was broken and weeping and telling his daddy that 'he does NOT want to be a liar'. Asher is 5. He is 5 years old. I think that he takes Scripture far more seriously than I do. I don't want to be a liar either. I want to be one who live out and fleshes out the Truth in this world and who shows evidence that the Spirit of the Living, Radical, Amazing, Transforming God lives in me. I will think about Asher's words for quite awhile.


It was a good weekend. Much good happened. Love moved. It still does.


By Grace.... For Glory,
Mark

I was talking with God on a long run last week. I was thinking about what it means to follow Christ. When Jesus invites us to follow Him and to encounter Him, He is inviting us into a relationship with Him. When Jesus invited someone to follow Him, He was not asking us to be a part of His move. He was inviting us to learn from Him and to think like Him and to have His attitude. He invites us to discover how to use our words like Him and how to relate to people like Him and how to live everyday like Him. A choice to follow a 'teacher' in Christ day held a great saying. The followers of a 'rabbi/teacher' asked that they might be covered in the dust of the rabbi. I was running and praying and thinking and enjoying a long jog and my mind flashed to pig-pen. He is covered in dust. Everywhere he goes, so goes the cloud. Wow, can I ever relate to that image. I laughed as I was jogging and I enjoyed a great, great chat with God about dust and follow-ship and life in Him. It was fun and challenging and I found myself finding much joy in Christ. May I... May we be covered in the dust of the rabbi! May our church be filled with the dust of a people who are seeking His face and following Him.

I love that we share this journey together. I love that we are an 'us'. I love the words in Luke 14.... that Jesus longs for His house to be full! I am begging God that our body will be a body of radical followers and the us of us will become more and more and more and more of us.

Enjoy today. Live dusty!

By Grace.... For Glory,
Mark

Second... as in everything is second when we are invited to follow Christ. Second....as in 'seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else will then be added to you.' Second.... as in what an incredible thrill to move my life into its eternal purpose, which is to give Christ all honor, and all glory, and all dominion, and all worth forever. Christ supreme. Christ first.

This weekend was amazing. We launched the year in a very contemplative and simple fashion. When all else is stripped away and when we simply sit at the cross of Jesus Christ and when we gaze at the ironically beautiful blood of Jesus Christ, we find the place of amazing love, grace, freedom and hope. As His blood and water spills, we find the walls that separated us from God come crashing down. It is my prayer that we find our lives and our fellowship parked at the cross throughout 09.

It is my prayer that we follow Christ. It is my prayer that we not settle for the 'sweet and nice' Jesus, but the 'walking defining moment... the catalytic force... the man who, when encountered, broadened the view of God and invoked life change.' I am praying that our fellowship desperately longs for life-change and to be a part of this amazing movement of God that lends great credence to the glory of God. I am praying that, because we follow Christ, we are a walking defining moment..... a catalytic force... and a group of people who, when encountered, broaden and clarify the image of God. Yeah. That will make for an amazing 09.

Happy New Year!

By Grace.... For Glory,

Mark