Church on Vacation

I just attended a great church service at Seacoast Vineyard while in Myrtle Beach. The church reminds me of our years in the warehouse at the corner of Jaycox & Center Ridge. It was incredibly personable, relaxed and the Holy Spirit's presence was tangible.

The message caused me to think about some of the good and bad points of the Church (with a capital "C" for the universal body of Christ). Unfortunatley, it seems that the "Church" has drifted towards instituational construction instead of being relational.

The early church met in homes... they had to be relational. In fact, books like Ephesians are all about keeping relationships strong. It seems that it is easier to become rule driven and organizational than to keep genuine, loving relationships.

It is my desire for Harvest Ridge (since that is the one area where I have some authority) to keep relationships at the core of our existence. Of course, that brings some problems, because every person in every relationship has sinful tendencies.

So, we have to help one another when we fall. We have to love one another through our faults. We have to remain committed, even when we want to reject. And, most importantly, we have to stay subjected to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that God would help me be the man, husband, father, leader and friend that I should be, so as far as it goes with me, the church (little c) and Church (big C) are stronger because I am a part. By the way, that is my prayer for you as well.

Signed with a few of my titles:
kevin, Kevin, dad, sweetheart, Pastor

Picking A Fight

I've really only ever "picked" one fight. I have been in a few, but only once was I stupid enough to say, "meet me after school..." It was the 5th Grade and a kid named Aaron was a jerk to me on the playground. So, instead of settling it right there, I used those infamous words.

So, after school, Aaron kicked my butt. Why? Because I lost heart for the fight. In the passion of the moment, I wanted to tell him to back off, but when the passion was gone hours later, I just wasn't willing to fully commit.

That day I learned a great lesson about warfare. Let no one lead you astray, if you are a follower of Jesus, you are in a war. The bible even goes so far as to say that we are in a war, struggling against spiritual forces (2 Cor. 10:3-5, Eph. 6:12)

Last week, I stopped by a state park for a few moments of prayer. As I walked along the lake, I was praying the Lord's prayer... "Deliver us from the evil one." I began to pray quite strongly for God to bring victory over the attacks of the "evil one." It was a great, powerful, passionate moment.

Then, I went back to my home and my life, and got my butt kicked by the devil for the next 3 days.

So, here is the conclusion of the matter. If you are going to fight against "principalities and powers," you better be committed to STAND. If you are going to make a declaration, you better commit to finish the fight. Somebody has to stand against the devil... with Jesus on my side, and with his armor, I'm committed fully to this fight! I'll stand! Will you?