Round 5 of The Fight Club Sessions - "The Perhaps Paradox"
This morning, how about a Cafecito from Crema in Nashville, TN? With a hint of Nutella, Maple, and Cantaloupe, this espresso sweetened with demerara sugar as it's being brewed is sure to kick-start your day. Enjoy!
There's a story in the Old Testament where Jonathan recruits his armor bearer to join him in a two-man raid on a Philistine camp. In his motivational speech to his bodyguard, Jonathan seems to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth. On one hand, "nothing can hinder the Lord." On the other, "perhaps the Lord will act."
Perhaps true faith feels the same way. On one hand, I know that God is able to do anything. On the other hand, I think He's willing to do this specific thing. I know God can. And I'm pretty sure He will. But I can't be completely sure. That's where audacious faith comes in. Audacity isn't the absence of uncertainty. Audacity is believing that God's promise is bigger than my perhaps.
Act on your "perhaps", and see what God will do in your world!
Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week. Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed. Use one or two of these to begin a conversation. Look for teachable moment - at home, in the car, wherever. Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens.
- Tell about a time where you were asked to do something seemingly impossible.
- Tell about a time where you seemed to be in an impossible situation: a place where you couldn't go forward, couldn't go back and couldn't stand still. What did you do? What'd you learn through that situation?
- When you pray, do you really believe that God can answer your prayer?
- When you pray, do you really believe that God can use you to answer your prayer?
- What "perhaps" are you currently facing?
Round 4 of The Fight Club Sessions - "Seize the Vision"
This morning, how about a cup of Costa Rica La Minita from The Kaffeeklatch in Huntsville, AL? Elegant, refined and complex, this internationally known single-estate coffee has bright acidity, medium body and sweet flavors of citrus, caramelized sugar and fine chocolate. A veritable symphony of flavors! Enjoy!
If you want to see God do something impossible in your life, you have to open you heart and mind to God's vision for your life. You have to seize it.
As Joshua steps up to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, based on the number of times "be strong and courageous" appears in Joshua 1, I think he might be a little scared. And, understandably so! Joshua had been a faithful second in command for many years, but he had a tough act to follow. For the Hebrews, Moses was a legend in his own time. He was like the President, Chief Justice and Joint Chiefs all-in-one. Now, Moses had died and Joshua was next in line. But, note this - the vision wasn't in question: occupy the Promised Land. Joshua had to seize the vision.
God stepped in with encouragement. Just as God was with Moses, so He would also be with Joshua. It seemed to work! Within moments, Joshua began issuing orders to get the campaign under way.
If you've received a vision from God, you need to seize it too. Don't put it off. Stop trying to have all the answers before launching out in faith. If you're on God's side, then God is on your side. And, if God is for us, who can every be against us? All God needs is all you've got. Give it to Him today.
Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week. Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed. Use one or two of these to begin a conversation. Look for teachable moment - at home, in the car, wherever. Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens.
- Have you ever faced a seemingly impossible situation and someone's words of encouragement helped you through? Tell the story.
- Read Hebrews 13:5-6. What does that mean to you?
- Knowing the right thing and doing the right thing are two different things; like knowing the vision and seizing the vision.
- Talk about a time when you knew the right thing to do but didn't do it.
- Talk about a time when you knew the right thing to do, were a bit afraid of doing it, but did it anyway.
- How did you feel after each of these events?
Round 3 of The Fight Club Sessions - "Ignite the Ordinary"
I don't usually do back-to-back coffee drinks from the same vendor, but this week, I'll make an exception. Today, I'm drinking a Starbucks Doubleshot® Energy Mocha Drink. A sweet blend of espresso, mocha syrup, B vitamins, guarana, ginseng and natural milk proteins, staying energized and alert never tasted so good! Enjoy!
Last week we talked about a prayer that stopped the sun and how God still desires to make the sun stand still over the life of every believer. We also talked about having shameless audacity and praying bold prayers. It was pretty extraordinary!
But, when you strip the biblical miracles of their spectacular special effects, a key point emerges: Extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience.
Think about it, when Jesus turned water into wine in John 2, He did so by instructing the men to fill the jars with water, dip some out and take it to the master of ceremonies - an ordinary act of obedience. With the miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5, Jesus instructed the fishermen to go out where it's deeper and let down their nets - an ordinary act of obedience. With the healing of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, Naaman was instructed to go wash himself seven times in the Jordan River - an ordinary act of obedience.
What if any of these people had refused the simple act of obedience?
Consider Moses' encounter with God, through the burning bush in Exodus 3. Moses was tending his father-in-law's sheep out in the countryside - an ordinary act of obedience. He happens to notice a bush on fire and goes over to take a look. Up to this point, this is not exactly a riveting scene, is it?
What we call a miracle is really just the right combination of your ordinary ingredients and God's extraordinary expertise. When God's super collides with your natural, sparks will fly.
Almost all encounters with God begin that way. You may be living under the illusion that when God ignites great things in your life, He'll announce it with a big bang. He might. It's more likely that He won't. So stop waiting around for the big bang. Pay attention to the subtle clues and the still, small voice. Maybe you'll even hear it today!
Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week. Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed. Use one or two of these to begin a conversation. Look for teachable moment - at home, in the car, wherever. Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens.
- What does the word obedience mean to you? Is it just following a command or request, or is there a timeline attached?
- Tell about a time when you chose not to obey. How did you rationalize your disobedience? What were the consequences?
- Tell about a time when you chose an ordinary act of obedience that produced extraordinary results.
- In what areas of your life do you have the most difficulty obeying God?
- What must you give up in order to be obedient to God in all things?
For a number of years
now, I have written an email to our youth parents on Thursday mornings called
the Thursday Morning Coffee Break. It’s a communication that allows me to
share a virtual cup of coffee with the parents of Lighthouse Youth, to meet
together on common “grounds” and highlight what we discussed in youth the night
before. Statistics show that parents have a greater impact on their kids'
lives than their youth pastor could ever hope to. My goal in this is to
partner with parents to maximize the impact we have on kids. Two combined
influences make a greater impact than just two influences.
This morning, how about a cup of Starbucks® VERANDA BLEND®? A blonde roast, this cup of coffee packs a greater punch than a medium or dark roast coffee; the longer you roast a bean, the more caffeine leaves the bean. This one is a new favorite; light and mellow, with a hint of cocoa and lightly toasted nuts! Enjoy!
So, we started a new series last night: The Fight Club Sessions. Last year, Carlos Whittaker, a worship leader I follow, held a series of online sessions he also called The Fight Club Sessions to gather worshipers together to discuss the battle we're in on a weekly, daily and hourly basis. Some are fighting for their marriage, their family, their spiritual life, their health.... To borrow that idea, when you pray, what are you fighting for? What are you petitioning God for? That's what we're talking about this month!
Last night was a prayer and worship night. We held an extended period of praise and worship, followed by a teaching segment, a prayer segment, a second teaching segment and a second prayer segment. Here's what we covered:
Round 1: The Prayer That Stopped the Sun
- Joshua 10:1-14
- God still desires to make the sun stand still over the life of every believer.
- Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers.
- God is ready to act if we will be bold enough to ask, not just for a good day or a better life, but for the impossible.
Round 2: Shameless Audacity
- Luke 11:1-10
- God won't answer 100% of the prayers we don't pray.
- The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered simply because they go unasked.
Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week. Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed. Use one or two of these to begin a conversation. Look for teachable moments - at home, in the car, wherever. Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens.
- Do you have a habit of prayer? What's that look like?
- When you pray, do you more often pray to get you out of circumstances (deliverance prayers) or get you through them (prevailing prayers)?
- Do you see your problems being bigger than God, or God being bigger than your problems?
- What prayer have you not prayed because you were afraid to ask?
- Is there something that is seemingly impossible that you'd like to see God do through you?
