A pre-Groundhog Day letter from P Rob to The Journey

Hey Journey - hope your day is going well. Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day (and my beautiful daughter's 15th birthday!). To celebrate, I want to share with you a few announcements that will make it feel like spring at OUR church! Here goes...

1) This "HD Church" series based on the early church in Acts has been one of my favorites, especially as we accept the fact that "the church is God's idea!" Here are a few great steps that many have taken:

• Nearly 300 have signed up to go deeper in community through LIFE Groups!
• Nearly 75 more people have decided to make The Journey MY church and have stepped into a ministry role!
• By this time next week, OUR church will have given $5,000 to our local homeless shelter because of generosity!

In the words of Pastor Mike, can I get an "Aay-Ooh!"?!

2) Let's be BOLD like we learned in Acts 4:29-30 - LET'S GET PEOPLE HERE ON THE WEEKENDS! Let's invite our friends and family and those far from God, and let's FILL UP the empty chairs! This weekend, I will explain in depth the good news about Jesus, so it will be a GREAT time to invite those who need to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

3) After HD, I'm going to spend 5 weeks teaching on something we ALL need to know about - the enemy of God, Satan. We're going to learn the many ways he attacks us, and how we can stand in the VICTORY we have over him through every attack! Are you ready to fight FROM victory and not FOR victory? That starts the weekend of February 25th!

4) That leads us to Easter, which is just TWO short months away! START INVITING PEOPLE NOW as we are going to have an INCREDIBLE weekend of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the LIFE we have in Him!

5) By the way, great vision meeting last week - I am so proud of our ministry leaders who continue to push the vision that God has placed on their hearts for their ministries! And I am so thankful for those new deacons, Rob Downs and Coleman Williams, as well as our new trustee, Ron Reed!

6) Second to last item - if you haven't heard or seen, on Friday, February 10th, beginning at 6:30, the praise teams are hosting a Chili-Chowder Cookoff followed by the "Journey's Got Talent" show. We have the food! We have the talent (some that will absolutely AMAZE you!) I hope you'll be there! There will be NO charge for this event, although you can make a donation to the praise band for future equipment. As a note: We are NOT providing any childcare, so I'm asking parents of preschool children and younger to arrange individual childcare so they can enjoy the evening!

7) Last item (sort of mysterious) - I will be making a special announcement about an upcoming worship concert at the end of April at The Journey - STAY TUNED for details!

I LOVE GOD'S CHURCH...OUR CHURCH...MY CHURCH! And I love being your pastor!

PS - This Sunday, I'm wearing my Patriots jersey...how about YOU?!

10 Ways to identify when/if you've crossed a line with Social Networking

Two years ago, I wrote this article about how to identify if you might be crossing lines with old flames. I'm re-posting, but also expanding this list to be in regards to ANY person of the opposite sex that is not your spouse.

So here they are - 10 ways to identify if you are at OR crossing the line when it comes to Facebook, Google Plus, MySpace, and social networking (and things of that nature) with "old flames". Here they are...

1. Regular (daily or several times weekly) contact, either by message or by Instant Messaging (IM'ing) - "I'm just checking in to see how your days going..."
   
2. Reverting to memories of your past with this person - "Remember when we used to date..." stuff.
   
3. Making comments that betray an existing attraction - "You are still beautiful (etc.)..."
   
4. Making comments about your spouse that would be detrimental to them or that express your unhappiness with them, and thus place into question your commitment to him/her.
   
5. Scheduling a get-together either a) without your spouse or b) without the clear agreement, consent, and presence of your spouse.
   
6. Failing to mention your spouse in any conversations or contact.
   
7. IM'ing for long conversations regularly - and frankly, a note - IM'ing your old flame isn't very cool for your relationship with your spouse, regardless of the frequency. Instead, go out to dinner and have long conversations with your spouse!!!
   
8. Feeling the need to exit an IM conversation when your spouse enters the room.
   
9. Feeling a romantic advance from your old flame and NOT sharing it immediately with your spouse - and even continuing to entertain those advances rather than shut it off immediately.
   
10. Continually looking for and anticipating the next conversation with your old flame.

When all else fails live by the 2222 PRINCIPLE - 2 Timothy 2:22, "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace..."

A DARE for Journey peeps...

The next two weekends at The Journey are going to be HUGE - you do NOT want to miss what's coming! If The Journey is your church home, let me warn you right now on one hand - DON'T YOU DARE...

• Don't you DARE miss celebrating with our YOUTH this weekend, as we rejoice about what the Lord did over the past two months, see what He IS doing now, and what He will continue to do! DON'T YOU DARE!
• Don't you DARE miss celebrating with and witnessing the commitment of DOZENS of our Journey folks as they follow the Lord in Believer's Baptism, identifying themselves with Jesus Christ! DON'T YOU DARE listen to the voice of the enemy and stay at home on Sunday afternoon!
• Don't you DARE miss getting baptized if you haven't taken that step yet!
• Don't you DARE miss checking out The Ministry Fair on August 27th-28th! God wants you to SERVE, GET PASSIONATE, and STEP INTO AN AREA of ministry! Don't you DARE miss out on your chance to find where you FIT!

Instead, DARE...

• DARE to invite our TEENS AND YOUNG PEOPLE to be ALL that God wants them to be, and to help The Journey become THEIR place as it has been yours - THEIR place of expression, WORSHIP, LIFE-CHANGE, and SERVICE! DARE!
• DARE to PRAY with and BLESS and APPLAUD and ENCOURAGE those getting baptized! DARE to get involved in their lives! And DARE THEM (and ANYONE else) to step forward into their public confession of Christ!
• DARE to live for something greater than what you're living for right now! DARE to be a part of something that will make an ETERNAL DIFFERENCE! And DARE to join The Journey as we become a church against which the gates of Hell cannot stand! DARE!

Do that's my warning...and my dare...

Will you dare?

PS - If you want to get pumped up about what's coming up, check out this baptism video from Elevation Church - http://www.openforum.com/articles/7-body-language-mistakes-to-avoid

(Rob Willis is thrilled to be the Senior Pastor of an incredible group of believers called The Journey Church in Rochester, NH - follow him on twitter - robwillis72 or on Facebook)

11 things for The Journey I'm praying for - part 2

We're starting our Capital Campaign here at The Journey to prepare ourselves for expansion...and in doing so, I want to share with you a 2nd list of things that I regularly pray for The Journey. Will you join me in praying for these?

• Protection - that we would be protected from the devil and his schemes
• Resistors - that we would say NO to temptation and not yield to sin
• Visionary - that we would see the future that God has and step forward into it
• Reckless & Aggressive - that we would not be afraid to TRY or FAIL at trying
• Sound - that we would earnestly contend for our faith, specifically right doctrine and truth
• Global-minded - that we would see beyond where we are at and have a passion for the WORLD & world missions
• Productive - that we would be busy about the Father's business
• Training Leaders - that we would be identifying and investing in our next leaders in every generation
• Conviction - that we would be people who stand ON something and FOR something
• Submissive - that we would be people who know how to follow our leaders
• Kindness - that we would be known for our love of others regardless

May the Lord bring these things out (and MORE) as we yield ourselves to Him!

(Rob Willis is thrilled to be the Senior Pastor of an incredible group of believers called The Journey Church in Rochester, NH - follow him on twitter - robwillis72 or on Facebook)

10 things for The Journey I'm praying for - part 1

While I regularly pray the different requests that come my way, I also pray for the church as a whole. Here's what I am praying for God to produce these qualities & characteristics at The Journey - maybe they'll spur you to pray for your own church:

• Prayerfulness - that we would become a House of Prayer
• Evangelism - that we would be a place of inviting people to the Cross
• Purity & holiness - that we would be people set apart and usable for God's work
• Consistency & Commitment - that we would develop a long obedience in the same direction
• Service - that we would be people who step up and love others
• Givers - that we would obey God in every area and be Kingdom Movers
• Sacrificers - that we would give up what's necessary to seek His kingdom FIRST
• Boldness - that we would be people who don't shy away from being what God wants us to be, even if we are maligned or mistreated
• Leaders - that we would lead our community, in our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods
• Lovers - that we would be a church in love with Jesus and with others

Is God producing these things in your life? I believe He is producing these at The Journey!

Tomorrow I'll share with you the second part of my list (11 more)...

(Rob Willis is thrilled to be the Senior Pastor of an incredible group of believers called The Journey Church in Rochester, NH - follow him on twitter - robwillis72 or on Facebook)

The Leisure Suit Trap | TonyMorganLive.com

Check out this blog from Tony Morgan - The Leisure Suit Trap | TonyMorganLive.com

It is a great reminder of why we CAN'T sell out the mission of Jesus to a style, preference, or methodology! We MUST be committed to finding new ways to bring the Gospel to an ever-changing world, while never compromising the Gospel's unchanging message!

10 Journey Experiences You Need to Know About for Summer 2011!

Hey Journey - LOTS of goings on and happenings in the next few months, and I want to share with you the top 10 so you can pray AND participate!

1) NB4TH CHURCH WIDE RALLY - Sunday, June 26th at 6:30PM at the church - we'll hand out t-shirts, have job assignments posted, and PRAY for an incredible day!

2) THE NIGHT BEFORE THE 4TH (NB4TH) FESTIVITIES - July 3rd

• We'll do church AT the Fairgrounds at 11am
• We'll eat lunch together right after (church picnic!)
• We'll lead the way in donating canned goods for our food pantry!
• We'll hand out church invites to every person/family that comes!
• We'll work our teams that day and BLESS OUR COMMUNITY!

3) Young Life Camp - June 27-July 1 - the first of several camps this summer, many of our teens will attend this camp in upstate NY. Pray for salvation decisions, spiritual growth, and greater church involvement!

4) Love Story - the story of the Bible - starting July 17 - we'll spend several weeks as a church learning the BIG story of the Bible, major themes, how the Bible was constructed, and why it is relevant and authoritative for us today.

5) Saturday Night Preview Services July 23 & August 20th - These will be two "pre-launch" services for the upcoming Saturday services in the fall. Stay tuned for more details, but we will be launching new ministry teams and have greater opportunities for reaching out and serving! More details to follow - please pray as we prepare!

You're halfway through - now five more! :)

6) Vacation Bible School - July 18-22, evenings from 6-8:30 - This year we're looking to go bigger, better, and bolder than 2010's incredibly successful campaign! Bring your kids, invite your friends' kids and families, get involved, and serve at this yearly event that ministers to our children!

7) Senior High LIFT Camp - July 25-29 - the final camp for our students down in Philadelphia. Pray that God does some major work in our students' lives in the areas of commitment, ministry, and salvation decisions!

8) Pass Thru Fire - July 27-30 - a rite-of-passage camping event for boys 12-16 that is focused on boys becoming men through learning and displaying godly attributes. Pray for this incredible event, that it will produce lasting results and godly attributes in our boys.

9) The Keffers at The Journey - August 7, Sunday AM services. Pastor Rob grew up with the Keffers, a country-style, southern gospel family that has been ministering in the country for decades. They'll minister in song, humor, and message!

10) Baptism Bash 2011 - Kingston State Park, Sunday, August 21, 3PM - what was a HIGHLIGHT of last year will be OFF THE HOOK this year! We will be baptizing a BUNCH of people along with our network churches, Granite United and The Dialogue.

These are the biggest events of the summer - but there are more things coming! Stay tuned for details regarding the church building campaign, September 11th services, and the launch of our Saturday evening services in the fall.

JourneyNH - in the words of my friend and mentor, Pastor Anthony Milas, let's take this church thing to a "whole nutha' level!"

(Rob Willis is thrilled to be the Senior Pastor of an incredible group of believers called The Journey Church in Rochester, NH - follow him on twitter - robwillis72 or on Facebook)

Six things from P. Rob to The Journey!

Well, this is my first full week back in the office after a very busy - and often relaxing - May. And so I wanted to share with you 6 things that are on my heart:

1. First off - this year I took my vacation early because of a busy season of ministry that lies ahead. So Krista and I celebrated 20 years of marriage(!) early (our anniversary is in November), and we had a GREAT time! But you know what? I LOVE COMING BACK TO THE JOURNEY - YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLE CHURCH! It is my PRIVILEGE and JOY to be your Senior Pastor!
2. I AM EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S COMING! We're experimenting with a Saturday evening experience this summer (July 23 & August 20) for our fall venue launch on September 17th...would you pray as we prepare! We want more people having more chances to come to God in our city!!!
3. I LOVE OUR YOUTH! This summer will be FILLED with youth events - camps for all ages; VBS; weekly and special activities - maybe even a preview for a Sunday youth service(!)...and MORE...if you have a teen or child in your home, CONNECT THEM with our student ministries. Email pastor Mike Gallo for info (mikeg@thejourneynh.com).
4. MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE BAPTISM BASH ON AUGUST 21 - We are part of a network of churches, and occasionally(!), we get together and do some great things. You need to come out (and some of you get baptized!) on this day down at Kingston State Park and join up with our sisters and brothers at Granite United and the Dialogue Church! DON'T MISS THIS!
5. WE'RE STILL PLANNING TO BUILD! I've been quiet on this front, not because things aren't moving (because they are). But in the fall, we'll be focused on a congregational level on preparing to build in 2012. Pray as we get ready, and pray for me as I lead the way!
6. MY PASSION IS FOR OUR CHURCH TO GROW SPIRITUALLY! I don't often share what's going on in my heart, but my summer series of messages are on prayer (Simply...Pray) and the Bible (Love Story). Why? God's burdened me with leading our church to grow in these areas - becoming a church that prays and a stands on the authority of God's Word. Why are these things important?

• Because we so often lack wisdom, power, and God's presence as a church as a result of not praying!
• Because we make prayer a mystery and so many of us don't know how to pray!
• Because too many of us don't understand the Bible and therefore ignore it!
• Because too many of us live everyday contrary to what the Bible actually teaches!
• And that's because so many of us don't know that God meant for the Bible to be taken seriously! And so we don't read it or apply it.
• Because so many don't understand the BIG picture of the Bible, how it was constructed, or how God has preserved the Bible throughout the centuries!

And I could go on! But as the pastor-shepherd guided by THE SHEPHERD, I feel we need to spend time in these two areas over the next few months.

So...would you make Sunday mornings a summer priority? Look, I know all about vacations and long weekends and sleeping in - I understand all of that and encourage you to do these things! But when you're not out of town, would you make The Journey your Sunday morning priority? And if you want to sleep in, would you still come to the 11am? Let's go DEEPER this summer - not just in the pool or lake - but with God!

I LOVE THE JOURNEY and where God is taking us...are you ready for the ride?

(Rob Willis is thrilled to be the Senior Pastor of an incredible group of believers called The Journey Church in Rochester, NH - follow him on twitter - robwillis72 or on Facebook)

Does the Bible Matter In the 21st Century? - FoxNews.com

Does the Bible Matter In the 21st Century? - FoxNews.com

Excellent article about why the Bible is SO vital to the continuing freedom in our nation...and in our world. Makes me wonder how much more the Bible has to be removed in order to reach the stages of godlessness and terror that we see in the book of Revelation...

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Church in Rochester, NH)

I CAN'T believe he just told God that!

I was reading today in Exodus 4 where God was preparing Moses to go drop the bombshell on Pharaoh ("Let My people go!"). You know, it's funny that you can read and reread a Bible passage, and certain things stick out and come alive at different times. As I read today, I couldn't help but notice Moses initial response to God in vs. 13, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else."

Um, excuse me?

God had just made the rod in Moses' hand turn into a snake. And God had just caused Moses' hand to turn white with leprosy when he stuck it into his cloak. And after those two incredible moments, God promised Moses that if needed, Moses could perform the miraculous miracle of turning water taken from the Nile into blood.

"That's great, God. Good show, really. Thanks for thinking of me...but could You please send someone else."

I can't believe he just told God that. Seriously, if I could ever have the special power to leap into the pages of the Bible and smack someone (with all due respect) and ask, "Are you serious?!), THIS would be that moment. Why, if I were Moses, I would have jumped on my fastest camel and driven all night to show Pharaoh Who was boss!

Or would I?

You see, the more I think about it, the more I understand Moses' response. Truthfully, I'm grateful for it, because it makes me feel better. I have BEEN there, and I have often given that same exact response to God - and you probably have, too. Think about this:

• I have gifts, talents, and abilities - "Lord, use someone else for Your work around here."
• I have money that I should give to missions - "Lord, give through someone else."
• I have time to donate to a needy cause - "Lord, give someone else the time!"
• I have neighbors who need to hear the gospel - "Lord, help someone else to share with them and invite them to church."

And I could keep going. We want God to do great things again in our day (Habakkuk 3:2) but we don't want to be the instruments by which He gets things done. We tell God, "I'm just not comfortable doing that; I just don't have the time; it's too risky; I just don't see myself doing that! Send someone else!"

Meanwhile, God wants to send and use US - me and you!

If you've said that to God recently or had that attitude, let me encourage you - you're in good company. Moses said it, too.

Now let me challenge you - would you reconsider and by God's power get some courage to obey and move forward? That's what Moses had to do. And despite his initial objection, look what God accomplished through him!

And know that TODAY, child of God, that God wants to accomplish His work - even when your hesitant - He wants to accomplish His work through YOU!

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Church in Rochester, NH. For more info, check out www.thejourneynh.com)

Tougher than I thought...

I spent the day Monday moving my son to North Attleboro, MA, an event that I thought would be pretty easy and unemotional. Yet as we brought his stuff up to his new apartment, I became very emotional - it was tougher than I thought.

All I could think was, "This...is...it." And I had to look away several times to hide my watery eyes.

I swear it was just last week that we were driving home from St Vincent's in Bridgeport, CT with this new bundle of joy in the back seat of our Chevy Corsica, big brown eyes and eyelashes that wowed the nurses.

It was just last week that I would come home from work at 3:30am, just in time for his overnight feeding, and develop a bond with him that I still strongly feel. It was just days ago that he was a toddler, running EVERYWHERE with me chasing him.

But he's been preparing us for this moment. On his first day of kindergarten, when he walked up to Hickory Hills School in Springfield, MO, he released my wife's hand halfway up the sidewalk and said, "It's ok, Mom, I can walk by myself." Krista cried on that day, and I chuckled. That was Seth - little independent guy. And he's always been that way. A fierce independent streak in him...

Now, he released my hand on Monday, and I cried. He values his independence right now, and I have to let go and let him walk alone - at least from me. So as I pulled out of his apartment parking lot, I just prayed and cried and asked God to take care of Seth. I started playing an old worship album with a song called Let the Peace of God Reign, and I made the chorus an intercessory prayer for Seth.

Lord, let him hunger for more of You.

Rise up within him, let him know Your truth.

Oh, Holy Spirit, saturate his soul.

And let the life of God fill him now.

Let Your healing power

Bring life and make him whole.

And let the peace of God, let it reign.

Actually, that last line was more for me. God, give me peace as I let go, and may You, God, become everything in Seth's life that You desire to be.

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Church in Rochester, NH. For more info, check out www.thejourneynh.com)

Derailing an opportunity

I've been preaching for several weeks a series at The Journey called Save the Humans, based off of Jesus' mission statement in Luke 19:10, "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." This past Sunday we learned how to tell God's story and our own story.

But when it comes to telling these stories, it is possible (and quite easy) to get derailed and for us to frustrate someone with sincere questions. Here are four common problems that we must overcome in order to better tell God's story and our stories to others (special thanks to Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room for these primary thoughts):

• Problem #1: Talking too much. Faith stories derail when a Christian just won’t stop talking. A Christian goes on and on and on … and even after the listener sends all the warning signals of boredom and frustration, the storyteller obliviously keeps chatting away.
• Problem #2: Rabbit-chasing. Faith stories derail when a Christian chases rabbits. She gets all tangled up in a dozen story lines and leaves her listener frustrated, exhausted, and baffled.
• Problem #3: Excessive Use of Christian-lingo. Faith stories derail when a Christian speaks in terms that no one outside of church can understand – I call this “Christianese” or “Religionese.” We'll use terms like bless and amen in conversation that a non-church goer has no idea of what we're communicating.
• Problem #4: Getting on a high-horse. Faith stories derail when or if you act like you are God’s answer to the world’s problems – or your friend’s problems. The fact is this - Jesus Christ and His work on the cross is the answer, not my ability to know more about the Bible or to already have experienced forgiveness of my sin.

So as you go and share God's story and your story, keep these in mind, and continually look for opportunities to share with those you know. Remember 1 Peter 3:15, "If someone asks you about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it."

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Baptist Church in Rochester, NH)

Why we won't stop reaching out into Rochester

I've spent a lot of time during the series Save the Humans challenging The Journey to share the good news with our friends and family (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, It is this Good News that saves you...Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. ⁴ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.)

We've got this command to tell those we know about Jesus Christ, and that includes our local community. Rochester NEEDS God - and here are some reasons why we CAN'T stop reaching out:

• The median age in Rochester is 36.7 - which means moms and dads with young kids and teens make up the majority of our residents.
• There are almost 6,000 students between the ages of 5-19 just in Rochester!
• Spaulding High School is one of the largest in the state and filled with students who need Christ!
• Rochester is a needy city. Because we are a blue-collar city, we have the opportunity to regularly show the love of God in so many practical ways!
• Many people have been burned by church and religion - but are still willing to give God a chance if the church gets it right. We can show them that church is a place of love, truth, community, and power.
• Rochester is FILLED with seekers - people who have great and sincere questions about God and what's happening in our world...and we might get chances to show them answers from the Bible!

Reaching out can be hard and tiresome, but if we ever needed to fan the flames of outreach and evangelism at The Journey, it's now - today - in our day. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "The 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation." As we take the opportunities, may TODAY be the day of salvation for many more people in Rochester!

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey in Rochester, NH. For more info, visit www.thejourneynh.com)

Trouble with a Capital "T" (part 2)...

Is it me, or are we just hellbent on putting our confidence in the latest and greatest technology, the latest breakthroughs and advances in science? We just LOVE that we have some things figured out, don't we? But how often does this love become arrogance because we stop seeing our need for God?

Yes, there might be troubles with a capital "T" in our world, but do we really need God, or can we just figure this whole thing out? "Pray and have faith?! That's just a sign of intellectual weakness and inability to deal with reality!"

But if we don't need God so much, then...

• How come we still haven't figured out how to overcome the worst diseases like cancer and ALS?
• How come our technological advances are so easily tossed aside in the face of natural disasters?
• How come we advanced humans haven't reached the point of "no war" and "no killing"? How come we are not so far advanced that we all don't "just get along"?

Seriously - WHY are we so determined to try and figure everything out without God? It's as if we are back at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. This was man's first big attempt to use his God-given abilities to work together, but they tried to push things forward without God. And God revealed their complete inability.

Technology with a capital "T" has always tempted us to think "if we can just figure it out," we can become the captain of our fates, and determine our own destiny. At that point, who needs God?

But it never works. Every natural disaster clearly reveals our on-going futility. WE NEED GOD - not instead of technology, but as the GIVER of technology! (James 1:17). And we can combine our serious need for God with the abilities He's given, and pray for His help during such difficult times that He will heal our land...and our world.

I'm tired of us all trying to figure it out. In this world, we have trouble. The only good cheer comes in our confidence that HE has overcome the world and all of it's TROUBLES.

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Church in Rochester, NH)

Trouble with a Capital "T" (part 1)...

It's one of those mornings - rainy and grey outside, and terrible news on the TV. Japan is rocked by an 8.9 earthquake, and now half the world has tsunami threats. Many are dead, with many more to come.

On this kind of morning, I feel like I am in a dream, but I also remember the words of Jesus from John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble." Jesus said a mouthful right there, huh? For us 21st century Christians who are watching our world unravel on a daily basis, He absolutely described what we're seeing - trouble. If Jesus were speaking today, He would say "trouble with a capital T."

The major headlines in our news tell us that things are getting bad in our world - unrest, war, cataclysmic natural disasters, new diseases - major trouble! Jesus described this kind of troublein Matthew 24:6-8, "And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁷ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come."

"More to come"? Yes...but let me give you one other thought back in John 16:33. Jesus finished His "trouble with a capital T" thought with this - "Take heart. I have overcome the world." Where is your hope today? Is it in man's continually demonstrated inability to handle our world, or is it in Jesus Christ, the ONE who has overcome the world?

More on this tomorrow...but for now - pray for the people of Japan and for our world - and pray that we have the boldness to Save the Humans and share our faith in a dying world.

(Rob Willis is the Senior Pastor of The Journey Church in Rochester, NH)

Just words?

Having led worship to some extent for the past 13 years, I know that praise and worship music is inundated with Scripture, and often times with Bible verses that highlight a desire to see God in all of His glory, lifted up, doing miraculous acts, and demonstrating His mighty power.

We as American Christians sing these songs from the bottom of our hearts, and we echo the cry of the prophet in Habakkuk 3:2, "I have heard all about You, Lord. I am filled with awe by Your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as You did in years gone by." And so we beg God to do the miraculous among us, to show us His mighty works and deeds - and I don't believe there is anything wrong with that.

Except...what if that kind of work meant judgment first? What if that kind of deed brought about desperation and despair for the purpose of seeing "His Kingdom come"? What if the amazing works that God did in times past were replicated today...in the form of mass loss and judgment that then brought about new beginnings?

Consider the Flood. It never really hit me until today as I was reading just how horrible and nightmarish the Flood was - Genesis 7:22-23, "Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. ²³ God wiped out every living thing on the earth people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat."

I look back to 2005 in New Orleans, or to the Haitian earthquake in 2010, or to the WTC bombing in 2001, or the Egyptian riots in 2011 (and you could just keep naming things), and in every case, I wanted it to STOP. I wanted NORMALCY. I wanted things to go BACK to the way that they were - safety, comfort, security.

But would I need to change my praise then? Would I need to change the way that I pray to God, and instead of saying, "May YOUR Kingdom come," should I pray, "God, make me comfortable and help the world to cooperate." What if, in order for God's Kingdom to come about - what if Revelation and all of its horrors, must first come to pass (and they must) - are we willing to endure and go through it? Not that we would have a choice...

But are we willing to rejoice and praise and worship THROUGH these things? Are we willing to have the faith of Noah and be people who invite those we know to join us in God's salvation - or would we rather just sing about God's mighty works but REALLY hope He just brings comfort and safety?

Is the praise from our lips...just words?

Trading places...

It happens to me a lot. I find myself daydreaming (like so many Americans) when I hear the TV announcement for how much the most recent jackpot is for the lottery. In my mind I think, "What I wouldn't do if I had 62.5 million dollars!" I'd trade my life right now and do some upgrades, pay off debt, put some away, invest, buy a church building or two (that's me anyway!), build some orphanages, support some missionaries...you get the idea. If I traded places - my life now for a life without financial worry - wow! - what could happen?!

Although this day dream is whimsical (I don't even play the lottery!), I've done this kind of thing in my own mind and said, "Well, if I were God, I would do..." I'm not the first guy to think this, and certainly not the first creative person to entertain the thought of a human being assuming God's powers (see Bruce Almighty).

But beyond daydreaming, many people actually do trade places with God. No, they don't receive God's powers, but they do assume God's place as the master of their own ships, the captains of their souls. As a matter of fact, most people have pushed God off the throne of their lives and have decided that they will be the ones calling the shots - and God, well, "God, go manage an earthquake or something and leave me alone." They've traded places with God in their own lives, and now, sitting on the thrones of their lives are anything that captures their attention, emotions, and appetites.

Notice how the Apostle Paul, in Romans 1, writes about this "trade off" in verses 21-23 (from The Message): "What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat Him like God, refusing to worship Him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God Who holds the whole world in His hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand."

The people that Paul wrote about in the 1st century were no different than people today. They made the trade-off from God to worship to idol to worship. We do the same thing, just with more discretion. We kick God off the throne of our lives and in turn, we worship idols of our own making...

Hold on, let's clarify here - "kicking God of the throne of our lives" means making other things more important and holding more importance and honoring other ways more highly than God. Now let's go back to that sentence.

We kick God off the throne of our lives and in turn, we worship idols of our own making in these ways:

• We worship money over God as we fail to honor God by doing finances the way that He tells us in His Word. We go into debt, we don't save, we don't tithe and give, we waste - and we worship money over God and His ways of handling our resources.
• We worship entertainment over God as we allow Hollywood to set our standards on what is acceptable and what is not. Our minds are changed and our hearts are realigned when we consume TV, movies, music (etc.) that is deliberately anti-God and we don't walk away. We become what we consume.
• We worship recreation over God as we allow sporting events, vacations, and activities to set our agendas for our holy days, and as these things often make us change our behavior to where we become different people.

And there's so much more. But it all brings to me to one final question that if you will answer honestly can really energize your spiritual life - Is there anything/anyone in your life that tries to trade places with God and push Him off of the top spot?

If the answer is yes (and for almost all of us, the answer is yes), why not recognize the problem, repent of your actions, and then commit to God that, with His help, you will do all you can to keep this from happening? Stop letting anyone or anything trade places with God in your life!

Year end review - 2010

Blogging has been a weak point for me this year - it seems that my private thoughts have been restricted mostly to my brain. Or maybe it's that as I've been able to bring a team of people around me that I am sharing more outwardly, and thus the outlets have changed. I don't know, but I'd like to re-develop this habit in my life, as it has led me to some very good creativity in the past.

2010 has been a GREAT year on so many levels for me and for The Journey. My honest assessment of this year has been one of growth and faith. With God's help and guidance, I've been able to lead The Journey into some good things.

• Hiring key staff - actually brought on (or began paying) four new people in 2010, which has been a HUGE reason why The Journey grew.
• Increased giving in missions and benevolence - we added several missionaries and church planters, along with handing out around $6000 in aide to needy families in our church and area.
• Increased baptisms - we baptized around 50-60 people.
• Increased attendance - we grew by 100 people in weekly attendance.
• Increased giving & tithing - we had the best year of overall giving ever.
• Ministry growth - every area of ministry experienced growth as leaders stepped forward and key staff was added.
  

Along with these things, we had a decent year in salvation decisions (although there was less decisions made than in previous years) and in the commitment levels of the Journey congregation.

By and large, this was a really good year for The Journey. So here are some key areas that we need to grow in 2011:

• Preparing to build our own facility - the time has come, and I believe we will be in our own space by Summer 2012 (if not sooner).
• Ministry structure - this is a weakness that we need to solve - we still "fly by the seat of our pants" in our structure.
  
• Congregational involvement - we need to get MORE people involved in serving God at The Journey.
• Event planning - again, too willy-nilly here, and it shows during key events that we sometimes fail to follow through with our plan.
• Spiritual depth - while I believe we're headed in the right direction, we need to go deeper in our personal walks and in our corporate worship, and not settle for complacency. 2011 needs to be a year where we find ways to go deeper on Sundays.
• Outreach & evangelism - personally, I'd just like to see us get better and more strategic in reaching out to our community. Sharing our faith, billboards, direct mailings - we'll be doing more of these than ever before.

As you can tell, my mind is going as I type. But let me now be clear - I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to lead this church. From the time we had a dozen until now when we might have 400 attenders on a weekend, leading this church - and being entrusted to lead and guide - is something that I absolutely cherish and value. While the responsibility of being the top-level leader at The Journey is great, the reward of witnessing God move and watching God's people surrender more is even greater. At this point in my life, I could not imagine doing anything else - and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Those are my thoughts on this morning of snow and wind!

Baptism Bash 2010: A Sweet Glimpse into Eternity...

In one of the most memorable scenes from our first seven years as a church, today we baptized 23 Journey folks along with our sister churches, Granite State and the Dialogue Church - we had between 75-100 total people baptized!!!

It was an awesome experience for The Journey for so many reasons:
1) 23 people stepped forward and solidified their commitments to Jesus Christ, in a day where commitment seems to be a lost form. 23 people made their commitments PUBLIC - and I was so blessed to be a part of that!

2) Of those, my daughter Kayla recommitted her life to Jesus, and I believe she is truly blessed and called to minister...I am excited to see what the Lord does in her life. This was my most special moment of the day...

3) I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching the The Journey Church doing life together - getting to know each other, loving each other, and just in general hanging out together. With Pastor Rod taking over the community aspects of our mission and helping all of us move forward, I believe we will see more of this than ever before...exciting.

4) I LOOOOVE the fact that we are continuing to grow our New England United network! What a thrill it is to interact with our family at Granite State and the Dialogue, and to know that we are all on the same team, in the same extended family, moving forward for Jesus Christ. I love that part of that network also is Crossroads in Pelham and Next Level in Portsmouth - maybe one day we will ALL baptize together!

Personally, this is a sweet spot for me. This is what I enjoy about church to the "nth" degree, you know? Not that every day will be "super awesome," or that we will always agree, or that we will always get things right. But today - it was a super awesome, agreeable, "RIGHT" kind of day. For me, it was a sweet glimpse into eternity, when the CHURCH, united in Christ, comes together, rejoicing and glorifying God, declaring our commitment to HIM!

My dear church family - this is a small glimpse into what eternity will look like - except it will be a million times better because Jesus Himself will be there, and we won't have to go home ~ we will BE home! That brings a smile to my face (if you could see me now, you would know that is true).

So, again - one of the most memorable days we've had - and if you missed it, I hope you will experience the bittersweet. The bitter for not being there to demonstrate your support, but the sweet to know that others wholeheartedly entered those waters and stepped forward in obedience to our Savior!

Romans 6:3-4, "...When we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death... ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."

We blame but don't credit God...

It's been an interesting trend that I've witnessed time and again. And frankly, I'm amazed that people don't sense the paradox or the lack of honesty that comes along with this line of thinking.

Here's what happens - when tragedy strikes, God gets the blame. People shake their fists at Him, defy Him, curse Him, ask Him "Why?!", and lay all of the problem and trial on His shoulders as if He was determined to punish them and make them miserable. Now, tragedy and trial happens for all different reasons, and sometimes, it is very clearly God's hand of judgment or discipline. But not all the time - sometimes, life and death happens according to how God has laid out our lives. "God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed." (Job 1:21).

But maybe that's the problem - it's not that we have any problem recognizing God's movement and hand in tragedy (although I believe we do), but we forget an important thing - God GIVES. He supplies, He provides, He blesses, He nourishes. God GIVES.

And that's where the problem lies - we don't believe He gives AS MUCH as He takes away! When it comes to what we have, we believe WE EARNED - WE WORKED - WE SWEATED - WE TOILED - so all that is mine is MINE, and why would God ask me to give any of it back (tithing and giving)? You see what I mean?

God takes...and we blame Him. But He GIVES...and we fail to credit Him - or obey Him in tithing and giving.

So the next time God takes something away, and you blame God, just ask yourself first, "Did I credit God with giving this to me in the first place? Was I obedient as a good steward with what He gave me to begin with?"

God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed.

How to Help a Discouraged Worker

If you are a church ministry leader, I invite you to listen to my February audio cast on "How to Help (encourage) a Discouraged Worker." This resource is from The Journey's Leadership Pathways series, and is about 24 minutes in length.

Click here to listen -
http://www.thejourneynh.com/images/LP/LP%20-%20How%20to%20Help%20a%20Discouraged%20Worker.mp3

2010 so far....

It's February 1st, and I've been quiet on my blog. Why? Well, busyness always tends to keep me away, and January was BUSY! Along with that, inspiration (or lack of it) determines how much I will blog - and that comes in spurts. Sometimes, blogging is not inspirational for me, while at other times it is an outlet for my thoughts. That's why I haven't been on lately.

But just in case you are looking for some leadership insight, I have started pod-casting lately, with the specific reason to further train leaders at The Journey. I have titled these leader development podcasts as "Leadership Pathways," and they are listed under the "Listen" section on the church's website - but you can click here to listen to the first podcast titled, "How to Recruit Workers for Your Ministry" (http://www.thejourneynh.com/images/LP/LP%20-%20How%20to%20Recruit%20Workers%20for%20Your%20Ministry.mp3).

But just as a quick rundown for January at The Journey, here are some numbers:

• We had 12 people make the eternity-altering decision of inviting Jesus into their hearts and lives - 12 new people made Jesus their LORD!
• We had 7 people get baptized on January 31st.
  
• I preached through the first series of the year, The Emperor's New Clothes - and it was a great success. People responded and went deeper in their walk - Jesus assumed more control, and I am excited about the long-term effects of this series.
• We had MANY visitors, with (I believe) two Sundays over 300 people. I don't have these numbers just yet.
• We had our annual Vision Meeting on January 24th and it was a good success as we set our goals for 2010.
• We had our best launch to our Life Groups yet, and I am excited about the future of this as well.

All in all - a GREAT beginning to this new year! Thank You, Father, for Your goodness!

A further word on Jesus being "Lord"

Great quote by A.W. Tozer that I'll use in this coming week's sermon, "Shopper or Owner?" from The Emperor's New Clothes:

"The Lord will not save those whom He cannot command. He will not divide His offices. You cannot believe on a half-Christ. We take Him for what He is - the anointed Savior and Lord who is King of kings and Lord of all lords! He would not be Who He is if He saved us and called us and chose us without the understanding that He can also guide and control our lives."
- A.W. Tozer from I Call It Heresy

Astonished...

Just reading Galatians 1 this morning, and verse 6 has me thinking. Paul wrote, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

Paul astonishment at the turning away from the truth of the gospel to something very different intrigues me. Should it really surprise someone who has been in ministry for very long that even those who seem most grounded in their faith can so easily turn aside?

Years ago, a seasoned pastor told me in the middle of my own personal crisis, "I am hardly ever surprised at what I hear anymore." Now although I had a flurry of other emotions running through my head, what he said stuck with me. And now, being a pastor with some "seasoning" myself, I have to admit - I still get surprised. And Paul is amazed at the doctrinal turnaround of the church, deceived by the doctrine of works.

And quite frankly, I get amazed as well. Oh, I've seen my share of doctrinal deviations, and with today's mass availability of information, it is no wonder that people won't follow the teachings of their pastor when someone else comes along with the glitz and glamour who says it better (and with better quality lighting and sound!). But my amazement goes beyond that.

I've been surprised at the number of good men and women who walk away - because of the flesh and the pull of their own desires. The gospel and godly living, after all, are VERY limiting to the flesh. So people walk away.

And I've been surprised at the inability of people to resolve conflict, and rather than go the extra mile and work out issues with brothers and sisters in Christ, they walk away from the church, and ultimately, the faith - it happens every time. An un-churched Christian over a small amount of time most often becomes a very poor Christian, regardless of what any teacher or author would say. And this happens because of our refusal to read the Word of God and learn how to properly and lovingly resolve (or at least ATTEMPT to resolve) conflict.

And I'm astonished...why do people step away from their faith? Every time I hear a new reason, it amazes me. I'm with you, Paul.

Maximize your book reading

It's Saturday morning, and I'm excited about an excellent tool I want to share with you. You see, I've always had a problem when it comes to reading books. No, it's not that I don't read - I most certainly do because leaders are readers. I won't grow if I don't know...you know?

But there are SO many books right now that I need to read, that are "best practice" books in my field, and quite frankly, I've always had several problems:
1) I don't have enough of a budget to read every good book.
2) I don't always have enough room in my bag to carry the books I'd like to read, especially as I'm a mood reader and might not be in the mood to read certain books on certain days.
3) I'm easily distracted, so much so that by the time I order and receive a book, I've found another...and now I have a book that I might not ever read.
4) I take many notes in books, that seem to get lost because I have not made a place to record my notes and underlines...in other words, a good portion of knowledge gained becomes temporary.

And I could go on.

But I believe I've turned a corner with a new tool that I encourage every leader, especially church leaders/ministry leaders/pastors to take advantage of - Kindle for your PC. Yep - I'm a commercial today only because two weeks ago I discovered that Kindle has a PC version - totally free, and making book downloads immediately available.

Do you know what this MEANS?!

Now, I can preview almost any book - typically two chapters - and then determine if I want to move forward. If I decide not to, I delete the book, no harm, no foul. But if I determine to read the book, here are some great advantages:
1) The book is immediately available for around $10. It's hard to beat that price these days.
2) I can take advantage of the Kindle's features, specifically making fonts bigger, which is a great thing.
3) I read with a Word document open, making notations and recording my own takeaways from the book. This does away with typing notes from a book and toggling the book in my lap and my computer - they are side by side on my screen

4) I can carry multiple books with me at one time - without having a bag full.

And the Kindle reader is free - click on this link to download it - http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311 - and try it out.

This has already strengthened my book reading. If you're a leader, I challenge you to try it and see if it could really effect your book readings in great ways.

Those in their 20's, 30's, and 40's - a word with/for you, please...

I admit, what I'm about to say has been birthed somewhat out of frustration and a little anger over the past few years. But then again, so was Moses' reactions to the Egyptians, and it moved him to obey God's commands (not that everything he did was right on, I know).

But I want to say something to some of the great guys and girls in my church, and in the churches that I know, who are in their 20's, 30's, and 40's - and maybe even 50's - and you need to take to heart what I'm about to say.

Here it goes ~
1) Almost ALL of us have been hurt by a church/church people in the past - DEAL WITH IT. Seriously. If you're holding onto a grudge or hurt, know that is stifling your ministry and your blessing others, and Satan is laughing the WHOLE time. DEAL with your pain, go to counseling, seek out a trusted friend, and WORK through your issues. But KNOW - many of us have been SERIOUSLY HURT by those who claimed to be Christians...and we still love Jesus AND the church because we know that Jesus loved the church and gave His life up for her (Ephesians 5:25...and so should you and I.

2) We ALL have bills to pay and items to purchase - TITHE ANYWAY. The commands of the Bible are not predicated on our situation, and it's time that those of us who are now in our prime follow the examples of the saints who've gone before and honor God with our tithes and offerings...even though it means sacrificially giving! There is a major movement to do away with the tithe, but you'd have to avoid bunches of Scripture to do so (even Jesus' own words in Matthew 23:23). Imagine the many more ways that churches could spread the Gospel and minister inside and outside their communities if God's people who are in their prime of lives(!) would just TITHE?! Let Him be Lord of your finances while you have them!

3) We've all been burned by bad leaders in the past - SUBMIT TO YOUR CURRENT LEADERS. Those of us in our 20's, 30's and 40's watched our parents get burned or were burned ourselves, and so instead of seeking godly leadership to follow, too many have refused to submit to any leadership. Never mind Hebrews 13:7, those who are in their prime do what's right in their own eyes. And rather than submit, we find every reason why we shouldn't submit - and we look for every loophole so as not to submit. And God's church is weakened because someone burned in the past won't submit because they "won't get burned again!" But imagine if we could get past these things and follow those godly (and imperfect) leaders God places in our lives - what could happen?

4) If your church stinks (or worse), it is probably because you stink (or worse) - STOP STINKING. Please forgive me for being candid, but you that are 20, 30, and 40-something, THIS is your time to LEAD! This is YOUR time to use your gifts, voice, and influence to bless the church and to make the biggest impacts you can make for the kingdom of God. If you think your church stinks - or sucks - it's because your are stinking/sucking it up and not using your gift, voice, and influence to make an impact! We pastors CAN'T make you apply the Word. MINISTRY LEADERS can't make you serve. SMALL GROUP LEADERS can't make you attend (etc., etc.). Your church has major issues when you refuse to contribute or get involved or give sacrificially or love unconditionally - and no one else can be blamed except for you! If you're 20, 30, or 40-something, imagine what your church could look like if all those with the greatest energy and influence would STEP in and get the job done?! It's time to stop waiting for everyone else, and for YOU to step up and do something...

So - if I've offended you, forgive me, but you probably needed it. If I've inspired you, then go BLESS the church you attend and go "ALL IN" for Christ. And if I've made no sense to you, then...well, wake up! I'm praying that the church in 2010 receives a double-portion as the church in 2009!

Great quote

"This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
- William Stockdale, quoted by Jim Collins in Good to Great

7 Valuable Leadership Lessons - Jonah-style

In the middle of the minor prophets is the story of a disobedient prophet and the haste at which he runs from God - a prophet by the name of Jonah. Jonah has always fascinated me (and others) because the story of Jonah contains no prophetic oracles, shows the intimate relationship between God and humanity, and demonstrates the God of the world vividly using nature to accomplish His purposes, the most well-known example being the "big fish" that swallowed Jonah.

But I can't help but see that there are some great lessons for the man and woman of God - regardless of title, ministry, or relationship depth with the Lord - that we can learn and glean from this great story. Here are seven lessons for leaders that I see from Jonah's determination to run in the opposite direction of God's leading...

1. A leader's proper theology is not a fail-safe against running from God (1:1-3). Jonah has an excellent understanding of who God is (as mentioned repeatedly), and furthermore, he directly hears God's voice. YET he still disobeys, still runs away, still disagrees with God, and still tries to manipulate God into doing things his way...The fact is, the more I know about God, the more I realize I don't know about God - the "why? how? when?" questions that so often plague me and upset me and make me want to run...
2. A leader's sin seldom (if ever) just affects himself/herself (1:4). The sailors in chapter one are almost KILLED because Jonah was on their ship! Let me ask - whose ship are you threatening to sink because you aren't dealing with sin?! As a leader, I find that I have seasons in which I am more vulnerable to sin and therefore need to rely more and more on God for strength, as well as press into Him in confession and repentance. If I allow sin to linger and go unaddressed, there are storms that will wipe out me AND those around me!
3. A leader can be fooled by the mirage of "escape" when running (1:5)! Jonah got on the boat to Joppa and finally(!) got some sleep and relaxation...UNTIL the storm hit and he realized he was now far away from shore without a life jacket and with an angry God. Escapism is always a mirage that can never be reached - and pursuing that mirage always leaves you more desperate than when you started.
4. God's leader can't run away and expect to come out unscathed (1:15-17). Jonah's seeming death wish in chapter one turns into a big fish's indigestion as Jonah is saved by God, only to sit in the belly and digestive juices of a great fish for three whole days...and don't you know that he smelled like "fish vomit" when he reached shore. His appearance was most definitely altered, his smell sickening, and his ego was sorely damaged. God just doesn't let those whom He has specially chosen to do His ministry get away with sin and folly for very long - too much is at stake (and was at stake for Jonah!).
5. God's message trumps God's messenger (3:3-4). God had given Jonah a message for the Ninevites, and don't you know, they BELIEVED him and repented! But here's the catch - Jonah's ministry was successful and he was ANGRY! He WANTED them to walk away, and so the messenger most definitely showed no mercy and showed no calling to repentance - just doom. But GOD was the One who was really speaking as the message hit the hearts of these people. Even when we do a nominal job - thank You, Lord - the message still has power.
6. Leaders are NEVER in a position to second-guess or question God (3:10-4:1). Chapter four is perhaps one of the most brazen attempts in all of the Bible of God's prophet trying to manipulate God into doing what HE believes God OUGHT to do! Sometimes spiritual pedigree or influence or revelation can really make God's ministers demanding! And yet God, seemingly trying to demonstrate His mercy to Jonah (and thus to Nineveh), will not be forced by anyone's hand. "Will not the Judge of the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25)
   
7. Leaders know there is always more to the story (4:2-3). The reason for running in chapter 1 is explained in chapter 4 - Jonah just knew that God would demonstrate mercy, and he believed the Ninevites (of the Assyrian empire) deserved no mercy. THAT'S why he ran. I am amazed - there is always more to the story. When people run from God, the reason is typically found in the back story. Here, Jonah didn't want the people to escape judgment, so much so that he DEMANDS God judge them and camped out to watch them all burn (4:5)! But why did Jonah want them all dead? We actually don't know, but we can speculate. The Assyrian Empire was ruthless and oppressive toward Israel and Judah, and perhaps Jonah had experienced some personal pain (or loss) that made God's forgiveness extended via HIS ministry unfathomable! OBVIOUSLY bitterness was in Jonah's back story in some manner - we just don't know how.

So, are you Jonah - or are you getting ready to run like Jonah? Let me advise you - learn the lessons BEFORE the run and move forward into what God has for you.

How do I fill out my "faith promise" card?

It's been a great month at The Journey as we have been learning about missions during our We Won't Stay Silent series. This past week I handed out the Faith Promise cards, and I encouraged you to take the next two weeks and fill these out, and then hand them in on Celebration Sunday on November 22.

But some people might not remember everything I said, so I want to give you some simple instructions on the "how to" - and then present you with a few frequently asked questions. So here goes -

How do I fill out my faith promise card?

1. Prepare your heart by reading Matthew 6:19-34 and 2 Corinthians 9.
   
2. Take a few days to pray and ask God what He would have you give.
   
3. Once you have a specific amount, discuss that amount with your spouse (if you're married). Be sure that you are in agreement.
   
4. Fill out the card and place it in the offering plate on November 22 during our Celebration Sunday! You can even place your initial offering in the plate that day. The commitment begins in January 2010.
   
5. When you give to missions (via Faith Promise), use an offering envelope and mark on the envelope the amount towards regular "tithing" and the amount for "missions" (or any other fund you contribute to).
   
6. Be watching/listening for frequent updates throughout 2010 of where your monetary gifts are making an impact!
   
7. Ask God to provide as you give cheerfully to worldwide missions!

Our goal at The Journey is to raise an additional $2,000 per month through exponential giving - remember, if we all did something, we could really do something! So if you can give $5 or $10 per month, do it. If you can give $20 or $30 or $50, or more, let me challenge you to do it! If we can raise $2000 per month for missions, we can immediately add 4 missionaries, 2 missions agencies, 2 local agencies (including our Homeless Shelter), two church planters in Boston, and three Bible college students - if we all did something!

Now here are some FAQ:
1) Can't I just reallocate my regular tithe? No. Faith Promise is over and above the tithe - this is beyond normal giving. If we all reallocated the tithe, The Journey's own internal and local ministries would suffer. Faith promise goes beyond regular tithing and giving!
2) How long is my commitment for? We are asking you to commit for all of 2010. At any point during the month, you can put it your faith promise commitment into the offering, and we will distribute it the next month. At the end of 2010, we will revisit faith promise again.
3) What happens if I don't keep my promise? Ultimately, if people bow out of their commitments, The Journey would have to stop supporting missions. That's why we ask you to pray about your commitment beforehand and be sure to give faithfully. FAITH promise is about trusting God even when you don't see how it will work out!
4) Can I give more if I have it? ABSOLUTELY! Any extra money that we receive will go towards preparing for our church plant that is coming up! So if you want to give more, just know that "God loves a cheerful giver!" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
5) Can I give my entire year's commitment at once, or in large segments? Yes - the goal is to do it timely. Don't wait until December 2010 to give your entire year's worth. If you have it all in January, that's great. Tax time is another great time to honor the entire commitment. But no matter how you give, always give on time or ahead of schedule, never behind. Our missionaries rely on our timeliness.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them below. Thank you, Journey, for trusting God in this!