Newsflash: We're not on a mission for Jesus

"We are not on a mission for Jesus, we are on a mission with Jesus." I heard that quote today listening to the Lead Conference online which is for church planters.

We are not on a mission FOR Jesus... In other words - if we live our lives doing stuff, and working on strategy, and outreaches, and counseling, etc. with the perspective that "we've got a job to do" we're going to live in disconnect from the very source of purpose and power - Jesus Christ.

We are on a mission WITH Jesus... If you miss having a personal, devoted time to simply be with Jesus do you apologize to God and say sorry for missing that important component to your mission, or do you apologize to God and say sorry for hurting your relationship with Him?

We're supposed to be connected and partnered with Christ. We must not rob ourselves of the purpose and closeness of being in relationship WHILE we're on a mission for Him!

For more on getting our priorities straight you can read Vince Antonucci's blog which is just tearing me up right now! Enjoy!

Defeating a Million Man March with Prayer

Did you know there was a million man march in the Bible? One of the greatest stories of victory in the face of overwhelming odds is found in 2 Chronicles 14:

"9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried to the Lord his God, O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you. 12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil."

Wow. A million man march was defeated by the prayer of a godly man. There's a bit of background in chapter 14, that needs to be understood that went into this prayer:

1. He ditched, burned, and destroyed all forms of ungodliness in his life and in his areas of responsibility (v.3)
2. He encouraged everyone to seek the Lord. (v.4)
3. Instead of being lazy, he utilized the time he had to do what he could (vv. 6,7)
4. When the attacks came he relied on God, not his own wisdom, power, or strategy.

So when he lifted his voice, God was attentive to his prayer.

You may be in a crisis. You may not be. But we must all live our lives holy and unto the Lord if we want to see our miraculous God act on our behalf when crisis comes.

What does this mean for me?

Well, my life is about as uncertain as it's been in a decade. I need wisdom, provision, and guidance. So I will lift my voice with faith that my God cares about me and is anxious to come to my rescue...not because I deserve it, but because God's grace (his favor) is on me thanks to Jesus who died on the cross to get me that favor with my Creator. I love you Jesus.

Baptisms on the Beach

Wow, yesterday we had a blast down off of Marine Drive as we baptized some students in the Columbia River! It was cold, but a great fall day as Kevin, Sam, and Chelsea proclaimed their faith in Jesus and got dunked! You can check out the slideshow here!

Miracles Shmiracles...

Ok, so this is not a normal thought for me because I fully believe in the supernatural power of God. I believe in miracles. I believe we should lay hands on people and pray for their healing. I believe if God can supernaturally save your soul from an eternity in hell, he certainly can give you a supernatural spiritual prayer language. God is invisible - it's not hard for me to hold fast a theology of live, current, active miracles on both the inside and outside of our lives.

That said, I think sometimes we put the cart before the horse. One of our favorite verses about the miraculous is found in John 14:12-14:

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"

Many times I have found myself preaching this verse as a faith builder..."God wants to do greater things in you than Jesus did!" Kind of a Carpe Diem message. Yet when I look at the context, I find that this conversation was found in the upper room, where Jesus had just washed the feet of his disciples. Jesus begins talking while at the feet of Peter, and continues the conversation quite possibly while he was still on his knees looking up at the disciples.

So, picture Him on his knees looking up at his disciples, with a dirty, smelly towel in his hands, his knees are red from the grimy pressure of being on the floor...and he says "anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, even greater..."

I believe in miracles. But maybe, just maybe we should focus on washing the feet of those around us - and "even greater" serving than that...THEN we can ask for anything in Jesus' name - and as he sees us following his example of "embracing the towel" he freely gives to us whatever we ask.

Thoughts?

The Vitals Are In

Most of you know that after 8 years of infertility issues, Jennifer and I are finally having our first baby...a baby girl! So, life is changing around the Becker household as is our budget, as we prepare for our princess to join us in February. One thing that we realized was the need for Life Insurance, so today Portamedic came to take our vitals and fill out some forms.

My Blood Pressure: 112/64 (pretty darn good)
My Resting Heart Rate: 48 beats per minute (really darn good)

It sure beats the old me that weighed 295 pounds, and couldn't run a mile! Now that I've lost 110 pounds and just ran my fourth marathon (26.2 miles), I'm seeing the "fruit of my labor".

When it comes to ministry, what are the vital signs of health...

• Attendance?
• Posture of people during corporate worship?
• Number of Water Baptisms this month?

I'd love to hear some thoughts on how you know that you've got some great vital signs as a ministry.

P.S. For those who haven't seen the "old Brian"...enjoy the pic below!

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

"Only a fool despises a parent's discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise."
"Whoever abandons the right path will be severely punished; whoever hates correction will die."
"If you listen to constructive criticism you will be at home among the wise."
"If you reject criticism, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding."

- Proverbs 15:5,10,31,32

A couple things here...first of all we need to be hungry for correction and teaching. I certainly hate the idea of spending time doing the wrong things and wasting my life.

Correction is not always going to come from your best friend - it's going to come from people that make you squirm - like family, bosses, and spouses - because they actually know you.

Don't just be an encourager to someone that is under you - tell them the truth - what they're missing. I've had way too many people pat me on the back and say "great job bro, keep it up!" when I really needed their wisdom to fix some long standing issues that were keeping me from some victory.

And finally, let God bring his grace and mercy into your life by getting serious with him about your life. The last thing you need is a token Bible reading and wussy prayer time...make it count...let God form you with his hands and transform you by changing the way you think. Correction could never be so good!

What correction has saved you?
What do you wish people would tell you?
What are some wrong ways to correct?

My Daily Disciplines

What did I do today to build the Kingdom:

1. Prayed a bit
2. Met with Pastor Steve about Youth Ministry Models for the future (3 small groups, and 1 large meeting a month)
3. Contacted by phone: Jeff, Jmac
4. Contacted by myspace to set up meetings: Chelsea, Aly, (to get the inside scoop on their lives and plug them into Switch ideas) Leah, (to encourage and talk about worship team) Sarah M., (to finally set a meeting to meet) Jessica, (to encourage and set up a meeting with her and Jenn with a couple of her friends to talk about Switch stuff) John (to rescue)
5. Contacted by myspace to encourage: Austin, Melissa, Amy, Dennis, and a bunch more about Tatango
6. Complied list of attendance to send to youth staff with action steps of

• Pursue those who need to be pursued...
  
• let be those who need to be...
• Pray for influencers...
• Pray Ephesians 4:13-21 over your students with the same passion that Paul prayed with.
  
• I'd like to meet with each of you before next Tuesday...give me a call and let's set it up!
  
• I'm going to talk to Leah and Sam A about being on the worship team...how crazy is that!?!!

7. Looked at some info on a website app that will connect the students together as seen on absolutepunk.net