Summertime, summertime, sum-, sum- summertime

…and the Frohna Factor has packed her bags and is headed on vacation. I noticed that she has “checked-out” recently and I am not sure if she is coming back.

I am not sure where she is headed, but the last I heard she got her passport picture taken and she is headed to exotic locations abroad.

Will she be back? I can’t say for sure.

Borrowed

I know I am not blogging that much…but here is an article worth your time. Click here to read it.

Example

Have you ever noticed the way people walk? Some people walk on their tip toes, some walk with their feet pointed out, and some bounce when they walk (like my wife). But no matter how people walk, you can bet they learned it from watching someone else. So when you see a child walking along with their parents, chances are two of them are walking the same.

The same goes for eating. If a person mixes up their potatoes and corn before eating, chances are a parent did the same thing. If they chomp or chew with their mouth opened, chances are a parent did the same thing.

Some of the most basic things we do (walking and eating) we learned from our parents.

So wouldn’t the same be true for other areas of our lives as well? What example are you setting for your children as you communicate with your spouse? What are you teaching them about work ethic? What are you teaching them about respect? What are you teaching them about who God is?

Never forget that you are being an example for someone else.

Trust in God

The best way to describe what God did in my heart last week at Green Lake was to remind me that I work for Him, not for Cornerstone Church. While I am accountable to Cornerstone and I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve there, my ultimate responsibility is to God. To serve God. To obey God.

But if I “work” for God, then I need to trust God. That can be a tad scary. Not because God isn’t willing to uphold his end of the bargain, but because I don’t like surprises.  But the evidence of trust is obedience.

There is a great story in the Old Testament that illustrates my point. In Joshua 3, the Israelites were told that they would cross over into the Promised Land on dry land. As they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, looking towards the land they were given, the river, now at flood stage, was raging. No dry land. So God commanded them, “Put your foot in the water and I will make the water stop.”  They trusted God so they obeyed God.  As the bottom of their sandal hit the water, the water stopped.

It’s time to step into the water.

My Church

Leading a church to make changes is hard work.  It’s hard to make changes for many reasons, none more significant than the fact that people like to have church “their way”.  They want a church that reminds them of either the church they grew up in, or more likely, a church that reminds of them of the church where they had their most spiritual experience.

Those aren’t necessarily wrong motivations, we drift toward what we like.  The problem is that people who are strangers to God’s grace (lost), don’t have those memories.  If we continue to do only what we like, we won’t have much of a chance to reach the people who need to hear the gospel message most.

So the question is, “Am I willing to sacrifice my church for the sake of others?” I think it is easier to say “yes” than to actually mean it.  But that’s my prayer for Cornerstone.  That’s what makes change so hard.