Above Average

RISING ABOVE AVERAGE

Last week we looked at three myths about how a church moves from average to excellence. This week I want to zero in on a definition for Average.
Average is: The best of the Worst and the Worst of the best. That may seem a little harsh but it may just rise to the level of scripture in the book of Revelation 3: 16 when Jesus addressed the Loadiceans as “Lukewarm”.
Lukewarm and average have a great deal in common. Average gets the job done at the lowest level of commitment necessary. My father in law was my pastor for a number of years. He had a motto that he wanted printed on our weekly newsletters. That motto read: “God’s business is the most important business in town.”
Maybe that motto would be a good measure of whether a church is moving beyond the “average” label. Once a community can see that a church is passionate about it’s mission, they begin to take note that it is a different kind of church. Not an average one.
The key to moving beyond average is easier than it may sound. When climbing a stair case you focus on the next step. Raising our level of performance one step up. That one step up will move us to above average. That is a huge step up. Invite God speak to your heart about taking the next step at Grace.

THE GREAT NEW ADVENTURE!

TO MY CHURCH FAMILY AT GRACE CHRISTIAN CENTER:

What an honor it is to be asked to serve as your pastor. Thank you for your confidence in me. As we start this great new adventure together I am aware that respect is earned and I will do my very best to earn your trust and respect. I invite you to follow me as I follow Christ.

God has a great adventure in store for us as we prepare to advance His Kingdom in Central Texas. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. This is the DAY God has planned for you! As your pastor, I hope to be your coach, encourager, leader, trainer and biggest fan! My door is always open to you.

My life scripture passage is Col. 3:1&2 "If you then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

That passage keeps me grounded in mission. Keeping my attentions on Christ and the mission He has given me helps me lose sight of the day to day issues that otherwise may discourage, frustrate or distract me from my purpose in Christ. Verse 2 is my daily prayer: Lord help me today to "set my affections on things above, not on things on the earth".

So church family....Let's get Ready, Get Set and Grow!

Alan Kirkpatrick

alan@gracechristiancenter.org

CREATION/EVOLUTION

Accidental or on purpose? Evolved over billions of years or carved out by the finger of God? Did man evolve from the lower forms of life or did God create him from the clay of earth and breath life into him?

Creation or Evolution are they mutually exclusive or could both be at work in a cause and effect type of scenario? Deep questions that have troubled man though out the ages. It is difficult to look at the order of the universe and believe that it is all just a cosmic accident. Push the earth inches one way or another and life cannot be supported. Straighten it out so that it does not tilt on its axes and we lose the four seasons we now enjoy.

The Bible opens with the book of beginnings: Genesis 1:1 In the Beginning God created the heavens and the Earth." Although the unfolding verses and chapters continue the story it is really only a glimpse or snapshot of the massive creative work of God in the universe. A passage in the book of Job 38 that asks: Where were you when I laid the earths foundations?,,,while the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy?"

Are you seeking answers? Let me invite you to check out a gathering where we attempt to tackle issues like this in the light of what the Bible has to say. We meet each Sunday night at 7pm for directions and other information email: roundrockhomes@gmail.com

WEEKLY THOUGHTS...

October 18, 2009

LOVE is a four letter word. In the English language it may well be the most misused and least understood of all the words we most commonly use in everyday language.

Think about it. We say that we love chocolate, our spouse, the sunrise, our dog, Chinese food, a special pair of shoes, our children and the color blue. We use that word LOVE to describe all those different kinds of attachments. Surely we love our children more than Chocolate or our favorite pair of shoes. The Greek language has 5 different words for love. One means brotherly love, another sexual love and so on. The highest form of love in the Greek language was AGAPE love. The closest meaning we can capture in the English language for that kind of love is: SELF SACRIFICING LOVE. It is the type of love that Jesus showed for us at the cross. He willingly sacrificed His life to give life to us.

Jesus commands that we show that kind of love to one another in John 13:34 "A new command I give you; love one another, as I have loved you, so must you love one another." When we define Love as selfless acts it brings the true meaning into prospective. Love is an easy word to say but a hard word to live out.

All people are hard to love sometimes and some people are hard to love nearly all the time. With that said we the love we are to live out toward one another is without prequalification. Jesus loves us in our most unlovable state and expects that we do so for one another. The good news is that He fills our hearts with Agape love so that we can love those around us.

The world around you is looking for real love. The kind of love that makes sacrifices and makes a difference. Go show them!

HOW TO FORGIVE OTHERS...

Everyone of us has been wounded by someone close to us. In some instances the wounds are so deep so abusive as to have altered the nature of our person hood. As we seek to recover we often see those who harmed us as having escaped suffering, while we have had to deal with the awful hurt. That makes it seem impossible to forgive. Our nature wants the offender to hurt as much or more than we have.

The truth is as long as we hold our offenders as captive to our revenge we remain the victim and open ourselves to roots of bitterness that will eventually strangle our soul. We become imprisoned to a life of misstrust, suspicion and shallow relationships. We do not open our hearts for fear they will be crushed again. One cannot LIVE this way only exist.

In order to embrace life again we must forgive.

"You must make allowance for each others faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others. (Col. 3:13)" New living translation

So where do we begin in order to forgive? The first step may well be to forgive yourself. Victims often blame themselves for the abuse they suffer even when it clearly it was impossible for them to avoid. Start with the understanding that all people wound and hurt other people. Hurt people will Hurt people. We have all been victims.

The real key to forgiving other is in accepting the forgiveness we have in Christ and offering it as a gift to those who hurt us. In Christ we are not only forgiven but scripture tells us that God also forgets our sins. At first glance forgetting deep seeded wounds seems impossible.

We have spent years Repeating the wounds, Rehearsing them and Reliving them to ourselves and others. The above formula should be familiar to all of us. It is the formula we have used all our lives to help with memorization and study. While in school we prepared for tests by Repeating, Rehearsing, and Reliving what we had been taught.

To begin our journey toward forgetting we have to stop using the formula:

1. Stop Repeating: Do not retell this story or hurt.

2. Stop Rehearsing: Do not act out the events.

3. Stop Reliving: Visualization is a powerful memorization tool but it can be our enemy as we rewind the film of our hurt and replay it over and over in our minds.

Ask God to help you forgive. It takes His divine power to heal us and fill us with the grace we need to forgive these deep wounds.

He forgives me..

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities" the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Forgiveness! "It was not the nails that kept him on the Cross it was love" (Tommy Walker) When I was in Bible school I joined a group that traveled and sang across Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. One of the songs we sang was titled "Born Again". It highlighted the new life that begins in Christ as we accept His forgiveness and make Him leader of our life. It is as if we have been born again.

In the passage above there are three important theological words: Transgressions, Iniquities, Chastisement.

Transgression is when one violates the law, whither knowingly or in ignorance. In this case it sets one in opposition to God or against God's Laws. The transgressor finds themselves on the side of self interest, selfishness, seeking personal comfort rather than sacrifice.

Iniquities: Gross Immorality or injustice, wickedness. Continual, wilful transgression against the laws of God opens one up to a corrupting of the soul that seeks to put oneself on the highest throne of earth. In order to do that there one must sear his natural conscience so that empathy and compassion are all but gone. Instead of mercy, one offers quid pro Que. Rather than offer fairness one would offer a lesser seat at the table to those who do not war against his self imposed kingship. Wickedness is viewed as an means to an end.

Chastisement: to be berated, beaten down, humiliated. to punish as by beating. This word is descriptive of the price paid for forgiveness. Jesus was beaten and hung on a cross. The cost of sin is death and Jesus paid it for us. He willingly left the spender of heaven to come to earth to die for you and me.

Our challenge is to LIVE for HIM. Have a blessed week.

Alan Kirkpatrick

www.alanmaz1@earthlink.net

www.activerain.com/alanmaz

A Mile Wide...: WEEKLY THOUGHTS...

A Mile Wide...: WEEKLY THOUGHTS...

www.activerain.com/alanmaz

WEEKLY THOUGHTS...

Sept. 29

HE KNOWS ME...

One of the biggest steps in my young christian life was moving from God loves the world and others to a understanding that God loves me personally and knows me.

It was always easier to see how God could love someone else. At times I did not even love myself, so how could an awesome Holy, Powerful God love me. Besides isn't he busy with a vast universe. I am only a spec in that universe, surely He would not even miss me if I were gone.

How wrong I was! God did know me and He had singled me out as uniquely important as He has with us all.

"You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways, before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

Psalm 139:1-4

As I opened to God in my daily life, He revealed how much he loved me and how well he knew me. I am not just another number to God.

There is a beautiful passage in Isaiah 49:16 that reads "See I have engraved you in the palm of my hands" That passage looked forward to the cross where Jesus' hands were permanently engraved with nails as he was put on a cross. That scar bears my name so to speak. It was for me that he went to the cross. I am engraved int he palms of his hands.

Knowing this changes the way we live. It is to higher purpose than survival we are called. We have been created and uniquely designed by God to fulfill His purpose upon the earth. In even the smallest ways of our daily lives we impact the present and prepare the future.

WEEKLY THOUGHTS...

Each of us asks these questions at times:

Am I really important in the grand scheme of God's design? Are the little details of my everyday life important to him? Is there purpose for my life beyond what I am currently living? How can I discover my purpose in life?

This past week I was hit square in the face with some of these questions. Since Michele and I left full time ministry in 2007 we have questioned at times: are we really where God wants us right now? We believed we heard from God when we moved here.
It has been a really great move for all of us especially our younger children (who are now in high school). We have been blessed with some great friendships, we love the schools here, we enjoy our community. Yet, there is still a calling to purpose on our lives that we have not been living out in a large way.

The result of prayer and time with God gave birth to a Bible Study that we are hosting in our home each Sunday night at 7pm. 1319 Ridgefield loop Round Rock (Teravista)

I have found that my life makes the most sense when I am in my purpose. Getting Amanda Ready for college next year, we have looked over the various degree plans. There is so much she can do, but what was she created to do and be? That question requires that we spend time with God in prayer and examining his words to us: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you. (Jeremiah 1:5)
I have reminded her of that passage as we have examined her gifts and desires for clues to who God created her to be and what He wants her to do. Examining our talents, gifts and desires is a good beginning point. God made you and I unique. He also equipped us for the purpose to which we are called.. "for we are God's workmanship, which God prepared in advance for us to do". (Eph. 2:10)
Your design is divinely inspired! Everything you need to succeed is in you by design. Putting God first is the key. As we let him lead us we will move from doing a job to fulfilling a purpose.
Take time to thank God for your design today. See you Sunday.

Alan and Michele

A PERSONAL PSALM

There is so much I want to say and yet the words are not readily available. As if my head and heart have been blocked from communication. At times like these, I press forward with the "pen" so to speak. in hopes that the blockade will break and the words pour forth more freely.

Robert Frost wrote: "something there is that does not love a wall.." I could not lay my hands on the poem but as I remember it he talked of how the frozen ground will swell and send the upper boulders of the wall tumbling to the earth. It is as if the earth rebels against the building of a wall between neighbors. Robert Frost captures the human delimit. We build walls for protection, only to discover that they need constant repair and in the end, for the most part must be torn down all together so that we can live in community. We were never intended to live alone.

The grand discovery of life is when independence slams into the broken heart. When we discover that we need outside of ourselves we are closer to God than ever before. Very recently. I have had the collision. My independence has slammed into brokenness. At the point of this writing , I am not sure what the outcome will be. save a deeper. closer walk with God.

I have been here before, it is familiar ground. The shadow of the mountain looms over me as I walk through the valley. God has upset my wall. Its boulders are tumbling down. There are new paths for me to walk and this is my motivation. I have nothing to go back too. I have no more walls to hide behind.

Stripped of title. old friendship, security. one can only present oneself. I have talents, abilities, accolades, but in a new place these things are unknown and unproven. Somehow it is good to be in this place. God's voice is more easily heard, there are fewer distractions. A familiar hope is stirring within a desire to reconnect with original purpose. I am closer to God now and it is comforting.

What is just over the mountain? My mission and purpose are moving me forward and I am grateful for the valley as I press for the mountain top.

The Winds of Change

As the fall approaches we are reminded by nature that change is inevitable. The winds of change are blowing across our nation right now stronger than ever before. In just a few years since 9-11 we have seen sweeping change. The way we board an Airplane. The way we look at one another. The way we view national security and so many, many more.
The country I grew up in is vastly different today. My parents never worried about what I was doing on the Internet. I had a small TV in my bedroom and my parents never worried what I was watching on it. At midnight every station played the national anthem and went off the air with an annoying high pitched sound.
I listened to AM radio at night to hear my favorite college team play and then to music that was DJ'd by Wolfman Jack. My parents never worried about what I listened to on the Radio. My brother and I played outdoors mostly, we walked all over town and if we got far enough away from home a hometown citizen would offer to give us a ride home. We left our house un-locked, our cars un-locked and our bikes sitting out in our front yard. The next day they were still there.
It is so much harder to parent today. We work hard to keep up with what is going on in our children's lives. My son was doing a school assignment a couple of years ago that required Internet research. He mis-typed the mans last name and a porn site popped up. We monitor our kids on the Internet. block offensive sites and keep that computer in a public place in the home. We saw what had happened within a few minutes. He felt ashamed and was in tears as we talked with him but it was not his fault.
We are under attack on many fronts in America. Just a few days ago, Disney had to fire a young woman who had a bright future with them because she sent her boyfriend explicit pictures of herself over the Internet and it became public. In recent years what we used to be considered obscene behavior has been glamorized and encouraged by magazines, TV, Cable, the Internet. and our school systems.
It is time for change in America. We need to take our culture back! It is time to get involved as parents in our schools, we need to let our leaders hear our voices loud and clear. We must become ONE NATION UNDER GOD!

What Really Happens in VEGAS?

Some really WONDERFUL THINGS!! Graduation, Baptisms, Great friends, Fun and best of all you can remember evertything in the Morning.

Back to School..

We had a Great Summer but now it is back to school for the two youngest! We all really enjoyed friends and family who were able to come see us at our new home in Austin. No regrets! It is quiet in our home right now. I am working in my office but I find myself a little distracted by the lack of life happening in the home. I am going to go to lunch with a friend out where people make noise. Here is a re-cap of a summer highlight for us.




Recently I took my family and some of our friends from out of state to downtown Austin along the famed 6th street. We took the Duck Boat tour http://www.austinducks.com/ it was a blast. You will learn all about the history of Austin and how it became the capitol of Texas. We finished the evening off at Bess Bistro http://www.bessbistro.com/ (my oldest daughter is a pastry chef there) Bess is owned by Sandra Bullock and is a great way to get the Austin Flavor. A stroll down 6th street will put you in ears shot of some of the best music in the country. Each cafe, bar and restaurant have live music as Austin loves to proclaim itself as The Nations Capitol for Live Music.
The Real Estate Market in Austin remains strong despite what has happened in other parts of the country. This can be attributed to a strong economy in Texas especially in central Texas. Where people work they also must have homes to buy or lease. The strong economy has attracted both investors and new residents from LasVegas, California and Arizona where the real estate market booms have created wealth for home owners in a short period of time. To protect their gains they have migrated to a more solid market where their money has incredible purchase power http://alanmaz.actris.mlxchange.com/



If you want to find out more about owning a piece of Austin feel free to contact me: 512-709-3336 or just email me your questions at alanmaz1@earthlink.net

Have a noisy day!!

Alan

Weekend to Remember

This past weekend, my wife had given me two tickets to the Cowboy vs Bronco's game in Dallas Texas. I am a huge Dallas Cowboy fan from my childhood. My son and I went to the game, my middle daughter came along with us to Dallas but stayed with other family members while we were at the game.

It was my second game in Texas Stadium. By television, I had watched some of the great NFL players of all time play on that field: Bob Lilly, Roger Stabauch, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith and so many more. For those friends of mine who secretly love the Cowboys too, they did win the game 31-20. Looks like this could be a great season if key players stay healthy.

The best part of my weekend however was not the game. It was being with my children. My wife and I are blessed with 3 beautiful children. They are very sweet (when they are asleep) and obedient (when I carry a big stick) but most of all they love each other. Perhaps that will be the greatest legacy that Michele and I will leave behind is the relationship our children have with each other.

I can tell you it has not been easy work to get them to this point. They each have very different personalities. What one loves the other may not care for at all. Zak loves to read, Amanda loves to sing, Mikah loves to dance and cook pasteries.

Sounds like the perfect Circus doesn't it? I am so thankful that they care for each other. As I look around at the fractured famlies that make up America today, I see a vast sea of lonely people. My prayer is that our kids will always love each other and be there for one another.

No matter how old we get or how far we may move away our siblings can make life a richer blessing or a unbearble burden. I am the oldest of 4 siblings and we are close. It would be great to be closer, but I do know that we love each other. Adversity in our life has revealed that time and again.

This weekend, I saw my children love me and love each other. We went to church together and I saw them love Jesus. What joy! When we decided to move to Austin Texas, my oldest daughter did not have to move it was love of family that caused her to move. What a joy it has been to have her close by her brother and sister dearly love spending time with her.

My oldest daughter no longer lives at home and her siblings and parents miss her. She misses us too and often comes over for dinner. When at home now during the day at times I will hear Zak and Amanda upstairs laughing and playing together it makes me smile.

It is not that they never fight it is that Michele and I raise the value of each child and the value of loving each other. We model it, reward it when we see it and discpline strongly when it is violated.

Re-inventing The Wheel

No matter how old I get (I am approaching another birthday) it still amazes me when I encounter the Re-Inventors. You don't have to travel far to meet them. They are your friends, neighbors, family members. Some are even students (which is even more amazing).

The Re-inventors are impressed by only one thing, their personal experiences. When facing an extreme challenge in life they would rather seek personal experience over experienced counsel. It's time to buy their first car. No need to ask anyone for advice, just hustle on down to the car dealership and let the happy car salesman educate you. He just needs to know how much you want your monthly payment to be. There is no substitute for raw personal experience.

Just imagine this: when I started in my career field I actually used to pay guys to teach me what they knew and how they became successful in that field. What a waist of money! I went to College and then Masters work, it was just like throwing money in the trash. I could have learned it all on my own. What I must have missed by listening to experienced counsel from others rather than charging forward armed with my ideas untested life philosophy.

There is a passage in the Bible that states "there is wisdom in the midst of much counsel." Wisdom easily obtained by just asking others. People all around us who will teach us wisdom. The challenge is to have a teachable attitude. As long as we can listen without thinking about what we are going to say when the other person stops talking we are in at least reasonable learning mode. It is really that simple.

The Re-inventors are not devoid counsel, they surround themselves with people who agree with their point of view. It is usually a small tight nit group of people who stand at the ready for each other should their philosophy or ideas be challenged by someone outside the circle. The mission is not to learn truth but rather to be proclaimed "right".

Good news! You do not have to Re-invent the wheel.

The Title

A MILE WIDE...

Many years ago a man of high office in my church organization made this statement about our movement.

"The Assemblies of God is a mile wide and an inch deep".

His comments came out of a sermon he had prepared to challenge us to merge the head and the heart together. The Assemblies of God has long been known for the openess to experiencing God with the whole heart, emotions. feelings. The challenge of the speaker was that we not allow our feelings to be the primary directive for our spiritual lives.

What was said that night to the leadership of the Assemblies of God organization is true of American culture as well. We are a culture of feelings and emotions. Moved to tears by a 20 second story on the news that may well later prove to be untrue or a mis-representation of facts altogether. Too late though we have already shed tears and sent money and repeated the story multiple times to as many people as we could get to listen.

A mile wide and an inch deep when we hate the congress but continuously re-elect our congressmen. A mile wide and and inch deep when we send our sons to war but demand that they fight it politically correct. A mile wide and an inch deep when we buy carbon credits so we can ease our conscience. A mile wide and an inch deep when we allow another tax to be levied by a government that keeps finding new ways to pick our pockets because we rationalize that this tax will not effect us only people who smoke or eat too much or buy gas for automobiles etc...

As long as we feel first and think second we are easy targets for predators. That was the point of the sermon I heard so many years ago. The enemy of our soul would love for us to live our lives by how we feel. He would encourage good feelings when we were doing things that could destroy us and others and make us feel angry or cheated when we do things that in the long run will be in our best interest and the interest of others.

And so we find ourselves A Mile Wide and An Inch Deep. The average American spends 8 hours a day at work and 8 hours a day in front of the TV. The cruel reality is that leaves no time for deep thoughts so we dare not tread into deep waters.