Ok, that title’s not entirely true. Here at NorthWood, we train young pastors who want to start new churches from around the world. We do that through our Modular Training – 4 days of face-to-face and several months of online training. Doing it this way helps with guys who want training, but can’t (or won’t) move to Texas for 9-months of training (which is the way we’ve done it in the past).
But more than the training, we create a comradery. We laugh, we play, we cry… but mostly laugh. Seriously, it’s a lot of work leading up to the event for the staff, but when we get there we are seriously having the time of our lives! I absolutely LOVE watching the “lights come on” in these guys eyes when a new concept takes hold. I thrive for those moments.
We teach 4 components, or “Modules” – Kingdom (how do you not only see, but live within the Kingdom of God here on earth), Disciple (how to create a discipleship process), Society (we start with the society, NOT the church), and finally, Church (what does a Kingdom minded, Disciple-making, Society-engaging church look like?).
Here are some highlights from this weeks’ training:
- A true disciple both hears AND obeys when the Father speaks… moment-by-moment
- The point is not growing your church, but investing in your community
- Jesus is the head of the Church, not the pastor – all believers can hear from the Head… not just the pastor. (learn to let go of control)
- Don’t quit… it WILL get hard, there WILL be opposition, and you WILL get discouraged.
- Be smart with resources (what really is that $20,000 lighting system going to get you when you’re first starting?)
- Love one another (it’s a harder topic to learn than it is to teach)
- Discover what God is already doing. Don’t try to drag him along in your endeavors
- Release your people to engage the domains of society (Domains are the grid by which we engage, not the church)

This is just a sampling of what happened on one day of the total training… if you’re interested in getting in on the action, go to www.glocal.net/turbo and read the pre-requisites for the “Modular Training” (not the “Turbo” – that’s another deal completely).

Love these guys and can’t wait to see how they will take this and run!

There are two guys who live on my street and every once in a while we go on these “man-dates” to watch “man-movies” and do “manly stuff” like fart out loud… and NOT blame the dog.

Anyway, last night we went to see Avatar in 3D.  I was skeptical about the whole “3D” thing.  The last time I watched something in 3D was “JAWS” back in the late ’80’s.

It was very unimpressive.

So, I sat there in the theater, put on the glasses that make me look like a meth-addicted Buddy Holly, and began to watch the previews (yes, the previews were in 3D too, in case you haven’t seen it).  The first preview was for the new Alice in Wonderland movie.  The 3 of us looked at one another and gave the, “See! I knew this 3D thing was worthless” look.  But then the second preview came on and I actually flinched because I almost got hit in the face by a branch on the screen.

I sat there amazed.

I flinched.  I… actually… flinched.

Then the movie started and for nearly 3 hours I sat there “experiencing” my first movie.  You see, you don’t merely watch Avatar, you experience Avatar.  Even without the 3D, it’s a great movie with an incredible plot and story line. But the 3D takes it to another level completely.

This morning, I was reading Jonathan Acuff’s blog “Stuff Christians Like” and there was one line in it where he said his relationship with God went 3D (not the point of his post, by the way.  Just one line).  But that made me think about my relationship with the Father.  For years, like a good little “Christian,” I went to church, I did my “quiet time,” I sang the songs, I burned all my “worldly” CD’s (only to buy most of them back a few years later after I realized how dumb that was… but that’s for another post) and obeyed the authorities.  I had my golden ticket to ride the heaven train when it left the station and that’s all I needed.

But, as you read in my last post, this year that all changed.  My relationship went 3D.  I know people who do all the things I mentioned above.  I know people who do all of that and then add more rules and regulations to their lives to ensure they are doing everything that they deem as worthy of admiration by God.  That’s living a 2-dimensional life with God.  I told this to someone this morning and they said, “Well, that’s better than living a one-dimensional life with yourself as your god.”  I would have to disagree.  I think it is more dangerous to live a life where you think you have God figured out and even worse, you think you have a relationship.

What happens If I performed a lot of actions for Rennee like, I’m going crazy here, clean the house, do the dishes, do the laundry, feed the kids… but that is all I did.  No conversations. No sitting next to her holding her hand, no starring at her while she drives in complete adoration (which drives her crazy by the way… I’ve almost caused many-a-crashes that way).  We wouldn’t have a relationship.  I would be a maid.  And, just being honest here, our marriage can get like that at times.  We go through all the motions, get busy with the kids, get busy with our careers, and the relationship takes a back seat.

Our relationship with the Father gets that way.  It’s easy to go to church.  It’s easy to be a “good” person.  It’s easy to follow a list of rules (even made-up ones).  But it’s harder to wake up to a God who is the “Big Man Upstairs” or is merely watching from a distance.  I found that when God became Father to me, spending time with Him was easy.  Waiting on Him was easy.  Sitting and knowing He is in control in the midst of a storm is easy(er).

How are your relationships?  Are you living all of your relationships in 3D?  Is your relationship with Father 3-dimensional?

I’ll never watch movies the same after Avatar.  After that experience, I expect more from my movie-going endeavors from now on.

Same with my Father.  After I experienced Him, I expect more from my relationship with Him.  I wake up wondering what wonderful adventure we’re going to have together today.  I want the same for you, too.

I’ve been at NorthWood Church for four years now.  I can honestly say that the bulk of my spiritual journey has happened since being at NorthWood.  Bob Roberts is an incredible visionary leader, mentor, and friend.  Jordan Fowler and Omar Reyes have helped shape what I believe and “set it in stone” per se.  People like Jim Hylton and Scott Pricket have held me accountable to my walk.

But it was 2009 that my worldview got drastically changed.

Back in January, Omar went on a Quest with an organization called Fellowship of the sword.  Now, you need to understand something about Omar.  Everyone has someone in their lives who you esteem and regard as being “it.” They know what to say, how to say it and when to say it.  Omar is that guy to me.  I didn’t think anything about it when he left for 6 days on this quest.  But, I was shocked when he got back and he was… well, to put it mildly… “more.”  It showed me two things.  First, we all have our past hurts and “junk” to deal with.  When we let God deal with those, we become closer to what He wants us to be.

Omar came back and told me that I needed to go.  Then, Scott Pricket walks into my office (another fellow “quester”) and said that I needed to go.  So, somewhat begrudgingly, I went (to be honest, it was mostly fear that gripped me.  What if God didn’t show up for me like it had for these other men I knew who went?  What if I go and I don’t “feel” anything?)  I went… and Father showed up in a big way.  I dealt with junk I didn’t even remember having.  It was the largest “leap forward” in my spiritual life I have ever taken.  It lead me to “relationship status change” (to put it in Facebook speak).  I went from God being… well, God, to God being Father.  Like a lot of you, I would call him “Father” in prayers, but that’s about the extent of my “father relationship” with Him.  I didn’t understand what that meant for my personal walk.  I didn’t understand what that did to my family.  I didn’t understand what that did to those who I come into contact with everyday!  When God is some “being” far away, looking down on you in judgment just waiting to catch you messing up, your theology tends to get out of whack.  If God is your “friend” who just buddy-buddy and wants to be your “homeboy” (I still like that t-shirt, though) then you your theology tends to get out of whack.  But when God is Father, or more intimately “Papa” (Abba – for your theology buffs out there), you’ll be amazed at how the Word comes to life! But there is so much more to that relationship than just calling Him Father.

The sermon series at NorthWood for the month of December is “Christmas Presence.”  I didn’t think much about it, except that I thought is was a great play on words.  Then came a few sermons that have helped me better understand my relationship with Father.  On December 13th (my anniversary, and the day I baptized my oldest daughter) Bob Roberts preached a sermon that I believe is the KEY to most of the problems we see in churches and immature Christians lives today.  It is entitled “No Orphans Allowed” – Take a listen, but before doing so, pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to you through it.  Open your heart to hear what Father wants to tell you.

Christmas Presence: No Orphans Allowed

*PARENTAL WARNING*
There is one use of the “F” word in here… just letting you know so you don’t listen with your kids in the room!

I just wanted to make a comment on two parts of this video and I would like to open the discussion boards up below for comments.
First, notice what happened to him when he expressed his view of only Atheists can be moral in front of “christians” (small “c” used on purpose here for the obvious reasons). Shame on them! And, Penn, if you’re reading this, don’t let those idiots talk to you that way (by the way, bravo on being the bigger person in that situation!).

Second, I want to say that I agree with him 100% when he says, “If you are doing it [good, moral work] for reward or punishment you’re not doing it because it’s right, you’re doing it for reward and punishment.” Funny, I think the Bible teaches the same thing…

“For by grace you have been saved a through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

We cannot do ANY works for reward or punishment. We do good works because it is right.

Thoughts?

No, not Christmas. It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions! (Not to belittle the importance of Christmas, but as Dr. Doofenshmirtz said, “I have an intense burning indifference!” Feel free to rant in the comment section).

New Years, like springtime, gives me a feeling of renewal.  Kind of like that feeling I had the night before the first day of school growing up.  I used to lay in bed that night thinking that this year would be different. I would get all A’s, treat my teachers with respect, and make better friends and be a better friend… that would all last through first period… of the first day… then it all went down hill from there.

I’ll admit, I’ve never made a real New Year’s resolution.  No, really, I haven’t.  But this year is different.  You see, Texas has not been good for me (or, maybe, TOO good for me).  I have this new “pudge” around my mid-section that has never existed before, I have a new outlook on my spiritual life, and my oldest daughter is now a “pre-teen”… My life has officially reached that “scary stage”.

So this year I thought about making some resolutions like using the elliptical that has been covered up with laundry for 6 months every day for 20 minutes, read through the entire Bible in a year, and do a better job at “dating” my girls (I’m going to make my daughter’s future boyfriends lives miserable by teaching my girls how a boy is to treat a girl… and how to kick ‘em in the groin if they don’t treat ‘em right).
But, then I thought about how flippantly Westerners make resolutions, which led me to think about covenants. I was talking with a friend of mine who manages several L.A. Fitness centers around the metroplex and he said that December through the end of February they get insanely busy… but the rest of the year is pretty quiet. What happened to that “year of healthy living” resolutions everyone made? I don’t want to be “that guy.”

re*so*lu*tion [rez-uh-loo-shun] n. – a resolve or determination

cov*e*nant [kuhv-uh-nuhnt] n. – a formal agreement of legal validity

Obviously, there are many definitions to both of those words, but I like those two definitions and this is my blog, so those are the one’s we shall go with. In both cases the person making the resolution or covenant has a passion and motivation to get something done. Too often we make resolutions without having any resolve or determination, so they are merely temporary things. Sadly it is the same with covenants. Marriage is a covenant with your spouse, but here in America we bail at the first sign of trouble or when a more beautiful person comes along.

Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
My friend and mentor, Omar Reyes, taught me a valuable lesson one time using this passage. He said that too often we want the treasure without buying the field. Meaning, we don’t want all the work and responsibility it takes to enter into that covenant to obtain the treasure. We just want the goods without the work. It’s the whole instant gratification that Americans long for and expect.
Making a resolution or covenant takes some sacrifice and hard work at times. Don’t look at this new year and make a flippant resolution. Instead make a covenant to do differently, live differently and be differently.

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas.

I love art. Many people don’t know this about me, but I took some advanced placement art classes when in high school and was offered several scholarships to some prestigious art schools. But I didn’t take them because, well, artists don’t make money (we’ll discuss my insecurities and self-worth another time).
There are different views of art. Some look at Picasso or Warhol and just love it. That is not me. I’m more of a da Vinci and Michelangelo type person. I look for realism. “Modern” art just doesn’t float my boat. If someone hands me a picture they painted and tells me it’s a beautiful woman, it had better look like a woman. I don’t have time to stand there and wonder what the artist was thinking when they threw a bunch of paint onto a canvas and called it “woman on couch”.
That got me to thinking this morning as I was reading in I Corinthians 12:12 and it said, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”
Now, if you are a Picasso fan, please indulge me for a moment.

The world moves at a very fast pace these days. I’m on the edge of that generational gap that remembers life before computers, so life and information can even move faster than I’m comfortable with at times! With this fast-paced life those who are outside the church walls don’t have time to stop and contemplate what you are thinking when a pastor or fellow believer makes a negative comment or heavily critical toward non-believers (which is another one of my soapboxes, which we can discuss later). They don’t stop and say, “Well, they could be talking about X or Y.” No, they take it at face value – right or wrong.
Sometimes I wonder if the body of Christ looks more like a Picasso than da Vinci. People look at us from the outside and go, “Wow…” and not in a good way. They look at us and wonder what kind of monstrosity they are beholding.

And that leads us to how we live our personal lives as well. To our neighbors, what do you and your family look like to them? Do you exude the love of Christ, or do people look at you and see, well, a messed up painting that resembles nothing but a mess.

Mona Lisa

I’m not perfect. My family has its flaws. I live in a neighborhood where all my neighbors know us and know us well (better than we probably should sometimes). But I strive to have my life and my family resemble a beautiful painting that reflects the awesomeness of the creator and shows the love and care that was taken to restore me to my pre-fallen state.

I want my life to be the spiritual equivalent of the Mona Lisa.

What a day today has been! I got to connect my Dad and one of his heroes of the faith, Jim Hylton, over lunch. To hear the two of them share stories of God over a two-hour time period was amazing and encouraging!
Then, on the way home from lunch, I get a text from a close friend that her brother-in-law was found dead at his home. What a roller-coaster of emotions to feel in one day (not that I have anything on the emotions of my friends over the suffering of their tragic loss, for sure).
But it made me think, “Today is the day the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I am so incredibly guilty of complaining about the gift of today that the Father has given. When traffic isn’t the way I want it, when the coffee doesn’t taste just so, when the Dallas Cowboys blow an easy game… and I have the audacity to say, “I’m having a bad day.”
Then there are days like my friends are now going through. The death of a brother, father and son. How can we “rejoice and be glad” in the midst of such trials and suffering. Surely, that makes for a bad day worth complaining about.
Bad days, legitimate bad days, come and go. And that is ok. We grow through pain. We find the fortitude that the Father has equipped us with to make it through those days. But how many of us complain to the Father about illegitimate bad days? I know I do. I listed some of my most recent “bad days” above. How petty are we? That God has given us the gift of a day and we squander it and complain about it.

Today is the day that my Father, my provider, my sustainer has made, and I will choose to rejoice and be glad IN it.
Be grateful for the gift of a day. And choose to rejoice, be glad, and do something with it!

After a one-year hiatus, I’m back to Bobbysfam.com! What a year it has been! In the coming weeks I will be posting new video blogs, family updates, and random thoughts on random stuff. So much is happening and we’re excited to share with you what’s going on in our lives.

Hope to see you soon!