Where There IS Vision...

In the King James Version of the Bible, Prov. 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." It's an often-quoted axiom that is so undeniably true. Absent a God-given, God-honoring vision, dream, revelation of what might be, people die a little on the inside every day.

But, the flip side of that axiom is equally true and infinitely more powerful: Where there IS vision, the people flourish. Lock eyes with someone who's chasing a God-sized vision or calling, and you lock eyes with passion, joy, peace, determination, loyalty, clarity, and the power to bounce back from setback. (For another take on this see Mike Hyatt's post--very good stuff).

What's interesting about this is that the word vision chosen by the King James translators is more accurately rendered in our day revelation, as in the Word of God revealed in Scripture. With no vision, no revelation from God, people perish--they cast off restraint. REAL vision begins with what God has supernaturally given to people in the Bible. He gives us his Word in divine communication, protects it through human translation, and reveals its power through faithful application.

What's your dream?

###

VBS--The Art of Inside/Out

Last week's VBS absolutely rocked the face off of just about anything I've ever seen. 1,200+ kids...400+ volunteer leaders...the worship...the fun...the Bible teaching...It was just amazing.

The genius of VBS is the Inside/Out dynamic that it fulfills: It gives those who are IN the LHC family a unique opportunity to serve, connect and grow as we plan, pray, and prepare to serve so many kids. The hours, the sweat, the exhaustion, the joy of seeing kids discover the love of God and what it can mean in their lives--all of it unites us around a common dream and vision.

But, then there are those kids and families who've never darkened the doors of a Sunday morning service at LHC that we get to meet, engage, and introduce to Christ and his Bride. There is the offering that kids bring every morning to serve overseas and across-borders missions and orphanages. This kind of mobilization to serve those who are OUTside the family of faith is a thing of beauty to behold.

I got to be there early before any of the kids and before most of the volunteers arrived, and I saw men and women, high school and middle school students show up at 7:30 a.m. in the middle of the summer, smiling, laughing, serving. And that was the big take-home for me: The undeniable link between joy/happiness and serving. The most joyful people I've ever known are those people who serve as a regular lifestyle. That link was on high definition display last week.

To all of you who served and laughed and worked and sweat it out through the heat: THANK YOU. You are Lake Hills Church and I'm so grateful to you for pouring yourself into the lives of those kids. And me. It was a blessing and a gift to get to be there with you.

Sometimes It's Just Fun

There's joy and then there's fun. Joy transcends circumstances, but fun is circumstantial.

I am so excited about the season of ministry that we get to walk through for the next 8 months. This weekend, we're beginning a sermon series about marriage called Soulmate. that God is going to use in thousands of lives, hundreds of homes, and multiple communities. I know that marriages will be strengthened and encouraged, as well as helped and healed. I know that single adults and students will engage in this series and set course for healthy, God-honoring dating lives that will ultimately result in healthy, God-honoring marriages for many of them.

And, then, after Soulmate, we're going to speak into the lives of men. May 24, I'm going to begin a series of messages called Manhunt that explores the God-given role of men in this world, in the church, and in their families (or families-to-be). I know that week is Memorial Day weekend and summer's coming. But, God is leading me and prompting me to serve this series NOW and not wait for back-to-school, January, or some strategic time. NOW is the strategic time.

Summer means kids at LHC. VBS, student ministry camps/events, Kids Camp--all these things impact kids at the most strategic times of their lives. And, Oct. 1-2 we'll host the second annual Spur Leadership Conference. We're finalizing the lineup of speakers, but the ones we have in the bag so far are WORLD CLASS influencers and difference-makers.

And, then...well, you get the general gist of why what we get to do every day is a joy. But, these days, it's just fun.

Just for Fun

It's just the best commercial on TV. Enjoy.

When Meetings Are Cool

This morning, we had our first staff meeting in a few weeks due to VBS, Road Trip, traveling, etc. I was reminded why I love getting to do what I get to do. There were four things that jumped up and screamed their presence in that room:

I was surrounded by incredibly passionate people. Passion--when it's well directed and properly channeled--is a powerful contagion. Everyone in that room this morning is passionate about their personal faith and relationship with Christ. Now, not everyone is always at mountaintop moment in our faith. We have periods of drought just like everyone. But, we get to partner with the Holy Spirit in seeing lives touched, redeemed, and impacted for eternity every day.

But, they're not just passionate people. They are hungry for the Word of God and they go after it. They don't sit back and say, "Feed me! Feed me!" They take responsibility for feeding themselves and they serve other people and each other out of their spiritual diet. There is no religious flab on any of them.

Also, every person on our staff carries a burning torch for people who don't yet know how extravagantly God loves them. You can hear it in their voices and see it in their eyes when they talk about friends they have who aren't Christ-followers or when we talk about opening our downtown campus this fall; there's an urgency and a concern that flows out of Christ's heart.

And, maybe most infectious of all, they are joyful. For every one of them, ministry isn't a burden; it's a blessing. It's a gift to get to do what we get to do every day. Sure, we have bad days and meetings that don't go the way we want them to with people who are hurting or hurtful. But, all in all, serving Christ and serving and leading his church is a joy and a privilege that we wouldn't trade for anything else.

All of that, and Craig Ihlefeld killed a rattlesnake outside the worship center this morning that we got to see when we came out of the meeting. (Sorry no pictures were taken!)