Fruits of the Spirit

This morning in my quiet time I was reading Galations 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." NKJV


I was reading from John Maxwell's Leadership Bible (I love it) and he wrote the following:
"Probably the most memorable verses in this book[Galations] are those that list the "fruit of the spirit" ... Every leader should embrace this marvelous list of inward qualities.

1. Love:  Is my leadership motivated by love for people?
2. Joy:  Do I exhibit an unshakable joy, regardless of circumstances?
3. Peace:  Do people see my inward peace and take courage?
4. Longsuffering:  Do  I wait patiently for results as I develop people or goals?
5. Kindness:  Am I caring and understanding toward everyone I meet?
6. Goodness:  Do I want the best for others and for the organization?
7. Faithfulness:  Have I kept my commitments to the mission?
8. Gentleness:  Is my strength under control? Can I be both tough and tender?
9. Self-Control:  Am I disciplined to make progress toward my goals?

 ~John Maxwell : The Maxwell Leadership Bible

As a leader within any organization, church, or home, it is always good to do a checkup on the "fruits" that are evident in our lives.  Great thoughts to start my day, thought they might be good to share :)

Our Past doesn't determine our Future

Recently, I had the opportunity to play golf at Black Diamond Resort (Doug Egly, you are my hero) and was allowed to play "The Quarry".  These 18 holes of golf are amazing, but there are 5 in particular that just took my breath away.  Hole #15 was one of these such places.

Notice the sand trap on the right that is elevated?

Because of my superior golf skills, I was able to tee off, and land my shot on a very small patch of fairway that is elevated on the right -- just so I could capture a better photo ...

See how good I am?  What an amazing shot!

It was an amazing golf shot, and would have been really impressive if I had planned it :)  As I was playing, I had an overwhelming sense of God's presence.  I felt like He was painting a picture for me, of how He sees each and every one of us.  At some point, this piece of land was used and abused for its minerals and resources.  And if you have ever seen a quarry, it's typically a very barren place.  And I believe many of us have a past that we are not proud of ... we were used and abused, by our hands, or by the hands of someone else.  And we feel like we don't have anything to offer.  But God looks at us and sees a masterpiece.  He looks at you with the same creative eyes that He made you with ... and His purpose for you hasn't changed.  He has plans for a hope and future for you (Jer 29:11).

What if the designer of this golf course looked upon this land as a barren piece of dirt, used and abused, not having any worth?  I would have missed out on playing one of the most inspiring rounds of golf of my life.  Is there something in your past that you are ashamed of?  feelings of ... you don't have anything to offer?  It is time to let go of your past, and let God show us His masterpiece in you.

Dealing with Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 (Niv 84)
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

We all face temptation, and according to the word of God, nothing we are struggling with is unique to us, but rather "common to man."  I think so many times we isolate ourselves in shame because of the past mistakes we have made, or perhaps the poor decisions we are currently making.  We often feel like no one would understand what are going through, or what we have done ... and we punish ourselves over and over again.  If you find yourself in this place, please know there is a difference between conviction and condemnation.  Conviction is the Holy Spirit working inside you to help you become a better you :)  It's His job, not mine, or any other pastor for that matter, to "convict" you about anything in your life -- that is the Holy Spirit.  Now as a pastor, I want to help you understand how to make the next step in your walk with God, and the benefits behind do so.  But so many times we feel "condemnation" - internally from ourselves, or even externally from others.  But the Bible says "there is therefore, now no condemnation, for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1)  Satan's job is to "steal, kill, and destroy" ... according to John 10:10, that's his purpose.  He is the one reminding you of past mistakes, and failures, "condemning" you to a life that is less than all God has for you.

But in Christ, we are "more than conquerors"(Rom 8:37).  God's promise to us is that "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" -- it doesn't say you will NOT be tempted,  but rather he says you WILL be ... "But when you are tempted".  But the cool thing is ... He will provide a way out!  God knows what you are going through; He knows what you are presently struggling with, and He knows what you have done in your past.  AND HE LOVES YOU ANYWAY!!!!  As Pastor Randy shared with us this weekend, "You are God's happy thought."

Please, whatever you may be struggling with today, don't continue to beat yourself up.  Bring it to the feet of Jesus, pin it on the cross, and walk away in freedom.  Jesus paid the price for you and me, so we could live the other side of John 10:10 "I [Jesus] have come that you may have life, and have it to the full".  That is my prayer for you today - that you would live your life to the full.

What an amazing night!

Ok, so I was blown away last night.  I was excited to be a part of the new online campus, but God truly gave me "exceedingly, abundantly more, than I could have asked or imagined"!  I love people ... love interacting and hanging out, it's just how I am wired.  And I recognize how "social media" can impact our world for Christ, and the avenues to use it are endless.  What I didn't expect ... what how much fun I would have connecting with people online!

I was so encouraged to hear from people in other states, connecting while they were out of town, or having been invited by their families to participate with Bayside.  Engaging with people who have never been inside the walls of Bayside, and yet they were being welcomed as part of our family.  I was so blessed to hear testimonies of people worshiping God together through the internet as a husband and wife, even though being separated by thousands of miles.

I knew this was gonna be cool - just didn't know how cool :)  I am so excited to be the online campus pastor - my heart is racing for the opportunity to love on people wherever they are, and show them the love of Christ in a digital world as well.  Thoughts of online community, small groups meeting online, and making disciples -- helping people engage God's word, and having a relationship with Him -- I am so pumped!  I was on cloud nine after last night's service ... and I get to do it all again in 15 min!  Yeah!

Check us out www.baysidecommunity.org

Online Campus Launch today!

My friend TJ McCormick used to throw up right before we played softball.  Not so much from nerves, but from his sheer desire to be his best at everything he did.  I miss getting to hang out with him, and have him pour into my life.  For someone 10 years his senior, I had or have no reservations about him speaking into my life.  He is the lead pastor of Coastal Community Church (www.coastalcommunity.tv) in Ft. Lauderdale, and he is changing his world for Christ.  But I will never forget, and will always be grateful, for time he spent with me, and the day he challenged me to pursue the call of God on my life.

With T-minus 4 hours and 32 minutes to the launch of Bayside's new online campus, and me as the online campus pastor -- I feel like I am going to throw up :)  Not so much from nerves, but from my desire to be the best God has for me ... and to reach as many people through this new platform as we can -- and not to do anything to mess it up :)  It's gonna be a good day!

www.baysidecommunity.org

Discipline (Part II)

1 Corinthians 9:23-27 (main passage)

25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

So how do we have discipline?  Paul says we need to train, in fact go into "strict training", or really he means to develop self control.  But who doesn't struggle with that?  Have you ever made a new years resolution and actually kept it?  Made plans to eat healthy in the new year, and then comes Valentines day.  The chocolate is flowing ... M&M's abound, little heart shaped candies calling out your name ... and self control is out the window, right?  Chocolate is my downfall, that, and fresh baked Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies - c'mon somebody!  Fighting a craving right now ~


Pastor Randy shared this statement with us: "Self control is only possible through spirit control."


In our own strength, we are doomed to fail.  We may be able to fake it for a time, but eventually, we will give in to our flesh.  Unless ... unless we are "spirit" controlled.  My favorite verse is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Through Christ, through the Holy Spirit living inside of me, I can do all things.  I can overcome sin and temptation - but only through Christ.


The first step to having "self-control" is having "spirit-control."  Who is in control of your life right now?  Is it you?  Or are you seeking God's direction, through the Holy Spirit?  The cool thing is, if you have been doing it on your own, and realize it's time to put God in the right place - He is only a prayer away.


James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Discipline (Part I)

Oh the joys of discipline ~ I mean, really, who enjoys being disciplined?  Don't we all want to do, what we want to do, when we want to do it?  Let's face it, its not always fun having discipline, yet we all need it.  Because the reality is, "When you do the right thing, it always pays off."  At least that's Pastor Randy told us this morning in staff meeting, and he is much wiser than I and has the gray hair to prove it.  *** Side note *** I am so blessed to work with the staff at Bayside - what an incredible group of people, and an amazing leader in Pastor Randy.

1 Corinthians (9:23-27) (Gonna look at first two verses)

23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 

So Paul gives us the reason to live a "Disciplined" life.  In fact he sets it up in verse 23 "I do all this ... [to] share in its blessings.  In other words, I am gonna do all these things, because in doing so, I am going to have a blessed life.  And he begins to describe a race, and and the purpose behind it - "to get the prize" or the "blessing."  In other words, we need to have focus.


Paul is telling us to have focus.  If this is what I want, then this is what I must do in order to get it.  Start with the end in mind - if I want to get to Point A, what are the "disciplines" I must have to get there? All of us want to have a healthy marriage ... at least I haven't met anyone getting married just to have a court divide their assets (I'm sure that is a reality for some, but let's say it's atypical.)  But are we willing to do the things necessary to have a healthy marriage?  Are we (guys) continuing to "date" our wives ... courting them as we did when we were dating?  As I am writing this, I can see this coming back to bite me ... need a date night with Lisa pronto.  But it's true ... we allow things to take our "focus" off of the priorities we have said are important to us.  The same can be said of our finances ... everyone wants to have margin, but are we focused on the individual daily decisions that "pay off" in the end?

What areas in your life do you need to realign your focus?  As for me, I am currently looking for a babysitter for Friday night ... any suggestions?

Quality Entertainment

Oldie, but a goodie

Eerily similiar

Taste the biscuit

Join us on the weekend of September 10th & 11th for our new series "The Lies we Believe".  Not to mention, the Bayside Worship CD is released!  And I thought launching our internet campus that weekend was going to be awesome -- click here to check out our new website!

Check out some upcoming announcements!


Lies We Believe Promo from Bayside Community Church on Vimeo.

Get To vs. Got To

Several months ago, my friend Jordan Becnel was sharing on the concept of "get to vs. got to".  As our Worship and Creative Arts Pastor for Bayside Community Church, Jordan has had many opportunities to "get to" do ministry.  Whether loving on someone from his team, or a random person on the weekend, God has given him the opportunity to be "the hands and feet" of Christ on multiple occasions.  And as he was sharing in one of our pastor meetings, he cautioned us to always have the "get to" mindset.

When you begin in ministry of any kind ... you have the undeniable sense of accomplishment, the eagerness to be used by God, to go out and change the world for Him ... and it is awesome.  You get to go talk with someone, or you get the opportunity to pray over a need, or you are given the chance to spend meaningful time with a friend in need.  But as the opportunities continue to present themselves, the "get to" sometimes fades into a "got to" mentality.  I have "got to" speak all weekend, or "got to" get up early for prayer, or I have "got to" be at this or that ... and it's not that it's a complaint, but rather the excitement sometimes fades.

Whether you are a "professional" Christian like myself (yes, I get paid to love people, I have it made!), or just someone trying to live their lives to the fullest in Christ, sometimes we lose our sense of how incredible God is, and that he chose to use a sinner like myself (you probably don't sin like I do, so this may not be as incredible for you). 

This past weekend we had John Maxwell live and in person at Bayside, and he was amazing.  His wisdom on leadership, and his ideas about investing in your kids by paying them for reading instead of chores, wow!  Yet, I was blown away by someone else that weekend.  One of our volunteer worship leaders (I won't mention her name - but she plays everything, and sings like an angel) was walking to her car after the 2nd Saturday night service when I joined her on the sidewalk.  Knowing her commitment with family, her job, and volunteering ... I asked "So, you here all weekend?"  And her response with a smile "Absolutely, I am excited that I "GET" to be here tomorrow.  She understands the concept of Get To vs. Got To.  Do you?

Two heads are better than one.

Who hasn't heard that quote? Two heads prevail, blah, blah, blah ... Except
It's true! This morning I was under pressure to get audio equipment running in 2 min rather than the 20 it normally takes. I was trying to login to the computer for iTunes to play and I couldn't remember the password. I mean I knew it, but it wouldn't work, and the pressure was mounting! So I gave up, abandoned the computer and grabbed a nearby iPhone playlist... Ahh the morning was saved, and our prayer meeting began.
But I was still hung up on the computer, when a coworker confirmed the password was correct. So I took a closer look and realized the dreaded Caps Lock was on!

I found it interesting that it wasn't until someone confirmed in me what I KNEW to be true, that I trusted in my understanding. How many times have you been in a situation where you have abandoned the "truth" simply because you were alone, and without support. Key for me this morning ... Isolation is a scary place to live, for that is where Satan comes at us the most. In the garden Eve was alone, and that is when she allowed Satan in when he said "surely God didn't really say that?". I wonder had Adam been there with Eve, watching her back, being her support, confirming in her what she knew to be true ... Ladies, childbirth could have been a whole lot easier. At least those were my thoughts at 6:30 this morning.