This is Easter week, and I'm living in between.
I'm living in between birth and death. The dash on my tombstone - the one between the dates of the first and last days of my life - is all I get. I'm trying to make the most of what I have in between.
I'm living in between a funeral and the Resurrection. I attended the funeral of a long time FBC member on Monday night. It was a good service, with lots of amazing music (our own Becky Moore sang and led the hymn, great job representing, Becky!!). But any funeral in the context of Easter reminds me that death doesn't get the last word, Jesus beat death, and Brenda will get to tell us what Heaven's been like when we get there.
I'm living in between despair and hope. I have no ability to change people's hearts, lives, pains or choices. I have no ability to say the right thing or do the right thing. I can in no way make people happy, and I can't make anyone listen, think, pray, change, serve, worship, learn or grow. But as God has been teaching me, I have hope in the God of Heaven, who can open hearts, change minds, empower hands and feet, fill hearts with forgiveness and courage, and use even an imperfect, underwhelming vessel like me to speak grace and truth, and then by His Spirit, change lives for eternity.
I'm living in between writer's block and a flood. I'm trying to narrow down what God has been burning in my heart for over three months about the message for this weekend. I seem to be stuck in between not being able to think of a thing to say, and trying to say everything there is to say about Jesus, the Resurrection, sin, death, faith, life, hope, power, grace and forgiveness.
I know with all my heart that after the past three weeks, God is lining this up to be an Easter where He shows up and blows us all away. Pray that I will be able to get out of the way, get the right pieces in place to point to Jesus, and then that God's Spirit will turn up the volume in people's lives until they hear His love for them. Invite your friends, they will hear the good news, I promise.
Strategic, focused, full of faith and willing to make a mess if necessary. Roof Crashers are people like the four guys in the 2nd chapter of Mark who bring their friend to Jesus through the roof of a house.
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About Me
- Bill McCready
- Here's what people call me: I'm the Lead Pastor of LifePoint Church of Carson Valley, NV, a group of people who are learning to be roof crashers. Here's what I do: I lead our church family as we serve God, serve our community and serve each other. I'm also a husband, dad, occasional football coach, and big fan of food, comedy and sports (in no particular order).
Posts
Blogs I Read
Books I Love For Leaders
- Work Of Heart - Reggie McNeil
- Breaking the Discipleship Code - David Putman
- Breaking the Missional Code - David Putman
- Courageous Leadership - Bill Hybels
- Good To Great - Jim Collins
- Chasing Daylight - Erwin McManus
- It - Craig Groeschel
- The Emotionally Healthy Church - Peter Scazzero
- Holy Discontent - Bill Hybels
- Leading With A Limp - Dan Allender
- 5 Dysfunctions of a Team - Pat Lencioni
Books I Need To Finish...
- Killing Cockroaches - Tony Morgan
- Mad Church Disease - Anne Jackson
- Scouting The Divine - Margaret Feinberg
- The Gospel According To Starbucks - Len Sweet
- They Like Jesus, They Just Don't Like The Church - Dan Kimball
1 comment:
Bill, you're so right. In one sense we are all living in this "in between time", but in another sense, the one which is even more real, we are all living in "Resurrection Time". One foot is in the temporal, the other in the eternal...thanks to Jesus. The challenge for me is to believe that of the two, the "Resurrection Time" is the real one, the enduring one, according to the promises of Him who first made this our hope, and not just a pipe dream. Great stuff, as always...May the Risen One shine on you and the community of faith at FBC this coming Sunday!
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