Is It Okay To Feel Good?

Just got done with an amazing weekend at LifePoint Church. Some pieces:

• Over 170 women came together for the Beth Moore simulcast. I stopped in to see the crowd, and what an amazing sight. Heard nothing but great comments about the teaching - what would happen if all 300,000 women who were watching around the country started living without insecurities and taught their daughters and sisters how to do the same? I love the thought of that! I'm excited for what's going to happen when the women of the Carson Valley get it going on like that around here!
• We got to celebrate 15 baptisms this weekend! That has to get your pulse pounding! I love seeing the faces of people when they come up out of the water and hear their church family cheer for them, there's nothing like seeing the joy on the faces of people going public with their faith. I LOVE MY JOB!
• I'm hearing that the men's groups are filling up and getting ready to launch new groups. I'm so glad to hear the Spirit moving in the lives of guys, it's always good for the church family when men are getting lined up with God's plan.
• There's a group of people getting ready for their trip to Africa next month. God is already teaching and growing the team as they are preparing to go, and we'll get to pray for them and send them out next week. What I'm really looking forward to is the stories of what God does in them and through them while they're there.
• Invisible Children are going to be here on Wednesday night. I know the youth staff are fired up about having them come, and hearing from one of the child soldiers that was rescued out of that awful situation should be powerful.
• Last but not least: THRIVE is next week! This is my first one, so I'm extra excited. I'll be blogging about that more later, but just know that I'm fired up to learn, grow and see what's working at other churches next week.

So, is it okay if I'm feeling good about what God's up to these days?

I know that there are ups and downs on the journey of following Jesus, but right now, let's ride the high! Let's enjoy the excitement and the energy of the momentum God is building. Let's build on the good that's happening and push out in faith toward what Christ is calling us to next. What do you say?

Book Review: CHASING DAYLIGHT

Due to circumstances beyond my control, this is later than I wanted it to be, but nonetheless - book #1 on the list I read this year on Study Leave:

CHASING DAYLIGHT

Author: Erwin Raphael McManus 259 pages Published by Nelson Books

Summary:

McManus is the pastor of one of the most impactful an influential churches in America today, Mosaic in Los Angeles, CA. I've heard him on CD and read another of his books, but this one is quite possibly the most impactful things I've read in the last four or five years. He uses the story of Jonathan, son of King Saul, taking his armor bearer and charging the Philistine army as the template for an exploration of seizing what he calls, 'the divine moment.' He walks through the idea in three parts: Foreshock, Epicenter and Aftershock, because the move of God through a divine moment is very much like an earthquake.

Seeing a divine moment and choosing to step into it are keys to initiating an impactful encounter with God. Taking the risk, even though there is no guarantee of success, is a deeper level of faith. Starting wit a belief in God's unchanging character, followed by acting on that belief is first level faith. As he puts it, "trust God and do what He said." Second level faith, according to McManus, is what happens sometimes when we are leaning into God's character in the first level, and He chooses to do something beyond our ability to comprehend. It's the miracle alongside the empowerment, the "way bigger than us" that runs along with the "bigger than what I've experienced before."

As Jonathan in the story acts while others sleep, he enters into the place where a divine moment begins. He inspires his armor bearer to come with him and then takes on the ridiculous odds of two men against an army. In that encounter, God shows up in many ways, others are inspired to join, and the battle is own by the Lord on behalf of the people. Jonathan simply is the catalyst for the greater move of God by listening and following the promptings of God. God joins Jonathan in battle after Jonathan joins God in starting something.

McManus uses many more biblical stories and some of my favorite Old Testament characters and New Testament quotes to wrap around the idea that we need to be on the lookout for God moments that we can step into with confidence - that that we will succeed, but that God has called us to engage - knowing that God is in charge and to follow him may not be the safest place to be, but it does make us more dangerous than ever. Faith is not having all the answers before you act; faith is hearing the promptings of God and acting in line with God's character so that, win, lose or draw, you have engaged with God in what Go has called up for your life. In the end, that's always a win.