Today we kicked off our series, “Coming Home.” The key text for our series is Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The first name given to Jesus is Wonderful Counselor. God counsels and speaks to us in many different ways. Today’s service was action packed, “Slow Jam the Announcements” was great (no James/Irene are not pregnant, it was a joke), and the band rocked Revelations by Audioslave. Here are some highlights from the message this morning:

• God really does have an opinion about your life, and the good news is he’s always right.
• People doubt the supernatural in church, but love kids turning into werewolves and sparkly vampires. Seriously?!
• God specializes in the supernatural.
• The Bible is awesome, alive, and active. If it was a movie it would be Rated R at best, some of it NC-17. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
• We don’t like to read scripture, because scripture begins to read us (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• Wanting to hear God’s voice with no desire to get into God’s word is like wanting to get clean but refusing to get in the shower.
• Jesus didn’t leave us as orphans, he left the Holy Spirit (John 14)
• We need others to help us along the way (Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 24:5-6)
• We need the church! Especially since Jesus built it, died for it, and blesses it.
• We need to be busy be still and know that he is God! (Psalm 46:10)
• God speaks to us through circumstances. What have you gone through where God taught you something?
• When God speaks, we need to acknowledge it. (Isaiah 45:19, Ezekiel 36:26-27)
• “God will never show us what’s next, until we obey what’s now.”
• When God speaks, we need to seek it. (Jeremiah 29:13)
• When God speaks, we need to obey it. (James 1:22)

Good times. Podcast will be up soon. It was great being with everyone today and kicking off this new series. I cannot wait to see everyone at the Open Mic Night & Art Show on December 9th, 7pm at the Forefront Warehouse.

Next Sunday we’ll be looking at the next name for Jesus, “Mighty God.” Until then, check out the promo video and pass it on…

Coming Home Sermon Intro from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

I read a bunch of differnt stuff around the web. One of the things I do is keep up with other churches doing great things to see how we can learn, get better, and approach God is a fresh way. Our family celebrates Advent, and we try and teach our girls about it. If you’re interested in doing so, it’s not too late. Village Church in TX has some great resources for you and your family to get rolling today. Here is a brief snippet of their post:

“Christ is coming. He has come, and He will come again. This is the message of Advent.

Though Advent is often neglected in many contemporary churches, it has a long history of remembrance. It is a season of waiting, a time of anxious and eager anticipation for the coming (advent) of Christ to His bride.

Though it overlaps with modern Christmas celebrations, it is quite different. Whereas Christmas tends to be a season of noise and commotion, Advent is a time to slow down and reflect. It is a season to consider the first coming of Christ and patiently ponder His second.”

Here’s a short video to encourage you in the process and you can download a PDF guide for your family here.

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

• Toms Shoes wants to keep Movember going all year long
• I hate microwave beeping. This would change my life.
• Want to be the parent of the year? Get your kid THIS. (via Pez)
• Flipboard App has changed the way I read blogs/FB/Twitter.
• Blaine Hogan & team have a movie premiering at their church. Stories need to move us. This looks good.
• Ever struggled with identity in work, parenthood, etc? This article will hit home. (via echohub)
• I miss being a kid and just playing in the mud. Who says adults can’t still act like kids? (via gizmodo)
• Simplicity in a workspace makes my happy. I could totally work at Twitter’s offices.
• Confession: I’m jealous of all you iPhone 4s owners. For now I’ll have to suffice with this.
• Taking Chloe to the Dr. this morning to see if it’s chicken pox or not. Whatever you do, don’t. google. chicken. pox. Ugh.
• If anyone is looking for a christmas present for me (hint, hint).
• I didn’t get a chance to go, but sad this VB place closed down.
• A friend of mine picked up a velvet framed pic of Elvis for $5 at a yard sale this week. If anyone comes across this one, pick it up for me immediately.
• Forefront Christmas Service on December 23rd, 7pm at Ocean Lakes High School is going to be Off The Chain! Make sure to be there and bring your friends and family.

I love Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon) and the music he creates.
It’s so relaxing and gives me inspiration while writing, studying, creating.
So, I was extremely excited when he released his entire self-titled album to YouTube in video playlist format.
You can view one of the videos below, and the entire playlist here.
Total time is 39:59 seconds, but it’s totally worth it.

This Week: The U-Factor
Theme: When it comes to prayer, there are a number of things people wrestle with. Giving God our undivided attention? What do I do about unanswered prayer? When I don’t get what I want, do I still hold to unending faith?

You can listen on our website via your computer or mobile device.
Click here to view the podcast via iTunes

Ever been called something that hurt you to the core?
A label stamped on you because of something you did?
Well, Jesus came to abolish those labels.
Don’t believe the lies Satan & society have placed on you.
You were bought with a price.
God loves you.
You are special.
Unique.
Loved.
Important.
Needed.
Desired by God.

At Forefront, you’re not a label, number, or statistic.
You’re a person. A soul in need of a savior.
We’ve all messed up and wish we could go back and change things.
We all can use a second chance.

(more about these images here)

I get inspiration from all kinds of places.
Movies, Blogs, TV, Pastors, Art, Music.
With all the intake, I figured I’d post some of my favorite inspiration from 2011. My hope & prayer is that it strikes a chord with you and challenges you to think differently about this world we live in.

First up, is Perry Noble.
I’ve seen him speak at conferences & workshops. Listened to his podcast, but it was this post from January 2011 that really moved me. Here is an excerpt from the post he wrote:

WHAT IF you were a non-Christian…and Christians treated you the way you treat non-Christians?

• Would you ever get invited to church?
• Would you feel looked down on?
• Would you feel condemned?
• Would you be ignored?

Reality is that most of us have forgotten what it was like to be lost (see I Corinthians 1:26-31 & Ephesians 2:1-5).

We’ve lost sight of the fact that the Bible says that Jesus LOVED THE WORLD…not just the people in the church.  (See John 3:16)

We’ve lost sight that Jesus commanded us to reach the world (see Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48,John 20:21, Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 5:16-21)  AND…FYI, there is another group of people that are quite passionate about this (per THIS article on CNN today).

We’ve lost sight that we’re not just supposed to pray for people to come to Christ…we’re actually supposed to ENGAGE them in a conversation.  (See Romans 10:14 and Romans 10:17, Acts 8:26-40, John 1:35-51)

A phrase he uses quite often, and I love it, is:

FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE!

I cannot agree more with this sentiment. When you come into contact with God and He begins to work on your life, you cannot help but share that with others and bring them to church. God can do amazingly more than you could ever imagine. So, my question for you is…

Who are you bringing to church Sunday? 

You know the person you’ve been hanging out with, talking with, neighbors with, work with, spend time with. When is the right time to share with them what’s happening in your life and invite them to church? Now. You have relationships with people and they have no idea what’s happening between you and God. Share it with them, and bring them with you this Sunday as we kick off a new series, “Coming Home” which will be filled with discussion on God’s love, grace, and power to change our lives.

See you Sunday!

In short, lives are being changed.
I don’t know where you’re at, but God is up to something here…
And I’m loving it.
People keep asking:
“What is God all about?”
“Could He really love somebody like me?”
“If I give my life to him and mess up, will He give up on me?”
“Do I have to get everything right before I get baptized?”
“Is there any hope in this life?”

Here’s the great news, people are asking questions and God is providing answers. God is all about love, grace and forgiveness. He absolutely loves someone like you. If you mess up, and you will, God is there to pick up up, dust you off, and walk along this journey with you. You don’t have to have it all together, and it won’t. God is the one who begins and completes the work in you. Best of all, there is a hope that we can experience right now. It’s a hope beyond anything we have ever seen this side of heaven. God gives us a hope when all hope is lost. Man, it’s exciting times here at Forefront!

Take a look a few of the people recently who have given their lives to God. If you’re reading this and check these videos out & go, “I’m not real sure about this, but I have some questions” or “I’ve heard and seen this happening at Forefront, what is this all about?” Please email baptism@forefront.org with your contact info and I will personally give you a call. We can get together and talk about any questions you have.

Forefront Baptisms: Cheyenne from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Forefront Baptisms: Ryan Delacruz from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Forefront Baptisms: Malcolm FinkBeiner from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Forefront Baptisms: Tom & Deanna Cramblette from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Forefront Baptisms: Denielle, Tiffany, and Rickina from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Forefront Baptisms: Shelby Kay from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

“You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.”

That quote is from Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. He is the winningest college head coach in history with over 409 wins (no other coach has reached 400). And when reading that quote back, he’s right. Leaders have to perform consistently at a higher level. They’re called to a greater level of accountability.

This is a lesson Coach Paterno is learning first hand at the moment. Under his leadership, he was made aware of alleged sexual abuse to a boy in a school shower by Assistant Coach, Jerry Sandusky. Both have been fired. The allegations have grown now to 40 counts of sexual abuse over 15 years. If these allegations are indeed true, it’s a tragedy on multiple levels. Any time a child is taken advantage of in any form, it’s uncalled for. As adults we’re to guide, direct, love, and protect children. Actions like these being noted go against those very convictions.

One of the things I’m floored by, is Paterno’s response:

“This is a tragedy,” Paterno said. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.“

As a follower of Jesus, I’m commanded to do more.
When injustice is being done, stand up for the victim.
People are without food, feed them.
Kids getting hurt, help them.
When marriages are falling a part, help restore them.
Falling off the wagon, be a support.
Trapped by depression, comfort them.

Decisions count. Make them count in the moment.

Leaders get to experience the joys of leading, but have to make the tough calls when it counts. Mr. Paterno shows us it isn’t about hindsight, it’s about stepping up in the tough moments and doing what’s right instead of what’s loyal or popular. It’s tough. When we don’t take our role as seriously as we should and stand up in those moments, we’ll be left looking in the rearview reminiscing over our hindsight and what could have been.

It’s in a moment like this I pray that Mr. Paterno & Mr. Sandusky find healing, forgiveness, love, and grace. No matter how vicious and incomprehensible people’s action may or may not be, forgiveness is something we could all use a little bit more of. Please join me in praying for the boys, men, and families involved. So sad.

“The minute you think you’ve got it made, disaster is just around the corner.”

So true Joe P.
So true.
Here’s to praying we realize we’ll never have it remotely made.

It’s easy for me to talk about certain things.
God, faith, Mets baseball, art, computers, my family, my little girls, etc.
But, there’s a lot of things I’m not good at when it comes to talking…
Confrontation, asking for forgiveness, forgiving others, being patient.
Over the years I’ve grown in these areas, but I stil have a long way to go.

When you’re not good at something, it can lead to awkward conversations.
Your flaws are out in the open.
Usually, I try and shy away from the awkward moments.
More often than not, I hurt myself and others when I try to avoid the awkward conversations.
It does more harm than good.
Ever been there?

I used to be the same way with prayer.
What? You mean God and I get to talk? To one another?
That’s just weird, right?
It was easy to talk to him about things that I liked or enjoyed.
But, it reached a screeching halt when it came to confrontation, forgiveness, patience.

Slowly, over time, God was moving in my life and my heart changed in what I felt awkward talking to Him about. The moments & strangeness in topics has gotten easier, the things I bring to Him are too many to even count, and there are far less awkward moments in the conversation.

Have you ever wondered if God hears your prayers? Does He even listen?  How am I supposed to pray? Is there some magic formula for getting to God? Check out the next three weeks as we dive deeper into this. And head over to the podcast page to listen to the intro week where we looked at the greatest prayer Jesus ever prayed.

Prayers of Jesus Intro from Forefront Church on Vimeo.