A believer. A husband. A father. A pastor.
The response for AccelerateChurch has been phenomenal and it is SO appreciated. We have lots of people praying, offering to serve, and giving. Woohoo! Please keep it coming! If your interested in doing any of these things, please check out this link.
One of the staples at AccelerateChurch.tv is: WE ARE CALLED TO GO & GROW! I was asked the other day: “Why go and grow and not grow and go?” It’s a great question. Shouldn’t we learn as much as we can about our faith before sharing with others? Doesn’t that make sense? Hmm…. makes me smile. 
In Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus says to go and make followers of him, teaching these new followers how to live. Jesus was talking to his team and yes, they had been with him for a while. Additionally, they were to wait a little while longer because Jesus had promised to send down the Holy Spirit to live in each of them. So in reality, his followers had been growing in their knowledge for quite some time before they were told to go. In that sense, the first disciples did GROW & GO!
That’s why I’m smiling: It’s a cycle! We’re to do both. But all too often we “get ours” and then sit back and GROW in knowledge with no real intention of ever getting ready to GO. Before you know it, life is over and we’re nothing more than spiritually fat, lazy Christians that have wasted opportunity after opportunity to reach someone with the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s so easy for us to say: “I just need a little more seasoning.” Seasons come and seasons go and before you know it, your life is done and wasted. That’s why Go is listed first. I probably say Grow & Go more than Go & Grow but whenever I write it down, I’m thinking: Go. Go! GO! GO!! GO!!!
So don’t wait until you’re comfortable. You’ll never be comfortable. It doesn’t happen. Trust that God will give you the words to say what’s needed at the time. You never know, it might be as simple as “hey, why don’t you come to church with me this weekend. Trust me, I know that you’ll like it.” That may be all the GOing that you have to do to help someone GROW… and the cycle begins again.
Perhaps someday, Go & Grow will be a cute little global logo with nice little arrows pointing from Go to Grow and back again but I pray that going out and attempting to make a difference in our community will always be first and foremost on our minds at Accelerate Church.
God bless you and have a great week!
I am so excited to be able to share with you today, the name of our new church.
Are you ready? Are you sure? Really, really sure? Okay, okay, here it is:
The name is………. ACCELERATE CHURCH! That’s right. Accelerate Church. Now you may be thinking “Accelerate Church? Really? What’s that mean? Why the strange name?”
We wanted a BOLD name. A name that would describe our approach to the way church ought to be, the way the church was when it first started. When Jesus gave the command to go out and spread the news about his life, his death, and his resurrection, the church was new, fresh, revolutionary. Within a short period of time, Jesus’ followers had turned civilization upside down. Why can’t church be that way today? Is the message any less relevant today than it was 2000 years ago? Is it any less exciting? Maybe it’s time for a fresh start. Maybe it’s time that we review why we do what we do. That’s what Accelerate Church is all about. It’s a church for people who think that church has become irrelevant. It’s a church for people who have been burned by church. It’s a church for those who think that church is boring, staid, and stale.
Accelerate by definition means to move more quickly or to increase in amount or extent. Doesn’t that sound like what a church should be doing these days? Isn’t it time for the church to come back to the forefront? To be on the leading edge within the community? Here’s what I know: There are 800,000 people in Southwest Florida who live here year-round. Only 4-7% of them attend church on a regular basis yet over 90% believe that there is a God. What does that mean? 750,000 people need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and yet they’re not even darkening the doorways of the church of today. It’s time for something different. It’s time to get it on! It’s time to get going! It’s time for the church to step it up, to increase its effectiveness, to increase the extent of its reach. In short, it’s time for the church to Accelerate!
Here’s what I need for you to do. Check out our new website: AccelerateChurch.tv There is all sorts of information about the church and more will be coming as we move forward. As we’re just starting out, I’m especially asking you to visit the What Can You Do page.
What Can You Do? Quite a bit actually:
- You can PRAY. Pray that Accelerate Church will be effective in reaching out to the people of Southwest Florida. Pray that we will effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ! Pray also that no matter where you are, you have the opportunity to point someone in our direction. Someone who can help us with the vision or someone who needs help. Either way, pray that God will use you.
- You can SERVE. If you live in SW Florida, great news! We’re building our core team and we could use your help. Just contact us and we will get you connected. What if you don’t live in SW Florida? You can still serve. I can’t tell you how many people have already sent us names of people that they know who live down here that either might be or need to be interested in checking out a new church. Keep it up.
- You can GIVE. That’s right, I said it. The simple reality of a church is that it’s supported by those who believe in the vision. Accelerate Church is a totally independent, non-denominational church and if we’re going to be effective, we need your help. Whether, it’s a one-time gift or regular financial support, any amount will help. Remember this, what you give will go towards making a difference in eternity for someone else. Please help and thank you.
There is a lot for us to do but it’s time, past time, to get it on. It’s time to Accelerate. It’s time for Accelerate Church!
God bless you and may God bless Accelerate Church!
P.S. One last itsy, bitsy, teenie, little thing: I would be remiss if I didn’t throw credit for coming up with the name Accelerate Church to my beautiful daughter. Way to go, Kate! Thanks for embracing the vision! Thanks for embracing the dream!
Due to technical difficulties beyond my meager abilities to control, the announcement that I promised for today will happen…..
Tomorrow???
I hope.
Maybe.
Wishful thinking.
<sigh>
We’ve been talking about this for months and tomorrow we will announce the name of a new church in Southwest Florida. A church for people who think church has become irrelevant. A church for people who have been burned by church. A church for people who need to know that the Creator of the universe loves them and has a plan for them and a plan so that they can have a relationship with them.
So make sure and check back tomorrow.
How do you stay in the zone? How do you always remain close to God? Can anybody ever really be there all the time?
Those are the questions that I’ve been asking for the last few weeks as I’ve been studying in the Old Testament. I’m into 2 Chronicles now and I’ve seen dozens of examples of people being in the zone, near the zone, falling out of the zone and never, ever being close to the zone. Here’s the cool thing about the Bible: It never pretends to make an individual something that they’re not. We read stories of how great Moses was. How David was a man after God’s own heart. How Elijah was taken directly to heaven. Asa, Jehoshaphat, Aaron, Joshua, Job… and the list goes on. All great but every one of them fell out of the zone at some point. Why?
Because they’re all human. Not one of them was perfect and the Bible is careful to remind us of that. Every person in the Bible, excepting Jesus, was flawed and I believe that’s something not to be missed in all this. Elijah’s a great example. After an incredible experience, where he saw God’s awesome power in action, Elijah fell out of the zone. Then what happened? God gave him REST and the opportunity to RESET. Don’t miss that. Elijah fell. God picked him up. Then it was up to Elijah what to do next and we see this great man of God get right back into the zone.
Here’s the deal: You will fall out of the zone. It’s gonna happen. How you deal with it, though, determines how long you’ll be out of the zone. Remember what Moses said to the people of Israel right before they were set to enter the Promised Land? ”Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)
How do you stay in the zone? Keep your soul diligently…….. lest you forget. Take time to pray and to read God’s word. Will it keep you perfect? No but it will provide you the key to getting back into the zone.
How do you stay in the zone?
Been reading a LOT in the Old Testament lately (check it out) and it’s ironic that whether God was visible or quiet, either way his people would fail then fall. It happened then and it happens now. Why? Why can’t we stay in the zone? Why can’t we, once we realize who God is and who we are and what we need to do to have a relationship with him, stay close to him? Why can’t we always be in the zone?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot for the past few weeks and there’s one guy in the OT that comes to mind. His name’s Elijah. Elijah was John the Baptist long before John-boy ever arrived (a story for another day). Elijah was who everybody wanted to be…NOT. The dude lived in the wilderness, was fed by ravens, wore hair for clothing and when he did socialize it was with the poor. On top of all this, Ahab, king of Israel, along with his wife Jezebel wanted Elijah dead, D-E-A-D!!! But guess what? Elijah was in the zone!
Elijah miraculously provided a widow with flour and oil, raised the same woman’s son from the dead, could run like the wind, had a remarkable ability to call fire down from the sky & get this: When it was time, God took him to heaven in a flaming chariot. This guy was in the zone, the God zone. And yet, as remarkable as this man was, he still fell out of the zone. The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 19 that Elijah became afraid and full of self-pity. Self-pity? Elijah? Yep. God asks him what’s going down and Elijah “reminds” God that he is God’s only servant in all of Israel. He’s it. The only one left. Haven’t you felt that way sometimes? That it’s only you. You’re all alone. Poor, poor you. I know I have. Many, many times. Self pity probably takes me out of the zone more than anything else.
Thankfully, God very gently refreshes Elijah, sets his feet back on the path and tells him what to do next. Oh, and by the way, God let’s Elijah know that there are 7,000 others in Israel that like Elijah, love and follow God. Read 1 Kings 19 and tell me if you can hear God telling Elijah, “zip it, man, you’re not alone.” Can you hear God speaking to you, saying the exact same thing? I can and I’m so very thankful that Elijah fell out of the zone.
Stay tuned for part four, where maybe just maybe, we wrap up How do you stay in the zone?
God bless you!
Last week I wrote about how do you stay in the zone? I mentioned the Israelites and how foolish they were to fall away from God, right in his visible presence. How could they be so stupid? I mean what does it take to tow the line? They saw all the plagues of Egypt. They saw the Red Sea part so they could flee Egypt on dry land. They had manna provided for them daily and bitter water turned sweet. Last but not least, God had a pillar of a cloud over them by day and one of fire at night. Every day and every night!
What else does it take to get somebody to love, honor and obey their God? I mean if I had that in front of me every day, I know that I would tow the line. Right? Wouldn’t you? Of course you would….. not. Here’s the deal, we are sinful. We fall down. We make mistakes. We get out of the zone. Now fortunately we have the saving grace of Christ Jesus available to us and those who believe in him can claim that grace when we fall down. But is that it? Do we just go on and keep sinning since we have our “grace blanket”? The apostle Paul tells us “No, of course not.” We have to find a way to stay in the zone. How? Thousands of years before Jesus came to die for us all, Moses told the people of Israel this……
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children. (Deuteronomy 4:9)
There’s our clue: Keep your soul diligently…….. lest you forget. We have a remarkable ability to take things for granted, to forget, and Moses knew that about people thousands of years ago and gave the Israelites the clue for how to stay in the zone. How to stay close to God even when times are good. Keep your soul diligently.
Okay, so now we know but waitaminnit! What does that mean? Stay tuned.
Been reading in the book of Numbers lately and just amazed at how dumb the Israelites were. Complaining to Moses all the time about their situation. I mean, these are the people who saw the Red Sea parted in front of them and watched while God destroyed the most powerful country in the world.
You would think that they would be more like “Hey Mo, whatever you say is cool with me.” But no, they whined like …… like we do.
What does it take to be in the zone and STAY in the zone? & if the Israelites couldn’t do it when they had the visible presence of God present with them 24/7, what hope is there for us?
I’m going to explore that a little bit in the coming days. Stay tuned.
It’s Christmas Eve, one of my favorite days of the year. Christmas day is awesome but Christmas Eve has that last little bit of preparation plus ALL of the ANTICIPATION (and of course Christmas Eve services at your local church).
Christmas Eve is also, at least in our family, THE day to reflect on God’s greatest gift to us. Tonight, we’ll tell the Christmas story, have a birthday cake for Jesus and this year, start a new tradition with a “reflections” ornament. That ornament will represent all the blessings that we can remember receiving this year. I’m really looking forward to it.
But there’s one thing in my mind that I can’t shake and in fact, I’ll be sharing it this evening with my family. Do you remember the first people who heard about the birth of a savior? The shepherds, right? We’ve all seen them in nativities and manger scenes, wearing robes and carrying lambs. Cute, cute stuff. But you know what? They were probably dressed a little differently than that. They were probably a little rough around the edges. Their garments would have been grass stained, dirty and perhaps torn. In fact, my image of them would be a lot closer to migrant workers coming out of the field after a hard days work or perhaps a mechanic after working on a car all day with his Dickies and blue work shirt covered in grime. These shepherds were working men. Blue collar of the blue collar. and after being visited by a host of angels went from their workplace to a barn to see a baby. These lowest of the working class individuals went to a crudely made building (0r cave) to see God’s only son.
What humble beginnings. What humility displayed by the creator of the universe. and Why? so that everyone, EVERYONE could realize that God did it for them, for us, for you and for me. “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but so that the world (everyone) could be saved.” – John 3:17
Dream about that tonight as you fall asleep. Your God loves you and wants a relationship with you. Christmas is about a gift. The greatest gift ever given and it was given to everybody.
Merry Christmas!
It was 8 months ago when we heard some devastating news: My mom was diagnosed with cancer. Worse, it was pancreatic cancer. The average life expectancy of someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is 5-8 months. Months not years. Only 20% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live longer than one year.
Just a few weeks later, instead of coming up to New York to help us with our move, my mom was in surgery for over 10 hours while the doctors removed part of her pancreas and essentially rewired her intestinal system. I’ll never forget those hours sitting with my dad …… waiting and waiting. Then shortly after that the treatments began: Chemotherapy and radiation. I can’t imagine what it’s been like to walk in my mother’s shoes these past few months: The recovery, the treatments, fighting the fears that come with all of this.
My mom went for her checkup yesterday. All the scans looked normal, the doctor was encouraging, everything looked good. Only one thing was missing: The results of her blood-work was not in yet. She would have to wait one more day for that most critical report.
Christmas came early this year for me. Today we heard the most glorious news. All reports show that my mom is cancer free. Thank you God! I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but I know this: God answers prayer. Thank you, thank you, thank you God!!!
That’s all I want for Christmas!
