I want to spend this week pointing out some people that I’m thankful for, certain individuals that if I had an entire church full of, the entire city would be reached with the Gospel.

Now inevitably I will forget all sorts of great people who it is an honor to serve with, but I just wanted to take some time to honor some people that have really been on my heart and have gone above and beyond in serving the Kingdom.

REPEAT- Do not get your feelings hurt if I do not write about you- you’re awesome too, this is just a five day sampling of some great folks.

Day #1:

Jeremy Allen:

I had the privilege of walking Jeremy through premarital counseling with his wife, Jennifer a little over a year ago, and the privilege of performing their marriage ceremony. We all hit it off right away as friends. I never expected them to become a part of our church as a result of the marriage process, but that’s what happened. Over the past year and a half, I have watched Jeremy grow leaps and bounds in His walk with Christ, and it has been nothing short of remarkable! The changes God has made in his life are so awesome and evident!

Jeremy’s desire to be involved in ministry, and to serve the local church, is awe-inspiring. If he sees something that needs to be done around the church, he does it. He doesn’t say it needs to be done. Doesn’t ask if it should or could be done. Doesn’t ask someone else to do it. Jeremy sees a need, takes initiative, makes a plan of action, often purchasing materials that are needed with his own funds, and sees the need through its total completion. He doesn’t leave a project half-finished, and doesn’t leave a mess behind to clean-up.

Recently we covered the windows in our church’s auditorium with black plastic (that Jeremy provided) underneath of our vertical blinds to help control our stage lighting. Jeremy wasn’t satisfied with the black plastic, and one day, without asking, I saw him start bringing in plywood, cutting it down to fit the windows, and inserting custom made panels into every single window- Wow! Thank you Jeremy.

In fact, right this instant, I am typing this blog from a desk that Jeremy custom-made, just for me!

Over the past year, it’s becoming obvious that God is calling Jeremy into ministry, and I, as his pastor, want to help him see that calling through. As a result of God’s calling and empowering, and Jeremy’s awesome ability to connect with children; he has recently become Fellowship Church’s Kid’s Pastor. And he’s been tailor-made by God for this position. I am so excited to where he and his wife Jennifer take our kid’s program, and excited to see what else God has in store for them as a couple- in life as a whole, and in ministry.

Trees waved slowly in the afternoon breeze.

The green grass absorbed the radiant sunshine into each and every blade.

A mother duck guided her young babies through a meandering maze of lily pads and stumps sticking above the sluggishly moving river.

Sea gulls soared on the wind above the sandy shores below.

Pelicans plummeted into the ocean below, scooping up fish into their mouths.

Sea lions sunbathed as the waves lapped the shores.

And harbor seals bobbed their curious heads in and out of the water, taking careful interest of the children playing nearby.

For thousands of year, for these creatures, life has stayed the same.

It is ebbed and flowed in rhythms no different than the tide.

Not one worries about the economy.

Not one considers the national debt.

Not a one loses sleep over who will control the Senate, who will be in the White House following the next election.

There is no anxiety over recently purchased technological gadgets becoming outdated.

There is no fear of budget cuts, layoffs, or downsizing.

None of them hear the bell of the stock market ring.

None of them are fearful of growing tensions overseas.

Their hope is not found in the value of the dollar, the pride of their nation, or the strength of their military.

They simply live.

They simply breathe, eat, drink, sleep, procreate, and do what they can to enjoy their days.

They are aware of the fox, the shark, the man, and the drought.

But they do not worry.

They do not fear.

The simply know that they were created to do what they do; and they do it.

They trust in their Creator.

They live.

They die.

Nothing taking place outside of their Creators watchful eye.

If he cares for them-

How much more is He watching out for us?

How much more is His desire to do good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes?

So do not worry.

Do not fear.

Do not lose sleep due to anxiety.

None of these things will change your life.

None of them will add even another minute.

Be aware of the dangers that lurk, but know that you are to live and it is God who watches over you while you so.

You live.

You die.

You live on.

Live this life to the fullest.

Trust in Christ, find your hope in Him, and live for Him as you invest for the next.

“School is the most important thing to me right now. If I don’t get a good education, I won’t land my dream job. It basically takes up all my time. Anything else, just gets in the way. My weekends are for relaxing, and maybe a little bit of partying to get my head back in the game. Church?! Ha! Maybe when I’ve got a two kids and a dog or something!”

“Putting in extra hours at work is a-given if I want to climb up this corporate ladder and make some serious bank. After all, I’ve got big goals and aspirations: a sweet ride, a big house, the biggest and flattest tv available, anything new with an apple on it, keeping up with the latest fashion trends, and showing off my new body on a beach somewhere warm- sometime soon! Plus, everyone knows you have to have a nice investment portfolio to let you play once your work is over. I’m thinking I can pull that off at, like, forty. Support a ministry?! With my money?! Possibly when I win the lottery or something!”

“I’m currently single, so looking for someone to hook-up with is definitely on the top of my mental priority list. Spend a little time serving someone else?! Are there any hot single girls there?!”

“My kids absolutely come first for me! My youngest has swimming, ballet, tumbling, soccer, junior cheer, and modeling try-outs. My oldest, he’s really busy. He is in basketball, karate, football, baseball, swimming, TAG, junior student government, drama, and hip-hop dancing to make sure that he is well rounded. I’m sure he’ll go pro in one of his sports. After all, we’ve invested so much into it. God will honor us for it, I know. Church?! Whew! If we had time. We’ve got to keep our priorities straight .”

“I’m so tired when I get home from my two jobs! I usually just spend 4 or 5 hours laying in front of a good movie, then if I’m lucky, play Black Ops online with a few friends that I haven’t seen since high school. Read the Bible?! Did you not just hear how busy I am!?”

“My wife and I are newlyweds, and just had our first baby. We make sure to stay in as much as we can so the baby doesn’t catch something. We try to spend quality time together while the little one’s taking his naps. All we need is each other. Join a small group?! Maybe when the kid’s out of the house or something….Jeez!”

“I’m so busy online with my job search all day. When I become exhausted after a long afternoon of  job-hunting, I usually chill on the couch and get my mind off of things by playing Farmville for a while. I keep trying to get to church, but usually I’ll look at my clock on the computer, only to realize that I’ve already missed it.”

“Sunday is game day from August till February. I’ll see if I can make time for the church-thing  in the Spring, between fishing and a few weekends of camping, I think I can make it a few times.”

“I’d love to go talk my neighbor and help her mature in Christ. That’s great she is desiring more of God in her life. But when I get home from the gym, I have a lot of crocheting to work on. And before you know it, it’s time for Oprah.”

Do you have time for Christ and His Bride, the Church? He’s kind of a big deal…

Something else I have become aware of over the years, is that God loves me and takes care of me in astounding ways. Just when I think my needs will not be met, and I have done all there is to do in attempt to provide for myself, God comes through and meets my needs.

Year after year I recognize more and more God’s sovereignty which, in addition to His past works on my behalf, has caused me to make less of fear, worry, uncertainty, and anxiety; and more of my complete dependence and trust in God.

Because God is in control, is faithful, and knows all things, I have come to realize that “He knows my need before I ever even knew I had one”.

And, because He is good, I know He will give me whatever I need to complete the work He has for me. And because of these things, I can sleep securely at night.

This weekend I will be presenting part two of the series and focusing on premarital relationships and sexuality.

Here’s some of my thoughts on the topic that I’m tossing around and will be presenting this weekend(a preview if you will).

One question that many Christians like to ask is;” How far is too far (for me to go sexually with my boyfriend or girlfriend before it is considered sin)?

But that’s really the wrong question to be asking. A better question to be asking would be;” How can I honor and worship God the most?”

Do you think that God is impressed by your “How far is too far?” question?

It’s like asking Him;” God, what’s the least I can do to be saved?” “What’s the least I can do to please you?” “How can I get to heaven with the least amount of commitment to You?” ” What’s the least I can do to get my ‘get-into-heaven-free-ticket?’ “How much sin can I commit without going to Hell?” “I know You took on my sin and died an excruciating death on the cross, but You don’t mind if I willingly commit the very sins You died for a little more, do You?”

Get the picture? These kinds of questions that we ask, that I ask, are despicable and come at things from the completely wrong approach. These questions are all about us, and not about God! We try to make life all about getting into Heaven. Well maybe that’s not the case. Let me rephrase that; rethink that. I believe that we try to make life all about getting out of Hell.

And it’s not that wanting to go to Heaven is a bad thing (FAR from it!), or that wanting to avoid Hell is a bad thing either. It’s that our primary goal in life should line up with our primary reason of existence: to worship God, reflect Him  well, and to find joy and satisfaction in relationship with Him. And while that desire isn’t something that necessarily comes naturally or easily to our sinful selves, we need to seek God for it and allow God to change our hearts to be inline with where He has ordained them to be. Anything less is essentially self-worship: How can I get this? How can I avoid that? How can I…

This goes back to the essentials of our romantic relationships. It’d be like me asking my wife;” How far can I stray from you before you divorce me?” “How many nights a week can I go to the strip club…?” “How many girls can I sleep with before you…?” In other words, love for someone is not seeing how far we can go before they ‘reject’ us. Love for someone is seeing how much you can do to please them?

So do you want to really please God, your future (or current) spouse, and yourself with your sexual decisions? Ask yourself this;” How far would be too far for my husband/wife to go sexually with another woman/man?” And wherever that lines is; that’s how far you should go with your current boyfriend/girlfriend because someday, they’ll be someone’s husband/wife. Andy Stanley says that sexual purity leads to intimacy (with your future spouse). So keep pure today, so that someday you can be more intimate with the one you will spend the rest of your nights with.

The volunteers who work at the whale watching station assured us that they had seen them frequently over the past few days. The only problem was, like the day before with our hike up Cascade Head, was the extremely dense fog that prohibited our view to only a several hundred yards in front if us.

The whales were out in front of us within our field if vision, somewhere, but we couldn’t see them because of the fog. And even if the fog did clear, there’d be something else blocking our view of these magnificent creatures- the ocean. The only chance we would get to see them is when and if they were to surface to breathe, which usually only lasts for a few brief seconds.

Like our experience at Cascade Head, the fog and clouds suddenly gave way to beautiful blue sky. And once it cleared, we waited. We waited until we saw the first sign of whales- a blowhole spout. And spout they did! As the fog cleared, whale spouting became visible all around our field of vision.

And if you watch closely while the whales are spouting, soon you’ll begin to see portions of their body that they allow to break the surface- an arched back, the tip of their nose, or if your lucky, a tail. And if you’re really lucky, you may even see one breach the water completely to get a view of most of, if not all of its body. And we were lucky enough to witness each of those events, except for a complete breach.

We stood mesmerized for over an hour waiting and watching for the next time a whale would spout, for the next time one would show itself. It was fascinating.

It’s crazy, you could be driving along the shore, playing on the beach, or staring at the waves and miss the whales all together if you weren’t looking for them. The fog could shield them from your view all day. And the ocean will always obstruct you from getting a consistent clear view of the whales entire body which lay just in front of you. But, they are out there.

The same can be said about God and His workings on this earth. He is here and present always- constantly working the miraculous right in front of our faces. But often times the fog and the oceans make the miraculous and the incredible difficult to pick out. It doesn’t mean that he is not in the fog and underneath the ocean working on our behalf, but just that those things so frequently obstruct our view.

But when we allow ourselves to look past the fog in our lives, we start to notice “blowhole signs” of God everywhere- reminding us that He is there behind the fog and under the waves. And when you begin to take notice of those signs taking place, often times, God will reveal Himself in even mightier and more magnificent ways- breaching the very fabric of reality (as He did with the incarnation of His Son Jesus Christ) to expose to us His love, sovereignty, and power.

But if we are too busy driving down the highways of life, playing in on the beaches of our own distractions, and focusing and the terror of the waves; we will miss out on witnessing a mighty move of God all together.

Aaron Niequist portrays this idea in his beautifully written song Enchanted. In it he says;

This world is enchanted. Lean in closer to see it. This world is enchanted. Dare to breathe it in.

Have you seen it? If not, lean in a little closer and breathe in a little deeper. You just might catch a glimpse of the impossible!

Don’t think God sends you any “people” like that. You’re probably wrong and simply don’t notice them when they are sent your way. Be observant and give everyone a chance to strengthen you in some way.

And besides, you are one of those “people” who enter into the lives of others to help them along the way. Be willing to go there and be willing to help.