Forward

Every once in awhile, it is good to stop what you are doing, lift your eyes up, and look for what is coming ahead. Looking forward helps us determine where we are going and what is important.

This Sunday at Rock Harbor Church, we will be doing just that. God has put a great vision in the hearts of our church community. We'll unpack the details and begin praying for this coming year. I cannot wait to see what God has for us.

Sunday, September 27

10am worship

11am Forward meeting

Square Peg, Round Hole

A mom was sitting in Safari Sam’s this week with a young toddler. Her siblings were all in the jungle gym, but she was entertaining herself with a hollow ball and different shaped blocks. We all know the toy and remember trying to put the correct blocks through the corresponding slots.

Yet this little girl had not yet figured it out. She continued to try putting the wrong blocks through the incorrect slots. Every once in awhile, I watched Mom intervene and try to help her put a block through the right hole. The stubborn child would have none of it and returned to her wrong block, wrong hole ways. Maybe that is the beauty of this toy. She was occupied for a large period of time.

At Rock Harbor, we are part way through a study in Romans. Our study is very similar to what I observed with this little girl and her toy. God has provided a solution to our unrighteousness and separation from Him. There is a solution to our sin problem! But like the toddler, we observe people trying to do it on their own. For long periods of time, they are occupied with their own ways and solutions. Yet, they labor in vain. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be us too trying to force square pegs through round holes.

Heart Check

The last several months have been difficult as I have been experiencing unexplained chest pain. They have continually poked my arm and taken more blood than I believed flowed inside of me. I've walked on treadmills while connected to countless wires and experienced the chill of numerous stethescopes pressing to my chest as I take deep breaths over and over again. I also wonder if it would be less painful in the long run to have my chest waxed verses the regular ripping of the ekg leads, hair and all.

Today, I watched in amazement during my echocardiagram. There, on the monitor in front of me, I could watch my heart beat. Now, I was thrilled as I watched the heartbeats of my unborn children through the ultrasound, but today was incredible. They measured the walls of the chamber of my heart and checked each valve. They timed every movement and blood flow down to thousands of a second. The result... in 5 days, I will get a very detailed report of all of the functions of my heart.

This all got me to thinking, where can I get an echo of my spiritual heart? I want to check all the different functions and make sure that I am spiritually healthy. So I began to test myself.

Do I trust God in all areas of life or am I holding back?

Am I excited to spend time with my God or am I merely "going through the motions?"

How have I been growing recently?

In what areas is the Spirit working in me?

Am I seeking God's agenda for my life or asking Him to carry out my agenda for Him?

Do I want to love others as He does?

What is my calling?

Will I praise Him no matter the circumstances?

I'm sure there are many other questions I could be asking and will do so in the future. How about you? Have you had your spiritual heart checked recently? Let's not neglect our spiritual health.

Good Reads

I've had several people ask me recently what I've been reading. This has actually been a great season for me as many of the books I have read are certainly worth the time and effort. Here are three recommendations...

For Christian Growth - Refuel by Doug Fields - Not only is it a short little book, but it gives great insights on spending time with God and learning to build our schedules around our relationship with Him, rather than squeezing Him into our already busy schedules. If you attend Rock Harbor in Sherwood, we'll be looking at some of these principles in our September teaching series.

For Leaders - Axiom by Bill Hybels - This is probably one of the best and most practical books I've read on leadership. These 76 leadership proverbs are well worth the read.

For Church Growth - It by Craig Groeschel - As churches, we go through seasons of momentum and times when we feel like we are walking barefoot, uphill, in the snow, with no end in sight. This book not only gives a fresh perspective, it ties humor into the practical illustrations.

I keep reading because I remember a quote from Rick Warren at a conference I attended several years back. He said, "Leaders are learners."

Let's keep learning and leading.

More to come this summer...

Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives

There are a couple of trips I would like to take my family on sometime during our lives. One involves golfing and spring training down in Arizona while everyone in Oregon is cold and wet. Another trip is going back to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. I can imagine walking the halls, seeing the pictures, looking at the equipment, and reading about the history of the game I love. I’d tell my boys stories of players they have never seen play and then tell them about some of the greats I did not get to see either. I just think it would be an incredible experience together.

This summer at Rock Harbor, we are not going to Cooperstown, but we are going to be learning from Hebrews 11. This chapter is often referred to as “The Faith Hall of Fame.” There we find stories and the principles put into practice by great people of great faith. They were pretty ordinary until they began living a life of faith in God. Then, He made them extraordinary! This will be an incredible experience as we walk through this together.

I invite you to join us through the summer and see for yourselves these “ordinary people living extraordinary lives.” We’ll be kicking it off this Sunday so make Rock Harbor a part of your Memorial Day weekend plans.

Refreshed or Drained?

We each face times in our lives which drain us of our energy and other times which bring refreshment. Sometimes I feel like I am facing one draining situation after another. I find myself searching for something to refill my tank.
A couple weeks ago, I was at a pastor's conference down in Southern California. One of the speakers shared his approach to keeping from getting drained. I've been trying it and discovering that it really works. Now, I can't take any credit for it, but here it is...

Divert Daily - for me, it's checking my fantasy baseball team, relaxing with my wife, or playing around with our boys

Withdraw Weekly - I'll admit, I have to work on this one more. I'm always answering the cell phone or checking email. I need to totally get away from the work week.

Abandon Annually - I'm looking forward to two weeks this summer in California without even thinking about work. I'm sure my family will also enjoy the fact that I give them my attention fully.

So give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Spring Break??

It's Friday and our Spring Break week is almost gone. I can remember being in school and really looking forward to a week of no school and especially, no homework. Not being in school any longer means that Spring Break is no longer a "break," but a challenge of balance.

There have been extra demands on my time this week. Work has needed more and my family has wanted more too. I can honestly say that spending time with the boys and Janiesa is a lot more appealing. So it was good to sit through a movie and watch them laugh (even though I wouldn't make Paul Blart: Mall Cop my first choice). It was fun to bowl with them and see the changes in their expressions as different numbers of pins fell.

All in all, it wasn't a "Spring Break" but instead, a good reminder of what needs to be important week in and week out. Now, if April wasn't going to be so busy with Easter and...