Destination a Journey - Countdown Day 15

Luke 9:1-6
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

We're going on a journey, but you can't take anything along. You can't prepare for this journey. We may sleep in some places that are uncomfortable. We may eat different food. We may eat less food. It might get hot out there. It might get cold. After a few days, we may smell a little different. We'll certainly have to borrow a few things along the way.

Parts of the journey will be very steep so we'll need endurance. Other parts will be smooth. We'll need to avoid complacency there. There is a dangerous precipice along the way. We'll need courage to traverse it.

Thankfully, we won't be traveling alone. We'll have a guide. Our guide will be essential because he is the only one who has been there before. But this is not a journey that can be accomplished even with a guide. We'll need a group. The guide would never take us on this journey without a group.

On this journey, we won't have a destination that can be found on a map. Don't let that frighten you. There are things that have been prepared for us to do along the way. Good things. If we are not distracted, we will recognize those things when they arrive.

After we have traveled for a while, we will realize that we have been arriving at our destination all along. We'll realize that the journey was our destination and that we have been changed along the way.

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Pray today that God would provide the financial resources to accomplish his purposes through FOM

Love for Community - Countdown Day 17

I heard a presentation once at a conference that stuck with me. The speaker asked us listeners to shut our eyes and imagine our Sunday mornings getting ready for church. Shaving; brushing teeth and hair; chasing down and dressing up kids; throwing down pop-tarts and driving to this place we call church. In that setting, he asked us to consider what was going on around us in our community as we prepared for church those mornings. Did we consider the hurting going on all around us? The lies? Divorce next door? Insecurity across the street? Financial stress around the corner? Broken relationships? Pain? The real lives of the real people who we call neighbors?

In our community in West Houston, that pain is real. Yeah, it is masked and covered up with surroundings and accessories to make us look like we're the people on the pages of the catalogues we receive. But this community is like every other. Affected by the tragedy of lives disconnected from God and faith placed in fleeting things. And in all this mess and filth and hiding and hurt is Christ asking us, the Church - his body, to put him on display for this community.

In Mark 6:31, we find Jesus seeking a quiet place with his disciples to get some rest. His disciples had just gone out on their own through the villages for the first time to share all that they were learning from their rabbi. So verse 32 tells us they take a boat to what they believe will be a solitary place; but they find it's not so solitary. A group of people ran ahead of them on the land to meet them as they came ashore. I don't know what these people looked like, but I'm guessing they were of all kinds. Men, women, children, poor, not-so-poor. And verse 34 very subtly suggests how amazing this Jesus is. Because he looks on them and sees they are without a guide. They have no shepherd. They may be smiling in anticipation. But he sees them as lost and hurting in a very deep way. And it says he had compassion on them. He's tired. His disciples are tired. They sought quiet solitude. But Christ is led by compassion, and that changes everything.

Let us be led by compassion. Not in an obnoxious or arrogant or misplaced way. Not in a way that suggests we have all the answers. But led by compassion in the understanding that pain surrounds us, but it's not the end of the story. Christ's compassion caused him to see these people differently. What if we became that? What if we truly saw those around us in our neighborhoods and supermarkets and little league ballparks with compassion? What if we engaged them in our lives? How would that transform us? And how would that lead to transformation for them? How would our lives and their lives be better?
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Pray that we might be inspired by Christ's love for people. Pray that we might have the wit and wisdom and imagination to share His love. That we might love our community enough to meet them right where they are, introducing them, perhaps for the first time, to the One who loves them beyond measure.
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Posted by Brett Moyer

5 Drinks for Breakfast - Countdown Day 18

As a part of my job (outside of FOM) I travel a lot. This week I have been in Toronto (still here at the time of writing) and I noticed something funny this morning. After I worked out I went back to my room and showered then went down for breakfast. I was eating alone and begin to laugh at myself when I looked up and noticed what was on my table. I had my typical eggs over easy with crispy bacon, a bowl of Special K and some fruit, but just beyond the plate of food sat the following: orange juice, ice water, coffee, skim milk and chocolate milk (I'm still a kid at heart). 5 drinks for breakfast...and I was responsible for ordering each one of them! Holy cow, why did I need 5 drinks to choke down my eggs and bacon. I realized that my workout had left me parched and everything in liquid form sounded good, so I basically just ordered one of each. Wouldn't water have done the trick?! I dissected it further (remember I'm eating alone so analyzing my "drinking habit" was something to pass the time I suppose) and rationalized it by saying, "Well, the orange juice is good for vitamin C, the water is to quench my thirst from working out, the coffee is to wake me up, the skim milk is for my cereal and the chocolate milk, uh, er, well, that's my creature comfort." It's a silly comparison, but my mind wondered further as I begin to think about the people we are trying to reach through God's work in and through FOM. The people we are trying to reach aren't much different then me in this experience.

You see everyone is thirsty. Our daily life, or "workout", leaves us parched. As believers we turn to the One who quenches our thirst. So much so that He boldly professes that if we drink of His well we will never thirst again. Non Christ followers don't have the ultimate thirst quencher so they will fill their lives with things that seem to quench their thirst, even if it is just for the moment. The OJ, water, coffee, skim milk and chocolate milk turn into relationships, material possessions, status, climbing the corporate ladder, having more stuff, etc. Not all of those things are bad, but in and of themselves they are not thirst quenchers.

Isaiah 41:17-20 says: The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, Jehovah, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

FOMers, there are poor and needy people around us. Not necessarily financially, but spiritually...people in Memorial are running empty on a full tank. Full of stuff, but empty of God. The soul of man is itself empty and needy, seeking for satisfaction somewhere, but soon despairs of finding it in the world. God wants to open the rivers, fountains, pools of water and springs! And he wants to do it for the purpose of revealing himself! So how will you let God use you to help reveal Himself to the poor and needy of Memorial? Pray today that God will allow you the opportunity today to invite someone to be a part of our September 10 KidzPlanet and FOM worship service Fall Kick-off...that they may see, and know, and consider, and
understand together, that God has done this!
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Pray for individuals in our church that they would grow in relationship with God
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Posted by Chris Archinal

Donkey Mentality - Countdown Day 19

A pastor referred to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and asked: "What if the donkey on which Jesus was riding had thought all the cheering was for him? What if that small animal had believed that the hosannas and the branches were in his honor?" The minister then pointed to himself and said: "I'm a donkey. The longer I'm here the more you'll come to realize that. I am only a Christ-bearer and not the object of praise."

Well, as it is true for this minister so it is very true for me. Lord, protect me from ever thinking any praise is comin' my way! May you receive all the honor and glory you deserve. May I always be willing to carry you through the crowds of lost souls to display your life and your love.

If we could develop a healthy "donkey mentality" what an asset that would be as we walk through this FOM ministry. Instead of wondering what people think of us, our concern would be, "Can they see Christ Jesus, the King?" Rather than seeking credit for service rendered, we would be content to lift up the Lord.
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Pray today that technical issues on Sundays would not cause a distraction to His purposes.
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Posted by Lisa Archinal

Avoiding Growth-Free Plantings - Countdown Day 20

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow - 1 Corinthians 3:7

Last Spring, my three boys took the flower seeds they got as the KidzPlanet monthly virtue tool and each planted them in separate paper cups. They then began to water them regularly and watch for signs of germination. We unwisely planted them in a shallow depth of horrible Texas clay and left them to simmer in the 93 degree heat. Nevertheless, two of the flower cups germinated and eventually grew stems. One of the cups never grew anything but a few weeds. I've wondered about that since then. All three sets of flower seeds were planted in the same conditions and treated equally. One of them never grew. The growing didn't depend so much on the planting and watering.

Today we begin a 20-Day Prayer Countdown to the kick-off of KidzPlanet and Sunday worship at Fellowship of Memorial. While there is plenty of gritty labor to be done before the September 10 kick-off, we want to put more energy and focus on prayer. Why? We believe that enormous effort can be applied to planting and watering this ministry and it might be in vain. It might not create any real growth. God must provide the growth. And for us, that growth means lives that are transformed for his glory. Since we are focused on spiritual transformation, we are deeply aware that God's Spirit must bear the fruit. We will be calling on him in various ways throughout the next month to grow fruit in the community through the FOM.

Join us as we begin this journey. Take a few minutes each day to read the blogs and pray over each daily request. We'll plant and water this ministry together while we ask God to create the growth.
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Pray today that God would bring people to FOM environments who are seeking a relationship with him

Living without Regret

We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (Num. 13:30)

In Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan after they have been led out of Egypt. The spies were to evaluate the fruitfulness of the land and report on its inhabitants. The twelve returned carrying with them a single cluster of grapes so large that two of them had to carry it between them on a pole. Following is the paraphrased report from ten of those spies.

"Indeed, the land is exceedingly abundant. Here is its fruit. But, the people are giants and the cities have large walls. Let's just stay out here in the desert until we die. Better yet, let's return to Egypt where we were slaves."

But two of those spies, Joshua and Caleb, looked back on how God had led them out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea and provided abundantly for their needs in the desert - all with the promise of inheriting this land. They said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

In the end, the Israelites listened to the ten fearful spies rather than the two courageous ones. God was displeased so he directed that the entire generation die in the desert before he would allow their children to enter into the promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the land from that generation.

I've wondered about how much regret the older generation must have endured over the next 40 years while waiting to die in the desert. They were standing on the precipice of God's abundance, but when the time came, they were afraid to take it. Jonathan Edwards, the famous 18th Century New England pastor, wrote 70 bold resolutions while in his early twenties. One of those reads, "Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die."

A motivating influence behind Fellowship of Memorial is our greater fear of regret than failure. Better to have tried and failed than to fail to try. Teddy Roosevelt put it like this in his famous quote: "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checked by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

We all have the choice to live a safe, secure and colorless existence, or to live with absolute abandon for the things which we know to be of ultimate value. The latter choice may cost you your reputation, your resources, even your life. Much worse however, is to reach the end of our lives with the regret of that generation of Israelites having been offered the promise but neglecting to enter in.

The Full Extent of His Love

The Lord directed me to a passage of scripture yesterday that I can’t stop thinking about. With Easter upon us, I wanted to read something about what his life was like a few days before he was crucified. What were his last words before his gruesome death? What were the last lessons he would teach in this fleshly container? He had taught so many lessons, told so many stories, demonstrated his point so many times and yet the disciples still weren’t quite catching on. What would be his last attempt to show us God’s message?

It’s found in John 13 - he washed filthy man feet.

There are two things I’d like to ask God why he created: mosquitoes and man feet. I despise feet. I know they are necessary but why not give us chrome wheels to run around on? Are these boney, awkward, smelly appendages really the best idea? Some people get queasy from giving blood, I get queasy looking at man feet. Yuk! But Jesus decided to serve the ‘lowest’ part of the body by washing them.

‘It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.’ John 13:1-5.

Look at the verse I highlighted. Seems strange at first that in the middle of this story John would mention Jesus knew he was sovereign and knew he would soon return to glory. But there’s a reason he reminds us.

I used to have a housekeeper that would come help me when my children were small. I always tried to treat her with more dignity than a queen as I think it is so humbling to clean someone else’s toilets! I respected her for doing this “menial” job to help provide for her family. I wonder how much self control it would take to be a real queen and humble yourself to the point where you would “get up” and go to one of your subject’s houses and ask if you could clean their toilets.

Jesus is God! Jesus had already humbled himself significantly by putting on human flesh. His whole life had been an exercise of humility – born in a barn, raised to be a carpenter, misunderstood by his own people. Now he was taking another step in “getting up” and getting down on his knees to wash feet. Can we get the point yet? God is about showing the full extent of his love and this is done through humility and service.

The highlighted portion is starting to make more sense now, John is informing us about the incredible self-control and patience Jesus had. His composure of mind at this point is astounding. Judas is still there. Jesus knows Judas is going to betray him in just a few moments yet he is washing his feet. Jesus is able to do this ultimate act of servanthood because he knows he has already obtained victory over death. He was able to raise his mind to the glorious triumph which was speedily to follow.

It usually happens that when we are stressed, dreading something that is about to happen, we become agitated. Yet here is Jesus serving others. This is the ultimate stress test. Jesus would soon be handed over (multiple times by multiple people) to brutal torture and death. He doesn’t show agitation. He shows love because he knows who he is. He’s secure in his identity. How much more willing I would be to humble myself and “get up” to show love under pressure if I would remember my identity as well - a purchased, redeemed, known, loved child. Jesus has obtained the victory for me already so I am free to rise above the stress and free to serve.

Oh that I would receive the message Jesus spent his life trying to show. When I remember who I am in Christ I am free to humble myself and “get up” to serve others. The full extent of God’s love is so great it makes me willing to do the unthinkable…wash stinky man feet!