Summer Spiritual Muscle - a simple plan

Here's are two workout routines for spiritual strength:

1) Sing and Shout, a lot! Singing (even if you lip-sync) is a powerful use of your 3 of your 5 senses! Singing is highly recommended by God many times in the Bible. It very likely could activate the powerful endorphins spoken of in Philippians 4 (Check it out)! In addition to singing, try "shouting" about what's really worth shouting about! I mean it - we use passion and "volume" for some pretty silly things ( for example: bad drivers, someone taking cuts in a long line, our cat or dogs bad behavior, our kid/s, lawnmower, or even worse, a missed putt at Blue Heron Golf Course (those 16" ones can bite hard). Shout, with exuberant celebration, for the gift of life! Not long ago, just for fun, my son Marcus and I SHOUTED, "Get in the hole!" right Gordon hit his Tee shot on a short par 4 (It was fun . . . felt like the US Open . . . my sweetheart Laura laughed a lot too). Don't hold back at exhibiting your inner value for life, gifts, love, and great memories - express yourself more. It's highly recommended by GOD! A must read is Psalm 33 - Start with this verse (3) now! The ancient language of the Bible says, literally, "make a really loud shout." It's the same word used to describe a war cry of celebration or mighty trumpet blast! Read this verse again; now take a look at the root word (in the link above). Try it out; SHOUT OUT LOUD SOMETHING YOU SO APPRECIATE! It's going to build some really good muscle on your inside!

2) Walk back (saunter) to a life of "awe and wonder." Little children are simply amazed all the time. Watching my two year old granddaughter run down a path, simply in awe of the gift of "running" (Not much bend going on in those little knees yet, but the bouncing jelly-face, full of wonder, is so incredibly WOW . . . " You can keep on running like that, sweetie!").

Notice what Psalm 33:8 says, "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." The word "fear" can mean either "terror" or "respect-deep awe." Tingle with the beyond "bigness" of who God is in your life. Look at life with deep wonder, fascination. Stop and look at how amazing life is!

There's far more I'd love to blog on in this passage (maybe later): make sure you check out the weird pictures of my son Gordon experiencing Chinese Fire-pots on his back (Warning - I think these are some "sick" pictures).

Try on "serving" at East Vancouver this Summer

Dear friends, here's the overview of 21 ways you can serve this summer and get connected, exercise your spiritual muscles, AND have a blast "being part of God's family (see the entire chapter of Ephesians 4).

Take a look at the following descriptions and then give email Pastor Bruce and we'll spend some time visiting together about the possibilities!

Summer “Try-on” Service Areas (21 ways to give)

KidsWorld Volunteer opportunities

Toddlers Team (9 or 11 a.m.)

Helping hands –being there to hold, redirect, & help our amazing teacher

K-5^th Grade Team

Set-up Team –straighten chairs, last min. craft & snack prep, helping other volunteers be ready

Tear-down Team –spot vacuum, pick up craft supplies, re-freshen rooms.

Craft Center Team –as the kids build, you help & illustrate the one “Big
Idea” being taught at all four tables (everything you need already supplied).

Story Center Team –love to tell stories? You will help the kids at your table understand what the “Big Idea” for the day is (everything you need already supplied).

Small Group Center Team –using prayer requests and a Bible memory verse, you get to see children’s belief in a really BIG God shine out!

Snack Center Team –more than watching kids eat, you get to illustrate the days “one” idea. (everything you need already supplied).

Greeting Team –smile and help parents check in their kids; direct kids to worship area.

Worship Team –we supply the video, you supply the energy in leading kids in praise!

Volunteer Encouragement Team –maybe your grand on the phone, encouraging those who volunteer; or perhaps keeping the calendar up to date and helping volunteers get set up with a leader, if you like to affirm and build others up this is a great team for you!

Main Auditorium Sunday Volunteer (9 or 11 a.m. service)

Set-up Team Straighten chairs, put pens and handouts on chairs

Tear-down Team Stack chairs, put out tables, take out garbage

Crash-bar Team Serve, set out snacks, help make coffee

Worship Computer (EasyWorship) Work with the computer we use for worship

Sound Tec Team Would you like to learn how to run a sound board - This is it

Lighting Team Flip a switch and help learn how to operate a light-board

Offering team Help take up offering and hand out cards and other material

Worship (singing) Team We are building a new team - try out

Worship (instrument) Team We are building a new team - try out

Volunteer Encouragement Team Set up email reminders, phone and encourage volunteers, help volunteers connect with specific leaders, follow-up visits

Maintenance team Monthly special cleaning and repair

Programming Team Help with flow of entire Sunday Worship service

Prayers that harm you (Final blog in series on being faithful)

So I've been blogging on the irony of infidelity (we are unfaithful, distrustful, abandoning those we really love, or should love, the most). Here's your chance to go back to the beginning of this blog series (Link).

One of the most common prayers we pray is the "Please help me" prayer. Millions of us pray these words, "Please God, help me not to __________ any more."

God understands our heart, so if you pray this kind of prayer on a regular basis please don't get freaked out. Here's the deal with these kinds of prayer: Romans six, in the Bible, is all about living a life that keeps us free! It talks about the ideal focus (attitude, mental state, thoughts) we should have. It tells us what NOT to focus on. Try reading this chapter after considering this:

1. We get to have a mind-set that chooses to believe we are "alive IN God through Jesus!" (verses 5 & 11). We are to tell ourself (praying it is the best way to do this) that "sin has lost its power over us." It doesn't matter if we "feel this to be true or not." It's not contingent on if we've just had another "crash and burn" into our own self-destructive past. We are, by trust, to believe this is true because we've accepted Jesus in our lives and He lives in us! This sets us up to stop praying the following kind of prayers:

"Help me not to lose my temper any more!"

"Help me to not smoke today."

"Help me not to think impure thoughts today."

"Please God, help me to not judge others today!"

These promises (Romans 6:1-11) are inviting us to pray the following trust prayers instead:

"Thank you that Your peace is ruling in my life today."

"Thank you that this body is Yours and I get to honor Your life in my body today."

"Thank you that Your pure mind is now my mind."

"Thank you that You alone can see the motives of others. I don't have to worry about this."

We've known for a long time that saying things like, "I'm not going to gain any more weight. I'm not going to become obese." only serves to encourage the very things I'm trying to avoid. People who study human psychology have known this for years. But God invited us to pray positive prayers thousands of years ago (See Romans 7 for Paul's description of how harmful it is to focus on what "we don't want to do.").

2. The power of sin (the obsession with MY way) is broken because we're now "under grace" (like an umbrella)! This is what we see when we look up, around, everywhere we look: God's gift of love (grace) is our motive, our hope, and our motivation for everything! We are "no longer under the law" (that "I've got to do this or else" fear motivation.). It's all about seeing how much we're loved (Ephesians 1:4-5)!

Now try reading Romans 6 and continue talking to God! Make sure you re-read verses 11 and 14! Pray, by trust in God, what God "will do" in you. You are His Kid! Really, really!

Check out the amazing pictures of my granddaughter's first swing with a real golf club (She just turned two)!

How Jimmy Carter and I were unfaithful (Infidelity part III)

I've built a "fantastic excuse" for why you didn't any blogs this week (also some cues and hints to what Laura and I will be doing this Sun. afternoon - want to join us - jump to my personal blog now :_).

If your just checking in on this blog and haven't been part of our discussion about "infidelity (unfaithfulness) and Worry," you may want to jump back to the beginning right now (Day One Link).

Here's the famous Jimmy Carter Playboy interview statement that "set-off" huge discussion just before Jimmy won the presidency (Jimmy is mostly regarded as one of the most honest, full of integrity, kind presidents of all times, BUT not a good leader. If you had to choose one of these for your legacy what would be your choice right now?).

Jimmy said:

"Because I'm just human and I'm tempted and Christ set some almost impossible standards for us. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Christ said, I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery. I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times.... This is something that God recognizes, that I will do and have done, and God forgives me for it. But that doesn't mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. Christ says, don't consider yourself better than someone else because one guy screws a whole bunch of women while the other guy is loyal to his wife. The guy who's loyal to his wife ought not to be condescending or proud because of the relative degree of sinfulness."

Have you ever worried about being a hypocrite? Well, the fact that you're worrying is a "good thing" unless the reason your worrying is that you want to make sure you don't feel guilty. A hypocrite is an actor (It's a Greek word that means just that.). Your an "H." if you're acting out so that others will have a certain impression of you; all the while, you have little or no desire to be this kind of person (only to be perceived as that). Hint: some of the most outspoken right-winged (they do have hidden left wings as well) religious folk (flock) who publicly, and repeatedly, lambast gays have been found to struggle with homosexuality themselves. Weird? Not at all! Does this mean their hypocrites? Not always (think about that for a while)! My point? Looking at the source of what I want most (what I worry about the most); what I believe I have to have to be Ok, can reveal, to me, why I'm unfaithful to those I love most!

I worship who or what I think will give me what "I believe" is essential to true happiness (inner joy). Must run . . . more tomorrow (not likely :). Hope to continue these thoughts Monday morning (really). Check out my personal blog (here).

Infidelity & worry - How Jimmy Carter are alike (Part II)

We are human and we are unfaithful at various moments of our day. Worry is a flag that can reveal what counts most in our lives! Examining what I worry most about (and most often) can help me see where I'm most "unfaithful." Haven't read my opening blog on this subject? (Link)

The next couple days (I'm wondering, did you do the little evaluation I shared with you in my first "Infidel" blog?)

I would like to explore some things our previous President Carter and I have in common:

1. We both like peanuts (I love Peanut M&M's)

2. We both love to serve (it can even be the source of our infidelity - I got a big blog about that saved for later)

3. We both have relatives that have "obvious addictions" and some who have "culturally nice addictions"

AND

4. We both have been unfaithful to our wives without ever touching anyone (you'll have to wait for tomorrow's blog to find out more on this one - no rumors please :).

Today's "looking beyond the black smoke" question:

Q: What was Jesus really trying to show me in Matthew 5:21-26? Will it transform the way I give and receive love? What key "attitude" would I like to "work out" today (like going to the gym & pumping iron)?

Q: Was Jimmy Carter thinking of this passage, Matthew 5:27-28, when he shocked the world with his Playboy interview in 1976?

Want to check out my random Monday thoughts? (Link to Bruce's personal blog)

What triggers infidelity (unfaithfulness)?

Unfaithfulness (infidelity) is something we ALL do! How's that? We all are infidels (unbelievers) at various moments during the day. Sometimes this is good "distrust," if the advice or wisdom you're being given is wrong, or dangerous. Satan is a liar (the father of lies)! I definitely want to be an "infidel" when it comes to Satan.

What are some of the biggest reasons I'm unfaithful? Why do I sometimes have an affair with my work, a hobby, or even a stupid TV show (What's your temptation?).

We fall into infidelity when:

• we emotionally give ourselves to someone other than the person God gave us
• we wish someone in our life would be more like someone else
• we love things and use people
• we play it safe (maybe from fear of being hurt or rejected) and tone down our commitment to someone God has given us to love.

We don't need to be married to be "unfaithful." We don't need to have gotten trapped in a physical affair to be giving our heart away (or locking it away) to someone else. Do you have a parent, sibling, or friend that is suffering because part of your heart is "unfaithful?" When I don't trust that God will take care of me or won't accept me, I can easily become an infidel (an unbeliever). I want to invite you to check out a "word" that might help you evaluate your level of commitment to God and those you love.

Here's that really big word ( I'll expand on it more this week), "Worry!"

Worry is like an iceberg, its greater mass (the source) is beneath the surface. If you keep your eyes out for what worries you most, you'll see the things or person's that tempt you to be unfaithful (prayer is essential in this process).

Take time, this week, to make a list of what worries you most and most often. Prepare yourself this week (check back on this blog) to pray through worry, then give it back to God.

First, start by building your "Worry list," then read (several times) Matthew chapter six.

Don't worry, be happy! Check back tomorrow :).

Link to Part II in this blog series (It will only last about a week :).

Hawaii and May 23 - Reflections on things that make a BIG difference

So here I am in Kona Hawaii with two guys and I'm thinking, "Why did I just about kill myself to get a bunch of work done, people met with, and hours of sleep lost; just to get to Hawaii?" It's not because this is such a cool place to come and hang out (it really is). It's not because I got to fly for free (that IS a really good reason to visit). No, it's partly because Laura and some others who are close to me felt I really needed the break! And, the biggest reason I'm hanging out here is that I get to invest into the lives of two friends who have poured their lives into the mission of Living Hope church. By taking the chance to hang out with them away from the "normal rat-race" I really expect that we will come back even more recharged to see more lost people find a forever-friendship with God!


Here's one of my favorite verses in the book of Wisdom, Proverbs 11:24-25 "The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. ²⁵ The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."


When the three of us guys return to Vancouver, our hearts and time will be focused on a really big, cool event taking place at our Living Hope East Vancouver Campus - the "Chicken and Biscuits potluck." Please pray about coming to this dinner (you bring a salad and/or dessert) and we'll provide the rest. Even more, we'll be sharing some very exciting ways you can try out (a simple free trial) various service opportunities opening up at our campus. We'll share with you our next phase of remodeling and how it will touch the lives of so many. This is an opportunity for you to take that next step in serving. You will grow more friendships and your spiritual side will take off like never before.


Please don't hesitate to email me for more details on this special day - Bruce.lhceast@gmail.com