Jim's Blog - Bay West Campus

Interesting deal about "SMALL is big" from Last Sunday

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:20:54 GMT

Last Sunday, in the intro talk to our message series "Focus", we talked about the parable of the talents from Matthew 25. We talked about how Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of Heaven, but the real issue that He was teaching everyone about was how to live and maintain in uncertain times...in situations where there is limited info and visibility is hampered.

In that parable, we learned that that zeroing in on the small things...the moment by moment decisions and honoring God with each one, keeps us in focus (which, is all about zeroing in on the small things and that's why they are so big.)

In that context, we talked about the guy with the 5 talents, 2 talents and the 1 talent...interesting bit of knowledge on those guys that I forgot to bring out. A talent was the largest single unit of money back then in Jerusalem. It was equal to 10,000 denari. Interestingly enough, a denari was basically looked upon as one days wage....or 10,000 days of work. If you worked somewhere for around 40 years, you'd probably hit 10,000 days of work or somewhere thereabouts...which in our culture is basically your working lifespan as an adult, give or take a few years. In a sense, the talent was a life or a life's work.

When you begin to look at the parable of the talents as basically a "life" producing other "lives" and multiplying themselves in the Christian context...you begin to see the picture even more clear, as the layers of this teaching story really play out. It spoke to me as in "what am I doing to multiply life with the life that I've been given?" Or in other words, with this life-giving gospel that God has charged us all to take to masses and masses of spiritually dead people...am I hiding it in a hole in the ground or am I working smartly to allow God to use me to increase what He has?

Please pray for us at Bay West Church as we attempt to be the Church of Jesus to the people in West Palm Bay, Florida.

The Way

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:22:36 GMT

1   “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
2   There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
3   When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
4   And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6   Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
John 14:1-6 (NLT)

These verses are pretty familiar to those around church...but in these verses, we zoom by wisdom every day. I think that all of us that follow Christ, at one time or another, have felt Thomas' pain..."God, I have no idea where you are going with this." We've all sought direction. We fall into a trap of thought that paralyzes us. It says "If I can't picture the end result or know the exact end destination, then how can I know which way to go today?" We all feel as though we need to see the end result to know how to proceed., but that's just not true.

We treat life like Google maps. We have to know the ending address and we want to plug that in to let our personal Google app generate the map...then we want to choose the options of the roads we want to take to get to the end destination. One problem is that God doesn't work that way.

He's already generated the map...and He's not giving it to us to manage. He's in full possession of that. If He handed it to us, the complexity of the plan would probably blow our minds and we'd be filled with thoughts of "no way THAT'S going to work." So what He does is give us, not the whole enchilada, but one decision at a time. He calls out the instruction and we move. That's the point of this Scripture.

Jesus said "I am the way"...I will be your momentary guide. Don't look for the end, look for Me..just go where I go and do what I do.
"I am the truth"...I will never steer you wrong.
"I am the life"...do not look for life's fulfillment and purpose outside of me. Anything you find to fulfill those roles will break like plastic when you lean on them...only I can handle them.
"No man comes to the Father but through Me." I'm all you need to know.

That's about it. It's really about that simple. Need direction? Make the next decision you make be the most God-honoring one you can. One after one, one breath at a time...from the little to the big..

So what's the deal with baptism?

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:24:16 GMT

On August 8th, we'll be taking advantage of becoming a Christ follower by having baptism on the beach. We'll be having a cookout/baptism at Howard Futch Pavillion over on the beach from 4-7pm.

I get questions about baptism and what we believe and who should be and all that jazz. Does it do any good to baptize infants? Does that help? Where did it come from?

This Sunday, we'll clear a lot of this stuff up. You won't want to miss it.

Things to remember:
August 8th - John James, former lead singer of the Grammy award winning band "Newsboys", will be speaking in our worship service. John has a great testimony as God led Him, even in the midst of being submersed in Christian culture, to the REAL important things in His life.
That afternoon - Beach Baptism

August 15th - VISION begins...don't miss it!

Please continue to pray for us at Bay West Church as we continue to try to bring Christ to the people of Palm Bay by being a church in palm bay.

One thing I forgot to say about what is and isn't good...

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:06:51 GMT

One more thing that I forgot to say today about what makes a "good" life.

For most of the planet, "good life" means that you do most things right, and everything thinks you are a great person...but as I said today at church, a "good life" has very little to do with what people think of me and everything to do with what people think of God.

What that means is that even in my failures, I can live a "good life". As I live my life attempting to be honorable to God, I'm probably going to make some mistakes and fall. If I'm living the world's definition of a "good" life, then I'm done pretty much...game over. But if my life is truly about focusing everything I can to bring glory to Christ, I can still be living a "good life". I can take advantage of God's grace and bring glory to Him by showing others that God's grace is amazing.

When I ask for God's forgiveness, accept His grace and point to His healing, I can bring glory and praise to God's great love, grace and healing power....doesn't make me look too swift. I look flawed and imperfect...this is the place where people usually hide their failures, so they won't look bad. That's not God's plan. When we fail, we should not be reluctant to testify of where we failed and God showed up.

Like I said, that won't make us look too good, but that's not really the point is it. It's all about "what people think of God" after witnessing my life, not about how great they think I am...think about it.

Please continue to pray for us as we try to be the church of Jesus to the people of Palm Bay, Florida at Bay West Church.

to the City

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:05:04 GMT

When we began to consider taking the Campus Pastor role for Bay West Church, going on 2 years ago, God really began to speak to me about some things. I became very disinterested in just being "another church" in a city. That's not a problem really, because every church needs to be who they are and what they are and collectively, the Lord works through His body (or bodies, if you think local churches). I'm cool with that, but for some reason, I became disinterested in it. Through the time, I felt that we at least needed to think on a little bit larger scale.

I shared with our Community Impact Team my vision for us in Palm Bay. How can we effect the city? What goodness can we bring to it? I believe that we've got to think a little larger than the boundaries of our meeting place. Then, as we discover this, how do we make unapologetically clear, without bragging or arrogance, that Christ is the reason for whatever the goodness is. Because He loves us, in gratitude to Him, we try to make Palm Bay a better place...securing more opportunities to point to His greatness.

I began to think...does this mean that we partner with civic organizations? Does this mean that we randomly give out kindness in small acts? Does this mean that we tackle a need and see if we can make a dent in it? Do we try to join with those who are looking to unite the church of God in a more citywide sense and really try to take on some of the problems in Palm Bay? Do we invest in other churches and church/campus starts? I believe the answer may be "yes" to all of them...but we must approach our opportunities with wisdom. I personally believe that if we lift up the name of Christ, He will draw all men to Him...in doing so, I don't think we'll have to "do a sales job", per se at all. It's also NOT about Bay West. We could flourish or fade, but our focus must remain constant. Our existence in not paramount, but our obedience is.

I heard a quote from Charles Stanley once that was particularly thought provoking. He was in a particular situation and was asked if he thought he'd "win". His response was something like this: If I win, I win. If I lose, I win. I'm just supposed to trust God to follow Him with my actions and trust Him for the outcome. As we look ahead, I'm trying to be as open to the Lord about what we need to do...I am very sensitive about saying things like "surely the Lord wouldn't have us..." because those statements are often made to find a reason to escape doing something that is too hard.

Personally, I believe in the power of Christ to change a heart, a city, a county, a state, a country and a world... I'd like to be a part of that...starting here in Palm Bay.

Please pray for our leadership here that as we look to find what God would have us do to follow Him. Whether we last 3 years or 30 years or 300 years, the direction that I feel the Lord leading is toward one that will make a lasting difference. Those directions usually lead to the necessary places, but the sobering part is found in realizing that the necessary places are not always the most risk-free places or the easiest or the most well-travelled ones. be ready.

Family Fun Night a Success!

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:03:48 GMT

Wow...it's done. Thanks to all who helped setup. Nice job Randy and Bevan...great to have good folks you can depend on on staff at Bay West.

All Things New...thanks for the use of the PA, a top-notch show as well, great spirit, and zero ego...nice. Bay West Band and Christian's band were stellar...

To all the guys who worked double over-time Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the stage....way to go...good thing that won't have to be built again.

To all the bounce house foremen, superhuman hotdog cookers, balloon-wielding magic men, info table jockeys, bunch wrappers, tiny tot entertainment brokers and Bearbonez Productions...way to go! Great job! Hard work is rewarding...

To all the neighborhood folks who showed, it's our sincerest desire that you had fun and if there's any thanks to be had, point it Jesus, it was his party.

500 hotdogs....
boatload promotional bottled water...
3 bounce houses...
1 stage and 3 bands...
over 500 people...

Awesome outreach to meet more folks in the neighborhood...great times.

Load it up...."Jesus to the City" starts next week!

Jesus to the City sermon series

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:02:13 GMT

Just what are you here for...seriously.

When I was in Seminary, many times I would meet students who were there and when you asked them what they were involved in doing for the kingdom, they would say "I'm going to Seminary". Usually this was followed by how "one day" when they were out of Seminary, God would give them a place to serve and then they would be "serving God".

I always had a problem with that type of philosophy. I don't think there "comes a day when we will" serve Christ...I believe that day is right now.
Sometimes, I feel like many of us act as those guys in Seminary..."some day" "one day, when ______ _____, then I'll ________ for God". It might be couched in the sweetest and most innocent "I'm not ready" verbiage, but it's the same ol' thing.

At every place we are, we have something that God has for us in service to Him. God is not a big wasteful guy...truthfully, He's the most efficient leader I know.
God made you and you breathe...that fact alone is enough for you to know that You have something important to be about for Him. Some where, some how, God chose for that miraculous power that's called "life" to been spilled on you...so you've got no excuse. You have all the tools at this very moment to do/be/accomplish everything that God intends for you to do/be/accomplish at this very moment...what are you waiting for?

Stop "waiting" for the moment that just passed you by while you were reading this sentence, reach up and grab the next one that will be gone by the time you click off this page.

Jesus to the City...July 4th...see what it's about.

The church is NOT...

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:00:28 GMT

Just being straight up. Sometimes, we get the wrong idea about church. Don't get me wrong, church is a great thing, no doubt, but there needs to be some clear boundaries, as to what church is for. Church is a body of believers that do life together and encourage/help each other live/love/honor God. God uses the church to speak to, to minister to, to help, to reclaim, to restore, to challenge and to aid in the growth of someone. It's a wonderful thing to be a part of and to be about...there's no telling what my life would be without being a part of the church. You can't love Jesus and not get the importance of church. Kind of hard to be real close to me and not like my wife and the same is true of Jesus. There may be some things about her you wish were different, but just as Katye and I are tied together, so are Jesus and the church, described in Scripture as "His bride" (that's a toughie for guys to reconcile, but it's okay...weirdness sometimes makes us look closer at a concept and end up understanding it more.).

But in learning about and being the church, there are a few things the church is NOT designed to do.
Here's one...the church is NOT designed to feed you. A popular thing I like to point out is that in God's world, His creation points to evidence of Him. That's not simply limited to a mountain being evidence of the majesty of God...it's all over the place. My son is 1 and Katye and I do a lot for him. We prepare his food, but even at the age of 1, he's expected to do things to feed himself. We chop up food and put it on his plate, and he's expected to pick it up, put it in his mouth and digest it. His body is expected/designed to integrate the food into his life. If it doesn't, then we take him to a doctor/hospital or something and pray and seek help to heal him, because something is wrong.

That's the way it is in our spiritual life as well. We may start out as baby Christians, but with maturity comes the skill to feed ourselves, in varying degrees. I love me some good preaching, but let's be honest, as adults are meant to be able to feed themselves, so are the children of God as they mature. We are all expected, like physical children, to be able to feed ourselves in the Word. That's important here at Bay West and at every church.

I think if Braden just continued to eat and not digest his food, just ate and ate and ate and never integrated his food into his body to sustain it, Katye and I would see him be bloated and unhealthy. I believe that this is a condition in the church as well. We see people who take in the Word of God in enormous amounts, yet they continue to wonder why they feel unfulfilled. Their natural reaction is that they "aren't getting fed" enough, so they find another Bible study or another service or another radio program or podcast to fill their spiritual bellies again. It can become an endless cycle, when the problem is not one of feeding, but of digestion. They've never integrated what they've heard into their spiritual body to sustain it and they are wondering why they feel so spiritually anemic.

God's message is not a message of quantity. Most of the time, we feel like the more we can get in the better we will be...and that's fine. But more than quantity of our intake, we must observe the "quality" of our digestion. If we refuse to listen to God's Word or integrate what God tells us into our lives, just endlessly searching for a better verse or a more palatable principle or a loophole to counteract the parts of the Scripture that we don't really want to hear...we will be spiritually anemic.

Naturally, for some, we go back to the church or the pastor and say, "I'm not getting fed" and in chasing the solution to the wrong problem, we never really get anywhere. As a staff member in other churches, I've had this subject come up and the point that I try to make is that when someone says they aren't getting "fed", it's an indictment on their own spiritual life, not the pastor's teaching or the Sunday School teacher's teaching or the Worship Leader. I have sat under some pretty anemic preaching in my lifetime...endured some music that has scarred my musician's ear for life, BUT, the only time that I have not been fed in my lifetime was due to one and only one reason...the lacking of my own relationship with Christ, because regardless of the theology or the Greek study or the historical emphasis or the amount of Scripture, God does the feeding and if I'm not getting fed, it's because there's a problem between Him and me...and it's not because He's not supplying things, it's because I'm refusing to eat what He has for me. I'm not picking it up off the tray...I don't want to hear it...I'm taking it in, but I'm refusing to ingest it...or I'm just not allowing myself to daily sit at the table and eat, because I think I can survive on the 30 minutes of teaching that I get on Sunday.

Be careful, friends, and don't fall into this trap. Never let your plate get empty...never allow sin to gum up the process and never retreat from your daily time with God's Word. Listen to what He says and live His direction...I promise you, if you do that, you will never go "unfed".

Continue to pray for us at Bay West Church as we continue to try to be a church in west Palm Bay, Florida.

Urgent Patience

Tue, 18 May 2010 15:59:19 GMT

I was reading in John 9 the other night about where Jesus heals a man born blind. The disciples asked Jesus why this man was born blind, was it his sin or his parents? Jesus told them it was neither, but he was this way so the power of God could be seen in him. Then there was this verse....

4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.

A couple of things... God will sacrifice physical comfort for spiritual gain. We aren't too keen on that and somewhere in our psyche, we have programmed into us, just like the disciples, that everything that isn't comfortable is a punishment or a persecution...when actually, there's no guarantee that it is either one. It could just be a sacrifice of praise to your God. Are you okay with that? To quote the great theologian Ben Stiller from the end of "Meet the Parents"...CAN YOU DEAL WITH THAT?

That's a tough concept to assimilate....God creating you to go through a hardship so He can show His power. This blind man had lived to manhood, completely blind, and it wasn't anyone's fault or a punishment, but was simply so God could show His power. That's not the particularly lollipops and giggles God that everyone seems to try to sell, but the sovereign Lord that we are all forced to come to grips with if we follow Him long enough. Of course, God loves us, but we forget that His purpose doesn't begin and end with this act of love. Though valuable enough for Him to voluntarily die for, we are not more valuable than Him.

None of us really have any problem with God showing His power, in fact, we welcome that moment...it's the stuff before it that we have the biggest problem with. It's also that God doesn't send us a postcard letting us know when this process begins that it's going to end up with Him showing His power. Many times, we are in the dark until the moment that it happens, much like the blind man.

Truthfully, the blind man was fortunate. I'm reminded of a story I heard Monday night in my LifeGroup of the an Eastern European cleric who attempted to take down Communism by defending the truth and overcoming evil with love. When the troops came into the streets, he handed them cookies. He finally was killed, finished off by being drowned to death, after being tortured within an inch of his life. The people to which he preached revolted by the thousands, but they were true to his message as they marched through the streets shouting "We forgive".

He never saw that moment in the story...he never saw the massive result of his life on Earth. The truth is that many of us will never see the culmination of what God has for our lives...regardless of our lives, the ripple lasts longer. The fortunate really get a moment of exhale, when they know it was really worth it...but it never compares to the moment when we see Christ face to face and really get it.

The thing we must remember...is the final statement. The night is coming and at some point, your chance to make a difference will be no more....when no one can work. There is an urgency...but we must not run ahead...but delayed obedience is still disobedience. There must be a balance of tension and patience in life, where you are always ready, but never rushing. It's the obedience zone...it's the balance on the waterskis between pulling and being pulled (one gets you a face of water)...because we all have tasks and we must "quickly carry" them out when the moment comes, not hesitating, but surging forward in urgent patience.

Look for it. Don't miss it.

Please continue to pray for us as we try to be the Jesus' church in west Palm Bay Florida at Bay West Church.

A WONDERFUL Problem

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:57:51 GMT

Hey folks, in the aftermath of our message on the Family and why it matters in our "Family Matters" series, we are looking to start some new Life Groups.

The wonderful problem is that the ones we have are starting to get FULL! What we need is for some of you to pray about hosting one in your home and others to pray about actually facilitating the study.

This may mean that you are currently in a LifeGroup and God is leading you to step up in leadership and fill one or both of these roles (our goal is host and leader to be separate, but it works in some situations). This may mean that you aren't involved in a LifeGroup currently, but would like to be in on the start of one of our new groups. Please pray about this.

If you are interested and would like to know more, please email Dennis Smith (Minister of Education) at dennis@fbcmel.org or Jim Campbell (Campus Pastor - Bay West) at jim@fbcmel.org . Thanks.

Please pray for us as we continue to be the church for the West Palm Bay, Florida at Bay West Church.

Habbakuk: The Ultimate "SAY WHAT??????"

Mon, 10 May 2010 15:56:22 GMT

I was thinking about a friend tonight who's had a really rough time recently and isn't out of the woods yet. What do you say? When things have been so tough, just what religious platitude do you throw out there? "Keep on keeping on"...yep, I'D hit me if I said that. When "trust in the Lord" is what my friend is doing and it's just going to be a process...a long one, perhaps, what do you say? Guess I'll just pray. It's especially hard when you've lain out for the very Lord that seems to have been the very One who left you almost stranded in the tough spot you are in. What's encouraging? Maybe a little company, possibly?
When I prayed for my friend, I prayed for the faith of Habakkuk. Here's the story (if you don't know it). Here's Habakkuk, trying to be out there being God's guy, standing up against evil, and he goes to God completely indignant against the nasty Babylonians. He's all like just laying down how it is to God, completely expecting God to totally agree with him...Habakkuk is completely convinced that God is right there with him, and of course, who wouldn't be? But God completely throws him an uber-curve. "God, how can you let their evil continue?", and God replies "no, no, I'm raising the Babylonians up to do something you wouldn't believe..."

After God laid out the plan, I don't know if there was a long pause before Habakkuk's second complaint, but there should have been. My picture is a cartoony extra long Looney Tunes face on a guy just standing there with his scroll unconsciously slipping from his fingers...."Say WHAT????....bu-bu-but you sa......"
This moment was a cataclysmic theological change for Habakkuk. He was COMPLETELY bought in to one particular line of thought and it got just blown out of the water..."raising up" the people who were tormenting/violating/damaging him and his people and doing evil all over the place...God??? How??? He's in a tough spot, and it's almost like God just booted him from the chariot he road here in and sped off in it down the long dusty road out of sight.
Still, through the book, you see the faith that is beyond "belief" or theological theory in Habakkuk...a belief that is simply in the amazing God that He has served all His life...and at the end of the book in chapter 3 are these words, from the guy who's just been driven somewhere and left...

16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Wow...that's stout. Throw me a curve, God and I'm with you. Completely destroy my pre-conceived understanding that I've spent years building of You and I will still rejoice in You and be joyful as well.

Hang in there, buddy.
Please pray for us as Bay West Church continues to try to be the church to the people of west Palm Bay, Florida.

The Invisible Woman: Overtime

Sun, 09 May 2010 15:52:38 GMT

Here's a pretty good video by Nicole Johnson called "The Invisible Woman" and it has an expanded view on the message last Sunday from our "Family Matters" series. Larry played it at the Melbourne Campus.

Remember that the "invisible creates the visible" and that is your character...the character of the Proverbs 31 woman. It's interesting to see Nicole's take on not getting caught up in the resume and how she illustrates another point...not only does character connect and communicate...it rarely gets the credit it deserves...also, it's contribution isn't made for the benefit of the contributor or those close to the contributor here on Earth.

Watch it...it's pretty good and I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Please continue to pray for Bay West Church as we continue to try to be the church of Jesus Christ in the West end of Palm Bay, Florida

NEW MESSAGE SERIES: Family Matters!

Tue, 04 May 2010 15:49:10 GMT

Family matters...that's just a fact. No matter what composes your family, whether it's traditional, blended, multiple combined or you and your friends...families are important. God created the family and His Word has a lot to say about what He can do in our lives through our families and in His world.

Please join us for this 6 week discovery of some of the things that God has in His word for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and all of God's believers...all in the context of our family.

Please continue to pray for us at Bay West Church as we continue to try to be the church of Jesus in West Palm Bay Florida.

Within Reach a success

Mon, 03 May 2010 15:47:13 GMT

Here's a message from Jeff & Tracey Gwinn, Within Reach founders and coordinators. They are a real testament to what you can do, if you just listen to God and follow His leadership. You can make a difference in your community and in your world. Jeff is just a guy who listened to God's leadership in vision-casting, dreaming and stepping out in faith to organize this ministry event last Saturday that Bay West worked in partnership with.

Here is the link to the Within Reach Facebook page.

I hope everyone is rested up from the long weekend. If you were at the Within Reach event on Saturday I would like to hear from you on what you thought of our first event and if you might of seen God move in different ways or would like to testify of God's goodness then email me back or post it on our WIthin Reach FB page. I want to once again thank everyone you came out and was a part, we could not have done it with out all of your support,

Thank you and God Bless,
Jeff and Tracy Gwinn
Within Reach

Cool verses

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:45:21 GMT

Proverbs 14:5-6
5 An honest witness does not lie;
a false witness breathes lies.
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it,
but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.

This is such a true statement...it has to be from the Word of God.

Go with the strength you have

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:43:17 GMT

11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

Judges 6:11-16

When God called Gideon, he wasn't even sure if it was real, and it looked as though he was a little miffed about all the stuff that had gone on in the country. God had already decreed that what was happening had happened because of Israel's specific disobedience, but they didn't really respond to correct that. So, God called this one guy, Gideon, who was just threshing wheat, to do what was necessary.

Gideon had a list of things that disqualified him and made it "impossible" for him to win, but God knew better. He told him in vs. 14 to "go with the strength you have..." I guess that's what all of us need to do. We need to stop complaining about what "we" don't have/get/like/agree with and go with the strength we have when God presents something unavoidable in our path, and the Midianites, if you read the backstory on this, were pretty much that...unavoidable.

Really, life comes down to one thing...are you going to be with the Lord and be obedient, or are you just going to keep coming up with excuses...urrr...."reasons" why you won't submit to what is obviously before you? Gideon figured it out...and he went with the strength he was given.

Lesson from the story: If God puts it in the path of your life, do it. "Go with the strength you have..." and you'll see that God will take care of everything that is beyond what He gives you...just like he did for Gideon...read the story.

P.S. Serving God isn't about what you are doing. Serving God is about Who you are willing to do anything for.

Please pray for us as we attempt to be a church in west Palm Bay for Jesus at Bay West Church.

Addendum to "Value Influence"

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:41:48 GMT

We talked about the gift of "influence" that gives us in the way of relationships in our lives today at Bay West...and these are not just "saved" people. We all have lost friends and the question always comes up if we should distance ourselves from our lost friends.

A couple of caveats and a stressing of a point I made today:
1) People under the authority of others - Teenagers, especially. Until you are on your own, you are under the wisdom of your parents. Because of the mandate that God has given them, they need to have a say in who you choose for your tight circle of friends. Listen to their wisdom, because God has them in your life.

2) Jesus modeled influence management in several ways, but here's two. 1) He met with the Father regularly and often, and He studied the Word and knew it by heart. As we know in God's Word, this is prime way to keep yourself from trouble. 2) Jesus had a tight network of support through the believers around him...that helps for us to make us able to maintain our relationships out in the world in a healthy, God-honoring way.

A stressed point: the only way that ANY of this works is keeping the relationship with Christ as the trump for EVERYTHING. If you begin to value the approval of others above that, whether they are saved, lost, or Klingon...whatever...the structure crumbles when you look to others for things God is meant to provide or to place them at a higher priority level than Jesus.

Just wanted to stress that stuff. Please pray for us as we continue to try to be church in west Palm Bay at Bay West Church.

Retirement not recognized...

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:06:51 GMT

Just ran across this verse this morning in Quiet time.

Joshua 13:1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.

For the folks who want to throw out they're too old...sorry, God doesn't recognize that. If you're breathing, you've got a role to play. The Lord said "you are growing old, you've got a lot left to do" and laid out the list for Joshua...not the retirement plan. And if you think, God was saying "you are growing old, so one day you can't", thinking of his one day Earthly retirement, nope. That's not true...the Scriptures say Joshua was ALREADY an "old man"...God seemed to be saying, "you've got this to do, before you die"...as long as you are here, God has a plan. Retirement is just a man thing. For God, there's only one place to retire to...that's Heaven, the rest of the time, you may change roles, you may do something different, but you are on the clock, man. Act like it.

BTW...if you aren't reading the Word, you're missing something that God had for you that you needed today.

Please continue to pray for Bay West Church, as we continue to try to be a church in west palm bay that honors Christ with all we do. We meet Sundays at 10am ...

Losing your life...

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:51:24 GMT

I was reading in Luke 17 and happened upon an interesting verse.

32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife.
33 People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them.

It's interesting that Jesus references Lot's wife here. If you know the story of Lot, he was the kinsman of Abraham and he travelled from his home with Abe. They chose to pick places to settle when they reached their destination and Lot chose to settle in an easier place...a lush valley. Abraham chose the worse of the two, but God prospered him.

Well, Lot prospered as well...you know the place he lived. It was in the region of Sodom and Gomorrah. A place of wickedness it became and God got a little tired of the nastiness. He decided to destroy the place and all in it. Abraham pleaded for the place, mainly because Lot and his family lived there and God understood. He warned Lot to leave and Lot did. He left the easy life he'd created for himself and took his family with him. The story goes that as they left, Lot's wife chose to look back and she turned into a pillar of salt.

No one really knows what was up with Lot's wife or why she did what she did, but in Luke, the reference to "remember what happened to Lot's wife" gives us some insight into a possible reason. "People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them." It is obvious that some affinity for what she was leaving drew Lot's wife back to look. It may have been a great place for her. She might have been away from the nastiness of the place and may have carved out a nice existence for herself. Doesn't mean she was evil or anything...just means she enjoyed what she had.

I think we all can get into that mode. We have a place of existence in which we are comfortable and it's natural to be drawn to that, to want to stay there. Sometimes, like Lot's wife, God directs us to a new "place"...emotionally, physically, careerwise, maturity-wise etc... Every time that God directs you to a new place, you don't automatically want to go. It might make perfect sense to you to stay, because things seem fine...but there's a danger...the danger of Lot's wife.

When we become a follower of Christ, we begin to recieve our direction from Him and not from our desires. And like Lot's wife, if we chose to hold onto the desires of the old life, we can become a pillar of salt. Salt is used in both the positive and negative in the Scriptures...because we can all be both. We are to be the salt to the Earth, in a positive way for Christ, but salt can also be harsh and distasteful. I don't think Lot's wife turned into the positive kind and neither do we when we kick against the will for God in our lives. We can become bitter and "salty"...insert adjective here...you know what I mean. It can carry over into our existence, because when salt hits the plate in abundance, it seems to get on everything...even things that we never intended it to get on...it can bitter up our whole life for us, even things that are seemingly unrelated.

The problem is that when we think we can clamp onto the thing that God doesn't have for us anymore, it ends up like the bar of soap. We end up losing our grip on it. It's like staying at the party too long after the person (God), who was the reason you enjoyed it so much, has gone.

The only way to save our life is to do the same thing we did when we became a follower of Christ...we lay it down at the feet of Christ and entrust it to Him. It's difficult to do and there's nothing easy about it, but it's the solution...or we can choose the pillar of salt. Lot's wife chose the latter and she lost it all...she never regained the life before, she lost the life she had at present, and she lost the better life that God had prepared for her that was ahead....by looking back.

A life not wasted...

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:07:18 GMT

Was reading in Psalm 71 this morning...

6 Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!

It's always easy to read the Bible from a too artistic sense, if you aren't careful. You can pass by things and say "well, it just appeared to that guy that way" or "he was under a lot of duress" or you can say that "that writer was just caught up in emotion and being drama", but there's a catch there. Once God allowed it to continue as a part of His book, it became holy writing...it became sacred and without error. It's not just an opinion like this blog. I can mis-step...I represent God, I don't transcribe for Him. The Bible is without error in tone or emphasis or anything. It communicates exactly what God is trying to say. Remember...this book is all about us learning what God expects from us and what we can expect from God.

This verse is always eye-opening, especially in the days of pro-choice and pro-life...sometimes, you just need to look for what God places priority on and recognize. If God chooses to begin His care inside the Mother's womb, then we should too...just sayin'. From one abortion survivor to another...

Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to be the church of Jesus Christ in Palm Bay, Florida at Bay West Church.

Disaster Relief Team assembling NOW to go to Haiti at end of April!

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:38:03 GMT

Hey guys,

Larry mentioned a Disaster Relief Team being put together by the Bay West and Melbourne Campuses of FBC yesterday in the service. Here is a link to the info on when the team is going and how YOU can be a part of this amazing relief effort firsthand As Larry told us, over 40,000 people have come to know Christ in Haiti since the tragedy.

Click here for info and who to contact if you feel God leading you to step out and "be Jesus" to the people of Haiti. Pray earnestly about whether God would have you to go and sign up quick, because there are only 8 spots and they will fill up quick.

Thanks for being the church of Jesus in Palm Bay and around the world at Bay West Church.

In Christ,
Jim

Psalm 50...what God is after

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:35:44 GMT

If you've ever wondered if God needed your money or stuff, here God talks about it in Psalm 50...

Psalm 50 (New Living Translation)
7 “O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?

Our sacrifices and offerings aren't about His greed, it's about controlling ours and honoring Him.

Here's the scenario that God is looking for with His people...
14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

There you go...that's the deal in a nutshell. Why don't you read the rest of Psalm 50? There's more good stuff in there as well.

Some jewels from Psalm 49

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:04:54 GMT

5 Why should I fear when trouble comes,
when enemies surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever
and never see the grave.

So where's the hope, since you can't make enough to save you?

15 But as for me, God will redeem my life....

Yeah, I want to be THAT guy.

And one verse for all the artists and poets and songwriters out there, one of which David was...

4 I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

That's a good mission statement for artists...take solid wisdom and express it artistically for all to remember. Please continue to pray for us as we try to be a church in Palm Bay in West Palm Bay, Florida at Bay West Church.

Just a point...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:37:21 GMT

Read this today...if you've ever had to address the "being a Christian is fun, TOO" thing and wondered if it's Biblical or just sensible... Answer: absolutely Biblical.

Proverbs 10:23 (NLT)
23 Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.

I also like how the Amplified Bible puts it...
23 It is as sport to a [self-confident] fool to do wickedness, but to have skillful and godly Wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding.

So...make sure what you do brings you some "pleasure"...have a great day!

Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to be a church in Palm Bay that honors God here at Bay West Church.

A solution is a solution, I guess...

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:39:34 GMT

Mark 1
23 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting,
24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!”

25 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered.
26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.

Was blowing through this story today and thought a couple of things.
1) Bet that convulsion wasn't so pleasant...but it had to be done. Couldn't Jesus have thrown out a "no convulsions clause" or something? Then I thought...a solution is a solution and sometimes, we don't get shed of unwanted and harmful stuff without a bit of a fight or some unpleasantness... Maybe it's still the same today...anyone....anyone...Buehler?
2) How long did that thing last? Doesn't really say and you'd probably think it was only a minute or two...but it could have been longer. I guess if you think about it and consider that it might not have been instantaneous, it gives you a different view on solutions from God. I don't know why Jesus chose to let it go down like that, but he definitely had a reason for it to be that way. Could it be a teaching tool for the guy to stop a behavior that left him vulnerable for the attack? Bet he'd remember that... Could it be that others around needed to know how bad this type of thing was, so they needed a little bit of a scary show? I don't know and the Bible certainly doesn't really tell us here, but...it all happened under the sovereignty of God... Something to think about.

I wonder if this guy was ready to give up or thought the whole situation just had gotten worse in about second number 2 of that convulsion? I wonder if he wondered if Jesus really did know what He was doing for a minute? Could the possessed man have thought that the spirit was more powerful than Christ because he didn't like the violent nature of his present state in the midst of the convulsion?

Anyway...it made me think that some of God's needed and "welcomed" solutions aren't without price/turmoil/conflict...that, in the middle of them, it might not really seem as He knows what He's doing if you only trust in the present and what you see. And, sometimes, they might take longer to complete than we'd want them to...

Please continue to pray for us as we try to be the church in Palm Bay at Bay West Church.

From the QT of Jim...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:11:01 GMT

Here's what the writer in Proverbs had to say in my QT this morning...thought it was cool.

Proverbs 8
22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
23 I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began.
24 I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
25 Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born—
26 before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.

That's a message for us all, but especially all of us who think we just kind of happened along. What exactly does that say about your life?

Pray for us as we continue to be the church in Palm Bay Florida at Bay West Church

What do YOU think: An Interesting Verse from Jim's QT this morning

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:09:49 GMT

Proverbs 8:12-13
12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.

13 All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

Couple of questions to mull over
(I'm not going to answer them)

What things does the writer seem to imply are evil? (easy one)

Why do those who fear the Lord hate evil? (the 64 million dollar question - it's answered in the verses)

Happy thinking.

Shades...

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:43:49 GMT

In the PULSE series, we are taking a read on our "spiritual pulse" by looking at different pulse points in our lives as seen in Proverbs 4. Last Sunday, we were looking at the Eyes as our installment of our sermon series pulse. We looked at Proverbs 4:25 and talked about how, even though that verse tells us to look straight ahead, a massive point of the verse centers around how we look, as much as what we look at or where we look. It's like looking at the world through red colored sunglasses...

When you look through the sunglasses, everything looks differently that it did without them. Everything would have a red tint to it...colors look different...things that were pretty look a little weird. You begin to notice different things about objects that you look at because the red sunglasses cause different things to be highlighted. Because of the way that some things look, tinted really red, you are drawn to some things and repulsed by others. Has the reality of the world changed? No...but how you look at it has.

In our case, it's like someone gave us Truth-colored sunglasses and for the first time, when we signed up for this thing with Jesus, we put them on and see the world as it really is for the first time. It's life-altering....things look different...things that were attractive now seem a little less of a deal. We notice different things about objects and different attributes that we didn't notice before are highlighted about objects we see. Because of the way things look now, you are drawn to some things and possibly repulsed by other things....Has the reality of the world changed? No...but you now begin to see it how it really is...because you are looking at it through different eyes, in a different way.

Decisions are now looked on differently. The reasons that we do what we do are different.

Please continue to pray for Bay West Church as we try to be a church in Palm Bay Florida.

Why the HEART is the key...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:21:33 GMT

We talked about the PULSE point of the heart a couple of weeks ago. We talked about how it was the "seat of all of our motives". To illustrate, we had two treasure chests. In the one, we had different pictures or objects to show the different motives that we could live our life for and we talked about how most of us struggle with several motives, that at times compete against each other for dominance in our decisions. In the second chest, we had an envelope with the word "Christ" on it and we talked about how desiring a pure heart is a heart with only one motive in the chest...so to speak. We talked about all the "good" motives, such as family or being a good steward of what we have, things God has commanded us in His Word to handle responsibly and take care of. How are those taken care of if I only have one motive? The answer is that Christ takes care of all those things. Ecclesiastes 8:5 tells us the wise heart knows the proper time and the proper procedure for every delight and as we know from Psalm 9:10, wisdom begins when your #1 priority is set...that priority being God.

This battle for the heart is KEY to our lives here on earth. Why? Check out this verse below.

Mark 7
20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you.
21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

From our hearts, we sink or swim. When our hearts are pure, or basically have the one motive of Christ, we just follow them, sometimes with the opposition of our other senses. Still, we must always check ourselves and make sure our motive is not compromised in our decisions and actions, because that's where the problems begin.

Please continue to pray for us as we keep trying to be the church in Palm Bay at Bay West Church. Please pray that our hearts as individuals that make up the church can be centered on His purpose...only one motive in the chest.

FYI on the FL Bapt. Convention's Haiti Disaster Relief efforts

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:07:25 GMT

Just wanted to keep you guys up to date on what our offerings are going toward right now and how God is working through this crisis. Between our two campuses, we took up over 23,000 dollars for the relief effort last Sunday and we are still set up to take donations through our online giving on the website, baywestchurch.org . Everything we take up goes directly to purchases for the people of Haiti, as described below.

Got this email a few minutes ago. I'm c-n-p'ing the text. Dr. Sullivan is the Executive Director for the Florida Baptist Convention.

Haiti Update, January 19, 2010 - From Dr. John Sullivan
Subject: The Miracle of Multiplication

The Biblical miracle of the fishes and loaves had a modern day twist for the Florida Baptist Convention when it made an initial purchase of 21 tons of rice for use in Haiti relief efforts. An Arkansas Baptist church's matching gift of rice has multiplied the initial commitment into a total 84 tons of rice being earmarked for Haiti.

This miracle of multiplication started on Friday, January 15, when Executive Director John Sullivan negotiated to purchase 42,000 pounds of rice from a grain distributor in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Sullivan negotiated for a low price of $20 per hundred pound bag. With the deal confirmed, the Convention arranged to send one of its disaster relief semi-trailer units to Stuttgart to take delivery of the rice. On Monday, January 18, a second order was placed for another 21 tons of rice for delivery at the end of February.

On Tuesday, January 19, Sullivan received a call from Pastor Sam Roberts of the First Baptist Church, Stuttgart, Arkansas, who had learned of the Convention's purchase and planned use of the rice. He told of the church's mission committee authorization to purchase 42 tons of rice to supplement the Convention's commitment to feed Haitians. The combined purchase and donation brings the total commitment to 84 tons or 168,000 pounds of rice which will be distributed in Haiti as soon as possible.

Sullivan noted that the average Haitian subsists on a quarter cup of rice each day. He went on to observe that every Baptist can be a part of the Haiti relief effort by sending $20 to buy a one hundred pound bag of rice. "That one bag of rice will feed a family of four for a long time in Haiti," he explained.

Once the grain is delivered in Haiti, distribution of the rice will occur from the many Haitian Baptist churches in and around Port au Prince. Florida Baptists' 15 years of partnership and assistance provided to Haitian Baptists has resulted in a model effort to distribute food and clothing without the chaos experienced at government-controlled food distribution points.

On another developing front in the effort to aid Haitians, the U. S. government is preparing to airlift orphans and other Haitian refugees from Port au Prince to Miami. According to the Miami Herald, federal agencies are gearing up under an existing crisis plan called "Operation Vigilant Sentry," drawn up in 2003 to help prepare for any mass migration from the Caribbean. Miami-Dade officials are looking at housing the refugees in the currently closed Krome Detention Center in West Miami-Dade and the old Baptist hospital facility in Kendall.

The influx of refugees will present a unique ministry opportunity for Florida Baptists in South Florida. As a result, the Convention has directed its Church and Community Ministries personnel, led by Marc Johnston, to begin developing action plans to assist in receiving, processing and re-settlement of these Haitian refugees.

Details are few given that the situation is very fluid. However, additional information on the Convention's response will be posted on the Convention's website www.flbaptist.org.

The devastation is immense in Haiti, but this is just one religious organization of one state...there are loads of other relief efforts, secular and religious, that are responding to the disaster in Haiti.

Just thought I'd keep you up to date with what's going on with the relief efforts and this is just one of the things that are going on. I'll post some updates from time to time as I get info.

Just a little mop up on your Heart from PULSE

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:03:05 GMT

I kind of zipped through a couple of things yesterday on PULSE at Bay West Church, so I thought I'd slow it down and emphasize something about the whole heart thing.

A key verse that we talked about yesterday is found in 1 Chronicles 28:9 where David is giving Solomon some of the last instructions that Solomon will get from his father before David's death...important words, in other words. There's a lot in this verse, but I want to hit one particular thing.

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." There's a key point in here. Obviously, David tells Solomon that he needs to serve God with a wholehearted devotion...as we talked about yesterday, that's living your life with only one motive in your chest...honoring God. We can all be divided in our heart by trying to live with many motives that drive what we do...our career path, our kids, our health, our entertainment, our goals...but a "wholehearted devotion" to God puts all these things to the side and lives every decision answering one question "What will honor God the most here?" What trips most of us up in this pursuit is when our brain gets in the way. I play music, sometimes by ear, and I was telling a friend that the biggest problem to doing that is when I let my "brain get in the way". I'm playing along and my fingers are just going to what's the next deal...almost like there's a connection from the ear to my fingers and there you are. Then all of a sudden, for some reason, I think "hey this is too easy" and there's a hiccup in the process when I try to "think" about the next chord I'm going to play...and that's usually when I make the mistake and blow it. I don't trust the process, because I don't understand it fully. For us it's the same way in life. When God's Word tells us to do something or outlines this plan for a situation in life, when we balk is when our "brain gets in the way". We don't trust the process, because we don't understand it fully...we can't see how THAT would work. This verse in 1 Chronicles gives us some wisdom on that subject. David tells Solomon to serve God with a "wholehearted devotion" (only one motive...for God) and with a "willing mind". In other words, have a mind that is open to what God tells you...it's not an "understanding mind" or a "comprehending mind" or a "mind that sees the whole plan and can connect all the dots to why it will work, allowing you to trust in that"...nope...just being open to doing what God tells you to do. You just have to trust "God". Don't let your brain get in the way. We've had to do that as we've tried to be a church in Palm Bay. A lot of people, even in FBC Melbourne, haven't fully grasped what we are trying to do here..."aren't you starting a church?" "satellite campus?". I get people all the time, when I'm back at the Melbourne Campus for dinner that say, "Hey, so sorry you left us to start a new church" and I say "I never left, just think about it as if I go to a different service than you...we are all FBC." Many things that we've done to this point are things that if we let our brains get in the way of what God was telling us to do, we'd have missed the great opportunity to see the end of God's plan, because we wanted the explanation of how it was coming first.

An interesting side discovery about our new series PULSE

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:41:48 GMT

We've started this new series, PULSE, at Bay West Church in Palm Bay, Florida and it's proving interesting in the study. The whole idea for the series comes from Proverbs 4:20-27 and the title framework for the series comes from the practice of taking your pulse after a run or some exertion. We do that by pressing our finger against a pulse point to check our heart rate. This practice allows us to check the signs of our body and to see that our body is functioning properly. It doesn't have to stop there. We can do this spiritually and hence the series PULSE. In Proverbs 4, we identify 5 spiritual pulse points...the ears, the heart, the mouth, the eyes, and the feet. An interesting aspect that we find out in searching the Scriptures how all these points are linked together Scripturally. As in Proverbs 4:20-27, these areas seem to be mentioned in tandem at least two or three at a time and it's hard to find places where only one is alluded to. That's because, like the body, all these areas of our spiritual lives are linked. When one isn't working correctly, others are effected, because the health of one increases or helps the health of the other. It's the same way in our families or our marriages or any of our relationships, we are the body of Christ and when one person is failing, it effects us all. This principle of the body carries over into many aspects of our lives so that we see that the Creator has a theme. It's interesting to see His handprint all over things. Please pray for us as we continue to be a church in palm bay and bring Christ to west Palm Bay.

A good way to cap off Incomplete

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:59:10 GMT

We just finished our first series entitled "Incomplete", a series on the 6 things that God has lead us to focus on here at the Bay West Campus.

The tough thing about a series like that, as I've expressed, is moving away from the sort of "checklist" mentality in dealing with Christ. If I do these things, then I'm good. The problem is that's already been done, it's called the Law, that God gave, and it was created, not for us to find righteousness in it, but to highlight the fact and make it easier for us to see that we CAN'T keep it, thereby making it easier for us to turn to God...still, when you say, "Hey, look at these 6 things!", people tend to look at this as the definitive list...but it isn't...hence the name of the series "Incomplete", because just any compilation existing of only our efforts to save ourselves from the punishment that sin brings would be just that....Incomplete.

Throughout the series, we've said, time and time again, that Jesus is the thing that connects everything. Our relationship with Christ and the faith in Him is what leads us to salvation, because He is the only source of that saving.

Katye sent me an email the other day about a verse she found in her reading that really kind of capped off the sentiment from this series on "The 6"...

James 2:22- "You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith COMPLETE." (NLT)

Pretty cool, huh? See you Sunday, when we examine a perspective on something that we all do every day...

It's all in who you know

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:45:12 GMT

For years, I've heard this phrase and it's made me bristle. It implies that you can't get ahead in this world on your own merit, it's always about the person in power that you know that can get you to the right place.

I HATE that... I want to make it on my own merit on things, that's why I hate it... That, and I'm one of those guys who have never really known anyone to hook me up. :-) Just kidding.

This week, we'll be talking about the next one of "The 6" here at Bay West Church which states that one of our values at Bay West is that we lead people to cultivate relationships with God's purposes in mind. When I was studying for this talk, I began to see that the statement I hate may be more a part of my life than I ever suspected...and that may be okay. Oh yeah, it's easy for the preacher to take the high road, capitalize the "Who" and say the "Who" is God, but that's too obvious...and while that would be the greatest value statement I could make, it would hardly be the end of this subject in the life of a Christ follower.

Hopefully, I can shed some light in the immensity of this one of the 6 that just really gets lumped into eating meetings and parties...but it's much, much more than this. If you are in West Palm Bay, or you just want to drive a little bit, feel free to stop on by. See you Sunday, 10am, Heritage High School.