Tag Archive - Whatever it Takes

WHY???

April 30, 2012 in Tampa Church with 1 Comment

This past Sunday I talked about a big WHY.  If your WHY is big enough you will figure out how.  So let me ask you a big WHY question.  Why do you obey Jesus?  Why do you serve Him?  Why do you give?  Over the past 30+ years of being a pastor I have heard a lot of answers, most include some variation of:

  • I feel guilty if I don’t…
  • I am afraid God will punish me …
  • I want His blessings in my life …

Often times we don’t express our motives as clearly as I have listed but, if you push in- it seems to land in one of those areas.  Before I tell you what I believe is the best motive for obeying, serving and giving to Jesus- let me tell you why these are not the right motivation.

Guilt/Shame:

This is often a favorite tool of parents, spouses and sometimes friends.  We are asked to do something and we feel like if we don’t we let them down.  The problem with this motivation is once we fulfill the request we still fell empty.  Guilt sounds like this, “I would be ashamed- I can’t believe you did ___________ after all Jesus has done for you.”  Have you allowed yourself to become motivated by guilt and or shame?

Fear

Too many people view God as the celestial policeman.  If you don’t obey He will catch you and make you pay.  The better picture is the one Jesus gave us Father (The Lord’s Prayer- “Our Father…”- a loving father who desires a relationship with His children.  The Bible says perfect love casts out fear.  When we see the command to “Fear the Lord” in scripture it is speaking of reverencing God because we know He is all powerful and living with the understanding that He sees everything we do.  An unhealthy fear of God will lead to a less than authentic relationship with the Father.  Have you fallen into a fear motivated relationship?

Blessings

Let’s be honest we all enjoy the blessings of God and we should be grateful for them.  The Bible even promises God’s blessing on our lives.  Too often we follow God so we can get- more money, a better job, a great family and good health.  What happens when we don’t get what we believe you deserve?  We tend to be disappointed, feel overlooked and think God owes us.  The truth is God has blessed us so much, if He never did another thing for us we have no right to complain.  Be careful- this motive sounds Biblical at first but in the end will bite you!  Have you been bitten?

So you are probably asking- “Hal, what is the right motivation?”  It is simple- it’s what 1st Corinthians 13 is all about- it’s what God wants from us- LOVE.  When we serve Him because of who He is and we desire a relationship with Him because we love Him- our relationship with the father grows.  When my kids were younger and truth is now that they are adults, I really didn’t want or need their gifts- I did want time with them and I do want them to Love me.  If I, as an earthly father, desire that kind of relationship and I am sinful- How much more does our Heavenly Father a love relationship with us?

So let’s move past the guilt, fear and blessing motivation and press into a real relationship with a loving God.  That is why Jesus came- to demonstrate how much God loves us and desires a relationship with us.

Never Struggled with Doubt? Prophesy: You Will!

February 13, 2012 in Doubts, Tampa Church with Comments Off

I believe doubts often drive us to God.  When we face pain, hurt and abandonment we want to know why God?  In the midst of this tension I have seen many people embrace faith in Jesus for the first time.  Why?  I am not talking about an easy answer, cookie cutter faith. To be honest,  I have really grown tired of the simplistic answers that are often given to real hurts, hang-ups and struggles.  I have attended too many funerals, too many held the hand of too many cancer patients and prayed with too many emotionally wounded people to accept the simple “Christian speak” answers of:

  • “This is a tough time I know- but don’t doubt God, He has a plan”
  • “I just think something bad was going to happen to them- so God took them now”
  • “It will be okay- it’s God will”
  • “All things work out for good”

If you have been where I have been and with the people I have been with- you know these answers are incomplete.

The truth is bad things happen- read your Bible- men and women of faith have experienced horrible pain (Hebrews 11 for example).  Jesus said it himself:

John 16:33

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows…”

It seems inevitable that we will experience trial and sorrows, so how do we respond?  Is it okay to be angry?  It has caused some to doubt whether God even cares or is good.  How do you respond to the pain?

There are no easy answers- and yet this weekend we are going to take an honest look at “How can God be good” when I see all this pain.  My guess is you know someone who needs to hear from God about this issue- please invite them to be your guest this Sunday.  That “someone” may be you- Doubters Anonymous- see you Sunday.

SuperBowl Sunday at Church at The Bay

January 30, 2012 in Tampa Church with Comments Off

The Superbowl is a time honored tradition in the United States and consists of 22 men on the field desperately in need of a rest and 130 million viewers in desperate need of exercise.  So who are you picking?  Will the Patriots win again or will Eli make it happen for the Giants?

 

Church at the Bay will throw down on Superbowl Sunday as you:

  • Wear your favorite Team’s Gear.  It doesn’t matter if you team is in the big game, plays college, high school or pony league- It’s time to represent!
  • Pick the winning team and score and you will win a gift card to Outback Steakhouse!  Of course we have some rules…
  1. You must post your team score prediction on Church at the Bay’s Facebook wall as a comment under this post: “What is your Superbowl Prediction.  Give me the winning team and the score”.  It must be posted as a comment.
  2. You must live in the Tampa area to win- but everyone can post!
  3. In order to win- your comment must be posted before the kick off! (only one prediction per person)
  4. We will give the winner the gift card on Sunday February 12th – good luck!

By the way- this Sunday we will be giving out these to all that attend.

Church at the Bay- Whatever it Takes!

 

My Facebook Plan for 2012

January 9, 2012 in Tampa Church, Vision, What kind of church with Comments Off

I have been active on Facebook for years and I want to be more strategic in 2012.  I want my personal account and Church at the Bay account to be a place to find wisdom and be encouraged.  I/We am/are doing several things in 2012 that, to be honest, need your help to succeed.  Here are the plans:

 

Wisdom for the Week

Each Monday morning I will make a post asking you to comment with verses that help you focus your week or encourage you to go strong.  The verses you post may be ones that you have memorized or came to “life” from your time with the Lord.  So on Monday’s especially- I need you to stop by my Facebook page and give us all your verse.  And, if we are not Friends on Facebook- hit me up, I would love the connection.

 

Daily Verses from my Quiet Time

Each day (that is my plan) I will post a verse on Facebook that God used to speak to me in my time with Him.  I have been spending time daily with God for over 30 years.  A friend of mine in college challenged me to start- and he was right- God used it to change my life.  So my verses may or may not fit your “moment” but I want to be transparent with some of the things God is teaching me.  The outcome I hope will be more people spending Time with God on a daily basis.

 

Encourage People to “Like” us on Church at the Bay’s Facebook page

Our hope is to make this page a daily conversation about what God is doing at CATB and answer questions you may have.  So if you are not yet a friend- go here and hit us up on the “Like” button.  In 2012 we want to help you use Facebook as a tool to invite and connect your friends to CATB and hopefully Jesus Christ.

 

Enlist a Facebook Team at Church at the Bay

I want to enlist a group of people to help Church at the Bay be strategic on a daily basis with Facebook.  No I don’t want you to start spamming people’s pages!  What if- you made “personal” invites with video and or articles that we post that your friend might be interested in?  Then every week this group would make at least 3 personal Facebook invites.  This action could prove to be life changing for your friends.  Sound interesting?  Watch for more….

 
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