daily walk Posts

Speechless

22 Aug , 2008 31 Comments

It’s surprising for one who traffics in words to find himself at a dead end.  But here we are, struggling to find the words to express our gratitude to you, our dear friends, for the outpouring of love that we have experienced over the past few days.  Stacy wants you to know that she is overwhelmed by your love.  Your words have not only sustained her but have allowed her to prevail in these days.  We love each one of you so much.

By the grace of God she is recovering well from surgery.  She is experiencing the sweet presence of Jesus and clearly the joy of the Lord is her strength (I caught her singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” yesterday morning).  We had the first of many meetings with doctors and we have established a course of action that will include chemotherapy and radiation.  We hope to begin chemotherapy in a few weeks which will last for about six months with radiation to follow.  We’ll keep you posted.  Most of all we want to thank you for your prayers.  What a great God we serve.  Our Redeemer is faithful and true.   

We love you all.

An Unexpected Journey

17 Aug , 2008 194 Comments

Many of you now know that my precious Stacy has been diagnosed with cancer. Following a routine mammogram we discovered that she would have to undergo surgery. Believing that this would be a simple “bump in the road” we moved ahead with surgery on Tuesday. During surgery the doctor informed me that he had found that the cancer was not as contained as originally thought. Chemotherapy would be the next course of action.The past month has been a difficult, heart-breaking, and yet hopeful journey for our family. We have all embraced this unexpected journey as an opportunity for God to show Himself great. We have incredible children who love God with all their hearts and they have been amazing. I’ve often said, “Stacy is the purest person I know” and she has a heart to serve Jesus with her life. On Tuesday night, as she was brought into her hospital room following surgery, through tears she quoted her life verse:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Stacy has totally surrendered this situation to the Lord for His purposes and glory. Knowing that we serve a loving and sovereign God who is control of all things, our entire family is committed to a desire for Jesus to be known and seen through our lives. I will honor my wife and at the same time inform you along the way. What we need more than anything else is, of course, your prayers. I would love for you to encourage Stacy. You can leave a comment here and in time she’ll read every single one. We love you all so much. Please pray for peace and wisdom in the coming days.

When the Church Leaves the Building

29 Mar , 2008 1 Comment

What happens when the church leaves the building?  We’re about to find out.  The truth is the Church spends most of its time outside the building and was never intended to stay in the building.  If you’ve been around First McKinney much lately, you know that we seek to be a church on mission with Jesus in the world.  Jesus has come to transform our hearts so we can transform our world with His love. 

Our focus in April is “Transform Your World” and throughout the month we’ll explore what happens “When the Church Leaves the Building”.   We seek to rediscover the forgotten mission of Jesus and begin to look at the Church and our world in brand new ways.  We seek to be a source of healing wherever we encounter injustice, discord, and neglect.  We believe that Jesus is the Answer and He is the One who brings hope and healing to all people through us.   

On April 27th we will literally “leave the building” and worship the Lord through service in our community.  Instead of going to church, we’re going to be the church.  Our entire church family will be on mission throughout the weekend.  It will be a wild and wonderful display of the radical grace of Jesus.  The entire month will culminate on May 5th with our annual “Transform Your World” offering.  It is going to be an earth-shaking, heaven-descending kind of movement of God’s people.  Watch while stories of redemption emerge as we go find Jesus on the move and join Him in what He’s doing.  (We’ve got a hunch as to where we might find Him- among the least and lost of our community). 

Jump in and hang on!  www.fbcmckinney.com/Default.aspx?p=14526

Walk Through the Door

08 Mar , 2008 No Comments

walkthroughthedoor.org

www.walkthroughthedoor.org 

Jesus is the Door to life.  In John 10:9 Jesus says, “I am the Gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and out, and find pasture.”  Notice that being “saved” allows us to have freedom to “come in and out, and find pasture.”  Jesus died so that we might actually be set free.  In Galatians 5:1, Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  I used to think this verse was redundant until I realized the power behind it.  Jesus didn’t die to simply save us from the penalty of our sins (though that’s an amazing exchange); He died to save us from our sins– here and now.  Too many of us have come to believe that once we cross the line of faith and receive salvation, we’re done.  I’ve discovered that the Gospel is much bigger than that.  Jesus didn’t die simply to save us from hell.  He had something more like a transformation in mind.  The Gospel has the power to transform your life, if you’ll walk through the door(s) that He’s calling you through.  As we walk with Him He leads us to wide open pastures of grace and selfless living.

During this season of sacrifice and commitment, I’m challenging each of us to consider what doors we need to walk through.  The driving story for us this Easter is the Exodus.  The BIG story of God is the story of freedom and liberation- saving us from oppression of sin and slavery to self.  What’s your story?  Tell the world by going to…  

 www.walkthroughthedoor.org       

Choosing Gratitude- jeff warren

19 Nov , 2007 2 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdP6PqsbJY]

(I’ve been a fan of Sara Groves’ music for years.  Now I’m a fan of her.)

Have you ever noticed how some people seem more grateful than others?  What’s the difference?  Why are some people thankful and others not?  What about you?  Would others describe you as a thankful person?  I think that a life of thanksgiving (or “thanksliving”) is a choice.  But I’m also convinced that the more vibrant your walk with Christ, the more grateful you are.  When you align yourself and, therefore your life, up with God’s perspective on life (that is, who you are and who He is), you will live a life of gratitude.  To the degree that we are not aligned to God’s Way, we become less grateful.  It’s possible to choose a life of gratitude but you must first acknowledge a few things… 

1.  Acknowledge what you have. 

The Bible says over and over again to “remember” what God has done for you.  The old hymn says, “Count your many blessings- name them one by one… count your many blessings, see what God has done.”  Health, home, church, family, friends, job, trials.  Are you content with what you have?  Or do you always tend to want more?  Be grateful for what you have.  Why are Americans so seemingly ungrateful?  How can such a materialistic people learn to be grateful?  What’s the solution?    

2.  Acknowledge why you have.     

  • Not by your own power.  “He has made us and we are His.” Psalm 100:3   Everything you have is from God so “enter His courts with thanksgiving- give thanks to Him.”      
  • Not by your own position.  Your position of power or wealth was not of your own doing.  We see this in the book of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.”  Every person of any position has been put there by God.  If you have had any success vocationally or financially it’s only because of God.  God is the one who gives and takes away.  Whatever position you have has been given to you by God.
  • Not by your own person.    “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the Lord almighty.”  Zechariah 4:6  Why do some people have a sense of entitlement?  They seem to think the world owes them something, that they deserve what they want.  Others are so humble and so grateful when they receive even something small.   

3.  Acknowledge how you have.     

  • You are blessed.   “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it.” Proverbs 10:22  Wealth brings great trouble when it comes through ungodly means.       
  • You are loved.  Everything we have is an act of grace from God.  Romans 5:8  says “while we were sinners Christ died for us.”  1 John 4:10 says,  it’s not that we loved God but that He first loved us.  And verse 19 says we can now love others in the same way.   
  • You are responsible.  1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, those who are given a trust must be found faithful.”  You are a steward of all that you have.  How do I steward all that I have been given?  I am responsible for the grace that I have received from God. 

4.  Acknowledge who you have.     

  • Family– express thanks to your family.       
  •  Friends– let a friend know how grateful you are to have him/her in your life.       
  •  Others– people in your life- your brothers and sisters in Christ.  In the end, life is really about who you have, not what you have.  If you want friends, be a friend.

   

Remember, gratitude is always centered on Christ. 

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  Romans 8:32   

All of God’s blessings begin with Jesus.  It’s why Thanksgiving is clearly a believers’ holiday.  It reminds me of the atheist who suddenly felt profoundly grateful and realized he had no one to thank.  We know who to thank.  Our gratitude is ultimately focused on a Person.  So, let’s thank Him!