Listening to God

Recently I went to North Carolina with a few pastor friends. While there, I had some time to reflect on God and read His word (the Bible) more than normal. It was really refreshing and relaxing to put away the cares of this world and focus on Jesus and Him only. One of the take a ways that I have come home with is this: Take time to listen to God.

When you and I get caught up in the pace of life that this world offers, we lose sight of everything that really matters. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read His Word and know in a clear way what God wants me to do.

Take time to listen to God today and stop talking and just LISTEN!!!

10 Things I am Excited about right now

1. I am excited about a new structure in my personal life that allows me to be as healthy as I can be. As a husband, father, Christ follower and Pastor/church planter I NEED to be healthy in order to lead others to health.

2. Pumped out of my mind about this Sunday. God has given me a message to share that will apply to EVERYONE at both of our campuses and yes, even on the internet.

3. The VISION God has given me is becoming more clear and that keeps me up at night praying for His Wisdom and Direction.

4. I am excited about our new Community Transformation Strategy that we will be unveiling soon. Can't wait to share it with you at LifeQuest Church then my faithful blog readers.

5. Excited about my boys and how I am seeing growth in some areas that we have been working on for years. Parenting will keep you humble! Can I get an AMEN!

6. The New Location for the Northland Campus. I stopped by there recently and peaked through the windows and it is going to be off the chain. Grand Opening September 20th at 11AM for info go HERE

7. The South Campus is launching a 3rd Worship Experience on Sundays at 1PM, yes, you heard me right, at 1PM. So the times for the South Campus will be 9:15am, 11am & 1PM

8. The 200 plus volunteers we have at LifeQuest Church and the 72 NEW Volunteers that signed up last Sunday. Can't wait to see the day we have 1,000 volunteers because they are the LIFE BLOOD of our Church!

9. Really blown away with an invitation to go to Africa and preach and teach with some 500 pastors who have no leadership training opportunities. I am still praying about the timing on this. Please pray because it will be an expensive trip.

10. Last but NOT Least is our Children's Ministry building. Soon we will have triple the space to minister to kids.

LifeQuest the future is brighter than ever and the BEST IS YET TO COME!

See you Sunday, bring a friend, in fact fill up a row.

16 Years Today!

It was 16 years ago today that my wife and I made a commitment to each other for better or for worse. I remember it like it was yesterday. Especially what my close friends did to me the night before after the rehearsal dinner (more on that later). Today I wanted to Honor my wife and let her know publicly that I LOVE her more today than I did 16 years ago. We have been through a lot together. She has stuck by me in ministry when it was good and when it was really bad.

As I have reflected on the 16 years I can't believe that I have the wife that I have. I come from a family that was used to divorce. To celebrate 16 years seems surreal. The reality is that it is ALL JESUS! Don't get me wrong, things haven't always been great. There was a season that I didn't know if we could make it through.

I have an Amazing wife who is very discerning and wise. I Love you Linda Pinion!

Happy 16 Years!

6 Things I want to hear at LifeQuest Church

1. "This place is PACKED!"
2. "I'm reading through the Bible, and it is revolutionizing my life."
3. " (fill-in-the-blank) is making disciples in (fill-in-the-blank).
4. "How can I get involved?"
5. "I gave my life to Christ today!"
6. My life has been transformed over the last (fill in the blank)
   

Things I am Excited about

There are a ton of things I am excited about and thought I would share it with all of you.

• Easter - We are having five worship experiences between both of our campuses. Belton Campus - 9:15; 11AM; 12:30PM Northland Campus 10:30AM & 6PM
• My personal growth, I am having some break throughs and I talked about it HERE!
• Bringing Karen and J.R. on in a full time capacity, can't wait to see what God is going to do with this.
• I am really excited about May 3rd the LIVE Event which is a celebration of our 6 years as a church. The LIVE Event will be held May 3rd @6PM. It will be held at our Northland Campus and you will NOT want to MISS it.
• The Future of LifeQuest Church - all I can say is the BEST is yet to come.
• Really, really excited about the new series we are kicking off on Easter "No Perfect People Allowed."
• This summer with my family is going to be off the chain!
• Excited about some developing relationships with people that are far from God!
• What Jesus is doing in my life and leadership!!!
  

Six Year Celebration

This week marks the six year celebration of our baby, Caden, who isn't a baby anymore. Ask him and he'll tell you he's a BIG boy. Wow, how 6 years flies by. We are making the whole week a celebration and I can't wait. I love my boys and wife and am so amazed at how God has chosen to bless me.

As I think about the past 6 years, they are filled with joys, sorrows and lots of lessons. I have been making a list of lessons that I have learned. What about you? What have you learned in life, parenting, ministry, marriage and your job in the last 6 years that you could share?

Just when things seem Hopeless

This has been a difficult week for me. Really too much details to go into. And honestly on a lot of fronts I have been a little down. SO faithful executive assistant came in and preached to me the other day. She read Hebrews 11, so the last few days I have been diving into Hebrews 11. Read it before continuing.

As I was reading this passage I was struck with a ton of stuff that applied to my life. Do I have faith? If so what kind of Faith do I have?

You see, sometimes I think we believe we have faith but do we really??? If I had faith would I worry about what others say about me? Would I be concerned about finances and the lack there of? Last night our staff met for our all staff meeting and it was really good. We prayed and asked God to meet the financial needs of LifeQuest Church. And as we were coming to the end of our prayer time, it hit me. What hit me you ask? I will share that later.

SO the question I leave you with today is how BIG is your Faith? How real is your Faith?

Christmas Eve Update

I wanted to give you a quick update on what God did over Christmas Eve. We saw 485 people come through the doors. 11 of them accepted Jesus! I can't wait to see what God is going to do in 09'. The Best is yet to come LifeQuest.

From the Pinion family to your's Merry Christmas!

I will be taking a blog break for a few days during the holiday.  Be back strong in 09'

What is Christmas all about from Charlie Brown

Back against the wind

The other day I was carrying my five year Caden because it was really windy! I mean the wind was blowing SO hard that I could barely walk. As I was carrying Caden he put his back to the wind and laid his head down on my shoulder. One of my favorite things to do.

It dawned on me that this is what Jesus does with all of us. When you are going through storms and the wind is blowing, almost to the point of knocking you down. Jesus wants to carry you. You and I need to be reminded that Jesus wants to carry us and place our head against His shoulder.

If you are going through a tough time right now, then you need to know that Jesus will always carry you if you will let Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

There are SO many thankful thoughts and moments going through my mind.  As I was thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for I started reflecting on the first thanksgiving and why we celebrate Thanksgiving anyways.  Do you know?  

 Our Thanksgiving tradition traces back to the Pilgrims. And their journey to America was motivated for religious reasons. They sought the freedom to worship God as they believed the Bible taught. One of my favorite pictures in the rotunda of the Capitol is the embarkation of the Pilgrims. They are kneeling on the deck of the Speedwell. That is the ship they took from Holland to England. Then they hopped on the Mayflower. The centrality of the Bible is so symbolic.

Their journey to America was brutal. They spent 66 days on the high seas and finally landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 21, 1620. Their first winter was harsh. 45 of the 102 immigrants died and were buried on Cole's Hill.

It was the next fall that the Pilgrims hosted a three-day festival celebrating their first harvest. They invited their Indian friends, including Massasoit. And in the words of William Bradford, "Besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys."

So here's a thought. As you're eating turkey today, don't forget why we eat turkey at all. That tradition traces back to the courageous pilgrimage of God-fearing believers that landed them here in the first place. And many of the religious freedoms we enjoy as Americans can be traced back to the sacrifices made by those Pilgrims that first winter.

My thoughts on Auto Maker Bail outs

You would have to be a hermit if you haven't heard about all of the bailouts in recent days. Today the top three automakers are trying to negotiate bailouts. Here are just a couple of questions I would like to ask any company that needs to be bailed out.
1. Who is in leadership at those places?
2. Did they see this coming, if so why didn't they do something about it when it first came to their attention?
3. Why does the Government have to bail people out?
4. Got this question from Seth Godin, wouldn't it be better to take the bail out money and start 500 new car companies?

5. If we bail them out this time, what will insure they won't get back INTO the same situation.

People need to take some responsibility for the actions. Sorry for those of you that like bail outs. But it is WRONG. It won't teach people to take responsibility.

Thoughts???

Wisdom in close mentors

Who are your closest mentors? If you don't have any then shame on you. Having mentors is a must in my life. This past week I met with someone that at first I would consider a colleague but not a mentor. After our 3 1/2 hour lunch I now consider him a mentor. He encouraged me so much I can't tell you the perspective he brought to my life.

As I walked away from meeting with him, I thought about how important it is for everyone to have someone's in their life and yes I said someone's more than one hopefully - people that will encourage you when you are down or when you need some direction or what ever the case may be.

So thank you Chane for being a friend and now a mentor. Your advice is very timely and your heart is huge for the Kingdom.

Political Election Thoughts

I have been trying to wrap my mind around all that has happened in the last few days. In trying to come up with the words to say, JD Greer said it best on his BLOG:
My Thoughts on the Election

I am still in South Asia (thus the sparce blog updates). I plan to return tomorrow.

Well, it's over and Barack Obama is our new president. As you (at the Summit Church) know, I have refrained from giving public support, either explicit or implicit, to either candidate. As I have explained before, I have chosen not to do that--not because I don't believe the Christian worldview applies to politics or because I don't think Christians should be in politics (they very much should!). It is just that God has called me to the preaching of the Gospel and the leading of a local church. As a pastor, I represent a Gospel community and that one identifying mark must remain crystal clear to the community I am seeking to reach. Personally, I have to say no to many good things that would keep me from the fulfilling the one thing I have been given to do.

I do not intend to renege on that commitment here. What I do want to do is make the following observations concerning our role as Christians in the culture in light of this election:
1. Whether you personally like it or not, Barack Obama is our president now. As such, he deserves the prayer, support and respect due to someone in that office. Paul commands us to honor and serve our rulers as the ministers of God (so far, of course, as conscience allows) Speaking disrespectfully of them is an offense against God and a bad testimony to the name of Christ. (1 Peter 2; Romans 13). He is our president and he has my prayer and respectful support.

2. Politics aside, I rejoice that our nation has elected an African-American man as president. In a nation scarred with the hideous sin of slavery, it marks an important milestone of healing in our country.

3. There will be a peaceable transfer of power, even though opinions on how to govern are at a fever pitch. Being here in S. Asia makes me realize just how rare that is in the world. That is a blessing we probably take for granted.

4. Abortion is an horrific practice, which, as John Piper says, "the true horrors of which are recognized by very few of us." It is an unmitigated slaughter of the weak, and a worse scourge on our country than was slavery--it is more evil, and just as racist (it affects more African-American children than others. 12 million murdered African-American children since Roe vs Wade in 1973!)

I am troubled by President Obama's stand on this issue, as up until now he has been the most pro-choice member of Congress and most pro-choice candidate to ever run for executive office. While I am grateful he is committed to reducing the number of abortions, I am troubled that he will not speak with conviction about the full humanity of the unborn baby and that he has pledged to ensure that the willful disposal of human life shall remain an option in our culture. I pray Obama will change his heart on this issue.

Abortion is something I believe we must unequivocally condemn as murder. For both those who voted and who did not vote for Obama, we must pray and work to bless our country by bringing an end to this great tragedy. Ending abortion will include not only seeking justice and legal protection by law for those who cannot protect themselves, but also praying for our leaders; working to end the poverty that sometimes makes abortion seem like a good alternative; being clear on the immorality of the pratice; loving and sharing the forgiveness of Jesus with those who have had an abortion; offering hope to those who are considering abortion; and being involved in adoption. You can be involved right here locally, through our church and our partner, Pregnancy Support Services. For more info, click here.

5. Our citizenship as Christians is not ultimately in the United States of America, but in heaven. Our hopes and our loyalties lie first and foremost there.

The work of the Gospel is not dependent on who is in office. I love our country and I desire her peace and prosperity. But I care more about the spread of the Gospel, and my first prayer about this election has been that it will result in the spiritual prosperity of the churches in America and the promulgation of the healing Gospel of Jesus into all the world. Paul told us to pray for freedom of speech (1 Tim 2:1-4) that we might freely teach the Gospel. Jeremiah tells us to pray for the prosperity of our city (Jer 29:7), which also contributes to the preaching of the Gospel. I pray for both continued freedom in our country and prosperity, not just as ends unto themselves, but as means to spread the Gospel. Ultimately, because I am a citizen of heaven it is the spread of the Gospel to which I am most committed. God promises that, to that end, He that begun a good work in us will complete it regardless of who is in office (Philippians 1:6).

If you are one of the ones that was discouraged by this election, don't be. Our true King is always on the throne and His purposes He promises will go ever forward.

A much more eloquent and insightful articulation of these points and many others can be found here, by John Piper. While there are some things in his analysis I might have said differently, or maybe not have said at all, it is full of biblical wisdom. (I love the statement he makes right toward the end: "Christians sometimes talk as if God will judge us as a country if we elect a President who supports gay marriage and abortion. Those things are the judgment of God." Our country's greatest need is not new laws, but to return to humility before God. Church, we must pray that our nation comes back to Jesus so that we might be delivered from these judgments. Abortion alone has been a sign of judgment to us that we must return to Jesus, and that starts first in the church.)

Politics and Christians

I have avoided the televison as much as possible during the last couple of months because I am sick and tired of hearing the politicians cut down each other. These are not the kind of leaders I want to follow. But what really gets me going is hearing all the "Christians" talk like the next president is going to change the world. In fact Perry Noble stated exactly how I feel and I couldn't say it or write it any better. Check it out:
I’ve just about had enough…and am so glad I left the country yesterday…that way I don’t have to listen to this crap anymore.

And no, I’m not talking about the politicians and their crazy ads on television that are right in line with a middle school “yo mama” fight!

I’m talking about the Christians who have prostituted themselves with the political process and taken their eyes off of Jesus as their Savior and put them on either McCain or Obama as their Savior.

It’s STUPID!

Should we have a political opinion as Christians? HECK YES! Should we vote? ABSOLUTELY! I think a Christian who doesn’t vote is completely missing an opportunity that God has blessed us with as citizens of this country.

BUT…we can’t actually think that the salvation process is tied to who happens to be in the White House!

In reading through the Gospels the other day something HIT ME like a ton of bricks…the Jews missed the fact that Jesus was the Messiah because they were looking for someone to deliver them from the politics of Rome.

Let me say it more clearly–they missed Jesus because of politics!!! (And religion as well…but that’s another post!)
For a Christian to claim that the world is going to be doomed to hell because a particular party happens to “control” the White House is a slap in the face of a Sovereign God.

He reigns! Read through Scripture & it is so clear…God has used kings and princes that were sold out to Him…and He’s also used those who had no love for Him at all…all for HIS glory!

So…next Tuesday…go vote! “For who,” you ask…well, here’s an idea…ask Jesus who to vote for…and then do what He says. (Yes, it REALLY is that simple.)

Then…whoever gets elected…PRAY FOR THAT MAN OFTEN! Even if the guy you want to win doesn’t…all the more reason to pray!

One more time…YES, we should have political opinions…and YES, it is OK if they are strong AND we believe in the cause…BUT PLEASE let’s not make the mistake of thinking that God is somehow limited by the policies and philosophies of a particular party!

HE REIGNS! Always has, always will! Check out more at www.perrynoble.com

Prayer Needed

I need your prayers right now for my mother in law Sue Green who is getting a biopsy to see if she has cancer. I am asking for a miracle that nothing is found. Please join me in prayer!

Random Thoughts bouncing through my head

• I hope I don't have to move my bracelet again this week.  If you don't get this, listen to Sunday message which will be release next Monday to pick up on what the bracelets are all about.
• I am excited about going to Atlanta and talking about church planting.
• I am excited about the Northland Campus preview service.
• Thankful for the team I serve with, they aren't afraid of conflict but I faithful.
• Had an excellent staff meeting, very productive.
• My heart goes out to a lady we are helping who is homeless with her baby.
• Glad to be home after a long day.
• Excited about the Elephants message series.
• Thankful for my family.
• I Love Jesus more today than last year.

Sharing your faith with Family and Friends Part 3

When thinking about sharing our faith with family and friends, the one mistake that I think we ALL make at one time or another is just trying to share before we invest.  I liken it to taking money out of your bank account before you deposit any in.  I am learning that investing into someone's life will really make a BIG Difference.  Allow me to explain.

I am building a friendship with a young man in our community.  He doesn't believe in God and really doesn't care for the church or organized religion.  SO, I have spent the majority of our conversations directed at him.  Learning what he likes and doesn't like.  I'm finding out about what he really wants to do with his life and what his view points are in life.  I'll report later how it is going, but one young man accepted Christ this past week and I took the same approach for over four months.  

Who are you investing in?  People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.  The mistake we make many times is trying to lead someone to Christ before caring about them personally.  Try it, I think you will find it will make ALL the difference in the world.

Respect in 6th Grade

I have the opportunity every Friday morning to teach 6th graders at Mill Creek Upper Elementary in Belton MO. Today was our first day and I taught on respect. It was fun to interact with the kids on what respect is and listen to times when they have experienced to respect and we they have had someone disrespect them.

It was cool because I totally believe in kids, they are the leaders of the today in their own generation and in the next.

Reconnecting

Today I had the opportunity to reconnect with a old friend who discipled me when I was a teen.  Scott and I went to lunch to catch up on all the years that we have missed.  It was what Scott said to me that really made my day.  Scott said "Chris, I want to reconnect so I can help you in any way possible."  I was able to share some of my struggles and Scott listened.  After we left there Scott also said, "Chris, I am 50 now, and I want to make the rest of my life really count."  I am really looking forward to hangin with Scott more often, he is a true friend and loves regardless of my flaws.  What about you, do you have a true friend that won't judge you and loves you regardless of your flaws?