Archive for the ‘Weekend Randomness’ Category

Randomness from the weekend…

- Played some golf in the HEAT on Friday. Summer golf = great rates & hot weather
- Ate at man heaven Friday night: Texas de Brazil = all-you-can-eat meat
- Handyman on Saturday. I do not like house chores.
- Starla and I went to see Grown Ups Saturday afternoon. It was a typical movie for that genre.
- Hung out with some friends Saturday evening and started watching Book of Eli again – this time from the new perspective – it definitely changes the entire movie.
- When it is this hot in Vegas, hitting the pool is a must. Thankfully we have several friends with pools.
- We finished our The Big I series at GP on Sunday.
- I learned a ton about idolatry during this series. Very informative.
- This is one of those series I hope we grasp the depth of what we talked about.
- Some of the message thoughts:

Underneath every sin is the reality that we chose ______ over God in that moment.
It is impossible to understand our hearts if we do not discern the idols that influence and shape them.
The question is not whether we have idols but how are we freed from their control.
Questions that help us identify our idols: What do I think about? How do I spend my money? What controls my heart?
The tough questions uncover the counterfeit gods that often capture our hearts.
Idolatry is not just about disobeying God. It is setting our hearts on anything other than God.
Idols are replaced through joyful repentance.
Repentance: turning from our sin and idols to God
Joyful: seeing the beauty of the gospel which helps us see the ugliness of our sin
The only way to replace idols is when Jesus becomes more attractive to us than our sin.
Guilt and fear based repentance causes me to hate me. Joy based repentance causes me to hate my sin – which nailed Jesus to a cross.
Replacing idols is a lifelong battle. It is a process.
The way to replace idols is to get God’s truth in you.

- This series challenged us to really ask whether Jesus is enough for us or whether we cling to other idols for our value.
- We have really been pushing the envelope in some recent series to think deeply about following Jesus.
- Our band led a more scaled back acoustic approach. We even had a cello!
- Scaled back is good on occasion.
- We have had several guests in recent weeks.
- This time of the year we always lose some solid families to military assignments and gain some as well.
- It is cool to see some families who were sent somewhere else our first few years who are now back in Vegas on re-assignment and re-connecting with Grace Point.
- Relaxed in the pool Sunday afternoon! Needed that.
- Last full week of work for a while. Vacations and travel coming over the next month.
- Summers are tough in the desert but we are maintaining some solid Sundays.

Ready for 110 today!! Thank God for air conditioning.

I took Ragan and Zac camping in Pine Valley, UT on Friday & Saturday. We had a blast. Eating junk food, hiking, catching fish, and just hanging out. I really enjoyed my time with my two youngest children. Pine Valley is an awesome place to camp and just a couple of hours out of Vegas. The temperature was perfect and we even managed to stay relatively warm in the tent. I do have to admit that sleeping on a half deflated air mattress with a squirmy 8-year-old and a snuggly 10-year-old is not exactly my interpretation of a great night’s sleep.

Sunday was a good day at GP. I taught on the story of Jacob and how God strips our idols in order to bless us. Some of the highlights from the message:

- Idols are more commonplace in our lives than we tend to admit.
- Idols can’t simply be removed. They must be replaced by the true God.
- Jacob’s life was marked by deception, getting caught, being afraid, running away, and manipulating his way through life.
- Our search for value in the wrong places can become our most difficult idol to overcome.
- Idols leave you lonely and afraid.
- Circumstances changed between Bethel and Jacob’s return but one thing did not: Jacob’s heart.
- Jacob’s face-to-face with God marked the end of his effort to run and find meaning in anything outside of God.
- A fight with God is a fight for the soul.
- God confronts us for who we are – a fight over our own sinfulness.
- God cripples Jacob at his point of greatest strength not to maim him but to bless him.
- Jacob had to come face-to-face with who he was (what is your name).
- God refuses to allow us stay where we are – He takes us to where He wants us to be.
- Knowing your identity in God through Christ is the first step to purging your heart of idols.
- When we come face-to-face with God, our lives are never the same.
- Jacob walked with the limp of grace.
- Jacob must die so that Israel might live.

We also celebrated Communion together which is always a special time at the church.

We took the kids to see Toy Story 3 on Sunday afternoon. It was a great movie and we had a good time. I felt like this movie represented the end of an era. The first Toy Story came out in 1995 followed by #2 in 1999. I remember taking my oldest daughter Kayleigh to see Toy Story 2 when she was just 3 years old. It was one of her first movies. So it was kind of cool to now see the final one with all three of my kids. Pixar went after the heart strings and overall the movie was really good. My kids love these movies and admittedly the movies are as good for adults as they are for kids. They keep me engaged even now.

Summer is officially here with all the good and bad. Lots of heat and lots of swimming in the future weeks.

Randomness from the weekend…

- Nice weekend in Vegas the past few days … 80s
- Played some golf
- Watched some girls volleyball. Kayleigh is getting really good.
- Took Zac and his buddy Mark to see The Karate Kid. It was actually a very good movie. The theater was packed and people broke into applause on numerous occasions.
- Watched UFC on Saturday night. IceMan should retire. Great fighter in his day but his days are over.
- I survived watching A LOT of punching on Saturday without actually punching anyone.
- Sunday was another solid day at GP.
- It is great to see new people step up and lead in our band. Good stuff.
- The Big I is getting a lot of positive feedback.
- This series is so relevant b/c it is a subject with which we deal every day of our lives.
- I didn’t really understand the depth of idolatry until I began this series.
- This week I taught on the story of Abraham and Isaac. God taught me some fresh lessons this week from this story.
- Some of the highlights of the message:

“Acquiring your heart’s deepest desire can turn out to be the worst thing to ever happen to you”
“We will worship something or someone and without divine intervention the object of our worship will never be God”
“Seeking to find meaning and value in anything/one outside of God will eventually destroy your heart”
“Abraham’s greatest desire would eventually become his greatest heart test”
“Was Abraham trusting God because He was God or because He was a means to an end?”
“Will I trust God even when it does not make sense to do so?”
“WE will go and WORSHIP and WE will come back to you (Abraham’s faith)”
“Abraham’s test was about loving God supremely”
“God’s test was merciful”
“Will I let God be God in my life and in the lives of those around me?”
“The true sacrifice for Isaac was not the ram but the Lamb of God”
“God wants to be all that we need and this only happens through the gospel”
“You don’t realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have”
“God deals with the destructive idols in our lives not to wound us but to complete us”

- Usually our best series are the ones that flow from God’s work in my own life.
- My older brother Dale from West Palm Beach was at GP yesterday.
- Really enjoying the Lakers-Celtics series. Great game again last night.
- Lesson from last night’s game: a great leader still needs a support cast around him. We can’t do it alone.
- I love the more relaxed environment we have around GP during the summer. The heat creates it and we always need it.

I think that’s about it. Enjoy your week.

Devin

Randomness…

- It is officially H O T in Vegas. Pool time a must.
- Played some golf – felt the heat.
- When it is this hot the best thing to do is stay indoors.
- A great weekend at GP
- Began a new series on idolatry called The Big I
- Great crowd this weekend
- Band brought it this weekend
- Set design was incredible
- The a/c was out most of the day but we survived
- Some of the message highlights:

Each culture is defined by its own set of idols.
We don’t physically bow before statues but we worship our own set of idols.
An idol is anything we love and pursue over God.
An idol is anything so essential to your life that if you lost it your life would feel worthless.
An idol receives our highest level of value.
Idols are most often good things that we turn into supreme things.
Counterfeit gods always disappoint.
An idol is the “one thing” that your heart craves above all others – where you find your value, security, and significance.
Idol test: “Life has meaning and I have worth only if I have _________ in my life.”
Idolatry is a heart issue.
“The human heart is a factory of idols” (Calvin).
The first commandment teaches that you either worship the uncreated God or some created thing (idol).
You will worship something/someone. Whatever you worship, you serve.
Underneath every sin lies idolatry – making something more important than God in that moment.
Counterfeit gods capture our love, trust, and obedience.
What has supreme value in your life?

- This series is very thought-provoking. This issue describes an ongoing battle that each of us faces regularly.
- I have my own idols and deal with the reality of my own struggles when preparing messages like these.
- We ended the service today with a declaration to God that “There is no one higher or greater than our God.”
- Looking forward to a good summer and some time off.
- Fun day with the staff tomorrow – canoeing the Colorado together.
- About to watch Lakers-Celtics

later

- I pulled Zac out of school early and took him to see the Prince of Persia on Friday. Fun time with my little man.
- Hung out at home on Friday night with the family. Watched Extreme Measures – good movie about being driven by a passion that is close to your heart.
- I did my occasional manly house duties on Saturday including yard work, repairs, and other chores that I would rather not do.
- I played in a cornhole tourney on Saturday afternoon at the home of Doug and Sandy Brackbill. Fun times. Doug and I won the tournament and I talked plenty of trash in the process.
- Watched UFC 114 on Saturday night. Along with a lot of other people, I was really looking forward to the Rashad-Rampage fight. It was a bit of a disappointment but typical Rashad Evans style fight.
- We finished our Q & A series on Sunday at GP.
- Memorial Day hurt our attendance some but overall a solid day.
- The band has been clicking recently.
- I answered questions on the following subjects:

Should a Christian go to war?
Why do we need to ask for forgiveness if our sins have been eternally forgiven?
What will life in Heaven be like?
Can people in Heaven see what’s happening on earth?
Do angels have free choice?
How often should we observe Communion?
What does it mean to be missional?

- Missional Living is one of our core values at Grace Point so I really enjoyed answering this last question. I took a different approach to explaining what it means. I borrowed an analogy I heard recently on the gospel utilizing the symbols of a crown, cross, and heart. Missional living seeks to strike a balance between these three symbols – kingdom, cross, and heart. We are to teach the gospel, take the gospel, and be the gospel. I love this analogy and hope to develop these concepts further for GP.
- Our Q & A series always proves to be successful. I think it is wise to know and discuss the questions that the people are asking. It is always one of the most relevant series we do and allows us to address theological, biblical, philosophical, and practical issues from a biblical perspective.
- One of our foundational philosophical principles is the concentric circle idea: core circle = essentials to the Christian faith; second circle = defining beliefs – what makes us who we are; and third circle = preferences and differences. We are adamant at GP about making sure third circle issues remain thrid circle and do not become anything else. This series helps us define some of these differences.
- We begin a new series next Sunday called The Big I where we will be talking about modern day idolatry – what it looks like and how it affects our everyday lives.
- It is always great to see former GPers again. This weekend Ryan and Megan Johnson were in town. Ryan was our first successful intern and Megan moved to Las Vegas from Birmingham, AL in our beginning stages to help launch GP. This couple was valuable to our ministry and have now gone on to serve in Indy where Ryan is a student pastor. They now have a beautiful daughter named Tatum. It is awesome to spend time with people who have been influenced by our ministry and now taken that influence to other parts of the country.
- Two of our Elders also came over last night with their wives: Daniel & Ashley Newell (the last remaining core group family) and Kenny & Jodi Gonz. We love these families and are blessed to have them in our ministry.
- I am taking off Memorial Day to spend with family and friends.
- Our church is comprised of a lot of military families so I am very thankful this weekend for the sacrifice of men and women who make our freedom possible.

Have an awesome week.

Highlights of the weekend:

- Golfed in some serious wind on Friday. That will change your game!
- Watched girls volleyball at 8 am on Saturday morning. Those schedulers should be beaten.
- Finally went out and bought some clothes that fit – I’ve lost 25 pounds since the Fall and needed some new duds.
- Took the family to see Shrek on Saturday afternoon. Funny movie. 3D movies kill the budget.
- Took Zac and Ragan to a community event Saturday evening. GP hosted a “Minute to Win It” booth. Fun time.
- Played some board games Saturday night and enjoyed some hang time with the fam.
- Sunday was another positive day at GP.
- The Sunday weather was about 65 degrees! Is this really Las Vegas?
- Our Q & A series is really sparking a lot of discussion.
- We continue to see a lot of new faces each week.
- The issues I tackled today included:

How should we understand the Trinity?
What does the Bible say about cremation?
When was the Bible completed?
What happens to my money when I give to Grace Point?
and Can you be gay and be a Christian?

- I spent about half the message on the last question because it is so relevant for our culture. I would say that most every person in our church under 40 (which is a large percentage) know someone who is gay and probably knows someone who confesses to be gay and a Christian. This topic is one of the most relevant for ministry in our culture. I tried to handle this topic with grace and sensitivity. I believe the Scripture forces us into this tension that every person matters to God and can be forgiven through the cross & the reality that the Bible speaks against homosexual sex. My challenge for GP is that we need to provide a place where strugglers can struggle. We want to be known as a place that emphasizes grace and allows God to work in the lives of individuals. Let’s be honest: the church for the most part has done an inadequate job in facing and dealing with this issue. We live in the dynamic of proclaiming the truth of God while loving those who are far from God or struggling in their humanness. I am not sure I have the answer on how to deal with this issue in a way that honors both but I do want to trust God to do his sanctifying work in a person’s life. I don’t have the time or space to write everything we talked about yesterday. I will try and post an article later on this subject. I would say that we need to be reminded that grace is messy because we are so messed up. And we will be a church that emphasizes, believes in, and practices grace.

- Obviously there was a lot of feedback from yesterday’s message – a lot of positive.
- I am so thankful to lead a church where we can talk openly and honestly about subjects such as this one.
- I confess that I have not always handled this issue properly. Do you know why? I don’t struggle with it. Our tendency is to harp against those things with which we do not struggle. God is teaching me differently.
- The Sunday afternoon nap was refreshing.
- I watched the Lost finale with a few friends. I am a logical / black-white answers kind of guy so I have to say I was a bit disappointed that we did not get clear cut answers. I had ZERO expectation that we would get answers but I was hoping that maybe we would get something. I get the gist of the direction the writers were headed but they simply left too many unanswered questions for me. I think they should have thought more thoroughly through the end before they introduces so many different story lines. So overall, I was disappointed but Lost as a whole has been a great ride.
- Let’s hope 24 ends better than Lost.

My last birthday that starts with a 3 is this week! Crazy!

- Went to see Robin Hood on Friday night. Decent movie. I am jaded b/c I don’t think Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe will ever outdo their Gladiator performance.
- Ate at Macaroni Grill after the movie and that’s when the fun began.
- I got really sick about 1 am Saturday and “re-visited” what I ate at Mac Grill.
- Spent all day in bed Saturday with fever and regular trips to the bathroom.
- My fever was actually gone when I got up Sunday morning so I was able to teach.
- I didn’t feel good but we still had a solid day at GP.
- The band has been rocking recently.
- It is always cool to see people who were a part of GP in our first few years before moving. I visited briefly with a lady who was in town and I had baptized their entire family. They now live in New Mexico and are plugged into a church there and serving!
- We continued our Q & A series today talking about some tough stuff. Here are the questions I answered today:

What is the fate of those who have never heard of Jesus?
What is the fate of the “innocent” (unborn children, young children, mentally incapable)?
How do we know if guilt is from God or the Enemy?
Why do Christians tend to focus on certain sins and neglect others?
Why do we not use the sign of the cross?
Why pray? Does prayer change God’s mind?
How do I pray?
Did Jesus hear and answer prayer as baby?

- I talked today about a principle that I have adopted in recent years: we should be known more for what we are FOR than what we are AGAINST. I grew up in churches that tended to focus on what we are against. Christians tend to have the reputation in culture that they are against things. I believe the NT model is Christians should be known for what they are for. Obviously there are moral issues that Christians should stand against. But here is my philosophy: if I am known for what I am for then what I am against speaks for itself. For example, God is for marriage. Christians should be for God’s model of marriage: one man – one woman – one flesh – lifetime. If I am FOR this model of marriage and teach this model of marriage, then what I am against speaks for itself (divorce, homosexuality, polygamy, adultery, etc.). I am against those things that contradict God’s design. So as a Christian, I need to learn to focus on what God is for and then what I am against speaks for itself. I would also add that if I am known as a person who loves Jesus and reflects Jesus then I can talk about Jesus. Christians are known for standing in front of abortion clinics and picketing. But are we known for standing behind abortion clinics to offer the love of Jesus to women who have just made a life-affecting decision? Thoughts to ponder for sure. We want GP to be a church that is known for what it is for.

- I had to “stay away” from everyone today because I did not want to get others sick so I didn’t really get to interact with GPers. I always enjoy hanging out with our people.
- I am glad to be feeling better.

Survivor finale tonight!

later

Starla’s sister Alice was married this weekend so she and Kayleigh went to Alabama for the weekend, leaving me and the two younger ones – Ragan and Zac. We had a fun time hanging out Friday night – went to the park to play in the beautiful weather, ate at CiCi’s, went to U-swirl, and watched The Tooth Fairy together. They hung out with friends on Saturday and went swimming. I got to golf and watch UFC – which makes for a good day for daddy. I enjoyed my daddy time with my two youngest kids.

Sunday was a good day at GP. Some of the highlights:

- Mother’s Day. We gave all our moms a sunflower.
- Parent-Child Dedication. It is great to see our stage filled with parents & kids.
- Our band was killing it today – great job.
- We started a new series today, Q & A, where we answer questions submitted by GPers. Today I answered 6 primary questions:

How old is the earth?
Why are there so many Bible translations?
Should Christians celebrate holidays that have “pagan” roots?
What does GP’s “come as you are” approach to ministry actually mean?
Do suicide victims go to heaven or hell?
Can a person lose their salvation?

If you want to know how I answered these questions, you can always check out our podcast on the website.

- I love this series b/c it allows us to cover so many theological, biblical, and practical questions.
- People have a lot of questions about spiritual issues.
- I love talking about GP’s “come as you are” approach. It gets me passionate.
- My voice was about shot today from being a little sick but I made it.
- We are hitting a good stride at GP right now in both services.
- Because we are a simple church, we don’t have a lot going on right now outside of our Big Three: weekend gatherings, small groups, community service. I love leading a church that stays focused on a few things.
- Summer is a tough season in Vegas b/c of the heat so I am glad we are having a solid season right now.

glad to be on the journey

My weekend included some golf, watching the Mayweather-Mosley fight, hanging with family & friends, and a little chillaxing.  Awesome weekend at GP. Here is an overview:

- Baptism Celebration at GP this weekend. We had 21 baptisms – mainly adults.
- Our baptisms included a former atheist and a former gang member who has been shot 5 times.
- We also baptized some couples together and a couple of people who committed their life to Jesus that day!
- One of my favorite things about baptism at GP is when other people get in the pool with their family/friends to help with the baptism. I love it when those who are a part of the journey share in this moment.
- I was reminded yesterday of never giving up on those people in your life who are far from God. When Julie, a former atheist, was baptized, she was surrounded by a circle of friends who had prayed for her for years!
- And yes it was cold and windy in Vegas yesterday and our water looked like it came straight out of the Jordan River itself. Those who were baptized did so in spite of the conditions!
- I love how GP celebrates baptisms.
- Our band led us in some of our favorite songs yesterday. I love to hear GPers sing and worship.
- I taught on baptism and discussed some of the basic who, why, and how questions.
- Baptism identifies me with Jesus, the gospel, and other Jesus followers.
- We also had our first ordination confirmation at GP this weekend. We ordained Ty Neal, our Family Ministries Pastor, and Danny Kahr, my former intern who will be helping plant a church in Salt Lake City next year. I love these two guys. It is awesome to be part of their journey.

You can GO HERE to see pics from baptism weekend.

Another solid weekend at Grace Point.

We finished our Pierced series this weekend. It was a great series for us. We waded through some deep waters and talked about some tough issues. This series was heavy in a lot of ways as we looked at some weighty issues but it was liberating in the sense that we were able to talk about the whole life that God intends for us.

One of the things God has been teaching me in recent days has to do with the fullness of the gospel, that He intends for us to live whole lives in Him – that our lives are not to be defined by our wounds (life experiences) but by Him. Salvation is not just a free ticket to heaven. It is a reality with which we are to live – a way that is complete and satisfying in who Jesus is and what He has done (the gospel). This series, along with our Mirrors series from last year, have helped clarify some of this reality for me. I am continuing to learn what this truth means and looks like in everyday life.

Yesterday I talked about forgiveness and how only through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and learning to forgive others can we find complete healing and wholeness. The NT principle of forgiveness, forgive as Christ forgives, is a tough one to digest at times. To learn to forgive without conditions and completely is difficult. And yet it is only through this type of forgiveness that we find healing.

If you want to hear the Pierced series, check out our podcast. Here’s a link to some pictures of the final Sunday from an awesome photographer in our church Ron Dillon. As part of the creative element for this series, Alex Kahr painted a 4-part painting that came together yesterday to illustrate that through His pierced hands we find healing.And the girl singing is Muna Hiluf, a local Vegas high schooler who made the final 50 on American Idol a couple of season ago. She brought down the house!