Provoked to Love...

Randy Smith, pastor at Discovery Church in New Jersey, had a provoking challenge in his newsletter: "This past week I asked Discovery what would happen if we were committed to loving people God's way. I think one result would be that non-believers will look at us and say, "I don't know about your God and your belief, but your love is so real, I want to find out more about the God that is behind your love.""

As I read this...my eyes were opened to our own community. I began to ask myself, 'Yeah, what would happen?' I think it would bring a revolution to people's perceptions of 'church.' Think about it, what do people really think about church? Would we be surprised or shocked? Would we be offended or embarrassed? I'll tell you one thing - we should at least challenge ourselves to love someone each day in a way God loves us all. The only problem I have, is I must be reminded of God's Love from time to time. I forget how MUCH He loves me, despite my faults and regardless of what I have done. I neglect His love because I FAIL to love Him in return in all the ways I should.

What would really happen at Real Life if we loved our community as God loves them? Would it make a difference? Would it really matter? I guess we'll just have to put that Love to the test. I guess, we will just have to be provoked to love.

I Love Being Told NO!

Don't you just love being told NO!

Well, as I have shared last time, we wanted to do a 'Gas Buy Down.' So, I approached the gas station and I got the 'look.' The guy looked at me like, 'what the junk are you talking about?' I knew this was going to be difficult.

He told me he would call me tomorrow (last Saturday) and I actually heard from him on Sunday. NO! That was the answer. It didn't matter - NO! So, I thanked him for his time and appreciated his help. Then it started!

He opened some dialogue that he 'wished' he could help us out. So, I told him to just do it - help us out! I realized something here. I've got to make it easy. After a strong suggestive question, 'Why don't we do THIS?,' he said YES! I was shocked. It's going to work out.

August 1, 2008.
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Gas will be 3.70 a gallon.

Real Life Church's Gas Buy Down will be working at helping people see God's Love by helping our community at the pump. Rock ON!

Gas Buy-Downs

One of the aspects of Real Life is trying to keep what we do 'real to life.' That's what was so cool about Christ's ministry - He would see a real need (sickness, life issues, pain) and would help with THAT need. If we are going to walk as He did, we must do the same.

One of the outreach ideas we are trying to pull together is a Gas Buy Down. This is not an original idea, but a great idea nonetheless. I don't know about gas prices where you are, but here they are over $4.00. This is a huge burden for all people, a burden we feel in 'real life.' So, we have approached a gas station to buy-down the gas 25 cents. Pray for this as we try to work out the details.

Why would we do such a thing? The answer is simple - we want to have a real impact in the lives of real people. How many of us drive across the street to save pennies? We all do. If this could work out, we would use this event to promote our next preview service. Pray that we can get this idea off the ground in the next week or so.

It has Begun! Real Life Launched!

Real Life is now a reality. The reality is we forgot several things last Sunday. That always happens. I am so pumped that Real Life has begun! I don't know if could have survived another day getting ready for July 13.

I had two big falls off a ladder. Yeah, it left a mark! I've learned that you never let a 7-year-old carry a full paint can upside down, the hard way! I've also learned that certain shades of paint require 4-5 coats to cover a wall. And, I have learned that it's better to set up a sound system when you're well-rested than when your RedBull has run out, almost blew some speakers. It was an interesting experience!

The greatest lesson I learned, though, is how God provides. I hope you have learned this lesson as well. It really changes your whole outlook on situations. If God has shown this to you specifically, let me know!

Independence...

Me and the Fam went to a fireworks celebration last night. It was pretty cool. They had sky divers. They hand bounce houses and a cover band who sang some Tom Petty, they did a good job on 'Free Fallin'. Stood in line for like an hour to get some nachos and a couple of hotdogs and we waited for ever to see the fireworks. It was all good...chairs...blankets on the ground...darkness coming...then BAM!

The fireworks we shot off about 50 feet from us and they went right above us. It was deafening. April's holding her hands on the kids ears and we were dodging sparks. I think it will take a week or two for my eyebrows to grow back. I wondered why no one was in this spot when we got there.

As we sat in the car trying to leave, April asked the kids if they knew what the celebration was all about. It was a great opportunity to share with them the freedom we all enjoy. All in all, it was just an awesome night!

Blogging Blues...

I've got the blogging blues. I have been a slacker over the past few weeks. I think it's a good reason - Real Life is about to Launch!

It's hard to get this church to the launch pad and type on my blog. So I've got the blues. In fact, I feel like I have a headache. Ever have one? That's a dumb question! Sure you have! This is just another aspect of life, Real Life. We all have things we got to take care of. So something gets missed! For me, it's my blog. Sometimes, it's our family. Even at other times, it's something more important - God. Well, try to make a point to keep things in perspective.

Now, I'll see if I can get rid of the blues!