That's a good question...

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9)

What an amazing verse this is! God comes looking for us, knowing full well our rebellion, our faithlessness, our depravity. He doesn't appear in wrath or judgement, but like a tender-hearted Father, he comes looking for his lost children. What a precious and hopeful thought, that even though I hide from Him, He comes looking for me!

Simon Tugwell says, "So long as we imagine that it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about; He is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognize that very often we are not looking for God; far from it, we are in full flight from him, in high rebellion against him. And He knows that and has taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape him, we run straight into his arms. So we do not have to erect a false piety for ourselves, to give us the hope of salvation. Our hope is in his determination to save us, and he will not give in." (Prayer)

You hear the tenderness, the aching heart, in His simple question, "Where are you?" He doesn't ask because He doesn't know. He doesn't need information. He is trying to show us something He already knows but we don't yet realize: that we are far from Him, by our own choosing. He wants us to open our eyes, look around, and answer the question, "Now tell me, what d you see? Where has this gotten you? Do you see where you are?"

And so He pursues. Not to condemn but to rescue. Yes, there are harsh and bitter consequences, but His plan is to reconcile, redeem, ransom, and rescue. And He sets that plan immediately into motion in verse 15, the protoevangelium, the first gospel. He then seals it in blood for the first time of many in verse 21, the first blood sacrifice to cover the sins of man. Every verse of the rest of the Old Testament is a steady march toward the culmination of that plan, ultimately realized in Jesus Christ, the final and only perfect blood sacrifice for our sin. The rest of the New Testament is the story of Himself drawing men, women, boys, and girls from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself through Jesus. The story continues today, and we are all -- all believers everywhere -- a vital part of it with an irreplaceable role to play.

And our story still starts with this question: "Where are you?" The answer to that question can change your life forever.

Marriage Matters!

I recently had the honor of speaking at my church, The Church at The Ridge, as part of our Family Matters series. My pastor, Steve Whipple, asked me to teach on the marriage relationship as the foundational relationship of the family. You can listen to the message here. Let me know what you think!

Passion 2012 gets favorable media attention...

A Tale of Two Kingdoms: Now online!

I had the distinct honor of speaking to our church again yesterday morning. I am deeply grateful to my lead pastor, Steve Whipple, for making the investment in me and allowing me to develop as a teacher. The message is online here.

It's called a Tale of Two Kingdoms. It's a different take on the Tower of Babel as it sets within the context of the Big Picture. The Bible is One Story - the story of The Kingdom of God. But there is a counterfeit kingdom that opposes God's Kingdom and seeks to overthrow God's authority and forge a name for itself apart form God. Everyone of us, every day, is actively building one of these kingdoms or the other -- the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Self.

Check it out and give me your feedback!

Post Preaching Blues

Recriminations. Second guessing. Self doubt.
"Did I say that right? Maybe I shouldn't have said that one thing. I forgot to say that other thing! Did I go too long?"
And so they come... the questions, the regrets, the feeling that you somehow failed to live up to the expectations. Everyone who has ever accepted the responsibility to preach knows what I mean. The second you step off the platform the voices start. It is, of course, the Enemy. He is a liar and the Father of Lies. The biggest lie the preacher believes is that it all depends on him. How well he communicated. How much research he did. How effective he was. How close to the allotted time he went.
The truth is that the Word is alive. It preaches itself if you let it. And here is the thing I miss so often: It continues to preach long after I stopped talking.
Today, I preached on Proverbs 3:5-6 -- trusting in God with your whole heart and not leaning o your own understanding. I was long. At least 45 minutes. Maybe longer. Immediately after I finished, the doubts and recriminations began. But this time I felt strangely at peace. It's a peace that had at its root the calm assurance that I had waited on God to tell me what to say. And I had been faithful to say it. Was it perfect? Hardly. But I was obedient. And when we obey, we trust God for the outcome.
So today, driving home from church, and all the voices started in questioning and second-guessing I felt the Spirit of God wash over me in a wave of peace and I heard this in my mind: "What happened, happened. It is what it is. Now let's see what God makes of it." Yes! That's it! "See what God makes of it." Because the Word doesn't stop working when the preacher stops talking. In fact, I believe that's when it just gets going.
Now... let's see what God makes of it.

"When You Pray, Pray This Way..." Jerry's message from this past Sunday

Hey everyone!
This past Sunday I had the unbelievable privilege of sharing a message from Matthew 6:5-15 on Jesus' teaching on prayer. If you know Cheryl and me at all, you know this is a subject we are passionate about! The feedback was tremendous and it is so exciting to think that God is moving and working among our people to touch off a revival of prayer at The Ridge. The podcast is available here if you were unable to attend, or if you are one of our many out-of-state or out-of-country allies.
I also made a CD/MP3 guiding our people through how to have a daily prayer time based on the model that Jesus gave His disciples. You can download that here if you want to begin the discipline of daily prayer and need a jump start.
Please join us in praying for revival among God's people. It begins by us spending time with the Father and allowing our hearts to be "synced" with His.

American Idol, Girls

Ok so they are doing things a little different this year but here is how I think it will shake out for the girls.

Kendra Chantelle - Where the junk did she come from? Zowie! What a voice.
Naima Adedapo - Very cool, old-school jazz singer vibe. My favorite right now.
Lauren Turner - The best of the Laurens. Didn't care for her song but she sang the heck out of it.
Lauren Alaina - Had her pegged for a finalist since her first audition. She's a powerhouse who makes it seem effortless. She has that Steel Magnolias beauty parlor flavor when she talks but her voice is amazing.
Pia Toscano - Props for covering the Pretenders when everyone else was doing their best diva impressions. She wasn't perfect but it was cool.
Rachel Zevita - This year's Siobhan Magnus. Weird. Quirky. Cool raspy edge to her voice but has that little hint of "I-could-go-pyscho-and-kill-you-all-at-any-moment" glimmer in her eyes. Scary but I think she'll be entertaining to watch.