Begin Praying for Laborers

I am challenge and convicted in my prayer life. I often forget to pray yet alone pray for laborers to be raised up. Will you all join me in praying that God will raise up laborers in Long Beach to lead evangelistic and discipleship movements all over the city? Read Praying the 10:2b Prayer for more history.
Categories: LongBeach, God

So we must listen carefully!!

This morning I was reading, reflecting and praying about some personal things in life, my family's future in Mexico City (see Steve Van Diest for more info on that) and our summer in Long Beach. I came across some really convicting, challenging and encouraging all at the same time things in Hebrews 2.

• So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
• What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself?
• God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.

Some good questions to reflect upon are this:

• What truth has God been speaking to you? How is you listening to God going? Are we listening and obeying?
• How are you experiencing the salvation of God? What difference is it making in your life? Does it fully impact you daily, hourly, minute by minute?
• Are you in a position daily to receive the gifts the Holy Spirit is giving? Have you prepared your heart, soul and mind to see God move around you; signs and wonders?
• Begin praying that God will make His Gospel clear to you; not just the facts but the deep penetration of the truth in how it changes us daily. Pray to the Lord that you'll be an obedient listener to what God is revealing to you. Pray that God will impact you daily so you can be a powerful testimony of God's grace in you today, tomorrow, next semester and in the summer to come in Long Beach.

God is moving! The Holy Spirit in each one of us is the same as it was in the 1st century church as it is today. Seek God, allow His grace to touch you, listen and respond.

I'm so anxious to see God touch the lives of thousands living in different little pockets of Long Beach. Begin praying that God will open up new spiritual movements in the many diverse areas of Long Beach. Begin praying for wisdom on what place God will have you take part in the expansion of His Kingdom in Long Beach. Begin praying that we'll be unified in the Spirit, common in purpose and devoted to love.

Categories: God, LongBeach

Look What God is Doing

This past week one of the greatest blessings in the world has happened for Project Long Beach. Joanna Meyer has agreed to help lead the project. You say, who is Joanna?

She is from Denver and most importantly graduated from CU. She then did the unthinkable for many graduating seniors, she headed off to Zaragoza, Spain to start and serve with the campus ministry of CCC. She said, "I never dreamed I would join CCC staff, but loved my Stint experience and realized I wanted to spend the next few years working with college students."

Then God did the amazing, he called her to work with college students for 6 years at the University of Nebraska (booh Nebraska- my comments inserted). Recently she made a move to bless the whole region of campuses by giving leadership to the Human Resource team.

She is an amazing women, with a great story and is passionate about students, the impact they can have on God's kingdom, learning about other cultures (Long Beach is loaded with them), running, hiking, cooking, flowers and the Denver Broncos.

Recently she just become a new aunt. Her sister just had a baby. Praise God!

You ought to connect with her, ask her questions, and pick her brain. You'll be blessed by Joanna. Joanna.meyer@uscm.org. God is so gracious in giving her as a leader of the project. I'm looking forward to the glory that will be given through Joanna's life.

Who is this really about?

It came to my thinking and praying on Sunday while at home and while at Church to ask the question, who or what is this summer project really about?

At times I answer that question with:
It's about me growing and seeing God move through me.
It's about God training and using students to start multiple spiritual movements around them.
It's about the staff and students having a life changing experience.

This morning my pastor and friend shared about opportunities and our text was Acts 14:19-28. He shared about the open doors of ministry we have. Think through how these apply to your life and this coming summer and ultimately what is the summer really about.

1. God creates opportunities for the advance of the Church. - There are situations, relationships and opportunities all around us that God is orchestrating for the good of His kingdom, not us. What will we do to respond? Are we looking and responding to the Spirit?
2. Sometimes opportunities come from adversity. - Sometimes if not all the time. God does something hard, amazing, life changing and faith stretching to bring about something cool for His kingdom. What is God doing in your life? What do you need from God to make it through and see Him glorified?
3. Our response is to follow by faith with boldness and perhaps sacrifice. - What is God calling to you give up, sacrifice and lay down at the cross for Him? Your belief in God will affect how you respond?

God gives us opportunities all around us, daily, all the time not necessarily for us. They are for His glory, His Kingdom, and His honor. This thought processing began to answer the question, What/who is the summer really about? It's not about me. It's not about what I can get out of it. It's not about what I can offer to God.

It is about Jesus. It is about what God has done through Him. It is about God's glory.

An old hymn by Charles Wesley came to mind. What a great way to begin a project; in worship, honor and glory to God. Let's lay our lives down for Him. Let's allow Him to do what ever He wants in us. Let's make this coming summer about God.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.

Jesus, the name that calms my fears,
That bids our sorrows cease,
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.

Charles Wesley

Categories: God

Another Great Project

I have a friend and fellow staff member, Kevin Dennis, who is starting a similar, new, crazy, unlike others summer project over in another part of the country. He has some good thoughts on life and structure and what it will all look like. Take a gander over there:
Initial Thoughts
Life Living, not building structure

Enjoy

How do we build something not dependant on us in the Long Run?

Over a short summer project in Long Beach (10 weeks) how do we build multiple movements/churches that are not CCC dependant in the long run but still have a significant role? I was reading a very insightful blog by Steve Addison on how a western missionary somewhere in Asia still has a role in helping plant multiple movements but the whole movement's expanding multiplying success is not dependant daily on him.

You've got to read Lunch with Barney for all the juicy insights but I'll give you a brief outline that I believe will help us get perspective on our project. As you read them apply them to your role this summer. Utlimately we want to plant spiritual movements/churches that will keep growing, splitting, multiplying, reaching out and multiplying again long after we leave apart from our money, presences and influence. If it is not about us and CCC then what in the world are we going to Long Beach for in the first place?

1. It takes faith
2. God's timing
3. Keep it simple
4. Grow Leaders
5. Make room for Pioneers
6. There's still a job to do.

See, you'll need to read the link to get more. Lunch with Barney

Keep praying that God will prepare our hearts, show us where to start planting movements and that we'll experience His wonderful grace, mercy and love daily.