Yeah, I know. I’ve already done my spiel about Favre. But being the huge football fan that I am, I just have to give you an instant replay of a great post on favre from another blog. A pastor by the name of Mark Wilson from the northwoods of Wisconsin had this to say about Brett:

1. He Showed up to Play Every Sunday - Regardless of what was happening in his life (i.e. his fathers death and his wife’s cancer), he still found a way to get to the game on time.

2. He Played Through the Hurts - I’ve watched just about every Packer game since Favre’s debut. I’ve seen him clobbered, hannered, hanstrung, smashed, and boggled. Yet, Brett kept getting back on his feet again. Remember the year when he played half a season with a broken thumb? Somehow, the desire for victory was far greater than the physical pain. READ MORE HERE….

There’s more to read by clicking on the link above, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to read the rest of this really well done post.

(And by the way….there might be a lesson or two in here for Christ followers, but let’s just keep that between us. Otherwise, people might not read it.)

Yesterday marked the end of an era. One of the greatest QBs to ever play in the NFL hung up his cleats for the last time. He was great because he played full-out. He left nothing in the tank and everything on the field. He played to win. There are many people in life that rather than playing to win, they play to avoid losing. Playing to win is an entirely different mindset, and it is what separates average performers from high performers. He was not afraid to take risks because he had no fear of losing. Losing was not the worst thing that could happen. Giving less than everything in order to win was. Read the full story

I have to say that God is really showing up in our services. We have had one of the best stretches of services that I remember having in our history. And I don’t mean we’ve had flawless services. I touched on that last week. What I mean is that there is a tangible sense of the presence of God.

Moment of confession - We’ve had services since we began where it was totally in our own power. Our plans, our skills, our abilities, our knowledge, and our strength. That may sound bad, but I’m convinced that there are more churches than not where this is true. But God will NOT let HIS Word ever go out without impact. Isaiah 55:11-12 tells us that just as the rain will always accomplish a purpose, so too will His Word. Even if we’re delivering it in our own strength, which we (I) have done. In Philippians 1:15-18, the Apostle Paul said that even when the gospel is preached with impure motives, he rejoiced because God’s Word is still being heard. That’s the power of God’s Word.

That being said, having experienced services that were done in our own power, and experiencing services soaked in the power of God, I’ll take the latter. And we’ve been blessed to sense God’s presence in powerful ways this year.

In The Fire

Our current series, In The Fire, concentrates on the experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter three. If you’re going to Go B.I.G. in 2008, you can count on having a fiery furnace moment….and then some. Jesus was put to the test IMMEDIATELY after being baptized and beginning his public ministry. You will NEVER realize the “something more” you are looking for without fighting for it.

The awesome thing about the faith of these three heroes of faith are that there were OK with whatever outcome awaited them. Whether it was deliverance from the fire, or perishing in the flames. Because either way, they were honoring the King of Kings. There was no room for compromise with these guys…no playing it safe. For them, it was all or nothing for their God. And look at the impact.

Playing safe is a sure way to a life of boredom and emptiness. At The Grove, I would rather we fail while achieving great things for God, than succeed at accomplishing nothing. That means we have to be OK with failing. That doesn’t sound acceptable in the church environment. But that’s because too many churches have put God in a box and we have crippled ourselves and cut ourselves off from experiencing the overwhelming greatness of God.

We want 2008 to be more than we ever imagined. And we have a God that wants to deliver. But it will take our whole-hearted commitment and a willingness to fight fire with faith.

HUDDLE HIGHLIGHTS

Each Sunday, our men gather in a huddle to be personally challenged before heading out to live out their faith in their home and in the workplace. This week, we passed out matches. An unlit match delivers neither light nor heat. But when struck, it reveals both. For a match to deliver either, it has to be struck or ignited by other matches. If you’re not taking any blows, then you’re not putting yourself out there for Christ. And if you’re not being challenged and inspired by others, you are limiting your potential and your reach.

Our men will be carrying matches this week to remind them of these simple truths. Grab one yourself and let it be your own reminder this week.

Is it just me or does anyone else have mixed emotions about VD (that doesn’t look right) Valentine’s Day? I mean, I really enjoy trying to make a special day for my wife and all, but there are times it just seems so contrived, so forced, so made up. And heaven help the dude that forgets to do the VD (still doesn’t look right) thing for his girl. Never mind if he’s done great things up to that point. It’s all down the tubes if he forgets to do something special today.

Anyway, I was pleased to see another ministry leader I admire from afar expressing similar thoughts this morning on his blog. Perry Noble, pastor of New Spring in Anderson, SC (close to my old stomping grounds) posted this rant this morning:

Happy Valentines Day…I guess.

I know this is supposed to be a happy day…but there are about five things in regards to this day and romance in particular than get on my nerves.

#1 - Cupid

I don’t know who in the heck thought of the guy who wears a diaper and flies around shooting people in the butt with arrows…thus causing them to fall in love…BUT I do know one thing-WHOEVER it was did not live in the South. Seriously…a dude in a diaper with a bow and arrow just would not be very popular in these here parts!

#2 - Passive Men

I once heard a guy say, “I don’t see anything wrong with a girl asking a guy out.” I told him, “That is because you are pathetic!”

Call me “old fashioned,” BUT…the Bible says in Proverbs 18:22, “He who FINDS a wife FINDS what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” Key word-FIND!!!

Dudes, trust me-women desire to be pursued…and if they have to pursue you then they will one day resent you because of your passivity.

By the way guys…pursuing a girl IS NOT sending her a text asking her on a date…nor is it having a friend speak to her (unless you are in the first grade.) It is you BEING the MAN and asking her out…and if she says no then handling it with class!

#3 - Desperate women

Too many women in today’s world (especially Christian women) think that something is wrong with them if there is not a man by their side…so, often times they are willing to take whatever comes along.

Continue reading this really good post here:

I hope you clicked over to finish his post. How ’bout it? Dudes…..do you feel the same way? Gals….do you? Are there any disagreements? How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Like it? Love it? Can’t stand it? This space can be your therapy to finally speak your peace on this subject.

Oh….and Happy Valentine’s Day!

At The Grove, we have begun 2008 with a challenge and a commitment to discover and live out the “something more” that so many of us sense we are missing, but know is out there. We brought the series to a conclusion last Sunday as we discussed putting it into action. Today, I want to share some additional thoughts along this line.

I would encourage you to click on this link, Philippians 2:5-7, and read the paraphrased version of this passage from The Message. It will help you understand the true humility of Jesus Christ as he was about his mission of redeeming mankind.

This passage gives us a role model for how we ultimately achieve and live out the “something more” we are pursuing. True greatness is not a measure of self-will or self-achievement but rather self-abandonment. The more you are willing to give up the more you gain in Christ. In the end, I guess this is why so many of us fail to realize the kind of life that Jesus said could be ours in John 10:10. We fail to get there because we are not willing to “go down” in order to “go up”.

In John 13, Jesus washed the disciples feet. But it wasn’t so much about washing feet as it was about love, humility, and service. If you don’t know much about the custom at the time, that duty was usually reserved for one of the lowest servants in the household. Certainly, the master of the house never stooped this low. And most definitely, not the Master of the Universe. But Jesus did. Jesus showed us that the path to greatness, the path to “something more” doesn’t look a whole lot like most of us have envisioned.

The path to true greatness goes through:

• Unconditional love
  • Should we do any less than Jesus example
• Unapolagetic humility
  • Not just about taking the low road. You can take the low road and still not be humble. True humility is demonstrated by putting others first
• Uncompromising servanthood
  • When we begin to practice servanthood, we live the way of the cross. Servanthood is about position that is worked out after love and humility are worked in. it is how we live out “something more”
  • When we live these principles out, one day we will stand before God and it will be God who says you are great. And that will be far more satisfying than any accolades you receive now.

I will have a few additional thought throughout this week on this final idea of pursuing “something more”.

AWESOME! I sometimes wish I had better words to describe great moments and events, but I keep coming back to this one. Today was one of those days as I got to listen to the teaching and encouragement dished out by Mark Driscoll. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was here to speak about, but I didn’t really care. I just knew that it would be of value. And I didn’t leave disappointed.

There are times when we (I) take for granted just how incredible the truth of the gospel is and the power of the cross. Driscoll, speaking to a room full of pastors, reminded us all of the many facets of how scripture reveals and points to Jesus. He is found throughout the entire Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. When Moses asked the voice from the burning bush who should he say was sending him on this mission, he was told “I AM”. Jesus declared in the NT that “before Abraham was, I AM”.

Every part of scripture, the whole arc of history, points to Jesus Christ and his work to redeem mankind. It’s an enormous love story of how much God wanted us to know him. And when sin separated us from him, he was willing to send his son, Jesus Christ, to do what we could not do, to forgive us of sin, and to give us the hope and promise of life with him.

It’s not about religion. We were reminded of that today. Religion never takes us to the depth and breadth of life that Jesus offers. In fact it takes us in the opposite direction. Here is a clip of Driscoll addressing the dead-end road of religion instead of the life-giving joy and freedom in Christ. (the clip is 10 minutes long)

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=WXKT8IPdvzA]

Friends, when we try to live out religion, we will grow weary and tired. Joy will be fleeting. And the “something more” we are looking for will be hard to find. That’s why we have to constantly remind ourselves that our walk is a journey with a person, Jesus Christ, not a journey with a list of rules.

It’s also why we have to never give up on introducing people who are struggling through life looking for hope and answers to the one who is the Ultimate Hope, the Ultimate Answer, Jesus Christ.

I entered 2008 with a renewed commitment to seeing lost people find life through Jesus Christ. Today, the commitment was strengthened through powerful reminders of the power of the cross. Will you do the same? Will you make it your personal initiative to find ways to bring life to your friends who have given up on religion, but are still searching for their own “something more”. If you will, you will move closer toward discovering your own.