· Yesterday was a wonderful Father’s Day/Birthday celebration!! Every few years my birthday and Father’s Day land on the same date. I like to kid my family that they use these opportunities like a K-Mart Blue Light Special and get a 2 for one deal! But today at the service and throughout the day I felt more loved than most pastors probably do in a lifetime! I received over 100 cards and gifts from church members, The church hijacked the service for a few minutes and brought me up front to pray over me and this movement called Impact. And the things that Nicole Pfister shared in her prayer as the entire congregation stretched forth their hands in prayer were words I will not soon forget! Such love and honor! Thanks to all the Impactors who made the day extra special!! You all are the very best!
· New people continue to arrive each week and it seems that the vision of a new kind of church that leaves a lasting mark on all we come in contact with resonates with them every time. Nearly all of them want to be a part!! Special thanks to Brett Sigmon for helping lead worship! BTW, he loved the vision and is planning on being a part as well!!
· We continued our series through the book of Luke (Rx – God’s Prescriptions for Abundant Living) with part 2 of a 3 parter on the 40 Day Temptations of Christ. Together Impact Church is learning how much more important and pivotal that encounter between Jesus and Satan really was in the eternal scheme of things. Last week the most important takeaway was, “We need to be careful not to sacrifice God’s best for what is merely ‘good.’” This week the takeaway was even more critical and comes from a little saying Mark Driscoll came up with regarding the serious significance of truly understanding one’s identity in Christ. He said, “Identity Determines Biography.” It’s true, isn’t it? The story of your life depends largely on who you really believe yourself to be. If you think you’re just too bad of a person to ever truly be redeemed than you will keep torpedoing every good thing in your life and every step you take will be an intentional move further away from God.
If you believe you are basically good than you will fight every hard to keep your spiritual resume squeaky clean and divinely impressive so that God is almost forced to receive you into heaven with open arms!
If you believe you know justice better than most, than you are likely to remake God in your image and demand that He deal with people the way you see fit (i.e. punish everyone who hurts you and reward all those who think the way you do).
I could go on, but I won’t—you probably see where this is going. Want your story to make an Impact for God? Than you better understand who you are in Christ. The two are inseparable.
· This coming week we will zoom in on the final temptation. It may be the most convicting and important one of them all for the modern evangelical. Hope to see you all there!!