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Pray, listen and then choose

Have you ever had a dream where you died and woke up in a cold sweat? Maybe you woke up just before you died. At dinner tonight, Gabriel reminded me of a time when I had quite a few dreams about dying. In my dreams, I either died or was about to die. What was unusual about my dreams is that I was not afraid.

I used this as an opportunity to teach the boys that if you are afraid of dying, it will keep you from living your life to the fullest. If you are afraid of failing, you will never accomplish anything of great significance.

Don’t make foolish decisions. Don’t go off half cocked. Proverbs 23:23 says, “Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline and good judgment.” Just don’t let a fear of failure keep you from risking it all. David should have died when he went up against Goliath. Pharoah could have killed Moses for rising up against him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego actually got thrown into the furnace. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. Paul tried to go on missionary journeys that were cancelled by the Trinity. All of these men knew how to pray. They all knew how to make life and death choices… even if they were scary. The results were not always what they expected.

But, I don’t think you could call these guys failures. They all made decisions. They chose. Every day, our lives are filled with choices. What will you choose?

Check out some of these great choices in the scriptures.

The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (Genesis 6:1-2)

A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? (Proverbs 20:24)

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. (Deutoronomy 3:19)

He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:25-27)

The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. (John 6:70-71)

Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. (Acts 15:40)

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Weekend Reflections

Today was an amazing day as we Celebrated New Beginnings at The ROCK! We dedicated eleven children to the Lord, distributed thirteen Bibles to high school and college graduates. We also water baptised six adults and four children as they made a public declaration of their life in Christ. I love being a part of water baptisms and child dedications. Both of these ceremonies represent new beginnings. Officiating these events is one of the greatest privileges I have as a pastor.

At the end of the service, dad gave everyone an opportunity to accept Christ. I did not get a definitive count. But, I can tell you that there were hands going up all over the auditorium as people chose to turn their lives and follow Christ.

One of the highlights of the day was baptising Terri. Jen and Terri have become great friends. I kind of like her too (eventhough she’s Canadian). It is always an honor to baptise our church family. It’s really cool when it is someone that is close to you. Terri drove up from Shallotte and spent the night with us last night so she could get to church way too early and decorate the stage. We went to dinner at Macaroni Grill and then headed out to the church to prep some of the set design. At dinner, Terri informed us that July 1st is Canada Day. I think we might celebrate by eating some Canadian Bacon or something.

Overall, I think we had a great weekend. The next few weeks are going to be crazy! Stay tuned for more info.

PS. Every year on July 4th, we have a huge party. If you want to come, you need to bring food, drink, a lawn chair and a friend. It kicks off around 6:00pm and we start the fireworks show at 9:00pm. Just send me an email at july4@bryanmcgee.com. You can also make a contribution to the fireworks show. Monetary gifts to the explosion show are not tax-deductible. But, you will have the satisfaction of knowing we will name a portion of the show after you.

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Evan Almighty

Jen and I took the boys to see Evan Almighty today. I have to tell you, it was an excellent movie with a great message. If you want Hollywood to get the message that good, family movies that are based on Biblical messages then GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

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Links 06.22.07

Check out what’s provoked me recently…

Mark Driscoll addresses Death by Ministry here, here and here.
Steven Furtick said “What got you here won’t get you there.”
Tony Morgan talks about why Heaven is Over-Rated in the world’s eyes.
ChangeThis gave 10 Guidelines For Effective Brainstorming.
Craig Groeschel has been hosting a Preaching QNA here, here, here, here… oh, and here, here, here and here.
Guy Kawasaki gave some great tips on Speaking As A Performance Art.

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One voice

In Genesis 11:1-9, Moses recounts the story of the city of Babel. Many years after the flood, people began to settle in the region of Shinar. They decided that they wanted to make a name for themselves and began to build a city with a tower that would lead into the heavens. Since they had one language, they were virtually unstoppable.

What made them unstoppable? It was not that they had amazing masonry skills or a keen sense of architecture. It was that they spoke the same language and had the same purpose. They were not going out doing their own thing. They were unified in their common purpose. Granted, they were pursuing a purely self-centered, anti-God purpose. But, they were unified as they were going after it. In fact, they were so unified in their purpose and goal, that God came said,

One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they’ll come up with next—they’ll stop at nothing! Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.”

This is how the city became known as Babel, or babble. God confused their speech so their plan would be destroyed.

What can we learn from this? If you want to succeed, speak the same language. Go after a common goal. Don’t set out to do your own thing. Find out what your leader wants and get everyone else on board to make it happen. If you are following a Godly leader who pursues God’s plans then nothing is impossible. God would not have scattered the people of Babel if they were honoring Him. He scattered them because they were making a name for themselves. They wanted to control their own destinies.

So the question then arises, “How do I become a better leader without becoming self-centered.” Jim Wideman recently wrote,

If you want to grow to be a better leader, start my showing your esteem and trust to the authorities God has placed in your life. Don’t give any place to the “us vs. them thinking that is way too common… Choose to value their input and the wisdom God has given them. You can put too much confidence in yourself and your own abilities. The truth is we need others. Authority does not hinder and bind. It sets you free to achieve! People don’t want to release power to people that don’t esteem leadership. What authorities in your life do you need to show honor and esteem? It’s a great starting place to help you go to a new level of leadership.”

If you will esteem the leaders in your life and speak their language, nothing is impossible. Whether at work, home, church or school learn the language of your leader. What does your boss want? What is it that your teacher is looking for? What is the language of your corporation? What is the heart of your pastor?

If you can ever get your whole team to speak the same language and then go after a goal that honors God, nothing will be held back from you… nothing.

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