Our Need for Confession

Over the last couple of weeks, I have tried to over emphasize the need for confession during times of preaching and teaching by reserveing a few minutes to teach on its importance. I think confession can sometimes become devalued in churches for many reasons. And because of this, confession is quickly overlooked and diminished to something we’ve done at some point in our walk rather than something that is a part of our sanctification.

For the purposes of this post, I’m simply addressing confession as it pertains to the individual. Later, we’ll look at the confessing of sin to other believers and corporate confession. Nevertheless, here are four short things to consider about confession:

1. Confession and Agreement

In confession, we are agreeing with the charges that have been brought before us recognizing that we have ultimately sinned against our Lord (Psalm 51:4). 

2. Unworthy

When we confess our sin, we are quickly reminded that we are unworthy of God’s grace and mercy.

3. Hatred of Our Sin

Confession is a wonderful part of our sanctification and I realize that’s easier said than done, but the process of sanctification is not only that we are becoming more like Jesus, but in our maturity, growing to hate our sin as well. 

4. Grace

In the end, it is the grace of God that we do not deserve that is our only hope. And if you’re a believer, the reminder here is that is by the grace of God that you have saved; not your merit or intellect. Simply, it is by the righteousness and obedience of another that we rest our soul upon (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

RECOMMENDED READING: 
• The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson

Reclaiming Monday

Monday isn't that many days away and as much of a fact as that is, it will still throw people off. I realize that this is being posted on a Wednesday, but that's kind of the point. My hope is to provide some effective tools to help you think through your Monday when it does come around. 

For me, Monday is my favorite day of the week. There's something about that morning routine that helps me get ready for the week and helps me to get everything in order. I also fully understand that things don't always go accordingly to plan, things can pop up at the last minute, or emergencies surface. In essence, what I wish to share isn't bullet proof and it'll be pretty general, but that's where you come in. Only you can fill in the specifics. 

A Monday routine doesn't have to be bad, desensitized, or leave you feeling like you're behind from the minute you wake up as long as it's done with intention. So, here are 3 things you should start doing in order to reclaim Monday mornings: 

1. PRAY

Monday, for many, is a fast paced day filled with several task lists, deadlines, and schedules. Rather than jumping into the deep end hoping you remembered how to tread water, begin your day with prayer. This may mean that you need to wake up earlier (remember, we're going for intention). 

If your Monday's are quickly filled with work, supervisors or staff calling and texting you right at 8:00 a.m., and utter chaos then hear me out: that's simply not sustainable. We'll get to the chaos in a bit, but by beginning your morning in prayer the hope is that you will find yourself in true communion with God, remembering the truth about God and who you are through His word. Inevitably, this will lead you to worship God. It's a routine with intention that strengthens a relationship. 

After praying, Monday should now become a catalyst for planning and prioritizing. 

2. PLAN

When you begin to plan your day or the rest of the week, put it all on the table. I mean it: put everything on the table (goals, tasks, meetings, date night, time with the kids, going to the gym, alone time, etc.). EVERYTHING. 

When everything goes on the table, you're able to begin to put things in their proper category so that you can more effectively take on your day or strategize your week. Additionally, this will help you to prioritize what's urgent, what's important, and what can wait. 

3. PRIORITIZE

Out of the 3, I think this is the hardest for many. Prayer is wonderful because it helps us to strengthen our relationship with God during a time where no one else is awake or when the phone hasn't started ringing. Then when it comes to planning, many don't have trouble putting everything on the table because it actually helps them take a view of all that they have to do. But then the question where do I start? hits and it's all downhill from there. 

To begin prioritizing here are my top 3 things to consider: Be Realistic, Be Intentional, and Say "NO" to things. 

Putting everything on the table should help you to see that there are simply not enough hours or days in the week to accomplish everything so this is the part where your planning has to be realistic--both in terms of your responsibilities and capacity. 

Once you've begun to collect some realistic goals, meetings, and plans for the week the next step is to be intentional. In other words, when you're with your kids, be PRESENT. When you're on date night, be PRESENT. When you're meeting with someone new or a client, be PRESENT. 

And finally, say "NO" to things. If you're saying "yes" to everything then chances are there's a ton of work and/or people slipping through your cracks, items and tasks that aren't being fulfilled, and work piling up because you simply can't get to it. In the end, you will burn out and you'll be so emotionally disconnected that you'll affect your family or those around you. 

If you wish for your productivity to increase then handle one (task, meeting, goal, etc.) by one. Do NOT move to the second or next thing on your list until the first one is complete. Do this and watch your productivity increase by at least 50%. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

This is more of a section with my top 4(ish) tools that help me not only get organized, but help me stay organized.

• Calendar: I can't stress this enough. Get a good calendar and stop telling yourself that scheduling is so constraining because you're so "organic." You're not 12 anymore. Whether it's a hard copy or an app, get a good calendar with some reminders. Personally, I'm a fan of Google Calendar because it syncs with all of my devices, it's easy, and I've been using it for 10 years. 

• Organization: I'm always writing things down during meetings, blog ideas, sermon prep, leadership jazz, etc. I use Notability and Evernote and absolutely love them. They help me to jot notes down, stay organized, color code all of my thoughts, and I can easily share everything with my staff.

• Paper: While I love me some organizational apps, I love paper even more. I always have either a Field Notes pocket notebook or a Moleskin journal with me. The Field Notes pocket notebook is in my wallet and trust me you run into those scenarios where you wish you had a piece of paper for some notes, details, or a quick thought more than you think. When that day comes, your million dollar idea will have vanished into the depth of your brain all because you didn't fork a couple of bucks for a Field Notes pocket notebook. 

• Invitation: Whether it's your calendar, your weird apps, or whatever system you decide to adopt in order to help you reclaim Monday's, I would encourage you to invite someone (friend, spouse, staff member, etc) into your planning and prioritization to not only be held accountable, but if it's something you really struggle with, then they could be someone to provide insight. 

Again, Monday doesn't have come with a swift kick to the head. It can be reclaimed through intentionality. It may mean a little more effort, but it'll be effort that’s efficient not exhaustive. Give it a shot. I'll love to hear how it goes and if there's anything that I can help with. Leave it in the comments! 

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:3

RECOMMENDED READING:
• What's Best Next? How the Gospel Transforms How You Get Things Done by Matt Perman
• Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity by Tim Challies

How Do You Respond To Fear?

We've been a sermon series on Habakkuk for the past several weeks and it's simply been a great study. Habakkuk is a small book, but is densely packed. I think one of the things I most appreciate is how brutally honest Habakkuk is with God concerning his confusion, fear, and understanding. This Sunday, we're landing the plane, but I wanted to take this opportunity to elaborate on a few things concerning fear from last week's message. I'm not sure if we talk about fear much and more importantly, I'm not so sure our response is similar to that of Habakkuk's in fear. Here's where we ended and then I'll jump into this post:

"I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us." (Habakkuk 3:16) 

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO FEAR? 

First, let's get it all out on the table: we all experience fear. How we respond and how it manifests itself in our lives is different, however. 

1. Resignation
Upon experiencing or feeling fear, many will completely succumb to it and quit whatever endeavor, path, or activity they're involved in. They simply quit. 

2. Detachment
Detachment can come in various forms, but in this case I believe that it's two fold: (1) we physically detach ourselves from people and (2) emotionally disconnect from relationships. 

3. Pride
Fear can sometimes bring the self-reliance out in us where we believe we simply must pull ourselves us by our bootstraps and take it on because no one else will. 

4. Control
This one is definitely me (I'm not proud of that by any means). When fear surges, control is what manifests itself; controlling people, situations, conversation, decisions, etc. 

5. Anger
Anger is a way people respond to fear. It comes out in foolish decisions and unwise choices of words; a dismissal of who or what is "in the way." 

6. Projection
Fear can be crippling and many people will project their fear and anxiety onto others so as to not feel it. In projection, one will gather others for the purpose of casting their fear and anxiety on them. 

By no means am I saying these are the only ways people can respond to fear. And I'm sure there is much more to be said about each one. My point, however, is that there is a strong probability that we respond to fear in one or more of these ways AND there are underlining issues, root concerns. 

For instance, if you respond to fear with control, then the root of your fear can be things like rejection or abandonment. If you respond with anger, then the root could be self protection. There could be several things that are ultimately at the root of your fear. But if I'm taking a page out of my boy Habakkuk, then the question I must ask myself if do I respond to fear with worship? That sounds ridiculous. 

FEAR and WORSHIP

As I've mentioned earlier, one of the things I most appreciate about Habakkuk is how brutally honest he is and in this section of the book, upon feeling fear, he doesn't avoid it or respond with something else. He confronts it and turns to what he knows to be true: 

1. The Character of God
Habakkuk runs through God's involvement throughout the history of his people. In Habakkuk's psalm, we're reminded that God is intimately involved, saves and redeems, and is totally sovereign. It's a great reminder for Habakkuk because God's not distant or out of the loop on what's going on, but following through with his promises amidst the foolish decisions his children make. 

2. The Faithfulness of God
Habakkuk looks to the future of the "anointed one" who will come and ultimately crush "the head of the house of the wicked." Habakkuk looks toward the coming a Savior and through this, he finds hope. Today, we can look back to the cross to be reminded of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ--today, He is alive and well and will return one day to reclaim His bride, the church.

We can find hope in the truth of the gospel. It may not change our circumstance, it didn't for Habakkuk. But it did change the condition of his heart. In fear, we are separated from God, but in faith, we are secured by God. 

RECOMMENDED READING: The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero; Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Ed Welch

LISTEN TO THE SERMON SERIES: Habakkuk: The Righteous Will Live By Faith

New Series and Missions

Yesterday, we began a new sermon series titled "Kingdom Come." It'll be a series that carries us through the beginning of September; pretty trippy to think that September is only a matter of days away. In any case, this series is meant to prepare our hearts for our final transition as a church: moving locations to central McAllen. 

Over the past several months, Storehouse Community has been in a season of transition and growth. It's been incredibly encouraging to see our people commit their lives to one another for the purpose of furthering the kingdom; no local church is perfect, but we serve a perfect Jesus.

My prayer during this series is that we would grow in our understanding of what it means to be kingdom minded as we move forward. Central McAllen is rich in culture and tradition; right at the heart of the city and the center of the arts district, historic district, and entertainment district. Our desire is to be a church that is in the city and for the city, meaning that we look to meet the needs of our city--physically, culturally, and spiritually. 

We opened our time yesterday with God's vision for the kingdom and over the course of the next several weeks we'll begin to narrow down this vision to what it looks like for God's kingdom to come in the everyday of our lives and finally into the life of our city. 

Check out the sermon if you missed yesterday: Kingdom Come | God's Kingdom Vision

SENDING OUT? 

In addition to our time, we prayed over Nathanael and Nicole Sommers; two missionaries from Indiana that came to McAllen two years ago through an organization called World Gospel Mission (WGM). Over the past year, Nathanael (who we call "Nano") became our director of missions and mobilization and has done a tremendous work building this ministry; first by educating and casting vision for local and international missions at Storehouse Community and then by leading the start of several local outreach opportunities. 

Nathanael and his wife Nicole serve two-year terms with WGM before having to return to Indiana for a debriefing over their time on the border--discussing how things went and what could be improved--and to begin raising financial support for their next 4 years in the Valley. Nano has been one of my closest friends, especially during this season of transition, and has helped shepherd my heart in the midst of difficulty. He and his wife have been an instrumental part of our ministry and I believe this is only the beginning for them. 

Nano and Nicole's goal is to raise funds (both for their salary and ministry at WGM) by December of 2017. I wanted to take this opportunity to covet your prayers as they travel throughout the midwest and for favor as they raise financial support. Additionally, I'd like to provide a few links so that if you are led by the Holy Spirit to financially support them (reguluarly or one-time), you can (below). I'd love for them to be back in December in the place they now feel like is their home--McAllen. 

Support Nathanael and Nicole

Speaking Requests or more information, contact nate@storehousemcallen.com

Reflection | Sola Scriptura

Yesterday, we began a new sermon series called "The 5 Solas" and began our time in "Sola Scriptura" ("Scripture Alone"). I think our time in this series is going to be fruitful for our people. First, I wish to give brief bouts of history in light of how we got to holding these 5 foundational doctrines, not simply as a church but as Christians. Secondly, my hope and prayer is that our people would immerse themselves in the Word of God because they're hungry and desperate to hear from God. And third, I believe it's important to not only teach and communicate on the doctrines that we, particularly at Storehouse Community, hold to but are moved by conviction toward them. In this case, "Sola Scriptura" presents itself as a doctrine that testifies to the inerrancy and sufficiency of scripture; that is, everything from the Christian life to ethics to tradition and especially salvation will be evaluated and looked at from the lens' of the Word of God. 

If you're looking at doing a little more research on "Sola Scripture" I'll provide some links below along with Sunday's sermon in case you're curious or missed out; hope you enjoy! 

RECOMMENDED READING: 
• God's Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture by Matthew Barrett
• What Do We Mean By Sola Scriptura (article) by Dr. Robert Godfrey

Sunday's Message: 
• Sola Scriptura | Storehouse Community Church