Monday Morning Perspective

We started a new series within Ephesians yesterday called Body Building.   Some points my husband made that hit home with me...
...80% of people visit a church because they're invited.
...Paul didn't see himself as a prisoner of Rome but of Christ.
...many want privileges without responsibility.
...Paul could've commanded instead he urged, encouraged.
...a church that's working out their faith, is a unified church that will reach the world.
Challenge...are we walking worthy of our calling? We call ourselves Christians, little Christ's. Are we walking as He walked?
Getting into the practical teaching of Ephesians is going to be challenging, but if we allow God to work this out in us, our relationship with Him n others will be poised for the next level!!
In the past weeks we have set record numbers in attendance and in the number of visitors at fairview. Lots of new faces are coming our way and that leads to divine opportunities. Let's continue to invest and invite and expect God to do an amazing work in all of us!!

Monday Morning Perspective

Not much to post today seeing that I missed church yesterday. John was playing baseball at College of Charleston, why during the fall on Sunday I have no idea, no one asked my opinion,  but anyway I was there watching him play. I knew I would miss an incredible service just because they all have been and sure enough I did!! I got messages telling me how great everything was. CrossTalk, our band, is taking it to a whole nutha level, in the words of fellow pastors Ed and Lisa Young!! And of course I think my husband I on that nutha level as well!!! So thankful to be serving with those who believe in giving our best and our all in every way and every detail for Christ's glory!!

Monday Morning Perspective

As I sit to write this morning, I'm so tempted to say "you just had to be there".  It was one of those services that words seem unable to express the emotion and the fullness of it.
First of all, we surpassed the goal that was set so next time we will push it a bit.  Our numbers are climbing every week not only in worship but sunday school is honing in on 600.  Again, like Eddie said, numbers matter.  They represent people and all people have souls and every soul will spend all of eternity somewhere.  It also represents people hearing the Word and that's the point, right? So, yay Fairview fam for investing and inviting!! People are showing up and lives are being changed!!  The best kept secret is getting out!!!
There was so much energy in the lobby between services.  The coffee is a huge plus.  People are hanging out and enjoying that time to love on each other and catch up!!  That energy has a way of pouring right into the worship center.
A huge shoutout to our worship leader Ryan Burns and CrossTalk band.  Ryan offered a huge challenge to us to push past that tendency to see worship as a performance.  And that he shared that so obviously from the heart was huge.  He is right when he said so many of us, and I'm the biggest one of all, can go to concerts or watch our fave team and get all into it and (lose our mind over it) and we come to worship and we dial it down a notch.  When those lights went down and they started leading His Presence, well, there's no words for that so I won't even try.  It was the most incredible time I've experienced in an extremely long time.  His Presence, it was so much more than a song yesterday!!! Thank you Ryan for speaking truth over us and leading us.  BTW...I'm a huge fan of those lights being down!!
Then came the message.  My man is the man.  No apologies for bragging on him.  I would say as he would say as well, it's God and it's always God!!  He's only the vessel, just the mouthpiece,  but I'm so thankful God uses him the way he does.  His anointing is obvious but knowing the hours he pours over every message makes me so appreciative and love him all the more.  Yesterday, he encouraged us in suffering by showing us Paul's heart through dire circumstances but he also encouraged us by sharing his own personal sufferings.  Keeping it real is the only way.
My big take away was that so many people are hurting and suffering and they don't need a diagnosis many times.  They need encouragement.  They need to know that we care as they hang on by a thread.
The other thing I thought about was how many calls and sit downs with people Eddie has had as they heard the journey God had us on the past few years and how it's been used to encourage others who are feeling the same way at the moment.  God doesn't waste anything.  He uses every single bit of our story if we will let Him.
As I go through this week, I know it will be going through my mind and heart, why am I doing what I'm doing?  Are my motives pure? Do I have a proper perspective?
Keep inviting, every week gets better, people need to know we see and we care and the greatest way to show that is bringing them to Jesus.

Monday Morning Perspective

We had a great service at Fairview yesterday.  Being labor day weekend we got to have a lot of family join us which just seems to make it extra special.  Stephen was home from Charleston, John was home from Spartanburg, Jessica was with us and my mom and dad came over for the day.  That puts a mom right over the top!!
I love the passion with which my man preaches.  It's amazing to me that after so many years he still gets up every sunday with that much fire and passion and excitement.  That has to be the love for Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit!!
Eddie preached on peace yesterday in Ephesians 2.  How awesome that God just brought us to that passage with the week's world events.  He spoke of wars that go on in society and sadly even churches and families.  I loved how he preached with transparency.  We are all so guilty at times of wearing masks and wanting others to think that all is well when in reality there are wars going on in our lives.  One side note that I got this week personally in my study time is how we can choose peace with others even when they continue to war against us!!  The answer can be shake the dust, refuse to fight back, pray and walk away.  Back to the sermon...
Eddie focused a lot on the racial problems between the Jews and Gentiles and the walls that divide us and cause hostility. The walls that make us think we are better than others.   Jesus came to tear those walls down! Laws and rules put up barriers but love tears them down.
Last night as a family we decided to rent a movie.  We rented 42, the Jackie Robinson movie.  I didn't think about it at the time but the more I watched the movie the more I thought about this sermon.  The walls and hate that for so long didn't allow black athletes to play baseball in a "whites only" league and the love of one man determined to tear those walls down.  How thankful I am for that!!  Anyone who knows us at all knows that baseball is the sport of choice for us since our boys have played so much of it.  I can't imagine them playing in a time like Robinson played.  I used to say that our boys didn't see color.  I don't think it's that they didn't see it but that they saw it and could appreciate it.  Baseball was something that enabled them to play with all different races, backgrounds without giving it much thought.  But it wasn't always like that.  Thankfully, one man was tired of  the wall that divided and chose to do whatever he had to to tear that wall down and, at least the way the movie portrayed it, it was motivated by love and biblical standards.
My prayer is that as believers we would continue to see the walls that divide us and do whatever has to be done to tear them down motivated by a love for Jesus and a love for others.  Let's not be the haters.  Let's be the ones always reaching out and across lines that divide.  And we don't have to be screaming hate to take part in it.  Sometimes our silence hurts just as much.
My husband issued a great challenge in regard to numbers.  Will we take that challenge?  Will we spend this week inviting people?  Will we invite our friends? Will we invite those who may not be our friend...yet?  Will we reach out and invite someone who may be different from us?  Someone that we "happen" to run in
to that we normally wouldn't even consider inviting.  How bout we tear down some walls this week and invite someone that normally we never would.  It starts with love.  When we love God like we are called to He will enable us to love others and love them enough to care about where they spend eternity.  Like Eddie said, every person has a soul and every soul will spend all of eternity somewhere, heaven or hell.  Let's see people the way Jesus sees them and take a risk, step outside our comfort zone, and invest in someone, invite someone!!!