God is here!

“energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. tell fearful souls, “courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”  isaiah 35:3 (msg)

life isn’t really fair… is it?  one minute you are on top of the world, the next minute you are hit with something that floors you and causes you to to curl up in a fetal position.  this life (and the enemy) has a way of zapping your energy and strength and leaving you questioning and wondering when will God make things right… when will He show up and save the day.  

whether you are dealing with a relationship blow-out, with financial pressure, with career changes or set-backs, with a health problem or anything else… never forget that God is in it with you!  ”God is here” is the most encouraging truth to grasp when you are surrounded by the pain and problems of this life.

we have a God who never leaves us, never forsakes us, is ever-present and is always helping us breakthrough and overcome whatever adversity we find ourselves stuck in.  He is with you… He is with me… He is with us and that should bring us confidence and comfort.  

“when the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a well against him.”  isaiah 59:19b (nlb)  God is always there to protect us and shield us from the floods and schemes of the wicked one.  regardless of what you are going through right now… God is with you, He is strengthening you and the dark, toxic waters of the enemy will not touch you. 

summit worship

enjoying life

i came across this scripture and think it is amazing - i’m totally adding it to my life verse list…”Jesus came enjoying life.”  Matthew 11:19 (Phillips).  if He did, then we should… right?  most people i know don’t really seem to enjoy life.  i know i don’t always enjoy life - maybe i enjoy life 65% or 75% of the time, but not all the time.  i think the pressures of life, relationship drama, money issues, career stuff, kids and other responsibilities seem to (at times) suck the joy out of life.  when you look at the life of Christ, it is obvious that He joyfully kept moving forward (and doing God’s will) regardless of the circumstances He faced.  Jesus never had a bad day.  i think He saw each day as a gift - as an opportunity to enthusiastically reach people and change lives.   i’m convinced that the joy He had is what gave Him the strength to love and lift others everywhere He went. 

“The joy of God is your strength!”  Nehemiah 8:10b (MSG).  where do we get the joy of God?  the answer is revealed in Psalm 16:11, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…”  taking time in the secret place (anywhere when it is just you and God) everyday is what allows God’s Spirit to fill us with joy and to infuse inner strength into us.  when this life ends and all the pressures and challenges we have to deal with quickly fade away, we hope to hear, “well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of our Lord.”  why not go ahead and enter into that joy right now!  take a minute and cast every care, weight and anxiety on God.  ”God is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”  I peter 5:7 (msg).  

“the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 13:52.  ask God to fill you up with joy, ask him to help you to start enjoying life.  ”but the fruit of the Spirit is… JOY!”  galatians 5:22.  ”my brother and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy.”  james 1:2.  everyday is a day that God has made and He tells us to rejoice and be glad in it.  we all have days when nothing seems to go our way, but if we choose to respond joyfully, no matter how bad it gets - we can always enjoy life and trust that God is in control.

i pray that you start enjoying life regardless of what you are having to face in your life right now.  may God fill you with joy and grant you unlimited strength.

warranty

almost all products come with some type of warranty.  it is the basic promise from the manufacturer to guarantee that it will work for 30, 60, 90 days or even years.  You can also buy an extended warranty on anything from a new macbook to a toaster - this ensures that after the original warranty runs out you have coverage for another year or two.

yesterday I had to call  at&t because my motorola cell phone was not working.  i was ecstatic to find out that i had called on the exact day when my warranty expired and they would send me a new phone within 3 days.  the customer service dude said, “you’re lucky you called today, tomorrow you would have been on your own”.

this got me thinking… i’m so grateful that i have a manufacturer that has not only given me a lifetime warranty, but an unconditional eternal warranty.  this brings massive confidence to me, that when i’m broken or damaged or out of alignment in some area of my life - God’s guarantee is always there to repair me, restore me, fix me.  many warranties are void if you accidentally damage the product (by abuse or some other factor).  with God, even when we damage our lives by making foolish decisions or even purposefully rebel against Him - His warranty is still valid.  

genesis 1:31 (nlb) says, “God saw all that He had made and it was very good.”  God created you perfectly, without defects, you are His masterpiece.  in psalm 139 (msg), david said, “oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.  i thank you, high God - you’re breathtaking!  body and soul, i am marvelously made!  i worship in adoration - what a creation!  you know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how i was made, bit by bit, how i was sculpted from nothing into something.”

so be encouraged that whatever needs to be fixed in your mind, your soul, your body - God’s knows exactly what part needs to be replaced and His warranty is fully intact (He will fix you!).  remember that Christ stands at the door of our heart and knocks, if we unlock the door and let Him in - He can get close to us and figure out what is wrong with us and what needs to be repaired.  let Him in, let Him examine you, let Him start today.

“He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be.”  romans 8:29 (msg)

“i’ll repair the holes in the roof, replace the broken windows, fix it up like new.  you’ll be strong again.”  amos 9:11 (msg)

“God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty - never canceled, never rescinded.”  romans 11:29 (msg)

dry

i have been out of town for 13 of the past 20 days.  after i got back from my second trip, i realized my lawn was turning brown and looked horrible.  i’ve always prided myself in having a much greener, healthier, more robust lawn then both of my neighbors (especially the one on the left).  as i investigated, i found out that our sprinkler system was broken.  so, for the past week, i’ve had to go out early in the morning and water the lawn and shrubbery (what a great word, say it with me “shrubbery”).  the daily watering takes about 15-20 minutes.  i’ve already noticed a huge improvement, and my little, tiny (socal) lawn is coming back to life again.  i had a guy come over and identify the sprinkler problem and he will be fixing it in the next few days.  from that point on, it will totally be taken care of automatically and i will not have to go out, crank up the hose and saturate the ground.

all of this got me thinking… if we don’t take 15-20 minutes each day to water the soil of our heart with God’s word and prayer - we dry up.  how many time have we put our spiritual life on “auto-mode” because we fail to recognize the importance of watering our lives with God’s life-giving word.  ”auto-mode” is set to water us once a week at church, but that is definitely not enough (not even close).  i wish we could simply look in the mirror and see that we need more God, but we can’t.  deep down we know we do.  we know we have dry places and burn spots that need to be drenched with the water of the word.  His word causes us to flourish, His Spirit brings new life to us daily.  how many of us are in a self-inflicted drought?  how many of us are honest enough to admit that we are dry spiritually (because we’re not seeking God daily).  

“he finds joy in the word of the Lord and he thinks about it day and night.  this man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up.  whatever he does will work out well for him.”  psalm 1:2-3 (nlv)

excerpts from psalm 119:

“my soul is laid in the dust.  give me new life because of your word.”

“i will never forget your word for by it you have given me new life.”

“oh, how i love your word.  it is what i think about all through the day.”

“how sweet is your word to my taste!  it is sweeter than honey to my mouth.”

“your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

“the opening of your word gives me light.  it gives me understanding.”

“i love your word more than gold, more than pure gold.”

“your word is my joy.”

“those who love your word have great peace, and nothing will cause them to be hurt in their spirit.”

“i will never forget your word.” 

80%

over the past 10 days i have been privileged to go to two incredible conferences - catalyst west and a.r.c. (our annual conf. for the church planting organization we belong to).  both conferences were amazing and had top notch worship (hillsong united, fee, c3 team) and some of the greatest communicators in the world (andy stanley, greg surrat, rick warren, chris hodges, dino rizzo, erwin mcmanus, craig groeschel, and others).

i could go point by point down the list of take-a-ways that i got (from each session) - but that might be boring.  so, let me attempt to share what happened in my heart while i was sitting in 38 hours worth of meetings over the course of 5 days.

at catalyst during the opening set of worship, i was moved to tears and had an incredible experience with God.  i realized that there were internal barriers that were causing me to hold back and coast a bit.  as i worshipped God i asked Him to bust through the barriers and demolish them - and He did!

 isaiah 64:1 (nlt) says, “oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!  how the mountains would quake in your presence!”  for me the mountains represented the barriers in my life that needed to (not only quake) but be totally crushed.  psalm 97:5 (cev) declares, “mountains melt away like wax in the presence of the Lord.”  so from the first chord being struck on joel houston’s guitar - God’s presence overshadowed me and began to melt away the mountains of complacency that were in me.

at the a.r.c. conf. the opening session dealt with the heart.  both conferences provided a much needed reminder that leadership is from the inside out.  i can’t lead externally without having a heart filled with passion, love and sacrifice for God.  being totally honest with you - i feel like i have been giving God 80%.  the issue is that He demands 100% and nothing less.  Jesus said to gain your life, you have to loose it.  he also said that we are to love God with all (100%) of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  so 80% doesn’t cut it and i became painfully aware of this.  one speaker said, “luke warm pastors build luke warm churches.”  man i hated to hear that!  after he said that i knew it applied to me.  i was confronted with the truth that i have been holding back and (most likely) causing others to hold back.  80% is luke warm.  80% sucks!

i feel like God has brought much needed correction to me.  i’m excited to see what He will do as i put the pedal to the medal and give Him all of me.  i’m convinced that some amazing things are going to happen in my life and at the summit.  no more 80%!   no more coasting!  no more going through the motions!  i hope this post encourages you and sparks a desire in you to go after God with everything you’ve got.  

“as the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul after you, God.”  psalm 42:1 (web)

turner family vacation

mary, the girls and i just got back from 6 glorious days of vacation in orlando.  for the past few years we have been saving up frequent flyer miles and credit card points and we were able to fly and stay in a nice hotel for the grand total of $154.00 (admit it - that’s pretty impressive).

hannah (almost 11) and abby (8) had the time of their lives.  we rocked all four disney parks (the magic kingdom, epcot, hollywood studios, and the animal kingdom).  the last time i was at disneyworld there was only one park - disneyworld aka the magic kingdom (that was in 1977 /  i was 8 years old).

we enjoyed each other, laughed together and we created some incredible memories.  our family unanimously agreed that our favorite thing was toy story mania.  We went on it 5 times - yes, it is addictive.  you put on 3-d glasses and enter a 4-d world of non-stop fun and competition.  i hear that they have it at california adventure - trust me - this game is worth the price of admission.  i can’t wait to play it again.  mary was beating me (until we moved to the ring toss with the little green aliens), but i pulled it out in the end and solidified my victory by a comfortable margin.  

our favorite meal was at the beer garden (bergarten) restaurant at epcot.  the sign out front said “celebrating oktoberfest everyday”. this german buffet offered authentic german cuisine that was delicious (served by a waitress dressed in a dirndl (alpine peasant looking garb).  a german band (wearing some sweet looking lederhosen) came out and killed some uhm pa pa music.  they were amazing and were close to a standing ovation (well, one drunk guy stood up and yelled something out) - then they closed with 2 of them blowing alpenhorns (the horns were about 14 feet long - they are the ones featured in the ricola commercials).  it was a great meal and a very entertaining show.

i was so proud of the girls overcoming their fears of roller coasters and fast rides.  hannah went with me on expedition everest - it is a high-altitude, high-speed roller coaster.  you basically get in a railway car and start climbing straight up to the summit (hey, that would be the coolest name for a church).  then the tracks are noticibly ripped up (by the inhospitable fictional beast - the yeti.  you then race backwards into the mountain where the yeti confronts you and lets out a high pitched screech (glad i went to the bathroom before i met the yeti).  the ride has some hairpin turns and sudden drops.  the best part is when you break out of the darkness and go down the mountain at a breakneck speed.  hannah and i went on it 4 times.  hannah got a really nice everest t-shirt and a yeti pin.  

abby confronted her fears on splash mountain.  this ride is the abbreviated story of br’er rabbit.  the ride tells the tale of br’er fox and br’er bear as they try to capture and cook br’er rabbit.  the ride is pretty calm and relaxed - until you plummet down a 55 foot fall that ends in a massive slash (this was the part abby was terrified of).  after abby figured out that she was still alive (and just soaked a bit), she insisted that we go again 3 more times.  you will see her proudly sporting a splash mountain t-shirt.

this was by far the best vacation we have been on as a family ever.  i realized how important it is to get away, let other competent people run the church and spend time with the fam.  mary and i also enjoyed our 16th anniversary (during our vacation) - we ate at a really nice french restaurant at epcot and then enjoyed the fireworks over the lake.  

e.e. cummings once said, “the most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” we should never be to busy to laugh and enjoy life (everyday)!  i hope you have the chance to create some awesome memories in the near future.

life is short

a few days ago kristin hoag died (suddenly).  she was a girl that got saved in our ministry years ago.  she had the deck stacked against her in life, but she did her absolute best to follow Christ and live for Him.  she has two beautiful daughters (ages 3 and 9.5 months).  she was loved and will be missed.  a huge thanks to all the people from the village church, the rock church, life church of bartlesville, and the summit for taking care of all the expenses for the funeral service and everything else.

her tragic death has reminded me of how short life is.  the bible is filled with metaphors about how quickly life passes us by.  scriptures describe life on earth as a shadow, a vapor, a fog, a wisp of smoke, a mist, a breath.  psalm 39:4 (nlt) says, Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.  david echos this same truth in psalm 119 - i am here on earth for just a little while.

everytime i do a funeral (especially of someone really young) i leave with a massive desire to make my life count.  like paul, i want to forget what is behind me and press on to the future God has for me.  i want to quit wasting time on stuff that doesn’t matter and give myself to something that will change this fallen planet.  so many times i feel like i have massive potential, but often fail to even scratch the surface of it.  God help me to really live, to focus on what counts, to remember that life down here is only temporary, to live with passion and a clear purpose.  to go “all in” for you!

kristin has graduated from this earth and has been promoted way up.  she now walks on the streets that have no name.  she hasn’t left home, she’s gone home.  but, i’m still here - you’re still here - so lets do something magnificent with our lives!  

give up to go up

below is a post i totally hijacked from james ridgers blog -  http://www.jamesridgers.com

i was planning on sharing this info, but he did such a brilliant job - here it is …

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The Change

I will be transitioning out of leading the worship ministry at The Summit over the next couple of months and in to something new and exciting at The Summit.

The Reasons

There are a few reasons, the biggest and most obvious being because God wants me to. Trust me, I’ve fought the flesh on this for a couple of months because I love being a musician and I love leading the music and the worship at church and I love the team of amazingly talented people that I get to lead. But nobody wants to end up like Jonah, right? Sometimes it sucks to obey God, but even when that’s the truth, the reward, whatever that is, will be far greater than my pathetic human wants and desires.

Secondly, it’s no secret that Rhonda and I have been spending our Friday nights at Saddleback’s ‘Celebrate Recovery’ ministry for a while. Through the process and involvement and learning and all that goes with that ministry, we’ve developed a deep desire to see people set free from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Seeing the struggles that people had during the ‘My Secret’ series at The Summit last year was an alarming eye opener that we all struggle with issues from our past and our present that we need to overcome. Rhonda and I will ultimately be launching and leading a Celebrate Recovery ministry at The Summit.

There are other smaller reasons that contribute to this; my job is requiring increasing focus and dedication, Rhonda and I have a desire need to spend more time together, we want to be serving and leading together etc.

The Clarity

This is a healthy change. No, really. This is something that Rhonda and I decided upon before talking with Scott & Mary. It’s really that simple. This is something we asked for, not something that was asked of us by anyone.

Once we’ve found a new worship director, you’ll still see me in the band from time to time, just not every week, and not as the band leader. I’ll still be playing, probably every few weeks or once a month or so; the musician in me won’t let that die.

Also, this doesn’t mean I’m stepping away from serving or stepping away from leadership. Rhonda and I will both still be deeply involved in serving and leading at The Summit, just in a different capacity.

The Next Step

This is where you can help. Obviously we need to find a replacement for me. There are various avenues and resources available to us, but the best thing we can all do is pray for God to bring us the right person, and to give Scott and I the wisdom needed to fill the worship director position. Please pray with us for all this and for a smooth transition.

That’s enough for now. I’ll have some more posts coming this week expanding on a few thoughts that I’ve been mulling over as a result of this. The truth is that I’m incredibly excited and incredibly motivated by this.

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i’m so proud of james and his sensitivity to follow God’s lead and take a risk.  i know how much james loves to play, sing, lead and build the team.  mary and i have found ourselves at the crossroads of incredibly tough decisions and have learned that when we GIVE UP WE GO UP! 

“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.”                Jesus, Luke 19:36 (MSG)

values-driven

at the summit we have 7 core values (they are listed below).  after hours of discussions (with mary and our leaders) we were able to clarify what was really important to us and identify what we would put our ministry focus on (and where we would spend our energy and resources).  

Jesus was values-driven!  he valued people and devoted his entire ministry to reach and rescue the broken, lost and hurting.  our values our ultimately inspired by Jesus.  to get the results that Jesus got - we have to value the things that he valued.  

all my thoughts lately have been toward (our value of…) reaching outsiders.  i’m seeking God and asking him for wisdom on how the summit can be salt and light on campus at uci and in irvine/oc.  i sense God encouraging me to get everyone at our church aligned and living our our God-inspired values.  i realize this will not happen overnight and is not easy to do.  when the summit’s values are fully understood and echo in the heart of every member - we will start seeing God move in a powerful way.  

“make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose.”  philippians 2:2 (ncv)  i’m convinced that we will see our church grow massively as we unite and become values-driven.  our values have made us alive with God’s love for people.  our values are the personality of our church.  our values are based on God’s Word and are eternal.  our values when lived out will change our hearts, our church and our world.

Summit Values:

1.     Biblical Authority

God has spoken to us through the Bible and we recognize it as the final authority for our lives

·      Is your life increasingly governed by God’s Word?

2.     Intimacy with God

God desires to have an intimate relationship with each of us.

·      Is your relationship with God growing?

3.     Reach Outsiders

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share God’s message of love          and forgiveness.

·      Who are you reaching out to?

4.     Relevant Environments

Every environment should make it easy for people to connect with God in a creative and meaningful way.

·      Are our gatherings appealing, engaging, enjoyable, and helpful?

5.     Life Together

Belonging, accountability, care and spiritual growth happen best with  relationally-connected believers.

·      Are you in a small group?

6.     Servant’s Heart

We are most like Christ when we serve others and give of ourselves.

·      Where are you serving?

7.     Next Generation

We are committed to reach children, youth and college students – they are       the future leaders in our church and in God’s kingdom.

·      Are we successfully impacting younger generations?