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?

something greater

jesus walked up to men and said, follow me, and i will make you… they dropped what they were doing and immediately followed him.   jesus met a woman at a well and said, follow me, and you will never thirst again… she tossed her bucket down and ran to get her friends.

we were all wired with a hunger for something way bigger than ourselves.  i want to be the kind of leader that offers something bigger to anyone that is willing/called to follow.  i recently realized that God has brought together an incredibly gifted bunch of leaders to the summit.  a month ago we met at our advance and God supernaturally united us and brought incredible encouragement to all of us.  i believe the reason God united us was for a purpose - to do something that will outlast us - to make a difference for eternity. 

proverbs 29:18 says, “if people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.”  i think the biggest issue at the summit is that we fail to see what God is doing with us and don’t comprehend the overall significance of our individual contributions.  my prayer is that we would remember that what we do will have eternal results.  this past sunday, 5 people gave their lives to Christ.  this was a direct result of all of our individual contributions that helped to create the atmosphere where the Holy Spirit could change lives.  

Jesus often conveyed to his followers the significance of what they were doing.  he spoke time and time again about purpose, calling, talents, hard work and the long-lasting benefits of them giving their lives for something greater than themselves.  i think he had to constantly remind them, because they forgot.  

for me it is crystal clear - God desires to use the summit to decrease the lostness at UCI, in irvine, and in orange county.  his will is that every man, woman and child would have repeated opportunities to hear the good news in a relevant and meaningful way.  i pray that God gives every person at the summit a vision of something greater than themselves.  i pray you fully understand how important your individual contribution is to your local church and to God’s kingdom.  live for something way bigger than you!

oneness

God is one (Father, Son, Spirit) - he is fully united and exists in perfect harmony.  there is not any division or strife or friction in the trinity.  Jesus said in mark 12:29, “listen, the Lord your God is one…”  his will has always been that we would experience life as he does - to live as one together.  Jesus prayed hours before the cross that God would make us one (see john 17).  His prayer still echoes and in my opinion has only partially been answered.  when will we fully unite with each other and experience the oneness that Jesus prayed for?  why does the enemy fight non-stop against us uniting and becoming one?  

remember the tower of babel?  genesis 11:5-6, “but the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.  look!  he said.  the people are united, and they all speak the same language. after this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!”  we know that God came down to confuse the languages and mercifully dealt with prideful men that had set themselves up against Him.  but the point i want to make is this - when people unite and all have the same vision and start speaking the same words of faith - nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!  seriously think about this.  God said that when we unite, become one and all start believing, working and building together that we can do the impossible.  the enemy knows this! no wonder his mission is to divide us and attempt to fill our relationships and churches with contention and disagreement.

this is why unity is so incredibly important and why we need for “oneness”.  two years ago, when mary and i launched the summit, we agreed that we would stay current with each other and with others.  what i mean by this… is that… we would not allow anything to just get swept under the rug and we would deal with issues, disappointments, challenges and problems right away.   

after last weeks summit leaders advance - i sense that God is making our leadership team and our church one (and i wholeheartedly believe that nothing is impossible for us.  i’m so excited about the future and can’t wait to see what happens next.  i’m convinced that God will (at least) double the summit by the end of the year.  we are called to reach outsiders and help others get closer to God.  together we can accomplish this… but remember… it’s all starts with oneness.  so lets continue to unite, fully become one, and attempt the impossible!  may God use you to answer Jesus’ prayer - may God use you to bring a spirit of unity to those you are called to do life and ministry with.

i expect God to unite everyone at the summit so we fully experience acts 2:42-47:

they committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! and all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. they sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met and they followed a daily discipline of worship in the temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. people in general liked what they saw. every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

09′ leaders advance

this past weekend we had our first summit leaders advance in dana point, ca - and it was incredible!  we had six other couples join us and the plan was to build relationships, strategize together, cast vision and pray.  i had all these big plans to inspire the team, challenge them to step it up and do their part to help our church go to the next level.  but God had other plans!

mary and i thought it would be a good idea to take the first 30 minutes and go around the room and have everyone share what they appreciate about everyone else (the basic “circle of love” team building exercise). so we picked the first person and began.  what happened next was unlike anything i have ever personally been a part of.  the Holy Spirit orchestrated 3 hours of uniting our hearts and we all experienced an uncommon outpouring of encouragement.  as a direct result of this diving encounter I have fresh strength, renewed joy and a greater expectation that God is going to use us to reach people and touch lives like never before.  

“Christ makes us one body… connected to each other.”  Romans 12:5 (GWT)  only God can unite a leadership team and make them one.  our job is to focus on what we have in common, not our differences. we need to choose to encourage one other and purpose to never criticize.  we have to stay current with each other and practice God’s methods for conflict resolution.  God uses us to encourage one another and give each other strength.

i feel so connected to each of our leaders now.  i’m so thankful that God showed up this weekend and messed up my agenda.  i can’t wait for the next summit leaders advance.  i pray God unites you in a supernatural way to the people he has called you to do life and leadership with.  start today by speaking words of encouragement (in person, e-mail or a note) to someone in your sphere.

3 themes

in luke chapter 15, Jesus delivers back-to-back-to-back parables.  the parables are triggered by the accusations and negativity by a few religious leaders that hated Jesus.  at the end of the chapter, Jesus masterfully identifies all of them as the “older brother” and deals with their hardness of heart and pride.

what amazes me about this chapter is that Jesus gives us three themes that reveal the unfailing love of God towards outsiders.  the themes are incredibly easy to identify as you read through the short stories Jesus shares.  in parable number one there is a shepherd that leaves his flock to go after one stray that had drifted off and had been lost.  in parable two, Jesus shares about a woman who frantically searches for a very valuable coin she had lost.  in parable three, Jesus shares about a father that paces on his porch waiting for his youngest son to come home from a distant country where he had made a series of extremely bad decisions and had failed miserably. 

the stories are about three different things:  a lost sheep, a misplaced coin and a runaway son.  but the stories all deal with the exact same themes:  1.  something of value was missing   2.  it warranted an all out search  3.  when it was found, there was a huge party thrown to celebrate finding it. in v10, Jesus says that the angels of heaven all rejoice when one lost person is found.  

in luke 19:10 Jesus said, “I have come to seek and save the lost.”  after Jesus finished his mission on earth, he told his followers that it was now up to them to search and rescue the lost.  no doubt this is a daunting task, it’s overwhelming and terrifying!  

eternity is on the line - it’s up to you and me to find the valuable things that have been lost.  who have you found lately?  are you even searching?  i pray these three themes are forever stamped on our hearts.   

fresh start

one of the things i love about God is that everyday He provides a fresh start to anyone that needs one or wants one.  truth be told, i have to take God up on his offer several times a week.  every 24 hours God makes it clear that we can tap into His mercy and be released from any mistakes we have made.

“Once God has forgiven you, he doesn’t keep track of your sins. What great news! Your slate is clean. You are greeted daily with God’s mercies.”  Lamentations 3:23 (MSG)

i recently talked to a friend that had to declare bankruptcy.  he shared with me that he was bummed to find out that this will stay on his credit for at least seven years.  it made me think… thank God that he does not keep a record of wrongs against us - he doesn’t hold our mistakes, failures and sins against us.  

“I know their pain and will make them good as new. They’ll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened. And why? Because I am their very own God, I’ll do what needs to be done for them.”  Zechariah 10:6 (MSG)  When God extends a fresh start to us, it is with no strings attached.  God forgives us instantly, he forgives us completely, and he forgives us permanently.  

You might be thinking… if God offers me a redo every 24 hours, then i can just do whatever i want. remember paul warned us not to purposely blow it - just because we know God’s grace is available. a fresh start is not a license to take God for granted.   take the fresh start you need, but be extremely thankful and appreciate the price that was paid for God to make us this most generous offer.

“God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”  Psalm 18:20-24 (MSG)

i pray you experience the mercy of God as he grants you a fresh start today!  Tap into his mercy and be grateful that he gives us what we need, not what we deserve.