I’ve not finished it yet but I already put it at one of the top books on leadership and personal discipline I’ve ever read.

He discusses decision making, procrastination, setting personal goals, etc, etc, etc,.

Basically Dave teaches leadership that works for your personal life as well as your dreams and goals.

It’s definitely worth the time to read.

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply —
and how good is a timely word!

Ever had a question you just could figure out the answer to? Maybe who was the actor in a favorite movie or who won the last super bowl. The answer seems like it’s so close yet miles away. Then all at once the answer comes to you. It feels like winning the lottery. It’s such a relief cause the question had been driving you crazy.  Things like that bother me so bad cause it seems like I should know the answer. It’s one thing not to know something it’s another to know but not be able to remember.

I truly feel this weekend’s message, “What Am I Doing Wrong?” is going to be that for many who attend the worship experience. Our series is on knowing the will of God which is possibly one of the most misunderstood and debated topics in the church today.

Many people love God but seem to be going through various situations which leave them frustrated and asking the question, “Why is this not working? What Am I doing wrong?” We’re going to cover that this weekend. You may be only a step away from really seeing clearly.

As a sneak peek, Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing that may be causing such confusion in your life:

1. Is there a sin issue in your life? (You’re a Christian. You love God. However, you’ve allowed things that violate the moral will of God and as a side effect you can no longer see Him clearly.)

2. Is your life too noisy? (Are there too many things struggling for your attention?)

3. Are you trying to be too logical and keeping God inside your comfortable box? (That means God can only be as big is your brain for you.)

4. Are you using the ‘fortune cookie’ method to find God’s will? (Reading one scripture out of the Bible and planning your life around it. Some of us can justify almost anything with one obscure scripture that has nothing to do with the real issue.)

We’ve all struggled with things like these before. Sunday we’re going to get extremely practical as we discuss freedom in God and the clarity which can by doing a few simple things. I guarantee they will work. Can’t wait to share with you Sunday.

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

Just like signs on the road, many lessons we learn from life don’t always stand out right away. Sometimes it’s because their so familiar. Other times it’s simply because we’re too preoccupied to notice. That is until we receive a ticket. Then we notice every stop sign and caution light… for a while.

God can be like that. Along the journey toward His plan for our life we learn various lessons along the way. However many of those valuable ‘life lessons’ and ‘reasons to be thankful’ have become to some common place we forget their value. Maybe that’s why we sometimes have our faith tested. So we can remember all over again the stuff we’ve learned along the way and the faithfulness of God.

Some people say the best thing to do about your past is forget bout it as quickly as possible. I don’t know about that.

There are some things worth forgetting but at the same time there can be tremendous value in looking back at where we’ve come from and what we’ve survived. Here are a few of them:

- I made through that, I can make it through this.
Life is a series of cycles. We deal with the same core issues with different faces and shapes throughout life. Ever noticed the oldest of us don’t seem to worry about the same things we worry about? They’ve been there again and again and have learned many of the answers over time. You have too. Even if you don’t realize it.  You made it through a financial crisis before and you can again. You made it through an emotional and relational crisis before. You can again.

- I learned how NOT TO DO that.
Everyone’s made mistakes. The real value is in learning from them.

- It’s not survival of the fastest, It’s survival of the most persistent.
Has there been an issue in your life you simply outgrew. Maybe it was a terrible temper or something similar. There are many things like this we can celebrate if we stop long enough to notice.

- Now I know this…
Life experience is so valuable that some people receive job opportunities even if they don’t  have the proper formal education. They receive the job purely out of ‘life experience’. There’s some things you can enjoy right now purely because you’ve learned to enjoy them from life experience. Things like the value of a friend, the power of tears, and the silence button on your smartphone.

-God’s faithfulness never changes.
Over the years God has consistently allowed me to replace the stories I knew from other people with stories of my own. Stories of how it seemed like no matter how hard we tried, nothing seemed to be working out. Then, at the last minute, a miracle happened. Literally God saved the day. The stories my family can tell are amazing stories now even though they were horror stories while we were living them out. The one person who didn’t change in those stories was God. He was always faithful and always the hero. There are some things you simply cannot call good luck or coincidence. Even the greatest skeptics have to step back and say it must be God who was on our side.

-God is always almost late.
Some people say He’s right on time. For those less patient among us He’s almost late. Doesn’t matter. The goodness and kindness of God always shines through.

What are some life lessons you’ve learned which have helped you along the way?

#1- You gotta love what God is doing in our church right now.  The only way to describe what God is doing is… His thing. There’s a certain amount of peace which only comes from knowing God alone is in control. He’s driving the car. I also am loving meeting all the awesome people God is bringing to RLC. You guys are amazing and you have even more amazing stories. We’re going to have to put a book together or something!

#2- I’m continually amazed that God is consistently sending people who are far from Him. Think about it. He’s got kids out there who are separated from Him. He desperately wants them connected with Him again.  God actually trusts enough to send them our way.  Here’s why… we expect them to come. The amazing people at Real Life Church are so unselfish. God is blessing us for it. We structure what we do on Sunday mornings in order to think first about those far from God. Everything from the free coffee to the type of music we do has the guests desires first. We feel that if an environment is created for those far from God to come He will send them.  What better place than in a theater too!  Real Life Church, you are amazing! Thank you for putting God’s agenda first!

#3- Next Sunday’s message may be one of the most intense messages I’ve ever shared with RLC. It’s the second part of our series “What’s God’s Will” entitled “What Am I Doing Wrong?” We’ll be talking about removing the clutter from our lives and to silence the voices in order to hear the direction of God. If last Sunday left you saying, “Yeah I’m doing all that but still don’t understand.” be sure to attend this weekend. I’m praying for God to completely revolutionize your life with His Truth.

And… Don’t forget the phrase from last night, “I want to live my life the exact opposite of the way Pastor Brandon plays golf.” Believe me you do too.

#4- Can’t wait for our cookout after church this upcoming Sunday afternoon.  Be sure to make it out. Nothing fancy. Hotdogs, playground for the kids, and fun relationship. Come hang out with us Preston/Miller Park beginning at 5pm.  If you want to be part of the serve team for this event, email here.

#5- New way to help you connect with your purpose.  Beginning the first Sunday of May we’re going to offer Growth Track at a different time for your Summer convenience.

• Church 101 will be on the first Sunday of each month at 5:30pm at my house.
• Essentials 201 will be immediately following the Sunday Worship Experience in screening room #2.
• Discovery 301 will be immediately following the Sunday Worship Experience in screening room #2.
• Dream Team 401 will be immediately following the Sunday Worship Experience in screening room #2.

 Growth Track is the monthly discovery seminar designed to help you discover your hidden gifts and talents then how and where to use them for the greatest effect. It is life changing. Jump on the track.

#6- My prayer for you this week is that you will allow God to not only be your Lord but your friend. The Bible is full of examples leading us to know God is after more than our allegiance. He wants us to come close and be friends. Many of us keep God at arms length. We’ve been turned off by bad past experiences with church or a fear of becoming one of “those people”. I dare you to let God into your personal space this week. Turn on a Christian Worship CD during your quiet time with God and allow His presence to wash over you. When you are reading your Bible this week, imagine God is actually speaking directly to you. Allow Him inside your hurt and pain. His peace passes all understanding. Give Him a try. You won’t regret it.

#7- If you have recently received Christ and have not taken your next step by going public through baptism don’t worry. We will have info coming to you soon about the first Real Life baptism experience. This is something we value very highly at RLC and cannot wait to share it with you. Look for upcoming info soon.

#8- If you have given your life to Christ since the launch of our church, we’re so excited you’ve made such an amazing step.  We’re working right now on ideas to give you some definitive next steps in your relationship with God. Be checking here and on your website as things continue to take shape. Don’t give up. Move forward. Attend the weekend worship experiences and plug into our small groups. God has an amazing plan for your life.

#9- Small groups are on the way! I couldn’t be more pumped about it. If you would like to host a group, let us know today by emailing here.  There’s going to be a verity of small groups coming up for our first mini-mester this Summer beginning in June. Sign up day is next month. If you are even remotely intrigued by the idea of small groups, let us know. God could be getting ready to open the door to the next big step in your life. We’ll equip you and help you take that step.

That’s it for this week…I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8:

 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

There’s a time for everything.

Here are a few ‘times’ that will happen as it relates to the will of God in your life.

There’s a time to be overjoyed.

There will be a time in your life when you will either discover or re-discover that God not only loves you but He’s got some amazing plans for your life. The sky will seem clearer. The grass greener. This surge of spiritual adrenaline is an amazing rush of love in your life when you realize that there’s another reason for getting out of bed than eating your favorite breakfast. You’re life has purpose.

There’s a time to be impatient.

By nature we are impatient people. Even in the world of microwaves, smartphones, and the amazing McDonald’s we still act like life is too slow. It’s nature to feel like God is sometimes out to lunch instead of working on your life. It’s okay. Just remember you are seeing one point of view. God sees everything and is working everything out to your good. (Romans 8:28)

There’s a time when God will seem silent.

A man once said, “A teacher never speaks during a test.” If anybody deserves a cookie in the Bible, it’s poor Job. This guy lost almost everything he owned simply because satan was allowed by God to test him. Ever felt like that was happening to you. Next time, instead of getting upset with God why not think of it as a possible test. Maybe the teacher is trying to help you move on to the next level. All you have to do is pass the test.

There’s a time of confusion.

There’s a lot of voices in our head competing for our attention. No you’re crazy if you hear voices. You are if you carry on conversations with all of them. (joke) Theres’s the voice of God, the voice of doubt (the devil), your voice. Throughout our day we are constantly being overrun by commercials, signs, conversations, etc that fill our minds.  No wonder we get so confused.
It’s important to consistently remind yourself of who you are in Christ and where you are headed. That way the chatter of the world around you will not overtake the peace within you.

There’s a time of criticism. 

Who do you think is criticized the most the person who succeeds or the person who fails? Right! The person who succeeds. The one who fails is immediately discounted as merely human an fallible. The one who succeeds is maligned for not doing it the ‘right’ why, being the wrong person to do it, etc.
If you are going to honor the plan of God in your life you have to be willing to overcome the constant onslaught of criticism.
“Only at a tree full of fruit do men through stones.” -D.L. Moody

As long as you live a normal, boring life no one will care. However, the moment you make an effort to change the world around you, people will notice. Those who need your gifts and those who are jealous of them.

There’s a time to win.

You won’t always be wondering. The journey is the fun part of life. Never allow yourself to get so busy with the destination that you miss the journey. It’s here we learn who we are and who God is in our lives.

There’s a time to realize you will never completely arrive.

The Bible says God is continuously completing His work in our lives. (Phil. 1:6) You never get too old or go too far for God to give up on you.  It’s always time to take a step toward God.

The will of God… Never be contrary to His sovereign will.
There are some things that are not up for discussion. Jesus is going to return. The devil’s ultimate destiny is destruction. Never worry about any of that changing.

The will of God… Is more about the journey than the destination.
It’s the journey that prepares you for the destination.
Side Note: The way you respond to situations usually determines your victory over it.

The will of God… Is always for your good.
Thats the Word of God and never going
to change. Some people believe that a few of us were born to prosper and others born to go to hell. Don’t you ever believe it. His plan for all of us to succeed and prosper.

The will of God… Can be effected be delayed by our choices.
We have the ability to delay the plan of
God in our lives by foolish choices. We’ve all made them. The trick is to never stop moving forward. Always be quick to shake it off and continue pursuing Him.

The will of God… Is directly connected with your passions.
Here’s and amazing formula for you:
Personality + spiritual gifts + passions = Your destiny.
Design reveals destiny. You were made the way you are for a reason.

The will of God… Is never closer to you than when you are serving someone else.

1. God’s Will is Easy to find.
This is simply not true. Partly because of our own silliness. We complicate things to much. Through ‘fleeces’, second guesses, and requests for fire from Heaven we simply make things too complicated.

2. God’s Will is easy to do.
God asked Abraham to leave everything he knew and start stepping. The Bible says he went without knowing where he was going. That doesn’t sound easy at all. Therefore why do we think that the path of least resistance is obviously God’s will for our lives. Usually God’s ultimate plan for us will lead us through times of trouble and doubt. He’s more concerned with who we’re becoming than how fast we get there and how easy the journey. It’s in the journey we find the faithfulness of God and His power in our lives.
If you never had a need you could never see God. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

3. Everyone will agree with God’s will.
This one is just funny. People have their own ideas, agendas, and feelings about your life. Always inquire of the certain people in your life who have credibility but never expect everyone to agree. That’s just not going to happen.
When Jesus tried to tell His hometown (Nazareth) about what He was called to do they tried to push Him off a cliff.

4. God speaks directly to every situation for your life in His Word.
His Word is a Lamp to our feet and Light to our path. (Psalms 119:105) Notice it doesn’t say roadmap.
There are certain issues of life that are not listed in the Bible. There’s no eleventh commandment to tell you what to do in some situations.
That’s why we have to know what God’s Word says and pray for God to open up our understanding in the right time. Your relationship with God will cause you to know His nature. Knowing that will help you in those tough situations.

5. God’s will is about the bottom line.
It’s about the journey and the destination not just everyday decisions.
God’s will isn’t an ‘x’ on a map. It’s a process and a journey toward who we’re becoming. Yes God has a plan for your life and a goal for your good.
However it’s about more than that. It’s about who you are becoming along the way and your relationship with Him.

Once you begin to realize that God looks at things through the eyes of relationship, things make a lot more sense.

Grace is God’s unearned mercy.

Mercy is God’s unearned forgiveness.

Grace is the fact that is very accurately described in Romans 5: 8 when Paul said, “God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

On our worst day, Jesus died for us.  When we hated Him, He still loved us.

Below is a video we’re going to show this coming Sunday at our Easter Celebration.

When Jesus died on the cross, He wasn’t just concerned with taking away the sin of the world. He was interested in taking your sin away as well. He didn’t just look at the whole picture but He saw us individually as well.

Jesus died for Peter even though He knew before hand Peter would deny Him when Jesus needed Peter the most.
Then, one of the first things Jesus says after His resurrection was to make sure Peter knew it was all good.

That’s simply amazing.