What's Next?

The central truth of the bible is expressed and personified as Jesus Christ. The ancient prophecy of hope and salvation was realized when Jesus became a man, was crucified and rose from the dead on the third day. Four books of the bible provide a historical account of the life and ministry of Jesus. These four books are called the Gospels and they introduce the New Testament. The authors of these four books either personally witnessed the miraculous life of Jesus or interviewed the people who did. The Gospels tell us that Jesus called people to follow, believe and ultimately obey him. Those closest to him were called disciples. When Jesus called his first disciples he issued an unusual statement of purpose to them;

Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. - Matthew 4:19

Jesus taught his disciples that He was the way, the truth and the life. He was the very Word in the flesh full of grace and truth. He is the atoning sacrifice for all. Whoever believes in Him is granted eternal life. Following the resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate on Easter Sunday, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days. At the end of this time, he brought full context to his charge recorded in Matthew 4:19 when he issued the Great Commission to his disciples just before ascending into heaven;

Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:18-20

The “what’s next” for disciples of Jesus in 2009 is to become his church. It seems that we are prone to get stuck in religious activity and we forget that our focus and purpose is to share the truth of Jesus. A surrendered heart and Christ-like character serves as the foundation of our influence. At Longleaf Church, it’s our vision to create relevant and strategic environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue Intimacy with God, Community with Insiders and Influence with Outsiders. Our dream is to launch a church movement that’s actively fulfilling this Great Commission as "church people" are empowered to invite their un-churched friends to church. We call this Relational Evangelism. The power of Easter reflects our newness of life through Christ and it provides purpose and strength for our lives. Wow! That’s exciting!

Hiking

Have you ever climbed a mountain? I don't necessarily mean ascending Everest. I just mean hiking along a trail that ascends a mountain through a series of switchbacks. Maybe you have simply blazed your own trail through the forest chasing wild game. I sure have. I have also hiked many trails throughout the Appalachians and even a few out West. Sometimes these trails involved 3000 or more foot ascents that led to incredible vistas of the great outdoors. On other occasions, the trails that I was hiking were not clearly marked and I lost my way. Even worse, on a few occasions I have found myself deep in the forest long after sunset with stormy weather brewing. The main thing about all of my hiking experiences, good or bad, is that they were shared. Camping, hiking and hunting with my family and friends comprise some of the most memorable experiences of my life. Yet these experiences would not have been quite the same, had they not been shared.

When close friends embark on the same journey, they are able to spur one another on to greater heights. Depth of relationship matters. In other words, as we hike along a trail with a peer towards the same destination our lives begin to overlap. We are able to celebrate wins with one another and we are able encourage one another through the struggles that the journey will inevitably bring. God made us in his image and our Heavenly Father is intensely relational. We are all relational beings who need Authentic Community. At Longleaf Church, we leverage the principle of Authentic Community through Small Groups. Adult Small Groups (Community Groups) are where people discover accountability, belonging and care on a journey of simply doing life together.

Small Group Leaders at Longleaf will always be encouraged to consider how they are creating a culture wherein people spur their peers on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Addtionally, we have a system to better equip men called SYSTEM 163. Man I love Small Group! Are you in one?

Energy

It's hard to be still. I am talking about those rare moments of stillness when we just let go and allow our souls to rejuvenate. It's hard to muster the emotional and mental fortitude to stop for a while. Our minds simply can't seem to stop racing with the responsibilities of today and tomorrow. I'm the world's worst about this. Amy reminds me that I have to "turn it off" sometimes and that's hard for me. Yet it's so important for us to press pause sometimes on our hyped up schedules and big responsibilities to renew our hearts and minds. I am so thankful for those uncommon moments, even brief ones, when God reminds me of His greatness and He grants rest for my soul.

Blue skies on the first day of Spring inspired a moment of quiet reflection for me. I was reminded of the quietness of the forest that I love contrasted with the loudness of creation during this season. A shadow cast by a mighty Longleaf Pine tree has caught my attention and it gives me pause. The tree cannot escape it's shadow. The shadow follows it as the sun rises and sets from horizon to horizon. The brighter the sun shines the more pronounced the shadow cast by the tree. My tree and the entire world are totally dependent on sunlight. Sunlight doesn't just illuminate, it's the ultimate catalyst for the cycles of nature including the photosynthesis within my Longleaf Pine. This unseen transfer of solar energy is amazing. It sustains life.

The Apostle John (a guy that witnessed the life of Jesus first hand) has to be one of the most amazing writers that has ever written anything down. Clearly, his inspiration was fueled by the Spirit of God. The Apostle John wrote five books of the bible. In a letter called 1 John, the Apostle articulates a profound and succinct statement about our Heavenly Father:

• This is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5 NIV).

The power of Jesus illuminates our lives from the inside out. When light comes from within, our shadow is lost. He sustains us more powerfully than the sun sustains a tree. He wants us to live well and live purposefully and that means that we must often pause to refuel ourselves with our ulitmate source of energy.

The Fringes

Have you ever felt as if your heart was drawing you out to the fringes of your life? Have you ever felt as if you were suppressing your hopes, dreams and passions because the path of conformity is so much easier than the path of the extraordinary? We all know or at least know of extraordinary people who refuse to compromise or conform their principles or their dreams to cultural boundaries. These passionate pioneers are driven by some intangible force within their souls that pushes them to dream big and defy the odds. These pioneers consider complacency the enemy of this life so they relentlessly pursue purposeful living.

Check out this picture of John Harmon. My sister-in-law's wedding ceremony by the sea had concluded only moments before he hit the waves in his little ring-bearer tux. He could barely wait out the ceremony. The allure of the waves on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean were overwhelming to his little heart. To him, it made perfect sense to dance in the waves and his formal attire was no obstacle. It would have been silly for the rest of us, sensible as we are, to join him. Right? I mean it's foolish and just not socially acceptable. Hmmm. Maybe swimming in formal attire is a bit radical for us but I believe that each one of us are called to live on the fringes of life in some way. Unique passions well up within our souls throughout life and complacency (sometimes disguised as sensibility) assaults them.

Jesus came to grant us life to the fullest (John 10:10, Colossians 2:10). A life committed to following Jesus is not about conformity, it's about passionate living. Jesus spent his life on earth on the fringes of culture challenging religious leaders with truth and reflecting his Father's love through character. The bible tells us of a pivotal interaction between Jesus and Peter where Jesus teaches Peter about walking by BIG FAITH. Jesus literally walks on water and Peter musters the courage to follow him. As the wind and waves picked up, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink. Jesus reached out for him and caught him then challenged him to live by BIG FAITH (Matthew 14:25-32) Jesus still calls us to follow him with BIG FAITH out to the fringes of life to places where we are meant to live life to the fullest and glorify God.