Saturday, August 30, 2008 @ 1:09 pm by Josh Burcham

Now another question. Question One and Two are here.

Since we are on the 10 commandments, what do you think about commandment #3, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” Exodus. 20:7. What do you think it means to take the Lord’s name in vain?

Two thoughts:

First, using the Lord name in a verbal way and not address Him. Let’s put some understanding on this: When Old Testament scribes came upon the name of God while coping scripture they would go through a ritual cleansing before and after they wrote His name. Do you know how many times God’s name is in the Old Testament? God is HOLY, set apart. There is nothing like Him. He is above all. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Scribes understood that holiness and reacted accordingly.

There was an understanding that when you came into the presence of the Almighty you would not live to tell about it. Jacob, when He wrestled with God, knew what the outcome should of been: “So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared” Genesis 32:30.

In today’s age I think we don’t understand God’s size and holiness. We like to think we do, but our actions show otherwise. You will probably hear me say a lot of words, but one I will never use is God’s name when I’m not speaking to or about him. I might not understanding the God of this universe in a humble manor, but I do understand enough to know I don’t want to experience His wrath!

Second, once heard this explanation of the 3rd commandment: If our belief in God is not to be in vain, then it must be total belief, total allegiance. There is more difference between one and two then between one and one million. This is significant in our loyalties. We cannot give complete allegiance to two nations. We cannon give complete loyalty to two wives. If our allegiance to God is not to be in vain, if it is to be a valid allegiance, then it must be total and complete. This is the only kind of Christianity the Bible teaches. Lip service to Christ is but to take His name in vain.

What is dangerous in our age in not atheism, but a very mild form of Christianity. It is not outright rejections that is most dangerous, but the meaningless form of acceptance. This is to take His name in vain.

It’s an interesting idea and good for thought. I would lean more towards litteral understanding in scripture. i.e. scripture reading: You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God; really meaning use of His name.

Those are my thoughts to the question. Yours?

Friday, August 29, 2008 @ 11:44 pm by Josh Burcham

Ticket to the Game . . . $20
Burger, Fries and a Coke . . . $16
Program . . . $5

Seeing 15 people thrown out and 3 fights in our section . . . Priceless.

One of the best baseball games I’ve ever attended. I think I watched section 140 more then I watched the game. Sodas were thrown, people were tackled and fists connected with faces. I was absolutely chaos and a blast. When the Dodgers come back into town. I’m getting a ticket.

Monday, August 25, 2008 @ 5:29 pm by Josh Burcham

You can’t beat it. I’ve only had it for a day, but I’m stoked about it thus far. We canceled on Cox at home, since we haven’t had the internet working properly for the last couple months and I went out and bought this.It’s pretty sweet and quick. 3G is almost as fast as WiFi and some WiFi I’ve connected to it’s faster then. Not for everyone and we had to sacrifice XBOX LIVE, but it saves us money, gets TV out of my house (so much wasted time) and gives me a new level of mobility.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 @ 8:37 pm by Josh Burcham

See first question and response here.

This is a hard one. Steve emailed me this a couple of days ago and I’m still processing my answer. I’ve looked this at every angle and I just can’t find a way to put my thoughts together. Probably because I don’t have any idea. I don’t know. I wish I did. But I’ve been journeying on this road for a couple of years and I still don’t have a specific answer.

Lets journey together to find the answer.

Here is another question for you, as we journey together through this. How do we get to a point where we want “more God” and move away from the place of, we have “enough God”? People say they want “more God”, but their lives don’t reflect Jesus. I believe Christians need to stop lying to themselves and realize they are at a place where they have “enough God.” When we get to a place where we want “more God;” the heart, soul and mind stop being our focus because they become who we are.

I don’t have a three step process (key word process, since I have no idea), but I do know some things that have to be there:

1. We must realize how big God is.
This is one that I struggle with. In the book Crazy Love, Chan describes the vast world we live in. He describes the 350,000,000,000 galaxies that exist. No I didn’t add too many zeros. This world God created is just absolutely HUGE. Look at how complex the human body is and how everything just works perfectly together. That is amazing. Think of the 6.68 billion people that live on this earth and how God has a plan for each one of their lives. His creation is nuts. This is one I just can’t get my head around. We have to remember that God is too big for our minds to wrap around, but I don’t think I’m even close to understanding it. I believe the more and more we step back and realize God’s size, even in small doses, the more we love our all-powerful God.

2. We must get uncomfortable.
This one is hard. Specially for us Americans. At some point Christianity and the American Dream became one. The first will becomes last and the last will become first. “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” Luke 18: 22. Josh, you can’t say that God is asking me to sell everything I have. Why not? If God asked you to sell everything; would you? Don’t lie to yourself.

Most of us wouldn’t. It gets me to a VERY uncomfortable place and I’m not okay with that. Instead I would quote scripture to prove it wrong (I can prove that I should be able to have 90 wives if I picked and choose verses) or give myself excuses like: God really isn’t speaking, it’s just gas from dinner. Sometimes we need to take scripture at literal truth and not over analyze it. I’m not saying, to love the Lord you God with all our heart, soul and mind we need to sell everything, but I am saying if God said sell everything we need to be at a place where we would with no questions asked.

3. We must get over ourselves.
Warren said it, “It’s not about you.” We all have a calling on our lives. A calling that is bigger then ourselves. A calling that takes a miracle from Him to fulfill. It’s not about what we want, what we care about, or what we desire. It’s about God. “Another disciple said to Him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead’” Matthew 8:21-22. We have to be ready to follow Jesus even when we don’t want to or it doesn’t make sense to us. It’s not about us. We would be an unstoppable force if we could live this principle out.

4. We must believe He could really do it.
Trust. Even when this doesn’t seem to make sense. Mark Batterson puts it a great way: our galaxy (the milky way) is 100,000 light years away. A light year is 5,865,696,000,000 miles. Multiply 5,865,696,000,000 by 100,000 and on your best day with your best thought you are at least that far from God’s thoughts. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:9. God knows best and we need to trust Him. Much easier said then done. Even when it seems stupid, crazy and absolutely ridiculous. We need to trust that God can and will do it. Jesus said, “…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8. In a time when people didn’t travel more then 60 miles from their homes. Jesus says you will be my witness to the ends of the earth. We need to trust He will do what He says He will do.

First Step for Me.
I had to get uncomfortable. I left somewhere I loved, to do what God called me to do. It made no sense, it seemed like a stupid decision and in my deepest being, I did not want to do it. It took trust and it takes trust everyday. I miss ministry and I miss the ministry I had at Arrowhead, but God called me to move on and at the time I had no idea Ridgepoint was in my future. I held onto God in that time. We grew. I should say, I grew. I would not be the same person I am today or in this place in my relationship with my Creator if I stayed at Arrowhead. I had to get uncomfortable to hear God’s call; deepen my trust and my intimacy with Him. Even though it was hard, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Process with me. Your thoughts?

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 @ 4:17 pm by Josh Burcham

Great commercial from back in the day from Apple. Are you a crazy one? Are you ready to change the world.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 @ 3:10 pm by Josh Burcham

Have you been reading anything good lately? Leaders are learners. Post in the comments some of the good books that are in your bookshelf. Here is my list:

• It by Craig Groeschel.
• Crazy Love by Francis Chan
• Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
  
• Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath
  
• When Leadership and Discipleship Collide by Bill Hybels

Sunday, August 3, 2008 @ 10:33 pm by Josh Burcham

My heart beats faster when I’m doing what God has called me to do. My heartbeat right now is summed up by John Waller’s song Something Big. Lyrics go something like this:

It’s time to dream big dreams
To see Your vision
Become reality
‘Cause it’s for You, by You, those who
Love You wanna do
Something so big
It’s destined to fail without You, Lord
It’s gonna fail without You, Lord
Something so great
It takes a miracle to do
We, Your children
Wanna do something big for You

I want to do something so big that it will fail with out you God. My heart beats for my life mission, I’ve done my job as a pastor when I have a congregation that will do absolutely anything God asks them to do.

When you know what you’ve been called to do and are doing it, nothing else matters. I love that fact about our relationship with our Creator. I know, I’m weird, but it makes life so much easier for me.

Great advise I live by and you as a pastor should take the advise as well. I only listen to criticism from people that love Jesus and love me (in that order) and I pray often that God would speak through those people when something in my life needs to change. Everyone else, I probably won’t even take the time to sit down and hear you out. Sorry, I know what I’m called to do. If you’re threatened by that, take it up with God. He is the one that called me to it.