True Change

True change, not just the change that people want, but the change that people need is not found in a new administration, a new job or new material possessions. The change that people truly need today can only be found in one place, it's found when man connects back to God through Jesus Christ. 2 Chronicles 7:14 say's "if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

The world needs a touch from God, for this to happen "The called" must activate themselves to humility, repentance and prayer then they will hear from heaven. Who are "the called" if you call yourself a follower of Christ, you are the called, if your desire is to see your family, friends, and loved ones come to know Christ, you are the called, if you are tired of seeing people sick, watching people suffer, hearing bad news, seeing people hurt and want an authentic move of God upon our land, YOU are the CALLED. Go ahead, I dare you to say it "I-AM-THE-CALLED", it's time to activate, it's time to move, it's time to influence, it's time dig deeper, reach higher, it's time to run, it's time... for true change.

High Definition Living

If you work in front of a computer like I do chances are you've experienced "blurry-vision-by-2PM-itis." Whitepapers, Web pages, Web meetings, e-mail all of that text reading is pretty tough on the eyes. Everything just starts to fade away, speaking of fading away...

I have a Satellite that we receive our TV signal from at home. For months I noticed the signal degraded and we even lost some channels but I let it go anyway just thinking it was a technical problem that would go away. Later a strong windstorm came through and we lost signal all together. Life is the same way, especially when it comes to living with vision from God. There are so many factors that can affect us seeing what God see's. Our spiritual eyes get tired, our hearts become perplexed and God's plan can easily start to fade, let it go long enough and you could lose signal entirely. I am a HUGE fan of High Definition TV, (can't wait for the Superbowl) so much that the first time I saw HDTV in a store my mouth was open and I could not move. To think about going back to watching TV on a black and white 13" is out of the question. So why would we do this when it comes to life. Why live life with a fuzzy signal when you can have High Defintion Living with God?

Living Life in HD is living with the eyes of God, with His perspective and with His heartbeat in our lives, and if you read Proverbs 29:18 it's a matter of life and death. Without vision for my marriage, it dies, without vision for my home, my family dies, without vision for my career or job, it dies, without vision for ministry or church, it dies. My life and your life is dependant of God's vision, it truly is a matter of life or death. When the signal get's weak and it becomes harder to focus and see, don't ignore it, align your life back with the plan of the Father so you can live life in HD.

A Tale of Two Coffee Shops

My wife and I paid a visit to two coffee shops this weekend. "Coffee Shop A" great menu, great coffee but was in a bad location. "Coffee Shop B" was in the heart of town, roasted their own coffee, and had a great view overlooking the water. Which one do you think had more people and was the one I visited twice? Even with a better view and freshly roasted coffee, coffee B could not keep pace or bring me back in. What was the difference, it was the culture. One culture was cold and uninviting the other had the warmth of a home and had a great feel. One took pride in their product and was adventurous the other had hardly any product at all, and lacked vision. If our culture truly matched the culture of Jesus what would the results look like?

Greatest Asset/Greatest Liability

Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. Exodus 2:11

During our leadership meeting at church my pastor shared a quote, it was a quote on a topic that we had just spoke about earlier in the week. "Your greatest asset can become your greatest liability" I saw this clearly when I read about Moses today. The bible say's that Moses went to see his people, and he noticed how hard they were working. Why was Moses in the middle of slaves when he had been raised in the palace? It bothered Moses when he saw the Egyptian beating a Hebrew, it bothered Moses when he saw Hebrews fighting against Hebrews. Passion can be defined as something you really like or something you really do not like. It's clear that Moses was against injustice towards the Hebrews, that Moses was destined to be a leader, and Moses had passion to do something but did not know how yet.

Passion is one of my greatest asset's it allows me to dream big, it keeps me hungry in the game, it makes me competitive with the smallest of things, and it drives me. Passion has also become my greatest liability at times. I've made mistakes because of my passion, I've said the wrongs things, I've hurt people and even hurt myself because of my passionate character. I don't want to be driven by passion I want to drive with passion, I don't want to lead by passion I want to lead passionately. I don't want my greatest asset to be my greatest liability. I've had this wake up call before, it's not a road that I haven't been on before, which means it will always be there. I can't stop being passionate, it's part of my God given DNA but I need the Holy Spirit to direct me and lead my life before any desire or passion.

Getting Focused (Pt.3)

Imagine attempting to drive with your eyes closed for 5 minutes down a freeway going 65Mph during rush hour traffic. Impossible right? So is trying to live a life of purpose without focus. We are all on a journey, all in a race and to make that journey successful to cross the finish line in the race focus on God and He is calling you to be "daily" is so important. Anytime life requires me to slow down either by my own admission or God settling my spirit I've always done three things. #1 Journal Harder. I turn up my journaling, spend time looking for principles. It's easy to journal on challenges, encouragement, even corrective items. Principles are those things which I pull out the truths of God, they are unchanging and life altering. It's in the foggy times of life that God is taking us deeper showing us who He is. #2 Direct my Heart towards Worship Clint Brown said a powerful quote on one of his cd's some time ago. "What you cannot obtain in the natural, worship into your life" Sometimes it's hard to journal and it's hard to even think. One thing that does not require thinking is worship, because it's something that is in us and what we are created for. #3 Spend time with the gamebreakers, In the sports world a gamebreaker is the person who has the potential to altar the entire game despite what the scoreboard say's. The gamebreakers in my life have those words that bring clarity, inspire you to pick yourself up, challenge you to new levels, and most all speak truth. One simple conversation with my gamebreakers turns my whole day around. My gamebreakers have the ability to see what I do not see and call it out. My gamebreakers have the ability to speak into my life without the use of words. Identify your gamebreakers, God uses them to speak into your life. And from the words of a young man that I know as a gamebreaker in the physical and spiritul Mr. Ulla Pomele #51 of Kansas State "Stay humble, Stay Hungry" Stay focused!

Getting Focused (Pt. 2)

The Warning Signs of Being Out of Focus...

I was playing basketball a few weeks ago and within the first 15 minutes I had to sit out. I was so tired that I was turning the ball over, making mental mistakes and none of my shots were sinking in. Looking back, I should of probably sat out sooner. I eventually got to the point where missed baskets or turnovers didn't matter the only thing that mattered was me catching my breath. There's a quote that say's "Whatever we focus on the longest will make us the strongest" The warning signs were clear long before my 15 minute exit of the game and I ignored them, I got sloppier and sloppier and in the long run was just hurting myself and the team. When we lose focus in life, life get's sloppy, we become careless making bad decisions and terrible mistakes. What are the warning signs when your out of focus? What patterns have you noticed when your out of sync?

So what did I do during my timeout? As I sat out catching my breath, I watched the game closely to the point where it seems like it's slowing down. I prepared myself to work smarter and not harder, physically I was able to keep pace, this allowed me to focus more and avoid the mental mistakes. And what do you know... the ball started going in the basket too. It's not a question if life will come to an abrupt time out, it will happen eventually, it happens to us all. What happens during the timeout will determine your success. Pt3. I will talk about what to do during the time out

Getting Focused (Pt 1.)

In the last 72 hours I've experienced probably about a months worth of eye awakening. I've lost some sleep, gotten anxious, and even suffered from the occasional stomach ache. I feel like I've gone through a gauntlet of emotion, worry, frustration, joy, hunger and passion all at the same time in my attempt to get one thing. F-O-C-U-S.

"For you to hit your God created purpose and target for your life, you must have these moments of intense focus" sometimes they come when you pray or fast and other times God intensifies everything and takes you for a ride to get you back on His track.

When back on track it's amazing how much more I can see and how much I've missed. Life is great when lived with a target, but it get's even better when you know your on the mark to hit that target.

When is the last time you really got focused about your life?
When is the last time you looked in the mirror and honestly could say "I'm on the right track..."

Closer then proximity

"He has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3

This short sentence about Jacob spoke volumes into my life today. I needed to be reminded that God is with me. Have you ever been there? In need of confirmation, some reminding, something that reaffirms my heart that God is with me, in whatever I do, wherever I go, no matter what that God is with me.

God is always with us, even when we don't feel Him. Ever feel like someone is behind you when your back is faced towards them?; it's because they are close in proximity, you don't have to see them to know that they are there. I'm challenged by this word today to stick close to Jesus so that I'm reminded continually that He is with me. If you facing huge decisions, difficult challenges, incredible dreams now is the best time to fall in love with Jesus. If your on edge, getting ready for a new change, wanting new direction, it's time to get closer to Jesus. If your wanting better results then you had last year and you know that God is calling you to higher living, a deeper walk, a greater faith, now is the time to get closer to Jesus. I'm reminding myself today and stamping it on my heart that now is the greatest of times for me to get closer to Jesus. Proximity will not be enough this year, a brief conversation with God, mundane worship all of it will not be enough, I need Christ living in me. For my life, in this very moment, with all that I feel God has called me to become and do, I need to know Him, I need to feel Him, I need to be able to say that God is with me.

Small to Big, Big to Small

I was reading a great article about the rise and fall of "Big Idea" the company that made Veggie Tales. Check this quote out:

"...when a small company experiences extremely rapid growth, it soon ceases to be a “small company.” Yet just because it no longer qualifies as “small” doesn't necessarily mean it is now “big.” In other words, just because you're no longer “Tim's Software Hut” doesn't necessarily mean you're “Microsoft.” And somewhere in the middle, many, many companies fail."

I begin to think about church growth because I'm believing for extremely rapid growth in the next few months at our church. My boy Troy shared something with me some time ago that was similar to my thought today, and I believe it went something like this.

For a small church to grow you have to do things like a big church and for a big church to sustain growth you have to do things like a small church. The thought behind this is to do everything with passion, excellence, accuracy, and systematically as if you had 5k people sitting in your church every week even though there might only be 75; to do this it requires planning, communication, growing leaders and hard work. On the other hand to sustain growth you have to think small, maintain community, otherwise people get lost, needs are not met and relationships are slim to none and all we have are just people who go to church.

I don't want to go to church anymore, I want to be the church. I want to see an explosion of God in our city, in our nation and in the world.

"...and (WE) water the sheep"

We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together; then [the shepherds] roll the stone from the well's mouth and we water the sheep. Genesis 29:3

In the story of Jacob, he came to a very common and known well to to give water to sheep. The well had a huge opening which required a stone to be moved, so that the water would come out. In order for this huge opening to be uncovered the shepherds combined their efforts so that the flocks of sheep were watered.

This reminded me of the church because it's filled week in and week out with sheep who come to drink of living giving water. The efforts of one person alone are not enough to be able to take care of the sheep. A combined team effort is required to provide enough water for everyone who comes thirsty, longing for hope, and in need of encouragement and transformation. Not all are called to be the shepherd of a church but that does not mean that there cannot be a shepherding culture in the church. This is my desire where I am at right now to see Christian Worship Center of Milpitas become shepherding people, where all who come into our church are taken care, our city is taken care of, our neighborhood is tended to and watered with the love, grace and mercy of Christ. It's funny because my wife and I just had a similar conversation about this over lunch a little under an hour ago, now the Lord is following up on me. What should I do?

1) Being busy doesn't mean being fruitful most of the times it just means busy
2) Ball hog ministry won't cut it this year, I'm going to major in assists this year and allow others to make shots more then myself (provide direction, encouragement and vision, but allow others to lead)
3) It's ok if things don't run perfect, failure is the best success sometimes

Theme Of The Month

It seems like the theme of the month so far has been perspective and how it needs to change. Changing ones perspective is like being a quarterback in football. Football is a game of adjustments, risks, and strategy and this takes place before every snap of the ball on every down. A quarterback makes adjustments based on his perspective, it's called an audible. Sometimes the audible is correct other times it ends up flopping. For our lives to be successful we need a new perspective because life is full of audibles. I want Gods perspective on life not my own especially in 2009. God sits in the highest luxury box and can see all of my life before I lived one day on earth. God will make you a champion if you trust him, He's never lost a game, He's never been outmatched, outplayed or outcoached. If last year was a tough season a new one just started, trust Jesus with the next call.

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Explaining God To My Six Yr Old

I had an interesting conversation with my son during a car ride today. My son had questions about the trinity. I used the example of the egg and explained the one in three, three in one approach, just like an egg has three parts to it. I still don't think it's clear to Isaiah. I was amazed
the questions being brought up by a six year old It reminded me how much people are looking for truth today. We need to be prepared to live and give truth in our society more than ever before. Yet another lesson reminded by my six year old...Btw I found this new iPod app to type blogs on, it's called Lifecast, using it now, it's pretty cool.

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Finding Rest Pt. 3

Life hurdles, mental fatigue, circumstances beyond our control can all drain you, and if you let it go long enough meaning without finding rest, you can lose a lot more then you think. There are times when I've found it hard to pray, found it hard to journal, and flat out could not find the answer on my own. Waiting is definitely not one of my strengths so when God put's me in those spots I wrestle with Him. The last place that I have found rest is not an easy one for me to go to because it requires me putting my guard down, and humbling myself. I remember a man once said this "vulnerability is a mark of spiritual maturity." Being able to let go and let God so He can speak to you in whatever way He wants is tough especially when it's wait. God's counsel doesn't always come the same way, sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places like your children. For me not to miss the listen, the direction, and the word requires humility in my spirit to listen for God. Rest comes from the counsel of others at times so it's important to surround yourself with people you know are not afraid to tell you the truth. My wife, my pastor, my team even my kids have all brought me rest at one time or another. The important thing is for my heart to remain sensitive to God's spirit working in other people. Surround yourself around people who will bring you water. Just like the marathon runner who is running a race, people stand on the side holding out the cup of water, those are the people you need in your life. Have at least 1 person in your life that makes you feel like you can change the world in a 5 minute conversation. Have 1 person who can speak into your life without even speaking (my wife). Have 1 person who is not afraid to tell you the truth. Have 1 person who is able to encourage your vision...and the list can go on. For me all of these people are different, the bible calls it a counsel. I love the way the Message version of the bible put's it, Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.Proverbs 15:22 I've learned that the more life I pour into people, the more God pours life into me through those same people... after all were all in the race.

Finding Rest pt. 2

About 5-6 months ago, my boy Troy spoke at a youth service. I was in the crowd that night and although it was Troy's first time speaking, little did I know how his message would serve as an awakening in my life. The message was on "Reflection" Reflection is when you contemplate, when you think. It takes time to think, it takes initiative, it takes a freeing of everything else that may be going on or what needs to take place. I learned that day that my reflection time is a vital piece of my life and it's part of how I truly find rest in the Lord. When I purposely take time to reflect on my life I become better as a husband, as a parent, as a follower of Christ. Reflection time creates milestone moments, just like on a jogging path when you hit the 1 mile marker my reflection time reminds me of how far God has brought me and simultaneously reminds me how far I still have to go. The most important piece of reflection is who I see when I look at my life. Do I see the reflection of Jesus or do I see Anthony's reflection. Rest is a weapon it truly does help you become better when you purposely set time to reflect.

Finding Rest (Pt1)

My boy Santz posted the following message on twitter last night "Rest is a weapon" it hit me so hard it was on my mind early this morning it also happens to be a topic that I've been wanting to blog about. So here's the question: How do you find rest? What about when sleep is not the answer. Ever have a night when 8 hours is still not enough maybe because there is a deeper rest needed; a rest of the soul, the mind, and the heart. I had this revelation a few years ago with energy drinks, why are they so popular and why are people so tired? Could it be the energy, the alive feeling we are looking for in an energy drink is actually due to our minds and hearts not at rest, which is having an effect on our physical body. So how do you find rest? What are you doing? or What aren't you doing? Where are you? What brings rest to your mind, heart and soul? The first area that I have always found rest is in the Lord; journaling, prayer, worship. Finding rest in the Lord is intentional at times, at times I've experienced incredible peace suddenly and other times I've had to seek it out. God has never let me down anytime I've sought Him out as a refuge. Check this scripture out:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philipians 4:6-7

I will post two more topics on finding rest possibly throughout the day. Believe it or not blogging actually brings me rest.

From now on

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:10-11

The day that Jesus stepped into Simon Peters boat was a day of astonishment, so much so that his life was never the same again. I love Jesus' response to Simon after the miraculous catch of fish it's simply "Don't be afraid; from now on..." From now on... means that his life from this moment on would be different, it would be amazing, it would be something like Simon had never seen. If Simon was astonished with fish he had not seen anything yet.

I'm am looking forward to an astonishing year in Jesus. I want to meet with Jesus and have "From now on moments" where my life from that point on is radically changed. I truly believe the time is now, people are in place, the hearts are stirred, and the catch is ready. Astonishment has been brewing, faith has stretched and increased, hunger is at an all time high and God is getting ready to astonish the lives of people who will allow Him to get into their boats. Two things that I find today that are speaking to me today.

The challenge to go deeper: Jesus challenged Simon to launch out into deeper water. When I think about deeper water, I think about an area that is not safe. Deeper water means there is greater risk being taken. Deeper water means I'm no longer in control, I'm know at the mercy of the one who has the ability to calm the water. Jesus knew that the fishermen had tried fishing all night, he knew that they were unsuccessful, he knew that there was probably frustration, so the challenge for me in going deeper is to take a risk where I have not yet. The challenge is to stop doing things my way and to trust in Jesus more. The challenge is to fully listen to the Lord even when I don't understand. Listening and moving by God's word makes room for one astonishing catch.

The challenge to leave everything and follow Jesus: These men left their jobs yes, but they left more then that, they left their comfort zones, they left what they were accustomed to daily, they left routine, they left what they knew and who they were to follow Jesus. I believe daily there are decisions, feelings, will, and thinking that I must leave behind in order to follow what Jesus is calling of my life.

Do you want to be astonished this year by the work of God in your life and through your life, go deeper, leave everything and simply follow Jesus.

What does God Call You?

"...He blessed them and named them..." Genesis 5:2

This little phrase caught my eye "He blessed them and named them" and I begin to think about what's in a name. I remember when I was little, anything that was precious, special or of importance I gave a name too. What's in a name; Destiny, purpose, hope, encouragement, character... So much more to a name then we think. For both of my children, the names did not come easy, I had to find out what the names meant. I wanted the lives of my children and their names to match, I put much thought, I paid attention to detail, and I am careful to remind them of who they are as often as possible.

What does God call you? It's answered in the phrase above. God calls us blessed. Sometimes it's hard to see that your blessed, it's hard to call yourself blessed which in the end makes it difficult to become a blessing to others, but this is what God calls us. I remember a brother in the Lord that I met some years ago named Russell Porter. I was newly married on my way to church, it was a rough Sunday morning. fighting about toothpaste or something. Anyway I was about to teach Sunday school, I was so upset and it was all over my face. Brother Russell always had a smile and was always hugging me. I went through the back door of the church so I would not cross paths with anyone and the first person I see is Brother Russell, he gave me some words that I have often repeated and shared to this day. "Being blessed has nothing to do with what your going through" My desire for 2009 is to be a blessing in my family, at my job, in/outside of the church with people who I know and don't know. What this means is I have to remember what God calls me? God does not call me failure even though I've had my share, God does not call me quitter even though I've felt like quitting at times, God does not call me doubter even though my faith runs low at times, God calls me, and he calls you blessed. What God calls me, supersedes anything else I've felt or have struggled with and He is careful to remind me of that as He is doing even now.