THE "WHY" BEHIND THE PURSUIT CONFERENCE

You may have seen the announcement of the Pursuit Conference on social media and online via www.pursuitconf.org. LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE AT: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter: @mypursuitconf

Through this conference we hope and desire to see a generation pursue His presence, pursue His heart, and pursue His mission. 

We desire to accomplish 3 goals through Pursuit Conference in 2015:

1. Raise Awareness of Opportunities for Local & Foreign Missions
2. Equip This Generation for Local & Foreign Missions
3. Empower and Release This Generation to Live on Mission

To answer a few questions that have come up from folks, I have captured a snippet of a powerful conversation I had with a college student recently about the Pursuit Conference. This individual asked some pointed questions which you may be asking as well. I believe sharing this may help you understand the "WHY" behind the Pursuit Conference.

(Some parts are paraphrased to fix all the online chat grammatical and spelling mistakes)

STUDENT: What inspired you to put this together?

We desire to reach the groups of people. 

1. The person who doesn't know Jesus and get them connected to Him.

2. The person who knows Him and wants to do something for Him but doesn't know what to do and how to do it. 

3.  The person who knows Jesus, the "what" and the "how" but is stuck in fear to inspire them to take a leap of faith and go live out their calling.

Also, we believe in keeping missions as a top priority for lives and the church.
We see this as a tremendous opportunity for informing, equipping, empowering, and releasing people to live on mission.

STUDENT: No. That's why you want to do it. For other people to receive and understand how to do all those things. But what inspired you to put this all together? Like when did you see a need for this? Why have this when there are other local and national para-church conferences?

We saw it as a need at the end of last year after we took 12 people on our first missions trip. We said to ourselves, "why limit the impact of missions to a trip for 12 people?" Can we multiply that by hosting a gathering like a missions conference and sharing our experiences and teaching and showing people it can be done in our hometown or across the globe.


STUDENT: One last thing: is there a cost?

Yes, a minimal investment into your lives.
Individual - $20 (Full Event); $10 (Friday only); $15 (Saturday only)
Group of 5 or more $15 per (Full Event)
Group of 10 or more $10 per (Full Event)

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REGISTER TODAY AT: www.pursuitconf.org

From "Good" To Great

There on the hilltop once called Golgotha but now forever redeemed as Calvary, hung a perfect, blameless man who was God. There, let us zoom our focus in on that person, Jesus, who was being sacrificed instead of you or me. He was paying the wages of our sins, which was death. With that payment, we received our salvation, freedom, healing, and life here on earth and for eternity in heaven.

When we see Jesus on the cross, we must see mercy, wrath, justice, forgiveness, commitment, obedience, courage, power, humility, faith, hope, and the greatest of all, LOVE.

LOVE THAT BEARS ALL
His love for you covers a multitude of sins. His love is like a roof on a home. It covers me as a refuge to run to and find shelter.

LOVE THAT BELIEVES ALL
His love for you believes there is greatness inside you. His love for you believes for the best in you. His love for you gives you the benefit of the doubt.

LOVE THAT HOPES ALL
His love for you goes a few steps beyond just believing, its called hoping the best for you. God believing in you solely has you in His focus. By hoping, God takes into account the crazy, hopeless situations staring you in the face. In the middle of pain, troubles, temptations, hopelessness, His love for you hopes beyond your realities. He can see the silver lining on that cloud in your life. Jesus has a positive and forward outlook for your life.

LOVE THAT ENDURES ALL
His love for you is unending, unfailing, and unrelenting. His love for you perseveres. He endured the cross because His joy was to see you restored to Him.

In Hebrews 12:2, we read, "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne."

Let me encourage you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Have a stare-down if you'd like with Him. (I promise, He will probably will make you blink or even tear up first.) 

He started a good work on that "Good Friday". He's not done with that work in your life even until this moment. His goal and desire is for greatness in your life, for your life, and through your life. Allow me to lead you or just point you to the cross and introduce you to Jesus.  

Only He, with the greatest love of all, can take you FROM GOOD TO GREAT!

Enjoy The Ride,

Pastor Cee

The Message That Wasn't Shared - Part 2

We continue with the idea that it takes teamwork to make the dream work.  When the challenges and struggles come, what is it going to take to build towards that God-dream becoming reality.  How can we keep that dream alive? Do we have a role to play in the process?  What characteristics do we need to possess?  

At the heart of this journey to realizing your dreams, you have to know God is not focused on the dream but YOU.  He is desiring to mold, refine, transform you through this journey.  He can use people, situations, circumstances, or whatever He wants but do we realize it? 

In Genesis 41, we see it has been 2 years since Joseph helped the cup bearer get out of jail by interpreting his dreams.  The only thing Joseph asked the cup bearer to do was remember him and mention to Pharaoh who helped him.  But the cup bearer forgot about Joseph.  Now 2 years have passed and Joseph is still in charge of the prison.  What the Lord showed me from this is that situations, people, life will teach us about PATIENCE.  You help people understand their situations, encourage them to fulfill their dreams, and you think they might remember you by extending some kindness with their influence.  But what do you do when they forget about you?  What do you feel when time just keeps going by with no progress in sight?  Joseph is learning to be PATIENT in this season of his life.  Why?  Because where he is destined to be, he will need to exercise it.  Could it be that was an area that needed strengthening in his life?  How is the Lord teaching you patience?  Who is he using?  What circumstances in your life are demanding patience from you?  

We get to chapter 42, and we read that Joseph now has encountered his long lost brothers for the first time.  He knows who they are but they don't realize they are talking to their brother, the "dreamer", the one they got rid off.  In verse 25, the Lord showed me the GOODNESS of Joseph on display.  He had the authority now as the "prime minister" of Egypt to do whatever he wanted to them.  You got the people who ridiculed you, hated you, hurt you, almost killed you, sold you off to strangers to another land standing in front of you.  You have the power and resources to do whatever you want to them as revenge for all the pain they caused.  What would you do?  Joseph showed his goodness by not even taking their money for the food they came to buy.  They didn't even realize it until they were on their way back home.  Could we do that if put in a similar situation?  When everything in our current reality screams for us to take revenge, hurt those who hurt you, we are called to show GOODNESS towards them.  Where the dream will take you will require you to show the same goodness towards people you know or don't know, you like or don't like.  

As we travel to chapter 43, the Lord showed me Joseph exercising LOVE.  He saw his youngest and only full-brother, Benjamin after all these years and he is deeply moved to the point of having to walk away and just weeping.  That bond and love for Benjamin showed me that Joseph wanted to love but didn't have anyone to  love all these years.  All the childhood memories of them playing in the fields with the sheep and all farm animals rushed back to his mind.  We have to remember that Benjamin and everyone else still doesn't realize they are not just in the palace of Egypt's prime minister but of their own brother.  Even when they don't realize it, deserve it, ask for it, can we still LOVE the people in our life.  We are commanded by Jesus not to love only those who love us or who we think deserve it but love our enemies.

That's installment 2 of The Message That Wasn't Shared at church!  Stay tuned for part 3.  

Remember, it's God's dream for your life but you have a role to play in that dreaming becoming reality. 

Enjoy The Ride, 

Pastor Cee

The Message That Wasn't Shared At Church - Part 1

After weeks of thinking, praying, preparing, studying, receiving on this message, I didn't get a chance to share it at church.  It was part 3 to the series: Dream Again (based on the life of Joseph).  Part 3 focused on the familiar phrase, Teamwork Makes The Dream Work.  I prepared my notes and sent the slides to the team to "beautify" it, they are coordinating all the details for presentation, and ready to go for Sunday morning.  But when all you had planned was ready to move ahead and set to go in motion, you learn that if you allow Him to, He will always get the last Word.

The Holy Spirit started dealing with me the night before I had to preach this at church.  I was reading through the necessary scriptures, notes, listening to some worship music and just asking God to be in control.  At that moment, I sensed the Holy Spirit asking me if my plans are put on hold, would I be OK with it?  You'd think I would immediately respond by saying, "Yes sure, go ahead."  Of course I did...n't do that.  I struggled with that question for a little bit from a human perspective and asked the Lord, why did I prepare all this time and work on this message?  Deep down I know what I'm supposed to say and do but in that same deep place I know I want to share this planned message.  At that point I reached out to our worship leader, Ancy, and sent her this message:

I'm prepared for my planned message but I sense the Holy Spirit asking me if the plans are put on hold is it ok with me. Just be ready to jump off the cliff

(We use that phrase - "jump off the cliff" - to challenge each other to trust the Lord will catch us when we step out in faith.)

I went to bed decided that I would trust Him as He leads on Sunday morning.  I get to church and still the internal struggle is going on - should I preach the prepared message or should I guide the service as the Holy Spirit leads us that day?  I knew He was preparing to do something unique this day.  15 minutes before service starts, I gave up.  I went up to Ancy and the worship team and just told them, we are shifting away from the planned order of service and I'm not speaking the planned message and just going to share what He leads me to share.  We are going to be up here throughout the service leading in worship and allowing for God to do His unique thing this day.  I shared this "change in plans" with everyone in the prayer huddle before service.  We all just went into prayer and trusted God while declaring, "Spirit lead us!"

Well, for the rest of the service, let's just say things went according to plan, not mine or ours, but His plan.  (You had to be there, I can't describe it.)  Let's just say, the Holy Spirit had a timely and prophetic WORD to the church, not a message on Teamwork Makes The Dream Work.  Lives being touched by the power of God.  There must be a weeping moment which turn into a worship.  Weeping may last for a moment, but worship will last forever!

After church, I was led to not just ignore the "planned" message that never was shared at church but to share it through this blog this week.  So I'm going to highlight the main points over the next couple of days.  So I ask you to come back and visit the updates over the next couple of days.

The goal was and still is to show the reality that God needs a good teammate in Joseph to make the God-dream for Joseph's life become reality.  That is the truth for us as well.  God can place a dream inside us for His glory, but we have a huge role to play in how it all works out in the end.  The Lord never will force His way into our lives and make us do anything.  Jesus doesn't invade and demand our hearts to action.  Jesus "knocks on the door" to our hearts and lives, waiting for us to choose to let Him in.

In Galatians 5:16, 17, and 25, we see the realities of our sinful nature being in constant struggle with what the Holy Spirit desires of us.  It also shows that we live by the Spirit and if we do, we must be a good teammate with the Spirit.  A good teammate sticks by you, stays close enough to do their part to help achieve the common goal.  We need to team up with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in this journey of life to receive that dream and see it to reality.

Over the next couple of days, we'll journey through several chapters of Joseph's life and highlight some characteristics of a good teammate of God.

Enjoy The Ride,

Pastor Cee

Bitterness is Cancer

You can read this post here as well: Bitterness is Cancer

Yes!! We made it to the end! The last thought based on Forgiveness devotional on YouVerson is here.

Hebrews 12:15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

  - Relationships mean accountability and humility. Learn from each other.

  - The famed author, Maya Angelou, put it this way regarding bitterness; “Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn’t do anything to the object of its displeasure.” Enough said!

1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 4:20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

  - Unforgiveness, bitterness, sin, wickedness makes us feel dirty. When we feel we are dirty we are ashamed, feel guilty, and hopeless. Jesus came to take all of that away from you and make you clean and white as snow!

It’s really imperative as a child of God and disciple of Jesus Christ, to be intentional about living in freedom and that means living receiving Forgiveness and giving Forgiveness!

See you all next week as we move into week 2 of the 21 Days of Prayer!  

Throwback Thursday Got Carried Away

We didn’t forget Thursday’s thought, we were just thinking about #TBT and remembering all He has done for us and got stuck praising Him!

To today’s scriptures on Forgiveness … you can read this post and learn more here as well: Throwback Thursday Got Carried Away

Luke 17:3 So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

  - Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and believing the other person is going to get hurt or even die. It’s killing you not them. Forgive.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

  - Our ignorance has warranted His love and forgiveness. Forgive someone else’s ignorance.

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

  - Living with a wounded spirit is so toxic that you not only corrode your attitude and life but it spreads. If you are going to be contagious, spread joy and kindness.

Ok, back to praising God!

Who Is Your Lord?

As you start this new year, you are probably signing up for various forms of life transformation such as exercise, Bible reading plans, diets, prayer, etc. One of the keys to life transformation is relationships.  The most important one is your relationship with "lords" in your life in comparison to THE LORD of your life.

The dictionary defines "lord" as: one having power and authority over others; ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience is due.  With that definition, who or what gets our service and obedience?  What do we give preeminence to in our thoughts, heart, actions? Who has power and authority over our lives?

That rightful place belongs to Jesus.  He is not someone or a "god" for us to use in our life as just as one of the "lords" in our life.  He desires to be THE LORD of your life.  That is how much He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.  Jesus keeps it simple by just wanting time with you.  Establish times of prayer and devotion to Him at the very start of this new year.  Jesus loves us sincerely to the point where He will tell us the truth about our life yet provide hope for a better way and a brighter future.  That simplicity and sincerity leads into His supremacy.  The Bible states that Jesus is supreme from the beginning to the end.  This powerful Savior, Healer, Provider, Redeemer, Friend, Brother, and King is available to you.  He will not force Himself on you but He knocks on the door of your heart and hopes to be invited into your life.

Give Him the rightful place of being number ONE in your life as the ONE LORD of your life!  I believe if we can keep Him as our ONE LORD, He can do whatever He wants for us and through our lives to be a blessing to others and to His Kingdom!

Enjoy The Ride,

Pastor Cee