Trading the Ultimate for the Immediate

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At Passion 2011, Andy Stanley gave a great message concerning temptation.  One of the lines he repeated over and over is that temptation is the act of “trading the ultimate for the immediate.”

The ultimate is faithfulness to your spouse, the immediate is the temporary meeting of a desire.

The ultimate is a godly legacy engraved in your children, the immediate might be another round of golf.

The ultimate is heaven’s rewards, the immediate is the passing riches of this world.

When we encounter temptation, one verse helps me more than any other verse in the Bible:

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I Love Jesus

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The other week, I had one of those cherished moments as a father.  The pic above is a cropped pic of my son, Obadiah, in a restaurant bathroom.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he will hate me one day, I understand, but I couldn’t pass it up.

As I waited for him to complete his business, he looked up at the two rails on the wall and shocked me with what he said:

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Revive Our Integrity

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What a powerful week 2 of “Revival.”  Studying Psalm 15, we talked about what it means to have integrity.  We also had a Memorial Day special prayer time for one of our own currently serving in the military led by one of our own who is also in the military.  Powerful time.

Tonight, we worshiped to:

I was kind of blown away by what happened in worship tonight.

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Major in the Minors: Joel

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We had another great morning at North Side as we continued in the “Major in the Minors” series.

We got the privilege to commission a bunch of graduates this morning.  That’s always exciting seeing how committed these students are to Jesus!

We focused on the prophet Joel today.  As Jeff discussed this message with the staff this week, it couldn’t come at a more appropriate time.  In light of all the natural disasters happening across America this week, many people are asking the question “how could God let this happen?”

As Jeff pointed out, when natural disasters happen, 3 main positions arise:

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Worship Academy This Summer

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I first mentioned hosting a Worship Academy back at our Lift Worship Workshop, but today I am happy to give you the details of this summer leadership group.

During the summer, I am inviting any worship leader, musician, vocalist, etc. to be a part of a small group with the intention to develop one’s biblical, musical, and logistical understanding of leading worship.  We will cover theological concepts of worship, songwriting tips, arrangement procedures, band dynamics, vocal techniques, music theory, and so much more!

Here are the details:

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How to Make a Children’s Book on a Budget

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My ideas usually start small and then grow into something bigger.

It’s a problem, really.  When I decided to make a book for my sons’ birthdays, I first thought that I would write something, and figure out how to import images for the illustrations.  As the idea grew, I wanted to teach them a spiritual lesson about life being all about God, then I decided to use them as the main characters.  As it developed, I eventually self-published a children’s book entitled, It’s All About God, with Obadiah and Eli as the main characters.

I’ve had some very kind comments from people who picked the book up online, and I have had some questions how I made it.  First off, I am not an artist and I’m not that talented.  I just learn to be clever (aka budget, ghetto, whatever adjective you might use here).  So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a children’s book on a budget.

1.  I take lots of pictures of the boys.  I then put them in iPhoto.  I changed some effects on some of the shots to give them a bigger color boost.

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The Rapture Did Not Take Place on May 21, 2011

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Above is a video of Harold Camping, the man behind the prophecy that the church would be raptured on May 21, 2011.

It’s now May 23rd.

While so many of made jokes concerning his prophecy, I honestly feel pity for him.

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It appears in all that I have seen and read that he honestly believed it.  He also believed it the first time he made the prophecy but then figured out he had made a mathematical error in his equation.  And with numerous followers supporting and funding his cause, he is left to deal with the people on the earth he was so sure he was leaving behind.

So did you believe the hype?  Did you secretly wonder?  Did you wonder if the cicadas were more than a mere nuisance and they were actually a sign of the times?

I was asked a lot of questions over the last week, and this was my response:

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Revive Our Relationships

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“O God, unite us together, Your church living as one, giving ourselves to one another, and this world will know us by our love.”

Last night, we had our first united worship service.  So much prayer and preparation went into this service.  I was so humbled at what God did last night.

We worshiped to:

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Major in the Minors: Hosea

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So excited to start our new series this morning entitled “Major in the Minors.”  Walking through the 12 prophets over the summer months is going to be a great study and I pray we hear and do!

Hosea was a prophet called to demonstrate God’s love in a powerful yet hurtful way.  Hosea was called to buy his wife back from her life as a prostitute and love her again as his bride because that is the depth from which God has loved us.  Considering God’s great love, will we stop running around on him?

Jeff and I have been wanting to do this sermon on Hosea for over a year now.  We saw another preacher role play Hosea during his message and it was probably the most powerful thing either of us had ever seen in our lives.  So when God seemed to be leading us to preach through these books, we couldn’t miss the opportunity.  Jeff did a fantastic job of playing “Hosea” as he looked desperately for his bride.  It was so powerful to experience the dedication that God has to buying us back as his own.  You can check out the message here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Eli!

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“Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children, a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth.”  -Psalm 127:3

Happy birthday, Eli!  You are most definitely a reward!  We treasure every day getting to be your mommy and daddy.  You are a precious son in whom we are so proud.  Here’s just a few of the reasons why we love you:

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Revival FAQ’s

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We are so excited that our first Revival service starts this Sunday at 5:30.

Since this is an addition to our schedule, we want to make sure you have all your questions answered:

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The Heart of Worship (Nashville and Back)

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I’m heading back from Nashville today from a busy few days at LifeWay.  I left Sunday in the middle of the last service to get to GSP to make a flight.  Monday and Tuesday were full of ideation for LifeWay’s 2012 curriculum.  I was humbled to write for this great team again when they asked me to write a unit on selected Psalms entitled “The Heart of Worship.”

It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.  While I was there, I also got to spend some time with the editorial team for Courageous.

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Boys vs. Girls

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It doesn’t take children too long to figure out there is a difference between genders.  For some reason, when those children become parents, they forget the difference altogether.  The American approach to cookie-cutter parenting is unfortunately emasculating boys and making girls unhealthily dominant.  The Bible speaks to the difference between men and women, and, as parents, we would be wise to remember that end goal in mind as we raise our children.  We want boys to grow up to be godly men.  We want girls to grow up to be godly women.

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It’s All About God (New Book)

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As we are celebrating my boys’ birthdays this month, I thought long and hard about what to give them.  I decided to write them a book.  As with most of my projects, it started small, then grew into something a lot bigger!

To make it, I decided to use the process I used when I wrote Freshman 15.  Once I went down that route to make it for my boys and their friends attending their birthday party, I decided that it would be just as easy to make it available to you!

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Wise Counsel: Marriage Counseling

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What a great day at North Side!  We finished up week 3 of “Wise Counsel” as Jeff tackled some marriage counseling.  I felt like I was drinking from a fire hydrant!  Such good stuff.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Thirsting for God

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1 As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour …

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Revival

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This summer, we are praying for a revival!

During the summer, we will be having Sunday evening services from 5:30-7.  We will be teaching through the Psalms in a series called, “Revival.” All ages will be studying the Psalms in order to revive our hearts towards God. The schedule will only have two breaks during the summer (June 19th for Father’s Day and June 26th for the Homeland Choir Concert at North Side).

Here’s the summary of the time together that will begin on May 22nd:

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Reclaiming What You Lost

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What a great Sunday at North Side!  Continuing on in our “Wise Counsel” series, we did a little more group therapy.

We all have lost something.  Some of those things were our fault and some the fault of others.  But God has a plan for all of us to heal and to reclaim what has been lost.

Today, we worshiped to:

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It’s All About God

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This children’s book reminds young minds that all good things come from God and all of our lives are for God. Every page of every story has one main character: it’s all about God. Get Copy on Amazon

Should Christians Rejoice That Osama Bin Laden’s Dead?

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After reading and hearing so many interesting takes on feelings concerning the death of Osama Bin Laden, I had decided to write what I believe would be a proper biblical take on the subject.  In my own hometown, people have been very supportive or very offended by our local newspaper’s headline.  Can we actually rejoice that he is dead?  Some people say as an American we can, as a Christian, we cannot.

As I started to write a post, I found a link to where John Piper wrote on the subject so wonderfully.  He is smarter and more godly than me, so I am sharing his post in lieu of mine for your reading pleasure.  This post is from his Desiring God website:

God’s emotions are complex—like yours, only a million times more. Right now, your emotions about bin Laden are not simple, i.e. not single. There are several, and they intermingle. That is a good thing. You are God-like.

In response to Osama bin Laden’s death, quite a few tweets and blogs have cited the biblical truth that “God does not delight in the death of the wicked.” That is true.

It is also true that God does delight in the death of the wicked. There are things about every death that God approves in themselves and things about every death that God disapproves in themselves.

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Do Your Kids REALLY Know You Love Them?

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The situation is all to common. A mother is concerned that her husband isn’t spending adequate time with the children. His job is requiring extra attention. With his seasoned efforts, promotions increase and so does his responsibility. When she asks him to spend some time with the kids because she is worried they are detached from him, the husband responds, “Why do you think I took this job? I’m doing all this for them!”

Most men are natural providers. By providing food on the table and a roof to sleep under, children ought to see the depth of their love. Unfortunately, while children may be grateful for those met needs, they are longing for connection and affection from their father. “Do I have to say I love them?” Yes, you do. “They should know I love them by what I provide for them.” Well, they don’t.

To ensure that your children know you love them, you need to get intentional.

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1 Year Home with Eli

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It’s hard to think that we celebrated Eli’s 1 year being home anniversary yesterday.  We took the boys up to Dollywood this weekend to celebrate our wonderful year and had a great time.

It’s impossible to use words to adequately describe how God has moved over this last year.  Last year, I placed our son in the hands of his mother in an airport with him crying in terror that he was being left again.  This year, they are inseparable (actually, they were inseparable within two minutes, but that’s another story).  Last year, my son couldn’t walk or crawl on all fours.  This year, he was running up hills at an amusement park.  Last year, my son didn’t want to eat any type of food and only knew one word.  This year, he asked to pray over his fajitas, chips, and salsa at La Hacienda.  Last year, he was afraid to get buckled in the car seat.  This year, he begged to get strapped in a roller coaster (see below).

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Wise Counsel: Should We Get Engaged?

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Today, we started a new series at North Side called “Wise Counsel.”  Jeff’s description of this series: “As a pastoral counselor for the last 25 plus years, I have noticed that there are some things that just keep causing people problems.  Therefore, I am going to address some of these issues from a biblical perspective and provide some biblical counsel to some very common problems.  Call it group therapy if you want to, but it will also be biblical therapy.  While this series will only be for three weeks, I think it will prove helpful to a lot of folks and give some very specific counsel to some very common problems.”

Today’s topic: Sharing wise counsel from counseling experiences, our pastor shared the answer to a question he has never received: “Should we get engaged?” Marriage is a very serious step, and there are 5 questions each person should think about before going forward.  It was a wonderful message.  The married guys in my C-Group told me they still learned a ton even though they are already married.  You can watch or listen to the message here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Protecting Your Home

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What are you willing to do to protect the people in your home? If you lived in a dangerous neighborhood, more than likely you would make sure you made every effort to lock up the home before you went to sleep that evening.  Having children in the home makes most parents even more likely to take precautionary measures.  Whether it …

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The Purpose of Worship: The Glory of God

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The following is an excerpt from a document North Side’s elders gave out to our church body on April 17th.  As we have prayed concerning the direction of the church and studied Scripture together, we are under conviction that we must be a church according to scriptural mandates.  Our church currently uses different styles of worship to relate to different groups of people.  Our time in the Word has changed our heads and our hearts.  The following is a brief excerpt, you can get the rest of the document here.

A passion for the glory of God is the hallmark of the redeemed. Because it is God’s passion, it must be our passion. To live passionately for the glory of God means that our greatest delight is found in delighting Him and our greatest fear is found in displeasing Him. When we fall short of living for His glory, (Romans 3:23) we fall into a life lived for the glory of self. Living life for our glory is sin. When we lose the great, high, noble calling of living life for His glory, the results are disastrous for the church. Worship is reduced to a consumer-driven personal experience, discipleship is reduced to a self-help program, and evangelism is reduced to a goal-driven sales pitch. Living as a church for the glory of God will redefine our purpose and redefine the methods we use in pursuing that purpose. Corporate worship, or worship as a church family, becomes a priority.

Psalm 133:1 reads, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

Most of us have been conditioned to think of salvation in terms of the individual. The truth is, however, that God has saved a people unto Himself.

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Parents, God is Not the On*Star Button

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It is impossible for you to try to raise your children in a godly manner.

You can’t do it, but Christ in you – the hope of glory – can (Col. 1:27). Too often, parents attempt to raise their children with godly intentions minus the godly interventions. Instead of relying on our own strengths, we need to learn to abide in Christ.

Presently, many cars come with On-Star capabilities. When in trouble, the driver can push a button, and help comes to him. Once the crisis is averted, the driver dismisses the On-Star helpers and goes about on his own for the rest of the journey.

Many parents approach life the same way. When crisis hits, they hit their knees and beg for divine intervention. Once God helps them out of the situation, they see little use for him anymore. This approach is worse than shameful, it is ignorant. If we think we can make it one step without God, we really don’t comprehend who we are dealing with here.

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Derailed by Disbelief

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What an incredible Easter Sunday!  3 services full of the truth, the Holy Spirit, and serious worshipers!  Today was such a special day as we were among many who gave their life to Christ for the first time.  Jeff’s gospel presentation was so spot on.  It is always so humbling to be in the room when people pass from death to life.  Unforgettable!

We concluded our 1 Corinthians study, “Derailed,” today as we focused on 1 Corinthians 15.  Paul told the Corinthian church that the resurrection was the greatest hope for believers.  On Easter, we remember that Jesus lived, died, and was raised back to life.  This truth changes everything.

We also got to Skype with our buddy Rachel, a college student who is spending her semester as a missionary in an undisclosed location.  Being able to hear how God was using her, how she spent Easter, being able to pray for her, and have her pray for us was a true gift!  It reminded us all of how the Church (big “C”) is celebrating our Risen Savior all around the world.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Good Friday Service Recap

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I really don’t have too many words to describe North Side’s Good Friday service.  I have never heard our people sing out so much, and I have never seen such expressive worshipers.  We remembered the cross, and we could barely contain ourselves!

We celebrated communion, baptism, read Scripture, and worshiped.  I loved that one of our elders, Jerry Rentz, led the communion.  Most visitors would have imagined he was a staff member by how great of a job he did!  After the service, John Kennerly did a coffeeshop performance for us that was pure delightful.  Great day.

I kinda imagine that may be the 1st Good Friday service in a line of many more.  Just a hunch.

We worshiped to:

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College Students – Dates to Remember

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We had our last college Bible study of the semester last night.  What a great year we have had.  It’s been amazing to see these students grow in their love for the Word and the world.  I shared some dates last night that I wanted to make sure everyone knew about (actually, all of these apply to you whether you …

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Update on Courageous

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I’ve had some people ask as of late concerning progress for Courageous. On one end, the movie has been edited and being screened around the country.  If you have seen the Soul Surfer movie, you can check out the exciting trailer for Courageous. On my end, I have been asked to write a few more articles of helps for the …

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Unpacking the U-Haul (The Problem with Emotional Hoarders)

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With the A&E TV show, “Hoarders,” America has become exposed to people who are unable to part with their belongings.  These hoarders hold onto absolutely everything in which they become unaware of how their stuff is suffocating their lives.  When a hoarder decides to move homes, he or she finally can comprehend how much baggage they have weighing them down.

We do the same things emotionally.  We try to move along in our lives, but we have stuff in the back of the U-Haul slowing down the process.  Just like hoarders, you have some baggage that you have collected and you have some baggage that you have received.  In order to go the next step in your life, you need to address both.

Joseph lived with all types of baggage.  As the favored son of Jacob, his prideful stories told to his brothers kept him out of favor with everyone in his family except for his father.  His brothers beat him and sold him into slavery.  While taking a stance for purity, he was wrongfully accused of rape.  After helping others out in jail, he was left and forgotten about to rot in prison.

Joseph had baggage.  Some he collected, some he received, but he had to deal with both.

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Derailed by Idolatry

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What a pivotal day for North Side.  It was one of those days where God was so clear to me in so many different areas, that it was hard to shake.  Continuing on through Derailed, here is where we landed today:

Derailed by Idolatry (1 Corinthians 10-11).  The Corinthian church had gotten into the habit of gathering together in the name of the Lord but making it all about themselves.  They had become their own idols.  In this message, we hear how this warning still applies to us today and what it means for the future of North Side.

The picture above shows holding a document entitled “The Glory of God.”  As North Side has sought God’s leading on our future, we believe he has spoken to us concerning the future of worship styles at the church.

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Most of My Creative Ideas are Stolen

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I’ve heard so many encouraging words concerning Sunday’s bilingual worship service.  When my worship leading buddy came out and started leading in Spanish after our prayer for the Spanish speaking people in this city, it was an incredibly powerful moment.

I have a confession: I stole the idea.

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Don’t Make God Pay for Your Dad’s Mistakes

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[The following is an article assigned for an upcoming LifeWay curriculum.  The assigned task: help people who have a bad situation with their father understand God as heavenly father.]

Some people do not like to hear a certain word in church.  The word is bothersome to some.  The concept is down right offensive to others.  Due to so many people’s pasts, calling God, “Father,” is the worst possible name to ascribe to him and it leaves many Christians unsure of how to view God the Father.

Let’s face it: we live in a fatherless world.  Deadbeat dads are the cancer of our society.  A majority of children are growing up in homes with fathers either physically or emotionally estranged from them.  So when a person with baggage from their earthly father enters into church settings where the Heavenly Father is talked about, you see why so many people struggle.

Pastor and theologian, A. W. Tozer stated that “What comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”  The implication of that statement can not be overstated.  Your perception of God has everything to do with how you live for him.

The problem is that many people view their Heavenly Father in the same way they view their earthly father.

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The 2nd Greatest Story You Will Ever Tell Your Children

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One of your children’s most beloved books in your home might soon be your high school yearbook.  Your children know you as a responsible (or somewhat responsible) adult fully equipped with bills, a job, and a minivan, yet before they ever knew you, a lot of your life had already been lived.  Seeing your extracurricular activities, fashion statements, and funny hairdos in your yearbook open up an entire new world to them concerning your life.

For many of you reading this article, you also became a Christian before your children were around.  Even if you became a Christian later in life, your personal testimony is not information that they inherently receive.  The greatest story you will ever tell your children will be God’s story of how he brought redemption to mankind.  The 2nd greatest story will be how your story intersected with God’s story – the story of your salvation.

As your children grow, they will have different levels of doubt concerning the Christian faith.  You might even experience a child arguing with you concerning your personal beliefs.

While they may resort to arguments, they can’t argue with results.  One of the greatest ways to teach your children concerning salvation and walking with Christ is by sharing your personal testimony with them.

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Be Careful Little Eyes What You See (OG, Obie, & the Cereal Bowl)

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I snapped this picture on my phone this morning at the breakfast table.  Uncle OG was finishing off the last drop of his milk in his cereal bowl while my oldest son, Obadiah, learned from the entire spectacle.

Never a dull moment in the Agnew house.

“Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…”

This song was in my head going to work this morning.  You can imagine how Obadiah finished his cereal off after watching his Uncle OG.  Oh, the things my family teaches my boys!

While this episode is simply humorous (and I hope it made your day 😉 ), it was a great reminder that my boys watch my every move.  Would I really be happy as a father if they mimicked my every behavior?

Would I be proud if they copied my:

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Derailed by Rights

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What a fantabulous day to be the church!  Still buzzing from all God did in our midst this morning.

Week 6 in our “Derailed” series as we study through 1 Corinthians.  Today, “Derailed by Rights” in 1 Corinthians 8.  In Christ, we are made free, but what are we actually free to do?  Many areas confuse Christians concerning what is permissible and what is not.  In this message, we learn from the Apostle Paul concerning a life not derailed by personal rights.  Wonderful message.  Check it out!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Founding Freedoms – New LifeWay Curriculum

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  I was so excited to receive these copies in the mail of LifeWay’s LifeTruths upcoming quarterly edition.  The crew at LifeWay does a fantastic job at this Bible study curriculum geared towards parents. I was honored to write for the second time for this publication.  The first time I wrote a curriculum called “I (Still) Do” on marriage.  In …

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College Bible Study – 2 Weeks Left!

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It’s hard to believe that we only have 2 more weeks of our college Bible study at North Side.  I have LOVED pouring into these students this year, and I think I have some great ideas for next year and even something for those around this summer. For the remaining 2 weeks, I have some special things in store. Next …

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