Okay, this is hard to admit, but I am completely computer illiterate (or at least close to being that). For over a month I have tried to switch my blog from blogger to wordpress. Some dear friends of mine convinced me that wordpress was more user friendly and more versatile. I happily transferred my blog over to wordpress and then began the arduous journey of trying to upload all my widgets and extras. I have been unable to do so! I am so frustrated because I have people posting independent comments on both sites and I can’t merge my wordpress comments onto my blogger site (though I’m able to import the blogger posts and comments onto wordpress). Anyway, all this to say… I quit!! Yes you heard me!!! I am sticking with blogger. I just can’t seem to make wordpress work for me and so I resign to my fate at http://jthelmsdeep.blogspot.com. Please don’t abandon my blog because of this flaw in my computer character. See you over at blogspot.
Some of the most compelling parts of the book, Adam, were the questions posed at the end of the story. Skillfully crafted as a discussion between Daniel the story’s hero, his estranged wife Heather and the priest who performed the deliverance (exorcism) on Alex Price, they consider the following questions:
How had they been blinded to the light for so long?
How could the rest of the world be so blind?
How did evil manage to hide itself so effectively?
Why didn’t more people talk about evil?
Why didn’t people at least acknowledge that evil responded in a uniquely compelling way to the name of Jesus? Surely the forces of evil knew something the rest of the world seemed to deny.
While some of these questions went unanswered in the story, they are not unanswerable according to the Bible. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, demonic possession is alive and well in today’s world. Not only do stories abound of modern-day, real-life cases of demon possession, for those who care to seek them out, but I have personally been involved in numerous powerful cases of demon possession and deliverance. If this is true, you ask, then why are more people not aware of it? The simple answer is because it is not evil’s purpose to brazenly display itself in a manner in which it can be readily identified since it’s primary goal is to destroy in the most subtle of ways (Alex Price, like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz, was the most “normal’ of people until he was behind closed doors). Hear what the Scriptures have to say about that: “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Because the realm of the demonic often operates within the supernatural, skepticism is a tool that Satan uses to lure people into being complacent about their “dark” secrets, simply passing them off as bad habits. The Scriptures have something to say about this also: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Dekker addresses this through Daniel’s request to the priest for help: “Then Daniel had begged the priest to tell him what he must do. The light: he kept mumbling about the light and demanding to know more about the light that had saved him. Father Seymour (see more?) had put it very simply. Jesus, he said. The light of the world.”
Admittedly, this video doesn’t really do justice to the story at all, but with a $100.00 budget, it certainly attempts to capture the idea that the subject is dealing with a phenomena outside the realm of the ordinary. The premise of the story is that a recognized FBI behavioral psychologist, who has essentially written the book on profiling, unwittingly enters a world that takes him by complete surprise. What is worse is the fact that it is a world he doesn’t believe exists. Like most people today, Daniel (the primary character in the story) has ridiculed and in fact written bestselling treatises attempting to debunk the validity of a spirit realm and a belief in God, Satan and demons. He finds himself embroiled in a darkness that is palpable and for the first time in his life he experiences a terror that is beyond a humanly induced fear.
Dekker skillfully weaves in stories of demonic possession that are taken from case files of real live events (albeit with his own added twists), which leave you on the edge of your seat. Many times you have to remind yourself to take a breathe. The story begins with the kidnapping and subsequent abuse (physically, emotionally and spiritually) of Alex and Jessica Price. This begins the long descent into darkness for Alex as he unsucsessfully battles with demons that are ravaging his mind and influencing a behavioral pattern that is completely outside the realms of normal. Alex’s story mirrors stories of real people like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz (dubbed the Son of Sam killer), infamous serial killers that blamed their lust for blood on demonic entities that gave them specific instructions. Again, many laughed at and ridiculed the “preposterous” idea that “voices” could have influenced their decisions, however, those who are versed in the Scriptures are not so quick to dismiss these claims.
So here are todays truths:
Demonic possession is alive and well in our world today (Matthew 8:28-34)
Spiritual forces play a large part in our daily lives whether we realize it or not (Ephesians 6:12)
What you give your heart and mind to will exert control over you (Proverbs 23:74:20-27)
There will always be skeptics about spiritual power (Matthew 12:22-29)
Tomorrow we’ll explore some of these truths a little deeper. What do you believe about demonic possession?
In my opinion, one of the most creative and spiritually astute Christian fiction writers to come along in over a decade is Ted Dekker. I must admit that he is one of the people I would most love to meet. His subject matter is the stuff psychological thrillers are made of, and if you doubt the veracity of my assessment, look no further than Hollywood who turned one of his most acclaimed novels (Thr3e) into a silver screen hit (okay, maybe it wasn’t such a hit). Famed for writing amazing books like, Thr3e, Blink, Blessed Child, The Red, White and Black series among many more bestsellers, Dekker has outdone himself with his latest novel, Adam.
I guess healthy competition is good, because, since (again in my opinion), Robert Liparulo’s and Tim Downs’ bursting on the scene of Christian fiction, Dekker has stepped up his game. I am not easily intimidated by the world of spiritual warfare. In fact, I have written a fair amount of non-fiction material on the subject such as a book titled I’m a Christian so how can I have demons? as well as a manuscript on witchcraft, currently in the pipline. This book scared the “bejeebers” (whatever they are) out of me! I was initially confused as to whether it was a true account or a work of fiction even though the book and it’s reviews stated clearly that it was a work of fiction. I kept returning to the intro on the sleeve to see if I’d somehow missed the information that detailed the fact that this was a true account of a real event.
Delving into the mind of the books primary representation of evil, “Eve,” Dekker paints us a perfect picture of how the devil clandestinely works to destroy people in the real world. The story is interlaced with a “ficticious” nine-part article culled from Crime Today magazine, complete with photos and detailed accounts of the saga faced by the beleaguered Alex Price and his sister, that further pushes the mind to question whether or not the book is actually a work of fiction. Deliverance and spiritual warfare have been an area of significant interest for me over the last two-plus decades, and so this book was a breath of fresh air for me. This week I will examine some of the truths outlined in the book so that together we can uncover the ploys that the enemy of our souls uses against us in an attempt to hinder our destiny. What’s your opinion about demons and spiritual warfare? I really am curious so please don’t be a silent reader today.
So, I’m having this conversation in my head regarding the recruiting process from high school to play division 1 college football. Between April 15 and May 31 the recruiting season for rising-seniors picks up in earnest. We have been bombarded with letters and e-mails encouraging us to call, visit, consider…. It’s a seemingly endless and distracting process of trying to make sense of whether this is about a college education or about playing football for a school.
Part of me thinks there’s too much hype going on, with kids being made to feel as if they are the greatest things since the invention of… well, sliced bread. Another part of me feels like the kids have worked hard and deserve the attention they are getting. I realize how overwhelming this process can be, especially since I am so involved with my son’s recruiting process. To date he has full offers from Purdue, Cincinnatti, UCF, USF, North Carolina State, and Duke with a number of others in the pipeline. There are so many factors to consider in the process of choosing a school, but the most important consideration is the need to remain grounded and recognize that God is the author of your destiny.
As quickly as all of this is happening is how quickly it can be gone. In an instant the phones can stop ringing and the offers can stop coming. It’s kind of like pastoring a church. You might be fooled into thinking your church is experiencing the favor of God because you are such a great pastor (If you thought that, the only thing you are is highly deluded). Your church is doing well because you have been “kissed” by God. I tell my son this truth all the time: “Don’t get carried away by thinking that it is your skills and work ethic alone that have provided this opportunity for you. God will not share His glory with another, so it’s vital that you remember who’s in charge here.” I’m recognizing that the favor of God that is on our church right now is happening in spite of me. It’s humbling to think that I’ve been gone the entire month of April yet the church is doing better than it ever has (hmmmm, I wonder if…).
I’ve decided that the key to staying grounded is to enjoy the moments and remember that they are happening in spite of and not because of me. I tell my son the same thing regarding his recruiting process: “It only happens once, so enjoy the moment.” What moments are you experiencing that you might be taking for granted instead of savoring?
Okay, Is it just me or am I losing momentum after having missed posting a couple of times in the last week? Traveling will do that to you though, especially when you are up in the mountains away from the “civilization” of wireless internet connections. Any way, I’m determined to catch up on all that I’ve missed out, so here are my final thoughts on the ARC conference. Matt Keller of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, FL spoke about church planting using a football analogy. He explained that while most church planters hope for the long bomb down the field that gets you up and running at over 1000 people from day one, real world experience suggests that that is more the exception than the norm. Most people have to fight for every yard right up the middle. Blood, guts and tears are the reward of this type of church planting.
He suggested that some of the reasons why church planters struggle with where they find themselves are as follows:
Unmet (unrealistic) expectations. Many who have come from “resource rich environments” think that their church plant will be an extension of where they have come from.
We need permission to be where we are; to think small because external pressures often convey the message of failure if you are not at a certain place by a certain point in time. He explained five levels of church planting: Family phase (100 or less). This is where the focus is on relationships and DNA reproduction. Growth is a byproduct of these two factors. Your team needs access to your head and your heart during this phase. Organizational phase (250 or less). This is where systems, structure and schedules are put in place. Medium size phase (300-400). In this phase expectations are different. Keys to success are leadership, staff, and delegating responsibilities appropriately. Large church phase (750). Momentum carries you and you need to re-evaluate your systems, structures, and leadership. Mega church phase (1000+). He’s not there yet so doesn’t know what it takes.
We need permission to have our own unique journeys rather than compare ourselves to others. You are not a failure because someone else has bigger crowds than you.
We need permission to think differently. The what, why, and how are essential questions to our success so that we are not just copying the resource-abundant ministry thinking it will work for us because it works for them. We must be strategic in applying our limited resources.
Then the analogy switched to baseball (get the feeling he likes sports?): You can’t get to second base unless you touch first base, but you can’t get to second base with your foot still on first base. Some people who ran to first base with you cannot make it to second base. They form part of the scaffolding that helps to build the structure, but they don’t make up part of the building.
We need permission to learn at every phase. We must be willing to re-learn what we think we already know.
We need access to those who are where we are as well as those who are a step or two ahead of us. This serves as tremendous encouragement on the difficult days so that we know that we aren’t the only ones dealing with difficulties and pressures.
We need a new definition of success: Success is significant life change, celebrating the stories of our “wins.” Celebrating success is so much more than celebrating just numerical increase. Whatever you celebrate as a leader, your people will celebrate.
I’ll be concluding my thoughts on the ARC conference tomorrow once I get back home. Today I wanted to give you some thoughts about the just concluded Point Man Camp that took place at Garner State Park this past weekend. My friend Marc Longoria of My Father’s House (Church) hosted the conference and it was an amazing time of connecting, personal ministry, and real vulnerability. There’s nothing quite like a group of men gathering together to seek God and open their hearts to other men about their struggles, their fears and their failures. In the midst of that kind of vulnerability, something supernatural happens.
Paul Cole, Dave Roever and myself were the featured speakers and the prevalent theme seemed to be the idea of choosing to confront our weaknesses in an honest and open manner so that we could make ourselves accountable to other men who have walked through our stage of life. One of the most refreshing things that happens at these types of gatherings, is that men realize that they are not the only ones contending with major issues and fears. The response of the men was humbling as they wept openly, prayed together, confessed their struggles to each other and experienced a tremendous amount of freedom and emotional healing. I am confident that the lives of a large majority of the men who attended the conference will be completely different on their return home.
Ultimately, if we are better husbands, better fathers, better employers and employees, better friends, better pastors… and the list goes on, we would have accomplished exactly what we set out to accomplish when the idea of the Point Man Camp was first birthed. This is truly one of my favorite things to do. I love to see men growing spiritually and taking full responsibility for the wellbeing of their families, their churches and their communities. I’m convinced that if more and more men are willing to live their lives with honest and godly vulnerability, we will find our churches becoming more and more relevant to the larger community as we coach other men on how they can live their lives successfully the same way. By the way, this very cool Big Dog custom motorcycle, worth $35,000.00, was up for grabs to whoever was able to throw the words ‘Big Dog’ on the roll of dice. Unfortunately, I am not riding the bike home! What did you learn this past weekend?
I’m going dark! No, I don’t mean my complexion silly, I’m talking about being off the internet for a few days. I’m speaking at a men’s conference in Garner State Park (90 miles outside of San Antonio, TX) and they are apparently still in the dark ages with no access to phones or internet (gulp! How will the world survive without me for a few days?) Anyway, that means that this will be my last post for the week. Instead of posting on the just concluded ARC conference (I’ll give you my final thoughts on that next week) I figured I should post on something spectacular and unprecedented that is about to take place in June.
Craig Groeschel came up with the idea of One Prayer which asks the question what if…? (I bet he borrowed the idea from my post of the same title). What if we all prayed one prayer as a church globally? This, apparently led him to the idea that he would teach a message titled Make us One, and have that message shared by video in as many churches as were interested in being a part of One Prayer. For the entire month of June, a different message would be preached by a different speaker. For instance, at Craig’s Lifechurch.tv he would have Perry Noble teach on Make us dangerous, and then Ed Young Jr. would teach on Make us creative (all of these via video). Pastors from across the globe who wanted to participate in One Prayerwould submit a teaching to the website teaching on whatever their One Prayer for the church would be.
We would all have access to any of the messages submitted, so that we could pick and play any three of them over the month of June at our local churches (obviously the fourth message would be the one you are teaching). The Well will be participating in this amazing adventure and I will be teaching a message titled, Make us passionate. If you’re interested in finding out more about this and who will be participating go here. If you want to sign up to be a part of One prayer go here.
This conference has been explosive so far (well I guess for me it’s over since I’m posting this from Houston’s Hobby Airport enroute to San Antonio for a men’s conference I’m speaking at), and I’m totally inspired by the humility, transparency and passion displayed by all the speakers I’ve heard. Brian Houston looked and sounded like he’d had too many cans of Red Bull, but other than that he was fun to listen to. Greg Surratt, Dino Rizzo and Stovall Weems (in the photo with me) all had great stuff to share. Here are the highlights:
Feeding off Chris Hodges message on opening night, Greg Surratt informed us that not only had he had to contend with the “kings” that attack church planters and pastors, but he’d had to deal with an alliance between the king of discouragement and the king of rejection.
he has lived through four waves of God’s move in America namely, the thirst for revival wave; the performance wave; the purpose driven participation wave; the experiential wave.
The current wave which is the experiential wave has demonstrated, based on a survey, that the unchurched would attend church if they knew they would experience God.
God wants us to respond to His love in a physical way.
Dino Rizzo inspired us with a video of the last fifteen years since the inception of Healing Place Church (HPC) and 750 plus Sunday sermons, by reminding us that most things will change over time and the course of ministry as you grow and learn. He told us that there were four key things that have not changed for him and that never will in order that he remain faithful to his purpose. These four things are: relational servanthood leadership; acknowledge, honor and celebrate what others have accomplished; protect his intimacy and passion for Jesus; enjoy life.
Stovall Weems, speaking on diversity in the church said, “You will not have diversity in your pews unless you have it in your heart.”
Diversity in your church must be a core value for you if it is to happen.
Diversity must first be reflected in our leadership, our staff and our “sound.”
In fifteen years there will be few if any uni-cultural environments or neighborhoods in the USA.
I know, I know, you’ve patiently waited all day for the updates I promised would be coming your way. Well wait no more. The conference started yesterday evening at the amazing campus of Church of the Highlands. It is nothing short of a miracle that a seven year old church has built such an astounding campus. I’ll tell you more about the campus in a later post but for now I want to give you some highlights of the incredible things the ARC is accomplishing through a group of guys that are relationally connected with the singular stated purpose of planting life-giving churches that impact the world.
Since its inception 7 years ago (Chris Hodges’ Church of the Highlands was the first ARC church plant), the ARC has given away 40 million dollars to local and global missions. In 2007 the ARC planted a new church every 17 days. In 2008 that number is a new church every 12 days. There have been 59 church plants since inception and the average weekend attendance at all ARC churches combined is 99,976 people. All I can say is… wow!
Chris Hodges kicked off the conference with a powerful message highlighting the church planters favorite verse: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you… Be strong and of good courage… Only be strong and very courageous.” Joshua 1:3, 6-7. He reminded us that even though the territory had been promised, there would still be a battle that required strength and courage. He highlighted the kings that Israel had to contend with in order to possess the land. He likened it to the spiritual battles church planters face daily as they contend with their own demon kings. The following are some of the major battles facing church planters.
The battle against the king of demonic attacks
The battle against the king of rejection
The battle against the king of loneliness
The battle against the king of temptation
The battle against the king of discouragement
He further highlighted the three things that would help us win the battle against these “kings.”
Humility - a man on his face cannot fall from that position
Honesty
Holy Spirit - the greatest church planting tool God gave us was the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Digest these amazing nuggets and I’ll connect with you again tomorrow with some more great stuff from the conference.
jthelmsdeep
