the Stirring tonight ...

just got back from the Stirring ... two campuses and three gatherings ... it's a long day, but I enjoy every minute of it (most of the time) ...

Dan spoke today in the Heaven series ... great word about living Heaven now ... so many times, we get saved and we sit around waiting for Heaven someday ... Dan used the analogy of a waiting room ... just waiting and waiting and waiting for Heaven someday, when Jesus comes and invites us to live Heaven today ...

worship was incredible at both campuses ... thanks Jacob and Jenna ... our worship leaders are so in love with God ... we are blessed ...

more than anything, I love seeing God change lives ... I'm looking forward to the baptism on Easter Sunday ... we're baptizing almost 30 people this coming weekend, and probably 20 others who get inspired and crazy and jump in the tank with their clothes on ... why not?

may His kingdom come and may His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven ... I think I've heard that somewhere before ...

heaven is hip hop ...

so, let's get some talk about the heaven series ... gardens and walls and stones and rivers and fruit ... any thoughts? ... any questions? ...

when Jesus teaches us to pray for the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven, what is He talking about? ...

what does it look like when Heaven comes down? ...

will there be steak in Heaven? ... is Jesus a vegetarian? ...

why are angels guarding the city of Heaven? ...

does God look more like Morgan Freeman or Gandalf? ...

will Heaven look more like the Emerald City or Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory? ...

will there be sex in Heaven? ... will we all be naked? ...

will Jesus ever let me ride His white horse? ...

are you living Heaven now? ...

heaven crashing down ...

at the Stirring, we began our new series 'heaven' this morning ...

we talked about heaven crashing down on earth ... in Revelation 21:2, we get a glimpse of heaven at the end of the age ... the prophet John sees heaven coming down from God in heaven and crashing into earth ... and a loud voice shouts that God will live face to face with His children forever ... this has always been God's heart ... to live with us ... to bring heaven on earth ...

if you're interested, I've listed a few of the books I've been reading to prepare for this series ... if want to take this deeper, read these books ... Surprised by Hope written by the notorious N. T. Wright, probably my favorite author on earth ... Heaven written by Randy Alcorn, is the most profound and captivating book on Heaven ... and of course, the Bible, which has so much to say about Heaven ...




through this series, my prayer is that God would show us and teach us how to live heaven now ... there is so much talk about getting to heaven somewhere someday, but Jesus comes and invites us to live heaven today ... to know God and experience the life of heaven here and now ...

heaven series ...

this week, we've been getting ready for our Heaven series that begins this coming Sunday ... we've been waiting almost a year to launch this series on heaven ... this may be one of the most challenging series for us as a team ...

we have so many confusing images and beliefs about heaven ... chubby cherubs playing harps on fuzzy clouds ... pearly gates and golden streets ... huge mansions and eternal cotton candy ... yep, heaven ... as a kid, I thought heaven was the never ending church service ... punch me in the face ...

this is the heart of this series ... what we believe about heaven someday 'shapes' how we live heaven today ... we'll talk about heaven on earth, life after death, the door to heaven, the resurrection, judgment, and hell ... that kind of stuff ...

my prayer is that God would show us and teach us how to live heaven now ...