LoveJoySex

It’s going to get hot this summer at Awaken. We’re about to launch a brand new study through the book of Song of Solomon that we’re calling LoveJoySex. It’s an honest look at the love, joy, and sex that takes place between Solomon and his wife in their young years. People are fine with the thought of love and joy in the Bible, but Song of Solomon also includes two steamy sex scenes right in the middle (read the book for yourself – it’s in the Bible!).

Of course we will cover those chapters tastefully, but I think they’re important to talk about. Statistics say that the average age for kids’ first exposure to pornography these days is 11 year old! Parents may be hesitant at the thought of covering these topics in church, but kids are hearing about sex, talking about sex, and experimenting with sex earlier than ever before. The best place to talk about it is in God’s house from God’s Word. Plus, God has an amazing plan for dating, marriage, and sex. It’s better and far more pleasurable than how the world says it should be done.

LoveJoySex launches Mother’s Day weekend, May 11 and 12. Make sure to watch the featurette below. You can also swing by awakenchurch.org/lovejoysex to invite friends, watch the video, and (soon) download artwork to use on social media!

From Death to Life

Awaken Easter was only two weeks ago, but things have been moving so fast, that it seems so long ago. Not only did we have our biggest service yet on Easter, but on the following weekend, we got to baptize a few of the 14 people who gave their lives to Jesus! There’s no way to tell all of their stories, but I wanted to share one in particular…

A little over a year ago, Michael Graham (now a pro MMA fighter) began attending Awaken. He came a few weeks, then attended our first-of-many Uprising events last March. He was 1 of 40 people who gave their lives to Jesus that night! Life went crazy for Mike after that, and although he strayed a bit, God was right there with him as always! For months, Mike was witnessing to a friend of his, Nick, a fellow fighter, and even brought him to a few events we had at Awaken. Nick wasn’t quite ready to commit, but Mike didn’t give up. He invited him to Easter, and as I gave the invitation that Sunday, Nick was one of the first people out of his chair, making a public decision to follow Jesus!

Last Sunday, Nick was at Awaken ready to take the next step in his walk with Christ: baptism! Nick, along with 17 other people, made their faith public through baptism last Sunday!

Nick (left), Mike (right)

Mike wasn’t done though. This week, he texted me and told me he had gotten to lead another co-worker to Christ. That co-worker, Will, came to church with Mike this Sunday, along with his whole family!

That’s only one of many stories of what God is doing as He builds His Church! When the Gospel grips someone’s life, Satan better watch out!

Make sure to check out the recap of our after-Easter baptism here…

Tattoos, Cigarettes, and Sex

DO NOT EAT.

Those are the big, bold, capitalized letters on every packet of silica gel. There are no gray areas when it comes to whether or not you should consume silica gel – no excuses and no need to argue. Not everything is that clear though, even when it comes to the Bible. The Bible was written thousands of years before cigarettes, modern birth control, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, so how do we navigate the gray areas not mentioned in Scripture?

Last Sunday at Awaken, we explored the topic of gray areas and got some pointers from Scripture on how to honor God even when it’s not in black and white. I hit as many controversial topics as I could, since we were on the subject, and we had a blast. In fact, I even got to pray with 3 people to give their lives to Jesus!

According to 2 Peter 1, God has given us “all we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His name.” So although it would be impossible for the Bible (or any book) to address every single scenario we will encounter, it does equip us with the tools to make Godly, discerning decisions.

Using what the Bible does tell us, we came up with 4 questions that we can ask when facing a “gray area”…

Can I glorify God in it?

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If something we want to do defeats the purpose we were created, DON’T DO IT!

It may be lawful, but is it helpful?

1 Corinthians 10:23 - All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

As humans, we are free to do many things, but that doesn’t meant we should do all of them! If it’s not helpful or beneficial to others, we should avoid it.

Will it pollute or purify?

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I know you think that what you watch or listen to doesn’t affect you, but it does. What goes in must come out, and Jesus said in Mark 7 that it’s not what goes in that defiles a man, but what comes out. How did it get there in the first place? You put it there!

Will it cause others to stumble?

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. 

This question is golden because it helps us to prioritize. You may be free to do it, but if it’s going to hurt your witness, is it worth it?

Earlier in the week, we allowed people to anonymously ask questions through our website about “gray areas.” We got some great questions, so I chose the top 9 to answer during the services. I answered 3 per service, then we pieced them all together so everyone could see them all (video below). I answered questions about sex, birth control, drinking, smoking, tattoos, addiction, violent video games, and more. I haven’t received any hate mail yet, but I’m ready!

You can watch or listen to the whole message HERE or watch the video of just the questions below. Enjoy!

Church Planting Day 4: Hermeneutics and Homiletics

Today was the first day so far that I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything into our 4-hour class. In fact, what I taught today was a scaled-back version of an entire semester of teaching that I did at Calvary Albuquerque’s School of Ministry.

We began with a brief intro to the topics of hermeneutics and homiletics (studying and teaching God’s Word). Nehemiah 8 reminded us of the joy of these topics. Ezra the scribe got up and began reading from the Law, then “they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8) The result was amazing: “all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law…and all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” (Nehemiah 8:9, 12)

There is great joy in communicating the relevance of God’s Word because there’s great joy in people’s hearts when they get it. Hermeneutics and homiletics are not designed to help us bring relevance to God’s Word – it’s already relevant! Our job is simply to lead others into a greater understanding of its relevance for their daily lives…and there is so much joy in our hearts when we get it!

As we dove into hermeneutics (studying God’s Word), we covered the 3 basic hermeneutical principles: observation, interpretation, application. We talked about each phase and what it looks like to observe what is being said in the text at first glance. The observation stage is easy to skip over because you want to go straight to application, but it’s key. In fact, as I illustrated with the video below, you can go into a text thinking it means one thing but missing something huge…

The interpretation is done with reputable Biblical sources and teachers, with the goal of arriving at solid Biblical, Godly application. The application is the whole point, but you can’t skip straight to it!

Some great resources for learning more about hermeneutics are Rightly Divided and Basic Bible Interpretation, both by Roy Zuck. Some of the content of my hermeneutics teaching came from those books (among others).

During the second half of class, we tackled homiletics (teaching the Bible). Man I love that topic. Since the class is diverse, and not full of just pastors, I used the outline in Howard Hendricks’ book, Teaching to Change Lives, to teach from. It was so much fun. We talked about being real and raw as you teach, but also stirring up and developing the teaching gift that God has given you.

Most of what we talked about was relevant to everyone in there from personal Bible study to teaching in front of a church, small group, or discipleship.

The most exciting part is what I’m watching God do in the hearts of the students. There’s a group that will begin meeting next Monday and Friday, simply to pray for direction, confirmation, and an anointing of the Spirit for ministry. I’ve been telling them throughout the week that I hope to be part of what God uses to not only equip, but empower and encourage them further in their walks with Christ and service for Christ. Thank God, I’m watching Him do that every day!

I better go now. My family is on the beach near Aliso Viejo, awaiting a reunion with me. Tomorrow and Saturday is Disney! Mickey, here I come!

Exceeded Expectations

As Jenn and I geared up over the last week for our trip to Albuquerque, it seemed like we were facing so many obstacles. My 5-year old got sick, then I caught what she had, then my 3-year old got the flu which led to an ear infection, then we got in a car accident the night before we were going to leave. On top of that, I was beginning to lose my voice…which is a problem when you’re talking as much as I did this weekend! Turns out I have a sinus infection and bronchitis.

Friday-Sunday of last weekend, I had the privilege of teaching 4 different messages in 5 locations 11 different times (either in person or by video). I’ve never had an opportunity like this, and God moved in an amazing way…which must be why we faced such opposition in getting to ABQ and teaching! Satan wanted to shut me up.

Jenn led worship and I taught at Calvary Albuquerque’s “Keep Calm And Marry On” marriage retreat in Santa Fe, NM on Friday night and Saturday morning. After that, we packed up, drove back to Albuquerque, where Jenn sang and I taught at Calvary on Saturday night and 3 Sunday services! They also played the message at their other campuses in downtown Albuquerque and in Santa Fe. Meanwhile in Clarksville, we launched our “Family Tree” Christmas series with a message I had pre-preached last Tuesday. All of the teachings went great, despite my sore throat.

Throughout the weekend, I was simultaneously taking cough drops and lozenges, while drinking herbal teas, Airborne, and Emergen-C to boost my immune system. Somehow, despite waking up Saturday morning without a voice, I lasted for all 6 messages. Praise God! I know there were teams of people praying for me – and God answered!

Not only did He save my voice, but He used it in a powerful way as well. At all the weekend services at the multiple campuses, I got to lead about 133 people in a prayer to give their lives to Jesus! The final service on Sunday at Calvary had the biggest response: about 75 people came forward! From across the campus, they streamed in the doors and down the aisles: families, old and young, many in tears. And speaking of tears, many of us (including me) cried as we watched God exceed our expectations.

Praying with people at the 11:15am service at Calvary ABQ

The team at Calvary is top notch and it’s always a joy to return there and see so many people that are like family to us. We’re so thankful for the ways God has used Skip & Lenya and the ministry of Calvary Albuquerque to change our lives and the lives of so many others.

Of course I can’t leave Awaken out either. I heard reports of a packed house and heard great feedback from the message. The great thing about teaching by video is that it takes the focus off of the individual and puts it even more on the actual message.

It was truly an honor to be a part of what God did this weekend in multiple states and cities!

You can watch or listen to the messages I taught this weekend here: 

Calvary: “The End of the World As We Know It” – Revelation 20

Awaken: “The Naughty List” – Matthew 1:5, Joshua 2

Drown Your Problems

Today is the day around the United States that people set aside a special day to give thanks. Estimates say that 14% of the US population is traveling over 50 miles this holiday (that’s almost 40 million people on the highways!). It’s great to have family over, eat together, and hang out. The festivities (and time to sleep in) are great, but don’t forget that even when Monday rolls around, you have plenty to be thankful for.

In fact, periodically, throughout the year, I try to take a few days and just thank God for how good He is. There’s nothing wrong with sharing your needs with God, in fact, it’s Biblical (Philippians 4:6-7). However, sometimes in the middle of a long list of our problems, our praise gets drowned out.

A few weeks ago, we took a day at Awaken to do just that: say thanks. We looked at the story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17, when they were healed, but 90% of them never returned to say thanks. Unthankfulness wasn’t our main focus though. What stood out to me was how they asked for help, then when Jesus answered their request and healed their disease, the one who came back made a big, loud display of it!

Like that ex-leper, let’s use today as a reminder to let our praise be louder than our problems.

Instead of drowning your pain in alcohol or relationships or money, drown it in praise. If you have Jesus, you have a reason to be thankful!

If you want, you can listen to my message called “ThanksLiving” HERE or watch it below:

Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Re-center your worship

A few weeks ago in Revelation 15, we took a look at how heaven worships. One thing that stood out were all of the direct mentions of God in just a couple verses. Heaven seems to be overly pre-occupied with God. There’s no mention of the people’s past suffering on earth, their questions, or even their good accomplishments while on earth – everything is directed back at how beautiful and righteous God is. If heaven worship that way, why don’t we?

I think one of the main issues that plagues our “worship” today is that it’s centered on us, not on Jesus. We need to very intentionally re-center our worship on Jesus. After all, Jesus isn’t a commodity and church is not a product. Take a couple minutes and watch this clip…

What are some ways that we center our worship on ourselves, instead of God?

How can we realign our worship?

Church Planting: The Future

This is the final part of a 3-part interview series about church planting. It ties in with much of what I’ll be sharing in October at the Calvary Church Planting Network’s ReEngage Conference in California. I’ve already talked about The Call to plant a church and The Flood that we endured just 8 months in.

Today’s video is about vision for the future…

Church Planting: The Flood

Back in May, I reposted a blog I had posted 2 years prior about the flood we endured in 2010. Pastor Chuck Musselwhite, from The Village Chapel in California saw the video and wanted to hear more. We’ve since been in contact and are partnering together to help plant more Calvary Chapels. He asked me to film some interview-style videos that would help people understand what was going through my mind as I was called to plant a church and endured all that came with that.

If you missed yesterday’s interview, you can watch it here.

Today’s interview is about the flood that happened in 2010…

Church Planting: The Call

In October I have the privilege of running a break-out session at the Calvary Church Planting Network’s ReEngage conference. It’s at the Twin Peaks Conference Center in California, and if you’re looking to plant a Calvary Chapel or are interested in mentoring those who want to, you should go!

I was recently asked by CCPN to put together a few interview-style videos of what it was like to plant Awaken, so I figured I’d share them on my blog as well.

Here is Part 1 of 3 of the interview. This one is about the calling to plant a church…