#004: The Lord's Prayer Part 2

Father AND King

Last week I introduced a short series of blog posts on the Lord's Prayer.  I mentioned that I was especially convicted that over the years I have asked for and received lots of advice about prayer from godly people but that I really had never spent significant time implementing the Lord's prayer into my everyday prayer life.  One reason is that I have seen a lot of people and church traditions use the Lord's prayer as some kind of magical formula or just vain repetitions.  I have strong distrust of religious traditions in general but that's a conversation another time. My main point here is that if Jesus instructed us how to pray, shouldn't we listen to (and obey) the greatest teacher of all time"

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10) 

There is so much we could wrestle with here but I want you to notice just one big idea today - God is both your Heavenly Father AND your King.  This may not grab you like it did me but I have to confess that this idea has been life-changing for me over the last couple of years.  Another way of saying this is that I am to approach God FIRST as his child BEFORE I approach him as his soldier.

For whatever reason, I grew up viewing God as almost SOLELY an authoritarian figure.  He's in charge.  He's powerful.  He's got a job for me to do.  He's a sovereign king.  Therefore, I viewed myself more as a soldier.  In turn, a soldier never asks questions.  A soldier is strong and never weak.  A soldier is focused on his mission.  

You can see where I'm going with this.  If we see God ONLY as our King then I believe we will have an incomplete or even screwed up view of God, ourselves, and our outlook on life.  

Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't view God as King or us as soldiers (both are very true) but I think that the Lord's Prayer teaches us something very important: we are children of a Heavenly Father BEFORE we become soldiers of a king.  

Yes, he's the same God but knowing that he is our "daddy" should encourage us to crawl up into his lap, ask questions, and let him put his arms around us to make us feel secure.  There is so much in life that I don't understand that frankly, makes me very angry because I simply have no control of those situations.  Jesus is teaching us that we can view God as a Father who deeply cares about His children.  Yes, he has a mission for us but he wants us to know that we are secure in his love BEFORE we embark on his mission.

Here's how this impacts my life practically on a daily basis.  I try to get up early every day, which in my house with five kids has to be early.  I fix a cup of coffee and sit down to spend some time with God.  The first word I say (or write) is "Father."  And then I pause.  I try to let that sink in to my spirit.  It brings a tremendous security that I can then share whatever is on my mind.  I'm not approaching my boss or my king first, I'm approaching my Dad.  I humbly thank him that I can talk to him directly instead of going through another man.  I I begin with a child like spirit.  There are times I will stay in the mindset for a good while but most often I quickly transition to responding to the truth that he is also almighty, sovereign, and in charge.  It leads to worship, awe, fear, confession, and reverence.  But the starting point is our Father/Child relationship.  

One final thought.  My guess is that most of us need to be reminded that God is our Father but certainly some of you need to be reminded that he is your King.  If you don't have those moments of awe and even fear or if you don't see yourself as being on mission for God, then you must better understand God's authority on your life.  

God is both your Father AND your King.  Are you living as both his child AND as his soldier? 

#003: The Lord's Prayer Intro

At Gateway West, we are in the middle of a short 3 part teaching series called Reminders.  I'm "reminding" our congregation about our need to Love God, Live in Community, and Serve the City.  We use these three statements to describe what God has called us to do.  Other churches might use different phrases but many churches emphasize the three directions of UP - our relationship with the Father, IN - our relationship with other believers, and OUT - our relationship with a broken world.

I'm generally a practical kind of teacher but for this series, I'm taking it a step further and emphasizing "doing" more so than "knowing."  I'm reminding our folks of information they already know but strongly encouraging them to be putting it into practice.

Last week, I simply asked, "Are you loving God?"  I challenged all of us to prioritize time in our busy schedules to simply spend time with God in prayer and in His Word.  We all know this to be the basics of our relationship with God but we struggle to make this a consistent part of our every day lives.  Thus, we need the reminders.

Prayer is a core practice and discipline in our communion with God.  I've been wrestling with the Lord's Prayer lately because I've been challenged with the thought that this is how Jesus said to pray.  I have sought out advice on prayer over the years from friends and even well known teachers and authors but I was convicted that I ought to be learning from the best teacher of all and see he says to pray.  I need to be obedient to him.

Jesus never meant for the Lord's prayer to be trite words but to be a model of prayer.  He gives us sort of an outline for praying.  So, I figured that I'd spend the next few posts talking about the Lord's prayer as a way of reminding, challenging, and encouraging you to pray the way that Jesus wants you to pray.

So, here's your homework assignment.  Go back to the Lord's prayer and pray it.  You'll find it in the gospels in several places.  I'm not going to tell you where it's at.  Go find it.  And then pray it everyday for a few days.  Think about it.  Meditate on it.

Over the next week or so, I'll walk you through the prayer and how you might use it in your walk with God.  I fully recognize that most of this information will not be new to most of you but I am praying it will be helpful in your spiritual journey.

#002: Time vs. Task

Friday nights are fairly sacred around the Ghramm home.  It's either family night or date night.  Each month, the schedule changes a bit but it's rare that we do anything but family stuff or a date night with just Amanda and me (and the baby for now).

Imagine if I scheduled a Friday night date with Amanda, got a sitter, made myself presentable, got in the car, and drove to the Wendy's at the end of the street.  Once we got there, I drove us through the drive through, ordered our food, and then ate it in the van in the parking lot.  While we were eating our food, I responded to a few texts and checked the score of a few different games.  After we were done eating, we then drove home to let the sitter go for the night.

For the record, I have never done that!  Close but not quite.  Here's my question.  Was that a date?  Officially, yes.  Can I call that a date night?  Maybe.  Was the food good?  Technically, yes.  Were Amanda and I together?  I hope so.  

But did Amanda and I connect with each other in a meaningful way?  No!  Did we give enough time for me to share what was on my heart and for her to share what was on hers?  No!  Did we grow closer to each other through the experience.  Most likely not!

Many of us approach our daily quiet time/devotions/time with God (whatever you call it) like this.  It is simply a task.  It's a duty.  It's something we can check off of our to do list.  Now, before some of you tune me out, I fully recognize that we don't always feel like having our daily time with God but we do it anyway.  There have been times I don't feel like going on a date with Amanda but I do it anyway.  But that's not my point.

Instead, I have a simple action step I'm encouraging you to think about.  Instead of viewing your relationship with God as a TASK, commit to spending a minimum amount of TIME with your Heavenly Father every day.  

Don't commit just to reading x number of chapters in the Bible or to praying for x number of minutes.  Instead, block out a significant chunk of time that is a "date" with God.  Sure, you can have some specific actions you have committed to do in that time but make the time about connecting with God.  Be fully present.  Make it a time when there are no distractions.  I have to get up early every morning in my home to make this happen.  You might have to do that as well.  Set aside everything else going on around you.  

Begin your time by taking a big deep breath and saying, "God, I want to be with you and nobody else for the next half hour (or hour or more).  I desperately need you...   I desire to fellowship with you and be close to you...  Here are some things on my heart...  I am so messed up in so many ways.  Here are some ways that I have sinned against you and others...  I'm going to be quiet now and let you talk to me...  As I read your Word, show me more about you and how I am to live with you...  I am asking that you work powerfully in these situations..."  I'm not trying to put words in your mouth but show you what it might sound like for you to commune with your Savior.  By the way, the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 7 is a great model to follow.  Don't just recite it.  Put it into your own words.  Add to it.  Make it yours. 

Our goal is fellowship and communion with our Heavenly Father.  It's not to check off our first "to do" of the day.  This is going to look differently for all of us but the common denominator is TIME.  This will not happen if you are not intentional about setting aside that time on a daily basis.  Put it in your calendar first and then make it a priority.  

A quick warning as a I finish - you may have to give up something else in order to make this a priority. I'll let you and the Holy Spirit figure that out.

Let me know how I can encourage your challenge you.  I'd be happy to hold you accountable to your TIME with God.  If not me, find somebody to do that!

#001: hearing AND doing

PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS

Almost four years ago, Amanda and I made the decision to leave my staff position in a church in the suburbs to start a church in our West Cleveland neighborhood.  The name of that church ended up being Gateway West.  

One of the requirements to be church planters was a extensive assessment process.  We had a ton of surveys, inventories, interviews, projects, tests, and applications to complete to determine if we had what it took to start a church.  Somehow we passed.  I did not particularly enjoy the overall process but I'm a big believer that it is an essential part of church planting.

One of the biggest benefits for me personally was to learn about my personality, strengths, growth areas, tendencies, etc. in a bit more formal way.  One of the tools they used to determine this was the Strengths Finder 2.0.

Many of you in business will recognize this tool but for the rest of you, Tom Rath, the author, suggests that we often spend too much time trying to change our "weaknesses" instead of building on our "strengths."  He says that we are actually doing a disservice when we teach kids that they can be anything they want to be.  This simply isn't true.  We are gifted to succeed in specific areas.  

I'm not writing to promote the tool but you are welcome to check it out.  Instead, I'm using this long introduction to explain a change I'm making based upon MY strengths.  Upon completing the inventory, Strengths Finder 2.0 gives you your top five (out of 34) strengths and then provides detailed information on how to build on those particular strengths.

I recently reviewed the results of my inventory and had a bit of an aha moment.  Honestly, I hadn't even thought about the results since I did my assessment back in the fall of 2008.  I know.  Kind of sad.  So, my aha moment was that my number one strength was activator.  

I know.  Kind of weird word.  It simply means that I like action.  I'm the kind of person that makes things happen.  I can't stand inaction.  I get bored sitting around.  I have the ability to plan out action steps to accomplish a task.  I don't like just talking about something.  I'm like, "Let's go get something done."  Sure that has its downsides to it but I can see how this strength plays into my role as a missionary and as a pastor.  In my teaching and counseling, I always try to give people practical steps to apply Scripture to their lives.  I can take a project and break it down into manageable steps.  I can take our vision to our people and say, "This is where we are going."

I know you aren't suppose to have favorites per se but my favorite book of the Bible is James.  And the reason is because it is such a practical book.  It's not just theory.  It deals with everyday life of people who have trials.  That's me and most of the people I know.  And I love James 1:22.  He tells us that we aren't just supposed to hear the word of God.  We are supposed to do it.  We've got to put it into action.  If we don't then we are just deceiving ourselves.  And in chapter 2, James tells that our faith has to be worked out in action.  Being a follower of Jesus means

So, I've decided to play to my strengths and change my "catchphrase" from Ghramm Cracker Crumbs to hearing AND doing.  I was chided recently that I've only been giving my leftovers when I send out the "crumbs."  My goal is to consistently share God's Word in practical ways both on Sundays but also via my blog and weekly email to the folks at Gateway West.  I don't want the people I care about just to hear and know God's Word but to live it out in their everyday lives.

So, are you playing to your strengths?  Are you putting your faith into action?  What has God been telling you?  What are you doing about it?

Father, my desire and prayer is that You will use my strengths for Your glory and for the good of those around me.  Amen!

Prayer Walking Journal Entry #2

Two weeks ago, I posted that I was undertaking a fairly good-sized task of prayer walking the 16.7 square miles of West Cleveland.  We did this about 3.5 years ago as a Launch Team but God recently laid it on my heart to do it again.  I have made a commitment to go out for an hour or so on most Tuesdays.  Last week I couldn't go because I was out of town but I was able to go this morning for a bit.

When I go, I'm asking God to give me a challenge or an encouragement during my walking - sort of a theme for the day to remember those streets.

As I began walking today, I had to get some things off my chest to God.  Something is weighing on me pretty heavy right now, sort of a cloud.  Then I got to thinking about the weather.  It was a somewhat overcast morning but the sun was trying to break through.  That became my theme.  I was reminded that God wanted to push through the cloudiness over Cleveland with the power of HIS Son.

Ok, it sounds really Christianese, but it's true.  I prayed that God's will would be done in West Cleveland just like it's done in Heaven.  I certainly need a daily breakthrough of the Gospel of Jesus in my life but so does Cleveland.  I prayed for provision for my neighbors but that they would give him the glory.  I prayed for protection but that they would be grateful to God.  I prayed against worship of people, houses, cars, jobs, etc.  I prayed that Jesus would be glorified.  One life at a time.  One family at a time.

God, I continue to place my community in your hands.  Please give me and my family and our missional community great opportunities to boldly proclaim the truth and the love of Jesus Christ!  In Jesus' name, Amen!

I'll keep putting an invite out there.  If you want to go with me some Tuesday, just let me know.

By the way, thanks to Lottie Krabill and her missional community for doing some prayer walking over by RG Jones a couple of weeks ago.  Tilling up the soil for God to do something special in that neighborhood.

One more thing.  Say a pray for tomorrow's See You At The Pole!

Sep 22 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

The Author

This last week, several staff members and I attended our second session of a missional communities learning community called SynergyEDGE at Rivertree Christian Church in Canton, OH.  I'm still trying to digest all that we learned and discussed during our 48 hours there.

Our church made a significant shift to missional communities this past May.  I won't take the time here to go into all the reasoning why we did this but I'd encourage you to check out this wiki article that describes missional communities.

Probably the most helpful book in our transition has been Launching Missional Communities: a field guide by Mike Breen and Alex Absalom.  Really, really helpful stuff.  However, one of the coolest things is that Alex Absalom lives just down the road from us and is the one leading the learning community we just attended.

While we were there, a church planter in Canton made a very good point.  He commented to the group that while he appreciated the book that Alex helped write, he appreciates even more that he has developed a close friendship with the author of the book and can meet with him regularly to get advice and encouragement.  This struck home with me because while I found great value in Alex's book, I have also really enjoyed getting to know Alex through the learning community.  I have especially been challenged by being a part of his leadership huddle.  He has answered lots of my questions and has gone out of his way to encourage me in ministry.

This church planter also pointed out that this is a great illustration of our relationship with God.  We must never forget that while we have the Bible, a book full of great advice and encouragement, we also have complete access to the author.  We can spend as much time with him as we would like.  He's always there to listen to us.  He will be our biggest encourager and closest friend.  He will guide us in our journey of life.

It's no an either/or kind of situation.  It's a both/and.  We have God's Holy Word but we also have access to God, our Heavenly Father.  We must spend time with God through prayer, confession, worship, thanksgiving, and requests but we must also spend time reading God's Word and listening to God through his Word.

My simple question - are you?  Are you connected to the author?  Are you reading, studying, and meditating on his book?

I'd love to know what you are learning in both!  Shoot me an email and tell me what God has been saying to you as well as what you are doing about it.

If you don't have a home church, come join us tomorrow morning at 10:30 am at Gateway Church West.

Sep 12 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

For a moment there I gave in to temptation and desire.  On Sunday, I actually thought that the Browns were going to pull off a win against the Eagles.  But no, it didn't happen.  Surprise.  Surprise.  They lost by 1 point in the fourth quarter.  Our hearts were once again ripped out and stomped on.

As a somewhat self-proclaimed fair weather fan, I quickly thought, "There's always next year."  I know.  A bit cynical but it's true.  If I think this way, then I won't get hurt.  I'll be pleasantly surprised if they have a good season.

But let me point you to a spiritual truth in all of this.  As Cleveland sports fans, we truly believe, "There's always next year."  We forgive our teams unconditionally.  We show them mercy and keep supporting them no matter what they do.  We get over our anger again and again from week to week, game to game, and year to year.

Did you know that God is one of your biggest fans?  I know.  I'm a little uncomfortable saying it that way but here's my point.  Lamentations 3:23 tells us that God's mercies are new every morning.  I am very, very grateful for God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  My sin offends him but the blood of Jesus Christ has paid the complete penalty for that sin.  When we sin, it keeps us from having the fellowship with God that we were meant to have.

The good news is that God is a God of second, third, fourth and even more chances.  Certainly, we can cheapen God's grace with an attitude that doesn't care but the truth is - God is a Father who welcomes us, his prodigal children, with open arms even when we have run from him.

I have met a lot of people, even at Gateway West, who feel that they've used up all of God's grace.  Do you believe that?  It's not true.  You can start over today.  Do it.  Confess your sin.  Come running back to God.  He wants to fellowship with you - his child.  Don't give up because you think you are unforgivable.  It's simply not true.  God loves you very much and is full of mercy and grace.

I give God glory for the grace he has shown me time and time again.  Will you do the same?

Love you guys!

Pastor Dan

PS.  We'd love to have you worship with us on Sunday.  We've got several people proclaiming loudly that they are followers of Jesus by getting baptized.  It's going to be a fun celebration!  Hope you can make it!

Prayer Walking Journal Entry #1

On more than one occasion since we launched Gateway West, God has reminded me and convicted me that he is the one who changes lives, not me.  He has said, "Sure, you get to be involved in the process of sharing the good news about Jesus and helping people grow in their faith, but I'm the one who does the actual work."

I fully admit that it's easy for me to trust God with the folks who are a part of Gateway.  I care for them deeply but I don't lose sleep over their problems and issues because I've realized that I'm not their Savior.  I'm only a little s - shepherd.  They have a big S - Shepherd who does a much better job than I do.

However, for some reason (probably, no obviously, my pride), I don't seem to trust God as much with seeing people come to faith.  I tend to rely on good marketing, attractive events, fun activities, meeting needs, etc. to bring people to Jesus.  I'm not meaning to communicate that these are bad things to do.  They are actually good things but I'm strongly convicted that we can't rely on them.  We must rely on God to push back against the enemy in our neighborhoods and on the Holy Spirit to be softening their hearts for the good news of Jesus.  

One way that I believe God wants me to trust him more is to pray for my community more.  I've made a commitment to prayer walk the 16.7 square miles of west Cleveland (117th to the east, 90 to the north, metro parks to the west, and Brookpark to the south).  We did this as a launch team the spring/summer before our fall launch in 2009.  I got a big map of the neighborhood and used a pink highlighter to track our prayer progress.  Recently, I heard God say, "The pink has gotten a little faded."  

So, on most Tuesdays, I'm going to go walking for a bit (30-60 minutes).  I had wanted to start a few weeks ago but it didn't happen for a variety of reasons.  I finally got started today.

I also decided to do a little blogging of my prayer walking experiences.  It will help me track what God is doing through the prayer walking both in our community but also in my heart.

I started today somewhat in a bad mood.  To be honest (I am most of the time), Amanda and I were having a bit of tension just before I went out.  However, God quickly got my attention.  I started by sharing my frustrations - at home, on my street, in Cleveland.  I was focusing on all of the negatives.  I was asking God to meet this need and that need.  I was praying about all of the problems around me but I didn't feel like God was hearing me.  It took about half the route before I realized what God was saying.  He made it clear.  

"Dan, I see all the same needs you do.  I see all problems.  But shut up and trust me with those negatives.  Instead, today, I want you to see the beauty around you.  Look at the good in your neighborhood.  There are a bunch of believers on your street alone.  There are people who care about Cleveland.  They care about their homes.  I'm providing for them.  Most of these people have jobs.  There are lots and lots of families.  It's a safe neighborhood.  Look at my creation around you - the trees, flowers, lawns, birds, squirrels, dogs, and even the cats.  It's an absolutely beautiful day today.  Enjoy it.  The snow will be here before you know it.  You have emergency services just around the corner.  Your neighborhood has good schools.  You have community leaders who care and want to partner with you.  I want to do something special with your neighborhood and I might even use you to do some of that but you are going to have to trust me.  As you trust me, just keep praying that my will be done here on 136th Street as it is in Heaven."

So, that's my prayer.  God reminded me today that my attention and focus needs to be on him first and foremost and then I can trust him with the needs around me.

By the way, I'm looking for prayer walking partners.  If you ever have any time on Tuesdays, give me a holler.  Morning, afternoon, or evening - I'm flexible.   

Sep 5 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West (or anyone who sometimes has conflict with another person),

Remember what I said a few weeks ago during my teaching on "Priorities?"  We asked, "What is most important to God?"  Based on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, we are to love God, love our neighbor, and make disciples.  Part of loving our neighbors is to love our fellow believers.  Jesus said that the world will know that we are followers of Jesus by how much we love each other.

I believe strongly that one of Satan's most effective tools to keep Kingdom work from happening is to get us to fight and bicker with one another.  He wants us be petty and gossipy (is that a word?).  He wants us to have interpersonal conflict.

Frankly, I think that Satan is succeeding to do some of that to degree at Gateway West.  There are times when I want to scream, "Why can't we all just get along?" or "Why can't we all just grow up?"

Notice that I used the word, "we."  That's because I can be a part of the problem sometimes as well.  I'm not putting this on anyone specific but I am saying that I think that the attendees and ministry partners of Gateway West have some "getting along" and "growing up" to do.

I beg of you to not give into some of these temptations.  Please, please.  I beg of you.  Do not Satan interfere in what God is trying to do.

Here's what I'm asking each of us to do.  Do some introspection.  Ask yourself some hard questions about your relationships with other people in our church.  Humbly ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal some these answers to you.  Here are a few to get you started.

Have I been making a bigger deal out of something than it needs to be?
Have I been gossiping?
Have I been talking about people behind their backs?
Have I been lying?
Have I been finding my identity in what others think about me?
Have I been overly protective of my thing (whatever that thing might be)?
Have I been afraid to confront sin in a brother or sister?
Have I been holding a grudge because of something someone said or did that hurt me?

Have I been putting the interest of others before mine?
Have I been giving others the benefit of the doubt?
Have I been putting God's kingdom first instead of my own agenda?
Have I been willing to submit to the leaders in my life?
Have I been willing to go to someone that I have a conflict with and work out your issues?
Have I been willing to apologize when I am wrong?

I'm sure there are more questions to ask but that'll take some time.

Let me say one more thing.  If you are offended by this email, then you are the one who needs to do the most introspection.  We all have growing up to do.  If you are not willing to take a close look at how you are treating others, then that says something about your relationship with God first.

Gateway West, I love you and I want what is best for God's glory and for our church.  Let's love each other and deal with any kind of conflict by speaking the truth with one another but doing it in love.

Please let me know how I can help.

Pastor Dan

Aug 23 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

A few crumbs for this week...

I've been reading through the minor prophets lately.  Two of the major themes in the minor prophets are God's holiness/justice and his grace/mercy.  It's like two sides of the same coin.  God is a perfect God who can't stand sin but he's also a gracious God who forgives sin.  We see God saying over and over again to his people, "I have to punish you for your sin but I'm also going to restore you to a close relationship with me."  We can thank God that Jesus has paid the full penalty for our sins, however our sin today does keep us from close communion and relationship with our Heavenly Father.  A verse really grabbed me a few mornings ago that spoke of this.  Hosea 6:4 says, "'O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?' asks the Lord. 'For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.'"

Very simple question and challenge for you - just how committed are you to loving your Heavenly Father?  Do you only love him when times are good?  Do you only love him when times are bad?  How quickly does your love vanish away?  Good reminder for all of us to make God the highest priority in our life.

Speaking of priorities, I've decided to switch up my teaching on Sunday and talk about "priorities."  As we start the school year, I want to challenge you to make what's important to God (and to you as well) a higher priority in your life.  It will be more of a practical sermon than I normally do.  Sunday at 10:30 am at RG Jones.  Hope you can make it.

For those of you who can't make Sunday services, you are welcome to listen to the audio recordings of our teachings at west.gatewaycleveland.com.  Using iTunes is a great way to stay caught up if you miss a week.

We are having a baptismal service on Sunday, September 16.  If you would like to be baptized or want more information, please let me know.

One final crumb.  Now that the school year has started, we really could use some help with setup and tear down.  If you would be willing to serve on that team about once a month, give me a holler back and I'll connect you with the team leader.  This is an important job that all of us can do.

Hope you have a great rest of the week.  See you Sunday.

Love ya!

Dan

Aug 18 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

Faith can be fun.  That's what my son reminded about last night.

We took the whole family plus a couple of friends to the pool at the YMCA.  For obvious safety reasons, Amanda and I tend to hang out with the littlest of our kids, which doesn't always make for the most enjoyable of evenings.  I confess that sometimes, I'd rather be rough housing with the older ones in the deep end but you can't always get what you want.

But I digress.  Last night, Joshua, our just turned 3 year old was demanding my attention.  In order to have some fun, I tried to get him to jump off the edge of the pool and I'd catch him.  At first, he was very reluctant but after a few tries, he realized that dad was going to catch him every time and bring him back up out of the water.  Let's just say that the rest of my evening was spent retrieving him out of the water over and over and over again.  He was having a blast.  He'd try to find a place to jump in where I wasn't even close.  He made a game out of testing me.

Now, you and I both know there's a line between being stupid and having faith.  I'll let you figure out that line between you and God but let me remind you that trusting God can be a whole lot of fun.  There should be a level of peace in our hearts when we go beyond our limits knowing that our God is there for us.  Sometimes our faith is tested by the choices of others but when is the last time you intentionally had some fun by putting your faith into action and jumping into the arms of your heavenly father.

Just something to think about...  Let me know how you are having some fun in your faith.

Hey, I encourage you to come and worship with us tomorrow morning.  We have a special guest teacher.  Rick Duncan is the pastor of Cuyahoga Valley Church in Broadview Heights.  "CVC" is a partner church to Gateway West and has helped us out in a number of ways for which we are very grateful.  Rick started CVC a number of years ago and has a huge heart for church planting.  I encourage you to check out his blog (cuyahogavalleychurch.blogspot.com).

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Love ya!

Pastor Dan

Aug 10 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

I haven't done a "crumbs" in a while.  There have actually been a number of areas of my life in which I have fallen behind over the last 6 months or so.  There is no coincidence with the timing.  Ever since we brought home our little Sophia from the hospital the end of January, life hasn't been easy.  Sure, there's been lots of good things happening but certainly a good bit of chaos!

Amanda and I both have wondered aloud, "Are we really cut out to parent five children?"  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  Besides, who can I blame but myself.  :)  Okay, Amanda did play a role but just a small one.  But that's for another discussion.

My point for this "crumbs" is that if we aren't careful, the urgent (both good and bad) things of life will sometimes prevent us from doing what is most important.  Urgent doesn't always mean most important.

I've realized over the last six months that I've become more and more reactive instead of proactive.  I haven't been prioritizing the areas of my life that I believe God wants me to put first.  I've fallen into a pattern of just taking things as they come, especially when it comes to my calendar.  I haven't been putting the most important things into my schedule first and then letting everything else fill in around those.

Here's a great illustration of that principle.  A bit outdated but effective.

So, I've spent a good bit of time this last week asking God for clarity but also making some significant changes in my overall way I do life.

Here's a very helpful tool I came across recently.  Very, very well done.

Obviously, this is a very big topic that we could spend hours and hours on.  I just wanted to bring it to your attention to see if it would be helpful at all.

Let me know if I can be an encouragement to you in this area, even if it is just to pray for you.

By the way, let me me extend a personal invitation to join us for worship on Sunday at 10:30 am.  Maybe church needs to be a bigger rock in your life.  :)

Pastor Dan

Mar 9 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

Two quick reminders for Sunday.  One is to set your clocks ahead.  I know you lose an hour of sleep but you can do it!  Go to be early for a change.  :)

Also, I encourage you to be prepared for communion on Sunday.  This is a special time of remembrance but also of celebration.  It's important that we honor God by having the right frame of mind and with the right heart during this time of worship.  1 Corinthians 11 is a great passage to read to help you prepare for communion.

Hope to see you Sunday when we continue our new teaching series called, Follow Me.  We will specifically look at Jesus' relationship with the Father.

Love ya!

Dan

Mar 2 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

Just one crumb this week...

It's simple.  I invite you to join us for worship on Sunday.  I'm confident you will be blessed if you do.  You will be encouraged in your walk with God or you will be challenged.  We leave it up to the Holy Spirt and let him decide which one you need.  The music, fellowship with other believers, prayer, and teaching from God's Word is all an opportunity for you to connect with God.

We are starting a new teaching series on Sunday called Follow Me.  As followers of Jesus, we will look at various aspects of Jesus' life, primarily his relationships -- with the Father, with the Holy Spirit, with his disciples, and with with the needy and lost world around him.  I believe strongly this will not only help each of us grow as his followers but will also prepare us to celebrate his Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  I hope that you will make this teaching series a priority in your schedule.  

So, see you Sunday?  If not, what excuse do you have?  What does God want you to do?

Love ya!

Dan

Feb 22 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

As I'm sure you've realized, today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the 40 Days leading up Easter.  Obviously, this should be a special time for us as followers of Jesus.  The Resurrection of Jesus is central to God's great plan of redemption.  Everything we do hinges upon that one powerful event.

However, Lent and even Easter won't be a special time if you aren't intentional about it.  The last two Sundays, I told you about the 4G40 Challenge - read the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) at least one time during the 40 days of Lent.  So, I went to youversion.com to see if they had a Bible reading plan like that.  They do.  Sort of.  More on that in a moment.

On their blog, here is what I found:

During Lent, traditionally observed for the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, followers of Christ all around the world sacrifice things important to them, intentionally drawing themselves away from desires driven by their five senses. Lent helps us become more focused on the spiritual part of ourselves, preparing our hearts to genuinely experience the passion of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross. Lent draws us closer to God through purposeful prayer, self-denial, repentance, giving, and time in the Bible:

1. Prayer. We thank God for reaching out to transform us, and we ask for direction and insight. Consider asking God to help you see people the way He sees them.
2. Self-denial. Fasting means food, but we may also give up certain activities we enjoy. What things do you think about most? Food? Coffee? Sweets? Social media? Television and entertainment? Commit to go without at least one between now and Easter.
3. Repentance. When our thoughts drift to ourselves, that’s our cue to connect with God, asking Him to show us our weaknesses and sins. We ask Him to forgive us and change our hearts.
4. Giving. We freely offer whatever we have to those in need. It could be money contributed to worthy charities, our time, our talents. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter. Visit the elderly. Write letters of prayer and encouragement to orphans. Give intentionally to people who can’t repay you.
5. Scripture Reading. YouVersion has 5 Reading Plans specifically designed to help you center your life on God and His Word during this special time of reflection and purpose.

You can read more using the link above but I encourage you to go here and use their The Gospels in 30 days reading plan.  Yes, it's 30 days and I encouraged you to do it in 40.  I wish they had the option of adjusting it but they don't, so go ahead and use the 30 days plan and either you will be ahead or you'll have some wiggle room if your schedule gets crazy.

Pastor Steve will be finishing up our series on Ruth this Sunday and on March 4, I will begin a series on the Life of Jesus that will take us up to Easter.

Please let me know what you are learning through your reading.  Feel free to shoot me questions and I can point you in the right direction.

I'm praying for a special Lent season for each of you.  Love ya!

Pastor Dan

Feb 11 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

Amanda and I thank you for all of your love and kindness as we celebrate the safe and healthy arrival of our little Sophia Mae, born on Wednesday 1/25.  She was 5 lbs, 14 oz and 18 inches long.  She is certainly a blessing but I gotta be honest.  Having four other kids in the house, especially a two year old, at times this is a difficult transition.  :)  Most days, it just feels like survival.  Please keep Amanda and me and the rest of our family in your prayers as we continue to adjust to a "full house."

A few quick crumbs...

This Sunday, Pastor Steve continues our February teaching series in the book of Ruth as we look at rejection, relationships, and redemption.  It's off to a great start.  I hope to see you tomorrow!

For those of you who are involved in our pilot missional community, don't forget we get started at 6 pm at my place tomorrow night.  Holler if you have questions.  This is going to be an exciting time in the life of our church and our community!

Speaking of mission.  If you are interested in understanding better what it means for a church to be on mission, then come with me to a day long conference on Saturday, February 25.  Here are the details.  Let me know if you'd like to go.

There is also another one day conference I'm attending on Tuesday, March 20.  I'd really like for a number of people from our church to go for the day.  Take a peek here and let me know if you'd like to catch a ride with me. 

I messed up.  I forgot to put this conference on the calendar which means I double booked March 20th.  I had also scheduled a Get to Know Gateway at our house in the evening.  Oops.  I'll have to reschedule that.  This is an opportunity for those who are new to Gateway to hear our story and ask any questions they may have about our church.  I'll let you know ASAP when we've rescheduled if for.  Sorry for the confusion.  

Have yourself a great day!

Love ya!

Pastor Dan

Jan 7 Ghramm Cracker Crumbs

Dear Gateway West,

I meant to send this earlier in the week but as they say, "better late than never."

If you have been in our services during the month of December, you know that we've been doing a series called missio dei: The Mission of God.  So far through our teaching times, I have tried to lay a foundation for what some could consider some significant changes beginning this spring in how Gateway "does church."  I've shared that some of you will find these changes pretty big and others of you will see them as the natural extension of who we are as a church.

Either way, I'm asking a special favor.  Would you make an extra commitment to be a part of the next four weeks of services at Gateway West, especially tomorrow as we explain the bulk of the changes that will begin to take place?

I'm very excited that God is moving us in a direction that will help us accomplish better what God's desire is for his Kingdom according to what I read in the Bible.  I pray that you will have an open heart and mind as we discuss these changes and how they will affect "church life" as we now know it.

I look forward to answering any questions you have as we move forward.  Hope to see you tomorrow at RG Jones at 10:30 am!

Love ya!

Pastor Dan

PS.  Most of the audio teachings from this series are available at west.gatewaycleveland.com.