The Story Chapter 4 - When You Are Walled In, Look For The Way Out

There’s a wall in front of you.  Behind you is a past you are running from.  Beyond the wall awaits the promise of a new life.  But you’re not moving because there is this “wall.”  You feel trapped.  No way out.  This is just the sort of situation in which God does some of his finest work.  

You need only ask the Israelites.  Behind them was a life of back-breaking work and slavery.  Ahead of them was a life in the land of Promise.  Behind them was the fierce army of a fanatical Pharaoh coming towards them.  Ahead of them was a wall.  Their obstruction was made of water.

Your “wall” may be a fear of failure.  Or maybe it’s a lack of confidence that has grinded your progress to a halt.  Or it could merely be too many problems that have piled up in front of you at the same time. And you have no clue which one to tackle first.  

So you stopped.  And you aren’t sure if there is a way over, around, or under this imposing impediment.  

At this point many people panic.  Anxiety courses its way through the body, atrophies the movement muscles, and rigor mortis overtakes their resolve.  Eyes which once had clear focus now only focus on the wall just inches away.

But some look elsewhere.  The Israelites looked to Moses.  They began belting him with blame.  Have you done the same?    Blame the boss.  Blame a co-worker.  Blame your dog.  Blame God.  Maybe even blame yourself?   Blame all you want but the wall remains.

While the Israelites were body punching Moses, he opted to look elsewhere.  His options?  He could have looked at the enemy’s army.  He could have looked at the ungrateful people he led.  He could have looked at the wall of water spread out before him, sat down, and given up.  

Instead he looked to God.  And God opened an unlikely route through the wall of water.  Safely on the other side, the very wall that had halted their steps closed in on and covered the sources of their fears.  

The very name of the book where we find this story serves as a reminder when we face our “walls.”  “Exodus” is a compound Greek word meaning “the way out.”  And in case you might have missed it, the way out was not a better job, a different spouse, or a victim mentality.

No, the way out is God.  Next time you find yourself up against a wall try looking to him.  

BIGGEST SUNDAY EVER AT SKYLINE

I don't know how many of you have noticed something special happening at Skyline Church.   Energy is everywhere.  People are excited.  People are coming to Christ nearly every week.  Attendance is up more than ever.  Have you noticed?  In fact, this past weekend was the largest attendance in the history of Skyline Church on a "regular" Sunday (not a holiday or special event).  That's EXCITING!

There are 2 very visible things.  The parking lot is full and the auditorium is getting full (mostly).  As the church continues to grow, I want to challenge those of you who call Skyline home.  We constantly need to make room for more.  As God is moving, more and more people will come to experience what He is doing through our church.  What can we do to make the most of what God is doing right now in our church?  I would like to offer you 3 things.

1.)  HAVE YOUR ANTENNAE UP FOR NEW PEOPLE.  Make new guests feel welcome by offering a genuine smile, a kind word, and a warm handshake.  Never forget what it is like to be a new person in a new church.  If you don't know anyone, it can be very uncomfortable and even frightening.  Let's be intentional about letting our guests know.... "We were expecting you.", "We are excited you are here.", and "We anticipate your return."

2.)  MAKE MORE ROOM IN THE PARKING LOT.  This is the first area that will be full.  The fact is that people will not fight for parking.  If we don't make room...no one else will.  If you are volunteering on a given weekend, consider parking behind the school and entering in through the back door.  If you park in the front of the school, park in the farthest parking spaces.  Let's reserve the prime spots for those newer folks and make sure they have a spot.

3.)  MAKE ROOM IN THE AUDITORIUM.  Last Sunday, the auditorium was packed...or so it seemed.  The reality is that the room was almost half full.  What was empty was the first 5 rows at the front.  Would you consider sitting in the front to leave the spaces further in the back open for newer guests?    I promise, I won't spit on you...:)  In all seriousness, new comers prefer a further seat.  Maybe it is to ensure a quick escape if need be, but it is most likely they want a seat in which they can simply observe what's going on.  You can make a better experience for those new guests by giving up your back seat.

In addition to those things, our First Impressions team is going to begin putting the "Ush" in "Usher". When the auditorium gets full again, please do not be offended if an usher asks you to scoot down to make room for a new guest.  Our desire is to make their experience as incredible as possible.  To make that happen, we can all do our part.

These are exciting times and I am thankful you are part of it.  As we continue to grow, we will see more and more new faces.  These are faces of people who could very well be searching for what God has to offer them.  Each of us has the privilege and responsibility to be willing to do our part as tools He uses to share the love of Christ with them.  As we do that, eternity will be impacted!

Here's to God-Sized Dreams!!!

The Story Chapter 3 - Trading Your Dreams In For Another

I was reminded today about the power of a story.  While at SWIC serving coffee and cocoa along side of several incredible Skyliners, I met a young man named Jonathon.  He was a young man with special needs and I could tell his desire was more than a cup of coffee.  He was looking for something deeper, a person to talk to, a relationship to feel.  In a brief conversation, we discovered that he was homeless and living in a shelter.  He would take the metro to SWIC to attend classes, but that didn't change the fact that he was without a home and on this day, he was hungry.

Since we were next to the cafeteria, I decided to buy him lunch.  Often we are tempted just to provide food for a hungry person, but today I felt the urge to enjoy lunch with him and I'm glad I did.  In the passing of life, we see someone who is hungry and maybe we feed them.  We see someone who is homeless, so we help them find a shelter.  All of that is well and good, but how often do we take time to talk with them and learn their story.  I have been guilty of that more times than I can count.

Jonathon told me about his life, how he is a Christian and has been blessed by churches in the area who have helped him.  He told me how he moved to the area in 2009 in search of a new life away from Chicago.  He told me about living with friends for a few years and bouncing around in a few jobs.  He told me how he had been unemployed since 2012 and had even stopped looking for work.  Luckily, he has been able to attend classes at SWIC and is pursuing a career as a CNA.

We enjoyed a nice meal together and shared in a time of prayer together.  Our time together ended and off he went with a "Thank You".  I was blessed to be able to help him out in that moment, but even more so to hear his story.  I certainly pray for his future as he pursues it.

His story reminds me of Chapter 3 in "The Story".  Randy Frazee often speaks of "The Lower Story" and "The Upper Story", the story of what we go through on a daily basis in the moment and a greater story that plays out with God's guidance over time.  As we live in the moment, we certainly experience good times and bad.  We experience times of plenty and times of need.  But the "Upper Story" is yet to be concluded.  The fact is, no matter what we are experiencing right now, we don't know what the future has in store.  That said, I have always believed that God has a plan for each of us.

We spend our lives pursuing "Our Dreams" and fail to realize "His Dreams."  Sometimes we don't see our aspirations become reality, eventually slamming our heads into a brick wall when "our dreams" aren't realized.  As a result, we give up.  Others make a bold decision for something different...to trade "our dreams" in for another's....God's Dreams....not just our story, but His Story.

That's what Joseph did in the book of Genesis.  He had some pretty big dreams.  But as his story played out, those dreams seemed to be squashed at every turn.  His faith in God remained strong.  He trusted in God's ultimate plan.  He trusted in God's dreams for his life.  Joseph's life was a roller coaster thrill ride.  One minute a favored son, the next minute a victim of brotherly jealousy.  One minute a slave, the next in charge of an Egyptian official's house.  One minute in prison, the next in charge of Egypt itself.

He didn't focus on the "Lower Story" (his story).  He focused on the "Upper Story" (God's story).  He could have lost his life getting caught up in the struggling details of his life, instead he chose to focus on a better story.

You can do the same.  If your life's dream has stalled, have you looked to God?  Maybe your dream is realized and it's not all you thought it would be, have you looked to God?  Maybe He has a better dream for your life, not according to the world's standard, but God's criterion.  His dream for you is part of His Story and it is certainly an incredible story to tell.

The Story Chapter 2 - And The First Pick Goes To...

Shouldn't this blog post have appeared during our Banner Year series?  I suppose it could have, but this really is one of the most timeless principles of God's heart and can be shared at anytime.  No time is greater than now as we enter in to chapter 2 of The Story.

All the guys are gathered at the playground court.  Some guys are doing their best to drop some 3's.  Others are showing off their hops by performing windmills and 360's.  Each one is showcasing their game.

Captains are chosen and the draft begins.  Who's got game?  Who's going to help our team be victorious?  Do I choose the 20 year old who stands 6'8" or the 18 year old Pete Marivich who has more moves than Michael Jackson?

Everyone watching from the sidelines has anticipated this moment.  Who will be picked first?  Then it happens and every jaw on the playground drops to the floor.  Right before their eyes, instead of the expected young, tall, toned phenom, stands a 75 year old man who is taken with the first pick.  Not exactly what they had pictured for the premium spot on the team.

And yet, this is exactly what God has chosen.  After creation, after the fall and after the flood, his story called for an unlikely man to launch a new nation that would impact the entire world.  As he would say, a nation through whom "all the nations of the earth would be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).

Abram stands there at 75 years old, adorned perhaps by a dusty old robe and crowned with wispy white hair and wrinkled skin.  Yet, God chose him to begin His nation.  An unlikely choice for the first pick especially after considering the fact that his wife Sarai (who was pretty old herself) was barren.  How could God expect to start a nation with a couple who could no longer have children?

To complicate the story line further, it will be 25 more years before they actually have a child to fulfill God's vision.  By that time Abram and Sarai (now called Abraham and Sarah) will be 100 and 90 years old, respectively.  But the rest, as they say, is history....HisStory.

The beauty of God is that he picks people that you and I wouldn't necessarily pick first to be part of His story.  In fact sometimes we are shocked at who plays those starring roles.  Unlike the way we do business, he taps people, not merely because of their abilities, but for their availability.  God searches for people who are open to be used by him and are willing to be used for His purposes.  In this way, there is no doubt who is doing to wonder-working.

That is some good news.  You may not have the pedigree.  You may not be a Rhodes Scholar.  You may not be a blue chip athlete or have a lot of money.  But you are still sitting in a pretty good position to be a top pick for God's Work.

Join us at Skyline Church as we dive in to Chapter 2 of The Story as God Builds A Nation.  Skyline Church meets each Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. in the O'Fallon Township High School auditorium located at 600 S. Smiley St, O'Fallon, IL 62269.

The Story Chapter 1 - God’s Great Passion is to Be With You

Some movies start at warp speed.  Case in point: Star Trek.  From the opening scene to the end it barely lets you breathe.  If you slip out for popcorn you were sure to miss something important.  And yet, people did. 

This disturbs me greatly since I am a movie snob.  I think the way to maximize the movie-going experience is to be in your seat at least 20 minutes early.  Never done that?  Then next time you go to a movie look around and spot the person that is in the prime seat—dead middle, eye level with the center of the screen.  That’s what 20 minutes early gets you.   Popcorn and drink in hand, nothing will move this person from their secured spot for the duration of the movie.

That’s where you need to be for God’s story.  Its opening scene also starts with a relentless pace that doesn’t let up.  The first line reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). 

Right off the bat we find the main character in the story is not you or me.  It’s God.  And the rest of The Story will unfold out of the nature and person of this character.  Just ten words in and there is enough action to leave you breathless. 

It doesn’t take long to find out what God’s great passion is.  Birds?  Nope.  Animals?  Not quite. Sun, moon or stars? Bright guess.  No, in Genesis 3:8 we find that God is walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve in the “cool of the day.” 

Sounds nice if you are in a hot, humid climate, doesn’t it?  It sounds even better for us in the frigid months of winter.  And yet the “cool of the day” is not the focus.  God is, and he is near.  He is right with Adam and Eve.  And he is right here with us.  His simple vision for his creation was to spend time with them every day, to take a walk with them.  God’s supreme passion is to be with us.  

Some of you have lived your life with the idea that God is some angry cosmic kill-joy who sits in the heavens and watches you, waiting for you to make a mistake so he can zap you.  Or, you feel he is distant and doesn’t care or has simply forgotten you.

But from the beginning he has shown us this is not the case.  He wants to be with you.  He has not forgotten you.   In fact, this might be the perfect time for you to go for a walk.  

That walk can begin with our journey through "The Story".  Beginning this weekend, February 9th, Skyline Church will embark on something that, I believe, will be life changing for everyone who commits to pour their heart and life into it.  

Skyline Church meets each Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. in the auditorium of O'Fallon Township High School located at 600 S. Smiley St. O'Fallon, IL.  For more information on The Story visit our website at http://skylinecc.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=77 .