I had a great day. It started off in a remarkable way that could not be matched.

After I preached on Ridiculous Generosity, we have had story after story of the people of North Creek that are taking this very seriously. They are hungry for people to bless. I am actually struggling to keep up with all of the people who want to help someone…in small ways and in large ways. And this is just another one of those stories.

So today, I got to drop off $1000 in cash to a family in our church that has recently been laid off. In the long run, they will be just fine. In the short run, the bills will keep coming and the stress will keep mounting. This small season could carry longlasting financial ramifications to a family that has worked really hard to make wise decisions. Isn’t that the real heartache of our current economy? Even discipline and wisdom can fall short right now in the midst of circumstance.

That’s where a very generous family stepped in to pay a month’s mortgage. This generous family doesn’t live frivously and doesn’t just throw $1000 around. They live simply in order to be generous. They pray and listen to how God would direct their financial choices. And when I told them how much this money would mean to this family, they said something remarkable…”Sometimes a little help just won’t cut it.” Isn’t that the heart of God? When we need a little, He’s there for that, but when we need ALOT…He’s there for that, too.

I want you to hear this story. I want you to experience it with me because it will change who you are. As we handed over that money my first thought was, “What about me? That money would make a big difference for ME, too.” I know. Selfish. Yes, we are all made of flesh and some of you who are reading this probably had the same thought. I am confident that I don’t stand alone in my pathetic “fleshliness”. Not proud of that, but I am thankful to say that the thought was very brief, which means that I’ve grown some in the last 20 years of Christianity.

But then, as I looked into the face of the person that God had destined this for, I felt an uncontrollable joy. I had just seen God. I saw Him put on the heart of one of His children to bless another one of His children. I saw Him say, “I love you. I know your needs and I love you.” I saw Him bring relief for a season. I saw Him in all of His glory today. And He was awesome.

I left that doorstep and said, “I’ve got to figure out how to be THAT generous.” You see, generosity is contagious. It’s like a virus that can’t be stopped. If you experience it, if you witness it, if you sacrifice to BE it…you are changed.

Thank you to that family who gave. Since the beginning of our church we have hoped and prayed to be the type of church that can pay the mortgage of someone who needs it. Not only did you help that family, but you made all of our dreams a reality.

If you’d like to change someone’s future, we’ll be glad to help you. Our church has a fund called Benevolence. That’s an old word for “Pay it Forward”. Above and beyond your regular tithes, you can give to this fund and we will make sure that we help our families stay above water. You might not be able to give $1000, but together, we can make a difference. You can give online at www.coffeechurch.com as well.

I will continue to write story after story. My challenge to you is to be part of the story and then tell me about your experience. I want to know…not because you are so awesome, but because God is. And one miracle encourages another.

Here’s a great article by a fellow Church Planter, Mark Batterson. It’s great. I hope it messes up your life:

If you asked me: what is the best decision you made this year? The answer is easy. The hands-down best decision was the decision to read through a one-year Bible.

Let me come clean. I didn’t read the Bible nearly as much as I could have or should have last year. This is embarrassing to admit, but Bible reading had become synonymous with sermon prep. I was reading it professionally instead of devotionally. I was reading it for what God wanted to say through me instead of reading it for what God wanted to say to me. And it took its toll.

Then at the end of last year I stumbled across an interview with J.I. Packer, the renowned author and theologian. He said, “Any Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover-to-cover every year.” It stung at first. But it made sense, so much sense that I decided to do it. And it has proved to be the best decision I made this year. Long story short, I’ve fallen in love with the Bible all over again.

If you want to grow spiritually, you need a consistent diet of Scripture. In fact, you will never outgrow your consumption of Scripture. There is no substitute. There is no supplement. The poet, T.S. Eliot, once observed: “Everything we eat has some effect upon us. It affects us during the process of assimilation and digestion; and I believe exactly the same is true of anything we read.” In other words, you are what you read.

I have a saying that I repeat to our congregation frequently: reading without meditating is like eating without digesting. If you want to absorb the nutrients, you can’t just read it. You’ve got to chew on it. You’ve got to digest it. Meditation is the way we metabolize Scripture.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

A few years ago, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health did a study that consisted of subjects performing a simple motor task. As subjects engaged in a finger-tapping exercise, the researchers conducted an MRI to identify what part of the brain was being activated. The subjects then practiced the finger-tapping exercise daily for four weeks. At the end of the four-week period, the brain scan was repeated. In each instance, it revealed that the area of the brain involved in the task had expanded. That simple task, a finger-tapping exercise, literally recruited new nerve cells and rewired neuronal connections.

That is what happens when we read Scripture. We are recruiting new nerve cells and rewiring neuronal connections. In a sense, we are downloading a new operating system that reconfigures the mind. We stop thinking human thoughts and start thinking God thoughts. And our minds are literally renewed.

Enough theory. Let me get personal and practical. Because I have a goal-oriented personality, I knew I needed to turn this spiritual discipline of reading, studying, and meditating Scripture into a spiritual goal. So I made one New Year’s Resolution: read through a one-year Bible. For what it’s worth, I choose The Daily Message. Then I asked my son, Parker, if he would do it with me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if he was old enough to handle some of the real and raw passages. You don’t have to read very far into Genesis before you encounter some kinky and unconscionable stories. But I’d much rather discuss the dark side of human nature after reading the Bible than watching a random R-rated movie. I also have to admit that I had ulterior motives. I knew that if my son was doing it with me, it would help keep me accountable!

Permission to speak frankly?

One of the common complaints people make when leaving a church is this: I’m not being fed. As a preacher, my goal is to nourish our congregation via a well-rounded diet of sermons. And I try to preach every sermon like it’s my last, but let me push back. My kids learned to feed themselves when they were toddlers. If you’re not being fed, that’s your fault. I’m afraid we’ve unintentionally fostered a subtle form of spiritual codependency in our churches. It is so easy to let others take responsibility for what should be our responsibility. So we let our pastors study the Bible for us. Here’s a news flash: the Bible was unchained from the pulpit nearly five hundred years ago during an era of history called the Middle Ages.

If you are relying on a preacher to be fed, I fear for you. Listening to a sermon is second-hand knowledge. It is learning based on someone else’s words or experiences. A sermon is no replacement for first-hand knowledge. You’ve got to see it and hear it and experience it for yourself. It’s not enough to hear the truth. You have to own it. Or more accurately, it has to own you. Honestly, I’d rather have people hear one word from the Lord than a thousand of my sermons. And that happens when you open your Bible and start reading.

Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. He also the author of Wild Goose Chase, and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Check-out his blog at www.evotional.com.

Highlights from my morning at church:

Isaiah gave me the best hug ever. He’s 3. I often joke about my daughter, Kennedy, marrying him. However, I’m pretty sure that I’ve stopped joking and started fasting and praying about it… Anyway, you feel the most important when a kid thinks you’re important. He didn’t hug me because of a title or a position; he hugged me because he was just plain excited to see me. That makes me more important than anything else.

My other daughter attended the Great Adventure class for the first official time this morning. A season passed and a new one is here. She is in a new league now. Our children’s pastor just went up a notch on my list of people to pray for. Now she has MY child. I want to serve her in any way possible to make that experience incredible for my kid.

Mark said to me this afternoon, “We are so blessed. The people of North Creek are the most generous, talented, amazing people I know.” It is a sign of a healthy church when the lead pastor is happy on Sunday afternoon.

I love the Bible. I read it everyday and I think everyone else should to. It makes you smarter. Being smart is a good thing.

Chrystal decorated the stage without my involvement this week. She had a team of people around her and it turned out great! Very fairytale-like. I am working hard to step out of ministries and let people lead. She did fantastic and I am glad that she got to experience a “win” in that job.

Mark preached on unity. It an important thing that I think our church does really well. There’s not a lot of drama and gossip. I can do without drama and gossip completely.

I hope that you have a great week!

Today is my 33rd birthday! Here are my thoughts and reflections where I’m at in life:

I have absolutely the best friends and family. I am surrounded by quality people most of the time and I consider that a blessing beyond measure. Some “friends” need to be edited from your life. I call them Drainers. They just suck the life out of you. My friends just keep pouring into me until I don’t know how to handle all of the blessing and wisdom.

I think my legacy (and Mark’s too) will be the broad base of leadership that we surround ourselves with. We have a very unique ability to put everyone on the team…whether they want to be or not. There’s always room for one more chair in leadership! I think God is going to use that in amazing ways in our world as North Creek becomes a model for other churches.

I don’t receive well. I’m going to work on that. It’s important to let people bless you and to enjoy the blessing.

I have a heart for short term missions, so I’m heading in that direction this year. I’m giving away some of the other jobs that I love to focus on missions trips and serving our community. Get ready to leave the country, North Creek!

I spend too little time laughing with my kids and too much time on my computer. I’ve been working on balance and I intend to keep working hard on that.

I really want to write a book. As soon as I figure out what God wants me to write about, I’ll do it. I’m praying…

I love my garden. It’s my source of solitude and I need it…like some of you need music to worship, I need dirt.

Church planting was one of the top 5 highlights of my life. This church is a blessing. It teaches me something daily. I am a better person than I was three years ago and I know I’ll be a better person three years from now.

I married well. If I could teach a teenager one thing it would be to marry a really good person that loves Jesus with all of their heart. Everything else changes in ten years anyway…

Life is too short to worry about dumb things. Dumb things might include finances…I’m pretty sure about that.

Enjoy every day. I want to live my life to the fullest and look back with fond memories of it all. That includes the screaming children that are disobeying behind me…guess it’s time to get off the computer!

I just received the coolest email that I thought I would share with you. I had put this post on our North Creek Facebook page:

North Creek! You are the coolest and most generous church ever! If you are looking for a way to do a good work this week…email me! I’ve got several families in mind in our church who could use some blessings – specifically grocery gift cards would rock! Also, if you want to give money to families from North Creek who are struggling, drop money in the offering box labeled “Benevolence”. It’s a tax deductible way for us to have the means to help pay bills for some of our families who are going through a rough time.

I received this email back from my childhood best friend who now lives in Arizona. (Yes, she will be mortified that I put this on my blog, but I don’t care!)

Hello from AZ,
I read your post and it hit hard. Kurt and I want to help, but not sure how to get funds to you. I see through the Church website that there is a general giving, but not sure if that is where we can. Please email and let me know.
We have been blessed with a wonderful job. Kurt just started and we want to give to others that are in the same boat we just got out of.
Robin

I LOVE this spirit! She lives thousands of miles away and wants to bless people that she will probably never meet. Isn’t that the heart that we should have towards giving?!?!?! Thanks, Robin and Kurt! Your heart for people is awesome!