Pursuit Week 1

Well we are halfway through the first week of our Pursuit study and I don't know about you but wow, it has been really good for me. It has helped me refocus on what He is doing in my life. How gracious he has been to reveal to me the areas where I have strayed and how He is calling me to deal with those issues that He may deepen my love for Him.

A couple nights ago Annie and I were talking and in the middle of that conversation it came to my realization that without me even knowing it that my trust had slowly and almost untraceably shifted from being in Him to being in myself and it was a wake-up call to really do some soul searching and ask some tough questions of myself.

His great grace was shown in that revealing, I could have continued to walk in un-trust and disobedience and been completely unaware, but He allowed me to see it and confront it and be broken that I may grow deeper in my trust for Him.

How is your week going, do you have stories and testimonies of what He is doing in your life? We would love to hear about them. I think that it does the soul well to see where God is moving in our lives and then tell those stories to others that can rejoice in His glory through what He is doing in our lives.

If you have a story shoot us an email, fcl@fellowshiplubbock.com or leave a post here.

LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE

Brandon

Pursuit

This week marks the beginning of our 40 days of prayer and fasting that we are calling Pursuit. The question has been raised why do this, shouldn't these things be something that we do on a regular basis, the answer yes. But for so many, myself included, our affections for Christ are being robbed by the good, we have pulled our focus off of a Holy God and filled that hole with T.V. and sports, work and family, all good by nature, after all God created them, but so often perverted by me. I think that some times we need a wake up call, a time to refocus our desires to see where our heart lies. Have your affections for Christ drifted from where they were? How is your prayer life? Have you gripped your hands around this world so much, that life is a serious of meeting and play dates? This happens to all of us and I think that we would do well to take some time and examine our hearts, Paul in fact calls us to labor in prayer, to do the painful work of self-examination.

The prayer behind Pursuit is not some gimmick or catchy thing we can do to grow a church wide, but to grow us deep. Our end is not a building, or money, or attendance, our end is Him, our desire is that our lives become a pleasing aroma in His nostrils.

So whether you attend FCL or not, whether you are right where you feel you need to be with Christ, or you have drifted, would you join us in our pursuit of the Father's heart.

Each week I will be posting that weeks devotional, I pray that you would look over it, that you would examine your heart and see what stolen your affections for Him. Knowing that He is good and as we seek Him, He will be found.

LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE

Brandon

Weeping Over Haiti

"The message today is simple, God is good. I do not understand tragedy of this magnitude, I do not understand why God would allow this. But what I do know is that God is good, that even in tragedy and in weeping and in the heartache, God is still good, and just and righteous and gracious. I am reminded of a C.S. Lewis quote, "God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to a deaf world." So I thank the Lord for those who are already there ministering, providing water and relief and I ask that you join in our prayer for the Haitian people, that God would awaken the dead hearts of those that need the Gospel. And that through the tragedy of living in a fallen and broken world, the Lord would be seen as glorious. He is good, may we cling to that even when we can explain everything. And today may you hit your knees for the people racked by tragedy and heartache. May the Lord be their comfort and peace.

LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE

Brandon

Thoughts on a New Decade

The start to a new year, the beginning of a new decade, so many things running through my head it is crazy. How will this year be for you? As I spent a lot of time in prayer this holiday season, I was so encouraged by what the Lord revealed to me. The way that He has His hand on us, and the way that He will show Himself faithful this year. There is one word that continues to flood my mind as I think about life, church, etc. PURSUIT!!! That word has a lot of meaning packed into it, it describes a full on effort, pressing ahead toward a goal. Webster defines it as: to follow in order to overtake.

This year for me and for the church will be marked by what we are pursuing, what are we striving to overtake, what are we running after? The reality of life is this, all of us are pursuing something, we are putting forth energy and effort to lay hold of something in our lives. What is that for you? If you were to sit down and look at your life and be honest where is your pursuit found? My prayer this year is that we would be 1 Cor. 9 men and women. In verse 24-26 Paul gives us some insight into his pursuit. Do you not know that all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self -control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.

For Paul, he knew what he was pursuing, and he disciplined his body to pursue the true prize. He didn't say this was easy, just like working out, it took self-control and determination, but he knew what he wanted his life to be marked by, the Gospel of Christ, and he did all that he could to lay hold of that.

So today may we be aware of where our pursuit it and may we discipline our lives to pursue the Holy. I pray that this year marks a time of excitement for you, and a year where you are totally dedicated to the pursuit of Christ is your life. In a few weeks we as a church will give you the opportunity to start the year off this way. Be on the look out for more details.

LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE

Brandon