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Did you know that Sylvester Stallone is an Oscar winner? And not for acting but for the best picture that he wrote, Rocky. I watched the last and latest movie in the series tonight, Rocky Balboa. I loved it! It was slow, methodical and incredibly deep. It is not a light, silly, bam-bam movie. It was about not only a character, but a writer. It was Stallone saying good-bye, laying it all out, doing everything he wanted to do, finishing. As a high school football player I can remember guys motivating themselves as they listened on their walk-man to Eye of the Tiger. I am not sure if it works this way for all, but whenever I hear those first trumpet notes of Rocky, I am ready to Punch Someone Out!

But as demonstrated in this movie, life isn’t about physically punching someone. God didn’t call us to a “battle against flesh and blood.” At times I think those of us who look for a fight think we can win by hurting someone who is doing wrong. Like if we yell, do something outrageous, “don’t take it anymore”, insert whatever other phrase here you got, we can actually accomplish something for God. Who is the real winner? The man who has outbursts of anger or the Lord Jesus who died on the cross? The Paul who killed those who disagreed with him or the servant Paul who followed the Lord all the way to his heads removal at the hands of the Romans? The politicians who try to legislate for power and wealth or the politician William Wilberforce who shortened his life so that the British would end the slave trade? The minority leader bombing, shooting, and injuring innocents to right wrongs or Martin Luther King who got in the face of all the bullies and forced them to show their ridiculous anger to the world?

So what is real punching? For a real man it’s a question that must be answered. God has called us to be a part of this battle that is not against flesh and blood but how do we fight? For we are called to be warriors in this battle that He will win. But how, how are we to fight? Some say it’s by being nice, polite, dignified, or worse like a dog on their belly with paws in the air just waiting for someone to show them some love.

But it isn’t. Like a Ninja we are to be self-controlled. It’s part of the fruit of the spirit. Like a Knight we are to be ones of a code: Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Like a Samurai we are to be able at a moment’s notice to let loose with our weapons: prayer, love, courage, sacrifice and obedience to the Lord. Like a Marine we go to the place no one else will go. We walk into the home of the grieving mother and grieve with her, into the face of the gangster and give love and respect, to the hands of the pervert we bring acceptance of a real person who can be changed by a loving God. If it’s hard, if it’s difficult, if all others would run scared or become like a self-destructive animal biting anyone and anything in fear, the Warrior of God does not. Instead he punches not with physical fists, those are useless in this fight, but with punches of the love of God. And though times of exhaustion come and punches are relentless from the enemy, like Rocky, the Warrior of God gets up and stands! For as long as the Lord calls him to stand.

How can He not win? The Victory is secure, now we are just picking up medals!

                What can really change this world? I am really happy that an African-American is about to be President. Regardless of his politics it is a pleasing sight to see this breakthrough occurring. I think some things will change, some things will stay the same, and some things will get worse. Humans have an amazing ability to cope and produce a new normal, just think we are all thrilled that gas cost $2 a gallon, just $2! We have an amazing ability to cope.

                I really don’t know how much my actual daily life will change with a new president or even a new mayor, although I expect the new mayor to effect my life a little more. What I do know will change my life is what is going on in my church community and in my relationship with God. We are doing two very tough things that we haven’t done in a while or ever before. We are praying and we are discipling.

                For those of you unfamiliar with discipling, the closest thing to it is “mentoring” although discipling is a more spiritual concept, focused on pointing the person to God rather than to your take on the world. There are amazing things about what is going on there like how un-institutionalized it all is. People are connecting with others on their own and developing their own methods to mature each other in Christ. Some are meeting for breakfast once a week, some are texting every morning or all day long, some call each other to share scripture with each other, others meet in a simi-small group setting for intense bonding. It’s not a program of our church, but more of a mandate and its working.

                Honestly its getting harder to pastor. People are getting the simple items taken care of in discipleship and they are maturing so God’s is asking them to do more. Because they are maturing the dreams are not their own, they aren’t fanciful or unrealistic but God-ordained. God pushes us and laziness (not relaxation but laziness) has no place in following God. People are acting.

                People are also praying, and I hope they do more of it. We have been talking about prayer for two weeks. The first week called me out. We asked everyone to ask, “How Can I Pray For You?” to anyone and everyone. I have asked friends at church (cake), people who call the church (easy), Wal-Mart greeter, Panera Bread cashier, School janitor, and three teacher assists. I have to blog more about the encounters. It’s an amazing thing to do to ask someone this question, genuinely care, and then pray for them. And people at the church are beginning to do it. People praying is always a good thing.

                Today we took our prayers deeper with the acronym (CAL)² Complement, Confess, Appreciate, Ask, Listen, and Live. It’s from an old prayer method called ACTS but so few people know what Supplication is that we adapted the acronoyms to something we Californians can remember. I have no idea what will happen if people began praying with the depth that CAL calls for. It’s simple but to sit and think about how great God is and how unworthy we are to approach him before we ask anything. I think that will produce such an amazing and deep prayer life.

                Please forgive me if my blogs don’t make since. I’m not editing them or thinking through too much of what I am writing but it’s just another attempt to develop the habit.

Realized in my last post that you may not be aware of what I am talking about. Tomorrow is our town hall meeting. You can find out more info about the event at newdaystockton.com

I'm pretty excited and nervous, going through all the things I need to do. Not a very good idea if one is trying to get some sleep.

My hopes for tomorrow - that New Day's generosity shines through, that some discover that the church exists, and that the canidates get heard and understood.

I am concerned about the format, some may not understand they needed to submit their questions beforehand. I'm also concerned that the rain will keep people away. And I'm concerned that I will flub up the introduction but that's in my late night thoughts.

It's going to be great tomorrow. Lord use this night to bring people closer to you.

Lots of flyers to hand out but saying good night to bad usage stats.

I handed out flyers today about our upcoming town hall meeting and expected to see some major hits on our church website. Sadly when I logged in I no hits, like the tracker had been keeping stats since early this month. It was intially depressing but then I realized it had to be wrong because I kept checking the website as I edited it and this program said there were no hits. So I feel a little bit better knowing the program isn't right.

So I paused writing and went back to check out the website. It's much better we got a lot more hits recently.

Evaluation means a lot in life. Knowing where we stand is essential in business, sports, medicine, politics. How are we doing? It's why I went looking for usuage statistics on the website, to know if the flyers are working.

But in life how many of us know where we really stand? We aren't outside observers, we don't have the niceness of knowing all the histories around us. How are we with each other? How are we at work? How are with God? Essential questions we have an almost impossible time answering. But Check Romans 8, it speaks to this issue.

Catch you later

Lots of flyers to hand out but saying good night to bad usage stats.

I handed out flyers today about our upcoming town hall meeting and expected to see some major hits on our church website. Sadly when I logged in I no hits, like the tracker had been keeping stats since early this month. It was intially depressing but then I realized it had to be wrong because I kept checking the website as I edited it and this program said there were no hits. So I feel a little bit better knowing the program isn't right.

So I paused writing and went back to check out the website. It's much better we got a lot more hits recently.

Evaluation means a lot in life. Knowing where we stand is essential in business, sports, medicine, politics. How are we doing? It's why I went looking for usuage statistics on the website, to know if the flyers are working.

But in life how many of us know where we really stand? We aren't outside observers, we don't have the niceness of knowing all the histories around us. How are we with each other? How are we at work? How are with God? Essential questions we have an almost impossible time answering. But Check Romans 8, it speaks to this issue.

Catch you later

Very cool weekend! I got to play softball, go to a friend's wedding reception, celebrate my wife's birthday and work the sound while James preached. In going to the wedding reception I saw my friend Jason Esley who I used to hang out with in college and is the one peer most responsible for shaping my understanding of God. It was just cool to be in his presence. Next to his table was my friend, John Lesley, who I learned a great deal about good pastoral care with him. Then on facebook, old high school friends found me out. Finally picking Alicia up from her house, I saw her neighbor from across the street, my ex-girlfriend from high school. It was definitly a circular weekend for me, with some nice reunions.

Recently I have been hit by a birage of requests from one of my sites, plaxo.com. It is a very cool contact backup software. But they moved into social networking and so now I keep getting friend requests. The request can come in 3 categories: Business contact (cold, very cold), Friend (yippee), and Family (is a close friend really family?). The conundrum comes a couple of different ways. I keep getting requests for people claiming to be my friend that I don't even know. Worse off there friend request doesn't come with a picture so I don't know if I should know them by name and just don't. One today even referred to me as Matt, which is odd because it isn't my name but I do have a cousin named Matt. And if we are really friends shouldn't you know me by my name? And just because you are a friend of a friend does that make you close enough to be my friend. And if you are a pastor that I know do I have to claim you as more than a "business contact" because that is too cold so I must claim you as a friend even though we almost never hangout or talk with each other, other than about church and ministry related activities? Wouldn't that make us business contacts even though we may like each other and respect it each other, I don't think we are firends.

Is not being a friend somehow ungodly, not Christ-like?

"A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, HCSB)

I realize it is just social networking and all the proper manners haven't been totally accepted yet. It just got me to thinking about my real friends. Today I had good friends disagree with me and I am so glad they did. We didn't start agreeing with each other after we were done either. Yet out friendship stays in take. I am glad to have friends of integrity and friends who genuinely want to serve the Lord with their whole hearts. And no check box makes them real friends, it may be in the way that I am not harmed that proves it.

Thank you Lord for my friends. 

I have been working to update our church website at www.newdaystockton.com . As soon as it is done I will be back on posting, maybe sooner