WOW! What a week it has been!  We have observed Holy Week this week and it has been awesome.  We started last Sunday by looking at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ and then followed up Wednesday night with the story of the Betrayal. 

My personal opinion was that the heartbreak of the betrayal was possibly as difficult as the physical suffering.  From the betrayal and the mockery and humiliation that Jesus endured, can you imagine what His heart must have felt?  Friday night we looked at the crucifixion by seeing the cruelty of the Roman Soldiers and the price that Jesus paid for our sins.  We concluded with a time of Communion.  It was a great service!

This morning was the grand finale with a look at the empty tomb.  Jesus rose from the dead!  Our message this morning was centered around the thought, “the tomb is empty so that your heart doesn’t have to be empty.”  The grave couldn’t hold Him but your heart can!  We talked about the things that cause us emptiness and the remedy for it all, Jesus.

Our attendance was the best we have seen in five years and 2 people made decisions to turn their lives around and follow Jesus.  It was worth it all!

After service this morning, we went home to do an Easter egg hunt with Hannah and Josh (even if Josh is too big, he still likes the candy).  Both of my kids looked great in their Easter outfits but Hannah looked like my little princess.  She got out of the car this morning with her hat on and carrying her purse.  She strutted her stuff as she went to Sunday School.  Easter has been good.  Jesus is alive!

Every morning, I can count on one thing to happen in our household.  Josh, our 13 year old, will wake up, get out of bed put on his robe and go to the kitchen for breakfast.  If he is not spoken to, he will not speak.  But one thing is certain, he will never be without his robe.  He puts it on without thinking…it is a part of who he is in the morning.  That is what I call a habit.

Not all habits are bad.  A habit is something that we do that becomes second nature.  It is something we cannot live without.  For some it might be reading the morning newspaper or exercising, in my case my habits center around coffee, Sonic Iced Tea and Carmex.  These are 3 things I cannot live without. 

Beyond those kinds of habits, do we have any spiritual habits?  Is it second nature for us to wake up in the morning and pray, thanking God for another day?  Do we start our day with time in the Word of God?  Maybe you do not have habits in the morning but later in the day.  The truth is, that no matter when we have our habits, we ought to have spiritual habits.  If I can do without prayer but cannot make it without my coffee, I have a spiritual problem.

Evaluate your life and see what kind of habits you have.  If you do not have spiritual habits, begin today!

Last night, Sonya and I took part in a service that featured David Ring.  David Ring is an evangelist who travels the nation preaching the gospel.  He is a successful evangelist despite having cerebral palsy.  When he speaks you hang onto every word because he has lived it.

Last night, he spoke on going through hard times and asking God why.  One thing he said stuck in my mind.  When we ask God why, we question His authority.  “Why are you doing this to me, God?”  He reminded us that we do not like it when our kids ask why because it challenges something we have said or done.  Our main response to our kids when they ask why is, “because I said so!”

David Ring challenged us to ask What instead of why.  What will bring You glory out of this situation, God?  My heart was convicted over the many times these last several years I have questioned God over and over.  When I face something, I challenge God’s authority in my life and am upset about what is happening.  We must be honest with God without challenging Him.  There is nothing wrong with telling God how you feel, but in the end we must stop and ask God to perform His perfect will in our lives.  Next time, you deal with some stuff, ask what not why!  This has changed my perspective.

He also talked about how we need to be making deposits in our spiriutal bank account, because one day we will need to withdraw from it.  When we go through struggles in life, we have to draw from our spiritual bank account and when we have made no depostis we will go bankrupt.  He told us that we must make sure that our well stays full so that when we need to draw water it will not be empty.  He reminded us  that if our well is empty, we must change wells.  We must tap into the well with the river of living water.  He said, “Jesus hangs out at the well.”

We live in a world today that is ever changing.  Gas prices go up and the stock market goes down.  Political races are ever-changing.  Church leaders rise and fall.  One day is good, other days might be bad.  Our future is bright but our future is unknown.  It can change at anytime.  Do we look to the future and plan or do we wait for the future to come and then do something?  Life has unexpected turns.

God expects us to have vision in our lives, however, there must always be a determination that no matter what comes our way, we will not be shaken.  I have had many dreams in my life as a pastor, but found sudden changes came and those dreams were never realized.  For years this discouraged me and frustrated me as if God was somehow against me and forgot my destiny.  Then I realized that although I had dreams for the future, only God knew my future.  Dreams and visions are good and give us a goal to pursue in life, but we must submit our wills to God.  The hardest thing in my life has been to pray the prayer, “Lord, even if my dreams never come to pass, I will still serve you with all of my heart.” 

I firmly believe that when we seek the heart of God, He will direct our paths.  He knows what is best for us.  I can remember many dreams of great things that I had and things fell through.  I look back on this and see that God was saving me from something disastrous.  I am trying to learn what my dream is and what God’s dream is for me.  Sometimes they are not the same.  I have made the determination in my life to serve God no matter what.  To follow His leading, to expect the unexpected but to still dream of great things.  Dreams keep us alive, but if your dream is delayed do not let it kill you.  Resign your will to His majesty, He will have His way in you.

Yesterday morning, I preached about marriage and encouraged our families to keep the family in proper order.  Christ at the center, our relationship to our spouse and then our kids.  I challenged our couples to not let the children come in between their relationship. 

At the Cheney house though, we are being tested in this area.  Hannah has become possessive.  I gave Sonya a hug and a kiss and Hannah came over there, pushed me away and said, “My Mama!”  Now every time I get around Sonya, Hannah pushes me away and says, “MINE!”  I am not sure why she started this but I informed her in no uncertain terms last night, that she was going to have to share.  I think she got the message:)

Lately, I have been reading the book Leadership From The Inside Outby Kevin Harney.  It takes you on a journey through the leader’s inner life and looks for areas where we can grow.  In the first chapter, Pastor Harney addresses the leader’s heart.  He declares the need for the heart of every leader to be alive and drawn toward the things of God.  In this chapter he gives a test to see where we might need to sharpen and evaluate the condition of our heart.

Answer with a yes or no:

1.  I minister more out of duty than out of love for God.

2.  I can go days or even weeks without sitting at the feet of Jesus, feeding on His Word, or speaking to Him in prayer.

3.  When I prepare messages, my mind is always focused on what others will learn, and the truth of Scripture rarely pierces my heart or stirs my passion.

4.  When I lead in prayer or pray with others, the words sound right to the casual observer, but they feel hollow or empty to me.

5.  I see the people in my church or ministry as a distraction from getting my work done.

6.  I find myself structuring my life in a way that isolates me from people.

7.  I have become so busy doing church work  that I leave no time to connect with spiritual seekers.

8.  I can’t remember the last time I shed a tear for a lost person.

Anyone else convicted?  I have some areas I need to work on, how about you?

Perry Noble said, “God couldn’t give a RIP about your comfort-He simply wants you to be obedient…and at times that means facing things head on that scare you and completely take you out of your comfort zone.”

If your Christian life is full of easy things, then you need to do something different.  Take a risk for God!

One of the privileges we have as pastors is the call to share the Word of God with this generation.  It is a high calling and we should not take it lightly.  Because of the responsibility that has been laid upon ministers, we must seek every opportunity to hone our craft.  We are mouthpieces for God and if we fail to grow in our skills as a preacher, we fall short of our calling. 

There are several ways that we can ensure that we are growing in our communication:

1.  Prayer – There is no substitute for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the preaching of the Word of God.  Preaching without the anointing of the Spirit is only a speech.  A prayerless preacher is a powerless preacher.  God help us not be be dependant on our own abilities, we must rely on Him.

2.  Preparation – Study, study, study.  An ill-prepared message is laziness.  We are communicating the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, for us to enter the pulpit with little preparation is taking our calling for granted.  I know we have busy weeks as pastors, but we must make sure that we are preparing to the best of our ability.  Dig for the truth from God’s Word.  Study the history of the text.  Look for something that will impact others lives.

3.  Passion – Be passionate about what you preach.  Let people know that it has affected your life.  If there is no passion in your heart for the message, you can guarantee there will be no passion for them to receive it.  Our messages should stir us before they ever stir anyone else.  Be transparent when you preach.  Let people know that you need that message as much as they do.  Passion is not how loud you preach or even a style of preaching.  Passion is simply you being moved by what you are preaching.

4.  Purpose – There must be a purpose in our preaching.  This is why I like series.  They help stay on a topic that is necessary for the church you minister.  There should always be direction in your message.  If you do not know where you are going, no one else will either.  Let there be purpose in what you communicate.  Will it change lives?  Will it bring maturity?  Will it answer questions biblically or are we only preaching what is fashionable for today?

5.  Practical – Every message should connect people’s everyday lives to the timeless Word of God.  The Bible is relevant and practical for today’s time.  It has the answer to all of life’s issues.  In fact, to be practical we must deal with the whole of the Word of God.  The sin and the promises.  Everything must be introduced in the lives of our congregation.  We should always endeavor to show them how the Word of God applies to where they are today.  The only way for people to find victory is by showing them that God has provided the victory over all of their lives.

6.  Pursuit – Last, our messages should always seek to draw people to a deeper relationship with God.  If they are unbelievers we should point them to salvation in Christ.  If they are believers we must teach them how to grow in their pursuit of Christ-likeness.

In every thing we do as communicators, we must learn that this is a holy calling and one day we will be accountable for how we ministered.  We must be careful that we do not follow the fads of preaching but rather what the Holy Spirit leads us to do in preaching. 

One last thing, it is wise to study other great communicators and see their styles and how they prepare their messages.  I have learned alot by just listening to other preachers.  We should listen, read and pray in our pursuit to become a great communicator.