The Best Priest Ever!

Here is a link to a message I recently did at First Baptist Church, Davenport. It's a message about Jesus being the best priest ever! Enjoy.

Listen Here.

FORGIVENESS

Here's a link to a sermon I did on Forgiveness not long ago!

FORGIVENESS: HOW OFTEN?

Relentless Love

Gosh...my blogs get farther and farther apart. It is definitely a discipline I don't possess. Was reading my Bible this morning and came across this scripture. It touched me and so I thought I would share it with whoever.

"[GOD] relentlessly loves them as they sincerely live in obedience to your way." 1 Kings 8:23 (The Message)

I love the word relentlessly and to think that God loves me relentlessly just makes my day. I think of the things that I love...my daughter, my church, my family. Do I love them relentlessly? Unyielding, steady and persistent? While I love them it doesn't compare the love that God has for me. Wow...what a honor it is to be loved by the creator of the universe. I am so grateful today to be relentlessly loved by the King! Whooo Hooo!

Dottie - You Were A Good Dog!

You never realize how attached you are to a pet until they are gone. This past week has been very dramatic for the Conner family as we watched our 12 year old dalmatian go from her normal energetic self on Sunday to paralyzed and helpless in less than one hour. The Vet says she could have slipped a disc, had a blood clot, or possibly a tumor. They gave her some drugs and 5 days later there was no improvement. Friday we had to make a tough decision and put her down. It was a sad day for me. I'm not going to lie to you - I cried like a baby. Dottie left this world doing the one thing she loved to do - eating a Scooby Snack. Dottie was a great dog. She was an amazing friend. I will miss my spotted friend tremendously.

This is a Powerful Video

It has been a long time since I blogged. I really need to get back into the habit of blogging. I was checking out Brock Gill's site and found this video. It's a very powerful video. I would encourage you to check it out and let me know what you think.

Bored...

It's 10pm at my house, Emma is asleep, Amy's scrap booking and I am bored! It's too quiet. I don't know what to do...so I have spent the last two hours playing with a really cool Internet browser called flock. It's a really cool browser for you networking folks. It keeps track of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and others. I'm digging it and thought I would share it with you! You can check it out for yourself at flock.com! Have fun!

A Really Cool Video

Stop & Smell the Roses...

I was in one of the local coffee shops with my daughter Emma yesterday. We go there at least once-a-week after school to get an ice cream sundae (don't ask why we get one at a coffee shop). While sitting there with Emma I couldn't help but over hear the conversation that the owner and some of the patrons were having. They were talking about how grateful they were. Grateful for being able to see the sunrise each morning. Grateful for being able to smell the flowers. Grateful for being able to walk and see and live life. I got to be honest, it was refreshing to hear a conversation of gratitude rather then what I usually hear - grumbling. Grumbling about gas prices, jobs, bosses, spouses, and whatever else you can think of.

I left the coffee shop in a better mood than I went in. It's amazing how when we think on the good things that God has blessed us with how are outlook on life can change from half-empty to half-full! I really appreciate that coffee shop! I really appreciate the attitude of those folks. I really appreciate God for allowing me the opportunity to be an innocent bystander - I needed to stop and smell the roses myself yesterday!

Paul was on to something in his letter to the Philippians when he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always...and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:4-9, NIV) May the God of peace be with you today, tomorrow and forever!

Artwork

Daddy, What's Hell?

My six year old daughter, Emma and I were having a conversation the other night on the way home from church. The topic of discussion on this particular ride home was Hell. Emma wanted to know where Hell was, what it was like, and who went there. After we had a pretty detailed conversation about Hell she finished our conversation with these words as we pulled into the driveway: "Daddy, I gotta tell my friends about Jesus so that they don't go to Hell!"

The amazing thing was not just that my six year old daughter realized the consequences of a life without Jesus but the truly amazing thing that hit me was her genuine concern over the lostness of her friends. There was such conviction and compassion in her voice. She didn't just say this half-heartedly - there was a lot of "umpphh" behind what she said!

That night I was faced with my own lack of concern over the spiritual condition of those that live around me. I was confronted with my own lack of fervor over the lost in my community. In one single sentence from a six year old God reminded me of my responsibility as a believer - to tell others about Jesus. I have resolved to not let my daughter's enthusiasm to share Jesus surpass mine again - but to be more active in sharing Jesus with others. I am reminded of what John said in 1 John 4:10-11:

“This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

If we love others we ought to share the gospel with them. If you would like to hear more about Jesus I would be happy to share with you all about His love, compassion, mercy and grace for you. If you want to know more about how to live a life eternally secure in the Salvation of Jesus Christ I would be honored to tell you. If you need encouragment to share the Gospel with your neighbor - I am praying for you!

March 3, 2008

What's so special about March 3, 2008? It is the day that my daughter asked Jesus into her heart. Her mom and her were driving back from the Strawberry Festival singing, Here I Am to Worship along with the iPod. Out of the blue Emma asked her mom to turn down the radio and told her she wanted to pray and ask Jesus into her heart. After a few minutes of discussion my little girl prayed to receive Christ. She said she didn't want to live without Jesus, that she wanted Jesus to be with her always and that she wanted to live her life for him.

Our cars met side by side at a traffic light on 27 and Emma, with a huge grin on her face, rolled down her window and motioned for me to do the same in my car. I rolled down my window and heard her shout, "Daddy, I asked Jesus into my heart!" It was an amazing moment. You could see the joy in her little heart as she screamed those words out of the car window. I was so proud of her. We got home and talked about her decision. She is so excited and ready to be a follower of Jesus. March 3, 2008 my little girl gave her life to Jesus and this day has now become one of the most important days of my life! This is cause for celebration in the Conner home!

Amazing Prayer

I realize I am always bragging on my daughter but she's just so darn cute and I am so proud of her. Just the other day we were driving home from school and she was telling me about how one of her classmates stopped breathing in class that day. She was really concerned about the little guy and mid sentence she stopped and said, "Daddy, we need to pray for him right now!" I gotta admit, my eyes welled up with tears. Emma was genuinely concerned about her little friend and she wanted to talk to God and ask Him to take care of her little friend. It gets better. She didnt wait for daddy to pray - she just began to pray the most amazing prayer. I am so encouraged by her mountain size faith. The challenge for a dad is to continue to model that faith for her in the years to come. I have been so blessed by my little girl and thank God for her. Emma you rock little girl. Thanks for encouraging your daddy to keep loving God with that giant sized faith.

Life Truly Is Short

Yesterday I began my new position at First Baptist by visiting a young man who has been in the hospital since August due to a brain aneurysm. As we drove back from Tampa I was reminded that life is truly short. You never really know when your card may be punched. When your time is up. When game over. I began to think about that and couldn't help but ask myself - Am I making the most of every moment? It made life seem a little more surreal. It made me think about what I am doing here. Fortunately, the young man I visited is doing well. He is definitely not out of the woods and has a long way to go but it is obvious that God is not done with him. If you get the chance pray for Derek today. I am grateful for yesterday. For the reminder in my life that each day is a precious gift from God and I should use each day to make a difference in this world. Derek I am praying for you bro.

What Happened to the Clowns?

Yesterday was a great day between a father and a daughter. Emma and I had the opportunity to go see the Ringling Brothers Circus yesterday. It was so amazing to see the circus through the eyes of a 5 year old. Emma had the opportunity to try out the trapeze and try on some genuine circus costumes. We saw some amazing things. I gotta admit that I was bummed that there was only one clown in the entire show! How can you have a circus without 12 clowns coming out of the little car? I am disappointed in the lack of my face-painted friends. Please Ringling Brothers...send out the clowns. Clowns aside, Emma and I had the most amazing day!

Planting Churches - Part 1

Planting a church is hard. There, I said it. There is so much to do, so many people to love on, and visions to share. It can become so consuming. It can consume you. Not to mention the disappointments along the way. People will let you down. They will make empty promises. They will bail on you. They will be human. Someone asked me the other day for some advice on planting a church and three things came to mind immediately:

1. Don't do it if God hasn't called you to it! If God has not welled up within you a passion, a desire and a calling to plant a church do NOT go down that road. Birthing a church is painful. It's labor intensive. It drains your spirit. If God isn't in it you will crash and burn.

2. Protect Your Marriage. The last thing that the evil one desires is for a missional church to be birthed. It's the most dangerous kind church. It's alive. It's living on mission. It's becoming a refuge for the lost. So the evil one will do whatever it takes to destroy God's leader so that the birthing never happens or dies soon after birth. We all know that the evil one hits below the belt and there is nothing more devastating to a baby church than a marriage that is crippled. Guard your marriage. Make it a mighty fortress.

3. It's not for the faint at heart. Birthing a church is not for the squeamish. It's like walking among hungry lions at feeding time. It's the most treacherous roller coaster known to man. It take "kahunas" to give birth to a church. Make sure that you've got what it takes to survive the ride.

That's my top three. My good friend Hal warned me of each of these. I thought he was crazy. two years later I can say with absolutely no hesitation he was definitely right! Thanks for the warning bro!

Jesus told his followers to consider the cost to roll with Him. If your contemplating giving birth to a new church - no matter what it looks like - you might want to consider the cost now rather than later.

Miracles!

This week has been an week full of blessings. Amy and I got to go out on a date Monday night - just the two of us as one of our friends offered to watch Emma for us. On Tuesday I got to spend the afternoon with Emma at Disney World and she rode Space Mountain for her very first time and loved it! Then last night we had a very packed Community Group as two community groups combined into one for an evening of fun. It was a really sweet night as we gathered around one of our church families and prayed for their needs! It was so good!

I can hardly wait to see what tonight brings! I don't know about you but I am learning how to find so much joy in the little things that God does in my life. These little things are 'miracles'. They are gifts from God. I believe that Highlands is one of those 'miracles'. It is a church that is becoming. I hope that you are a part of the miracle! Hey, birthing a church is painful, just like any birth, but the rewards following makes it so worth it!

I look forward to seeing what kind of church Highlands becomes! I believe that God wants it to grow, to be about changing lives, and to multiply into many churches!

The Courage Of My 5 Year Old

Tonight was an amazing night. Tonight was one of those nights that makes you proud to be a dad. Tonight was all about a father and his daughter spending time together at Disney World. But this night was extra special. For this was Emma's first time to ride Space Mountain and guess what? She loved every second of it! I was so surprised when the coaster came to a screeching stop that she was grinning ear to ear. I thought for sure she would be so scared that we would never get on a coaster again. She was so courageous. I was so proud of her. Oh, by the way, it was her idea to ride Space Mountain. Honestly there was no coercing or even bribery on my part. She ran through the line, jumped in the seat and launched into space all on her own! Needless to say I am pumped...my daughter is just like her dad - a roller coaster junkie.

On the ride home I was thinking about Emma's courage and asking myself - why is it so hard for us to have that kind of courage when it comes to our journey with God. Why am I so afraid to share my story with others. Why do I hesitate to ask my waitress what I can pray for? Why do I not talk to my neighbors more often? Why is it that my 5 year old daughter can get on a huge roller coaster (for a 5 year old) and not think twice about it and sometimes I find myself struggling to share my story with the lady that cuts my hair?

Then it came to me - I don't have the courage of my 5 year old. What did Jesus say? Come as a child (Matthew 18:3). I have so much to learn from my little girl. Her passion for life. Her amazing trust in God and her fearless heart. I want so much to be like my 5 year old daughter.

Anyway, today was a great day...a milestone in her little life - today was the day my 5 year old daughter rode Space Mountain for the first time and loved it! You know what her first words were when we got off the ride were? Let's do it again! Let's do it again! Maybe I will begin to have that kind of passion after I share my story tomorrow. Let's do it again! Let's do it again, God!

A Page Out of My Journal

"Deny Self" 9-4-07

"This is one of the only requirements that you made to follow you - deny myself, take up my cross and follow you (Mark 8:34). How does one live on the narrow road in Matthew 7:13 that always leads away from self - my road tends to lead me straight back to me. How do I get off this train wreck of self-gratification? How do I reflect everything to you in this very selfish culture? I want to submerge - no, I want to drown myself in you - dying to my self - and brought back to life with the true mark of one of your followers - self denial. So much to die to - my fears, my pride, my stubbornness, my "I can do it" attitude, my selfish desires. Could this dying to self be the home of joy? Does that fruit of the Spirit called joy live in this land of denying self? If so, I am ready, I am ready to dive in to the pool of denying self. I am ready to drown my selfishness and rescue my life of joy by taking up my cross, denying my self, and following You! Here I go - one, two, three - splash!"

How's Your Storytelling Going?

Well, we wrapped up the Network two weeks ago yet the mission remains - to become an avid storyteller. Last week at Community Group we spent some time talking about where we were in our storytelling. A lot of us are nervous and that's okay. I want to encourage you to practice telling your story regularly. Grab some coffee with a friend and practice sharing your story with them. What's that saying, "Practice makes perfect." While I wouldn't worry about perfection, I would definitely encourage you to practice. This week at our community group we are going to take 15 minutes to practice our stories on one another. I truly believe God has called us to be a church made up of people who willingly share their story. That's one of the marks of a follower of Christ - one that shares the story! I hope you will share your story. I would love to hear about your experiences in sharing your story as well. If your not sure how to share your story or need help sharing your story I would love to help!

Been Tattooed?

It has been awhile since I last entered a blog, huh? Yesterday me and three of my pastor friends spent the day in Orlando visiting a variety of Tattoo shops as "research" for our upcoming message series called, The Marks of a Disciple. I know you are wondering right away, did anyone get a tattoo? Ricc, did you get a tattoo? Well, I'm not saying I did and I'm not saying I didn't.

So while we were visiting the shops one of the tattoo artists said this, "if you believe it then why don't you wear it?" What a statement. If we believe we are followers of Christ then why don't we wear the markings of a follower of Christ. Woooo hoooo, that's good stuff. Paul said it this way in Galatians 6:17, "Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."

I have been spending the morning asking myself, "Ricc, do you bear the marks of a follower of Christ?" That is where the journey begins...defining what those marks are. I am sure there a few and just like tattoos they should become a part of who we are. "If you believe then why don't you wear it?" That tattoo guy was right. Do you believe? Do you bear the marks of what you believe? By the way, my friend Joel got to share His story with that tattoo artist. Maybe one day soon he will bear the marks of Jesus.

Till next time keep running the race and keep sharing your story!