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One Word

12 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by in mission, vision

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One word can change your life. Scripture tells us that words can set a fire (James 3:6), or words can heal (Proverbs 16:24). The Bible also says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Proverbs 18:21).
That’s why I was very intentional about praying and asking God about a word to focus on in 2021 at Skyline Church. We serve a good God who cares for His children. He wants to steer us in the right direction and keep us from stumbling. He’s not a God of difficult discourse but of clarity. After much prayer, God has confirmed that we are going to set our thoughts, actions, and habits on the word, THRIVE, in 2021. I talked more about this word in my recent blog “Word Of The Year”.

I’m curious … have you ever chosen a word of the year? I want to encourage you to have a word to focus on this year. Words are very powerful!Our thoughts become words, our words become actions, and if our actions become habits, they determine who we become. Proverbs 23:7 says it like this, “As he thinks within himself, so he is” (KJV).Here are three easy steps to choosing a word of the year:

1. Ask: Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”And in James, it says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”
Take some time to pray with God and talk to Him about your needs. There IS something God wants to do through YOU this year! What is it?

2. Anticipate: When a word comes to mind, write it down! You may start with several words and over the course of a few days or weeks it becomes clearer and clearer which word it is. Anticipate three ways to keep yourself focused on this word throughout the year! What new habits will you need to make to keep your word of the year at the forefront of your mind?

One thing that helps me, is telling others about my word. It keeps me accountable and encourages me to stay focused. Share your excitement with others and invite them to pick a word too.

 3. Acknowledge: God has no limits when it comes to revealing this word to you. Everyone will have a different experience. Your word may not make sense right away, but as you pray and confirm it, make sure to acknowledge that God chose this word for a reason!

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I’m curious to know what your word of the year is! Let me know what word you’ll be focusing on this year by filling out a Connection Card at SkylineChurch.org or commenting below! 

2022 Word Of The Year

05 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by in Challenge, Church, Decisions For Christ, Holiday, Oikos, Salvation, small groups, Volunteer, Worship

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Every year I pray and go through a process for a Word of the Year for our church for the coming year.  For 2021 God gave me the word THRIVE. In all the chaos of the season when people were suffering and reeling from Covid and all the governmental mandates and division that came from it, people were just trying to survive in 2020.  We decided that wasn’t good enough, and God made it clear that we are to Thrive. We have certainly experienced a thriving at Skyline Church. Over 1,176 decisions for Christ, 233 baptisms, over 15,000 people at Christmas nights––we’re seeing God move, and Skyline is thriving with more and more people! Over the last several months as I’ve asked the Lord for the word of the year for 2022, it became clearer and clearer that Rooted is the word for Skyline Church.

2022 Word Of The Year: Rooted

Def:  To establish deeply and firmly 

I believe the main reason God gave me this word is because we have so many people that have made a decision for Jesus but are not connected any more than a Sunday service. Pre-covid the national average for church attendance was 1.3 times a month. This is someone who claims to be a Christian and claims a home church! There’s no way to establish a deep and firm root base at 1.3x a month.

Rooted In Scripture

At Skyline Church, we’re not interested in building a crowd. That’s where it starts for sure, and of course we want to see crowds of people saying YES to Jesus. But we don’t just want a Sunday event, we want a Sunday fellowship! We want to truly help people get rooted in their faith, rooted in the church, and rooted in our community.

We have to disciple people and show them how to live out the process. Colossians 2:6-7, “And now, just as you (1) accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must (2) continue to follow him. (3) Let your roots grow down into him, and (4) let your lives be built on him. (Result: 5) Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and (6) you will overflow with thankfulness” (Emphasis mine). 

Process

We see the process stated above in Col. 2:6-7. It all starts with a decision for Christ. But then, our work really begins. We’ve got to help them get connected and rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to teach them how to build their lives on Him. Only then, will their faith grow strong in the truth they are taught and that will cause them to overflow with thankfulness.

Are You Rooted?

I’m asking you to think through what rooted means in your walk with Christ. How can you get more rooted and how can you help others get more rooted (more connected) in 2022? Do you need to root yourself, your children, and your family? While we’ll always be focused on our Oikos, this year Skyline will be even more intentionally focused on helping people grow deeper roots whether they are brand new to the faith or have been a Christian for many years.

The first teaching series of the year will be called Rooted and it begins this Sunday January 9. We will look at key biblical practices that help people get rooted in the faith. Join us this Sunday at Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego, Lakeside, Kansas, or Online. 

This is going to be a GREAT YEAR as we see more and more people establishing deep and firm roots in their faith!

Word Of The Year

13 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by in mission, vision

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Whenever it came time to make a tough decision in 2020, which happened often, we came back to one word. Our word of the year, at Skyline Church, was Model. Whether it meant pivoting to online services, reopening our doors, or keeping our doors open, we have strived to exemplify a Model Church. 

Every year, through prayer and seeking the Lord, I choose a word for our church that will help us seek God’s will for our community and church family. While we didn’t know COVID was coming this year, God did! And it’s by His grace alone that we have had a firm footing in the journey of serving our community throughout the 2020 Pandemic. We continuously asked ourselves, what would a model church do. We have kept the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of our community at the forefront of our decision making. In doing so, God’s church has flourished! Despite all the circumstances, hurdles, and challenges … Skyline Church has welcomed 665 NEW decisions for Jesus Christ … and counting! (If you were one of those, say hi below!) Every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God.

We’re in awe of the work God has done through our church family. For us, becoming followers of Jesus is not just something we do on Easter and Christmas, or even just on Sundays. We exist to help others find and follow Jesus SEVEN days a week. That explains how we’ve seen more than a person a day making a decision to follow Jesus Christ in a year as daunting as 2020. 

Every year comes with its highs and lows, but this year stands out exponentially. History books will one day mark people, churches, businesses, and communities just trying to survive in 2020. That is why our word of the year for 2021 is … THRIVE! John 10:10 tells us that, “the thief” (satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have abundant life! We’re believing in that promise FULLY for the year ahead. Faith in Jesus Christ is where we’re meant to thrive, not just survive. And though you may feel like you are just trying to stay afloat and make it through this year, God’s church is standing firm FOR and WITH you. We’re relentlessly dedicated to sharing the truth and relevance of God’s Word for YOUR life! 

No matter what 2021 brings, we’re committed to sharing God’s truth with a generation that needs hope to cope. We plan on thriving in the process, not just skating by. So invite your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family … In the New Testament original language of Greek, those people in your relational network are known as your Oikos. Invite them all! We want everyone to experience God’s goodness, promises, and faithfulness at new levels of authenticity. This is the year for us to rise and THRIVE! You may feel like you don’t have it all together, and that’s okay! No perfect people allowed here! We’re all figuring it out together. This next year will encapsulate new heights, unexplored possibilities, and untapped inspiration. Our word, THRIVE, is going to catapult us into a prosperous year of growth and worship. We believe it! Do you see it?

Are You Wrestling?

27 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in Church, comfort, Exercise, grow, Uncategorized

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Who are you wrestling with in your life? Your spouse, your kids, an in-law, a neighbor? Or maybe you’re wrestling with your finances, a car, your job, or even your health. One thing for sure is we’re all wrestling with the restrictions and affects of this quarantine right now. 

IT’S. NOT. EASY.
 
If you’re in a wrestling match right now … congratulations!! If you’re encountering a conflict in your life, the problem is likely deeper than you realize. YOU my friend, are wrestling with God. Let’s take a look at Genesis 25 and 32. 

Genesis 25: Here we find a man’s life that can be described in one word … conflict. To give you some background, Jacob was born fighting with his twin brother, Esau, literally came out of the womb “grasping the heel of his brother” vs 25:21-26.  Later, Jacob tricked his brother out of his inheritance (vs 29-34). To say Esau was not happy with Jacob would be an understatement. But it wasn’t long before Jacob got a taste of his own medicine! He was tricked by a man named Laban. 

After working for Laban the agreed upon seven years to marry his daughter, Rachel, Jacob was told it would cost him another seven years of labor to gain the blessing of marrying Rachel. Talk about a long engagement! After 14 years, it was time to part ways from Laban, and Jacob planned to sneak his new family out of town. The only problem was, Jacob had no where to go except back to his hometown where another problem awaited, his brother Esau.

Genesis 32:  When Esau heard that his brother was coming home, it wasn’t water under the bridge. Esau sent an army of 400 men to face Jacob.  Like many of us, Jacob was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His options were slim and none and he was facing the consequences of a lifetime of bad choices. Jacob was terrified(Genesis 32:7). And he finally surrendered and prayed to the Lord (Genesis 32:9-11).

The problems you’re facing with your spouse, career, appearance, you name it …  is only a mere symptom of a greater conflict in your life. The Bible tells us that Jacob spent the next night, literally, wrestling with God. How many of us know who is going to win that match? Like Jacob, you and I know that we’re going to wear out before God does. But did you know that God actually wants to wrestle with you? Wrestling is a contact sport. It doesn’t bother God to wrestle with you, to hear your complaints and your anger and your needs. Why? Because it means that you’re up close to Him. Your relationship is finally getting personal. For you it may sound like shouting … WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?! Why are you doing this God?! When will this end?! etc. etc… And that’s okay! God blesses those who realize their need for Him (Matthew 5:3).

Jacob may have surrendered by turning to God, but he wasn’t ready to change his ways. He and God wrestled ALL night. Maybe you’re in the same boat. Maybe you’re open to having a conversation with God, but are you willing to let Him call the shots? Jacob and God wrestled to the point where God says it’s time to call it. It’s a momentous turning point for Jacob. Is he going to change his ways or not? To which Jacob responds, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Can you imagine?! Listen to the incredible passion Jacob displays here. He’s literally clinging to the Lord and refusing to let go until he get’s what he needs. He’s like a kid holding on to their dad’s ankle as the dad walks down the hall. And God does bless him and leaves him a little reminder to carry with him the rest of his life. From that all night wrestling match with God, Jacob was left with a permanent limp. A reminder that he could not run from his problems any longer. Instead of running, he needed to rely on God. 

If you’ve been a Christian very long, I can bet you have a specific limp. No, it may not be a literal walking limp, but the limp I’m referring to is a reminder that God left with you to keep you humble and to keep you reliant on Him. You came through that all night wrestling match, but you’ll never be the same, and you thank God for that. 

Though these are difficult times, it’s a great time to dig deeper in your relationship with the Lord. “Consider it all joy… when you encounter various trials”(James 1:2). Hold on until God blesses you! Ask hard questions! Wrestle it out! Seek first the Kingdom of God because I promise that, “He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion,” (Philippians 1:6).

As We Open Soon, How Should We Respond?

06 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in emergency room, Uncategorized

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I appreciated the response to my last post on the current situation as I researched the Covid claims. Yes, I even appreciated the voices that disagreed. That is the beauty of our Nation, we have the constitutional right to free speech and freedom of religion. And, it is important that we speak up and make sure we continue to keep our rights. So, I’m glad for those who feel free to voice their disagreement and prove how wrong they are 🙂 (settle down I’m just messing with you).

Not yet, but soon, we will launch into our “normal” lives again. There will certainly be a new normal and there are certainly people on all sides of the Covid claims. What are we to do? I think if there is one word to describe how we should respond it is the word, Grace. The reality is, everyone is different. And, so are all churches. It takes different kinds of churches to reach different kinds of people. Your church may open later than ours, or your church may be open now! Different businesses will open at different times, either way, Grace must be extended no matter when businesses and churches open again.

Speaking of Skyline Church, we will open as soon as possible with safety parameters in place. Some people will believe that by opening at all we could be endangering lives. Others believe we should be open by now and are bowing to the Government and allowing our Constitutional rights to be stomped on. The truth is, you cannot please everyone, and trying to will drive you insane. However, we can make the wisest decision based on the most updated data and figure out a phased opening strategy that takes into account all people from all levels of fear to confidence.

One of the main issues we will all need to guard against, whether it is in our church or our community in general is division. The enemy would love nothing more than to divide us and he loves it when we drive a stake in the ground and exclude segments of our society. If we are not careful, we will be throwing stones and calling the cautious people “soft” and the confident people “reckless.” It’s no different than when Paul told the Corinthian Church, “Some will eat only vegetables, some will eat meat, don’t judge them.” Things can get ugly very quickly if we’re not careful. We must remember that God has called us to unity. That doesn’t mean we can’t have different opinions, it just means we need to understand our differences, appreciate them, and move forward understanding that we will all act differently based on our own convictions. Below, I’d like to give some Covid-19 profiles and see where you might fit. Please comment and let me know which one you are. I’d be curious to see where people are in general right now. You can also visit our website at http://www.skylinechurch.org and take the full survey.

Covid-19 Profiles

Cautious: Those who primarily stay at home, follow every aspect of the CDC guidelines and regulations and prefer to stay extra conservative about their return to “normal.”

Confident: Those who don’t and won’t wear a mask, spend greater amounts of time with people outside their home and don’t mind being around other people they may not know, they obey the law but don’t necessarily worry much about going all the way with precautions, favor opening up businesses and churches now regardless of the news, and some think this crisis has been blown way out of proportion.

Cautiously Confident: Those who find themselves doing and feeling a little bit of everything in both profiles.

Here’s the point, it’s ok to have a different profile. The temptation is to look at your profile and let your own opinion dominate your perspective. Personally, I am confident. I have done the research, I have seen the numbers, I have spoken with our local leaders and I understand where we are as the County of San Diego (and other counties for that matter) and I firmly believe it’s time to reopen. Based on the information from our County Supervisors we are at phase 4 and almost at phase 5. Phase 5 would allow San Diego to be completely open. The data shows that we are close to being at phase 5 yet we remain closed because of the Governors order. Therefore, we remain at phase 1 moving toward phase 2 tomorrow and Friday. Our Board of Supervisors have just put forward a request to the Governor that we can be independent of the State mandate and move our phasing forward. This is extremely good news. I have been working with local and state authorities to have a plan in place that other churches may want to use as well to open as soon as possible. However, I can still have a conversation with you and appreciate your viewpoint if yours is different than mine. I will never attack you for that, I hope you don’t attack me but even if you do, I’ll still have a conversation with you. You may do your research and come to a completely different conclusion than me. Again, that’s one of the great things about our country, free speech and free opinions.

Free speech and free opinions does not mean we must become divisive. We have to be careful when considering our profiles. For highly confident optimists, the tendency is to view others as much too conservative and bowing to fear and not faith– which can be true of all of us at times. Confident types tend to think, “The results of the stay at home order are now worse than the virus.”

For the cautious types, confident optimists may be seen as too relaxed and not caring about the health and well-being of others. Cautious types tend to think, what can possible be gained by opening too soon. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

No matter where you are I think it would benefit all of us to have 4 attitudes for Covid-19 recovery that will strengthen our ability to be unified as we navigate different views and approaches to opening up again.

  1. Optimistic people are a blessing. They bring hope and encouragement and see things of uncertainty as opportunities.
  2. Thank God for cautious people in my life. It keeps me sensitive to the thoughts and concerns of others and enables me to make the most prudent decisions.
  3. Watch out for Pride. Pride always demands things our own way. Pride always leads us farther away from God. Different gifts and different approaches make up the full body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12).
  4. I love people more than I love my opinion. Being in healthy relationships is a joy and a gift and it requires me to love others above myself.

The bottom line is Jesus dealt with so many different opinions and attitudes as He walked the earth and led people to salvation. One thing was constant, He always chose LOVE. In the end, this attitude should come through above all other opinions.

We may not agree on the proper timing or method to reopen, but I sure hope you know I love you, I care about you and I want what’s best for you. When the crisis winds down, there will be plenty of people who got some things right, and plenty who got some things wrong. There will be those who blew things out of proportion, and those who didn’t take things as seriously as they should have. Some will take longer to go out to restaurants, businesses and churches again while others will be in a rush (or are already there).

What will it matter, if all this social distancing ends and we are divided and socially distant again and not because of the virus, but because of our inability to accept different approaches to the Covid-19 crisis. Unity always requires Grace.

We want you to know, when we reopen we will have a place for you no matter where you are in the cautious to confident spectrum. We love you and can’t wait to see you. You matter to God and you matter to us.