Category Archives: vision

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! 

Three Kings Follow A Star

05 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by in vision

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Have you taken down your Christmas lights yet? Me either! For many, the holiday season runs through January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas. If you’ve never celebrated Three King’s Day, this might be the year to start a new tradition! What I love about this holiday is the story behind it. This Bible story can be found in Matthew 1, where a group of incredibly intelligent men (aka kings) follow a star that leads them to Jesus Christ, the Ultimate King!

At Skyline Church, we also follow a star. We call it our North Star, and we’re constantly realigning ourselves to make sure we’re headed in the right direction. A North Star keeps you on track when things may seem dark and dim. When you feel like you’ve lost your way, your North Star affirms that you’re right where God wants you to be. When doubt creeps in, you can rest assured knowing you’re headed in the right direction. 

A North Star is an important aspect of church alignment. Can you imagine the wise men arguing over which star they ought to follow? That wouldn’t be very wise at all. Thus, we too must rally together and align ourselves to the same purpose. If everyone is doing their own thing, you can be sure that we won’t get very far. But, if we’re all working toward the same goal, focused on the same North Star, great things can be accomplished for God’s Kingdom!
You may be wondering, what is Skyline Church’s North Star? While you may not hear us call it the North Star every day, you’ve probably heard us say … we exist to help people find and follow Jesus seven days a week. THAT is our North Star!  

We emphasize three words in this phrase. Find. Follow. And Seven. 

We emphasize FIND because Jesus did.
In Luke 19:10, Jesus said, “I have come to seek and save the lost.” And in Luke 15:7 He states, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Jesus always emphasized reaching the lost. 

We also emphasize FOLLOW. 
Once people are found, we’re committed to teaching them the relevance of scripture to today’s generation. We find and follow, we reach and teach. Everyone needs a next step in their spiritual walk. It’s the only way to keep moving forward. We have an intentional process of discipleship we take people through to help them reach their potential in following Jesus.

Lastly, we emphasize SEVEN. 
We believe walking with Jesus is something we do seven days a week, not just on Sunday. God’s mercies are new every morning and He is always doing something new. His teachings are applicable to all aspects of our life and we hope to walk through it with you every day.  

As Three Kings day approaches, I’m reminded of our North Star. Just as the North Star led the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus, our North Star serves as a compass, leading us where God wants us to go. It’s a powerful tool to get us through our darkest nights. If you don’t have a North Star, we’d love for you to join us on the journey of helping people find a follow Jesus seven days a week. 

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?

MODEL

30 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by in Church, grow, vision

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What does it look like to have a model faith? I’m not talking about a perfect faith. The faith journey is never one of perfection, but it should be one of progress. I’m talking about a way to practically model faith. Can you envision it?

My vision of a model faith is like a North Star. It doesn’t mean you’re there already, but it means there’s something that guides us and it’s something to look towards. I’ve told you this before, I’m a goal setter. I have about 10 categories for all the goals I’m setting out to accomplish … to be a better husband, dad, pastor, golfer (sometimes it’s more wishful thinking) but … it’s a very long list. Will I achieve them all? I certainly hope so!
By definition, a vision is: The future state of what you want to accomplish over time.

As a church we have a very clear vision. We’ve talked about it regularly all year long. Our vision is to become a model church in serving, caring, loving, and reaching our community in producing Champions for Christ. At the beginning of 2020, I asked God for a word of the year for our church. I wish I could say it was … COVID, Slam Diego, or something prophetic … but no, I didn’t know what 2020 would bring. The word God gave me was “model.” I want us to be a model church. A church that others come to with questions on how to bring the Gospel to more people!  We often ask, “What would the model church do in this situation?” It guides us like a North Star. 

Throughout the pandemic, we haven’t lost sight of our North Star. In fact, we have studied the COVID virus to ensure the safety of our community, we’ve connected with our people in a daily devotional called Today Matters, worshipped in person and online, served and blessed our first responders, held prayer meetings to pray for our governmental leaders, cleaned up various areas in our community, seen over 600 people make decisions to follow Christ, and even sent out a new church plant. All of this during a season where churches chose to close and remain closed for 8 months now. God doesn’t stop the kingdom advancing when the world decides to stop. 

We reopened in person services in June and found a way to continue sharing the gospel with those looking for hope! We are very thankful to the Lord that Skyline Church has thrived and set an example of what it looks like to both love and serve our community during extremely trying times. This group of Skyline pastors and staff is truly amazing. I am so grateful to be a part of this team. 

Now, let’s bring this home. How do we individually live out a model faith day in and day out in front of those 8-15 people we commonly connect with (even during this time) the New Testament calls our Oikos? The place we’ve got to turn to is, Hebrews 11. Here, God walks through examples of what a model faith looks like. Let’s look at three.

Right away in the first verse of Hebrews 11, it tells us exactly what faith is. “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead” (Hebrews 11:1). People often say things like, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But the first thing we have to do in order to have a model faith, is to believe it when we don’t see it.

The second thing we have to do in order to have a model faith, is to obey when it doesn’t make sense. In Hebrews 11:7, we read about Noah building an ark to save his family from a worldwide flood. The funny thing about Noah building the ark and preparing for a downpour was that it had never rained before. Or what about Abraham in Hebrews 11:8? He was called to move, leave his country, and go to a foreign land. Some of you may be thinking, that’s not so bad. But let’s remember, at the time, Abraham was 75 years old! 

So often, we want a guarantee before we move. But God wants to stretch our faith in order to grow us. Are you going to listen to God, or listen to your gut? Are you going to wait for security, or are you going to step out in faith even when you don’t understand it?

The third habit we need to exercise in order to build a model faith is to give when we don’t have it. If you’ve been a Christian very long, you know I’m not just trying to get you to empty your pockets because YOU have seen first hand how God has blessed you abundantly for giving in faith. The first example that Hebrews 11 gives is of Abel who offered a gift to God. It wasn’t how much Abel gave, it was HOW he gave. It’s never the amount, it’s always the attitude. It’s why one of our core values is You can’t out give God!

I’ll never forget one of my mentors who spoke into my life when he said, “Pastors are always afraid of talking about money because it turns people off. But you need to tell people, you need to tell business owners, the best time to give is when they are in the dumps. Tell them to give because that is when they need God the most!” 

Now, those who are well off and want to give, bless you. But, no matter who you are, you need to know that it’s not about the amount. It’s always about your heart. 

Many of you gave to Skyline Church at the end of the year last year when we talked about finishing strong in 2019. Little did we know that we’d be walking into an unprecedented season like the 2020 pandemic. Each of you that stepped out in faith and gave to the Lord through the church, have helped us keep the main thing the main thing … we’ve been able to live out our purpose of helping people find and follow Jesus seven days a week. Hundreds of people have made a decision to follow Christ and several more have found a church home when there were no churches to go to. Thank you for your faith! 

I realize this is a crazy time for so many people. But, I want to encourage you to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. Make it a goal to grow your faith in these unprecedented times. I want to encourage you to keep moving toward the North Star of a model faith by  believing when you don’t see it, obeying when it doesn’t make sense, giving when you don’t have it, and just KEEP going.

We don’t know what the elections will bring, what the holidays will bring, or even what 2021 will bring, but let’s be certain of what we hope for, with a confident assurance, that it WILL happen. 

Interested or Committed?

22 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by in comfort, grow, mission, Uncategorized, vision

≈ 5 Comments

What are you expecting God to do in your life?

There’s a law that God has established … I call it “the law of expectation.” The fact is, we tend to get what we “expect” out of life. We often see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, feel the way we expect to feel, and succeed at what we expect to succeed in. God says you get to choose! It’s actually “the law of faith,” because “according to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29). 

In Luke 17:5, we see the apostles ask the Lord to increase their faith! They had no idea how difficult that would be for them. The problem with acquiring more faith is the process.  We all want more faith, but nobody likes what it takes to get there. 

“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in something you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something you accept no excuses, only results.” 

–– Ken Blanchard

During this time of Covid craziness you might be wondering what God is up to in all of this. How is He going to use this for good, how in the world is my faith supposed to grow through this time? Well, that depends. Are you interested or committed to growing your faith? The next natural question is how does God increase our faith? … He tests it!

Everyday we have faith building opportunities. And, these times of quarantine, open, close, reopen, do this, don’t do that, can drive any person crazy. But, we have to be committed to seeing these problems as faith building opportunities.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t recognize conflicts or hardships as opportunities. Instead, we let our circumstances push us away from God. I believe this time of quarantine is more than a season of conflict, hardship, and restrictions. It’s actually a faith building opportunity!

You see, faith is like a muscle. It has to be worked out, stretched, and pulled with resistance … consistently. Just like consistency is key in getting bigger and stronger muscles, consistency is key in working out your faith muscle! In fact, James 1:3-4 reminds us of this when it says “… the testing of your faith produces perseverance … so that you may be mature and complete …”

A faith that stretches is uncomfortable, but it’s also healthy! Look at your faith like a tree. It requires nurturing and ultimately we hope to produce delicious fruit. But fruits don’t arrive over night. It’s the wind, rain, and storms that challenge the tree’s roots to go deeper and stabilize the tree before the season of harvest returns. 

I want to encourage you to continue to follow Jesus and live out Colossians 2:6-7 which says, 

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” 

Let the roots of your faith grow deeper throughout this time of Covid, no matter how long it lasts. If you are committed, your faith WILL become stronger. I’m confident that this time of quarantine is an opportunity that will lead you to trust God more than you ever have before. Use this time to allow your roots of faith to ‘grow’ to a whole new level.

The reason that your faith needs testing is because God wants to increase it! God is never going to say “you’ve arrived,” “there’s nothing else for you,” or “that’s all I have to teach you” … He’s always going to want us to take that next step of faith!

So let me ask you again … What are you expecting God to do in your life? Are you interested in Him working in your life or committed? Can you hang in there a little longer, lean on Him a little more, and trust Him to come through? Will you do it with an expectant heart knowing that He has promised to move according to your committed faith?

I am believing that your faith is going to grow in new ways and we’re going to come out of this season stronger than ever! I’m committed to it, and I expect it!