A perfect cross between Jim Carey’s recent film “Yes Man,” and the parts of the Bible most people find hardest to comprehend and live out, Thome does an excellent job of boldly confronting the issues in America today that give Christians a bad name, as well as how to change it.  He describes in simple detail what each person must do to truly experience a life of freedom and what the “abundant life” is really all about.

Starting with a bang and ending with the emotion of an Independence Day fireworks experience, Free Book is a must read for every pastor, church planter, small group leader, and a vital part of any New Believer class or course.  He portrays the perfect balance of Grace and Truth that Jesus represented better than any other author or book I’ve ever read.

A 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

After meeting with a good friend of mine this week, I started contemplating more and more the message that we want to send out as we launch our church in the Carrollton area in just a few short months.  We’ve been using the slogan  “A Real Church for Real People” for a while, but feel like we need to add more to further clarify who we are, and what we’re doing.

Remember,  we’re not trying to compete with other churches, criticize what they’re doing, and we’re especially not trying to take people from one church to come to our new one.  We want to reach people far from God.  People who know there’s more to life, but haven’t found it yet.  People with no purpose or sense of direction in life.  We’re reaching out to the broken and hurting people in the Carrollton community.  What we’re doing is building a church for people who don’t do church.  We’re building a hospital for broken, hurting, and damaged souls. Essentially, we are changing the way people think about church.

In looking at what we’re about, what we’re doing, and who we’re after, we came up with another slogan we’ll use from time to time, in some of our messages.  A slogan inspired by the characters in the movie, inspired by friends, and inspired by people who really want to hear it.  Our new message is simple:  Not Religion.  Just Jesus.

When people hear of our name, Reality Church, we want them to these things we call slogans are really just the images, emotions, and words we want them to associate with it:

• A Real Church for Real  People;
• Church for People Who Don’t Do Church;
• Changing the Way You Think About Church.

And now, Not Religion.  Just Jesus

What do you think?  Which one speaks most to you?

Every time I read this verse, I’m reminded of the Casting Crowns song, American Dream. Great song about the importance of things – being the right person instead of doing the things that don’t matter.  Please take the time to watch the powerful video here American Dreams.

I remember when I first started reading Proverbs on a regular basis several years ago.  Whenever I came across one of the very many “righteous vs. wicked” versus, I always thought that it meant those people who do the right things.  Makes sense, right?  Righteous would logically equate with doing right.  Naturally, the opposite would also be true – the wicked would be those who did bad things.

It wasn’t too long ago that God really clarified this in my mind, and ultimately in my life.  Righteousness is about who you are, not what I do.  Jesus told us, and Paul reiterated it several times – the only true righteous person is the one who believes in Jesus.  Jesus Followers are the righteous.

When that fact finally hit me, what a relief!!  What a load it took off my shoulders knowing that there weren’t 613 items I had to do to be righteous.  There’s no checklist I have to follow.  No formula that tells me whether I’m righteous or not.  I just have to know God, believe in Jesus – which means living life and loving others like He did.

Truly, life isn’t as hard now that I know the truth.  It’s more about who I am than what I do.

Who are you?

Please take the 3 1/2 minutes it takes to watch this video from my friends at West Ridge Church. You won’t regret it.

Truthfully, the phrase “Happy Holidays” has never really bothered me.  Maybe it’s because I like it better than “Merry Xmas.”  Maybe it’s because it’s a step forward for those normally rude and negative people in actually saying something nice and encouraging to others.

Or maybe it’s because I know the secret meaning behind “happy holidays.”

The word ‘holiday’ is actually the lazy American’s word for “Holy Day.”  Throughout the history of all religions (and the history of the world) a Holy Day has been a day of dedication to religious observance – and Christmas is the most popular, well-known, and observed day of religious/spiritual commemoration.  It stands as the day of celebration in which we commemorate God arriving in human form to live and lead among us – through the birth of Jesus.  In American Christianity, it has become the holiest of Holy Days.

But as is typical of most things American, wishing someone happiness as they observe a Holy Day was just too much effort, and so the two words were combined into the one word “holiday.”  And while on the surface, replacing the word ‘holiday’ for the word ‘Christmas’ in someone’s wish of happiness for others may seem as downplaying the religious basis for the day (and the season that surrounds it).  The truth is it actually reinforces the holiness of the day.

So whether they know it or not, I know when someone tells me “happy holidays” they are wishing me a happy “Holy Day.”

That’s why it doesn’t bother me to be told to Happy Holidays – because it’s someone else giving a blessing to my commemoration of the Holy Day.

Does it bother you?

Just as has happened since the beginning of the New Testament Churches, the vast majority of churches that reach the non-believers in their community are the new churches that are started within communities. However, most pastors of more established churches are resistant to new churches starting in their community. Despite the very strong territorial mindset many such pastors possess, they give many other reasons for not wanting new churches in their community, including: 1) we don’t need new churches if we can’t fill the ones we have; 2) “their” church cannot afford to lose the “good” people who would leave to go help start a new church; and 3) new churches will cause division in the existing churches of the communities.

However, according to the North American Mission Board:
- In 1900, there were 27 churches for every 10,000 Americans
- In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans
- In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans
- In 2004, there were 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.

The facts remain, there are not as many churches to reach out to American non-believers as there used to be, or as there should be. Currently, there is only one church for every 1,000 Americans. Evangelism is dying in America, and the primary area that it’s dying the most is in established churches in communities. Existing, established churches become numb to reaching non-believers as more and more attention is paid to taking care of the current membership. Thus, one of the most important reasons for new churches to be started in a community is to reach the non-believers for Christ.

According to C. Peter Wagner, author of “Church Planting for a Greater Harvest,” “the single most evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches.” Historically, the entire country is based on over 300 years of starting new churches – it is the most effective method for expanding the American church and for saving people.

The simple fact is that new churches reach more new people while established churches reach more established people. New churches are more likely to focus on the needs of non-believers in the community, while established churches are more likely to focus on the needs of the members of the church.

Reality Church is launching in the Carrollton community to serve the hurting, broken, and lost people of the community. The people that Jesus misses most – those that are struggling, searching, and seeking. We are launching to reach the people other churches have forgotten!

Come be a part of what God’s doing in Carrollton.

We too are made for a specific purpose. Romans 8:28, along with many other verses, speak of this very thing – that God created and called us according to a purpose He has for us. As man, we are also made to operate in certain conditions. Many times, however, we tend to put ourselves in circumstances that we know are wrong or that we cannot succeed in. Or, we try to do things that God did not create us to do. Beethoven likely would have been among the worst authors had he devoted his time to writing rather than his purpose of creating beautiful music.

Whenever we try to do what we were not created to do, or rather try to operate in circumstances we know we are not meant for, we will fail – and disaster will soon follow. We are all created for a reason, for a purpose, and true happiness, success, prosperity, and the abundant life are only found in living out that purpose God created us for.

Do you know what your purpose is?