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inauguration day

As I begin writing this, the clock just struck midnight EST on January 20th, 2009.  Now, I really don't like to blog about politics, but today's Inauguration is history, not politics.  I just can't allow the 2009 Inauguration go by without saying something about the significance of the day and our responsibilities as Christians as a result.

As an American, I believe that today is a watershed day in our country's quest to blot out the dark and destructive mark of racism from our history.  Regardless of where you stand politically, you simply cannot deny that the Inauguration of Barack Obama today is a benchmark in our nation's history.  Barack Obama taking the oath of office is, in some sense, the culmination of the sacrifice of those who died for the abolition of slavery and those who stood boldly against the strong tide of  racism and bigotry that gripped our nation during the past century.

As a Christian, I believe we have a God-inspired obligation to pray for our nation's leadership, including and especially for President-Elect Barack Obama.  In I Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts us that "...requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Christians, we ought to heartily support President Obama on those issues with which we agree; we should respectfully, resolutely and appropriately oppose him on those issues with which we disagree; but more importantly, we should passionately and specifically pray for President Obama often!  For more information on how we can pray for our new president, visit The Presidnetial Prayer Team's website.  Let's join together in prayer, starting today, for our new Presidnet, Barack Obama!

prayer pillar #2

Yesterday there was a "vacationer" at our church. He and his family were there for two weeks in a row, vacationing from rural Arkansas. I could tell by his voice and by his questions that he was a pastor, but I didn't confirm that until yesterday. He was a very kind guy and we had several good but brief conversations.

The question that he asked me yesterday caught me by surprise. However, my initial answer almost surprised me even more. He asked me, "To what do you attribute your growth and recent people making professions of faith in our church campus?" Without hesitation I answered by saying "prayer".

My shock was that I'm really beginning to believe that prayer is our main source of strength! I think he was looking for newspaper adds, slick marketing, outreach, BBQ at schools. And all of those would have been good answers, but they are second tier. There is no doubt that because our campus is praying people are starting to get saved. I desire us to be a church campus dedicated to prayer, that is why I'm introducing the second prayer pillar....small group prayer!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be visiting all of our Island small groups to encourage and challenge them. One of the things that I'll be focusing on is getting our small groups praying for our campus here on Hilton Head Island and for the 26,000 people who don't have a church home. In the first church, probably in very small groups, the disciples dedicated themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42-47). We should do the same, and we will! I look forward to seeing all that God will do when our small groups begin to pray!

prayer pillar #1

Any church worth its weight is a praying church. What would happen if we did this thing called church without the power of God's Spirit and without us actually, you know, asking Him to help? NOTHING. That is exactly right. We would stay right where we are. Now, we would still have a cool engaging Sunday worship service and we would probably be pretty comfortable asking our friends to come to church. However, there would be limits....many limits.

So let's ask a different question. What would happen if we really intentionally commit ourselves to praying for LCC and for the people who don't have a church home who live on our Island? The answer, ANYTHING. You see, we are limited people serving a limitless God! If we really committed ourselves to prayer, the sky is the limit and we will be amazed at what God WILL do in and through LCC-HHI. Jeremiah 29:12b says: "...call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

Over the next few weeks I'll be introducing five prayer pillars that I'd like us as a church campus to be committed to. If just a handful of us do just half of what I'll introduce, God WILL bless our efforts. If we all do everything that I introduce, well then just look out!

The first prayer pillar I'd like for us to be committed to is Regular Prayer Gatherings: We will offer weekly and regular prayer gatherings at LCC-HHI and often will do this combined with both campuses. Here are a few examples: * Every Thursday from about 11:30 - 11:50 AM we pray in my office on the HHI campus. ANYONE is invited to join us. We pray about anything from the most personal to the most far reaching. * Evey Sunday we pray over our Worship Service and Promiseland at 10:00AM. Come on in and join us for a few minutes praying for God to bless our Sunday! * This coming Sunday (9/21) at 6pm our two campuses will come together for a prayer event called Face Down. It will be held on the Bluffton campus and Cynthia will be leading worship. For directions and childcare information check our main website. Join me by committing to be a part of as many of these gatherings as possible. See you on Sunday morning.