35.6% through the Bible…

Hey there,

I’m now 35.6% finished with my most current attempt to read through the Bible.  I’m in the middle of 2nd Chronicles.

I’ve signed up for a plan to complete it in 90 days.  In the past, and I’ve attempted it many times, I’d sign up for/commit to a plan to read through the entire Bible over a year.  I was never able to make it through, and was hoping a shorter commitment would work out better.

Things I’ve been thinking about lately:

• God is Holy
  • He really is, holy, set apart, distinct.  Thinking about the OT, the rules, the laws, the plan for how they were supposed to live in a relationship with God.  It’s covered like 3 different times, do this, do that, don’t to this, don’t do that.  They had everything they needed to follow this but still failed.  Just like us today.  But I rarely, well, I used to rarely think about how Holy God really is, and how we’re called to the same Holiness.  Awesome stuff.

• The OT is fully of good stuff that applies today!!!
  • We host a Bible study on Wednesday nights.  We’re going through the book of James currently.  It’s been neat to see how much of what I’m reading through has applied to the same things we’re studying on Wednesdays.  It’s so good.

• Staying in the Word is beneficial.
  • Since being a “player” in the church I’ve read the Bible a lot.  It almost always had to do with preparing a message, or for a study, or doing research.  This is the first time I’ve been consistent in reading through the Word for the sake of spending time in it.  It’s really been a blessing to me.

If anybody is interested in signing up for a read through the Bible I would recommend signing up for YouVersion.  If you’ve got an iPod or iPhone they’ve got an app for it as well, so you can take the reading with you.

It’s a new year; lets try this again…

OMG!!! Look at that beard!!!

Haley, Rachel: I’m sorry I’ve not been supportive of the blog for so long.  I’m not trying to make excuses; it just had to be moved down on the priority list for a while.  Thanks for keeping it up, and posting a couple times.  I’ve decided to get back into it again, because, as you’ll read, Marissa and I are trying to be better stewards; again.

To the World at large, well, read through the pages and you should be able to understand where we’re at.  This post is all about short quick statuses to get everybody up to speed on what I’ve been up to.

Family:

1. We had family over for the holidays, tons of people.  We came and went to Florida for a few days.  The holiday’s were cool, but I’m glad they’ve come and gone.  I’m looking forward to normal life again.
2. The kids continue to get bigger and bigger.  God has blessed me with attractive kids… teenage and puberty are going to be great!!!
3. Marissa still loves me, praise the Lord!

Ben:

1. I’ve got a beard!!!!   It took a lot of getting used to, but I’ve got the hang of it now.
2. I’m 7.67% done with my latest attempt to read through the Bible cover to cover.  After trying and failing so many times to complete a 1 year plan, I’ve opted for a 90 day plan.  It’s about 12 to 15 chapters a day and it’s going well so far… 8 days in and I haven’t fallen behind yet.  Something about reading and seeing so much history in each sitting makes it seem more like a book and less compartmentalized then it does when I read just a little each day.
3. I’m trying to loose weight and get healthy.  My Wii avatar got fat after I did the Wii Fit Plus physical evaluation… that was humbling.  Evidently, I’m obese… I knew I was overweight, but obese just seems wrong.

Life Group:

1. We’re continuing to meet on Wednesday nights in our home.  We had 9 adults and 9 kids this week.  We’ve had as many as 15 adults, the holidays really threw a wrench to many of our meetings.
2. We’ve studied all the way through chapter 3 of James to date.  We get to get into chapter 4 next week.
3. We’ll be signing up to lead another group after we finish James.  I’m praying about what book to study next.

Family:

1. We’re doing better at “homeschooling” our kids now than we’ve ever done in the past.  It’s exciting.  I think the best thing is that I work normal hours, those combined with our semi-normal routines, makes the parenting thing so much cooler lately.  Our lives used to be so involved with either ourselves or church we had absolutely no free time. (This is because I wasn’t serving from pure motives, read James 4:1-4, that’s where I was at. The kids have a Dad again!!!)

Environment:

1. It was in the mid-fourty’s today, I was in a short sleave shirt again!!!!  We’ve still got snow that needs to melt.
2. It’s neat to have seasons, but almost claustrophobic to be stuck indoors so much.  I mean, you can go outside, it’s just not any fun…  I’m the palest I’ve ever been…   pasty
3. I’m excited about spring time coming, I miss the life.

Work:

1. It’s going well…  We’ve been here for just over 1 year now.  I’m finally feeling like I might start having a handle on what my job entails, or maybe better said, getting my job done each day.  My employees are great, and I really am blessed in all of the aspects.  God’s still got his hand on my career.

Holy Home:

1. I think I’m starting to get old…   or thinking like a grown up finally…  Anyway, we’re starting to see some of the things we’ve been “teaching” our kids through our choices and are finally trying to address them.
2. We’re not watching American Idol this season… Not that it’s evil…  I just couldn’t think of a single good reason to watch it.  Not a good one.  And with no good reason, we’re gonna sit this season out.  We’re trying to take the same approach with many of the things that take our time away from each other.

Youth Groupie stuff:

1. I’m at some type of crossroads in the ministry/mission/purpose God’s given me.  I’m not sure where it will turn next.  I’m just trying to be patient and attentive.
2. I’ve been saddened as of late by all of the failure I’m seeing in the teens out there.  My heart yearns for kids to keep themselves from all of the mistakes I made.  There are a couple young people who by all appearances look to be making it through life unscathed, but many have chosen the dark side, or are flirting with it.
3. I’ve started to see the hope that shines through brokenness in all of it, and am excited on where my mission with the teens might go next.  I’m honestly thinking about trying to secure some kind of counseling, or psychologist training…   who knows?

I can’t really think of anything else at the moment.

Haley and Ray, thanks again and sorry its been so long.  I’m looking forward to 2010, it’s like a new era, kinda weird almost.

P.S. If anybody’s got anything they’d like to talk about or would like commented on, please let me know and thanks for reading!!!!

I’m out,

Ben

Worship

Does it ever blow you away that we have the ability and opportunity to worship the one true God?

Do you ever sit back and actually think about the object of your worship; really sit down and meditate on His greatness?

When you sing of His greatness and glory, do you remember how He used His own lowliness and humility to show it to us?

When I really think about the words I’m singing, and whom I’m singing to, I loose it.  Tears, brokenness, humility.  It’s awe inspiring to me; really mind-blowing.  Jesus Christ, the Word, the great I Am is my God, my Savior.  WOW, what a glorious thing it is to be loved by Love itself.  This is joy, this is the abundant life, this is love overflowing; Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again for me, Ben Smith, to be redeemed and made righteous in God’s eyes.

I want to be a better man.  I want to be a better husband.  I want to be a better lover, father, worker, leader, shopper, worshiper, you name it.  Why can’t I make it?  Why do I keep failing?  How long will you tolerate my shortcomings God?

I’m still me, and it’s okay for now, but I must see my error, recognize it, confess it, and repent/turn from it.  Then I’m back on track again. How marvelous are Your ways.  We’ve been studying the book of James.  Our Bible study started; we had 12 adults and 15 kids this week.  We’ve made it through 11 verses so far, and already, God’s speaking to my heart.  I worked and studied and prepared to be able to help people through the book and I am being impacted more than I can even imagine the others are.  Basically, I need to get with the program, not for the program’s sake, but for mine, for it’s my time that I forfeit, time that I could be accomplishing great things.  Time that I could be drawing closer to my Lord.  Read through James and see if you don’t feel the same way…  wow

Lord, bring revival to my heart; a revival to serve and honor You with all I do, say and witness to this fallen world You gave so much for.

Ben

Leadership Insights Learned

I was able to attend the Catalyst 2009 conference in Atlanta, GA this week.  Gigantic thanks to Cornerstone Community Church for the invite, to Marissa for supporting me in it, and the 12,000+ christian leaders and supporters that attended.

I got to see Mac Powell, Chuck Swindoll, Tony Dungee, Steve Fee and a newer artist named Zach Williams!!! (He was awesome!!!) There were many serious moments of worship, it’s been so long for me, it was great.

This was the 10th annual catalyst conference; a conference created to target the “younger than 40″ pastors/leaders as a time to motivate, strengthen and revive those that give out so much every day.  This year was all about leadership, leadership training, and leadership development.

Here’s some things I picked up, not necessarily from someone’s teaching/talking session, but an insight non-the-less.

1. This is God’s movement/job/mission/ministry/purpose/congregation/churches and doesn’t really have anything to do with us outside of the fact that God has blessed us with an opportunity to be used by Him for His purpose.
   1. We get so caught up in all of the drama that we forget who it is we’re actually doing all this work for.  Jesus should be our inspiration, motivation and destination; the beginning and end; of everything we do.
2. The things we want to get accomplished that are not, are in this state because we’re not working to get them done.
   1. We’re either so spread out that we can’t focus on any actual effort and because of that we’re ineffective.
   2. We’re failing to trust someone else to do the work.  This is either coming out of our pride/judgement/unforgiveness or ignorance but regardless we’ve set ourselves as a choke point in what God could be doing in our communities and churches.
3. Leaders often fall prey to the foolish idea that they’re the ones in charge.  Andy Stanley said at one point “We’re supposed to be leaders under authority.”  How profound is this?  I know this is true, this is true in church and at work.
   1. There should be a time when leaders seek to follow the same instruction they’re giving their followers.  Humility, confession, repentance.
   2. We should not read our own clippings and let overconfidence blind us from the direction that God is giving to us.

It was an awesome conference.  We had tons of fun, especially on the car ride home.

My big “take-away”:

I want revival to come.

Chuck Swindoll talked about how leadership is tough, rewarding but tough, and all leaders should leave room in their plans for “The Crushing” that God brings us.  The times when we are killed.  “Though He slay me, yet I trust Him.”  He quoted a man, I can’t remember who, who spoke about the fact that all of the significant, memory making, moments in his life came through the affliction he had endured.

I’ve experienced this crushing in my life.  While it was hard, and painful, it is one of the most significant life marking experiences I’ve had.  I’m still really sensitive to my brokenness.  My brokenness brought me to my knees in front of a Holy, Merciful, Gracious and Loving God.  Woe to me!!  Thank You so much!!!

Anyway, this crushing has brought me revival, and I want that for everyone, especially the leaders out there, the ones in the front, leading people.  The re-commitment and revitalization of their souls!!!

What and awesome feeling, to be alive again, like a newborn, ready and excited for what’s to come!!!

Life Group Jazz

The Life Group we’ll be hosting begins on October 14th.  Cornerstone Community Church, our home church, has agreed to support the group and pay for child care!!!  I’ve got the “Syllabus” prepared, house cleaned/painted and getting contact information for those planning to attend.  So cool to have the date coming close.

Marissa and I are both prayerfully entering the ministry again and this is one of the steps we’ve taken toward His service.  We will be hosting, in our home, a meeting on Wednesday nights to go verse by verse through the Word.  We’re going to start in James, because it’s such a no-brainer for the Christian that is looking for direction; for the “where to now?” that eventually comes in ones relationship with Christ.

After our move to Virginia we put our primary focus on being partners and parents again.  This was such an awesome and blessed time for me personally.  I went months without serving in a church.  I was able to talk with the kids again, and get closer with Marissa, and most of all, get re-focused on my own relationship with Jesus.  I was able to take the time to strip my life back to the basics, understand where my priorities needed to be, and basically start over on my daily life.  The job, the friends, chores, grocery stores and utilities all changed.

I realized how much I had neglected which should have been a priority.  Exp. We returned to faithfully tithing.  I don’t say this to boast, but to show that even this core principle had been neglected for a time.  We had justifications, just as everyone has justifications for what they do.  Bills, debt, getting out of debt, but this move, and this change in our lives, allowed us to re-focus/re-prioritize again.  WooHoo!!!

It’s so exciting now to be entering into the field again.  I feel like the harvest is waiting for me.  I remember studying for one of the first or second messages I taught the youth in Florida, how excited I was, how right, blessed, confirmed it all was and I’m happy to be there again!!!

We’re praying to keep our lives balanced, to keep our priorities where they need to be and to let everything we do be used for His service.  I want to remain a good employee for my company.  I want to be a good servant for Jesus here.  I want to remain a good husband to my wife and father to my children.

James is going to really open my eyes.  I’ve been studying it for a long time, preparing, getting ready, and I’m anxious to get it out there and hash it out with some brothers and sisters.  That’s a really good time, just talking one on one with others about the Word.  It’s like, a guarantee to get Jesus’ attention.  Especially this book; there will be more than one spanking in there for me.

Say a prayer for my family and I, and our success, not for the life group, but for us, for our strength, love and unity as we give our time back to God again.