Thoughts from the weekend:

At our Saturday morning prayer time (and I am grateful for the 20-25 people who come each week)there was a definite sense of God's presence. At one point, Bob Konrath (who was leading us at the end of our prayer time)had us stop where we were (we walk around the main auditorium praying for Sundays services and our church)and begin to pray and shout out God's goodness and favor upon us.

It was powerful.

After studying for Sunday, I then took the late afternoon and evening off. It felt good to just sit and watch a little T.V. and read and do nothing.

Sunday: Great day.

Sunday morning was a day of rejoicing at what God has helped us to accomplish in our "Moving Forward By Faith" campaign and taking up our "first fruits offering."

As I have been said several times lately, I am really pleased and proud of the commitments and giving that our church family has given so far. In the midst of an down economy and a relentless sense of bad news in our country, Stone Church is responding.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks for letting the Lord lead you.

It's one more step in our journey to fulfilling God's will and vision for our body of believers!

At our life group last night, we watched a video teaching on the parable of the prodigal son.

Powerful stuff. It brought out that there are actually two parables there. The parable of the prodigal son who goes off and squanders everything that he has and comes back humbly to God and repents - and the parable of the elder brother who stays with the father and works out of duty, not realizing that he has sins to repent of as well.

"Elder brothers" lack compassion, they are full of pride and unrepentant for their own sins - after all, what about all that they are doing in the family business to keep it going!

As a pastor, I deal with Elder Brothers (its called the EB syndrome) all the time. Those of us who have grown up in the church, our temptations don't lie necessarily with sex, drugs or "rock and roll" (as I like to say tongue in cheek) but with jealousy, bitterness, anger, pride, competitiveness, control and having our own way.

As a shepherd I deal with the "EB" syndrome of those who have lost the ability to celebrate in their faith, instead of enjoying the blessings of God, they are always criticizing, pondering, questioning, never satisfied with what is, never coming to a service to sit in God's presence, but to make sure everything is done "right."

Here's what I know: coming and participating in the life of a church is NOT A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BUT A GIFT TO BE ENJOYED.

Man, let's enjoy the presence of the Lord when we come together. Let's enjoy one another's company and rejoice that God has forgiven us for our sins and that we have eternal life!

"But Lord," many say, "I've been working so hard here in the church, and you are just going to let so and so in and we are to rejoice at that?"

God says, "well, yeah."

Here's what I am learning (and after two years I am still trying to ponder what this statement truly means):

PEOPLE GO WHERE THEY ARE CELEBRATED, NOT TOLERATED. Mediate on that for a while.

Do you and I celebrate those in our Body here at Stone Church or do we simply tolerate them?

The elder brother tolerates those who are around him/her in the church, especially if they don't happen to agree with their approach.

One thing I know: we are becoming a friendly church. Almost every Sunday, I have someone coming up to me and thanking me for God leading them to come to such an open welcoming body of believers.

But remember, people go where they are celebrated and not just tolerated.

Which one are you today?

Are you the younger brother, recognizing that you sin and rejoicing that God has forgiven you and wanting to dwell in God's presence?

Or are you suffering from "EB". Full of pride, bitterness, anger, pointing fingers and others, having difficulty enjoying the services, so "churched" that it has been a long time sense you have simply dwelled in God's presence with no agenda, just dwelling in his presence and conversing with him.

Challenging stuff I know for a Monday.....

G