Identity?

I got to hear a teaching today from Gene Lakey one of the Associate Campus Pastor's. He spoke from Luke 19 on the story of Zacchaeus. It's a story we all know if we grew up on the Bible, but it was explained in such a way today that it opened a new perspective for me. For many people, the greatest need in life is love and/or grace. People desire to be accepted and to know that they have worth. The lie that many people accept is that as long as you look good, you matter; or as long as I achieve this or that, I'll be valuable. Many people find an identity in the guy or girl they are dating, their accomplishments, and many other things...all things that will eventually fade. The sad fact is, is that records and stats are broken, stuff breaks and wears out, money doesn't buy you happiness, and past accomplishments are outdone. Because your identity is found in earthly things, you begin to feel unvalued and depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unfulfillment kick in and destroy you from the inside out. Our value and self-worth is based on what God thinks, on how He sees us. There are some things you need to understand about Zacchaeus...

In the Bible it says that he was small in stature. Now this word in the Greek literally translates "the body of an undeveloped child." Talk about someone who probably had a low self esteem. He was probably teased and picked on his entire life and on top of that he was a tax collector. Tax collectors were considered worse than 'sinners' because they often times cheated people out of money and were very deceiving people. The Pharisee's even ask Jesus why He ate with sinners and tax collectors. They were despised by everyone. Zacchaeus was hated! However, in this chapter we learn that Zacchaeus finds his identity in Christ and his life is changed forever. He learned that God loves him just the way he was. God sees our potential and wants us to find our identity in Him. No matter how insignificant you feel, Jesus notices you. Before you were your parents idea, you were God's idea. God knows exactly where you are in your life situations and meets you where you are. There has never been a moment when God's taken His eyes off of you. No matter what people say about you, Jesus will affirm you. No matter what you've done in your past, Jesus wants you! That's the point of His grace. He forgave you and sacrificed for you. God is far more interested in changing you than condemning you. Our identity is found in Christ and through that we are able to love people how they are meant to be loved. You just have to let go and let God...trust Him, put your identity in Him, and redefine your purpose in life.

Blur

The past couple weeks have gone by too fast...everything has been a blur. We have been doing a ton of work to get ready for our biggest student event...the student summer trip with Clayton King at Crossroads. We are taking 600 Elevation students down for the week. I love what I am learning here. I look at my notebook, full of notes from teachings from different leaders in this church. I am learning so much and am so grateful for this season in my life. Last Thursday, I got to take 18 students down for an inner city service project. These were some pretty sweet teenagers. We first got to eat lunch with A Child's Place with a bunch of underprivileged children. From there we worked at Jackson's Park totally cleaning out 3 apartments for them. They were extremely grateful as they only expected us to do 1. These kids worked very hard and it was awesome to interact with some of the people in need. We then concluded the night with working with one7 which is always a highlight. Over 150 kids from 18 different countries all worshipping God. It's a sight that brings goosebumps every time I witness it. I am very fortunate to be able to do the things I do.

My parents and lil bro also came in for the weekend. They got to experience Elevation for the first time and it was fun to get to introduce them to some of the people that have already made a huge impact on my life. I miss them every day and I miss being with all my brothers. God has truly blessed me with an amazing, encouraging, and loving family.

Potential

In the blog post "Ram Down The Gate" I mentioned potential briefly but I would like to explain 4 points that my man Larry Brey spoke on this weekend at Elevation Church. He did a fantastic job preaching the Word of God and it encouraged me so much that I want to share it with you. In order to be God's best we must never compromise our calling by falling into sin. God's calling is not running from something but rather it is running to something...that being God and His plan for your life. Larry touched on 4 things about everyones potential to do great things for God...

1) Your weaknesses can't stop you, but disobedience can derail you. God is bigger than your weaknesses and they are a platform to bring God the glory.

2) Embrace your calling, don't qualify. Meaning your identity is found in Christ, not in anyone or anything. The example here is the difference between value and worth. Worth is what you are willing to pay to get something back. It is priceless. We are worth a lot to God if He is willing to sacrifice His Son in order to "get us back" through salvation in the cross.

3) Don't disqualify someone else's calling (Psalm 137). We are to speak life and potential into each other as believers. Do not look for problems and do not be a discouragement to others.

4) Who is pulling the potential out of you? Like the illustration of the boat and having the right people on board who make the boat (or life) better, surround yourself around people who make you better. The greatest compliment you can receive is for someone to demand more out of you.

The Example Set: Happy Father's Day

The man I am today has been molded by my Heavenly Father's hands and continues to be the purpose of my life and goals. I have my earthly father to thank for showing me the way through his incredible example of what it means to be a loving father, a faithful husband, and a friend. I have had two dad’s named Daryl Rice in my childhood. The one dad I got to experience up until the 9^th grade and the other dad I have experienced since then. The first one was a successful businessman who traveled often, yet he always had time to coach me in hockey growing up. Unlike the rest of my family, while my dad was in the business world, I got a lot of his time…which I truly value…still to this day. My dad taught me everything I know in hockey. He is the reason why I love the sport as much as I do. I didn’t have to worry about him being at my games because he was always my coach. I took that for granted when I went to play hockey for Liberty. I had the best childhood memories of just driving to early hockey practices and games, talking about hockey, having him dress up as goalie on the driveway and me winding up as a young boy taking clappers from the slot, letting me stay up late in 95’ up at the cottage listening to the Red Wings in the Cup finals on the old school radio, making octopus pancakes with red food coloring after the Wings won the Cup in 97’, making ice rinks in the back yard staying up all night with the hose and patting down the ice with his boots, hitting golf balls off the cottage deck, “Ye Nine Old Holes”, cherry donuts at Elzingas, giving me huge but cool looking fish hooks so I would never catch anything because you hated to fish (still bitter about that), letting me close up shop early while selling golf balls in the backyard because it was too hot for me or because I just wanted to play roller hockey with Peter and Andy, but the memory I cherish the most was you tucking me into bed every night and praying with me. From a young age you taught me the importance of loving God and I am forever grateful for your leadership. You have truly taught me what it means to be a man of God.

The second dad, was the dad who left the business world to follow God’s calling on your life. From moving our family to Chicago and 5 years later moving back to Detroit to help grow what you started. The Pastor dad who never said much but what was said was always profound. The dad who always had the right things to say and who always had perfect timing in encouragement. When times were tough in college with hockey and life, you always challenged me to persevere and do my best. To always trust God and lay things down at His feet. When it was relationship problems, you always told me not to worry because God is in control of every area of my life and to just enjoy life. To just love others and do the ministry that God has called me to do. My dad wasn’t always a man of words but through his incredible example, he has led me to be the man I am today. He has always challenged me to be the best and to continue to seek Christ in every area of my life. Not only do I have great childhood memories but also I have the greatest memories together over the past 6 years. When I was home from college, both summer and Christmas break I absolutely loved driving to Munn Ice to play with Spartan Alumni at 6 am every Friday morning. I love hearing the old stories from the fellas and hearing how great of a hockey player you were. Still humble to this day even though you hold several college records including still being in the top 5 all-time point scorers in Michigan State hockey history. Racking up 225 points in 3 and a half years. Also holding on to the record of most assists in a single game when you put up 6 against Boston College on December 27, 1973. He also won the Outstanding Senior award in 1976. Not to forget playing in Grand Rapids throwing up 70 points in 46 games as a rookie including two goals in the finals, netting the game winner to win all the marbles. There also was an article I found written by one of the broadcasters for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2007. He had written an article about the Wisconsin powerplay that season which just happened to lead the league and was being compared to one of the greatest powerplay units in college hockey history. The broadcaster went on to argue that the best powerplay unit in college history was still to this day a line that consisted of Tom Ross, Steve Colp, Daryl Rice, John Sturges, and whoever coach Amo Bessone of Michigan State would allow to play the 5^th role. John Sturges is quoted in the article saying, “You could have put the equipment manager out on the ice with us, we still were going to score.” I changed my number from 9 to 17 to honor him because my dad is my hockey hero. I loved having him watch my college games, the few that he got to attend because I went so far away. He was my motivation. I wanted to make him proud because of the legend that he was…still to this day, which he is too humble to talk about. I still have a text saved in my phone from January 16, 2010 that simply says, “Loved watching you play.” That was right after he traveled down to Dayton to watch my weekend games. I remember sniping the top corner and looking up to you as you stood and clapped. It was a proud moment for me. Then there was this past year when you, mom, and Brett surprised me in our Ohio tournament. I remember scoring a goal with .7 seconds remaining in the 2^nd period and seeing you and Brett shaking your heads with a huge smile. I loved it. You are always supportive of me and I couldn’t have asked for a better father. This day I honor you because of the man that you are. I respect you because you have so boldly helped me in my personal relationship with God and have been an extreme blessing to my life. I hope to grow up to be like you and to be an example of what it is like to love God, love my wife, love my kids, and love others with the example you have set. I love you dad, I miss you, and I hope to do ministry together one day and push you around the rink in a wheelchair while your grandkids send slashes to the ankles. Like father like son...

Happy Father's Day!

God is...

God loves me (John 3:16). He cares for me (Matthew 6:26). He forgives me (Psalm 103:12). He is compassionate (Psalm 103:4-5). He is giving (Romans 8:32). He is understanding (Psalm 139:1-2). He is accepting (Psalm 139:1-6). He satisfies (Psalm 107:9). He persistently pursues me (Luke 19:10). He is reason (Isaiah 1:18). He pardons (Psalm 103:3). He heals (Isaiah 53:5). He redeems (Job 19:25). He is loving-kindness (Psalm 86:15). He renews (Isaiah 40:31). He is righteous (Jeremiah 9:23-24). He is gracious (Ephesians 1:7-8). He is sovereign (Psalm 103:19).

God is HUGE. He is whatever you need through any circumstance in your life. He is great and He is powerful with good and loving intentions. We need to start asking God to do the impossible in our lives so that His glory may shine through. There is a difference between being good for God and being great in God...being good for God will eventually fade. Pastor Steven Furtick says, "A God with unlimited power has no desire to hear about the limitations of those He wants to use. If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. If you want to make God angry, tell Him your limitations." God permits what He hates in order to produce what He loves. We are tried and tested because God wants us to be for real. You either will live your life for Him or you will live your life against Him...there is no middle ground. Many people say they "know" Christ but they live as if He does not exist. We often times make God "smaller" than He really is in our individual lives. It's time to start trusting God for who He says He is. Who does God say He is??

God is…

in Genesis the seed of the woman,

in Exodus He is the Passover Lamb,

in Leviticus He is our High Priest,

in Numbers He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night,

in Deuteronomy He is a Prophet likened to Moses,

in Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation,

in Judges He is our Judge and Lawgiver,

in Ruth He is our Kinsmen, Redeemer,

in 1 Samuel & 2 Samuel He is a trusted Prophet,

in Kings & Chronicles He is our Reigning King,

in Ezra He is a Faithful Scribe,

in Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of broken down walls of human life,

in Esther He is our Mordecai,

in Job He is our day spring on high and our ever-living Redeemer for I know my Redeemer lives,

in Psalms He is the Lord our Shepherd I shall not want,

in Proverbs & Ecclesiastes He is our Wisdom,

in Song of Solomon He is the Lover and the Bridegroom,

in Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace,

in Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch,

in Lamentations He is a Weeping Prophet,

in Ezekiel He is the wonderful four-faced man and the wheel in the middle of a wheel,

in Daniel He is the fourth man in the burning fiery furnace,

in Hosea He is the Faithful Husband forever married to the backslider,

in Joel He is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and with fire,

in Amos He is our Burden Bearer,

in Obadiah He is the Mighty to Save,

in Jonah He is a Great Foreign Missionary,

in Micah He is a Messenger of beautiful feet,

in Nahum He is the Avenger of God’s elect,

in Habakkuk He is God’s evangelist crying 'revive thy works in the midst of the years,'

in Zephaniah He is the Savior,

in Haggai He is the Restorer of God’s lost heritage,

in Zechariah He is the Fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanness,

in Malachi He is a Son of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings,

in Matthew He is the Messiah,

in Mark He is the Wonderworker,

in Luke He is the Son of Man,

in John He is the Son of God,

in Acts He is the Holy Ghost,

in Romans He is our Justifier,

in 1 Corinthians & 2 Corinthians He is our Sanctifier,

in Galatians He is our Redeemer from the curse of the law,

in Ephesians He is the Christ of unsearchable riches,

in Philippians He is our God who will supply all of our needs according to His riches and glory,

in Colossians He is the fullness of the God dwelt bodily,

in 1 Thessalonians & 2 Thessalonians He is our soon coming King,

in 1 Timothy & 2 Timothy He is the Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline,

in Titus He is a Faithful Pastor,

in Philemon He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother,

in Hebrews He is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant,

in James He is the God that cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone,

in 1 Peter & 2 Peter He is our soon coming Shepherd who will appear with a crown of unfading glory,

in 1 John, 2 John & 3 John He is Love,

in Jude He is the Lord coming with 10,000 of His Saints,

in Revelation He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

He is Abel’s Sacrifice,

He is Noah’s Rainbow,

He is Abraham’s Ram in the thickets,

He is Isaac’s Well,

He is Jacob’s Latter,

He is Judas’ Scepter,

He is Moses’ Rod,

He is Elijah’s Mantel,

He is Elisha’s Staff,

He is Gideon’s Fleet,

He is Samuel’s Horn of oil,

He is David’s Slingshot,

He is Isaiah’s Fig,

He is Hezekiah’s Sundial,

He is Peter’s Shadow,

He is Paul’s Handkerchief in Ephraim,

He is Stephen’s Signs and Wonders,

He is John’s Pearly White City,

He is the King of Glory!!

Our God is beyond explanation...Awe
Our God is more powerful than our ability to explain...Omnipotent
Our God is everywhere at the same time...Omnipresent
Our God does what He desires, rules over all, and makes no mistakes...Sovereignty
He has a careful purpose for every moment of your life. He carefully weaves each event, each circumstance, each success, and each failure to accomplish His divine plan 'to make you like Jesus.'

12:12

Can't believe it has already been a month here in Charlotte. I have learned more than I imagined I would and continue to be blessed daily. I just read over some quotes my mom gave me the day I came down here from NHL stud Mike Fisher who just happens to be married to Carrie Underwood. He's a great player but for those that know him, know him for his faith in Christ. He says, "Personal faith in Jesus gives you focus and persistence. You play with the confidence that God is in control. Because you know that God has given you your talent for a reason, you can't waste it, you bring all you have to every game to make the most of your ability." You can ask what about those moments when it doesn't feel like God's in control? Mike remembers the time he was sidelined by a painful knee injury, just a few games before the end of the regular season. He worried that he would sit out the playoffs, or maybe even worse. As the game went on without him he began to panic until he glanced at the clock in the dressing room. It was stopped at 12:12. In his years of Bible study, one of the verses Mike had committed to memory was Romans 12:12, "Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles..."


It's hard to wait on God but He knows what He is doing. Don't buy the lies that Satan is selling. God has His best for you but you just have to trust Him. Don't settle for Satan's second best. Be patient in the Lord and obey His Word. God meets you at every turn in the road, in every new adventure in your life, and in so many different ways...so you are always reminded of who He is. Relax and remember who you are; you are a child of the King and He has ordained your life and will guide you every step of the way. We must remember that He is the Leader. That fact can be comforting because no matter what the mountain or what the valley, He led you there. He is in control and desires to teach you something or test your faith, or maybe just give you something you don't even deserve. Our God is so faithful!

One7

Yesterday we got to do ministry with an urban ministry called One7. One7 comes from Jeremiah 1:7 which says, "But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." The students that make up this ministry are from 18 different countries around the world all living in Charlotte. They hang out, play games, worship, and study the Word. I have worked with urban ministries before but this one was special. I have never seen kids like this worship God like they did. It was extremely encouraging! I got into a small group with about six 16 year olds and one of my buds Nehemiah brought the lesson. He did a fantastic job and really got the kids interacting. By the end of the conversations one of the kids spoke up. His name was J'amie. We had been talking about temptations and he said straight up that he's with a girl he shouldn't be with and he wants to get out but doesn't know how. He is just like any normal 16 year old who struggles with temptations but he wanted to do something about it. It was awesome to see God work not only in his life but in the lives of the boys in the group. We got to pray for him and get him some accountability to help with the process. J'aime knows he needs Christ in every area of his life and he is boldly taking the steps to get there. It is truly amazing when you get to experience stuff like that first hand. That is what ministry is all about. These kids don't get the love that most kids get. To me, their relationship with God is more real because they desperately rely on Him for love. Often times we cling to other things in different seasons when all we need is Christ. Thank God His love is not like human love and that it is everlasting and never fails. We have so much to be thankful for. 


For those of you reading this...get involved with students some how. Whether thats leading a small group in your local church, being on volunteer staff in the local youth ministries, or mentoring students one-on-one...they need some spiritual guidance from older men and women. Take the time to pour wisdom into their lives to help mold them into the man or woman that God wants them to be. You never know the impact that they will make in this world and you could be missing out on many blessings that God has in store for your life. 

Just Unlock The Cage

We give the disciples a hard time for their lack of faith. An easy passage to 'laugh' at the disciples is found when Jesus feeds the 5,000 in Matthew 14 and the 4,000 in chapter 15. Jesus just did an incredible miracle and in the next chapter, verse 33, the disciples ask Jesus, "Where are we going to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?" I said laugh earlier because you could look at this and totally blame the disciples for their lack of faith. How could they ask Jesus that question right after He fed the 5,000!?! I lost sleep over this topic the other night because how often do you find yourself doubting God or questioning Him when He brought you through something similar in your past? Or we have examples of God always giving someone His best after a period of waiting and trusting in the Lord to deliver. God never changes and He is perfect and compassionate. Where is our faith? He will always supply our needs according to His riches (Philippians 4:19).

To make matters worse, the disciples didn't know that Jesus was the Christ until after His last breath on the cross. They didn't truly know who Jesus really was until after the resurrection. We have a cheat sheet and already know the outcome when we read the Gospels. Mark's first verse tells us that Jesus was the Son of God but they didn't know that until later. Even the centurion, who mocked Jesus and helped literally nail Him to the cross explains in Mark 15:39 that truly this was the Son of Man. That was after Jesus took His last breath and the curtain tore from top to bottom. We are so quick to make light of the disciples' lack of faith but after Jesus' death and resurrection, they went on to preach to thousands, sacrificing their entire 'freedom' and life for the message of God. These guys believed even when they didn't know what they really were believing in. What are we doing with what we know about God? We have a choice, we can continue to carry the message of the cross as a witness and an example or we can continue to live life in a state of unconfessed sin, selfishness, and lack of purpose. "Trying to prove God is like trying to defend a lion...it don't need your help, just unlock the cage!"

Am I A Life Saver Or A Boat Sinker?

Often times we forget that the church is not what we do in a 'building' but what we do in the world. We as Christians are the church so I love what Elevation did this weekend to start their summer concert series. Throughout this month they are honoring some of the greatest rock bands from the past. They did an intro video and 1 song from Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Aerosmith. It was phenomenal! They do that stuff not to give bands like that praise or to necessarily support them but just to have some fun. Pastor Steven got up and preached a powerful message...probably the best one that I have ever heard him preach but he talked about how some people will be offended by that music being played in church and will leave but for the lady that brought her husband for the first time after refusing for months...watching him rock his head back and forth and then take notes during the sermon...it's all worth it, because he wants to keep coming back. I'd say it's worth it because people far from God are coming to know Him in a real and personal way through this ministry and I am so glad to be apart of it.

Pastor Steven went on to preach from Acts 27 and the story of Paul riding a boat to Rome to stand trial for his faith. He tied in the story of Jonah running from God in Jonah 1. The comparison was that one is riding a boat, in chains, selling his freedom for the message of Christ...and the other is riding a boat trying to run away from God's will, making excuses and being negative. God's way is the best way even if it doesn't make sense to us. The question that rocked my world tonight was this...Is the boat that you are on better off because you are on board? The “boat” can represent your family, your business, your relationships, and any other place you find yourself in. Are the people around me encouraged and happy to see me because I am a light? ...Or does my attitude bring death to the 'boat'? People's lives should be better, not worse, because of our presence. The point is, we can bring many storms on other people by being on the wrong boat. The choices you are making right now will affect your future and the people you are around. Quit talking about Christ until you start living like it (1 John 2:6). All of us have people in our lives that we love to be around. They make our lives so much better because they are kind and reflect Christ. They encourage us and help us along this journey for the best. How can you be that person to others? Which boat are you on? Are you a life saver or a boat sinker?

Humility

Fact: We as humans are asleep for a third of our lives.
Meaning: God doesn't depend on us.

I've had a couple days here where I was completely humbled. I felt unimportant and useless...probably because in reality, without God I am. God has given me all my skills...is God getting the glory for them? God has also given me all my disabilities...am I using them as an excuse to try and stop what God might be wanting to do through me? Both are an issue of pride. Anything that I do that is good is done because of what Christ has done in me. In fact, I use to believe that hell was unfair until I truly became saved...now heaven is what is unfair. We don't deserve anything and I am truly thankful for the grace of God. There are some scary passages in the Bible...James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace (favor) to the humble." In 2 Chronicles 26:15-16 we see a king named Uzziah who became very powerful and strong but his pride led to his destruction because he was unfaithful to God. We have nothing to offer God, He does not need us, but still He chooses to use us and lift us up. God wants to use the willing. I must trust in Him and be the person He wants me to be, do the things He wants me to do, and go where He wants me to go.