What a night! We commissioned 100+ leaders Wednesday night at Celebration! I am blown away by God’s rich blessing on this church I ADORE!

From our Lead Team to Governing Team Leaders to Accelerators, Apprentices and Novice Leaders, we got to hold each one before the church to pray for them, honor them, and ask God to bless their leadership in 2010.

I am freaked out at these leaders’ commitment to be servant leaders in the Bride of Christ. They really take Jesus’ words seriously. They lay down their lives for you, Questers. They love you, pray for you and invest in you in ways you’ll never know. When I describe our leaders to pastors in other churches, they can’t believe what God is doing through them! Pray for them. And when you cross paths with one of them, thank them for leading out front. (Because ask any leader you know…leading is almost always hard!)

Take your cue from Hebrews 13 as you follow wholeheartedly this year:

Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. – Hebrews 13:7 (NLT)

Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. – Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)

p.s. Leaders…you make His Bride SHINE! From the heart of your pastor…thank you!

New Christians…you are SO on my heart today. When life’s tossing you around, don’t be afraid. You can have great confidence in the One you ran to…cling to Him. He is utterly trustworthy, and always true. No one in this life even compares. So when trouble comes your way (& it will), let God be your anchor. You are building your life on a firm foundation and you aren’t up for grabs.

Hebrews 6:18-19a – God has given us both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to His promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (NLT1)

Jesus went to heaven and left His bride here. Dive in to Quest…or another great church that makes Jesus famous…a place to grow. Be a part of an active community of faith that looks like the church described in the book of Acts.

Act 2:42-47 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I tossed the ball to Assistant Pastor Justin McCarty to launch our brand new Easter Series LOST last weekend and he and our artists hit it out of the park! (Did you SEE that set?!?) God has so much in store for us as we unpack His ultimate rescue plan for our lives in this series. I can’t WAIT! (Get your friends here!)

Here are Justin’s reflections from this weekend:

I can’t believe that we’re doing LOST in church! I’m so excited about the potential for this Easter series — I think God has substantial stuff in store for everyone over the next 5 weeks. Personally, it was such a privilege to teach this first week… thanks so much for the ball, Pete! Here are a few things that are sticking with me as I reflect over Week 1 of LOST…

1. The artists knocked it out the park — especially the craftsmen  & set teams! Everyone who walked through the doors was blown away by the full-size jet engine and airplane fuselage on the stage! I’ve never seen anything like it in a church and I’m so proud of our teams for stepping into new creative territory with such excellence!

2. That crash experience — with video, lighting, sound all around the auditorium, and even leaf blowers creating wind in the room — was UNBELIEVABLE. Again, a big shout-out to our artists for dreaming up something that Disney would have been jealous of! You really honored God and helped us viscerally experience what He he had for us.

3. People were so psyched jump into a Easter series revolving around “Lost” — even if you had never seen the show before, there was no denying how easy it was to feel drawn in to the story line. I met lots of people who said they were going to start watching the TV show (smart move!)

4. “What was the crash in your life?” — what event, crisis or choice left you running around in the wreckage looking for survivors? We’ve all experienced moments that have left us feeling lost.

5. Taking a cue from “You Might Be a Redneck If…”, we launched out with “You Might Be Lost If…” – clues to help us identify areas we’re lost:
• “…if someone tries to help you and it ticks you off.”
• “…if you’re seeing the same landmarks again & again.”
• “…if you won’t stop.”
So how about it — is there a place where you’re lost?

6. “While we are looking for something, the Bible tells us we are looking for Someone — and that He’s looking for us.” I loved the way Acts 17 helped us see that for all our “feeling our way” toward God, He’s already on His way toward us.

7. Lots of folks related to my brother, Ross’ story of discounting Christianity as a possible answer to the deep questions inside of us. I’ll never forget watching him getting taken off guard by what he experienced at Quest, so much so that he was compelled to “put Jesus back on the table” as a legit option. I think lots of us did this past weekend.

8. “Jesus knows what you’re looking for” — no matter if you’re thirsty (John 7:37-38), in the dark (John 8:12), or worn out & weary (Matt. 11:28-30, Message). He always knows what our hearts are actually looking for.

9. “Jesus is moved by your lostness” — The way you and I feel in our lostness actually affects the heart of God. I love that Jesus doesn’t insulate himself from our pain, but enters into it and lets it break his heart (Mark 6:34, Luke 19:41-42).

10. “Jesus has an impressive track record of finding people” — millions of people, including 11,000 over the past 10 years at Quest, have found Jesus to be everything they were looking for. Wherever you may be lost, you are not the exception to his ability to find you.

Keep seeking, asking, and knocking, Questers! (Matthew 7:7-8) Jesus’ promise, throughout this Easter series, is that you really will find what you’re looking for!

There will be many voices that call out for your trust. The One who loves you is utterly trustworthy and always faithful.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)

He loves to open up His Word to us in our real life circumstances, and He can’t wait to speak to you today. I love sending you these daily verses to help you learn to hear His Voice in these early days of your relationship with Him. For places I’ve heard His Voice along my journey, see a post I did a while back called  What I Need to Hear.

A few thoughts Sunday night before I crash:

1. This week’s Easter kick-off was a BLAST! Could you believe what our artists and craftsmen put together for us?!? Absolutely incredible! (Do whatever you can to experience this Easter series live…but you can watch this week on Quest’s website if you want a sneak peek.)

2. It’s always great to go away to learn from other great churches, and The Uprising Leadership Team and I had a terrific time at Unleash this week, but it’s good to be home!

3. One week ago today 112 of you asked Jesus into your hearts – and your lives and eternities were changed FOREVER. Do you have any idea how rescued you are?!? I’m praying for you every single day, friends. Tell someone. Let your roots go down deep in His love. And lean into Jesus on your brand new journey. I can’t wait to see what God unleashes in your lives!

Go into this week believing the truth of how much God loves you friends…no matter where you are on your journey with Him. Cheering you on!

Everyone who runs to Him makes it! No matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done…His arms are open wide to you. You are His treasure and He will always receive you…no matter what. Listen to the words of Jesus in Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Mt. 11:28-30 (msg)

Just coming across this 30 Day Journey for the first time? Jesus will receive all who run to Him. Watch here to learn more.

Some days things just don’t go the way you planned. And sometimes those days seem to pile up. But when frustration or fear threaten to rob you of your peace, joy & hope, remember…this life is temporary. When your world is spinning outta control, God hasn’t forgotten you. He has great plans for your life.

Whatever you’re facing, Jesus is right there with you. His dreams for you are lavish, and He isn’t finished with your story. Lean into Him and listen to these great words He gives us in Scripture:

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NLT1)

As you relinquish your white knuckle grip on your own plans, you can start looking forward to His plans…they’re gonna blow your mind!