Don’t be discouraged by your progress following Jesus. Remember the God who forgives you is also the One who transforms you. And He is faithful and true. He will finish what He’s started!

Philippians 1:3-6 – Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

How’s that for a promise of the faithfulness of God?

Two of the things that rank highest for a kingdom-advancing leader are raising up other leaders and opening the door for them to make a real difference in the kingdom. This past weekend I got the privilege of opening the door for two men who are called and gifted by God to join our team here at Quest. I can’t wait to see these men live out the Jeremiah 29 dreams God has for them to advance His kingdom in this place.

If you’re a leader, there are people all around you just waiting for you to call them into the game.

Who was the last person you raised up and brought alongside of you?

Look for them.
Ask God to show them to you.
And don’t be afraid to ask someone to lay down their life to lead out in the only eternity-changing endeavor on the planet!

As one who wears the name of Christ, you want to love what He loves…Jesus loves people relentlessly & selflessly.

Luke 19:41-44 -But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, He began to cry. “I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you.”

Jesus weeping over the state of the people He came to seek and save. What a picture of God’s heart!

Followers of Jesus live in GRACE! It is freely given to us and we get to live free lives as a result. So as free men and women…no longer responsible before God for our own sin. UNBELIEVABLE!

As you continue on in your new journey with Christ, I challenge you to dispense grace, lavish it , and offer it yourself. God gave it to you…now you can give it to others. (Wanna fun way to put this into practice? Look for opportunities to offer grace today & go for it. Watch what happens. Grace is always shocking!)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

This weekend took us beyond the symptom (& weapon) of anger to the root causes underneath. (Great work, Justin!) I’ve been praying for all of you – that you’ll let your anger lead you to God.

Here are Justin’s observations from the weekend:

Thanks so much to Pete for entrusting me with the surprise gift of Week 2 of LOST! It was a privilege to lead out again in our Easter series. This week felt like an important hinge point of the series. If we can get this one straight, we allow God access to the wounded places of our heart where He longs to pour in His hope.  Here’s some of what rang out to me…

1. Amber’s portrayal of the straightjacketed person was shockingly raw and real. For so many of us, anger has us locked up and we don’t know how to get it out of it. For many of us it hit really close to home – which allowed God access to our hearts. Thanks for going there, Amber!

2. So what kind of person are you when it comes to anger? Which of the volcanoes captures your way of dealing with anger: Kilaeau, Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Stromboli? (I still think alot of you Kilaeau people are masquerading as the serene Mt. Stromboli!)

3. Anger is meant to be a signal flare – it always points to something deeper. Not only did that picture help us understand the role of anger in our life, it’s always a highlight to light something on fire on stage! (And a great picture of how anger doesn’t always easily go out!)

4. Focusing on the LOST character, Jack, was eye-opening. As we got to know him and understanding the root of his anger, it made him a lot more like us. So many of us have spent years of our lives trying to “fix” the wreckage of our lives.

5. Ever notice how anger can transforms from signal flare into a weapon? Aiming the flare gun around the auditorium not only made people nervous, but also helped capture the reality of how we aim our anger at the people in our lives.

6. Have you ever pointed the gun at God? When I aimed the gun up toward God and been shouting out angry statements to him, I knew I was giving voice to real places in our hearts. Some of us have pointed the blame at God for the events of our lives, letting it be a barrier between us.

7. I loved walking through the differences between Jack (from LOST) & David (writer of the Psalms) on Sunday — and that the main difference was where they placed their hope. What have you placed your hope in? Could your anger be a signal of poorly placed hope?

8. Hebrews 6:18-19 never gets old: “We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” I love that while God never promised us a crash-free life, He did promise to be anchor in the midst of it.

9. Taking a cue from Psalm 142, we let David show us how to let our anger lead us toward God: 1. Start an honest conversation with God 2. Allow Him to show you what’s underneath your anger 3. Ground your hope in Him, not a certain outcome. 4. Wait for rescue.

10. Our rescue can begin when we quit firing our anger at others and instead wave the flare as a signal for help. Anger doesn’t have to be a barrier, it can be the signal of lostness in our lives which leads us toward God. I can’t wait to see where Pete leads us in the remaining 3 weeks of LOST. Who are you inviting, Questers?

When you have good news, it almost bursts out of you. You can’t wait to just share it with anyone you know! So how about this good news?? When you ran to Him, you made it. He forgave you, adopted you & filled you with His light & love. Now live out loud…tell everyone!

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world – like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.” – Matthew 5:13-15 (nlt1)

p.s. Someone in your life really needs to know!

The Uprising is only ONE MONTH AWAY! Pastors and leaders…I want to personally invite you to join us for The Uprising on April 15th. You hold the key to your church living out her redemptive potential in your community. Together, we are linking arms across our world to see the Church rise up and become the source of hope that the world has never needed more.

Today is the LAST DAY to get Early Bird Tickets! The $69 rate ends at midnight, so register NOW! (Prices go up $20 tomorrow, so don’t miss out.)

You are invited. You are needed. And you can make a difference with your one and only life. Come be provoked to be the leader you were called to be. I can’t wait to see what God unleashes in us on April 15th!

I have a great friend who’s on a journey that is turning out to be harder and longer than she expected. Sometimes I see her faith waiver and I remind her that God hasn’t forgotten her. He hasn’t forgotten you either, friend. He’s never once forgotten His people and He’s not gonna start with you.

Here’s what the Bible says about what you can expect from God Himself:

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!” – Jeremiah 31:3 (msg)