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October 19, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

My son Will just turned six earlier this month. He received some great gifts from friends. He also received that one thing that most love to receive the most, CASH. Will has received some cash gifts before and they typically result in a trip to a toy department so he can spend it on something of his own choosing. He has never accumulated this much at one time. Will currently has $50 whole dollars.

Before church tomorrow morning I thought it might be good to talk to him about giving. I’ve given him some little bits of money before to place in the preschool offering, but it has never been his. I really didn’t think it would be a big deal, so at dinner tonight I just went in to explaining to him that he would get the opportunity to give $5 of his own dollars to God tomorrow.

My boy lost it. I mean he was really struggling with this.

I calmly gave him some scripture, I think Angela interjected a parable that Christ taught, but this was not going to be resolved easily. So I pulled him aside for a little man to man talk. We prayed together and then I drew out 50 dollar signs on a piece of paper and marked over 5 of them to show him how much he would still have. That was helpful, but we are still not quite there. We looked around his room and talked about all the things he has, and then I just asked him, “What else has God given you that is not about stuff in this room?” I thought he might say Mom, or his little brother, but he just looked up and said, ‘Jesus.’ 

I know words on a page can’t explain that moment, but a little light went off that I pray is never snuffed out. Will said, ‘God gave us Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.’ I replied, “Since you know that, then I’ll let you decide what you should do.”

About five minutes later and with the most peaceful smile on his face, my boy told me what he wanted to give to God at church.

There’s nothing my boy can’t do when he is willing to try. I think that makes this scripture a good one to pray over him right now:

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

Weekend is Coming

October 17, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

This should be a fun weekend for my boys. Will has an afternoon soccer game this weekend. His game’s are normally in the morning, but with the afternoon start we need a clever name. I’m thinking ‘World’s smallest non-alcoholic cocktail party”. A couple weeks back Will set the Richardson Family single game scoring record with four goals. He broke a record held by his father who scored three goals in a game at Treasure Island in Lynchburg, VA in 1983. Will has a fresh haircut for the weekend game against the Doodlebops or Justice League or Transformers (I can’t remember who they are playing), and promises to be faster as a result.

Wesley is in Tatti Elness and Chris Lindsey’s wedding this weekend. It’s bitter sweet for Wesley. He’s always had a thing for Tatti. No word as to whether or not they will officially be wed on facebook. My wife and I have not done that yet, but we are working on dates. There will most likely be a wedding shower, invitations and gifts involved. John Wesley will actually be in a little tux this weekend. If all goes well you can purchase this celebrity tux on ebay in a couple weeks. 

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

The First Twenty

October 15, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I love this picture and what it represents. I know it’s not the best quality here, but I think you’ll appreciate what it is.

Our church has a desire to focus on just a couple of countries in the world in order to have the greatest impact possible. We have a vision to partner with others and to see a country changed. God laid part of that vision on the heart of a man named Mike Pierce. Mike traveled with our church to Burkina back in July of this year. We knew we wanted to do water wells and that there is a need. But God placed a burden on this man’s heart to take it up to supernatural levels.

The vision is to put 1,000 wells in Burkina Faso.

I’ll tell you how Mike plans to do his part in another post.

According to the U.N., Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world, and according to National Geographic has the highest rate of illiteracy. There are several ways that we want to have a hand in impacting the infrastructure and carrying the gospel forward. One of them is water.

Carrying a part in a vision larger than yourself is what the Christian life should be about. If I can accomplish in my own power everything on my to do list, I’ve left God out. I don’t want to do that in any area of my life.

At West Ridge, when people are obedient, when there’s money to spent in Missions, this one of the places it goes. It goes to people in a part of the world that could not do this on their own. It goes to people who need to see and hear the kingdom of Jesus Christ in action. It goes to people that need a Savior.

This list is the first twenty of those one thousand wells. It was created by a group of Pastors at a meeting back in August. It’s just the beginning.

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

When you don't know what to pray

October 14, 2008 in Personal thoughts, Prayer, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Every once in a while in prayer, I will just hit an out and out wall. This comes at random times. Many times in prayer we pray with the answer already in mind. We pray things like “God, heal like this” or “Provide this much in this way” or just all in all, “God, do it like this!”

Most of the time when I hit a wall in prayer, I think it’s because I don’t have the answer, but I must remind myself that God does. There are two things I do when I don’t know what to pray.

The first is found in Romans 8:26-28, 

 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I love this passage. When you don’t know what to pray you can ask the Spirit of God to pray for you, and you can trust that he knows the will of God and will put your prayers right into the stream of God’s will. That’s beautiful! I do this often. I just say, “God, I don’t know how to pray for this person/situation, Holy Spirit, would you pray for me?”

The next comes from John Maxwell. I heard him say this in Birmingham, Alabama in 1998. Speaking at a conference he said, “When you pray God’s word, you are praying God’s will”. Hearing him say that changed my prayer life. This is simply the practice of reading a passage of scripture and then personalizing it. When you do that, you make those ‘God-breathed’ words your own.

The first passage I ever made personal was Ephesians 1. I’ll never forget the first time I prayed that text. Most often I will pray a Psalm or two back to the Lord. Some of the Psalms help me worship, some help me confess, some just say it all. Consider it King David’s blog. His Spirit-guided thoughts resonate with me in different ways at different times. With 150 of them to choose from, I can always find something to pray.

Most recently I have found myself praying, Psalm 25, Psalm 63, and Psalm 86.

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

Listen

October 13, 2008 in Personal thoughts, Prayer, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Over the last couple months I have really felt the need to step it up in the area of prayer. I do try and ‘practice the presence the God’ by thinking or whispering a prayer whenever a need comes to mind, but I have just felt the need to go further. Perhaps the desire to raise the intensity level would be the best way to describe it.

I have a tendency to be a bit formulaic with prayer. I start out with worship, move to a time of confession, ask to be filled with the Spirit as we are encouraged to in Ephesians, and then lay out requests. This time typically happens when I wake up or after getting ready for the day, I’ll pray in the car.

Lately, I have just felt compelled to pray at random times. However, the more I pray the more I feel as though I should just shut up and listen. I don’t sense God telling me to shut up, so perhaps it’s a poor choice of words. But when I just take a few minutes at the end of a time of prayer to be still and meditate on Him, he impresses his thoughts on my heart in a unique way. It’s not audible, but it is tangible.

So what does God say? For now, that’s personal, but the number one thing I have felt impressed on my heart I believe God would say to anyone on the planet…”Let’s meet again.” “Let’s meet again tomorrow” or “You know what, it can be before tomorrow, let’s just do this again soon.”

My hope is that anyone who reads this, might feel compelled even now, to pray…and listen.

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

Allow me to invite you to church

October 2, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I’m used to inviting people to church. Particularly those that are not in church everywhere. 

With my friends who already attend church it feels like the attitude is, ‘Maybe I’ll see you, maybe I won’t’. Maybe you won’t feel like coming, maybe the kids will be sick, maybe you won’t have enough gas. If not, it’s ok, because you will probably be around the next week.

This week is different. These times are different.

This last Monday night at our ‘Night of Prayer’ God planted a seed in Brian’s heart that I feel like everyone needs to hear this weekend whether you attend church or not. Listen, I grew up being around country churches where the Pastor was going to bring a ‘word’ and you end up sitting around waiting for lunch. I’m not saying there’s going to be miracles, lightning, or even crying. But I do believe the timing of this message along with all that is going on around us is going to create a moment and a message that everyone needs to hear.

So along with my fellow West Ridge Pastors and staff I include a message of invitation below. I don’t want this to be a ‘maybe I’ll see you this weekend’ Sunday.

See you Sunday!

~Paul

We believe every time we come together to worship it’s meaningful.  However, there are certain times that we believe that God has given us something extraordinary and timely to share with the people of our community. Therefore, we want to send you a special invitation to join us at West Ridge Church this weekend, to hear a special message from Pastor Brian that God began revealing to him during our ‘Night of Prayer’ last Monday night. This message from God’s Word is a particularly strong message of Hope for the difficult times that many find themselves in.
 
So gas up the car and let’s come together. We look forward to seeing you. 

The Pastors and Staff at West Ridge Church

Be Still

September 27, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

There’s nothing quite like having half a verse memorized is there? I was reading in Psalms one morning this week and came across a familiar scripture. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God…” Great songs and poems have been written on those words, but it’s not the whole thought. The verse goes on to say, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

One whole thought; be still and know that I care about every person and nation on the planet. I got it under control. There are a lot of people out there that are concerned that things are spinning out of control in our country. In our own county, I’ve spoken to local builders, bankers, construction workers, and others who are making less money than they were a year ago, have less than they used to, or have lost jobs completely. Be still.

Being still reminds us that God is in charge, that He cares about us, but it should also remind us that God has the whole world in His hands, not just yours.

He’s a great big God, and no matter what is happening in your life today, He’s got you…Be Still.

New Beginnings

September 13, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

It’s a two ‘wedding’ weekend for me. In a couple hours I have the opportunity to do the wedding for a couple of West Ridgers (Ronda and William) who have been through a lot in life. They have each been married before and are blending families. This time something is different. They have done the hard work of premarital counseling and soul searching and are starting again putting Christ at the center of this relationship. It’s a new beginning.

 Last night I had the opportunity to co-preside over a renewal of vows service (a kind of wedding ceremony) for my friends David and Tara. My friend Matt Willmington helped oversee this one with a pre-recorded reading and prayer. He gets honorable mention for that. David and Tara have walked a road in their marriage that no one would choose in advance, but God has given them victory over the rough road and has created a ‘highway in the wilderness’ (See Isaiah 35).

This ceremony had a couple of themes to it that David and Tara had chosen. One of the most memorable pictures they painted was with the use of color. White was punctuated with the use of the Calla Lilly. Red was punctuated with the use of Red Roses. The Calla Lilly is a symbol of Death. The Rose, a symbol of love and life. For a follower of Jesus, life always follows death.

When you are around David and Tara it becomes very clear that they have put to death old circumstances, and as a result have had new life breathed into them by God himself.

For me both of these couples become living, spectacular reminders that when God is involved the ‘old’ has gone away and a ‘new’ beginning has come.

Everyone Belongs, 

Paul

Introduction

September 4, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I saw a t-shirt one time that said, “No one cares about your blog.” Hopefully, I’ll never forget that. I can only hope this encourages and edifies (and maybe amuse) a few.

More and more there are thoughts I need to get down. My hope is to edify anyone that reads, and perhaps spur you to action. Specifically, I hope that you would feel an invitation to join me in the work that God has called me to. You may not live near me, but perhaps you’ll be inspired to seek God in your community or ministry context. I am the Local and Global Outreach guy at West Ridge, and I have been given the privilege of forming a new non-profit called, Engage Atlanta. I am passionate about the local church, and I’m incredibly blessed to be a part of West Ridge. I feel an incredibly strong bias for action to try and make the love of God known in Paulding County and Northwest Atlanta.

I love being the Missions guy, because it helps me understand that God is a lot bigger than I thought. It also is one of the most challenging things. The American church should be a launching pad for missions. However, missions test our values and the desires of our heart. I’m learning most people are not desperate enough for people or about the Great Commission to give up their time and their money. We all need to grow together in this one.

God sent me to Burkina Faso last year and I have been ruined by a people and people group that I still barely know. I’ve met men and women of God now in several countries, and regularly pray for leaders in Cuba, Jamaica, Romania, Kenya, Israel and Burkina Faso. You’ll hear about many of them here as well.

So here’s the disclaimer: My wit is dryer than the Sahel in March. Wit and sarcasm don’t always translate in writing, so I’ll try and keep it to a minimum. Please don’t hold it against the church if I say something that you don’t exactly agree with. By the way, if you agree with everything then I’m not doing my job. I’m a Pastor not a politician.

I’m passionate about reading and studying. Currently I’m reading “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson, and “The First Christmas” by Marcus Borg and Domminic Crossan. I’m not one of those people that could read “The Shack” in one sitting. In fact, I couldn’t finish it. Inevitably, I’ll post about stuff I’m reading.

Finally, the thing I love the most is being a husband and being a Dad. I married my high school sweetheart. She (just like me) gets better looking every day. I still get excited to see her and hear what she has to say every day. She still takes my breath away.

Yep, I’m a Daddy. This is thing I feel the least qualified for, the most challenged by, and the most humbled by. My boys are extraordinary. My oldest Will, has the looks of his Dad and the spirit of his Mom. He loves God and loves people, and his IQ is already higher than mine. Wesley looks nothing like either of us. At three I can tell he has my bent towards sarcasm. Angela calls him her little bulldog, but at the same time he has a tender heart like his mom. Make no mistake, he’ll hurt you. He has my Father-in-law’s hairline. I will be making fun of that for the rest of his natural life.

Ok. Posts will get smaller. May God draw you to Himself from wherever you are.

Everyone Belongs, Paul

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