Hey, just wanted to post a blog about winning two bikes in one year.
Thanks go to Ravensingletrack and the Prescott community for the event that allowed me to win this Cruiser at the Ales for Trails fund raising event this last Spring.
Also I wanted to send out a big thank you to The Kellogg Company, Cannondale Bikes as well as Bearnaked foods for helping me to win this Cannondale Quick CX FS
Gonna give the Cannondale away when it arrives but think I will keep the cruiser for special occasions.
Great day today at PFA.
A new family had just moved to Prescott and after the service the husband told me this story.
He said “when you ask us if we had any prayer request to come forward I did. I ask God to help me find a job soon.
As soon as the prayer time was over I went back to my seat and my cell phone began to ring even though I had thought that I turned it off. It kept ringing so I left the sanctuary and answered it. It was someone wanting to hire me….I got a job just seconds after prayer.”
I love stories like that. It makes what I do as a pastor so amazing to see people ask and then receive. 🙂
Here is the outline to today’s message.
CAGE FIGHTERS
Living a Life of Spiritual Adventure
Pastor Steve Lummer
PART 3
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
CAGES CHRISTIANS GET LOCKED INTO
* The Cage of Responsibility—Practicing responsible irresponsibility with Nehemiah
* The Cage of Routine—Learning the danger of empty ritual with Moses
* The Cage of Assumptions—Breaking out of the eight-foot ceiling with Abraham
* The Cage of Guilt—Reconditioning our conditioned responses with Peter
* The Cage of Failure—Experiencing shipwrecks and snakebites with Paul
* The Cage of Fear—Climbing the cliff with Jonathan
Today : The cage of Routine
Do you have a hard time believing God for the LITTLE stuff while taking for granted the BIG stuff?
Right now you have no sensation of motion —–we are all just sitting in this room . But in reality …the reality is that we are sitting on a planet that is spinning around its axis at approximately 1000 miles per hour. Planet earth will make one full rotation in the next 24 hours….Not only that, but we are also hurdling through space at approximately 67,000 miles per hour…..and you thought you weren’t going any where today ..
Before the day is over we will have traveled 1.3 million miles in our annual trek around the sun…
Let me ask us all a question – WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE THANKED GOD FOR KEEPING US IN ORBIT? …WE NEVER SAY …”man I hope we making another rotation today….but we did it again yesterday.
Isn’t it strange that we have a hard time believing God for the LITTLE STUFF in life while at the same time we take the BIG STUFF for granted.?
WE TAKE THE CONSTANTS FOR GRANTED….AND THAT CAN BE A PROBLEM WHEN IT COMES TO GOD TOO…HE IS THE ULTIMATE CONSTANT…GOD IS SO GOOD THAT IT IS SO EAST TO TAKE HIM FOR GRANTED.
1. THE RUT OF ROUTINE CAUSES BLINDNESS.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—John 14:16
2. THE BURNING BUSH EXPERIENCE HAPPENED IN A BORING PLACE.
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” -Exodus 3:1-5
3. THE PLACE AND PACE PRINCIPLE.
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. Matthew 17:1
4. THE HEALTHY CHOICE OF HOLY ROUTINES.
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Isaiah 29:13
5. THE DECISION TO THROW DOWN .
Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” -Exodus 4:2-5
In Exodus 3, God called Moses to lead the greatest rescue operation in history-the exodus of Israel out of Egypt. But Moses had a laundry list of excuses and concerns. In all fairness, you would too!
Moses isn’t just concerned about the Egyptians. He wonders whether the Israelites will embrace his leadership. He says in Exodus 4:1: “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’
‘A shepherd’s staff,’ Moses replied.
The Lord said, ‘Throw it down on the ground.’
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake and he ran from it.
Then the Lord said, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’
So Moses reached out and grabbed it and it became a shepherd’s staff again. ‘Perform this sign, and they will believe you,’ the Lord told him. ‘Then they will realize that the Lord-the God of Abraham, the God if Isaac, and the God of Jacob-really has appeared to you’.”
Like all ancient shepherds, Moses had a staff. It was probably a six-foot long wooden rod that was curved on one end. It was a walking stick. It was a weapon. It was a prod used to guide his flock. And Moses never left home without it. It was his badge. It was his ID.
The shepherd’s staff represented two things to Moses: identity and security.
Let me ask you the question that God asked Moses: what’s in your hand?
Where do you find your identity? What is the focus of your security?
Is it a job? A relationship? A brokerage account? A title or degree or position?
There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but let me cut to the chase. If you find your security in anything other than a relationship with God then you have a false sense of security. And if you find your identity in anything other than a relationship with God then you have a false sense of identity.
You need to throw down your staff.
What if Moses had held on to his staff?
Here’s my hunch: his staff would have remained a staff. His staff would have remained an inanimate object. He would have forfeited the miracle!
Moses experienced some amazing miracles during his lifetime. He had box seats for the ten plagues; the parting of the Red Sea; and the manna in the wilderness. But there is something unique about the staff becoming a snake. As far as we know, this is the first miracle Moses ever experienced!
If Moses had held on to the staff he would have remained a shepherd. He would have spent the rest of his life counting sheep. Here’s the bottom line: if you hold on to whatever is in your hand you’ll never experience the miracles God wants to perform!
* Parts of this message were taken with permission from Mark Batterson’s book Wild Goose Chase
I wanted to post a few pics of an amazing four days we had on one of America’s best canoeing streams.
The Eleven Point River is Missouri’s longest cold-water river and is home to both hatchery raised and stocked trout as well as a self-sustaining population of stream-bred trout and includes over 22 miles of trout habitat. This river is often overlooked as a trout fishing destination, but offers some of the most remote trout fishing in the state without the signs of civilization. The scenery on this river alone is worth the drive, the fact that there is a healthy population of trout is an added bonus.
The River crew.
First camp above Greer.
The amazing Greer Spring.
My good friend Eric in the “MANGO TANGO”.
You just gotta get a Camping Espresso machine from REI.
http://www.rei.com/product/401040
The fog is rollin in.
No words can describe it…no picture can capture it.
Miko is the trout master.
Poison Ivie is the only negative here.
Boze Mill Spring. The Boze family still live in the area and make a mean beef jerky.
Three long time friends. Mikeo, Steveo and the EMAN.
I crave this stuff.
Morning prayer and devotions just seem more alive from this proximity.
Two tripper canoes purchased from Prescott College have now helped us float both the Colorado and Elevepoint Rivers.
These boats are perfect for extended stays on a stream.
The key is to become a minimalist.
What an an other amazing trip on an amazing river.
Thanks go to everyone who made this experience happen.
Steve
Hey guys, just wanted to add David Crabtree’s blog to my blog roll.
David is an OLD friend from Bible College days and an excellent insightful writer.
Hope you enjoy his stuff.
Steve Lummer
Lead pastor
Prescott First Assembly
Here is the link.
http://www.calvarytriad.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=102
I just wanted to post a blog about our recent visit to Missouri.
I was invited to speak at my good friend Jesse Quiroz’s church he is planting in Lincoln County called Journey church for their first birthday of the church.
Wow, what an amazing place and people Jesse has at Journey.
As soon as Brenda and I arrived on the campus of the church we could feel the buzz of activity as well as the touch of God on the efforts going on there.
God is and will do amazing things through this unconventional and passionate group of Christ followers.
We started the weekend of by doing a little sight seeing in St. Charles which is known for the launching of the Lewis and Clark expodition back in 1804.
Bren and I at the launch site of the Discovery.
We drove by the church Brenda and I planted and pastored in Lake Saint Louis from 1991 – 2003.
From Saturday we come to Sunday and what a Sunday it was.
Great 1st birthday cake…and it tasted good too.
Jess is leading Journey Church in an amazing adventure.
I had to move quick to keep up with their leader as we celebrated the churches first trip around the sun.
Standing with an amazing guy – Jesse Q is the man!
Jesse told me that we were going to baptize close to fifty people and he needed my help. What a privilege
This was one of the most amazing batismal services I have ever been apart of.
The weekend was filled with seeing friends and recalling all the great times our family had over the 13 years we lived in Missouri.
Just before leaving for the airport to catch the flight out to Phoenix, I ask Jess to drive me by our old house in New Melle.
What a great place to raise your kids.
Amazing weekend in one of the nicest places in the country.
The next blog covers the river time.
Steve
This Sunday we continue the series Cage Fighters with a special Father’s day message, FROM DUDE TO DAD.
I always look forward to Father’s day @ PFA .
Here is the outline to the message notes:
CAGE FIGHTERS
PART 2
THE CAGE OF RESPONSIBILITY
“What shall I do about my son?” – 1 Samuel 10:2 (niv)
FROM DUDE TO DAD
1. RESPONSIBLE IRRESPONSIBILITY.
Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
– Luke 9:59-60
2. SUCCESSFUL FAILURES.
And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. – Genesis 1:4
3. MOMENTS OF CONCEPTION.
“What is it that you want ?“ – Nehemiah 2:4
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4
4. TIME TO QUIT PRAYING.
Well done, good and faithful servant – Matthew 25:23
5. SIGNS FOLLOW DECISIONS .
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. – Mark 16:20
6. GET YOUR FEET WET.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” – Joshua 3:9-23
7. BE THE BEST CUP BEARER YOU CAN BE
And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”So I became dreadfully afraid, – Nehemiah 2:1-2
* The bullet points are used with permission from Mark Batterson’s book Wild Goose Chase.
Last week when in Missouri I stayed with my amazing ministry friend Jesse Quiroz.
His parents, allowed Brenda and I to stay in their guest house and wow, what hospitality they showed us.
Sunday morning Jesse was driving me us to his beautiful new church he and Missy are planting when he pointed out to me the tree in the picture below.
Have you ever been in a situation so long that you think it will never change or get better?
I mean have you ever been in a battle that seems to last forever and every morning you get up it is still facing you?
Have you ever experienced seasons when you feel like you have reached a dead end and there is not way out?
Have you ever just needed a small reminder that things will turn out for the better? That your circumstance will change and the fog will finally clear?
This little tree growing out of a dead cut down stump was that reminder to me this past week.
This “New Life”, this “New Start” was exactly I believe one of the reasons God sent me to Missouri.
I thought I was going to go speak to people for God when actually God was going to speak to me.
This photo of the new tree springing out of the dead stump reminded me of Isaiah 43:19 which says;
“BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING; NOW IT SHALL SPRING FORTH.”
God says He wants to “do a new thing” for you, so disregard the circumstances and believe the God who cannot lie! The rubbish can be cleared and the bruises can be healed. Just make sure that when the smoke clears you’re still standing. You’re too important to God to be destroyed by a trial that was just meant to give you character and direction. Think: you survived – by the grace of God you made it! God not only brought you through the valley, He caused you to grow in it and come out of it stronger. If you want to know what God can do, look at what He’s already done for you and you’ll start feeling better about your future.
And that’s not all; listen: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth.” After feeling like you’ve waited forever, God will move suddenly. If you’re not ready you’ll miss the next open door, the next great idea or the next relationship He has for you. You’ve got to be sensitive to His voice, alert to His movements and live in expectation. After praying and waiting in the upper room for 10 long days we read, “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven” (Acts 2:2), and the church was born; a church that would change the world. When God miraculously brought Paul and Silas out of prison we read, “Suddenly there was a great earthquake…and immediately all the doors were opened” (Acts 16:26). God may be getting ready to open some doors for you – make sure you’re ready when He does.
What to us looks like the end can often be just the beginning of some brand new.
Yes, the end of one thing can be the start of something brand new.
I am so ready for the end so I can experience the new start, the new life and the new thing God has just around the corner.
Steve Lummer
Lead pastor
Prescott First Assembly
There is nothing better to a coffee consumer than a great cup of Espresso at a camp site early in the morning to get your day generated.
This past week my Friend Eric unpacked his espresso maker for our river trip in the Ozarks.
When I arrived home I went directly to REI and ordered mine.
Can’t wait to try it out on the next adventure.
Here is the first outline to the newest series called Cage Fighters.
CAGE FIGHTERS
Living a Life of Spiritual Adventure
Pastor Steve Lummer
PART 1
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
CAGES WE GET LOCKED INTO
* The Cage of Responsibility
* The Cage of Routine
* The Cage of Assumptions
* The Cage of Guilt
* The Cage of Failure
* The Cage of Fear
YOU KNOW YOU ARE CAGED IN WHEN…….
1. You Feel Too Tamed, Too Civilized and Too Caged Inn.
So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. Genesis 2:19
2. You Opt for the Accessorized life or the Adventurous life.
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-31
3. Your Guardian Angles Yawn.
For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. Psalm 91:11
Next week we look at the Cage Of Responsibility for Father’s Day in a message entitled FROM DUDE TO DAD.
Missouri gets its name from a tribe of Sioux Indians of the state called the Missouris. The word “Missouri” often has been construed to mean “muddy water” but the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology has stated it means “town of the large canoes,” and authorities have said the Indian syllables from which the word comes mean “wooden canoe people” or “he of the big canoe.”
A few friends are gathering this next week for an an adventure trip in Missouri on one of the best rivers in the Ozarks.
Here is the mile marker map for one amazing sceinic river trip.
Eleven Point River – Mile-By-Mile Description
9.3 Cane Bluff. Access and picnic area.
12.3 Spring Creek enters on left.
14.8 McCormack Hollow on left. Lake, fishing, spring and picnic area about one mile up Hollow, administrated by U.S. Forest Service.
16.0 Greer Spring Branch.
16.6 State Hwy. 19 Bridge. Campsites and put-in. Trail to Greer Spring 0.75 mile up hill.
19.5 Little Hurricane Creek on right. 20.0 Mary Decker Shoals. Rapids. 20.5 Hurricane Creek enters on left.
21.5 Turner’s Mill and spring. Location is also known as Surprise. Access on both sides of river. Camping on south side only.
22.0 Stinking Pond float camp on left.
26.5 Horseshoe Bend
27.0 Barn Hollow float camp on left. Bliss Spring just downstream.
28.5 White Creek float camp on left.
31.0 Greenbriar float camp on left.
33.4 Boze Mill Spring on left. River valley begins to widen here. Camping. No access. 33.7 River divides. Right channel usually best and provides a fast run over a ledge.
35.7 Riverton and Hwy. 160 Bridge. Access east side, picnic on west side beneath bridge only. No camping either side.
Pics to follow next week.
Steve
stevelummer.com 