In the world of strength training, there is something called the principle of supercompensation.  The more a muscle is broken down, the more it builds back up. The same is true in life when we face adversity with faith that God will pull us through.  Just as a broken bone often emerges stronger when it is fully healed, our trials and challenges often strengthen our ability to trust in God. Financial difficulties remind us that God is the provider of all that we need. Relational losses drive us back to the One who will never leave us. Grieving the death of a loved one is a chance to reaffirm our hope in what is to come. It's amazing how God can even redefine something such as adversity.

This Sunday we're trying something new during our 11:35 service.  It's called "Q&A with a Pastor" and I'll be hosting it in our Tigers Room at Mountainview.  It's designed to be an informal atmosphere where people can ask honest questions about God, the Bible, and faith. I have always enjoyed the open forum atmosphere (maybe I missed my calling and should have been a talk show host).  Whenever Tonya and I interviewed on-site for senior pastor positions, I would always ask for a time of question and answer.  I did so because I believed the church had a right to ask a prospective pastor any questions they wanted answers to. The idea terrified Tonya but it energized me.  I think this may trace back to my high school years when I did extemporaneous speaking for our speech team.  We would draw three topics from a box, pick one, and have…

Bernard Baruch was an adviser to two presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.  He owned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.  A college in the state system of New York is named after him. On his 94th birthday, he was interviewed by a journalist who wanted to discuss his perspective on the changes he had seen in his lifetime.  The reporter asked, "Who do you consider the great­est man of this age?" That's a great question to ask a man who has floated in the highest circles of business and government, not too mention one who has lived 94 years. His answer?  "Who is the greatest man of this age?  The fellow that does his job every day.  The mother who has children and gets breakfast and keeps them clean and sends them off to school.  The fellow who keeps the streets clean--without him we wouldn't have any…

Just in case you're wondering ... In a speech given to the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference, Bill Gates spoke about how values can often get often out of whack.  For example, did you know that more money is spent on baldness drugs than on drugs for malaria?  This is in spite of the fact that millions of people die each year from malaria ... while not too many die from baldness.

Psychology Today magazine surveyed high school students and found that 39% thought they would be famous when they grew up.  Famous for what, I’m not sure. Our culture is fascinated with celebrities.  We follow them on Twitter, pay money to watch their movies, and imitate their fashion.  And then we make them our heroes. One week after 9-11, Peggy Noonan drove to Ground Zero.  Watching the first-responders march in and out of buildings, she called the ever-moving firefighters the “parade of the not-so-famous.” God defines greatness differently than our culture and his definition doesn’t include the spotlight.  It involves humility and serving. This weekend I will be kicking off our new series, “The Pursuit of Greatness.”  I believe you will be challenged, encouraged, and inspired to think about success differently.  Bring a friend and let’s have a great weekend!