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 Randy Santiago
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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
Randy Santiago @ May 27, 2008 10:41 PM
Today the staff started a new devotional book entitled: "A Renegades Guide to Christianity" written by one of my favorite author's and pastor's, David Foster. Here's a great post from the mind of David Foster. Someone has said the only person who welcomes a change is a baby. That statement was obviously made by someone who’s never changed a diaper. No one that I know of likes real, substantial change; the kind of change that leads to transition where people lose their jobs and sell their homes and life begins anew. Change is inevitable. Resist it at your own peril. Here are seven reasons why resistance to change is futile. 1. Living things grow. That’s their nature. They don’t stay the same. You’re not the way you were ten years ago, twenty years ago. You’ll not be who you are now, a year from now. You’ll either be better or worse. But you’ll not be the same. 2. Growing things change. Change is a sign of growth. Healthy change is a sign of maturation. Negative change is a sign of disease. 3. Change creates friction. Any change, even a good one, creates friction, because we like where we are, where we’re going, what we’re committed to, who we know, how we relate. Change necessitates those things stopping or being pulled up and redirected. And any time you change direction there is friction. 4. Friction creates resistance. Whether it’s in your family, your church, your business; any organization where change and growth is happening and friction is being felt, people are going to resist, particularly in systems where people have job titles that bespeak their importance and significance. Those places of power and control are not easily given up. 5. Resistance creates drag. Have you ever heard someone say they were drug into the 21st Century kicking and screaming? A lot of people are this way. They’re drug along through the process of change and growth. Which are you? Are you an earlier adopter, a late adopter? Or are you a part of that fussy group at the end who’s always against change no matter what it is? 6. Drag creates inertia. If friction, resistance, and drag go on long enough, things stop. We create inertia. And the moment we stop growing, we start dying. That’s true in a family, group, or organization. So ask yourself, are you growing, stagnant, and in decline? Are you simply stuck where you are? Anything less than growing is dying. 7. Inertia begs for change. That turns into the slow process of death, unless someone with courage logs in a great dose of the right amount of change, where things begin to grow again and dead things get resurrected. So you can see that it is futile to resist change. It’s always to your advantage to embrace the kind of change that promises growth and maturation of your life, of your business, and of your relationships.
CELEBRATE: HEROES
Randy Santiago @ May 26, 2008 11:48 PM
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SUNDAY NIGHT MIND DUMP!
Randy Santiago @ May 25, 2008 09:11 PM
LET'S PARTY!
Randy Santiago @ May 23, 2008 12:01 PM
Just a reminder to all the freaks at First Assembly that Sunday is going to be off the hook. We will be closing out our series "Celebration" with a message "The Making of a Hero!" Following the 10:30 ecounter it's outside for a HUGE Memorial Day celebration. We've invited churches from all over the community to join us. There will be great food, fellowship and fun. Music is going to jammin! Even a motorcycle and car show for all you macho men.
AMERICAN IDOL FINALE
Randy Santiago @ May 21, 2008 07:18 PM
Way back when there were still 16 contestants in the running for American Idol, I picked my top choices. On March 2nd, I picked David Cook in the #1 guy slot, and David Archuleta in the runner-up position. I'll be disappointed if Archuleta wins. He seems like a sweet kid and he has a great voice, but very little has changed in his performance ability during the competition. Again, he's a kid. Let him wrap up these final years of high school being a kid. But I guess all chances of that are already gone. David Cook is a professional. He has a great voice and is an amazing performer. I think he'll follow in the footsteps of Chris Daughtry and develop a great career. Now, if I could only predict who will be the next president of the United States!
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE GROWING
Randy Santiago @ May 19, 2008 10:35 PM
A weakened economy and rising food costs has created a scarcity of food among people who never thought they would be lacking. According to the U.S. government, 1 in 9 households (10.9%) did not have enough food for a healthy lifestyle at some point during 2006. Food banks report a 15% to 20% increase in demand from last year. And 4 in 5 food banks (80%) could not meet this month’s demand without cutting operations or food portions. This is the worst that I’ve ever seen it by far.- Dave Krepcho :: Food Bank of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) There is a big mission field in our back yard. CELEBRATE: HE TOUCHED ME
Randy Santiago @ May 19, 2008 06:23 PM
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Randy Santiago @ May 19, 2008 05:21 PM
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DOWNWARD MOBILITY OF GOD DISPLAYS HIS GLORY
Randy Santiago @ May 16, 2008 06:58 PM
How then do we come to see and receive God's glory? In his Gospel, John shows that God choose to reveal his glory to us in his humiliation. That is the good, but also disturbing news. God, in his infinite wisdom, chose to reveal his divinity to us not through competition, but through compassion, that is, through suffering with us. God choose downward mobility. Every time Jesus speaks about being glorified and giving glory, he always refers to his humiliation and death. It is through the way of the cross that Jesus gives glory to God, receives glory from God, and makes God's glory known to us. The glory of the resurrection can never be separated from the glory of the cross. The risen Lord always shows us his wounds.Thus the glory of God stands in contrast to the glory of people. People seek glory by moving upward. God reveals his glory by moving downward. If we truly want to see the glory of God, we must move downward with Jesus. - Henri Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak, pg. 98
CELEBRATE: DON'T READ INTO GOD'S SILENCE HIS ABSENCE! GUEST SPEAKER: MARTHA TENNISON
Randy Santiago @ May 13, 2008 11:09 AM
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CELEBRATE: PENTECOSTAL PRAYER! GUEST SPEAKER: MARTHA TENNISON
Randy Santiago @ May 12, 2008 04:46 PM
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Randy Santiago @ May 12, 2008 03:36 PM
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MISSION FIELD MONEY CRISIS!
Randy Santiago @ May 11, 2008 06:37 PM
The weakening value of the U.S. dollar and the rising global costs of food and oil are creating a money crisis for many on the mission field. Missionaries typically do not have big budgets. And as the dollar weakens, some are faced with the difficult decision of cutting something effective for survival’s sake. If you had a 10% pay cut, that would be significant. Basically, that’s what those people are feeling right now.George Salloum :: CFO :: Serving In Mission Prayer and financial support for missionaries is always important but particularly so during times like these. (via the Charlotte Observer)
SHOULD WE BE INNOVATIVE?
Randy Santiago @ May 9, 2008 09:06 PM
I see the argument pop up from time to time in the blog world, “Should the church be innovative?” To be honest–it surprises me that people are even arguing about this–the answer is YES!
You get the point. I think people do not have a problem with innovation…but rather when something that is innovative isn’t in their comfort zone…THAT is when it becomes wrong. WILL YOU HATE HEAVEN?
Randy Santiago @ May 9, 2008 08:44 PM
I was breezing through Revelation as I was studying for a message and I had this thought, “I really think that some people might not like heaven!” Especially when I got to Revelation 7:9-12…seriously, take a second to read that passage. If people apprach heaven the same way some approach church then here are my fears… :-) #1 - For Some People Heaven Will Be “Too Big. ”We have people that say, from time to time, “I really do like your church–except that it’s too big.” My reply is always the same, “Heaven isn’t going to be a small group/house church!” In Scripture John clearly says that “a great multitude that no one could count” were there! (I would dare say the majority of which were not American…we will be a minority in heaven!) Read that again…the reason that no one could count them wasn’t because people are illiterate there…but rather because there were SO MANY PEOPLE! Heaven is going to be crowded…in fact, I am not sure that everyone will know everyone…BUT, everyone WILL know Jesus…isn’t that THE most important thing? (With some folks the answer is no–whether they admit it or not!) God did not call His followers to start country clubs…we are called to be the CHURCH! If the disciples had approached church back then the way that some small minded people approach it today–we’d all burn in hell because NO ONE would have cared enough to REACH OUT…they’d all be engrossed in their Bible studies and wound licking! Uh…one more thing…I’ve been reading in the book of Genesis…and if one will carefully read chapter one it is OBVIOUS to ANYONE with a three digit IQ as to what God desires to ANYTHING He creates! What did He command the plants, animals and ultimately Adam and Eve? “Be fruitful and INCREASE in NUMBER!!!” (See Genesis 1:22 and Genesis 1:28) God desires for things HE creates to grow…and the church is NOT an exception! #2 - The Focus Will Be On Jesus…And That’s It! Apparently the music in heaven is going to be loud…and will not be sang out of the hymnal. (See verse 10–they cried in a LOUD voice…apparently they didn’t get the “reverence” memo!) No one will be asked in heaven, “Did you like the music? Was the sound too loud? Were you totally comfortable?” Nope–the focus will be on Jesus Christ…NOT consumeristic ego maniacs who church hop because they think everything exists for them. :-) Church should ultimately exist for one reason…to make the name of Jesus famous. AND…a church cannot focus on making that happen if the leadership is obsessively concerned with making sure that everyone is leaving feeling happy and satisfied. A church has TWO main responsibilities when it comes to operating…LISTENING to Jesus and then FOLLOWING His direction! That’s it…after all, it is HIS Church! At the end of the day it is supposed to be all about Him! And if a church is doing this then I can promise people will get upset…they always have! There are some people in the world who have a problem with a church growing and adding people because, quite frankly, it takes the focus and attention off of them. As I’ve said hundreds of times…the church isn’t supposed to be about ANYONE other than Jesus!
YOU CAN'T BE GREAT AT SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT GOOD AT!
Randy Santiago @ May 7, 2008 07:22 PM
The following is great post by one of my favorite author's "David Foster" who wrote "A Renegades Guide to Christianity" one of our newest devotional books for staff meetings in June. David writes: As you work this week, think about these three statements: 1. Working hard at what comes hard leads to mediocrity. 2. Working easy at what comes hard leads to unemployment. 3. Working hard at what comes easy leads to amazement. You will never be great at something you’re not wired to do well. You might be good, you might even be better than average. But why waste your life trying to be great at something you’re only good at? While you can be really good at many things, you can only be great at a very few things. Find out what those things are. How do you do that? Here’s a hint. If it’s a thing that’s hard for others but easy for you, it’s a strength. Use it. Work hard at it and you’ll make something special of your work life.
TYPICAL DAY AT THE OFFICE
Randy Santiago @ May 6, 2008 10:26 PM
I get asked a lot about what a typical day at the office is like. I have been at a church that had NO office environment at all (you came and went as you wanted) to one that was very corporate (dress code, you had to be quiet, etc.). I’m not sure how you would describe our vibe, but I can try and give you a glimpse into a typical day:
Between all this A LOT of work is happening as we are getting people celebrating, connected, and contributing to the vision of First Assembly.
CELEBRATE: CULTURE
Randy Santiago @ May 5, 2008 07:16 PM
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HELPFUL ADVICE MY MOM JUST SENT ME....
Randy Santiago @ May 3, 2008 09:33 PM
I WAS KIDDING ON THE MOM THING! RED LETTER OBEDIENCE
Randy Santiago @ May 3, 2008 09:25 PM
Recently I've been studying the Red Letters of Jesus. While I've often read through the gospels and the book of Acts I wanted to take a different approach. I wanted to read, stop, study and apply simply the words of Christ. What I've chosen to do is read the scene and take time to ponder how the words of Jesus not only affected that moment but seek out the principle that can translate to my own life. I figured I'd share with you a glimpse of one recent read of the Red letters:
You don't get very far into the book of Matthew before you encounter the temptation of Jesus by Satan. The first temptation is for Jesus to make his own food. The second temptation is for Jesus to jump off of a high place so that God will send his angels to keep him safe. Both temptations begin with "If you are the son of God..." Side note: If I were Jesus (its a great thing I wasn't) I'd be like "What punk? I'll crush you!" I'd be all about proving who I am and destroying this dude screwing up the Father's plan. Ultimately that's what Jesus will do but Jesus was much more obedient and patient. That's one of the things I learned here... Jesus' Red Letter words are "It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test." "Some of my Red Letter thoughts: 1. Satan knows scripture- I'm over hearing people talk who know just enough of the bible to make them dangerous. Satan himself knows the word of God. Simply knowing a few verses and using them to manipulate the behavior of people doesn't cut it with me. The way Jesus was able to combat this temptation was that he knew the full context. 2. The 'temptation' wasn't evil in-and-of itself- The proposition was for Jesus to cause the Father to act. Would God have come through? Sure. Was that the time? No. Just because someone brings me some proposition with a verse attached doesn't mean its from God for that time. It's up to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life to confirm that action as instruction from God or not. Not all of our temptations will come on a platter with horns. Some will be more subtle. 3. We all test God too much- Living under grace causes us to test God far more than we should. I'm convinced that much of our behavior and liberty we take with scripture comes as a result of relying on Grace as a hammock and not a safety net. Grace is there to catch us but I think we test God when we knowingly use Grace to allow us to walk out of obedience for brief times. We excuse ourselves because we know God will catch us. A more extreme example is when people refuse to apply biblical principles to their family life they run to God when hell breaks loose and say "God, catch us." Or when people spend way more money than they bring home they run to God and say "God, catch us." Some other people may find that they don't raise their children with God as the center of the home and when the kid is a teenager they say (after yelling at the youth pastor) "God, catch us." We put God to the test as if it becomes his job to catch us after we've jumped off the cliff. Would the Father have protected Jesus? Yes. Should Jesus have put the Father in that position? No. 4. Love and freedom in the law- In studying these Red letters I was able to re-read Deuteronomy 6-8 again. Once again I'm reminded how much love is in the law. I'm reminded again that obedience adds so much value, love and relationship between myself and God. The Red Letters are packing a pretty cool punch for me right now. Hopefully this little insight inspires you to check 'em out anew. |