Passing the Baton

tack04, originally uploaded by tim_lytvinenko.

Yesterday was a significant day at The Bridge. Pastor Steve finished four years of leadership in the arena of student ministry. We are grateful for his passion and enthusiasm to take the claims of Christ to our generation of students in middle and high school.

Now its time to pass the baton to the next great Student pastor at Ironbridge. Today is Day #6 of our 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting as we build our team of disciplemakers at Ironbridge.

Our goal is to make disciples...people who are truly and completely committed to following Jesus Christ.

When it comes to our student population, the time has never been more critical. We're living in a day when a video game about stealing cars (Grand Theft Auto IV) is #1 on the sales charts.

The hour is late, and the spiritual battle is raging for the hearts and minds of our teenagers. Recent surveys of "Christian" students--kids raised in Bible-believing churches--has revealed some ominous results. Only 9% of "born-again" teens believe in moral absolutes. Recent trends indicate that 88% of Christian teens will leave the church by the age of 18 and 50% of those that leave will NEVER RETURN to an active involvement in church in their lifetime! Scary stuff, indeed!

Now is the time for us to "pray and fast" for our young people. Not only are the lives of our teenagers at stake, but also the future of our church and the future of Christianity in America! The stakes couldn't be higher!

As Pastor Steve hands us the baton of student ministry, let's pray that God will send us a dynamic student pastor that will take the baton and run with it across the finish line!

Pray today for the building of a great disciple-making team at The Bridge!

Live the Red,

Mark

National Day of Prayer 2008

National Day of Prayer, originally uploaded by johnhanscom.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. It's also the First of Ten days of Global Prayer which concludes on the Global Day of Prayer on Sunday, May 11th (Pentecost Sunday)!

For the followers of Jesus at Ironbridge, our Worship Center will be open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. EDT today--Thursday, May 1st. We will gather for a special congregational prayer service from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. Today is going to be an incredible day of connecting with God!

Wherever you are on the globe, find a nearby church or just a quiet place and spend some time with your Heavenly Father in prayer today.

The great preacher, author, and apologist Ravi Zacharias, has penned the 2008 Prayer for Our Nation. Here it is for your edification and encouragement...

The 2008 Prayer for Our Nation

Dr. Ravi Zacharias
2008 Honorary Chairman, National Day of Prayer Task Force

"Holy Father, in a world where so many are hungry,
You have given us food in abundance;

In a world where so many are hurting,
You offer to bind up our wounds;

In a world where so many are lonely,
You offer friendship to every heart;

In a world longing for peace,
You offer hope.

Yet, we are so stubborn and resistant.
Have mercy upon us, Lord.

Our nation is at a crossroads this year;
we look to you to be our strength and shield.

Please give us the guidance to elect one who will honor you
and to respond to the wisdom from above
so that our hope may be renewed and our blessings be treasured.

In God's holy name."

Amen and Amen.

On this National Day of Prayer and the First Day of Global Prayer...

Live the Red,

Mark

Don't Stop!

never ever give up, originally uploaded by joshhikes.

There are plenty of stop signs in life. Many of them are a good thing. They keep us from terrible crashes in the intersections of life. At least in the world of vehicles, you can get yourself into big trouble by refusing to stop. Running a stop sign is a punishable offense in traffic court.

For those of us who are serious about following Jesus, sometimes its a sin to stop. There are spiritual stop signs that should be ignored. Especially when it comes to our prayer life, we should avoid the temptation to stop praying.

God's Word is especially helpful at this point. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is a tiny verse packed with spiritual power. It's only three words. "pray without ceasing." In other words--"don't stop!" Even when you think you've prayed enough...keep praying!

I wonder how many blessings and answers to prayer we miss out on because we lose heart, get discouraged, and stop praying?

I like what Samuel the prophet said the God's people in I Samuel 12:23..."Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you..." Wow, there you have it. This mighty prophet of God called it a "sin" to stop praying for the people.

That settles it. When you see a spiritual stop sign in your prayer life...do yourself a favor. Ignore it! Keep on praying.

This Thursday, May 1st is the National Day of Prayer! It's also the first of ten days of global prayer.

Don't Stop Praying and...

Live the Red,

Mark

Majestic!

Practice, originally uploaded by hvhe1.

If you've been stopping by LiveTheRed for very long, you know that one of my favorite passages in all the Word of God is found in the 40th Chapter of Isaiah's prophecy.

This beautiful eagle picture was too good to pass up. Enjoy the "majestic" Word of God from Isaiah, chapter 40.

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God'?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles...

...they shall mount up with wings like eagles...

...they shall run and not be weary...

...they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:27-31, ESV)

Amen & Amen!

Make it a great day and...

Live the Red,

Mark

Embrace the Truth

@ The Beach, originally uploaded by Praying for Lions.

The “truth” has become elusive and controversial in our culture. Many in this postmodern world would even consider truth to be an outdated relic of antiquity. Many say, “Truth is whatever you want it to be.” Others proclaim that there’s no such thing as absolute truth at all.

In John 18:38, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The reality is that truth is not a vague principle, an abstract concept, or a theory. Truth is a person! Jesus Christ Himself is the Truth. He is the Way, He is the Truth, and He is the Life! If you want to know the Truth, get to know Jesus.

There's a beautiful song entitled, “Take Hold of Christ.” The song beautifully captures the essence of what it means to embrace Christ! The chorus goes...

"Come and take hold of love
Take hold of life
Just let God prove His promise
Take hold of Christ"

The word “embrace” means, “to clasp in the arms: hug; cherish, love; encircle, enclose; to take up readily or gladly.”

It was early on Resurrection morning when the women encountered the risen Jesus! They couldn’t contain their enthusiasm. They reached out to embrace Him. Matthew 28:9 says, “…And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.” To embrace Christ means to know Him personally. To “know” the truth in the biblical sense means, “to be transformed into it.” As you spend these days embracing the Truth, understand that you’re grabbing hold of Jesus Himself. And this encounter with the person of Jesus will transform your life—starting today!

There is really only one needful thing in life...Take Hold of Christ!

Live the Red,

Mark

Taking Off...and..."Going Dark!"

after take-off, originally uploaded by Dom Dada.

Today I'm taking off...shuffling off to Buffalo...or as Jack Bauer, the protagonist on the television series "24" would say, "I'm going dark!"

The next few weeks of my life will be filled with thrills, chills, grills, and hopefully no spills. Finally, after almost a year, me and my gang will return to the water's edge (that's the beach, for those of you who haven't read my book yet) over Spring Break and then it's "over the river and through the woods, to Grandma's house we go."

For the next several weeks, I'll be on the move, and on many occasions--far from a modem, cell-phone, Internet connection, or other electronic devices. So, I'm "going dark."

So from now until April 17th, LiveTheRed.com is going "bye-bye." I know, the heartbreak is almost overwhelming. Never fear, like the Terminator (only think of me as the "Sermonator")...I'll be back!

What to do for the next 30 days without LiveTheRed.com? Visualize world peace. For that matter, you could join the Peace Corps. Invent a better mouse trap. I'm sure if you do, the world will beat a path to your door.

If none of those options work, you could always go back and re-read the first 276 postings. Think of it as a trip down memory lane. Or, you could go to Amazon.com and type in "Breakfast on the Beach: Finding God at the Water's Edge." Order my book and read it over the next month. Whether you're at the beach or not, you'll be glad you did.

I'll see you back here on April 17th...if not before. In the meantime, you know what to do...

Live The Red,

Mark

Anticipation

Anticipation, originally uploaded by steph.A.

I ran across some thought-provoking comments recently. Here's what Christ-follower Scott Rodgers had to say concerning the anticipation we feel about the upcoming weekend at our churches...

"Are people speculating about what is going to happen this weekend at our churches? Are they curious about what God is going to do through ‘this weekend’s message’? Are our volunteers anticipating God using them AGAIN this weekend? ‘I can’t wait to introduce this song.’ ‘The kids are going to flip when they experience this.’ ‘Our students are going to be shocked.’ ‘I can’t wait to see people squirm when I say that.’

Are statements like that a part of your Monday through Friday vocabulary? On a scale of one to ten, what’s the level of anticipation for each weekends experience at your church? Anticipation fosters curiosity which creates speculation which generates conversation. Are people talking? We do it all the time elsewhere.

I live in Phoenix, Arizona. Right now (at the time of this writing) you can’t even get downtown. It is full of media personnel from around the world who are covering the ‘Big Game’ in Glendale. The whole world is anticipating, speculating, and talking about the big game. Who will win? Is he really hurt or is it a ploy? Can they go undefeated? The BUZZ is huge.

Is it right to expect such a high level of anticipation week in and week out in our churches? If not, should we accept a low level of anticipation or even none at all? Have you been successful in creating a healthy sense of anticipation in your church? If so, what did you do?"

Thanks, Scott! Your comments have challenged us all to have a healthy dose of spiritual ANTICIPATION as we head toward our weekend worship services on Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday! May the BUZZ about Jesus grow ever stronger in our social circles.

Like a child eagerly anticipating a joyous ride on a merry-go-round, we should all be filled with a wondrous expectation as we anticipate what our great God is going to do next.

On a one to ten scale, where is your spiritual anticipation right now?

Live the Red,

Mark