Monday Night Football. The Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers. And in the last four seconds, the Bears win – after the Packers racked up a team-record of 18 penalties in a single game.

How are you doing paying attention to the basics, leaders? At working the fundamentals? If you don’t work the fundamentals in your life, what could have been your finest hour will become your biggest loss.

For everything else you do right or wrong in your leadership, it’s paying attention to the basics that will determine the fruit of your life. Do you really believe lost people matter to God? Do they matter to you? Are you growing in real love for people? As one who wears the name of Christ you want to love what He loves…and Jesus loves people relentlessly & selflessly.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these questions: Am I living with a picture of the stakes in my heart and mind? Am I investing in my intimacy with Jesus? What do I need to change in my life to make sure I’m investing in the basics?

Something special has been happening on the weekends during Come See for Yourself. Week 4 of the series was no exception, with Assistant Pastor Justin McCarty up teaching. If you haven’t experienced what God is doing here, you’ve got to get over to one of our campuses in Lexington or Frankfort, or check it out online at questcommunity.com. Seriously, come see for yourself!

Here are some things that rang out this weekend…

• If everything about our lives is “subject to change,” what makes Jesus so different from other things I’ve put my hope in? (It’s a valid question and exactly where we started).

• Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, was a lot like us. He had his hope in Jesus mixed with other flimsy hopes: (1) circumstances (2) people (3) conditional hope in God, and (4) himself.

• Putting hope in our circumstances is like playing Jenga (how many things have to get taken away before it all crashes) and people are far too fragile to the be anchor for your soul.

• How many of us say our hope is in Christ but it’s actually in some set of instructions or conditions we’ve given Him? (And when He doesn’t meet our conditions, we blame Him as unworthy of our trust or hope?)

• The cross & empty tomb shout to our world, “I have something bigger for you than a ‘better life’ – I want to give you a NEW life!”

• One of the most important questions we can ask is: “Where is my hope?” Honestly. So where is yours?

• Hope is knocking at the door. Are you going to stay there arguing, refusing to believe it’s possible, or are you going to run with Peter to the empty tomb and see for yourself?

Several people decided to “see for themselves” and give their lives to Christ this past weekend! The hope in their eyes, the freedom in their hearts, the joy all over their faces… the newness of life in them was proof for anyone who cared to look — Jesus Christ is alive and well, and He’s still in the business of resurrecting hope in the lives of ordinary people just like you and me!

So where do you turn when you’re not alright? Where do you turn when all hell breaks loose?  Important question, don’t you think?

Maybe like your parents before you, you cling to your family or try to find your compass in relationships or hard work. But these things can’t meet the deepest needs of your heart. As much as they matter, they will eventually fail you and leave you disappointed.

Whatever you’re facing, lean into community and put your hope in Christ…not in your circumstances, not in what He’ll do for you, but in Jesus Himself. He loves you and He has not forgotten you.

You are His dearly loved child.

God loves to hear from you and talk with you. He wants to spend every day of your life with you! Since hundreds and hundreds of you have given your lives to Christ over the last few weeks, I’ve been sending out First 30 Days with Jesus encouragement tweets. To stay connected daily, follow me on Twitter.

Tweets from Your First 30 Days with Jesus, Days 11-15:

• Day 11: You are the one Jesus rescued and He calls you by name. Spend time with Him and get to know His voice. – Read John 10:3

• Day 12: You were an expensive son or daughter. Jesus died to pay for your sins so you could experience real life with Him beyond anything you ever dreamed! – Read John 10:10

• Day 13: Jesus saved you for far more than just you. Tell EVERYBODY! Everyone who runs to Him MAKES it! – Read Romans 10:15

• Day 14: When life’s tossing you around don’t be afraid. You can have great confidence in the One you ran to…cling to Him. – Read Hebrews 6:18-19

• Day 15: God understands when no one else does. He loves you and He is ready to strengthen you right now! - Read Isaiah 40:28-31

God loves speaking to us through His Word. If you’re a new Christ-follower and you missed one of the First 30 Days with Jesus encouragement tweets (or you’ve just given your life to Christ over the last few days!), here are days 6-10 to help you catch up. Listen again for what God might want to say to you!

Your First 30 Days with Jesus, Days 6-10:

Day 6: Followers of Jesus get to live in GRACE! Dispense it, lavish it, offer it. God gave it to you…now give it to others! – Read Ephesians 2:4-9

Day 7: “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” – Read Proverb 3:6 (msg)

Day 8: When you asked Jesus into your heart, you were adopted into His family. You are His child, chosen & marked by His love. – Read Matthew 3:17

Day 9: Find a great church that makes Jesus famous…a place to grow and BE the church. You are always welcome at Quest. – Read Acts 2:42-47

Day 10: As you grow in your relationship with Jesus, He wants you to experience His great love for yourself! You’ll never get to the end of it! – Read Ephesians 3:14

1. Happy Birthday to my great wife, Jacki! I love you. I love doing this life with you, and can’t wait to spend this day with you!

2. Love commissioning Quest’s 15 new Champions last night to start pushing the ball forward in their areas of entrustment. You can’t believe what a difference they’re going to make in ministry. Pray for them!

3. The Cowboys really need to get out of the basement of 0 and 2 and finally come up with a big win this weekend.

4. I don’t know what it is, man, but I’m starting get that Uprising feeling. Going around town bumping into Uprising leaders…getting texts and emails. It’s in the air. Get your teams ready…it’s less than seven months away! (Watch for registration to start soon. Hint. Hint.)

5. Can you believe how great this series has been? Do you know how many people need hope? Bring ‘em this weekend!

I’m LOVIN’ digging into God’s word with HUNDREDS of you who’ve asked Jesus into your heart over the last few weeks. Getting to pray for you and connect with so many of you via Twitter has been fantastic. Can’t believe we’re already halfway through the First 30 Days with Jesus tweets! There’s so much TREASURE in His words to us!

If you missed a day along the journey so far (or you’ve just given your life to Christ over the last few days!), I’ll be posting the first 15 tweets here over the next three days. Listen again for what God might want to say to you!

Your First 30 Days with Jesus, Days 1-5:

• Day 1: Today kicks off “30 Days with Jesus” encouragement tweets for those who just asked Jesus into your hearts: YOU ARE BRAND NEW in Christ. – Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

• Day 2: Wondering what to expect in your new relationship with Jesus? Get your hopes up. “Expect love, love & more love!” – Read Jeremiah 31:3

• Day 3: When you prayed to receive Christ, you became His follower and were adopted as His child. Nothing can separate you from Him. – Read Romans 8:31-39

• Day 4: A day full of rescues! Jesus rescued you and He watches over you as the apple of His eye! You are God’s own special treasure. – Read Deuteronomy 32:10

• Day 5: God’s not disappointed in you! He knew what you were capable of when He died for you. He paid for your sin and declares you NOT GUILTY! – Read Colossians 2:13-14

To join in the First 30 Days with Jesus journey, sign up for Twitter and look for my tweets online or have them sent directly to your phone.

My son just pulled out his own front tooth.
(I tried and couldn’t do it…so he just took care of it himself.)

Way to go Carson!

This is no ordinary kid. (Check out that neck…that afro…that gap.) And text the tooth-fairy: self-extracted front teeth get a way better return…he’s gonna make a killing.

This weekend I heard about two girls who made it all the way out to their car after one of our worship experiences at Quest and put the key in the ignition before they decided to turn around and come back inside. They were determined to not go home the same way they’d come in. And they DIDN’T! Jesus moved into their hearts and they are BRAND new! God is ready to do a miraculous work in the lives of EVERY single person who walks through our doors! (You are NOT the exception!)

Come See For Yourself!

p.s. Leaders…your people are dying to know the POWER of God in their own lives. If God is so dynamic, our lives shouldn’t be so static!

I’m overwhelmed by the dozens and dozens of you who’ve pulled me aside, talked to your lifegroup leaders, sent tweets and  posted on Facebook about this series. You guys are doing real, substantial work with Jesus.

So many of you came undone watching the drawbridge video we showed this weekend. The truth is you and I are expensive sons and daughters. The sacrifice God made on our behalf was costly, and this a remarkable picture of the sacrifice God made on our behalf: