New Series Starting Sunday: “Going Green”

Come out this Sunday as we begin a new series about money.
You don’t want to miss it!

Q & A: Round 7 (Jason Kimbrow)

27. Do you ever get burnt out with ministry and pouring into others? How do you get refilled?

I do get dry sometimes. Tiredness, experiencing a failure, someone disappointing me, not see the fruit of my investments, or overworking are a few things that burn me out every now and then. I refuel by getting away with my family, spending some quality time with God, hanging out with my best friends, and taking days off to do absolutely nothing but watch The Office (exaggeration but it does help).

28. What’s the most awkward experience you’ve ever had around “weird” Christians?

I had a preacher slap me with his Bible before. Just kidding. I can’t remember my most awkward experience.

29. My boyfriend and I plan to get married but aren’t even engaged yet. We are having a hard time staying pure. Should we get married sooner?

Well, neither of you want to marry someone who isn’t disciplined and marriage isn’t something you jump into because you can’t stay pure. But you don’t want to burn with lust either. The Apostle Paul discusses this in I Corinthians 7:8-9. I would get some strong accountability right now! Because marriage involves sex but isn’t about sex so you want your relationship to be a relationship. You don’t want it to be based on sex.  You want it based on God and serving one another. Get some help and you may want to even consider breaking it off for a season if you can’t stay pure.

30. If you have the lost the flame that had at one time for God, how do you get it back?

Get around the right people. Once you’ve done that, you need to meet with every person you respect and ask them how they do it. Also, make sure you are serving in a church somewhere. Obviously, reading the word and prayer are great disciplines to do daily.

31. Why didn’t The Newlyweds show workout?

Uhhh…it did work out. Their marriage didn’t work out but the show did. How could you?….

32. When you are praying about future decisions, how do you know when it’s God and when it’s just your own thoughts?

This is hard to figure out. Instead of trying to explain it I would just point you to a message I gave during our Symphony series last semester. Click here if you have iTunes. It’s Part Four: The Movement of God.

Q & A Round 6 (Garrett Matsuyama)

25. Should all Christians do overseas missions?

Great question. When Jesus left his disciples, he left them a task that we call the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is the biblical basis that God desires his Word to go out to all nations. And until every nation has heard, (which has not happened yet) there is still work to do. There are several different perspectives on what role the American church should play in missions. To disciple all nations in today’s world could be as simple for us as reaching out to the international students that live at our own campus, ready to be reached and looking to learn about our culture.

In my opinion, i think everyone should experience an overseas mission trip at some point in their life. For two reasons: God’s heart is for all nations. He wants everyone to get a chance to hear the Gospel. The other reason is that it will literally change your life. When you see God move in another part of the world, and you see people that are in need in a way you can never imagine experiencing, it does something to you. You come back more thankful, more inspired, and more open to how God might use you here.

26. Being involved in many ministries at New Life is a great way to grow in your faith, but what if with all these things I’m involved in aren’t helping me as much i thought they would? How do i take a step back and reanalyze my walk with God?

Sometimes, even as a pastor, we can get so busy trying to do things for God, that we forget to be with God. This can end up hurting us more than we realize. To step back i would encourage you to maybe consider why you do all the things you do. Ask yourself: Am i trying to do all of this to earn points with God? Am i trying to make him love me more? If the answer is yes, than it’s possible you may want to make room to develop your personal time with God, even if it means dropping a “good thing” that you are doing. Sometimes we forget that we are worth more to God than what we can do for him. You don’t have to earn points with him, he just wants your heart.

Q & A: Round 5 (Ashley Kimbrow)

23. What’s one of your most memorable moments God showed up for you?

For many who know me, you know that I am a feely type person. I am extreme. I am up and down. I can be so much fun or quite the debbie downer. I am head-strong but super emotional.  So…for much of my life I related to God based on how He made me feel. If I had a moment where I “felt” God’s presence, my Christian walk was all good…for a bit. But once the feelings subsided and the commitment needed to kick in, I wasn’t so into it.

I remember a certain time when God spoke to me that when I could finally commit to Him in spite of how He made me feel, He would show me what true love was. I remember thinking “well, that’s what I want.” I was desperate for that. So I did it. I decided I would “commit” to God no matter what. No matter if I felt Him or didn’t. No matter if I heard Him speak to me or if I didn’t. No matter if I saw Him show up for me or not.  I realized a “commitment” is more than emotions. It comes with a responsibility to be all in. Forever. So I gave my life to God…like really. I surrendered everything and determined that my life would forever be different.  But I didn’t feel Him. And yet I stayed committed and faithful. I prayed, attended church, read my Bible. All without “feeling.” Me and not feeling. ugh! And then it happened. After about 2 months, I was in a service and I suddenly became overwhelmed with His presence. I FELT HIM in a way that I had never felt Him or anything else ever before. He showed up for me. It was 10 years ago and is still one of my best memories with Him.

24. If your parents have never gone to church how do you show them your new love for God?

The Bible tells us that “love never fails,” and I believe this verse is so applicable to your question. I really think you will inevitably “show” your parents your new love for God just by being around them. If God is in your heart, it will come out. The love we have for God draws us to Him…to know Him more. And knowing Him more reveals His love for others. And then that becomes our love for others. We love because He loves us. So, practically, I think you SHOW them love through your actions. Put them first. Offer to go to the store, to cook the dinner, to do the dishes. Fix your Mom a glass of ice water. Wash your Dad’s truck. Make eye contact when they speak to you. Smile often. Give your Mom hugs. Talk to your Dad about his hobbies. Most of us have trouble with this as kids to our parents. We play the role of “taker.” By playing the role of “giver,” you will show them God’s love.

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Q & A: Round 4 (Ashley Kimbrow)

20. If people have known you to be the “big partier” in your fraternity or sorority how do you go about letting people know you’re trying to change your life?

This was me. I mean–I wasn’t the craziest girl ever, but I definitely had my share of “fun” as a college student/sorority girl. And when I committed everything to God, I wondered how it would be for everyone when they heard about my new faith and consequential lifestyle change. Ultimately, it came down to this thought: “What are these people going to do for you, Ashley? Are they capable of blessing your life the way God will? Do they love you and provide for you the way God does? Are they going to open up doors of opportunity for you in your future, bring your future husband to you, and most importantly, be there for you forever and eternally? The big answer, obviously: NO! I decided that I would not let it bother me that others might not approve of my new “change” because really, GOD IS IT! GOD is what life is about! If they didn’t get that, as much as it saddened me, it was their loss. I didn’t want it to be mine too.

So, I got bold. I got honest. And as a crazy, fun [at least I think ], senior exec member of my sorority, I stood before our chapter room full of girls and did what I thought I should: I invited them to a Bible study at my house!!! I figured I should just go all out for God. And it was awesome! Over 50 girls came, and we had such authentic, deep conversation that night about God and His plans and His presence and purposes. What I feared [about some of my sisters disapproving] may have happened, but I didn’t know it because I was so overwhelmed by the positive impact my new life  had made on so many of my other sisters. It was almost as if they needed me to step out and be bold about my faith. My step toward God and honesty about it made it easier for them to assess their own relationships with God. It was an incredible, rewarding time in my life and actually confirmed for me that choosing God was the best thing I could have done.

21. How do you manage to be a positive person despite all of the ways that satan attacks your mind and everything that life throws at you?

For me, it is all about perspective. When I get upset that so many hours of my life are impacted by migraines, I remind myself that overall, I have very blessed health. I have 2 working legs to dance with, perfect eye-sight (with the help of contacts!) to see beautiful things with, and zero chronic conditions that plague me. I am blessed! Or when I get dreamy about having a bigger home, I remind myself that I have plenty of home right here. So many others all over our nation and in other countries would feel fortunate to live in my current home for all of their days. I am blessed!

When I catch myself feeling negative, as cheesy as it sounds, I play the “thankful” game. I think of all that God has done for me, all that I do have, and I can’t help but be positive.

I also think of Jesus’ life and pains and trials and temptations, and His responses to them all. I know that He knows through his own human experiences of the attacks I experience and that I can identify with Him, which draws me closer to Him. Knowing Him and that He understands what I go through (because He too went through it) gives me comfort and hope.

22. I have friends that used to attend New Life and were on leadership but started to get confused and drinking a lot and doing drugs. They feel abandoned by friends and feel awkward to come back to New Life. What is the best way to deal with this when you don’t want to fall into that lifestyle?

Man, I hurt for them. Whoever they are, we still love them. No matter what. I understand this is a tough situation. I think the best thing for you to do is to love them and show them you love them–without compromising your own walk with God. What does this look like? Lunch at Stoby’s instead of a late night out at Sticky FIngerz. Text messages and voicemails instead of spending huge amounts of time together. Going to Wal-Mart and to workout together instead of to parties. Hanging out on your turf instead of theirs. I think this could be different if you felt strong enough to not fall. But as long as their world is hard on your commitment to God, you have to limit your time there…not your love or loyalty to them, but your willingness to do what they do. And please, tell them to come hang out with us again.

Thanks for the questions!

Ashley Kimbrow

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Q & A: Round 3 (Jason Kimbrow)

10. When I’m at church I feel like a true Christian but when I leave it feels like I’m a completely different person. What is something I can do to be more connected to God every single day?

A lot of people struggle with this. Developing friendships with those that are going after God is crucial. Friends provide the encouragement and accountability that we all need. Click HERE to join a small group.

The most important thing you can do is work on your relationship with God. I do LOTS of reading. I’ve posted some of the books I’ve read over the past few years HERE. There are also several podcasts that I listen to. Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church and Craig Groeschel at LifeChurch.tv are a couple of my favorites.

11. Will you ever consider rejoining 98 degrees?

Absolutely. I already have in my head and in my heart.

12. I was raised Baptist and was taught that it is a sin to drink. From what I have read in the Bible it’s okay as long as you don’t get drunk. What do you think?

Great question. I’ll try to give my “short” answer. As with any of our questions, we have to turn to the Bible. Here’s a few things.

First, there was definitely some wine tasting going on in the Bible. Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water into wine at a wedding party (John 2:1-11). Here are a few other scriptures: Ecclesiastes 9:7, Psalm 104:14-15, Amos 9:14 Isaiah 55:1.

Second, the wine was probably a little different back then. It contained alcohol but probably not as much. It wasn’t as strong. The water back then was pretty bad too so most people drank wine. Wine was also used as an antiseptic.

Third, drunkenness is strongly talked about in the Bible. It’s obvious through scripture that it is destructive and displeases God. Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 23:20-35, Romans 13:13.

We still haven’t talked about cultural issues, higher standards for leaders, generational curses, the lives that alcohol has taken, and the differences in every person and their personality. All of these things play into the picture.

Bottom line is that, in and of itself, the act of having a drink when you are of age is not a sin unless you are disobeying God’s voice in your life. Getting drunk is a sin.

My suggestion for you would be to do your own research, pray, and figure out what you believe for you. If you don’t know then I would stay away from it. It’s dangerous. My personal stance is to stay away from it especially because alcohol destroyed a few years of my life.

13. Have you ever thought about moving Elevation to another night?

Yes, all of the time. I wish we could do Thursday nights but he youth group meets then. What do you guys think? What night is the best?

14. What is the process of getting on the leadership team at Elevation?

Fill out this application http://elevationblog.tv/leadership/ From there someone will set you up with an interview with the Elevation staff.

15. What is the hardest think about keeping God within your marriage?

Probably just not letting the chaos of our lives pull us apart. With a big ministry and church, a strong-willed child, two strong-willed adults, a part-time lawn care business, Ashley leading Etroupe dance team, and now I’ve started my masters degree…we stay pretty busy. But life is incredible and fun and full of joy. It really is. So we just try not to take life so seriously. A lot of times it’s an epic fail. We are getting better though. I love her big time! She’s my shawty!

16. Can your past be an initial part of the enemy’s plan that holds you back from a future with God?

Absolutely. Go forward! Forget about the past. Fail forward. God has forgiven you!

17. What is satan’s last name?

ist

18. Are you a bodybuilder?

Are YOU a bodybuilder?

19. Where do you shop for clothes?

TJ Maxx, Pacsun, Dillards, and my friends’ closets when they aren’t home.

Thanks for the questions!

Jason Kimbrow

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Q & A: Round 2 (Garrett Matsuyama)

Here are some more questions some of you asked Sunday night

6. Where do you start to witness to someone who believes in a higher power but not the Bible?

When i look to have a conversation about God with someone that has different beliefs, i usually first ask them a lot about what they believe. I like to ask them how they came to those beliefs, and I like to ask them how it plays out in their life. I usually always find one key difference about their faith. this gives you a chance to share about why you believe the Bible, and why you put your faith in Christ.

7. In prayer where do you draw the line between a normal conversation and irreverence?

I’ve actually never thought about this before. But when you look at the Lord’s prayer, (the way Jesus encouraged the disciples to pray) to me it can be very conversational, but also very honoring to God. “Hallowed be thy name” is a formal way of just praising God for who He is when we first go to him. “Give us this day our daily bread,” can be how we ask God to provide for our needs-which can be physical and emotional. I think God wants us to be ourselves with him, but with humility.

8. Both of my parents are not saved. How do you handle talking to them about God without making them feel your shoving it down their throat?

Great question. I went through this when i first came to Christ. Depending on your family dynamic, having a conversation about anything deep (like faith in God) can be normal for some families & seemingly impossible for others. What i did was just try to find ways to share my faith with my family. I remember talking to them about why i started going to church. I also believe if you want to share Christ with them, try your best to be Christ around them. I would encourage you to find ways to serve them, be an example that might make them wonder “what is different about my kid?”

9. In comparison to a place like Nepal, it seems in America with all the freedoms we have, for some reason we rarely see radical conversions or expressions of our faith. Maybe it’s because we discuss our faith less outside of the church with non-churchgoers. Do you agree or disagree and why? What does evangelism look like to you?

This was something I thought a lot about while i was in Nepal. I tried to figure out “what are these people do right?” In my journal I boiled it down to 3 things: a) they believe and depend on God for everything. They don’t have a lot of money or resources. So when they have a need or someone gets sick, they don’t pray as a last resort. It’s their first instinct. The church is seeing people get healed and God move in ways i don’t see here as much. b) They are crazy about God. not in the spooky way. but these people have received truth for the first time. They haven’t come off the mountain like many of us do. They come to church ready to praise, they get up and pray at 5:30 in the morning not because “good Christians read their bible and have a quiet time” but because they are in love with God, and walk with an overwhelming need for relationship with him. Sometimes we get so used to God, the Word, and prayer, to the point we forget it’s power. they haven’t yet. c) they are telling people about it. If you found the cure for cancer, and new it could save the lives of millions. would you keep it to yourself? no-that would seem borderline evil. The growing church in Nepal has found a cure for their souls in Jesus Christ and cannot keep it to themselves. Once they receive the truth-it’s like they cannot “not” tell their friends and family about it. It’s these things that i think are maybe the key to what God is doing there, and I’m thinking it’s these things that we must live in line with to see God move in a similar way here

I’m going to wrap this post up. There are more questions to respond to. Stay tuned and thanks for your amazing questions

Garrett Matsuyama

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Q & A: Round 1 (Jason Kimbrow)

1. Will elevation start at our Magnolia campus in the fall?

No, but we want to do it eventually. We need a few leaders established there first.

2. How is your son?

He’s awesome. He’s obsessed with raisins, eating my deodorant, dancing, any kind of ball (which makes me proud), and saying “Aww man” when things don’t go his way.

3. Am I good enough to go on a mission trip?

Does a bear crap in the woods??? Yes, they do and anyone can go on a mission trip as long as your heart is to serve and you are teachable.

4. What do you do when you feel like you’re getting apathetic in your walk with God?

Honestly, I usually get really irritable and moody but you’re probably wanting to know what I do to overcome that. I get apathetic when I’m not serving other people, when I’m not spending time with God, and when I’m not doing anything outside and enjoying nature.

So I always do a heart check and usually have to get over myself and turn my attention towards encouraging and helping others.

I force myself to talk to God and read the Bible or other spiritual books.

I go for a run, workout, mountain bike, etc. I need to do this more because it REALLY helps me.

5. What Scriptures are close to your heart concerning missions?

The parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37. Love God and love others. I like to keep it simple.

More to come soon.

Jason Kimbrow

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Question And Answer

Last night at Elevation students text messaged Garrett and I questions during the service. Random questions. Some good, some bad. Some serious, some really really not serious. We over 100 texts so we obviously couldn’t answer them all so over the next few days we will try to answer them on this blog. Comments are welcomed. Enjoy.

Jason Kimbrow

This Sunday Night

Okay so we took a week off for Spring Break but we are back on this Sunday night, March 28th. We only have a few Sunday nights left until summer break so make sure you don’t miss! Here is the schedule:

April 4-Easter Message

April 11-Going Green series

April 18-Going Green series

April 25-Going Green series

May 2-Vision For Next School Year