Can Christians Hangout at Bars?

So, for the first time in my life I hung out at a bar. It is funny because every time I looked at "bar people", I thought of wasted lives and drunk people. It is so funny how I am easy to judge. I went with a friend of mine this weekend and mainly observed people and how that acted. Although some do waste their lives and just go to get drunk, many go for a different reason. Here are a few things I observed:

1. A need for Relationships
2. Need to have a Good Time
3. Community desired.

Pros of a bar: 1. Relationships, a good time and community are a few pros to going to a bar. People seem more real at a bar than at church. You are not judged. Everybody seems to be open to meeting everybody, it does not matter sex or race, cool or dork. Many cant build those kind of relationships at church, but can at a bar. Some people at bars are Christians that have not found community in a church.

Some Cons - Although many find relationships, some still do not have a relationship with the God that created them. A good time with other believers with prayer, learning Gods Word and changing a community are missing; which is ultimately what we were created for. One guy asked me if I go to strip clubs. I wanted to say "No, but I do go to church", but I think that may have severed that relationship. He was new to town and said he would like to hang out with us next week. Nice guy, drove a nice Chrysler 300 with a hemi, talked about his kids and mine, owned his own business, and was there looking to meet people.

Do you think it is good to go to bars so you can build relationships and lead someone to Christ or do you think it is sin and we should not go?

*If you have a problem with absorbing too much alcohol and it is an addiction, you should probably refrain from going.

People with No Hope

I used to work at a great organization called the Hopeline. It was one of the best jobs I have ever had. I would answer calls from teenagers and young adults all around the country and talk about anything from dating to suicide, from self image to porn addiction. The more I spoke to all of these people I realized that there are people like this filling my city. The only difference is that the people calling in finally got desperate enough to call and talk to someone about it.

If you are stumbling upon this blog and you realize that your life may feel hopeless, I want to encourage you that you do not have to feel that way. The purpose of your life is to get to know the One that created you. God created you for a purpose and as soon as you get to know God you will be able to serve your purpose. It's all about a relationship with Him.

We started Awaken Community Church to help the hopeless and those needing to find a purpose in life. The truth is that we are all ultimately hopeless until we are following Christ. It's
not to late to start over.

Finish Well

"Finish well" is a phrase that I've heard a lot in my life. It means more to me now then ever. It's very tough for me to see friends who have abandoned the faith. Many still believe in God and even Jesus, but their lives are not in His hands. They do not follow Him or obey Him with their lives of actions. My prayer is that God would bring an awakening to my city that that people would come to really know Jesus, that they would really know what it means to be a follower of Christ. If you have abandon your faith, I pray that you would consider coming back. Become a follower of Christ. The One that made you, loved you and gave His life for you. It is the only life worth living.

The world and all of its stuff and desires will soon fade and only Christ will matter in the end. Get plugged in to a good church where people will love you and hold you accountable. Start over, Christs love is sufficient for all who have fallen and messed up in life. If you are a Christian, continue to press on and finish well. Fight the fight and finish the race. If you are not a Christ Follower, follow him and finish well with the rest of your life.

Failures

The more that I look at my life, the more I realize that I have to trust in Christ. I mess up a lot. I fail a lot. I try to be a solid Christian, Husband, Father and Pastor, but many times I fail. I am continuing to realize that I will not be perfect in any of these areas and that I need to trust in Christ to help me be the man I need to be. The more I am seeking Jesus the better I do at these things and the more I stop wasting my time on things that do not matter. Its almost a formula for me: Trust in Christ = do things well and efficient. Don't seek Christ and waste time on meaningless things.

I have been really busy in life the last few months and have taken the latter part of that "formula". This past week I have been seeking Christ more and I can tell a difference in my life.

True Faith

I was talking to a friend the other day about religion. We were talking about God, Jesus, personal faith and more. Although we do not have the same beliefs, we shared in a productive, non threatening conversation. One thing she said about Christianity is that she respects the religion, but not the church. She said that so many people claim the name of Christ, but do not live it. She has her beliefs and she lives them. This is a huge problem.

Many people in our traditional, religious city of Chattanooga believe in God or "god". Many even believe or acknowledge Jesus, but the problem is that many do not truly know Jesus, they know about Him, but do not know Him.

True faith is truly having faith, period, not just claiming it with words. Not just an acknowledgment, but it actually changes the way you live. Its real. It is your life. Many should stop calling themselves Christians or Christ followers unless they are. Its not about being perfect, because everyone fails and will let you down, but its about giving your life up for something that will outlast you. The God of Heaven, Creator of heaven and earth, came into the world in form of a man called Jesus. He lived, loved, taught, impacted and died for the forgiveness of the sin of humanity. He rose again the third day. He ascended into heaven where we who have faith in Him, will join Him one day. This is the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. No one like Him has ever lived or will ever live again. He was God and He was with us. We should follow him and claim him or continue to deny Him with our actions and stop claiming Him. Too many "Christians", are making the bride of Christ look like a whore and turning away those who may possibly be interested in Jesus because of the actions of His "followers". Lets embrace the good news of Jesus and allow Him to impact our lives, friends, church and community.

Awaken's New Location

Awaken started in a house with a good core group. After just a few weeks of meeting together we grew out of it and God opened up a door through pastor Mitchel Reaves at North Side Community Church. We have enjoyed our last few months worshiping together there. We have been praying that something would open up in our target area, and now it has.

Starting today, June 7, 2009 we will be meeting at Middle Valley Baptist Church from 6:00-7:15. The address is 7901 Middle Valley Road - Hixson, TN 37343.

Over the next few months we hope to meet new people that are not plugged into church. We will meet at Middle Valley until the end of August, then we move into our new location and launch Awaken Community Church to the community.