Adam Jones Blog

May 31, 2012

Three Great Books (Change Your Thinking!)

By Jones

I’m a big believer that if you want to change the way you’re living, you first have to change the way you’re thinking. And the only real way to change the way you think is to change what you’re reading, watching and listening to.

In my office (and on my kindle – God’s gift to heavy readers), I have stacks of books I’m currently reading and anticipating reading. Here are three that I would suggest if you’re serious about changing the way you think…

One Of by Alex Absalom & Greg Nettle

Four words have brought about a fundamental shift in the way I approach every aspect of life and ministry. For. With. One. In. This FREE book delivers an incredibly simple concept that has potential shift your thinking about your relationships, your ministry and your role in the Kingdom.

Building A Discipling Culture by Mike Breen & Steve Cockram

If the One Of concept shifted my approach to life and ministry, Building A Discipling Culture has revolutionized the way I view discipleship and investing in future leaders. In it, you’ll be introduced to Lifeshapes, a brilliant approach to teaching spiritual formation to our very visual culture.

Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight

I’ve read about 1/3 of this book and can’t wait to read the rest! In Jesus Creed, McKnight delivers a very thoughtful, easy-to-read book on spiritual formation, beginning with the Great Commandment. If you haven’t picked it up, you should… Chapters 8 & 9 are worth the price of the book alone.

Leave a comment | tags: book, building a discipling culture, change, jesus creed, one of, read, thinking | posted in Devotion

May 31, 2012

What Are Your Legos?

By Jones

As I write this, my son is behind me, playing with his Legos. At least, that’s what it looks like from my perspective…

From his, he’s engaged in an intense battle between good and evil…complete with sound effects! Space ships are flying, droids are shooting, troopers are attacking, lightsabers are clashing and the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

Isn’t it amazing what happens when you put some plastic blocks and little people in the hands of a 7 year old?

Isn’t the whole concept of imagination unbelievably holy?

A incredibly creative God created an incredibly creative people. We were created in His image, so it makes perfect sense that we reflect His creativity.

My son’s ability to look at some Lego blocks and imagine a vast galaxy of activity is pure imitation of the Creator’s ability to see a blank slate and envision a sun, moon, stars, planets, plants, animals and children.

Sadly, my son – like so many before him – is going to grow up and be pressured to put the Legos down and live in the “real world.” Voices will tell him to quit dreaming and simply see what’s right in front of him. Employers will point out that he’s paid to do a job, not to think. And he’ll be tempted to settle for a life of monotonous reality.

The reality is this: As he grows up, he’ll imitate what he sees me do. My voice will be the most influential in his life. If I dream, he’ll learn to dream. If I build, he’ll learn to build. The Legos will change into actual tools or written words or real people, but he’ll never stop dreaming and creating. Because his dad taught him to imitate the creative Creator.

How are you modeling creativity for the next generation? What are your “Legos?”

1 comment | tags: build, creative, dream, generation, imitate, legos | posted in Devotion

May 29, 2012

This Weekend At Soma!

By Jones

I am VERY excited about this weekend coming up!

First… We’re kicking off a brand new series simply called “Elijah.” We have two great guest speakers (David Atkin & Steve Hayward) coming the first and last week of the series and I’m speaking the middle two weeks. For a peek at the series, visit the Soma website here.

Second… Over the past 6 months, God has been moving in the hearts of people and we’ve heard incredible stories of transformation and growth. And I know that there are more stories out there that I haven’t heard of yet. If you have a story of God moving in your life, we’d love to hear about it! Please consider letting us know by emailing your story to SomaStoriesOfChange@gmail.com.

Third… We’re entering a brand new season! Summer brings challenges with people traveling and being out of town but it brings some great opportunities as well. The weather’s nice, school’s out and we can experience some great times of community. Our first community event is planned for June 10 right after Soma, as we gather at the Georgetown Park for a “family picnic.” Hopefully you can make it and help as we kick off a new season of growing together!

Leave a comment | tags: elijah, events, excited, soma | posted in Ministry

May 28, 2012

Just A Little Bit More…

By Jones

Genesis 2:16-17

And the Lord God commanded the [Adam], “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

From the first moments of creation, there was a very simple plan: God is the Provider.

It couldn’t have been more clear to Adam and Eve. God placed them in the Garden and said, “Here is your home, a place made specifically for you, a place filled with everything you need to survive, where you’ll never want for anything.” Their physical needs were met during the day and their spiritual needs were met in the evening. God was willingly providing EVERYTHING they could possibly need.

But they wanted just a little bit more. And that’s when things got ugly…

They wanted just a little bit more of the fruit they couldn’t eat…just for some more wisdom. But ended up throwing away the very future they’d been promised.

From the beginning, God has been the Provider and we have been the Receivers. Everything should be so very simple…and so very perfect. But when we want just a little bit more, things always turn ugly.

When we want just a little bit more stuff…we swipe our credit cards and promise to work it off later. But later doesn’t always come.
When we want just a little bit more acceptance…we stretch our principles and values to fit in. But those kinds of friends never stick around.
When we want just a little bit more money…we lie, cheat and backstab our way to a promotion. But eventually, our character is always revealed.
When we want just a little bit more passion…we turn to the temporary excitement of an affair. But quickly discover that sex never equals love.

When we want just a little bit more, NOTHING will ever be enough.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Leave a comment | tags: content, greed, money, more, provider, receiver | posted in Devotion

May 27, 2012

Live Generous In A Greedy World

By Jones

Generosity breeds contentment. Greed spawns stress.

Generosity gives. Greed takes.

Generosity blesses. Greed hoards.

Generosity is selfless. Greed is selfish.

Generosity is godliness in practice. Greed is Satan in action.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. (Proverbs 11:24-26)

Normal people value THINGS over PEOPLE. But weird people value GENEROSITY over GREED.

Be weird… Be an alien in a foreign land… Be in the world but not of the world…

Be generous in a greedy world.

Leave a comment | tags: bless, christian, church, generosity, generous, greed, money | posted in Devotion

May 26, 2012

5 Things To Know For Soma Tomorrow!

By Jones

I can’t wait for Soma in the morning! I love the band and I love the environment but most of all, I love getting together with the body – YOU – to spend time in the presence of the Spirit together. And I hope you’re looking forward to a great weekend too! Here are 5 things you need to know about this weekend…

1. Worship will be awesome!

Over the past couple of months, I’ve loved seeing how we’re gelling as a family and every single weekend I’m blown away at hearing voices raised with more and more confidence. Let’s blow the roof off the place tomorrow!

2. God’s gonna show up in an unexpected way!

I am absolutely convinced that growing churches all have one thing in common… They show up expecting God to do the unexpected. Our plans are great, but the Spirit has something even better in the works!

3. God’s gonna challenge your attitude about money!

Whether you’re a 15 year old with a summer job, a 35 year old with a young family or a 58 year old looking at retirement, tomorrow’s message is aimed at YOU!

4. It’s the PERFECT weekend to invite your neighbor!

Sure, it’s Memorial Day weekend, but not everyone’s traveling. Invite your neighbor to Soma and then to a cookout at your house!

5. Out of rest comes revelation!

It IS a long weekend, so live it up and rest with your family. When we withdraw from our worries and rest our souls, we’re much more likely to hear God’s voice revealing His Will in our lives, so come in the morning ready to rest with the body!

Leave a comment | tags: invite, letter, soma | posted in Ministry

May 25, 2012

Desires Overwhelm Logic… Protect Your Future!

By Jones

Genesis 25:29-34

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”

Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Esau’s birthright was infinitely more valuable than a bowl of stew. No matter how “famished” he was.

But in the moment, Esau couldn’t see past his hunger. He couldn’t look beyond his comfort, beyond what he wanted in that moment, and so he gave away the future he’d been promised.

He traded away his potential – his hope – because he couldn’t lock down his desires.

And forever after, the patriarchs of God’s people were listed as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All because Esau gave up his place in the Kingdom.

If we’re not disciplined, desires overwhelm logic. And futures are ruined by unchecked and untamed desires.

Hunger destroyed Esau. But it just as easily could’ve been anger or revenge or jealousy or greed or lust or any number of things. When we want something badly enough and dwell on it long enough, we give Satan the power – and the opportunity – to use it to completely destroy us.

That’s exactly why Paul wrote, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.“ (Galatians 5:16-17)

What “bowls of stew” has Satan placed in your path and around your life? Every one of them is a trap that makes his goal of stealing your future that much easier. I’d suggest pouring those “bowls” out and walking away, forgetting they were ever there.

4 comments | tags: desire, future, normal, potential, satan, trap, weird | posted in Devotion

May 24, 2012

God Did It!

By Jones

While I was recovering from surgery, Jason Galley did a fantastic job leading Soma through a series called “More Than Words!” Week after week, he brought great energy and incredible messages, finishing with some challenging thoughts on Faith.

Check out this clip from that last week of the series… The big idea is “Faith moves forward knowing God can do it!”

And if you aren’t a part of a church already, we’d love to have you join us this Sunday at 10:35 in the Georgetown Church of Christ gym in Georgetown, OH. We’ve got a place for you and we’re excited about what God is longing to do in your life!

2 comments | tags: faith, god did it, jason galley, message, more than words | posted in Devotion

May 23, 2012

“Weird” People Trust God’s Timing

By Jones

This is a clip from Soma’s message on May 20, 2012 in Week 3 of our “Weird” series, challenging us to be “weird” in a very, very “normal” world.

Week 3′s big idea is this… ”Normal” people trade the potential God has for them LATER in order to get what they can earn NOW but ”Weird” people know that God’s timing is ALWAYS better than their own.

Check out the video clip and if you aren’t a part of a church already, we’d love to have you join us this Sunday at 10:35 in the Georgetown Church of Christ gym in Georgetown, OH. We’ve got a place for you and we’re excited about what God is longing to do in your life!

Leave a comment | tags: call, desires, future, potential, timing, weird | posted in Devotion

May 22, 2012

Bigger Than The Storm… (reflections on the tornado)

By Jones

One year ago today, I was at church with our teenagers when my wife got a call that our hometown, Joplin, MO, had been hit by a massive tornado. Over the next few hours, we were able to connect with family and learn that my brother-in-law’s family was safe, although his home had collapsed around them. My grandmother’s house had suffered serious damage but they were safe. The rest of my family was blessed to be outside the storm’s path but many of my friends were not.

That night, the feeling of helplessness was tremendous. I learned that you might move away and you might put down roots somewhere else and you might build an entirely new network of friends and “family,” but home is always home. And when your home hurts, you hurt.

Seven days after the storm, our church sent me with a team of guys and significant financial resources to spend a week in Joplin, helping wherever we could find someone to help. I’ll never forget the first day I drove into the devastated area, nothing I had seen in the news had prepared me for what I was stepping into. And after a week wading through the debris and doing what we could, it was time for my team to head back home, worn out and trusting that we’d made a difference.

Looking back, God has stretched me in incredible ways over the past year and, in so many ways, it began that week in Joplin. The tornado was a terrible disaster and many people lost their homes and lives. But out of all the pain and brokenness, God has brought beauty and healing. He’s taken the broken clay of a town and molded new hearts and lives in the aftermath.

I am so blessed to serve a God who is in the business of restoration. He’s constantly at work, burning away the old, and ushering in the new.

If Joplin taught me anything it was this: Jesus is bigger than any storm that will ever come your way. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:37-39)

***

To re-read some previous posts (by myself and others) about Joplin, follow these links…

“Power”

“God Loves Missouri”

“One Broken Brick At A Time”

“What I Gained From Losing (almost) Everything”

“Today…”

“Put My Tornado To Rest”

“Crisis Moments…”

“Clean Sweep”

2 comments | tags: bigger, home, joplin, tornado | posted in Devotion