How many of you have ever sat through a sermon and the whole time wondered, "what is the point of all of this?" Or maybe you've been the one preaching and thought, "man, I should just go sit down and let someone else finish...". I think it's always a good idea to remind ourselves that we aren't immune to "missing it." Face it, you aren't the most dynamic speaker in the world. People are not lined up for miles to hear the latest "nugget" that descends straight from heaven and out of your mouth. CNN and Fox News are not simulcasting your services for the masses. And occassionally, just every once in a while you will deliver a "dud". You will be so far form the "pulse" of what your people need to hear that you end up just giving a very well thought out lecture, that on the surface seems to hit all the right buttons, but leaves no lasting change. Here is a very important piece of information-you can assemble a great series, with incredible illustrations and really drive home each point with power, but still lack the necessary element that will see results. That element is the "pulse". What is the pulse of your group? What is God's heart for those particular people at that particular time? And I'm not talking about preaching on gossip because you just found out that there's a bunch of gossips in your church! Look at this passage in Jeremiah 23: 21-22, "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. To me, that is an incredible passage and it places an incredible burden upon the messenger to stand in the council of God and hear His message so that we can proclaim it, in order that we might see people changed! Again I ask-what is the "pulse" of your church? What is it that God is telling you when you stand in His council? What message is He giving you to proclaim? Simple Application: Before you start your next series...get the "pulse". I'm interested in hearing from you all...what do you do to ensure that you are getting the pulse? How do you pray and prepare for messages? Give me some feedback!

There were many replies to my review-I was actually surprised by the number-I guess there are more people reading this blog than I thought. The winner is: Jared McCarty of Central Bible College. He has lived and breathed www.mikejames.org since the beginning of the book contest, hoping to win a free book. I suppose that's why I took so long to post the review...to make him wait. Congrats Jared and enjoy a great book!

Wild Goose Chase-A review by Mike James I was inspired while reading Mark Batterson's previous book, "In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day," so, of course, I approached, "Wild Goose Chase," with a similar expectation to find within the contents some "nuggets" of inspiration. One of the most fundamental aspects of the book is that Mark Batterson seeks to write a book not about You or Me-it's not meant to provide us encouragment in OUR quest for spiritual adventure-but to make it clear to us that God is wanting to write HIS-story through our lives. The intention of the book isn't only to inspire us on our journey, but to open us up to the possibilities that lie within the power of the God who wants to accomplish great things through us. The author has outlined 6 cages that keep us from allowing God to truly accomplish great things in us: the cage of responsibility (instead of making a life we end up making a living, FIND your God-ordained passion: in the words of Mother Teresa, "find your own Calcutta."), the cage of routine (don't miss the voice of God because you are drowning in life sucking routine, what can you do to get back the freshness?), the cage of assumptions (challenge the assumptions in your life: "people cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to lose sight of the shore!"), the cage of guilt (sin-grace=guilt, sin+grace=gratitude, what guilt is holding you back-forgive or be forgiven), cage of failure (gaining the right perspective on failures is key), the cage of fear (take some stinkin' risks, are you more worried about missed opportunities or messing up?). I think these are great foundations for serious personal reflection, but one thing that is certain-it's not about us! It's not about us generating a vision after deep personal reflection...it's about getting that God-sized vision for our lives! And I think Mark Batterson does an incredible job of painting that picture. I would encourage you to secure your copy of this book at Borders and begin your chase! The first to reply to michaelneiljames@gmail.com will win a free copy. Please send your name and address.

In order for you to win a free copy of Mark Batterson's, "Wild Goose Chase," all you need to do is email me at pastormike@liberty-assembly.org, as soon as I post my review. The first person to respond to my email after I post my review, will be the winner. Here is what I need...name and address..and a link to your blog. Be checking back because I will be posting my review at any moment throughout the week. Seriously, this is like winning $20.00. Who doesn't like winning $20.00?

Just watched an amazing video talking about laminin. Louie Giglio is speaking on the incredible nature of our existence. He ends his presentation with the development of the protein molecule that holds all our cells together, you will be amazed. Incredible.

I joined the twitter revolution a while ago, for those of you who are not in the know, twitter allows you to give short one-line updates throughout the day to friends and family. It allows people to always know what you're doing...at least when you twitter. Honestly, it's a neat thing in a lot of ways, but at the same time something doesn't sit well about it. I mean twitter is simply an updating service...much like the status updates on myspace or facebook but without the opportunity for further communication at any deeper level. I find myself checking my twitter feeds and being updated on people's lives, but not really communicating with them. Can this communication overload we have through twitter and facebook be sabotaging real communication? Just things I'm pondering as I struggle my way through my twittering experience. Simple Application: Don't let real human communication (face to face, or even on the phone-and not text messaging!) become obsolete!

Here in the next few days I will be receiving two copies of Mark Batterson's new book "Wild Goose Chase" in the mail. One will be for me to read and review, and the other for me to give away right here on the blog. I'm trying to think of a creative way to give it away...maybe to the person who leaves the most comments when I post my review. Be watching... Here is a look inside: Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something… Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure. —Introduction to Wild Goose Chase.

Philosophies about man's condition don't bring any comfort during the pain of man's condition. Without active love and compassion during difficult times, we fail to bring the character of God into relevancy in people's lives. If you can profoundly express the logic of man's sinfulness and need of a savior, and even the continued need for believers to grow, yet never exhibit the character of God to a person during times of need-your theories are dead! My favorite quote by Francis Schaeffer, ''Our calling is to exhibit God and His character, by His grace, in this generation.'' Simple Application: Are you enjoying nice theories of Christianity, or are you actively exhibiting the character of God? When you truly start living that way people will have to notice.