Dean Inserra

Amazing. That was the first word out of my mouth after I walked out of the Well tonight. We are growing every week…actually had more people Labor Day weekend than we did last week! People are connecting…great crowd at the Well Encore for dinner at Red Elephant after the service.

Rachel and the gang nailed it tonight. Mighty To Save is easily in my top 3 worship songs, and Rach is at her best when leading us in Holy Roar.

Someone could have made a blooper video for me tonight. My text was in John Chapter 2. Well, my slides said Luke chapter 2, I asked everyone to turn in their Bibles to Luke Chapter 2, and even-though I was reading John 2…I referred to it as Luke 2 the entire sermon. Ooooops! All scripture is inspired by God, so its all good. And…my mic acted up and Matthew Robinson had to walk out and change it mid-sermon. Is there a better Executive Pastor in America?

It was an amazing night though. People are coming, the truth is being told, people are serving, folks are inviting unchurched friends, it is cranking! Who knows what Satan will bring our way to slow us down…don’t really care: God has called us and we are seeing his hand on the Well.

The new Well Kids set-up is awesome! Serious love to our Kids team.

Happy Labor Day! Enjoy a day off work.

The ACC is terrible. At least we have basketball and baseball!

I am pumped for this Sunday! These talks in the mini-series, Lost, is my heartbeat placed into two sermons. Last Sunday we opened by discussing the fact that while we are called to be in the world…there should also be a strong distinction between those who believe in Christ and those who do not.

Where Christians get lost (as we will talk about this week) is when the definition of that distinction is defined by the culture of Granny’s Baptist Church in the South, a Campus Ministry, or a personal preference…instead of by God’s Word.

In the name of being distinct…they do not model the life of Christ at all. Their culturally created holiness has no distinction from the very people who said this. Many people will not walk within 100 yards (it is football season…on the brain) of a Church because of the extra/un-biblical culture they had forced down their throat at an earlier stage of life. This is not okay.

These relgious folks shout their belief in Biblical Inerrancy…but somehow think the Bible needs their additions.

They Amen great truths such as Grace and Faith Alone…but somehow add all kinds of requirements to be legitimate.

The sad thing is that we excuse this type of self-righteous mindset as.. well that is just how they are…that is just their culture.

Jesus would have called them Vipers.

There are some campus ministries at FSU that need to hear that truth.

He connected with people. He went to the social centers of His time. He asked people to throw the first stone. He told her that he did not condemn her…but to sin no more. He offered an woman who had been married 5 times and was currently shacking up living water.

He never compromised His name. He knew no sin. He did not die in the place of holy, flawless people. While we were sinners…in our place condemned he stood.

Instead of being lost in a world that is not our own…we should make the Gospel known and remember that the only difference between us and the very people we condemn is the blood of Jesus. We must tell people that His blood was shed for them!

I thought this was great from Perry Noble:

The number one essential for leaders in the Church:
#1 – Passion

“I’m not talking about false excitement over an event that you would not attend if you were not on the payroll at the church!

But rather raw, unfiltered, emotional and unapologetic passion…a white hot fire inside that consumes, controls and configures us into who Jesus has called us to be and what He’s called us to do!
Be warned–passionate people make for easy targets because no one has to guess what they stand for! However, passion, if handled correctly, can be one of the best friends a leader can have.”

Great stuff…I pray for a God-given passion in all our people…not just those in leadership.

I am speaking on gender roles for 3 days in Northern Alabama in mid-September. I am looking forward to that…not the easiest topic in the world though. Time to get rolling on those sermons.

I am about half-way through Al Mohler’s new book on Atheism. It is really good! It is short and easy to read considering the fact that he is the smartest person who has ever lived. I would take Mohler over anybody in a debate. For real.

The Canes crank up the season tonight! My brother has found some way to get ESPN360, even-though Comcast doesn’t provide it. My family has mafia history, so not to surprising…we “know” people. I wanna see a good showing tonight before the U heads up to Gatorland the following weekend. Just a reminder to all of you who need it…Miami football has more national championships than FSU and UF combined.

The Clintons crack me up. If you just came to America today and knew nothing about our country…watching the Democratic Convention would give you no clue as to who is running for President. Hillary talked about herself…the whole time. Bill talked about Hillary and his time as President..the whole time. Then, there was a Biden family reunion on stage while Michelle Obama stood in the suite and had a “why is my husband on stage with everyone who knows the Bidens and I am up here” look.

I thought Biden did a good job though and brings much needed experience to the Obama camp. Should a President need that though? Just curious.

I have received 4 emails and 2 texts messages from people who use “In His Grip” as their closing. 6 different folks total. Ooops! My bad!

During football season I use: Go Canes, Dean

We had a great conversation at our community group last night. “What makes our faith unique?” That is the question we covered the majority of our time together. It was great!

-The empty tomb, the fact that Christ’s body, His very self, was literally resurrected.

-We are the only faith that doesn’t have to do anything in order to be saved.

Of course there are many more..but we enjoyed talking about the above 2 statements so much that we didn’t have time to cover anything else. Good stuff.

I love my In His Grip Friends!

Go Canes,

Dean

I have been watching the Democratic Convention the past two nights. For some unknown reason I really get into the Convention and watch the speeches, commentary, and the whole deal. A few things made me think last night:

-People literally place their hopes and dreams into a candidate. Worship is probably not a strong enough word to describe what I have been watching on tv. Is the hope of the world really riding on the shoulders of this election? Being someone who believes in the Gospel puts a whole new perspective on things. Is God sitting on the edge of his throne waiting to see who wins?….probably not. Chances are He isn’t a registered Republican either. Sorry all my Liberty U friends.

-Hillary (speaking of worship) closed out her speech by saying “Gods-speed.” I hear that from time to time and still have no clue what that means. It sometimes appears as a closing in emails..Gods-speed, Dean. My all-time favorite closing in terms of cheese is “In His Grip.”

I still haven’t heard anyone talk about issues! Every speech has been how Barack Obama is the greatest man who has ever lived, loves his wife and kids, McCain would be 4 more years of the same, etc. He will bring healthcare to everyone…how? He will end the war in Iraq responsibly…how? He will make it affordable for everyone to go to college…how…and I didn’t know that was the job of our govt? Hillary said last night that putting Obama in the White House would lower gas prices…how?

All I am asking is someone to tell me HOW! We will hear the same stuff next week at the Republican Convention…just a different list.

Emergent/Emerging (there is a difference…I hear) Icon, Donald Miller, gave the closing prayer at the Convention Monday night. Now that is just funny. The battle-cry of the Emergent world is that politics and religion should not mix…i guess they meant that as long as it isn’t Republican. No chance anyone from that world says a word about it.

And he closed with this: I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice. What in the heck does that mean? A honest look at human sinfulness…concludes that the only injustice in the history of the world is a perfect Savior…dying in the place of sinful us. Maybe that is what he meant.

Justice is all of us being sent to Hell right this instant because we are guilty! What an amazing truth we have in the Gospel! Of course, as forgiven people we are called by Christ to have an active compassion on those who are suffering.

Brian McLaren is publicly endorsing Obama. Why is this okay all of a sudden?

I do enjoy Miller’s books though. I don’t agree with everything in them…but I can read and enjoy books by gifted authors I differ with on things.

Getting pumped for Sunday night at the Well. We will be concluding the Lost mini-series.

Our air-conditioner is broken. Brutal! I have seriously had to tell myself every 5 minutes that the majority of people in our world don’t have a.c.

Canes open up the season tomorrow night! All I am asking is for some improvement. 5-7 record with those athletes…how is that possible?