Dean Inserra

I cannot get “why not Tallahassee” out of my head. Why can’t we see a movement of God like has never been seen in this city and cannot be explained? Why the heck not?

Today was a great day. In fact, I thought it was one of my favorite gatherings we have had. There was just an energy and urgency in the room tonight.

Will you join me in praying a bunch? For our city, for our leaders and key volunteers, for our Church?

Will you give financially like you never have before? Seeing that as a blessing rather than a turn-off or chore?

Will you invest in relationships with those who do not know Jesus? Who do you need to text tomorrow to make plans to get together? How can you leverage football season to reconnect with a friend?

Why the freakin stinkin heck not Tallahassee?

Labor day weekend? Big deal. Many will be staying in town because of the FSU/Samford game.

I love our Church. Lets go full speed ahead in making his name known in the city where he has planted us.

The devil doesn’t mind “revival” or “values” & he sure doesn’t mind partisan conflict. What he dreads is a crucified and resurrected Christ. ~Russell Moore

I love Kenny Chesney’s song “Boys Of Fall.” It is a great song about football season and it gets me pumped! For our family, the season begins tonight with the High School Jamboree. It is our tradition to get a pizza and go to a local game every Friday during the season.We love it!

The preseason magazines are out and the talks shows have covered everything there is to cover. It is time to crank up college football! This town will have such a buzz next weekend, even if it is just Samford coming to town.

There is anticipation for all things “fall.” The weather, leaves changing, getting to wear warmer clothes, and of course…Saturday afternoons.

One of my dreams is to see the same anticipation for Sunday gatherings of The Church. I pray for a day when people cannot get to the gathering soon enough. Where they would NEVER be late because they might miss something. Where they stay after because they just can’t get enough. Where it is prayerfully on their minds the night before.

I have no idea how to make that happen. I am just blown away that people will tailgate for hours in the heat, stand the entire game, sit in traffic for over a hour after, and think nothing of it. That is commitment!

I have major anticipation for this Sunday at The Moon. I am praying for God to move. I care about this so much more than I do how Jacory Harris and the canes will play vs. Ohio State in a couple of weeks.

There is such a huge difference between conviction and preference when it comes to a gathering of the local Church.

Convictions are drawn from Scripture and prompted by the Holy Spirit.

An example of a true  conviction one might hold is that the Lord’s Supper should be observed every week. A case can certainly be made from Scripture for that position, and many have chosen Churches for their membership where weekly communion takes place. That is a legit and real conviction.

Preferences are a totally different ball game. However, they are very much confused (and leveraged) as a conviction.

An example of this would be someone stating they have a conviction that video, lighting, and rock music should not be used in a worship gathering because it looks to much like “the world.”

Major problem here:

1. Scripture does not speak of those things because they did not exist in society.

2. Their definition of “the world” is simply based on current culture vs. their Church upbringing. In fact, Scripture gives some love to cymbals put not to organs. Why? The TECHNOLOGY was not around yet! “The world” hadn’t arrived there. Organs were  first used in 8th century gladiator fights! Remember that worldliness the next time you walk into a Church with an organ prelude considered to be a “beautiful and sacred expression of worship.”

Preference means that I like it or that it makes me feel comfortable. We all have them. Just call them what they actually are, issues of taste.

Today, I had a guy tell me (in a civil manner) that he disagreed with my theology. He claimed that most people will receive eternal life because God will “look at their hearts,” and see that “they are really good people.”

I was caught a little off-guard and could only respond with this:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

Memorize Scripture! Who knows when God will use it.