Celebration Service April 13, 2008

we continue a new sermon series entitled…
INTEGRITY: CREATING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

Let’s develop healthy outlets for emotional energy
If you’re anything like me it’s easy for your cup to overflow
you take a step back and look at your life and suddenly realize your plate is too full
your stretched, over committed
It’s much better to do a few things well
to take good care of emotional energy
stress or boredom can lead to sin
because you’ll begin to look for escapes

I recently heard a teaching on the 7 fatal factors that lead to moral failure or burnout or things just falling apart…
1. egocentric
a leader who overserves and becomes undernourished is one who serves to feed their own ego
maybe it’s a search for significance
a search for validation
which really creates a false identity
being validated by what your doing instead of who you are in Jesus
Ephesians 4:11&12…And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…
Wherever you fit into this equation: pastor, teacher, saint
this kind of leadership is equipping empowering
it’s arrows out
not some hierarchy or power pyramid
not micromanaging
The Ephesians 4 leader isn’t egocentric
he/she empowers others
he/she isn’t looking to be the center
but pointing to Jesus and making it about us
Imsorry to inform you
But the world does not revolve around you
the world does not revolve around me
It’s not about Me
It’s about Him
It’s about US

2. poor life management
a fatal factor to creating healthy boundaries
a fatal factor to developing healthy outlets for emotional energy
is the inability to say NO
too many mtgs
too many emails
too many phone calls
too many….(you fill in the blank)
I’ve talked much about the spiritual disciplines
You want to talk about healthy outlets for emotional physical spiritual even sexual energy…
Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Study, Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance, Celebration…
I’ve mentioned my favorite book entitled the Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for ordinary people by John Ortberg many times…
He talks about the Practice of slowing…
You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry form your life
Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day
Meyer Friedman defines hurry sickness as…above all, a continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things or participate in more and more events in less and less time, frequently in the face of opposition, real or imagined, from other persons…
Hurry will keep us consumed by the cares and riches and pleasures of life as Jesus put it, and prevent his way from taking root in our hearts…
Jesus urged his disciples to take time out.
If we want to follow someone, we can’t go faster than the one who is leading.
Jesus observed a regular practice of withdrawing form activity for the sake of solitude and prayer.
Hurry is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disordered heart.
Sometime ago a newspaper in Tacoma, Washington, carried the story of Tattoo the basset hound. Tattoo didn’t intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut his leash in the car door and took off for a drive, tattoo had no choice. A motorcycle officer named Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something that appeared to be dragging behind it. As he passed the vehicle, he saw Tattoo. Officer Filbert finally chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued – but not before the dog reached a speed of twenty to thirty miles per hour and rolled over several times. He has not asked to go out for an evening walk for a long time.
There is too much Tattoo behavior going on in American society. There are too many people who spend their days going from one task to another. It is time to enter training for another way to live. We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry form our lives…

3. painful issues
this third fatal factor to integrity may be about our past our present
it may be compound issues causing deterioration
It’s easier to run than heal
but maybe not in the long run
Ignore Martha
Be a Mary and sit at Jesus feet awhile
give him your hurt
If you don’t know what I’m talking about check out Luke 10 for the story of Mary and Martha
Choose the better part
Take his yoke that is easy his burden that is light
choose forgiveness
choose hope
choose life
overcome evil with good

Let me share an email I got this week from Jaye
How To Plant Your Garden First, you Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.... FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,
PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind 2. Peace of heart 3. Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH: 1. Squash gossip 2. Squash indifference 3. Squash grumbling 4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE: 1. Lettuce be faithful 2. Lettuce be kind 3. Lettuce be patient 4. Lettuce really love one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:1. Turnip for meetings 2. Turnip for service 3. Turnip to help one another
TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME: 1. Thyme for each other 2.. Thyme for family 3. Thyme for friends
WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

4. sinful patterns
our fourth fatal factor is straight from scripture
sin is only fun for a season and than it births death
Isn’t it true that when your overwhelmed tired, out of balance
sin is most attractive?
We need to confess our sin and ask for that cleansing promised in 1 John 1:9
I don’t want to get weird on ya, but
there is such a thing as generational curses
there are patterns that develop in our lives
again we must confess and ask Him to be LORD over whatever situation we may be facing
and set out to overcome that evil with good
better yet create healthy boundaries to prevent the sinful patterns from developing
I’m not gonna get into the whole nature vs. nurture debate
This sermon series is really all about developing character
someone defined character as what we are like when no one is watching
it’s called so many things
Spiritual formation
Integrity
Moral value system
Holiness
Sanctification
Righteousness
Character includes values and attitudes
things like
being a servant
showing humility
showing grace and love to others
possessing endurance
living a holy life
demonstrating devotion and faithfulness
having a hunger for God
possessing a positive attitude
being full of hope and faith
living a life accountable to others
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf once said leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy…
Thomas Pains once said Character is much easier kept than recovered…
We must get back to fleeing even the appearance of evil
We play with sin way too much…
especially with what we allow on our TV
Oh it doesn’t affect me, hogwash

Pastor Rick Warren established ten standards for maintaining moral integrity for his staff at Saddleback Community Church…
1. Thou shalt not visit the opposite sex alone at home.
2. Thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex alone in the office.
3. Thou shalt not cousel the opposite sex more than once without that other person’s mate. Refer them.
4. Thou shalt not go to luch alone with the opposite sex.
5. Thou shalt not kiss an attendee of the opposite sex or show affection that could be questioned.
6. Thou shalt not discuss detailed sexual problems with the opposite sex in counseling. Refer them.
7. Thou shalt not discuss your marriage problems with an attendee of the opposite sex.
8. Thou shalt be careful in answering cards and letters from the opposite sex.
9. Thou shalt make your secretary your protective ally.
10.Thou shalt pray for the integrity of other staff members.
The truth is in our society you must also be careful of same sex issues…
There are those among us who think this is over the top
uptight
but I would rather be uptight with integrity
than under a mountain of questionable character

Let me get thru the final fatal factors…
5. Disconnection in relationships
6. no real accountability
7. isolation in thinking, arrogance

These factors cannot be ignored
they are danger signs
isolation, excuses and breaking out against all sound judgment
Proverbs 18:1…a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment…
I recently heard a surprising statistic
I don’t know how accurate it is
but it was said that 1500 pastors are dropping out of the ministry monthly due to conflict and moral failure
I don’t want to be a statistic
I don’t want you to be a statistic in whatever God is calling you to do
The greatest protection, the greatest healthy outlet, the greatest boundary for developing integrity and character in todays rat race is the three R’s
Reflection, Review, Refocus
monthly, weekly, even daily
take inventory of your heart
ask for accountability
plan replenishment stations on your calendar
plan vacations, workouts, devotions
schedule health
Sometimes I feel like I’m dragging myself around from one appointment to the next
I would much rather have energy, say no and do a few things well
reflect review refocus
Never consider myself above temptation
Keep a close watch on my spiritual temperature
Maintain my home
develop healthy outlets for emotional energy
Let my Jesus create integrity in me
anybody with me?