Ben Brinkman |
| Dancing Through The Fire |
| 2012.02.04 00:39:10 | |
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Wow Church, what an unexpected yet amazing 2 weeks this has been! Even though we have gone through a difficult season with the arson God continues to overwhelm us with HIS blessings and goodness. Last weekend our “What If” Sunday was incredible thanks to all of you. The place was packed with record attendance for 2012. During the service 6 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ and I am still getting lots of reports about the answered prayer’s that have taken place this week. Who would have thought that less then 2 weeks after the fire we would be experiencing all of this? When the fire first hit it was a very surreal type of feeling and actually still is a bit from time to time. Two days after the fire I felt the Holy Spirit lead me to Daniel chapter 3 and there we find the story of 3 Hebrew boys who were thrown into a fiery furnace because they would not worship any other god then the true God (pretty good story, you should go and read it). The story is so awesome because even though they were thrown into the fire God protected them and when the other’s looked in they saw them dancing around with Jesus himself. I am so glad that God gave me that word because I feel like we have been dancing right on through the fire with The Lord Jesus Christ by our side. I know that Jesus will continue do be with us as we continue to dance through this season of Urban Church. I have to keep reminding myself of that because this has been a very time consuming and tedious task for all the staff as we go through all receipts and work with the insurance etc. We know that this season will come to an end but we are not through it yet and this is where we as a church need to continue to pray and give support. Here are the three main needs we have right now as a church.
Church, thank you so much for all your generosity, prayers and flexibility during this time. We know that great things are in store for Urban Church in 2012 so let’s keep dancing through the fire knowing that HE is right by our side dancing with us. Blessings, Dream Big Ben Brinkman – Lead Pastor Urban Church www.lifeaturban.com |
| Example of Humility |
| 2012.02.02 02:08:17 | |
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Bile Reading: Judges 7 and 8 Example of Humility
Pride! One of the sneakiest things we all fight against. Pride can sneak in when we aren’t looking and set up housekeeping before we’re aware of it. It can rear its ugly head at the strangest moments. I think leaders need to be especially aware of this and be constantly on the alert. The dictionary definition of pride is: a high or inordinateopinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed inbearing, conduct, etc. Someone might not know that they have a problem with pride until something happens to trigger it.
Judges 7 and 8 contains the story of Gideon conquering the Midianites who were plaguing Israel. He sent messengers throughout the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Napthtali calling them to arms. A large number of men responded and as they were camped the Lord told Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back.’” God wasn’t going to give them a chance to be proud. So 22,000 men left while 10,000 remained. The Lord told Gideon he still had too many men, and told him to have the men drink from a stream. He sent home all the men who got down on their knees to drink, and kept those who scooped water into their hands and lapped the water like a dog. They were the ones who were constantly on the alert, able to look around while drinking. (There’s a lesson in that.)
Three hundred men remained, and with those three hundred God gave Israel a great victory. The Lord caused the men in the Midian camp to turn on each other, and then to flee. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to come and help and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of the Midianites. So that’s what they did and killed two of the Midianite leaders and brought their heads to Gideon. But they were really irked with Gideon because he hadn’t called them out at the beginning of the battle and they criticized him.
I think Gideon’s handling of the situation showed great leadership and humility. He answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? ……. God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” God had enabled Gideon and his 300 men to route a whole army, but Gideon didn’t boast about that, or get the big head, but took a humble attitude toward the Ephraimites and said “Hey, you guys caught the leaders. What I did was nothing compared to what you guys did.” With his wise handling of the situation their resentment was calmed and he averted what could have caused a rift in their unity.
The Bible has quite a bit to say about pride. Prov. 8:13: “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” This Scripture says that pride is evil. Prov. 13:10: “Pride only breeds quarrels.” Prov. 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prove. 29:23: “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” Gideon exemplified a lowly spirit in his dealing with the Ephraimites. If anyone had something to be proud about, he did, but he recognized that his victory had come because the Lord fought for them, and he wasn’t going to take credit for it when the men of Ephraim got upset.
Do we really stop to think about it? Pride is evil!!! Do you want to allow something evil to live in you? God values humility. Let’s examine ourselves. Is there a strain of pride lurking any place in our spirit? Don’t let it get a stronghold. Grab it by its ugly neck and kick it out. Pride will bring destruction in your spirit and a rift in your fellowship with God.
God is good all the time, Naomi Brinkman |
| You Never Know What God Will Use |
| 2012.01.28 01:25:16 | |
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Bible Reading: Judges 4 and 5 You Never Know What God Will Use
Joshua became the leader of Israel after Moses died, and led the Israelites into the land God had promised them. All of the 12 tribes settled into the portion of the land allotted to them and they were to drive out the inhabitants of those lands. Most of the tribes did not and they began to intermarry with them and also began following their gods. “They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” Judges 2:19b. The Lord was very angry with Israel and said he would no longer drive out the other nations. In fact he said “I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.” Judges 2:22.
After Joshua died a series of judges were raised up to lead Israel. While the judge was leading them, they would conquer their enemies. When the judge died they immediately returned to their evil ways and began serving the Baals and the Asherahs, gods of the other nations. Another judge would be raised up and the cycle continued. In Judges 4 Ehud, the judge, had died and the Israelites once again did evil, so they were conquered by Jabin, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera. After 20 years Israel cried out to the Lord for help and Deborah, a prophetess was raised up.
Deborah called for Barak and told him that the Lord commanded him to take ten thousand soldiers to Mount Tabor and He would lure Sisera there with his chariots and troops, and the Lord would give them into Barak’s hands. Barak wouldn’t go without Deborah, so Deborah said, “Fine, I’ll go with you, but the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” And that’s what happened. The Lord routed the Canaanite army, they ran for their lives. Sisera ran to the tent of a woman who he thought was friendly to him, and she killed him while he was asleep by driving a tent peg through his temple.
Have you ever wondered how the Lord routed a whole army? That statement is made, but no explanation given. Sometimes I like to know how things happen. In this case Judges 5 gives us a clue in the song that Deborah sang after their victory. Verse 4 says “the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.” Then in verse 21 we read “The River Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon.” What happened was, the Lord sent a powerful storm where the heavens opened up and poured down a gusher; so much so that the river Kishon flooded. Sisera’s army was caught in the storm and swept away in the flooding river as Israel pursued them.
In this story the Lord used two unlikely sources to bring about a victory: a woman with a hammer and a tent peg and a storm which flooded a river. Who but God could think of these things? Whatever you are facing in your life, don’t discount God’s creative ability to bring something into your situation that will turn things around. Sometimes we try to figure things out on our own and when we look at situations with our natural minds they seem impossible, insurmountable. But with God nothing is impossible. The Canaanites had 900 iron chariots and a large army to go along with them. These iron chariots often had blades projecting from the spokes of the wheels that could cut soldiers and horses down. But they were no match for the torrential floods of a river that God caused.
The Israelites were being oppressed. But when they turned to God he came to their rescue. I would like to challenge you to not look at your circumstances or at whatever might be oppressing you but look to the creative God that you serve. You never know what God will use to supply your need and answer your prayer.
God is good all the time, Naomi Brinkman |
| Conquer of Whine? |
| 2012.01.27 04:25:08 | |
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Bible Reading: Joshua 14:6-15; 17:12-17
Conquer or Whine?
Joshua chapters 12-21 are accounts of the distribution of the land Israel conquered to the various tribes, and I confess, can be boring reading. I suppose if I had a map and took the time to trace each area outlined it would make more sense. So, (I’m confessing again), I skip over those parts. But amongst the list of cities and names of kings conquered, there are real gems of truth. That’s why I’ve listed just certain scriptures above to go along with today’s devotion.
Joshua 14:6-15 tells about Caleb coming to Joshua and asking for his inheritance. If you recall, Joshua and Caleb were two of twelve spies sent into Canaan to check it out forty years earlier. The spies came back with glowing reports of the land and its productiveness, but ten of the spies said in spite of that, the people were too powerful and big for Israel to be able to conquer them. Joshua and Caleb said they were well able to go in and take the land. And that was actually God’s plan for them. Because Israel listened to the bad report of the ten spies they wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all those who refused to go in had died off, including the ten spies. Only Joshua and Caleb were left alive because they believed God!! Now at the age of 85 Caleb is asking for his inheritance, and not just any flat piece of land. He wants a mountain!! He is just as confident in the Lord as he was forty years earlier. He said “The Lord helping me, I will drive them (the Anakites) out just as he said.”
What an example of faith and confidence in God, and a great lesson of how God rewards that faith. Age was not a factor in how he was living. He said he was just as strong and vigorous as the day Moses had sent them to spy out the land forty years earlier. Another portion that deserves attention is Joshua 17:12-17. It also is a contrast to the faith of Caleb. Half of the tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Now the other half of the tribe was to get their inheritance on the west side of the Jordan, but they weren’t able to drive out the Canaanites. When they grew stronger they did subject them to forced labor. Verse 12.
It is interesting that in verse 14 they are called “the people of Joseph.” Joseph had two sons – Ephraim and Manasseh. Their descendants took their place in the tribes of Israel as the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. I think it’s recorded this way because God is making a point. Joseph was a man of courage and came against so many obstacles; he didn’t let anything stop him. But his descendants are complaining that they weren’t given enough land because they were so numerous and that the inhabitants are too powerful for them. Where was the spirit of Joseph in them? Instead of giving them more land Joshua said, “If you are so numerous and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizites and Rephasites.”
It sounds to me like they began whining. “No, it’s not enough for us and all those people who live in the plains have iron chariots. We can’t do it Joshua. What are you going to do for us? Aren’t you going to help us?” (My imagination working!!) I love Joshua’s answer to them; I’m putting it in my own words. “I’m giving you the forested hill country and that’s all you’re going to get. There are a lot of you and you CAN drive them out. Now get with it!!! Stop your whining. Even though they’re strong you can do it!!”
What a contrast to Caleb; 85 years old, but he was raring to go. “I will drive them out.” He was working on hill country too. But here’s these numerous descendants of Joseph, whining that the people were too powerful for them. I think the difference is the confidence that Caleb had in the Lord. 2 Tim. 1:12 says “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” We can have the same confidence in the Lord that Caleb had and be just as courageous against the things that come against us or whatever Satan might throw at us. Phil. 4:13 says “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” It’s not confidence in our own ability, it’s confidence in Him who has all power!!
Go conquer some enemies and take some mountains!!!
God is good all the time, Naomi Brinkman |
| Urban picks up pieces after arson |
| 2012.01.24 00:58:08 | |
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Check out Fox 5's coverage of Urban Church this past weekend. Dream Big Ben Brinkman |
| Update on Urban and the Fire |
| 2012.01.21 08:22:26 | |
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Update on Urban and the Fire Urban Church friends and family, thank you so much for your continued prayers and love during this time. The next few weeks are going to be a little uncertain for us when it comes to a meeting place but Urban has not been built around a building, rather the community. I know that this will bring us closer together in unity and stronger then we have ever been before. With that new strength we will reach more people for Jesus Christ then ever before. Yesterday Katie and I and a team of 3 other people spent about 6 hours sifting through our equipment with the insurance adjusters and the property restoration company. Once again although many of the items look intact they are a total lost due to smoke and soot damage. This was a long and tiresome task but the whole time I was going through it I kept getting a sense that God is going to use this in a huge way to grow our church and reach those far from Him. I WOULD NOT MISS THE NEXT TWO SUNDAY’S IF I WERE YOU! As we were sifting through our equipment we pulled out the drawer where we keep our pipe and drape system. On top of our pipe and drape system were some cheap little carpets we got from IKEA that were totally melted. When we removed them we found our pipe and drape system almost completely untouched by the fire. This was a total shock to us because the whole outside wall and doors to this area were completely burned. It came as a shock to the restoration company as well. After a little wiping down they were almost as good as new! We kept those back and we will be using them this Sunday. It will be a little reminder that we can go through the fire and come out without even the smell of smoke on us. After going through all of our items we took what we could (look for the smoky black road signs this weekend) and let the restoration company take the rest. We will need to be renting a lot of equipment for the next couple of weeks and once the insurance money comes in we will be able to purchase new items. We have a limited amount of insurance money to cover the replacement of all our equipment, rental of the equipment in the meantime and pay for all the adjusters and restoration companies etc. We need extra finances now so if you are able to give above and beyond your normal tithes please go here and do so now. Today someone asked me if we will have services as normal this weekend. I kind of smiled and laughed and said, “This weekend will probably be anything but normal”. I know that this weekend will be amazing because any time God’s people come under fire (no pun intended) they always rally together and something miraculous happens. The fact that we are having service together this weekend 5 days after losing our meeting place and equipment is a miracle. This weekend is one I would not miss! Although this is one of the most devastating weeks of Urban’s history and one of the toughest weeks of my life as a pastor one thing remains the same, I will be worshiping Him this weekend…. No I will be worshiping Him even more than I ever have. Like David stripped from his kingly robes in 2 Samuel 6 dancing in his linen ephod we will dance before the Lord and worship Him even as we have been stripped of all that was valuable to us. Like Paul and Silas sitting in the worst possible situation we will sing, pray and worship the Lord and as we do we will see chains broke in Jesus name. Like the 3 Hebrew boys cast into the fire we will dance around with the King of Kings and come out of the fiery furnace unburned and without the smell of smoke on us. Church come ready to worship and celebrate because even though we have lost much, God is for us and if God is for us who can be against us! I have learned this week that when you are thrown into the fire you might as well learn to make the most of it and dance and worship your way through it. See you this Sunday 10:30am Board of Education Auditorium 4100 Normal Street San Diego, CA 92101 Dream Big Ben |
| Fire at Birney Elementary San Diego, Ca |
| 2012.01.18 13:20:33 | |
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Dear Urban Church Family & Friends, I am so blessed by all of you and your prayers, support, emails, phone calls and text messages today in light of the fire that has consumed our meeting auditorium and 80% of all our equipment. – Thank you I appreciate you all! On Tuesday at 12am in the morning I received a text that Birney Elementary, the school that we meet in on Sunday mornings was on fire which now has been confirmed was arson. I quickly called one of our leaders and we made our way over to Birney and discovered that the area consumed by flames was indeed the auditorium we meet in. I was there that morning until about 2am hoping to find out if we could assist Birney Elementary in any way and to see if the equipment we leave there survived. I was unable to find out anything so we decided to leave. Katie and I headed back to Birney the next morning at 8:30am and met with the Principle to see how we could assist. We were then interviewed by the Metro Arson Strike Team to try and help determine if this arson is in any way connected to a string of arsons that have occurred in the area. From there we were eventually allowed in to work with the insurance adjusters and property restoration company that was on sight. After doing a walk through with them their preliminary assessment is that all of our stuff we store there is lost to smoke and soot damage. The total estimated loss to us is approximately $50,000 as all of our audio, visual and lighting was stored there along with all of our signs, banners and welcome center etc. The school itself sustained major fire, smoke and water damage rendering it unusable by both of the after school programs and Urban. We have been working with the school to see how we can assist them while at the same time making plans for us to continue meeting as a church. We are determined to not allow this or any other weapon the enemy may try to bring against us to stop the great momentum we have. I firmly believe that what the devil has meant for evil God will turn it around for our good (Gen 50:20). I also know that “God works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to His purposes” (Romans 8:28). God has opened a great temporary door for us just 500 hundred yards away from where we currently we meet. We will be meeting at the Board of Education Auditorium for the next 2 weeks while we wait to hear how long it will take to rebuild the auditorium at Birney. Church, we are so grateful that no one was hurt during these fires and we believe that the person responsible will be brought to justice. We must rally together as a church community and stand against the enemy and let him know that we will not shrink back in the face of opposition. We must stand firm in prayer for the detectives that they will have the wisdom they need to catch these people, for Birney and all of the kids and staff that they will be protected and for Urban that God will give us guidance. As your pastor I am asking you to pray for me as well. I need you all right now and I need your prayers. We have insurance that will cover most of our loss but as you know this can take some time. I need your prayers for wisdom on what to do in the meantime. I also need your prayers because today has been a very emotional day for me. Feeling somewhat paralyzed by our own loss yet wanting to reach out to Prime Time and ICES (two after school programs) that have also lost all of their equipment while also being some kind of support to the principal at Birney. To be honest I am emotionally drained. Many of you have been contacting me and asking how and what you can do to help. First and foremost the greatest way you can help is by doing what you are doing, letting me know that you are with me and that you are willing to stand with me in the face of adversity. Your words of encouragement are huge at this time. Another way you can help is by coming THIS SUNDAY and worshipping with me, letting the devil no that he cannot stop the work that God is doing at Urban Church. Practically you can help by praying and asking God what you can give financially to help rent the equipment we need until the insurance money comes in which at the earliest will be 2 months. There will also be other added costs that are not in our typical monthly budget. If you are able and feel led to give you can go here to do so. I am reminded today of the children of Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt and how the greater they were oppressed the larger their number grew and the stronger they became (Exodus 1:12). Church we will rise up stronger than ever before! We will not be sidetracked from our mission of reaching those far from God. We will regroup quickly, have our needs met and stay true to being “an access point for people to discover Jesus Christ. We will not be sad in what we have lost but will beat down the devil with the greatest evangelistic thrust Urban has ever seen. We are the church and WE WIN because if HE is for us who can be against us! (Romans 8:31). We are the church and we will stand strong and we will endure. Let’s reach people for HIM! Let’s make this the greatest year Urban has ever had! Dream Big Ben Brinkman |
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