On Thursday, September 2, Pastor Rick ignited excitement as he called the Men of Saddleback together to detail the plans for the next ten years at Saddleback – appropriately titled The Decade of Destiny! And he held nothing back in expressing the impact he expects the future to hold.
“I can say without hesitation that I’m more excited about the next ten years than I’ve ever been in the past thirty years. As I’ve said before; I really see that the past is a prologue to the future,” said Pastor Rick. “I believe that everything that has happened at our church up to this point has been in preparation for the next ten years. We are now ready, more than ever before, to make an impact that is faith-building, love-deepening, joy-increasing, and people-reaching.”
Pastor of Men, Kenny Luck depicted the energy of the morning: “It was like a box of dynamite went off! At every level, I could see God, the man (Pastor Rick), the vision given to the man of God, and an infrastructure of support forming around that vision like never before. Seeing unity around the man and the vision God gave him for Decade of Destiny feels awesome.”
A destiny worth fighting for
Pastor talked to the men about possessing their destiny and preparing intentionally for their future; that in the midst of a recession, many people have been left discouraged, dry, and drifting. “We are waiting on the world to change and many of you have put your lives on hold,” he explained. “But God has amazing plans for your destiny — yet you must choose to follow it.”
“Pastor Rick challenged all of us to recognize the reality that if you don't think about your future and lay down some goals for yourself as a man, the probabilities of living successfully for God and people go way down,” said Kenny. “He also "took off his gloves" on the topics of our relationship and response to God's Word in our lives and having the courage to trust God with our choices. He didn't comfort us or confront us. He challenged us! Guys love this kind of authentic communication which appeals to how God made us as men.”
Pastor Rick continued by using Joshua 1:1-11 as an illustration of the destiny God is preparing for Saddleback. In the same way God commanded Joshua three times to be strong and courageous, God is asking the church to take possession of the destiny he is calling them to by doing three things:
• Preparing a Plan
• Building a Life Completely On God’s Word
• Courageously Stepping Out In Faith
“This Fall the Men of Saddleback have an opportunity to lead” Kenny emphasized. “My mission at Saddleback is to help create a network of leaders for Rick who are ready, willing, and able to help their pastor be agile and effective in what God has called him to do. That's our purpose for being at Saddleback. My strongest hope and prayer is that more and more of our men form ranks around our pastor and the mission God has called him to lead this season.”
Decade of Destiny kicks off 10-10-10 and we have a jam-packed season coming up this fall. If you were unable to come Thursday morning, DON'T MISS THIS WEEKEND! Pastor Rick has so much to share about what's ahead.