Hero's

December 31, 2008- Today's standards of a hero are not what they were a few years back. A hero to me growing up was one of high moral standards. You know, one that would save a damsel in distress or get a cat out of a tree. Now we have hero figures who have affairs in their marriages and use pets as fighting instruments for sport. Wow. But you know, even the hero standards that I had as a kid were off a little. Real hero's aren't even very visible lots of times and even when they are we don't see them. Look at the Bible for examples of hero's. I'll just use Elijah for example. We definitely see him as a hero. right? But what did people back then see him as? Yeah he called down fire from heaven and made a show of the priest's of Baal, he did six other major miracles also, but when the kings wife started to search for him he ran. Next we find him complaining to God in hiding. If someone had seen that surely they wouldn't have thought, "you know that is going to be a man whose story is told in thousands of languages for thousands of years to millions of people". No. And today when somebody sees you they might think the same. What have you ran from? What miracles have you seen or been part of? Just know that your life might just be the one talked about for thousands of years. Or the guy that delivers your paper, or the girl at the grocery store. Hero's are all around us. Remember, it's God who chooses a hero, not a magazine. (image by wordle)

Maawidge

December 29, 2008- Just have one small announcement. I am finally getting married!!! You have no idea what a statement that is, but it's going to happen, and soon mind you. Can't really say the date though. We're keeping that quiet. You know, 007 stuff. Anyway, I wanted to post a video. I have loved this song since I was a kid, and now I'm going to get to play it at my wedding. Cheesy video but the song is wonderful, so watch the whole thing. Have a Happy New Year!!!

Resolution or Recidivism

December 26, 2008- Well, Christmas is over. Gifts have been exchanged. Relatives have gone back to their home lives. All is well.
Now it's time for the New Year. Out with the old and in with the new,right? Not so much if you ask someone that is truly honest. Mark Batterson had a post on a similar note (here). He calls it postcompletion error. I call it simple recidivism. Please read the definition to the word. You see, we make resolutions to change things in our lives. Some of the things that we commit to stop doing are harmful to us or have negative consequences. When we don't follow through on the commitment and revert back to that same behavior, we are in a state of recidivism. When you read the definition you will see that there is a comparison to substance abuse, criminal behavior, even sexual offenders. That might not wake you up but it does me. This coming year I plan to make changes and follow through with them. I'm not going around this mountain anymore. God has given us new life. And with Him living in me I know I can overcome the sin that has so easily beset me in the past.

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2008- Today is truly a very Merry Christmas. I woke up this morning and went for a drive with my mom. Now we are going out to grab a bite to eat and then a movie. Here are a few things I love about Christmas in Auburn.

1. The town is completely closed. That means that people are spending Christmas with their families.
2. The weather is fair, not too hot and not too cold.
3. Waffle House is open to those that want to eat out.
4. The movie theater is open for us that want to see the Christmas releases.

God has been great to me this year. I am truly blessed to be exactly where I am at this time in my life and I'm truly thankful and looking forward to all that is to come in 2009. Merry Christmas.

Delivering Christ

December 21, 2008- Giving Christ to the world is our job. But before we can do that effectively, we must go through a process. Looking at the mother of our Lord and Savior, we see a picture of the process we all go through before being able to deliver Christ to the world.

1) The process is uncomfortable- Pregnancy isn't comfortable and the same applies with our walk with the Lord. At times it is uncomfortable.
2) It stretches you- To have a child your body has to be stretched to accommodate the one that is living inside you. The same applies when Christ comes to live in us. Our capacity is stretched to new levels to make room for the One living in us.
3)You have to change the things you do- When pregnant you have to change the way you do things. Mary did. So do we. When Christ lives in us, we have to change the way we do things.

After, and only after this process can we effectively deliver Christ to the world. It worked for Mary, and it works for us as well. You don't have to become pregnant to give Christ to the world, you just have to go through the process.

Fear

December 20, 2008- Fear is something that plagues the world today. So many of us miss the great things God has for our lives because we are afraid either we will fail, or that we will be hurt in the process. Fear is an ugly four letter word.

• F ailure to know who we are in Christ
• E asily swayed to doubt
• A lways wishing things were different
• R eacting vs. acting according to what God tells you

Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 1:7, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control". Fear is something we have to move past, move through, and overcome if we our going to experience God's best for our lives.

Despereaux

December 19, 2008- What the world needs is a hero. A good old fashioned hero, who isn't afraid to shake things up a bit...

Volunteer Night

December 17, 2008- We have had a great day here at Victory. This is the first time I've been involved with a volunteer appreciation event as a staff member. This stuff is work. But wow, what an impact. Serving as a volunteer, at times, seems like the hardest working, least appreciated jobs, in ministry. Tonight, we get the chance to serve the ones that really hold this thing together. It is great to see people serving God and doing exactly what Jesus told us all to do.

1. Love God with all our heart mind, soul, and strength.



2. Love our neighbors as ourselves



3. To take the gospel to all the nations(you'd just have to visit our church)

As a staff we are so greatful to work along side such wonderful people, and it is going to bless me tremendously to serve them as appreciation to our fellow workers.

Potluck?

December 16, 2008- I haven't been keeping up on my post lately. God forbid I ever get truly busy, I'd never post anything. Anyway, I have had alot going on the past couple of weeks and have saw some great rewards of that time. Now Christmas is really here and that means, guess what? Yep, potluck dinners. This week I am working on a message called "Potluck". We are having a potluck dinner for the Celebrate Recovery ministry and God spoke to my heart that the gospel message is a potluck message( not in what we say, but what we bring to the table). You see, we are all invited the dine with the Lord. All we have to do is answer the door. Also, It doesn't matter what you bring to the table. God uses exactly what we have and shapes us to accomplish great things for His glory. So bring what you have to dine with the Lord. We are all welcome.

Be the Change...

December 10, 2008- This is exactly what many people deal with during the holidays. We spend this time with family(and there's always the ones who hate each other, but continually show up at grandma's for Christmas). Don't you just love that. I've done that and I know you have too. Well, I'm not being apart of it anymore. This Christmas, and all the rest, are going to be different. There is a portion of scripture in Matthew 5: 13- 16 that says,"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost it's taste, how shall it's saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to the whole house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven".

Remember to always be the change you want to see in the world...

Practicality

December 5, 2008- This time of the year is known for lots of things, but being practical isn't usually one of them. Everything is go, go, go, over the top, and over activity. That's why it doesn't surprise me that the suicide and depression rate in our country is through the roof during this season. So, in the midst of all the running, performing, overspending, smiling when you want to scream, I have some life changing advice. In this season we all need to take the time to do these 3 very practical things. Stop, Look, and Listen.

• Stop- Sometimes we need to stop trying to be everywhere and doing everything. Stop means to be still. This season, for Christians, is meant to recognize our Lord and Savior. Between shopping, Christmas plays, dinner parties, and more shopping, we miss the very reason for the season. Psalms 46:10 says,"Be still, and know that I am God..."


• Look- In a crazy economical time in this country, people are searching everywhere for an answer. Things can become distorted and cloudy in that search. But the Bible tells us where to look. We are to look to the hills. Psalms 121


• Listen- If we will just slow down for a minute in the chaos of this season, we might actually hear what God is trying to say to us. The breakthrough that we need in life might only require us to listen. Jesus said in John 10:37, "...Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice".

Inventory

December 4, 2008- I have a question that has been stuck in my head for the past few days. When I was a little kid, this was always a wonderful time of the year. You know with Santa coming and all. Anyway, as excited as I was, there was always that thing in the back of my head."OK, how did I do this year? Did I make Santa's nice list or am I on the naughty one,(Look, I don't have time for the theological discussion about Santa Claus, I'm making a point here). Did you do the same thing? I know you did, because people always sang that silly song to you. Well, now that I'm older and the world seems different, I don't always think that way. You know this year we all had things we said we wanted to do for God's kingdom. My question is, How did I do?
In what areas of my life do I need to improve? This time of the year means inventory for me.

Generation WE

December 2, 2008- Very powerful video of a generation that truly is determined to make a difference. So, when we ask, "who do we need to focus on reaching?". Well the answer is we need to reach WE....

I can do it!!!!

December 1, 2008- I am utterly amazed at what God is doing in the lives around me. It is so wonderful to see faith in action. The economy is a wreck, the state of our country is a coin toss, and despite all that I see the people of God saying,"It doesn't matter what it looks like, everything will work out".
To the unbeliever, that makes no sense whatsoever. Things aren't alright. People are loosing their jobs, families are being ripped apart due to financial crisis, and in a time like this people are looking for someone to make it all better, but nobody is there.
How is it that you can have a positive attitude in times like this? Well, just to keep it real with you, things aren't that bad. We live in the greatest time ever! We are blessed beyond our wildest imagination and we don't even appreciate it. We live in a country that spends in the area of a half trillion dollars on Christmas alone. We are blessed. But our main focus has to move from how do we get more so we can do more. Our focus needs to move to the true source of our getting. God is our supply. He is our source. And with Him all things are possible.
If you ever get in a rut and think you can't do it, just watch this...

Vacation

November 30, 2008- Man I had a great time at the beach. The first day however, Meg had to go to the hospital for a stomach problem. She had to stay overnight(poor baby!!!). But the next day we were back on track for Rest & Relaxation, then followed up the day after with Thanksgiving dinner(complete with oyster dressing). Man you don't know what you are missing. Anyway, I had a great time. Those vacations should happen at least monthly. It rocked. And thanks to everyone that helped make it possible. Here are some pictures of the fun and friends.

Also here are a few great places to eat if your in Orange Beach or Gulf Shores:

Lambert's Cafe in Foley,Al.

Mikee's in Gulf Shores

Tacky Jacks in Orange Beach

R&R

November 24, 2008- I'm taking a few days off for R&R. No work, cell phones, no blogs. Just a few days spent with my two favorite girls. So have a very Happy Thanks giving. We have so much to be thankful for. Like this.

Thoughts for the Christmas Season

Breakthrough

November 21,2008- Great night at Celebrate Recovery. My buddy Chosen did a great job and the whole ministry loved it. I think in having him over, we found an effective angle to take on growth. Anyway, I just wanted to share something personal as a public declaration of God's Power. I have been waiting to get married now for 20 months. The reason we haven't taken that step yet is because I had a few things that needed to be straightened out personally. These thing kept compounding due to the way my life used to be. It really looked like it would take forever. But last week, my fiance and I agreed to put it fully in God's hands and stop trying to fix it(easier said than done, I might add). Yesterday, only days after that declaration, I received my breakthrough. Now the light at the end of the tunnel is visible, and it's not a train. God is so powerful, and His love for us is indescribable. The thing is trusting in His timing. If you are going through anything, I mean anything, trust Him. Give it to God and your breakthrough is just around the corner.

Rapping it up!

November 20, 2008- Things around here are subject to change. We had the Celebrate Recovery meeting all laid out for tonight for weeks, then last night at 10:30, things drastically changed. Tonight we are hosting Gospel rapper "Chosen" from the group Gods Army. We absolutely were not ready for this but it's going to be great. Hope you can make it by 6:30 central.

ONE

November 19, 2008- Tonight we are doing something different in Starting Point. We needed a break from the norm and are trying to spend some quality time with each other and recognizing the season of Thanksgiving. In preparing for the night I was reading a portion of scripture out of Acts. Acts 2 talks about the day of Pentecost. All the people were in ONE accord. Do you know what that means exactly? It means they were in ONE place at ONE time, waiting on ONE thing to happen. Every ONE of them was waiting on the the same ONE thing... So we are following up on a leadership blog that I saw on the topic of ONE. Here are some of the thoughts of the exercise...

• Take ONE minute and consider ONE thing you are truly thankful for...


• Take ONE minute and think of ONE person you really appreciate and tell them...


• Take ONE minute and think of ONE thing about yourself that you would like to improve, and devise a plan to make that happen.


• Take ONE minute to reflect on ONE thing you are talented at and sharpen that skill. Thank God for that talent and ask Him to stretch you capacity to improve it.

Anyway, ONE effort could potentially change your life, family, etc.

What can we do?

November 18, 2008- There are so many arena's that have not been reached effectively by the Gospel that we must stretch our capacity and do something. One thing that has to be done for effective ministry is, we have to really evaluate those among us who are sincere. That sounds crazy, but people know fake. If there is one thing I have learned in ministry, it is that people's main hindrance to accepting the Gospel is the fact that they see people riding the coat tails of ministry when, "what they say, doesn't match, what they do"(Pastor Mark, emphasis mine). That is never a good thing for the effectiveness of the body of Christ. I know there is the argument of Grace and Mercy, but I'm talking about someone seeing Jesus in our lives and changing theirs. That my friend is the first step in becoming effective. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 speaks to the issue of living as we are called. 2 Tim. 3:5 says ," having the appearance of godliness, but denying it's power". We have to do all we can to remove the fake. We must not use judgement but rather discernment and above all be led by the spirit of God.

Strongholds

November 17, 2008- We had a great weekend at the Celebrate Recovery outreach. We went to the football game and gave away hot dogs and water. I know what you are saying right now and I agree totally. You are saying, "that's not feeding the hungry, therefore that isn't what you need to be doing, Scott, to reach people for Jesus". You are most definitely 50% right. That means you are 50% wrong also. You see we experienced a need that went beyond food. We talked and shared with people who had strongholds. Our college campus's are bound by strongholds of alcohol, drugs, fornication, and homosexuality. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:4,"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds". You see we were making sure that we were breaking down strongholds. How do we do that? One word. One simple word. Love!!!

Dirty Hands

November 13, 2008- As Christ followers, the tricky thing is trying to be effective in a world that's "sold out" to... materialism, relativism, postmodernism, pluralism, you know all the basics of ism-ology. We know it's hard to be in the world and keep our hands clean. We fall victim to assumption and accusation, and sometimes the only ones who know the truth is us and God. David struggled with this often. In Ps. 7:3-5 he tells God that if his hands are dirty to give him over to his enemies and let them trample him. We have to have that same boldness in dealing with the common issues of society. We have to confront materialism! We have to stand, on our moral absolutes! We know, and must share the one and only way to God! And most importantly, if we ever feel that our hands have gotten dirty in the fight, remember 1Jn. 1:9. God will wash our hands.

John 17

November 12, 2008- ( John 17 ) I've read quite a few blogs over the last couple of weeks about the topic,"be in the world, not of the world". How do we do this? How do we reach the lost effectively without coming across as weird? Catalyst had a post that got me thinking (here), the guys at Deadly Viper had another post on the subject (here), and I have a few thoughts of my own. I tried to work those into the ABC's but had to drop the A&B, so here you have it, the CDE's.
Create Culture- We have to be charismatic enough for people to want to be a part of what we are doing. Many church's seem to be grasping this principle and that's great. So guys that are being culturally relevant, be encouraged, we must create a culture that those far from God see as real.
Develope dreams- God usually calls us to a place that is beyond our mindset. So we have to be willing to dream big, and set out to bring that to fruition.
Encourage & Empathize- We not only have to encourage others that things will work out(Oh, just pray and God will bring your wife back and restore your credit), but we truly have to empathize a persons situation. I think people see the church as not really understanding what they are going through, and we need to be mindful of that, and step it up.

Remember?

November 11, 2008- To avoid repeating it, we must remember the past. Everyday of our life represents a time past when something happened. So what happened today?

• The end of WWI
• Rome
• Napoleonic wars
• Route 66 est.
• Operation Commando Unit in Vietnam
• Church of England allows women as Priests

You know parables aren't just for the days of Jesus. Here is a parable totally relevant to our society and our Church, the body of Christ. What if... Starbucks marketed like the Church?

Practice promotes Potential

Nov. 7, 2008- It's easy to see now some of the things that hinder our potential, but how do we approach the other side of the coin? How do we try to make it work for the best? Well, there is a simple principle found in scripture to set our focus on moving forward and allowing the release of our potential. Look at Deuteronomy 28. This chapter of the Bible tells us all about our potential. It tells that our potential is determined by one factor. That one factor is the answer to unleashing our potential. Practice Faith Principles. The Bible says starting in verse 1, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all nations on the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God..."

It's simple, we have to practice faith principles if we are to truly tap into our potential. God has great things for us and He has given us everything we need to finish the race if we only follow His instructions. So go for it. Unleash your Potential.

Past hinders Potential

November 4, 2008- If you agree that proximity hinders our potential. You will surely recognize the second major factor. I hate people that use literation but it's OK when I do it, I think. Anyway, the second thing that will stunt the growth of our potential is our past. Not only will other people fail to see what's inside you because of you past, but you will lose sight of it at times. It is so easy to get into the rut of, "what do I think I'm doing". We buy into the lie that we aren't called to what we are doing or that we have been promoted to incompetency. There is no such thing in Christ Jesus. Yeah, we get lazy at times. And no, we don't always perform up to the level we have been called. But God has begun a good work, and He will complete it. Our past will always try to drag us down. Put up a vacancy sign on your past life and come back to the course God has called you. 1Corinthians 5:17 "...old things are passed away, behold all things have become new. And remember, there's nothing new in the past.

Proximity hinders Potential

November 3, 2008- Each of us has a level of greatness inside that would blow our minds if we were fully aware of it. God didn't just make us to be people who constantly had struggles and had to fight to have a full life. He created us in His image and in His likeness and that means He created us fully able to accomplish what He has for us in this life. He gave us potential. I think that potential is hindered by several things in life, and if we become aware of these, we can move into a realm of accomplishing the things God has for us to do. The first thing that can hinder our process of accomplishment is proximity. It is hard to see the true potential of someone in your inner circle. David dealt with this when the prophet Samuel came to anoint him king of Israel. His own father didn't see the possibility of his potential, he only saw him as a tender of the sheep. Jesus had the same problem in His hometown as He was not received because of proximity. We must be aware of this and not let it draw us off course in our task of fulfilling our purpose. God has given us everything we would need. Remember not to be deterred by proximity the next time your coworker or family member says something to question your authority in God. God has purpose for our lives that seem so crazy, we can't even imagine. The crazy thing though, is that He has already placed the potential inside to accomplish it!!!!

Why Today?

October 31, 2008- Why do you celebrate Halloween? You know as Americans, we celebrate lots of things without knowing why. One such thing is Halloween. If you are a Christian, you shouldn't feel bad for celebrating this day, just know why you do. As a protestant, I partially celebrate it for the mere fact that on this very day in 1517 a man named Martin Luther posted

95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. This very day in 1517 started what we know as the Protestant Reformation. Now that's a reason to celebrate, plus I like the candy as well!!!

October 29, 2008- When we went to Catalyst we saw a huge variety of truly annointed and talented people who serve the kingdom of God. But I was absolutely blown away by the annointing on one particular worship leader. Aaron Keyes is great. God is truly using this young worship leader to touch the world. Check out one of his videos and see for yourself.

Issues Pt.2

October 28, 2008-

Another Huge issue is the election. I have no intention to even state my stance, but I did find a book that speaks directly to the issue. I really think our concern as believers should be this...

This is a good post with some great comments (Read more) , but I would suggest reading the book. Just click to order.

Issues

October 22, 2008- I think there are issues in the church that need to be addressed, but it seems that our mouths have been closed. Some of these are what one would call "hush- hush". Anyway, one of these issues is the fact that everyday hurting people come to us for help. What is our response? Well, a lot of times we respond by judging them. Oh, I know not you. But many of us followers of the Lord do judge people according to either their past or the condition of their life. How would you treat somebody if you knew they were a prostitute looking for a relationship with God? How would you treat someone who had stolen from the church in the past? How would you treat someone struggling with homosexuality? How would you treat someone who had robbed a poor innocent young lady? We, as a church must address this issue of how we really feel about people. You know, your friends know the real way you feel about people. In Luke 15 we find Jesus teaching parables concerning the lost. Was Jesus sitting with the elite of the city doing this teaching, he was living out His gospel. He was sitting among the very people He was ministering to(tax collectors, prostitutes, the dregs of society) when he was approached be the judgmental people.

He confronted the issue, and so should we.

Evangelism Accountability

October 24, 2008- I think a large percentage of followers of the Lord never share their faith with others. Why is that and what can we do to help? One thing is accountability. Just an idea, but we might try this...

Evangelism 101

October 22, 2008- What are the requirements to effectively proclaim the Gospel to people that don't know God. Better yet, how can one do it? I think there are a couple of steps that have to be part of the equation for it to be effective.

Step 1 - Speak the language. We must be able to speak directly to the issue that someone is dealing with and relate the grace and love of Christ to that issue. Jesus was the master of doing that. If you notice He didn't have a set plan of "Evangelism 101". He spoke to the specific issues of life and effectively gave wisdom that comes only from God.

Step 2- Keep it real. So many of us only tell of the blessings of salvation, but we leave out the most important part. Why do so many fall away from the faith they proclaim? Because nobody kept it real. In Matt. 19:16-29 Jesus is questioned about what it takes to have eternal life. Don't we want to know that? The young ruler kept the commandments, so what did he lack? Jesus said to him,"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me". Wow! According to what the Lord says, we have to be candid with people also. You might have to lay down something that is important to you. You might have to give something up. Jesus kept it real and so should we.

Trunk-or-Treat

October 21, 2008- Just a few days til Halloween. Yes Halloween. We are having an event called Trunk-or Treat here at the church. It's a great way to offer a safe place for the community to enjoy a night so commonly thought of as bad. Here are a few links to help get the idea of what it is exactly.

• Trunk-or Treat ideas


• How to do Trunk-or-Treat


• Is Trunk-or-Treat relevant?

Well, Hope that helps. See you at Victory World Halloween night!!!

Community

October 20, 2008- I've been thinking a lot lately about building community. Not just any community but one that has momentum. I think my focus has been a little off track. My focus has been numbers(people of course). Numbers is the key focus to building community. If we gather the masses the momentum starts. That may be so but I am thinking on trying another route. This might be construed as laziness or a cop out but I think to effectively build community that creates momentum, we have to focus on small. The more simple you make something now, the easier it is for people to really catch the vision and that is what will effectively turn into a human snowball. It might not even work, but the concept is to rally a small core of like minded people and get them to grab the vision of lives being changed for the glory of God. I know that I can rally just a few people. The trick is to get them just as excited as I am and leave the increase to God. We are going to try this in our ministry of Celebrate Recovery and I believe that in one year we will see the fruits of a God vision.

Man Church

October 18, 2008- Today is a great day. I had a chance to attend a mens breakfast this morning in which we discussed the issue of our female oriented church. Very interesting thoughts on how to make church more masculine. As usual I mainly listened so as not to offend anyone, as is my nature. I do have one thought to share. We as men need to be more involved with the local church. Of course the church isn't going to be appealing to the unchurched(what an oxymoron) man if the only people who are doing the decorating and decision making is women. It only makes sense to have pastel walls when sister Jane picked out the colors. Just a thought. I'd like to hear yours as well. Have a wonderful day.

Exponential Curve

October 16, 2008-What is the next step to accomplish the great things God has called us for. Have you thought of that? Have you lost sleep over it? Probably yes on both accounts. Most of us have something we are trying, not only to accomplish, but to be the best at. But as time goes on I see that I can't do it with creativity alone. Creativity just makes it more efficient, not more effective. So that's not the answer. So I look at talent. Talent makes everything go so smooth. Talent makes it attractive, but it may or may not make it effective. Experience can't be it because doing the same thing today that I did yesterday no longer works. No longer is the status quo the answer. So, what is the answer? What is it that I need to go to that next level with what God would have me do? There is only one answer even though many people describe it in different ways. It is a Greek word called "Paracletus". The Holy Spirit puts the very breath of God into our plans and places His thumbprint on it. My prayer is God would fill our lives to overflowing with His spirit so His work would not only be creative, talented, experienced, but it would be effective as it was with the early apostles.

Catalyst '08

October 15, 2008- If you were unable to attend Catalyst, you missed some great speaking. Here are some links that you can check out and read what went on.

• Dave Ramsey via Chris Martin
• Franklin Graham via Tony Morgan
• Matt Chandler via Will Johnston
• Andy Stanley's closing Session via Tim Stevens

Also here are a couple of video links of Catalyst backstage with...

• Dino Rizzo on relief efforts and Healing Place Church
• Seth Godin with Pete Wilson and Jon Acuff
• Tim Stevens Goes POP
• Steven Furtick
• Perry Noble and Tony Morgan
• Worship clips

Doubting Thomas?

October 14, 2008- We had a great time at Catalyst and all the, well most of the speakers knocked it out of the park. I saw so much diversity in denominations that it blew me away. Even though an event like that is geared more towards the contemporary and emergent crowd, I was surprised to see alot of different " high spirit" brethren also. Sorry, but it's weird for me to see a man who looks like he came out of shooting a Buckle commercial with his wife having no make up and her hair in a bun, wearing a drape, yes a drape, not a dress. That just doesn't seem sanctified to me but rather unfair. Wow, I do ramble.
God showed me something at this conference. He showed me that He is God everywhere and in everyplace. It doesn't even matter if we recognize Him as God, He still is. He has given different visions to different places to accomplish the same goal. Why? Culture. The thing that most of us miss is we seem to label people with specific vision when it's the goal that they are drawn to. Ok. Example: We associate Thomas with what? Doubting right. Yeah, because John 20:24-25 but oh that we get the big picture of the goal. You see if we go back to John 11, when Lazarus had died and Jesus, wanting to go back even in the face of death, Thomas makes a statement. John 11:16"So Thomas, called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him". We associate Thomas as the doubter when he really got the big picture. We are better to die with Him than to live without Him!!!

Ok. No more. But this is for you Meg. These guys are called The Red Hot Chilli Pipers!

Off the Air

October 8, 2008- I will be shutting down for the next few days. I will be practicing the fine art of receiving only and at the same time trusting. Trusting in God and trusting in those who are the capable ones on our Celebrate Recovery Team. Anyway for the next few days all you will see on this site is....

Resilience

October 7, 2008- It is so easy to get knocked around and banged up by everyday life that we tend to think, "possibly that's what God intends for me" or " why do these things keep happening". If we are not careful we will subconsciously start to doubt God. I have to be the first to admit, things look less than appealing for me alot of the time. I do have doubts and fear and that is a major stumbling block for my faith. But I'm not going the route of doubting God. I have what one would call "covenant faith". That is, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, til death, well you know the rest. That's covenant faith and that is what life requires if we are to make the most out of it. Yesterday I made a few statements I thought were very relevant to the issue of time and today I was tested in those areas. I have come to the decision that no matter what comes my way I will hang on to the words of the patriarch Job, "though He slay me yet will I trust Him". You know that is saying alot. God does not slay us. He loves us. But if He sees something that I don't, then I will trust Him, and not my own understanding. If nothing else, I see a quality rising up through all this. A Resilience to stand in the fire and know Job 23:10, " But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold".

Time

October 6, 2008- I have been thinking about probably the most valuable
commodity in the world lately. Oh, I know most would say people are the
most valuable, but this is something that is the most valuable to people.
It is time. Time is something that we all take "for granted". To avoid sounding
nostalgic, or to sound nostalgic while not meaning to(I don't like nostalgic). One day we are all going to wake up and only have pictures to remind us of "the magic moments". Ok, I failed on not sounding, anyway! So, the thing I vow to try and do is to live this life with the most recorded" magic moments" possible.
I was reading James chapter 4 and this whole thing about time just got under my skin and I came up with a list of things to help make the most of this sand in our hourglass called life.
1. Spend time with God- The only way to make the most of our time is to give God His. Our daily time with God will expand our capacity to levels unthinkable. Time is a gift from God and if I've learned nothing else, I've learned to give God His first.
2. Manage time wisely- Each day we have a chance to live a John 10:10 life. The time we are given should be to make the most of our life. My time should be something that is constantly giving glory to the Lord. I know that sounds super- spiritual, but if we look at the life we are supposed to pattern ours after, we see that Jesus made the most of every second.
3. Be thoughtful- Life is not something to be spent dealing with guilt and regret. Think things through especially when dealing with others. Just thinking before we react will maximize our time tremendously.
4. Be a little crazy- To live life and be able to say you made the most of it,risks are going to have to be taken. The only thing about this is, the level of responsibility for taking them. The upside is that nothing is more rewarding than a successful risk venture.
5. Make an impact- Jesus gave us prime examples of how to live. Basically he changed things. My prayer is that in every situation I'm in that I'm able to change things. It might only be a small impact in most situations but it is an impact. Don't be scared to shake things up when they need it. Jesus in us will make the impact, and that will maximize our time.

Modern Church Historical

October 3, 2008- Check this out. This is a must see for church history in just minutes. Pretty funny anyway!!

Ready or not?

October 2, 2008- I'm really excited about tonight. We have put alot into this kick-off for the Celebrate Recovery here at Victory. My prayer, as of right now is that God will use this ministry to touch many lives with His restoration power. So many times we try to do all the work for Him and we Muck it up. But I need not worry about that! I've been so busy with the details( and you know that the devil is in the details) that I haven't spent any time preparing for my part in the service. Not Good! Well, now that we are down to just a couple of hours and everyone else is ready I must find a place and pray that the Lord will pull me out of this one. Thanks for all the prayers.

Embrace expansion

October 1, 2008- Life is a very funny thing. My experience has been that of plenty of stretching. Just months ago my capacity was very limited, to say the least. This hasn't changed so drastically that I can say I have arrived or anything, but through the guidance and leadership of very capable people my limited capacity has been maximized. This is not a fun process or one of comfort. And it is not something that has an arrival point. It continues, and as far as I can see will continue. The beauty of it is, that after every incident of discomfort or should I say, not thinking I can pull it off, God shows up as my comfort and strengthens me beyond my imagination. If you are living in a state of experiencing this, you know that it isn't fun, but after the fact your confidence steps up. It's not confidence in you but in God, the one who lives in you. Because, Greater is He that's in you than he that's in the world. So as a word of encouragement remember to always embrace expansion.

Disturbed

September 30, 2008- Today while I was praying I had something come over me like I have never experienced before. I was looking at a list of the names of lost people that we as a church have been praying for, and there are alot of names, when I got this burden for all these people. Oh, I've prayed for the lost, and I've had people that I thought I felt a burden for, but this was completely different. For some time I seemed to feel the pain of their families and friends. It seemed as if this feeling were going to crush me. Then I thought of how God must feel when it comes to the lost. God has this burden for all the people in the world. Wow! I'm sure many people feel these, burdens, if you will, but I know it changed something in me. I can't do ministry out of memory. I owe it to God to give my best. I have been disturbed. My prayer is that God disturb all His workers. That we all become disturbed with a burden for the lost and that we become effective through it all. God I want to feel your "Holy disturbance".

September 29, 2008- I had the most wonderful weekend. I don't get to spend much time with my fiance(Meg), and I spend even less with my beautiful mother. But I was able to spend it with both of them. It was terrific. Now I feel re-charged! This week is HUGE!! We have the first service for Celebrate Recovery on Thursday. The leadership team is really pumped. I can't wait to see what God is going to do. I have learned some valuable lessons in the last couple of months that I'd like to share.

1. We are simply not talented enough for what God has called us to do. It might only be opening doors for people coming in the church, but it takes God to be able to do that or we could be offended when someone comments on our breath, or attitude. We need God!
2. Our time isn't God's time. This sounds like the norm for Christ followers but it is very tough to put into practice. The funny thing is, when we submit to His time scale, He usually puts ours into overdrive. you know it's like riding in the car with somebody who drives slow. When you stop being frustrated with their driving, you can usually have a good conversation and the trip will take no time.
3. We don't have to understand what God is doing. My understanding of God's purpose has brought me much pain in the past few months, but finally as things start to fall into place I see that it's not the purpose I need to focus on, but His presence.

All I need

September 27, 2008- I know you can use too many videos on a blog but these kid's give us a wonderful example of worship unto God. Please check it out. This is Hillsong Kid's with Marty Sampson- Your all I need!

Whatever(Something Heavenly)

September 26, 2008- Saw this video a few days ago and thought I needed to share it. We are kicking off Celebrate Recovery Oct. 2nd and as I was thinking about the needs we would be ministering to I thought of this song. Everyone needs help. God is that help. We sometimes think His ways could be tweaked a little, so here we are to help, and we mess it up. After watching this I saw myself and where God brought me from and where He's taking me to. So God, Whatever your doing? Your name be Glorified. This is Sanctus Real- Whatever your doing (something heavenly)

Amazing Grace

September 24, 2008- Have you ever noticed how passionate or "on fire" someone is after coming to know the Lord? I have. I see this all the time in the ministry I'm involved with. In recovery, people sometimes have this wonderful experience with God that changes them completely. They start to hear from God, they pray all the time, everything they do is all about God and pleasing Him. That is the best feeling in the world! But then something happens. They start to fellowship with older believers. Good huh? I don't know. You see those, Mature Christians say things like,"don't worry,what you are experiencing is cool but it's just a season we all go through." They tell you that the fire dims and you need to have a very realistic faith foundation. Do you know what they do in your life? They quench the spirit of God! Good intentions, but they steal the essence of God in your life. It happened to me in a very short time. I started to believe it and tried to act according, that is , until I started to dry up spiritually. I don't want to live the dead life most Christians live. I choose to live in God's anointing and His power. Don't let people quench the spirit in your life. Know that the feeling you had in the beginning was a feeling of thankfulness for God's grace. Never forget that Amazing Grace.

Progress

September 22, 2008- In the process of life, one of our greatest enemies is progress. Sure that's what we strive for and that is definitely what God has in store for us. Those are principles that should be elementary to us. But we, or should I say I, get so caught up in worrying about making progress that I miss the most important lessons in the process. I think I can tweak things just a little, I think I can make it more relevant. I think? Notice it's all about I. That's the problem that arises with progress. Others don't seem to help either. They think the reason things are moving forward has more to do with who's holding the reigns. Somebody gets put on a pedestal and they are expected to produce. Well that's nothing new. The early church in Corinth dealt with the same issues. 1 Corinthians 3 says that the people were divided over the production of the Apostles. Some claimed to follow Paul, others claimed to follow Appollos. Why? These men of God's ministry had fruit. But Paul told them clearly that even though they each had functions in the ministry, it was God who gives the increase.
So, before I get too caught up in trying to produce for God, I realize that I only play a part in His work. It is God that really brings progress, and only for His glory.

Process

September 19, 2008- I was reading today in Joshua and thinking on things going on in my life and in ministry when I saw what I feel the Lord was trying to show me. You see when the children of Israel started dividing the land promised to them, it was interesting the comments of one man. Read Joshua 14:6-12. Caleb stepped up and brought back to the remembrance of the people an incident that happened in the same place 45 years earlier. 45 years earlier Moses sent 12 men out from the same place to scout the land because the land was promised to them by God. It's interesting that this place(Kadesh Barnea) was to be the place they were to divide the land. But 10 of the 12 came back with a negative report concerning the inhabitants of the land. Only 2 came back confirming what the Lord had said, and one of them was Caleb. Caleb at that time was fully ready to do whatever it took to take the land then, because the Lord was with them. The others however, were afraid and let their circumstances determine their outcome. God was so angry at their insolence that He told them that none of that generation would enter into that promised land, save Joshua and Caleb. Well the Lord kept His promise and we find Caleb 85 years old and back in Kadesh Barnea. The cool thing is that he says that he is just as ready now as he was then to do as the Lord says. He's ready now to take his land, even after this long process. I must stay focused on God that no matter the length of the process, I'll be just as ready to enter into His promise.

Not what you'd expect!

September 18, 2008- This is our promotional poster for our Celebrate Recovery program.

In the Box

September 17, 2008- This video was created by Rob Wegner, and the creative team at Granger church. The message will no doubt get you thinking. Very powerful message segment on Death.

Perspective

September 16, 2008- Today while studying, God really rocked my world with a common passage of scripture by giving me another perspective on it. You see, we have all heard messages about the woman with the issue of blood. Right? Right. The one I studied is in Lk. 8:40-56. Did you notice that in vs. 42-43 that the daughter of Jairus is twelve years old? Well the woman with an issue of blood has had her issue for, guess what? Twelve years. Hasn't bit you yet, well while this woman with the blood issue was suffering, being neglected, being avoided, considered as unclean(with good reason I might add), as far as we know this little girl was enjoying life as any young child would. For twelve years these two people co-existed in completely different perspectives. I don't really have time to lay all the ground work for this but the little girl had the love and support of her family while the woman with the issue had nobody. Then, the little girl gets sick and is on deaths doorstep. What I saw in this passage is this, faith is a picture that God has painted on our heart. Without this image we run around trying to fix things ourselves when we need an image of God's plan on our hearts. The woman didn't have anyone so the image was personal. The little girl had family(she was under authority)so the image had to invade her family. For this image to be what it should a few elements have to be in place. First is exposure, second is light, third is development, and forth is curing. Anyway, the summary of it all is this. We all go through things that we need God to place an image on our hearts, but we just have the wrong perspective. Don't just pray " God heal me" Pray, " God let me see myself Healed"!!!!!

Wow!

Preparation

September 15, 2008- Bright and early Monday morning. This weekend was great. I am making arrangements to leave New Birth Outreach Ministries over the next couple of months and we are getting a new leadership team in place. This place has really been a blessing of God to me and it's tough to just move on. But ministry calls. God has used all my resources in that area and I really believe He has even greater things in store for the future. You know one thing I've learned in this walk with Christ is, there is never a time of rest. Life works in seasons and a worker never has a season of rest. First lets start with spring. Spring is a season of sewing. We plant in the spring the seeds for the harvest we expect in the latter part of the year. Then summer, Summer is a season of work, of pruning, of shaping and molding. Then comes fall. Fall, as we all know is the time of harvest. The things we've worked so hard for all year come to fullness and fruition in this season. But after all this we see one season that is neglected. Most people think that the other season is a season of rest. But the difference between the good and the great is found in the activity of this season. You see winter is a season when no planting happens. It isn't a time for pruning or of gathering fruit. Winter is a time of preparation. It is a time to break up the soil and get the soil prepared for the seasons to come. The ones who work in winter are the ones who enjoy the greatest blessings of the Lord. While there is still daylight we must not be slack but labor for the harvest is ripe.

I miss Meg :(

September 12, 2008- This is something out of the ordinary for me to do. I don't like getting personal on a spot like this but I have to share what's on my heart. I love this woman very much and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her. The problem is this. We live about 200 miles apart. That is just not cool. I miss you Meg!!!! I'm really ready for this season of our life to be over and the new one to begin. I just had to get that off my chest because it has really been eating away at me. You see due to the circumstances, with employment we have had to be away from each other alot in our relationship. But now, well I'll just quote a very famous phrase, " When you meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible". Thanks for listening.

Good, Becoming Great

September 11, 2008- A thought for today is, "What am I becoming"? The thing is, we are becoming something. So many of us think all we have to do is polish who we are now, and we miss the process that's really taking place. I'm not who I'm created to be. I am simply the beginning of work God is doing. The encouraging thing about that is Philippians 1:6, "He who has begun a good work in me, will complete until the day of Christ Jesus". In God's creation everything He did was a good work. But when He created man, He saw that it was very good.

What is the significance there? Well not only did He make man good, He made man to become great. Today as the Lord guides us in our walk I pray that we embrace the changes that He urges us to make. That we would become what He has created us to be!!!

God's Team

September 10, 2008- Looking forward to the leadership meeting tonight. We are going through some material from Pastor's staff teaching on leadership and teamwork. We are going over 3 Core values in ministry and I just thought I'd go over them for anyone who has a hunger for ministry and leadership.

• Winning Teams develop Trust... There are two key factors in trust...

a. consistency- being consistent is key because it insures stability.

b. loyalty- Loyalty shows that you follow the vision, hopefully because you know it came from God.

• Winning Teams have a good Attitude... When the roots grow deep the fruit is displayed outwardly.
  
• Winners represent the T.E.A.M. well...

Through...

a. Integrity

b. Character

c. People Skills

d. Growth

I am truly excited about what God is doing with our church and throughout the world by using 21st century apostles that aren't afraid to speak truth. My prayer is that God ignite a fire in me every day for all those who don't know Him!

Ps. 3

September 8, 2008- Today is the 40th day of the fast that I've been on. This has been an absolutely crazy day in my mind. I don't want to dwell on the things that I've experienced but just want to share what I learned. We have something really great inside us. The only problem is that we don't see it. The reason for so much adversity is that the enemy does!! Most times the enemy sees things in us that we don't. He fights our minds in such a way as he is fighting who we are created to be, not who we see ourselves as. But the wonderful thing about that is Ps. 3. The whole chapter is about placing our faith totally in God and He will sustain us.

Hope Restored

Leaving the White Dragon

September 4, 2008- Had a great morning. Spent a few hours this morning with a guy named Brett. He is new to our church and his family really enjoys it here. The interesting thing about Brett is that he and I have similar backgrounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1oXtvqxsAU&feature=related

This video is a short depiction of that lifestyle. The thing is, he is on a different path now, just as I am. So I was thinking about shooting a 12 month documentary on someone going from that lifestyle into a life following Jesus. The growth alone in 12 months would be incredible and also it would be a tremendous evangelism tool for Celebrate Recovery. I'd probably call it, "leaving the white dragon and putting on a white robe".

The useful enemy

September 3, 2008- We always think of the enemy as something to avoid at all cost. But the enemy plays a very important role in our promotion. Sometimes God uses the enemy( and guys I'm not talking about the red guy with the horns and the pointed tail). It's the people that are used by our enemy that make life uncomfortable for us to say the least. But the very thing meant for our harm, God will use to our good, that many will be saved.(Emphasis Gen. 50:20,mine). Anyway when God has used every possible resource in the arena we are in He will use our enemy to move us to the next. The next promotion. The next place of ministry. The next absolutely wonderful area of our life. Our job is not to avoid this, but to embrace it. Matt. 5:10-11 give us an account that the blessed suffer and are lied on. But Jesus takes the cake when he say "rejoice and be glad". When things seem as if there is an enemy directly appointed to destroy you then remember, my season is about to change.

Great weekend!

September 2, 2008- Man I had a wonderful weekend. Went out with a couple of the guys in the ministry. We basically just hung out and ate the first part of Sat. Really enjoyed ourselves. Then I met Meg in the afternoon to go to the game. We had a blast! This weekend was the most relaxing time I can remember in a long time. I feel ready to tackle some major projects now and I feel God allowed this rest at a perfect time. Thanks God!

Responsibility

August 29, 2008- For the past couple of days I've been pondering the word responsibility. I think one of my many problems in life has been misunderstanding that word. Sure I know what Websters says and many in general definitions but I am coming to the understanding that it is simply, response- ability!!! I have been given the ability to respond in the same manner Christ would have. Every time I choose something other than that, I'm not acting responsibly. If I truly want God to come in and move in my life I must exercise my ability to respond in like manner. When things happen in life(and they will happen) ,then I must choose to remember Jn. 16:33,"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"(ESV), and know to exercise my response- ability.

Believing in God

August 28, 2008- Trying to prove the existence of God is very difficult, to say the least. But I would like to place a challenge to anyone that doesn't believe. Take 1 month out of your very busy life to read the Bible. Just set time aside and read every day. You see if you read the Bible you find that the writers didn't try to defend the existence of God. It was just assumed as a fact that He was, is, and will continue to be very real. As Christ followers I don't think we should spend as much time debating the reality of God( though I'm not knocking apologetics, the Bible says we should be prepared to give an answer). I truly believe that if people would just read the Bible their lives would change and they would know for themselves that God is very real.

Vision

August 27, 2008- Getting ready for the Leadership meeting for the Celebrate Recovery team. This is a big step. The thing is, there are 3 stages of catching vision and my prayer is that we will all catch it and run with it.

1. People catch the vision in such a way as,"what can it do for me"? The vision seems great and these people will look for ways to benefit from what's going on.
2. People catch vision to the point of being devoted and giving towards the vision as long as it's comfortable. This is progressive growth but some times we must go beyond our comfort zones with ministry.
3. People catch vision and eagerly give their lives over to it. The New Testament Church acted in this manner. When they caught the vision of what God wanted to do they gave their lives wholly over to it and much was accomplished through them.

My prayer is that our T.E.A.M. catch the vision in such a way that they give their lives over to it and that the work of ministry go forth with God's thumbprint.

Wow!

Baseball officials in New Haven, Conn. are trying to disband this young man from pitching in his baseball league. Jericho Scott is 9 years old and he has a 40mph fast ball. Officials and other parents are saying this might scare away other kids from experiencing this beginner level of baseball.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/shared-gen/ap/General_Baseball_News/BBY_Too_Good_To_Pitch.html

Send Me

August 26, 2008- You know it's easy to say that we are doing everything we can for the Gospel, "with what we have to work with". Then when it seems like no difference is being made we blame it on," well God has to do His part". You know all that is true, but I find a portion of scripture that puts alot of the focus on us. In Is. 6:1-8 I think we are shown some principles that are key to evangelism and our walk with God.

1. Upward focus- Our focus on God and our relationship with Him has to come first. If we are going to go to heaven we must know Jesus. Too many people are doing the work of God without a personal relationship with Him just like the scriptures said would happen(Matt. 7:21-23). Isaiah said he saw the Lord within the temple. The description he gives is not religious, it's relational.
2. Inward focus- When we come into intimate relation with the creator of the universe we begin to see our brokenness. We don't seem quite as holy in God's presence. His Glory illuminates our darkness and we must search our hearts for the things that could hinder our effectiveness. The Holy Spirit of God helps us to identify and to remove the things that exalt themselves against God.
3. Outward focus- Only after the first two stages of focus can we truly be used and say to God, "Here I am, Send me". Our outward focus is not about us being on a higher level than the lost. It's about loving God so much as to fear seeing anyone being separated from Him. WE become empty vessels to be used for His Glory.

Mars Moon!!!

This is just simply incredible. On August 27th, Mars will be the closest to earth that we will ever have a chance to see. Comments have been made that earth will appear to have two moons on the night of the 27th(Wednesday night). Isn't that exciting. Anyway, you might want to check it out. It won't happen again for like 279 years. And it will not appear this close to the moon like this for up to 60,000 yrs. Isn't that cool! Here's a link to read up on...http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mars-earth-close.html

Propitiation

August 25, 2008- In 1 Chronicles 21 Satan entices David to number Israel. The reasons for this are primarily that David should have trusted God for numbers. Pride becomes a factor in making sure we have enough to do Gods work. But that isn't what I want to focus on. God gave David 3 choices for the penalty of his sin. To have a new and clean life before the Lord David had to make a choice. 1) Either famine 2) sword 3) or numbers. You see, in being thoughtful, David had to give up the very thing that caused him to be prideful in the beginning. God's smart! And in our everyday lives we have to know that when Jesus came and lived and died in our stead that the work is done. Now we have to trust Him for the numbers and know that to try and work everything out on our own will bring pride, sin, and death. Propitiation is the key to our success!

Thoughtful

August 23, 2008- I've been studying in 1Chronicles for some time now and I'm really starting to see very strong leadership principles in the life of David. You know, even though David had times that God was displeased with him because of sin, Davids house is the single most recognized by God. He gave favor to the nation of Israel, because yes they were His chosen people, but God called them the house of David. So, what were some of the principles that David applied to have such an impact on God and on the world?

1. He admitted when he was wrong.
2. He was not afraid to do what God asked.
3. He allowed his leaders to lead.
4. Prayer was his edge.
5. He had vision.

David was the most powerful man in the world, but he was humble. The most important thing to me was that he was thoughtful. Not mushy or sensitive, but thoughtful. He had taken into consideration the person he was talking to and that was factored into his decision. This is something I am trying to initiate into my life as well. Before I make a move, my action needs to really be "full of thought".