Mountains and Vallleys

April 28, 2009- When I first made the choice to follow Christ, I did it for selfish reasons. First, I didn't want to go to hell. Second, my life was a wreck, and I needed it fixed. But soon after that I found that God called me from the valley of my fears to His High Place(Is.57:15). In that transition, I found that it not only changed my SPIRITUAL LOCATION, but my very IDENTITY. I also found that this trip to God's High Place isn't an easy trip. But even through the difficult times and the situations that seem so overwhelming, I have found that there is something in my heart that won't let me stop the journey. The thing that is in my heart, and in your heart as well, is a voice. It's the voice of the creator of all things, and He calls to us. Ps. 24:3 says, "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...".
So despite the things that happen in life, Sorrow, suffering, resentment,bitterness, self-pity,_____________(you fill in the blank). No matter what comes, I will listen to that still small voice, and then I will obey. And remember, the High Places are great. That is where we encounter God, but the valleys can't be counted out. You see, fruit doesn't grow on the mountain top, it grows in the valley.

Misappropriated Wisdom

April, 22, 2009- When I look around at all the things going on in the world today I feel like Solomon must have felt when the book of Ecclesiastes was penned. One has to feel sorrowful for the state of things in the world( especially this country). How did it come to this? I think it is simple. It is misappropriated wisdom. You see, in our quest for power, we have become weak. In our climb up the ladder of finance, we have become poor. In our strives for freedom, we have placed ourselves in bondage. In our moral standards, we have become perverse. We, as a country, must return to a place that we honor God first and foremost. He alone can return us to the state He designed for us. Misappropriated wisdom is more easily stated- wisdom of man!!!

Ask me what happened...

April 20, 2009- Yesterday was one of the greatest days I've ever seen in ministry. We did spontaneous baptisms and saw 143 people follow the Lord in baptism... Awesome day!!!

Now What? Part 2

April 15, 2009- We are riding the wave of momentum from Easter. Great service, lots of people gave their hearts to the Lord. When great things happen, it is easy to love the Lord. Heck, even when bad things happen. But do we FEAR Him? That is the second piece of the foundation of faith that I want to talk about. Deuteronomy 6:13-19 tells us to FEAR THE LORD. You know, that must have been easier in the old testament. The earth might open up and swallow you or a snake come out of nowhere and kill you, or a host of many other horrible things. But today? I think now more than ever we should be aware of the things going on around us and FEAR THE LORD. He has the power to break the curses of poverty, sickness, and addiction. He can reverse the direction of a corrupt and immoral society. Why have all these thing come upon our nation and our world? We have gotten away from our FEAR OF THE LORD. Deut. 6:18 says"And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you...".
Look, these are tough things to swallow. They are not the feel-good messages that we are supposed to give new believers, but if you want to see the same people follow Christ forever, you better tell them the TRUTH!!!

Eggstravaganza

April 13, 2009- We had a great Easter sevice yesterday as well as an EGGSTRAVAGANZA on Saturday that was incredible. The kids were going crazy as they waited for the eggs to be dropped for the egg hunt. Yep, that's right. I said dropped...

Now What? Part 1

April 10, 2009- Well Easter is here again and many people are going to come to know the Lord. That is so awesome! They will come to church for the first time in a year and do the same thing they did last year. The Holy Spirit will convict their hearts, they will feel the drawing, and they will go to the altar and repent. WHAT THEN? That seems to be the breakdown. Look I know the same God that saves them is the same God that keeps them. I know that but do we properly inform them of Their part? Anyway, while reading the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6 and 7, I think I found some really good foundation for a victorious life. I found several things so I will share them over the next few posts.

1. LOVE THE LORD (Deut. 6:5)- Love is a term we use very loosely in society now. But love is something that shows where we stand in a relationship. There are a couple of things we do when we love someone.

• WE PROVIDE FOR THEM. It doesn't matter who you are. If you are anything of a Christ follower you provide for those you love. Does that mean financially? It might. It also might mean comfort. But in the case of our relationship with God, we can only provide Him with the one thing He cannot do for Himself. WORSHIP.
• WE PROTECT THEM. Now how can I protect God? You can't. But what you can do is protect your relationship with Him. Life will throw you all kinds of curve-balls to take away from your relationship with God. So protect that, the same as you protect a new relationship with a person, only more so!
• WE SHOW THEM AFFECTION. Our time with God is more about quality than quantity. God knows our very hearts and He loves us so much that He died! So our time with Him should be so precious. Everything He has done for us should be expressed through our devotion and affection.

These are just a few of the principles from these chapters. So think about it. Now What?

See HIm?

There's always Hope

March 4, 2009- This is a really cool video that needs our attention.

Are you Willing?

April 2, 2009- So many people think that the struggles they have are the results of not being obedient. That may very well be true, but I think the issues are deeper than that. On your job, you may do everything your boss says, but you still disagree with the way he(or she) handles affairs. You might listen and do everything your pastor teaches but still see no fruit of your actions. You might pray for our president but still make comments that are unbecoming without really being aware of it. Well, scratch that, you are perfectly aware of them.
So, why the struggles? Why, no fruit? Remember, the opposite of one accord is discord. Is.1:19 says,"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;"
Do you see that? The issue isn't obedience, it's being willing. It's submission. That's why the Lord has a problem when we worship with our mouths but our hearts are far from Him. We truly have to put our hearts into following Christ, into our jobs, and into our family. It's then that we can enjoy the fruit of the land. Then we can flourish when the times get rough, because our hearts will be set on one that is greater.