Time

September 24, 2009- What is the single most important thing we need to do today? Really think about that. The amazing thing is that once we think about it... Is that what you are working on? The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, so when we look at our to-do-lists, how effective is the enemy on stealing our time? Or better yet, we are at wasting it.

3 Don'ts in ministry

September 22, 2009- I know that 3 doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to don'ts in ministry, but hopefully these will help with perspective...

• Never settle- God has placed us as stewards with such great responsibility. This is nothing less than the Bride of Christ and we should treat it as such. Never settle for second best in attitudes, character, or drive. We need to guard our lives and our doctrine and never settle for second best with either.
• Never forget- In all of our lives there is a place we were when God brought us out of our mess and brought us into His marvelous light. At that point there was a feeling of awe that we should never forget. We felt so grateful just to be part of His great plan and at that point there was nothing we wouldn't do. How quickly that changes. We forget, and the truth is, we can't afford to forget.
• Never Quit- The truth is ministry is work, work gets tiring, and there are times when you just don't want to go on. Not because you don't love the Lord, but because people aren't the easiest to deal with. That is tough! That's when you have to go back to the place where you were called and remember the mission. The road is long, and at time the path is tough, but if there are 2 words we must always remember in ministry, they are these. NEVER QUIT!!!!
  

3 Do's in ministry

September 18, 2009- Over the past couple of years I've learned a few do's and don'ts when leading in ministry. I would like to share some of these. Let's start with the do's...

1. Pray- This is the single most important thing we should do daily in ministry. It probably sounds like an elementary thing but it's probably the most neglected. We get so busy with the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work. And when we make bad decisions, we need to ask ourselves, did I ask the Lord His thoughts on this. Just sayin.
2. Be merciful- It is so easy to forget the mercy and grace we have received, and to paint horns on people who slip up or make poor choices. We have to see everyone through the same lenses that Christ sees us. With that in mind, we should be pretty merciful.
3. Keep the Fire burning. In Revelation 2:1-7, the Lord writes a letter to the church in Ephesus. They were a great church who reveared the Lord. They kept their lives and doctrine. They had it going on, but in this letter the Lord said that they left their first love. Wow! Never leave that first love. Never forget where you were when God called. Be like fire, and when the wind of the Lord blows, things change.
   

The picture of Mercy

September 16, 2009- There is such great application for our lives pictured in the "Ark of the Covenant".
This is the box that God told the Israelites to make that carried...

• The Ten Commandments
• A jar of Manna
• Aaron's "budding staff"

This box is where the very presence of God dwelt among His people. But the great thing I see when it comes to application, is that the box is actually called, "The Mercy Seat". That is incredible because mercy is how we are able to be in relation with God. Actually mercy is how we need to be in relations with everyone! Just look at the cherubim(or angels) that sit on the mercy seat. Do you see that they aren't looking directly at one another? They see each others reflection through the mercy seat. Wow! If we could only do that. If we could only look at each other through God's mercy, wouldn't it be a better world. We need to grasp the fact that we don't always have to see eye to eye, in every situation, but we need to see each other through God's mercy. That is pretty simple, but I think it's enough.

Outreach 911

September 12, 2009- Yesterday was an amazing day. It started as an idea for a Celebrate Recovery Outreach, but as time progressed, the church, and other local businesses took part in an outreach called OUTREACH 911. We had the pleasure to say thanks to all the civil servants in our area on National Service and Rememberence Day.
It was a great day. Here are some photos...

Time Off

July 12, 2009- It has been a year now since I started this blog. Now I'm going to take a sabbath and get recharged. I need to spend more time with God and in His word, so I'm taking a break from blogging. I don't know how long. I probably will only take a couple of week off to really spend some time and hear from God. Now it's time to enjoy the summer...

Fun Facts for Friday

July 3, 2009- Thought you might want to know some fun facts about tomorrow...

* On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

• Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 113,288 residents.


• Five places adopted the name "freedom." Freedom, California, with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.


• There is one place named "patriot" — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 202.


• And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 21,941 residents.

As with many holidays, the 4^th of July celebration includes food, drink and the realization of how fortunate we are as a nation.

More than 66 million

Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a large number of these events took place on the Fourth.

Although we do not have a fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can almost count on traditional favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. Following is a summary of where these foods come from:

• There's a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is the leader in the production of cattle and calves.
  
• The chicken on your barbecue grill probably came from one of the top broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.
• The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of USA lettuce production.
• Fresh tomatoes in your salad most likely came from Florida or California, which, combined, produced more than two-thirds of U.S. tomatoes. The ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounted for 95 percent of processed tomato production last year.
• As to potato salad or potato chips or fries, Idaho and Washington produces about one-half of the nation's spuds.
• For dessert, six states — California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Indiana — combined to produce about 80 percent of watermelons last year.

Fourth of July Fireworks $128.8 million
The value of fireworks imported from China, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($135.6 million) in 2002. U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, amounted to $13.5 million, with Germany purchasing more than any other single country ($5.0 million).

State Park Lakes & Beaches

66 million
Number of visits in a recent year to our national parks — a particularly scenic locale for a July 4^th picnic. There were 766 million visits in a recent year to another popular picnic venue — state parks or recreation areas. Those in California (80 million), Ohio (59 million), New York (56 million), Washington (48 million) and Illinois (44 million) recorded the highest number of visits.

You may or may not be able to picnic there, but a visit to a national historical site is a particularly fitting way to celebrate our nation's heritage. In a recent year, about 72 million people flocked to national historical sites and 24 million to national monuments.
Now that should really improve your intellect for the holidays. Have a great Independence Day!!!