Here’s a little taste of his writing from an old post of his on his own blog site.

The music was rockin, the worship inspiring, the sermon challenging. There was coffee, (Starbucks none the less), donuts and greeters to make me feel welcome. The church information was highly visible and it was obvious a lot of planning and effort went in to making it easy for people to get involved. Everyone was friendly and inviting. They did everything right. One thing was missing; the Awe.

Now don’t get me wrong. As far as churches go this one appeared to be “happening”. I’m not criticizing this fellowship of people. I believe their hearts are right. I believe they want God and are seeking Him; and there were moments that I was inspired and moved with emotion. But I want more.

Where is the encounter that transforms? Where is the heaviness of presence that moves worship beyond mere sentiment and feeling? Where is the divine anointing that once characterized the people of God?

The God I have served my whole life; the God I have preached about for twenty years; the God that I want my kids to experience is a God that is so much bigger than what is encountered in the average church service. I want…no, I need to encounter the Healer. I need to encounter the one who spoke the storms away; the one who’s gentle voice brought demons to their knees; who’s words mastered the un-masterable. I need to encounter the Living God; not the clichéd figurehead that exists in our splintered American religious kingdom.

Read more

Recently shared online so I thought I’d share it with you all and hopefully ignite some discussion in the comments.

My wife and I have been talking about cancelling Netflix because of all the issues with one of their recent movies. We are doing our homework to be well informed about our decision, but I ran across this very timely story which seems to put it in a very sobering perspective!

Some years ago, when I was a pastor, I walked into my church office after a Sunday morning service to find a little brown bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story:

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the internet, he denied their request.

“Aw dad, why not?” they complained. “It’s rated PG-13, and we’re both older than thirteen!”

Dad replied: “Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality—which is something that God hates—as being normal and acceptable behavior.”

“But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That’s what our friends who’ve seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It’s based on a true story, and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the Christian movie review websites say that!”

“My answer is ‘no,’ and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.”

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he’s going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all.”

About that time I began eating the second brownie from the little brown bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading…
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, “Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so very much.”

The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.

“That is why I’ve made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I’ve made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.”

The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad’s long speech.

“But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn’t worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.”

“Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?”

“Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won’t even taste it.”

“Come on, dad, just tell us what that ingredient is.”

“Don’t worry! It’s organic, just like the other ingredients.”

“Dad!”

“Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic…dog poop.”

I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.

Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.

“DAD! Why did you do that? You’ve tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can’t eat these brownies!”

“Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won’t hurt you. It’s been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won’t even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!”

“No, Dad…NEVER!”

“And that is the same reason I won’t allow you to go watch that movie. You won’t tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?”

I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn’t…but I couldn’t convince myself.)

What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven—a little bit leavens the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6). Jesus, “our Passover” (1 Cor. 5:7), and sin, don’t mix.

Help us, Lord, to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Hate evil, you who love the Lord (Ps. 97:10)

This was shared by a gentleman named Randy Hicks.”

So, what do you think? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo by Arantxa Aniorte on Unsplash

It’s been 4 weeks to the day now, since I woke up and could not walk. My life changed in an instant, without warning. In the grand scheme of things, I’m still here. There are far worse tragedies, if we even want to call it that.

My faith has not wavered, but that doesn’t mean I have not struggled. There are days where all I can muster is a resounding “This SUCKS!” Then the next day I force myself up and do stair climb repetitions and laugh at the absurdity of it all. However, that age old question still darts around my brain…

Why?

Job asked why once. His friends told him it was his fault and God was punishing him. They made great and glorious claims about the divinity of God, His majesty, and how God manages the world, and what Job should do about it. They sounded righteous, and holy.

God had a lot to say on the matter. You see He didn’t mind Job asking why. Job never made claims about the way God operates, only that he did not understand and was upset. It made no sense. His friends on the other hand, thought they understood God, and instead of comforting Job, chose to speak on God’s behalf, as if they had the authority to do so.

God’s response was intense. He flat out told Job’s friends they were wrong. Their claims were wrong, their attitudes were wrong, their friendships were false. He would not even forgive them unless Job spoke on their behalf. Ya know, the guy they had just claimed was being punished by God and was sinful in some way. Irony at its finest. (Job 42:7-9)

God’s response to Job was also intense. Quite literally a whirlwind. He told Job, if you want an answer, you best buckle up! (Job 38:3, Job 40:7)

He shows Job a vast and complex universe. Stars, seas, and great leviathans. He does not give Job a direct simple answer. He shows Job a small glimpse of Himself.

Now some will interpret this as God saying, “I’m in charge and I can do what I want.” But you see, I’ve always had a backwards way of talking. (I’ve been told it’s a problem. Ha!) My comfort sounds like anger, and my encouragement sounds like insults. Not to mention we can come dangerously close to being like Jobs friends if we start making claims about Gods intentions.

I’ve always found God’s response to Job comforting. It’s not about intentions. It’s not about the why. It’s about knowing and trusting that God holds the universe. This great, swirling, infinite world… and that same God knows me in a way that I do not even know myself.

Philippians 4:13 is a very popular verse. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” However, is often quoted without the preceding verses, which are important for context.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” ??Philippians? ?4?:?11?-?13? ?NIV??

Faith is not about the circumstances. It’s not about the claims people make on behalf of Gods intentions. It’s not about the why. If I am healed completely, or not, there is an infinite God who holds me in the palm of His hand, who hears me, and strengthens me IN SPITE OF the circumstances.

It is here my faith resides: I do not have to understand. God is in control; I have nothing to fear. I will trust in the creator of life. Be it good or bad, it is all to His glory.

I read something recently somewhere online about discipline. We’ve skewed this understanding we have into a purely negative meaning, i.e. “we need to discipline” our kids, or ourselves.

We hear it much like a punishment or scolding required for correction of bad behavior.

However, if we slow down for a minute and look at the word, it won’t take long to realize it looks a LOT like “Disciple”. Isn’t that what we’d like to be known as in our faith in Jesus? Aren’t many of us constantly striving to be a better disciple of Christ? Of course! So why the negative, almost painful, understanding of discipline? 

Let’s look at the definition of the words:

Yes. That’s what we’re talking about. I want to be a pupil of the doctrines of Jesus. A “follower”. Notice that last line there though. #6 “Obsolete. to teach; train.”. Why is that obsolete now? Why don’t we still mean that?

More of what I’m referring to #1 above is good, “training” not sure I like the rules part, but that’s still accurate. Activity? Exercise? Regimen? Skill? Instruction? Learning? Yes, to all of the above! But for #4 we start to get off track again… “punishment inflicted by way of correction and training”. Why do we consider correction and training “punishment”?

Hopefully I’ve illustrated clearly now what I mean by the confusion and hopefully skewed perspective we’ve given ourselves for the benefits of discipline in our lives. For those of us with kids, I’m pretty certain we don’t believe we’re disciplining them as a punishment, but that we’re trying to train them to behave or act in a way that will benefit them in their lives in the long-term. 

As we think about the process of disciplining ourselves in the areas we’re weak or just desire to be stronger in than we are, may we consider it more along the lines of a training and educational session to be better than we are than as a punishment to ourselves. As a I finish that statement though, in my own head I thought, but as we talked about recently in our men’s Bible study this week. As we learn to do the opposite of what our desires our, or that our flesh feels like doing, and instead we exhibit obedience and do what God would prefer us do in these situations… isn’t that a sacrificing of our “fleshly” spirit? But perhaps it’s still not “punishment” it’s just training ourselves in how we want to act in order to become what we strive to become… a better, stronger DISCIPLE!

Meet Justin of the Enhance, Don’t Distract YouTube channel. Justin and I met at a conference last year and he’s loaded with information on pretty much all things church production from an audio and video standpoint. Here’s one of his recent videos where he shares what churches should be sharing on YouTube (and other social media platforms). One thing I really love about Justin’s approach is that it’s always about spreading the Word and gospel and using these technology tools to help accomplish that goal.

As he mentions at the end of this video, the content we share through the Internet can end up serving the same type of benefits that Paul’s letters from prison and everywhere else he wrote from to the other churches and believers he fellowshipped… and as I might add, as his writings to this day are still being enjoyed, shared and read by believers and non-believers alike.

— What’s With the Fork?

Today someone asked about my fork tattoo (which most of the time I forget I have) but I’m glad they did. I needed the reminder of what it symbolized. I have a couple friends that are going through tough times right now. I hope they find peace in this message. For those who don’t know what it means, I’ll share the story below.

“There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

‘There’s one more thing,’ she said excitedly.

‘What’s that?’ came the Pastor’s reply.

‘This is very important,’ the young woman continued. ‘I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.’

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

‘That surprises you, doesn’t it?’ the young woman asked.

‘Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,’ said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. ‘My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!’ ‘So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, ‘What’s with the fork?!’ Then I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come.’

The Pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, ‘What’s with the fork?’ And over and over again he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.”

So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.

And just remember…keep your fork!

The BEST is yet to come!”

One car between Sharla and myself was not working anymore with all four of our schedules. We were blessed with a second vehicle that was Sierra’s and the coordination was becoming overwhelmingly stressful with four people’s schedules. So we prayed.

I’ve been reading a book and the chapter was listening and allow God to direct our thoughts with his voice and applying Scripture to what we heard. Honestly, it’s difficult to dig through the “noise” of your voice, God’s voice, other voices and so on. But I surrendered.

I think the devil is more involved in the process of car buying and HATE it with a passion. Sharla and I have been actively searching for 2-3 months. So after reading this chapter I practiced what I was reading (and preaching). My prayer simply became “God, lead me and help me hear.” I was looking at Ford Rangers. I wanted a truck and asked God to lead me there. I listed all the reasons this would be ideal for me. The more I looked the more it was way outside of the price range. Nothing. God asked me to surrender.

Escapes are what I’ve driven for many years now. They are very practical in gas mileage and they are AWD (a must around here). We searched every car app, website and so many dealerships only to find nothing. Eventually, I found an Escape in Bel Air, MD (3ish hours away). Reached out. It was in an accident. I wasn’t real sure about driving that far to get a car anyway. Then, I actively listened again. Searched and prayed more and found a decent Escape in Ebensburg. Closer. “Affordable”. Reached out to dealer. Prayed.

Sharla downloads a new app called CoPilot (kind of funny when you are literally asking God to take the wheel) and she finds an Escape that’s $4000 less with a sunroof at a dealer only one-hour way in a small town of “Sharla”-Roy (Charleroi). I reached out and made an appointment. The simple prayer: “God, lead me” continued the whole way through this process and God changed the desires of my heart, showed us the way and gave us peace about a price that we could handle.

Every step of this process has not been painful or depressing. God used #BobTheInternetGuy to give us an even better deal than what we budgeted! Bob…is another God story all together… Do you want to know the icing on the cake?!? Bob told us about a small coffee shop in town that the co-author of the book “I Am Second” wrote his portion of the book and his second book in! So here we are finishing up God’s leading us to a decision by actively listening to his voice in a coffee shop drinking a Funky Monkey latte. No buyers remorse and at peace.

GOD IS FIRST. I AM SECOND.

You are made to hear the voice of God! Switch on!!!

I heard the sad news late last night, early this morning that Carman Licciardello had passed away in a Las Vegas hospital after complications from a surgery. He had amazingly been fighting a cancer diagnosis since 2013 and was planning a 60-stop tour.

I used to listen to his albums on my Fisher-Price kids record player and memorize all the lyrics. I’d then perform his songs for anyone that would show-up at our house and give me the faintest option to listen to me perform.

I met him for the first time in person at a concert in Owensboro, KY, I believe it was on my 13th birthday. I got his signature and was in awe of meeting him. I’ve probably seen him in concert more than any other performer. I’m guessing 4-5 times I believe. The reason I picked the image of him that I did for this post is I had this poster of him hanging in my room.

He was an incredible musician and storyteller and his storytelling wrapped in theatrical music videos and his own live performances told amazing stories of the drama that unfolds around us when God works in our lives and we battle the evil one.

Through childhood, high school, college days and even after college. At each level of my life I believe I was touched by Carman’s ministry in some way. After college, while living in Franklin, TN, my roommate at the time was a digital sound engineer. One of the projects he ended up working on was the audio tracks for an extended music video of Carman’s hit “Mission 3:16”. I very willingly stepped in when he asked me to help him figure out ways to create some of the sound f/x he was needing for the recording. My name never appeared in any credits, but my roommate and I always knew where all those sounds came from for the final product.

The world lost an amazing and talented musician and witness for Christ with the loss of Carman. What are some of your favorite memories from either meeting him or attending one of his concerts? What was your favorite song? I know, I know… hard to pick just one right?!

I’ve really enjoyed Lusko’s writing and style. It’s very invitational for me and feels like I’m having a conversation with him as a writer and he’s just sharing perspective and insights from his experiences and the wisdom that God has given him to share with others. And if you’ve got kids, there’s a free 4 day devotional you can do with your kids available in PDF format.

The “Take Back Your Life” devotional book is a 40-day guide, but each day is a very enjoyable and easily digestible chunk of content. There’s a Bible verse(s) for each day along with a short devo that’s usually no more than a couple of pages and each day ends with a prayer. I like the prayer portion as our local church has really been leaning in to helping us really learn how to pray. I know some people think it’s weird to read someone else’s prayer but I believe when we combine those words that may have come from someone else, with our own thoughts and challenges or praises for the day, we begin to connect in conversation with God in a different way than perhaps we have in the past. I know when I was younger and earlier in my faith, sometimes starting to pray felt like staring at a blank canvas in front of me and my expectations wanting to provide some artistic masterpiece. Now I’m believing more that prayers are sometimes more accurately thought of as something scratched down on a napkin in a hurry, but what’s written down and noted is of tremendous value and importance. It’s not in the delivery of words per se, but in the posture of our heart in sharing those words from within that really connect us with God.

“Take Back Your Life” is a great devotional if you’ve been thinking of starting to journal more regularly. Each day wraps up with an interactive session for the reader to “Breathe, Think, and Live”. This section usually consists of a few different questions you ask yourself and answer. Perfect for journaling when you can’t always think of something to write and have a small case of journaler’s writing block. Something I wish I’d actually started when I started my reading of this devotional would have been to use these questions as a jumping off point to jump start more regular blogging entries to publish here. I believe some of the discussions that could have gotten started in the comments each day would have been interesting.

If you take a gander over there at my photo of the cover of the book, you may have noticed there’s two copies of the book. You know what that means? Yep! You guessed it! I’ve got a copy to give to someone completely free if you’re interested. I’m going to make it very easy to be entered into the option of winning and give you a variety of ways to win. All you have to do is one of the following tasks, but you can do more than one and each one will count as an entry to win. I’ll pick a winner randomly based on all the entries received from the task options below and get your book out to you in the mail or maybe bring it to you in-person if you’re near me.

So, to enter, all you need to do is one of the items below, but feel free to do more to increase your chances of winning this great new book by Levi Lusko!

• leave a comment on this post about an area of your life you’d like to take back and realign with God’s will for that area in your life
• Find my post about this review on Facebook and “Like” the status
• Find my post about this review on Facebook and “Share” it on your wall
• Find my post about this review on Facebook and leave a comment there
• Find my post about this review on Twitter and retweet with a comment
• Find my post about this review on Twitter and like the status
• Find my post about this review on Instagram and leave a comment
• Find my post about this review on Instagram and like the post

Thanks for reading and hopefully for entering my giveaway for a copy of the “Take Back Your Life” 40-day devotional book by Levi Lusko. If you don’t win, I do really encourage you to pick up a copy of this book on your own. I really do believe you’ll enjoy it. In the meantime, I might encourage you to also just connect with Levi and follow him on his social media accounts. He frequently shares insightful, encouraging and challenging words there as well.

• Website: levilusko.com
• Twitter: @levilusko
• Instagram: @levilusko
• Facebook: Levi Lusko
• YouTube: Levi and Jennie Lusko

• How to Use Facebook Live: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Broadcast With YouTube Live
• Create a live stream on Mobile
• Here’s how to go live on Facebook with your Android or iOS device
• YouTube 101: How to Live Stream from Your Phone
• 7 Best Apps to Go Live on YouTube from iPhone or Android
• How to upload a video to YouTube and customize its settings on desktop and mobile
• How to Upload Video to Facebook
• How to Post Your Video to Vimeo