1. Communicate for change. Your goal as a pastor is to take people from where they are to somewhere different. This is communicating for change. Andy Stanley will talk about how he crafts messages for “life change” rather than just to communicate information and he’ll also explain how to create clarity and focus around your message at the Preach Better Sermons FREE online event on April 29th

2. Attract people to God’s word, not you. Lysa TerKeurst knows how to match the reality of God’s word with the struggles of her audience. She’ll explain how she does this, as well as how to help more people remember your message by using sticky statements and memorable points at the Preach Better Sermons event.

3. Preach from a passion for people and an urgency of the Gospel. Judah Smith talks about how preaching with the urgency of the Gospel is foundational to effective preaching. He’ll also share how to deal with discouragement as a pastor at Preach Better Sermons.

Make a commitment to be a better preacher. Sign up for the free online conference.

Here are the details.

Date: April 29th, 2014

Time: 1pm – 4pm EDT

Speakers: Andy Stanley, Matt Chandler, Lysa TerKeurst, Judah Smith, Herbert Cooper, Michael Hyatt, Andy Andrews, Derwin Gray, & Carl Lentz.

Registration: Free sign up at PreachBetterSermons.com

My brother’s and I were graced to have her as our Mother. She’s was always present. She was there. Married to the same man for 39 years. Screaming from the stands at sporting events. In the hospital. At the altar. She made our family a family. She’s beautiful. Her sense of humor is awesome. She loves the color blue. She can answer just about any question on any subject.

I can’t describe her in any light that would do her justice. The only thing I can do is be thankful. I thank God for her.

Studying for my Mother’s day message lent me the opportunity to shine the spotlight on a few different woman. Some notable, some not. I kept thinking about Mom. So I started writing this list…

1. Like Eve – She believes her children were from the Lord.
2. Like Sarah – She is beautiful at any age.
3. Like Eunice – She passed her faith onto her children.
4. Like Rebekah – She had twins that have literally fought from their mothers womb!
5. Like Mary – She stayed with her children through the darkest moments that life had to offer.
6. Like Mary of Bethany – She can be found at Jesus’ feet.
7. Like Bathsheba – She is at the throne of the King on behalf of her children.
8. Like the Shunammite – She takes hospitality to a whole nutha level.
9. Like Phebe – She serves the church.
10. Like Miriam – She can play and lead others in worship.
11. Like Deborah – Everybody remembers her singing.
12. Like Ruth – She is a true friend.
13. Like Vashti – She is modest in any setting.
14. Like Abigail – Her council is sensible.
15. Like Priscilla – She is a home bible study teacher.
16. Like Esther – She can prepare a feast fit for a king.
17. Like Huldah – She knows how to dress her man.
18. Like Noah’s Wife – She has given her life to building the church.
19. Like Rachel – She has paid the price to produce power.
20. Like Salome – She has a sweet fragrance in her attitude.
21. Like Elizabeth – She’s a pastor’s wife that sees the Jesus in people.
22. Like Rufus’ mother – She has many that look to her as their mother too.
23. Like Manoah – She leads her children by example.
24. Like Mrs. Proverbs 31 – She is multi-talented.
25. Like Rizpah – She’ll never quit protecting her children.
26. Like Hannah – She covers her children.
27. Like the Upper Room women – She’s filled with the Holy Ghost.
28. Like Naomi – She’s a caring Grandmother.
29. Like Martha – She can cook so good Jesus can’t stay away.
30. Like Jael – She can fight hell.
31. Like the Hebrew women – She’s lively.
32. Like Shiphrah – She helps other mothers out.
33. Like Jochebed – She trained her boys right.
34. Like Zipporah – She doesn’t seek the spotlight.
35. Like Anna – She encourages those facing life’s toughest moments, at the instant they need it most.
36. Like Phillip’s Daughters – She operates in the gifts of the Spirit.
37. Like Mary, John Mark’s mother – Her house is a house of prayer.
38. Like Achsah – She is bold in her prayers.
39. Like Tabitha – She is a disciple.
40. Like Hogla – She values her parent’s heritage.
41. Like Joanna – She values the body of Christ.
42. Like Zeruiah – Her 3 sons are crazy!
43. Like Lydia – She’s been judged faithful to the Lord.
44. Like Rebekah’s mother – She believes in her children’s future.
45. Like Leah – She’s first to praise.
46. Like Elisheba – She’s felt the pain that comes with being in the ministry. But she’s stuck with it and with her man.
47. Like Sherah – Her handprints are on the community.
48. Like Mary Magdalene – For Jesus, She’s the last to leave and the first to show up.
49. Like the Elect Lady – She reads the Bible.
50. Like the Queen of Sheba – She’s a Queen!

Highlights from Sunday’s message ‘Now”. You can share through your social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook,etc) using the shortened link http://bit.ly/YvoG6g

1.Now Faith is … Bible faith is now faith. Faith in the present. Heb 11:1

2. The Faith that led to the lame man’s healing was faith in the Jesus who won. Acts 3:15-16

3. The Key to the whole miracle is the the first word of the story – Now. Acts 3:1

4. We were instructed to pray for daily bread (Matthew 6:11). These instructions point back to the daily manna, given in the wilderness. Manna teaches us that our hunger determines our capacity (Ex 16:17). Manna had an expiration date, it’s only good for one day, you can’t eat tomorrow what was given today (Ex 16:19-20). This manna melted when the Sun came out, you can miss your moment if you don’t live in the now of God (Ex 16:21).

5. The lame man asked for change. The change he received was on a much higher level than he expected. God will always do more than expected Acts 3:3-7.

6. God described Himself as the God that Is, was, and is to come. He wants you to view Him as a present God first. God is! Revelation 1:8

7. The lame man had to let go of his container for coins, in order to grasp the hand of healing. Enlarge your capacity to receive. Let go of the small for the immeasurable. Acts 3:7

8. After being invited to partake of the Well that never runs out, the woman left her water pot. Your capacity needs to be enlarged.Don’t limit the size of your experience with small expectations. John 4:28

9. You will always run out of space before you run out of God’s supply. So Big Faith. Big Prayers. Bold moves. 2 Kings 4:6

10. Peter and John were about to walk into the temple when the man cried. He cried out just before they were inside. Don’t let your moment pass you by. Acts 3:3

11. This was the last hour of prayer. Obviously in a hurry to prayer their scheduled prayer, Peter and John allowed the Spirit to interrupt their schedule. Predetermined plans, can impeded the movement of God’s Spirit. Spirit should always trump schedule. Acts 3:1

12. Faith is not faith in faith. Nor is it faith in human action, or holiness. Faith is from Jesus, to be directed to Jesus, believing in the power of Jesus. Acts 3:16

13. Double portion power was given to Elisha because he didn’t miss the moment of transfer. Elijah said, “If you see me when I am taken.” Miss the moment, miss the miracle. 2 Kings 2:10

14. Israel missed the day of their visitation. While celebrating the shadow (passover), they missed the Lamb (substance). Luke 19:44

15. Israel ate moldy bread and drank from dried up wineskins. While partaking of yesterday’s provision, now expired, they missed what was happening in the now. Joshua 9:14

16. The man with 38 years of infirmity was stuck on past failures, and future season. All the while missing present power. John 5:5-7

In the meantime, the bike is put away in the garage and the endless energy of children is focused elsewhere … mainly tearing up the house.

Stuck in Winter

A few winters ago I was ministering for a friend in Anchorage, AK. We were in the middle of below freezing temps, and already pining for warmer days. Usually during these cold times a person buys things for winter play such as sleds, snow boots, etc.

In the middle of this dark, cold, unending January, the Pastor’s son was given a gift card for Toys-R-Us. If it were I, I would have bought something for winter – like a sled; but this guy spent his card on a bicycle.

In winter.

In Alaskan winter.

The snow wouldn’t be melting for at least 3 months. He can’t use that bike in winter. The bicycle is going to be parked and admired in the garage for 3 whole months.

I couldn’t do it. I want something now.

Not him.

He knew the season was going to change eventually. He bought into the fact the season was going to change.

Your season will shift

I read in the Book of Jeremiah Chapter 32 where God instructed him to buy property, right before he went into bondage and therefore lost all his land. Buy land that you are going to lose because of bondage.

But God told Jeremiah one day you will come back to this land. One day your season of bondage is going to be over. The land will be restored to you when your season shifts. Jeremiah was challenged to buy into the prophecy of God.

You may be in bondage now but do you believe that your season is getting ready to change? Do you believe it so much that you will invest into a new season?

I get strengthened every time I think about that winter in Alaska when a child invested in a season shift.

It’s time now for you to buy into the promises of God.

My season is shifting!

He does.

Every detail.

He died for every person. He is touched by your unique troubles and sends grace to help you through your personal issues. He cares so much for individuals that both Testaments have recorded genealogies, covering thousands of years: all showing that God sees people, remembers their names, and their place in HIStory.

He doesn’t leave us as solitary figures. We are placed into a much bigger group of people. Called the Church, His Body, His Building, His Bride, and His Family (to name a few). We gather together, make Jesus famous together, share life together, grow together, and put the go in the gospel together. In short, there is an ‘I’ in salvation, and an ‘us’ in Jesus.

Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus

Jesus shared a story of contrasts between a very rich man and a very poor man (Lazarus). The poor man died and went to Abraham’s bosom; the rich man went to hell. Suffering and tormented, the rich man saw Lazarus with Abraham and asked for Lazarus to be sent with water to cool his tongue.

Abraham denied the request.

Abraham did give us all perspective and revelation.

Luke 16:26 – And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come form thence.

Heaven = us.

Hell = you.

God created us for human connection.

Hell’s plan is for the solitary to never find a family.

Let’s keep the US in JesUS:

• Share your life with others.
• Be a friend.
• Make a difference in others.
• Be a part of a local church.
• Share your time, talent and treasure with that church.
• Eat meals with others.
• Follow Jesus with other followers.
• Study the Bible with a group.
• Pray with partners.
• Grow together.
• Make disciples.

That’s God’s way.

One final thing to ponder. The word “tithes” appears 24 times in scripture; “offerings,” 265 times. “Fasting” and “prayer” are each mentioned over 100 times. The word “together” is mentioned 484 times and “gathered together” is mentioned 97 times.

There is an Us in JesUS.

Wherever Paul went, there was either revival or riot. It just so happens that in this instance there was riot. A crippled man had just been healed, the gospel was being boldly proclaimed, and religious people were irritated. Paul was on this mission with his good friend Barnanbas and others that remain nameless. The people that experienced the power of God were so amazed that they began to call Paul a god. He quickly corrected them of their misnomer and points them to Jesus. Then the people stoned Paul.

Paul had experienced a wave of emotions. Firstly, he was called a god. Secondly, he was now being stoned. Paul is rock and rolled alone. That is important to notice. Paul didn’t minister alone, but he is the only one that is hit with rocks. Barnabas isn’t hit with rocks – just Paul. It is always the primary leader that takes the brunt of the assault. If something is amiss in the church, it’s Paul’s fault. He ministers with others, but is assaulted alone.

While I traveled preaching as an evangelist, I worked closely with many pastors that were experiencing the same thing as Paul. One day they were celebrated, the next day they were crucified. Remember that the same people that deify you will crucify you later. I always tried to build up the pastor in the eyes of the people because of the overwhelming amount of pastors that are going down – alone.

Here are some stones that hit pastors on a regular basis:

1. Rebellion: Some people never come under the pastor’s authority. They don’t agree with him on doctrinal issues. There are many conversations behind closed doors that the pastor isn’t privy to; others start to agree with the individual causing the dissension, and the stones begin to fly.
2. Jealousy: The pastor shows others more attention than he shows you. Perhaps you feel he is partial, prejudice, prideful, etc. And the rocks begin to fly.
3. Modaltry: Some people worship the particular church model they are used to. If the programs change or the structure shifts, they feel like the pastor is in the wrong. Sacred cows are being turned into hamburger and somebody needs to straighten out the preacher. So the rocks begin to fly.
4. Old shoes: Some like the way their old pastor operated, and don’t think this new guy quite fits into his shoes – not realizing that the new pastor brought his own pair of shoes. So the rocks begin to fly.
5. Turf wars: Once a church begins to grow, everything begins to change. Personnel start getting shifted, programs and positions are eliminated, thereby causing turf wars. Somebody that is shifted out of a position can get angry at losing their place. And yet again, the stones begin to fly.
6. Money issues: Some people don’t like their pastor to drive a new car and live in a new house. Or perhaps they just never support the church financially, all the while consuming what the church has to offer. This can lead to a stoning.
7. Family assault: You hired the pastor – not his wife and family. But some saints think the pastor’s wife should be doing more. Fill in the blank: if she isn’t playing, planning, participating, or preaching, the stones begin to fly.
8. Faulty perception: The pastor says one thing, but you hear another. He does one thing, but you see it differently. Your perception becomes your reality. Because of misperception, you pick up stones and throw them at your pastor.
9. Passive Aggression: The pastor sees that something is amiss with you. The pastor has a face-to-face meeting with you. You don’t say what you really feel and think. The pastor leaves the meeting feeling like everything has been sorted out; you still have your issues because you didn’t get them out in the open and talk about them. So eventually, you start throwing stones.
10. Wolves: You know more than the pastor does. You have great revelation about the end-times, the beasts and their multiple horns, and a variety of other relevant topics. You have private bible studies with people, complete with copy and paste notes from your favorite website. Once more, the stones begin to fly.
11. Pseudo-Spirituality: The pastor isn’t spiritual enough for you. Either he doesn’t pray loud enough, operate in the gifts enough, etc. Because of this, you feel like the church is being held back, and the stones are flying again.

This is just a short list of the stones I have seen pastors get hit with. They come from all directions, from all types of people, and slowly but surely, they begin to knock a pastor down.

Or you could do this:

Paul fell to the ground, and everybody thought he was dead. But notice what happened – the bible said that Paul’s supporters gathered around him. That is so powerful. Don’t pass by that little note. The people gathered around their pastor. And he arose! There is so much power loosed when the people gather around their pastor. If your pastor is getting rocked, the greatest thing you could ever do is gather around him. When a pastor has people supporting him, he feels like he could charge hell with a water pistol.

If you have been guilty of stoning your pastor, first of all – repent. Secondly, make a concerted effort to support him. If you are going to use stones, put them underneath your pastor to support him, instead of hurling them with the intent to kill (Exodus 17:12).

Gather around him together, and go take on your city.

Counting sheep never puts a pastor to sleep. Hours are spent thinking about what you could have said and what you should have done.

Good News!

Recall that night when the shepherds were watching over their flocks by night?

The night sky erupted with lights and angels. The startled shepherds looked up with awe and wonder. A voice pierced the silence and proclaimed good news. A Savior was born. This Savior would bring good tidings and great joy to all people.

Shepherds, there is a Savior – and you’re not Him.

That’s good news indeed.

Take a load off

Every once in awhile, late night shepherds need to remember this fact. You can guide and lead, but salvation is His department. Take that weight off of your shoulders.

When joy and good news are seemingly estranged from your household; remember that Jesus is the Savior of your flock.

When the person you’ve spent hours mentoring and discipling turns their back on you and the church; remember that Jesus is their Savior.

For the naughty and nice: Jesus is the Savior.

Shepherds need to hear this.

You need some sleep too!

God isn’t afraid to begin a big project with a small detail. He is the God of small beginnings. There aren’t any big launches in His repertoire. Grand openings aren’t His style. Learning that fact will help your faith in the long-term.

The blessings God promised Abraham on the Mountain of Provision included possession, multiplication, and worldwide impact.

Did you know that God swears? Well, He does. He swore that these promises would come to pass.

How? Good question.

We often get a sense of what God is going to do: but are left pondering how. We generally compare the how in proportion with the what. In so doing we miss the minute measure of the miracle’s inception.

• Your God inspired business may begin with an inspired name.
• Your city impacting revival could start with one major connector.
• That generation shaking message may be activated by one anointed text of scripture.
• Your Sunday School class could be birthing the next pastor.

Small Ties

Bethuel is the 8th son named (8 is the number of new beginnings), and Rebekah is the only child named. Abraham knew her name but didn’t know her significance. A chapter and a few verses later in Genesis, Abraham sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac. Rebekah is the bride that is found.

What’s that mean for Rebekah? She was singled out from birth. She was a part of the plan before she ever decided to be a part of it.

Nahor may have thought he missed his chance to be a part of God’s big plan. However, he is connected to it through his children. Those fathers who think legacy are often linked to God’s next big thing through their children. Impact the world through your offspring.

What’s this mean for us?

We should look for the little things that God is revealing to us now, that tell us how His promises are going to come to pass in our lives.

Don’t look for the king in Jerusalem on the throne with the scepter: instead look for the baby Jesus in the manger that is growing – little by little.

Rebekah’s name means to tie, or bind together. This little girl is the tie that binds together Abraham’s promises and their fulfillment.

What God is doing is huge.

How? It’s the small ties that bind.

 This is a guest post by my father, Mitchell Glover. He pastors a thriving church in Sterling, AK: if you’d like to listen to him preach – you can do so here.

Christmas time in the elementary classroom when I was a teacher always seemed bright and colorful. Lots of creative writing was generated by the season. The Clarion published a special edition insert featuring writing by the students. It was interesting for adults and fun for the students to see their stories, poems, and even artwork published in the paper.

One year, ministers were invited to write about Christmas in twenty-five words or less. Many area pastors responded, and I submitted the following:

A baby came, divinely effective for giving hope; infant Jesus, kindly loving me, neighbors, other people; quintessential redeeming savior, truth unfolding victoriously with exuberant Yuletide zeal.

Jesus can truly be all we need from A to Z. Jesus made this claim in Revelation 22:13 as translated in The Message, “I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, the Beginning and the Conclusion.” The repetition of the concept establishes the truth of all He can be to us.

Speaking of repetition, Handel’s Messiah repeats the phrases from Scripture about Jesus many times in song. The well-known “Hallelujah Chorus” does make you want to stand to honor the One being heralded, as King George II of old did when he first heard the chorus. It is amazing to know the Christ child born in Bethlehem is the one called “Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

The many “I am“ statements of Jesus in the Bible assures us that he is all that we need him to be. He declared “I am” and the list includes the light of the world, the good shepherd, the bread of life, the way, the truth, and the life. My favorite may not fit this pattern, but it is comforting to know he said, “Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” (See Matthew 28:20 NIV).

According to Hebrews 12:2, Jesus is “the author and the finisher of our faith.” He is the beginning and he is the ending of believing. He is the originator of our faith and he will bring it to fulfillment.

God stated in his word, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (See Isaiah 46:10 NIV). We can trust the one who knows the “end from the beginning” and rely upon his presence and power.

Remember that Jesus is the “A to Z” of Christmas, and truly of all life’s circumstances. He was the creator in the beginning and he will be the king at the conclusion of all things. He is the “First and the Final” pertaining to our faith. He is everything you need for the wonderful gift of everlasting life.

Post by Michael Glover

My wife and I just celebrated two years of marriage.

These past two years, she and I have faced countless challenges, some of them resulting from our own differences and some hitting us unexpectedly – things we did not see coming.

It’s not always been wedding bells and honeymoon style love. Well … yeah, no!

Together

However, somewhere in the middle of the highs and lows we encountered, together (sometimes on the same day), we planted the root values of our marriage on the common ground we shared together.

Through hard work, and patience our love grew into something stronger than either one of us. We have watered it with love, tears, failures, respect, battles won, some lost and some won by not engaging in them at all.

And through it all, our roots have grown deep and strong, partly because we daily exercised diligence in watering them.

However, our hard work together did not make our relationship strong. It was the light of the Word and the firm foundation we established our marriage upon: which is Christ Jesus our Lord. This gave us the ability to grow together, while our roots grew stronger and dug deeper.

Reading His Word gave us vision for our future, while feeding and sustaining us in our present.

Roots

Standing on His firm foundation has strengthened and held us sure, until our roots grew strong enough and were able to support growth.

You see we realized real quick that our honeymoon wasn’t going to keep our marriage healthy, and memories of yesterday wouldn’t either, but if we kept going, day-by- day…

Never overlook the power of day-by-day. It turns into years, which results in strong, unshakeable relationships, from which you both share in the labor and reward.

What did the bible say about Enoch? (Genesis 5:25 KJV), “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

Day-by-day.

It’s not Hollywood material.

Lower-case boring.

But … day-by-day your mustard seed, grows into a shrub, then a bush, then a tree, then the Kingdom of Heaven!

Day-by-day starts with faith and ends with charity, and, “an entrance…into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord…” (2 Peter 1:5-11 KJV)

Water Daily

My brother recently planted a variety of trees, shrubs and plants in both his front and back lawns. Until the roots begin to take hold and grow strong, that beautiful landscape he planted is in danger of being rooted up each time the bi-polar weather that is Spokane, changes her (ouch) mood. If it stays 100+ for a week or so without Greg watering them, they will dry up and wither.

What a buzz kill for Greg! All the research and shopping, the hard work planting each of them, making sure there was enough soil to pack around the roots, and bracing to support the trees, and shrubs, would have been destroyed by the first good storm they encountered, not even a tough storm, just your average bad day.

Isn’t it amazing that good weather can kill your trees, shrubs and plants? You see if you only water your plants during the bad days, when the good days come, your plants will soon run out of water, and not have enough stuff in their stuff to make it.

That’s why we hear about the perfect couple in the perfect house showing each other perfect love, unexpectedly filing for divorce. Why?

They didn’t continue day-by-day. As a result, their roots dried up.

One day they realized their ‘first love’ was no longer alive. They no longer loved each other.

You don’t realize you’ve lost it, until you realize you’ve lost it.

My Bishop sent my wife and me congratulations on our two-year anniversary.

In the message he wrote, “My sweet wife has put up with me for 18,727 days as of today …”

Together and day-by-day