thinking outside the bunn

Christmas is for-giving

2011-12-14T12:44:00.003-05:00

At last week's First Wednesday at NewPointe, I gave a talk about our need to forgive. As I prepared for the talk, I had to spend some serious time in prayer, asking God to examine my own heart. Whenever I'm privileged enough to get to preach, it never fails that God puts His finger in my back while I'm studying for the message.

The response to last week's message has been great. I've received emails, Facebook messages, and been stopped by several people in the hallways telling me how helpful and relevant the message was for them. I even had a NewPointe staff member stop by my office to thank me for the message. He told me is was something he really needed to hear and that he's making changes in his life. I had a sense that this message would strike a nerve. Know why? Because it did that to me while I prepared.

Our need to forgive others is very real--and very deep. We were not made to carry the burden of bitterness, anger, and hatred. It simply doesn't jibe well with our souls. Here's the bottom line from last week's message: We simply must forgive.

Want a definition for the word forgive? Here it is: Choosing to let go of everything that seeks to attach itself to the offenses you've suffered. "Forgive" literally means to GIVE SOMETHING UP. If we're going to be well spiritually (which by the way leads to being well physically and emotionally), we've got to stop wallowing around in that thing that's been done to us. We have to turn loose the "right" to hang on to the hurt so we can fully embrace the healing.

If you missed the message last week and would like to hear it, you can pick it up on CD at the NewPointe bookstore.

my 20 favorite sports movies

2011-12-01T20:53:00.004-05:00

Our family watched a good flick the other night, Believe In Me. It's about a high school girls basketball coach who took a job expecting to coach boys only to be surprised to see things turn out differently. Good family movie. It got me to thinking about my favorite sports movies. So, in case you're interested, here are my 10 most fave:

20. The Karate Kid. I've seen this one so many times that I have most of it memorized. Classic. Interesting side note: Karate Kid II was what Jenny and I saw on our very first date (followed by a Rax roast beef sandwich).

19. Iron Will. For those of you who don't know, it's about an Alaskan dogsled race. Great story of a young person underdog enduring.

18. Soul Surfer. The acting's not the greatest but I love the message of this movie.

17. Seabiscuit. I've got this one in my DVD library. Been a while since I've seen it. Solid flick. Maybe it's time to watch it again.

16. Madison. What? Never heard of it? Find it and watch it. After all, Jesus is in it (Jim Caviezel). It's a true story about powerboat racing. What? You think it sounds boring? Hardly.

15. The Sandlot. I've never met a person who doesn't like The Sandlot.

14. A League of Their Own. Another sports movie that's all about the girls. This is also one that our whole family enjoys.

13. Radio. Love Cuba Gooding, Jr. Love Ed Harris. Love this movie.

12. We Are Marshall. True and inspiring.

11. Invincible. You'll see a trend in my rankings if you haven't already. True stories rule. This one is fun, entertaining, and inspiring.

10. Moneyball. The most recent sports movie I've seen makes my top ten list right away. I love a good story--especially if it's true. What made it even more fun for me is that I remember all the players portrayed in the movie. I'd like to see this one again soon.

9. Jerry McGuire. Jerry barely made my top ten. But I got to thinking about all the memorable moments in this movie. And it's just so darn quotable (Show me the money, You had me at hello, etc.). Had to include it on the list.

8. Major League. Okay, talk about your quotable movies, really, is there one more quotable than this (I don't think that one's got the distance, Juuuust a bit outside, etc.) This is one of those movies that never gets old. I bet I've seen it 20 times.

7. Rocky. Gotta love Rocky. Gotta love a good underdog story. Most sports movies are underdog stories. And Rocky is the ultimate underdog. I'm not a boxing fan but I'm definitely a Rocky fan.

6. Secretariat. I just loved this movie. Saw it in Florida with my mom a year ago. Came home and watched it with the whole fam. They all love it, too. In fact, the kids have asked me several times if we can watch it again soon.

5. Miracle. Another great underdog story. And what makes it even better is that it's a true story.

4. The Rookie. I'm a big baseball fan so if you want to make a movie I'm going to love, here's the formula: baseball + true story + underdog. Sold.

3. Hoosiers. A great movie in so many ways. I have plans to watch it with my 9-year-old soon.

2. Rudy. See the formula for The Rookie and substitute football for baseball. Still works for me. Made me cry the first time I saw it. Fired me up, too.

1. Remember the Titans. Another true story. I never grow tired of this one. Want another formula that works for me? Add Denzel and stir. I'm in.

A few observations about my list:

More than half of my list is movies that have one-word titles. Do one-word titles just work best for sports movies?
20 different movies on the list and it covers 10 different sports.
What? No "Field of Dreams?" I like it, just don't love it. Might be #21.
6 of the 20 are football movies. 5 are baseball. The rest are an eclectic mix.

What are your thoughts? Any obvious omissions?

this warmed my heart

2011-11-16T13:45:00.002-05:00

Love, love, love this ad I watched on YouTube. Made me smile and warmed my heart.

I'm still smiling. Acts 20:35. To some of you this may seem premature...but just let me say, "Merry Christmas!"

treat someone like royalty

2011-11-08T15:13:00.003-05:00

Here's a video I came across that inspired me. It's about a teenage girl named Savannah. Definitely worth a look:

Who in your life could use the "royal treatment" from you? I'm convinced that one thing we have to offer that we don't share enough is the gift of dignity. Who can you bring a sense of dignity to today? A simple act of kindness goes a long way.

sundays scuds (november 6, 2011)

2011-11-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

Sunday brought us part four of the 4 EASY STEPS TO WRECK YOUR MARRIAGE series. And per usual, it was chock full of scuds. Here are some of the ones I wrote down:

The quality of communication in any relationship will determine the success of that relationship.
The #1 problem in marriages: lack of communication.
Want to wreck your marriage? Expect your spouse to read your mind.
The average couple talks to each other an average of four minutes per day.
God wants to heal your marriage but you have to cooperate with Him.
Every person in this room lies. We lie to each other every day.
"I don't want to tell them the truth because I don't want to hurt them." Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Every time you open your mouth you either gain influence or you lose influence.
Intelligent people think before they speak. Proverbs 16:23
Seek to understand before being understood.
Unmet expectations are the #1 reason people aren't happy.
Communicate what you want, don't criticize what they do.
Don't be branded as, "the critic."
Studies show that if your compliments to criticism ratio is 5:1, the divorce rate drops from 50% to 7%.
Reliable communication paves the way to progress.
The way you get to intimacy is through conflict.

The series concludes this Sunday at all three NewPointe campuses. See you there!

sunday's scuds (october 30, 2011)

2011-11-01T17:37:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday at NewPointe Church brought us part three of the 4 EASY STEPS TO WRECK YOUR MARRIAGE series. Wowza. Talk about firing off some scuds. Dwight was talking to the ladies. Scud time:

It's not that marriage doesn't work--it's that we don't work the marriage.
Ladies, your husband's needs are are different than your needs.
The way you get your husband to love you better is to respect him.
If your husband is going to accomplish what he needs to do in the home, he needs his wife's respect.
Respect to a man is like romance to a woman.
A man will always withdraw from a place where he does not receive respect.
Respect is not a feeling. It's an action.
"Respect your husband," is a command...and God will not command you to do something you're not capable of doing.
Praise is a discipline that reminds us what is right with one another.
A man would rather be unloved than disrespected.
The best way to disrespect your husband: act independently of him.
There's a deep need in every man to know that you value his perspective.
Most women don't fully understand how their words hurt their husbands.
The only time a man's heart is completely vulnerable is when he's with the woman he loves.
Sex unlocks a man's emotions.
Making love to your husband reassures him that he's desirable.
Sex is the loudest and clearest way that you can tell your husband he's important to you.
Sex is the strongest form of support a wife can give her husband as he faces a tough world.
Rejecting sex = rejecting him.

The series continues Sunday at all three NewPointe campuses. If you're there, you're going to hear a great story about a couple who wrecked their marriage and how God put it back together. Their words: if God can fix our marriage, He can fix any marriage.

See you Sunday!

why we "bless" people when they sneeze

2011-10-27T14:54:00.002-04:00

Have you ever wondered why people say, "God bless you" after someone sneezes. The fabulous Mrs. Bunn and I got in a minor disagreement over saying "God bless you." She thinks it's a bit pointless saying that it just seems silly to bless someone over a sneeze. She thinks if you're going to bless someone, you should bless them more significantly. Me, I say let's bless people at every opportunity we get, why not bless someone after a sneeze.

Jenny's point is that it's become meaningless because we really don't mean anything significant when we say, "God bless you." She's probably right. But it did get me to thinking about why we say it. So I did little research.

If you're like me, you've heard that your heart actually stops when you sneeze. So we say, "Bless you" as a way to say, "Oh God, can you please restart that person's heart?" Seems silly, I know. Truth is, our hearts don't stop when we sneeze. Here's what I've discovered:

The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) became Pope right around the beginning of the plague. Gregory called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in hopes that they would not subsequently develop the plague.

So there you have it. Saying "God bless you" is basically a tradition. Perhaps it's not all that meaningful. But it's gotta be better than saying, "You're soooo good lookin'."

a yogi berra christian

2011-10-17T19:58:00.007-04:00

Love, love, love this video. Wow. Do yourself a favor and take the time to watch Ed Dobson's story. You may have seen him on the Today Show on Monday. Watching this video inspires me creatively, spiritually, and it especially makes me want to make the most of my time here on earth.

"It's not how much time you have left, it's what you do with that time that counts..." Check it out:

sunday's scuds (october 16, 2011)

2011-10-17T13:27:00.003-04:00

What a Sunday at NewPointe. We got to witness a wedding (sort of). We heard an Adele song (awesome). And Dwight flat out delivered the goods on marriage. It was week one of the new series: 4 Easy Steps to Wreck Your Marriage. I couldn't keep up with all the scuds Dwight fired but I tried. Here are some of them:

One out of every two marriages get wrecked.
Divorce is devastating.
Every wrecked marriage, bad marriage, or divorce could have been avoided.
The reason marriages get wrecked: failure to align themselves with God's plan and His design.
God's intent: No human relationship is more important than the one you have with your spouse.
People don't get divorced because they're incompatible. They get divorced due to misplaced priorities.
The glue that holds marriages together is having Jesus Christ at the center of your lives.
When my relationship with God is weak, my marriage gets weakened.
The reason marriages don't work isn't because marriage doesn't work. It's because we don't work on our marriages.
It's not about chemistry. It's not about finding your soul-mate, it's about working for it!
Don't allow your emotions to lead you to bad decisions.
An affair is always wrong in God's eyes.
Can you trust your spouse with EVERYTHING? If you can't then you have problems.

This series is already having a huge impact on me. Causing great conversations at home. Making me want to be a better husband. Part two this Sunday. Hope to see you there!

the bus best ads ever…

2011-10-15T12:41:00.001-04:00

Check out these creative advertisements on city busses. I love creative use of existing elements.

And my favorite:

sunday’s scuds (october 9, 2011)

2011-10-11T17:11:00.001-04:00

Sunday Dwight wrapped up the Dealing With Difficult People series. I’ve heard from several people that the whole series was relevant to their lives and very helpful. Sunday’s message was the icing on the cake. Great practical, biblical advice and principles that apply to each of us. If you missed it, you really ought to pick up a CD of it or listen online at www.NewPointe.org.

Here are some of the scuds I wrote down:

When we see as Jesus sees, we will do as Jesus says.
God wants you to change the way you see people—especially the way you see the difficult ones.
God knows exactly what you’re up against.
God is for YOU! And He’s also for that difficult person in your life.
When we live in submission to God’s ways and His laws, life goes better.
A life of faith is not about hoping for something. A life of faith is about being rooted in God and believing that He knows best.
If you do not surround yourself with sane, safe people, you’re guaranteed to fail.
It’s counter-intuitive but you and I need to be FOR that difficult person just like God is for them. It’s called GRACE (wanting good things for them).
You keep rescuing that difficult person and you’re ticked at them. Maybe you should be ticked at yourself for continuing to enable them.
Most difficult people need to experience some pain before they’ll realize you mean what you say.
Don’t rescue the difficult person. Let God, let reality take its course and guide you.
People don’t change when they see the light. They change when they feel the heat.
The phrase “Time heals all wounds” is not true. Time can work against you if you don’t deal with the issue.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

sunday’s scuds (october 2, 2011)

2011-10-04T12:39:00.001-04:00

Week three of the Dealing with Difficult People series. Dwight talked about the C-word: conflict. Lots of scuds fired. Here are the ones I wrote down:

Confrontation is a loving act done for the well-being of both parties.
Every relationship, even the good ones, has conflict.
If there’s no conflict in the relationship, then you don’t really know each other, you’re afraid of each other, and you’re not being real with each other.
The way in which you handle conflict will determine the quality of your relationships. And the quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life.
We need to clarify the problem that causes the conflict. Too often we deal with the fruit when we should be dealing with the root.
In handling a confrontation, you need to go to God before you go to the other person.
We tend to vent horizontally. Prayer allows us to vent vertically.
There are some needs in your life that only God can meet. Too often we look to others to fill needs that only God can meet and when we do that, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
We’d rather post our frustrations on Facebook than actually talk to the person with whom we have an issue.
We need to learn to attack the issue without attacking the person.
Key question we need to ask ourselves: Am I going to focus on the relationship or am I going to focus on being right?
What does Christ-likeness look like? Being tender-hearted and tough-minded.

Series concludes this Sunday at all three NewPointe campuses. See you there!

illusory superiority

2011-09-28T14:06:00.001-04:00

Illusory superiority is this crazy little thing that goes on in our brains that cause us to overestimate our positive qualities and abilities and to underestimate our negative qualities, relative to others.

For instance, a study was done in 1986 asking almost 200 participants to rate their driving skills. The study found that almost 80% of participants had evaluated themselves as being above the average driver. Mathematically, 80% of us cannot be above average at anything.

I know this is true for me. I have a tendency to think that in many areas, there’s nobody that can do a job better than me. I definitely think I’m a waaay better driver than most people. Most people, of course, don’t have a clue about how to run a business, raise a family, or pick a restaurant. Just ask me about that stuff, I’m an expert, right?

How about when it comes to the difficult people in our lives? Isn’t it true that you and I are the only “normal” ones and that it’s always everyone else who has the real issues? I mean, good grief, if everybody was as good a driver as I am, there’d never be a traffic jam or an accident. But wait…I have been known to fire off a quick text while driving. Sometimes I’m lazy and “forget” to use my turn signal. And speed limits? Aren’t those specifically for the “below average” drivers?

Or could it be that I’ve been stricken with a case of illusory superiority.

At NewPointe Church, we’re in a message series right now that’s helping us learn how to deal with the difficult people in our lives. After all, it’s everyone else who’s difficult so I’m just going to have to learn to cope. Or, do I need to consider that pesky little illusory superiority thing more carefully?

Yeah, I guess I can be difficult, too. What might happen if I approached this message series looking through this lens: Wow, what I’m some (or most) of the problem is me?

Maybe this Sunday instead of elbowing the people that I think need to hear it or thinking of the people I wish would get their acts together, what if I focus on me? What do I need to hear? What do I need to apply? What does God have to say to me…and the other 80% of the people in the room who are way more “normal” than average.

See you Sunday!

But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

married life live is back!

2011-09-20T12:15:00.001-04:00

Love me some Married Life Live. What is MLL?, you ask. MLL is basically a date-night for you and your spouse. It’s an incredibly fun night out—with a purpose. Not only will you have a blast and eat well, but you’ll leave MLL with a little better perspective on your marriage.

At each MLL, we highlight a “marriage essential”—something that’s, well, essential to having making your marriage all it was meant to be. At the upcoming MLL, the essential we’re hitting is: HURRY HOME. We believe that in strong marriages, couples value time with each other above other things that compete for our attention.

NEW IN 2011: MLL comes to Canton! Yes, this time around, MLL is also available at the NewPointe Canton Campus.

Canton: Friday, Oct. 14, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Dover: Saturday, Oct. 15, 6:00 –8:00 p.m

To purchase your tickets click here: Married Life Live

4 Easy Steps to Wreck Your Marriage

2011-09-20T09:22:00.001-04:00

Sunday afternoon we had a lot of fun shooting photos and videos for the next NewPointe message series: Four Easy Steps to Wreck Your Marriage.

The whole process starts in a “series branding meeting.” This happens after Dwight has given us the topic and some key information about his next series. The branding team starts throwing ideas up on whiteboards. We start to hone in on an idea that we all like and then we make plans from there.

Series artwork and supporting videos start getting worked on next. Here’s a shot of part of the storyboard Andrew Sale drew up:

From there, we pull everything together for a shoot. By the way, thanks to everyone who showed up to be “extras” at the video shoot Sunday. Couldn’t have done it without you!

Now, I don’t want to reveal too much about what you’re going to see when the next series begins in mid-October. But I couldn’t resist taking a couple videos of our bride just prior to the shoot.

Perhaps you can connect the dots.

Next it’s on to video editing, photoshopping, etc. More fun stuff to come…

sunday’s scuds (september 18, 2011)

2011-09-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday brought us the beginning of a new series at NewPointe: Dealing with Difficult People. Fortunately I don’t have any difficult people in my life so the message didn’t really apply to me (yeah right).

I took good notes. Dwight fired many-a-scud. Here’s what I wrote down:

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships.
The reason certain things about others irritate you is likely because there’s some of that irritating thing in you.
We’re more aware of other people’s words and actions than we are of our own words and actions.
We can thank ourselves for the majority of the problems we have in life.
I can’t change other people. All I can do is change myself.
If you don’t see yourself correctly, you won’t see other people correctly.
Humility is what allows you to turn your critics into coaches.
Competition kills relationships.

So in everything, do to others what you would have others do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

new series starts sunday: dealing with difficult people

2011-09-13T10:06:00.001-04:00

A brand new message series starts Sunday at all three NPCC campuses. Here’s a teaser video:

We had a lot of fun at a photo/video shoot for this series. This video is just the tip of the iceberg. Did you see anyone you know in that video? Just for fun, how many people can you identify? How many people who share my last name can you identify?

Here’s a little more about the series:

We all know them. We live with them. We work with them. We try to tolerate them. And we try to avoid them: difficult people. These are the people who make us wonder if this is who Jesus had in mind when he told us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Join us for "Dealing With Difficult People", a series for "normal" people who need help figuring out what to do with the "difficult" people who drive us all crazy every day.

See you Sunday!

sunday’s scuds (september 11, 2011)

2011-09-12T17:11:00.001-04:00

Sunday was a special day at all NewPointe campuses as we remembered 9-11. Dwight gave us an unbelievable message with principles to live by during the 9-11 moments we encounter in life. Here are the scuds as I saw ‘em:

Since 9-11, we’ve all had our own 9-11 moments in life.
The greatest act of terrorism occurred thousands of years ago when mankind was deceived, believed a lie, and began a downward spiral.
We’ve been plagued with fear ever since that moment.
When you experience your own 9-11 moments you must:
We all have the power to decide how a 9-11 moment will affect us.
It’s impossible to be happy and bitter at the same time.
There is no correlation between your experiences and your level of joy.
You are as joyful as you choose to be.
Key to joy: focus on what remains not on what’s been lost.
It’s impossible to be grateful and depressed at the same time.
Ten years ago we found out that we had a lot more in common than we had different.
The greatest things in life are not things.

We were really crushed and overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it…we saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us…And he did help us and save us…and we expect him to do it again and again. 2 Cor. 1:9-10 TLB

Unfortunately, after 9-11 moments we tend to return to life as usual.
Where is the safest place in the world? Being in fellowship with God.
Action point: resolve to stay close to God.

focus on where you want to go

2011-09-07T10:28:00.001-04:00

I was riding my motorcycle the other day and I started thinking about when I first learned how to ride. My first time on a bike was only about six years ago. I’ve come a long way.

I was thinking back to how, when I first learned to ride, I struggled with making wide turns after coming to a stop. It seems as though it would be easy to make a sharp turn with a bike but it’s really not—not at first anyway. I used to go left of center with my turns quite often. The problem was that I was looking at those yellow lines—or the curb. I was focused on the very thing I wanted to avoid. And when I focused on the thing I was trying to avoid, I would hit it. It seems a bit counter-intuitive, I know. It seems as though you’d want to “watch out” for that obstacle. It wasn’t until I learned to think differently while riding that I was able to conquer the sharp turns.

The key, as you have probably already guessed, was when I began to focus on where I wanted to go instead of what I wanted to avoid. I literally had to train myself to turn my head toward the place I wanted my bike to go. And it made all the difference.

It’s not like the obstacle is no longer there. It’s just that when my focus changed, the results changed.

The same is true in life. Once we stop focusing on the obstacles, and instead look toward the goal, the obstacles diminish greatly. Turn your head in the direction of where you want to go rather than what you want to avoid.

…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Phil. 3:13-14 NLT)

shake it, baby, shake it!

2011-08-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

You are the salt of the earth.

You—as in you and I. You are the salt of the earth. That’s what Jesus says. That’s amazingly good news but this news also carries with it sobering implications one of which is: Salt does not exist for its own sake.

When was the last time that you went out to eat and commented to someone, “This is really good salt! Why don’t we have salt like this at home? We need to salt switch brands!”

Salt’s destiny is to lose itself in something bigger, something more significant than itself. So, if you and I are salt, and if we’re going to fulfill our destiny, we’ve got to get out of the shaker.

I see people sometimes who merely attend church week after week, often they’re even involved in a small group, and at the same time remain in the salt shaker. Nothing really changes in their lives. If we say we’re committed to the “God-life”yet remain in the shaker, then what’s the point? If you and I are pursuing spiritual transformation then three things must be changing: The first is our character, the second is our conduct, and the third is the world around us.

The good news is that when you and I decide to get out of the shaker and start getting things salty, it becomes contagious. When you and I get out of the shaker other people look at you and are reminded that they want their lives to make a difference too. That’s what we all want.

When we shake it, with lives infused by Christ, it impacts the world around us in disproportionate measure.

Lead where you are!

npcc market research

2011-08-22T14:22:00.001-04:00

NPCC is planning to unveil some billboards in the Canton area soon. So some of the staff decided to do a little "research" to see which billboard option might be most effective. Please pray for our staff. They need help.

small things make a big difference

2011-08-02T08:33:00.001-04:00

Need some inspiration today? Here’s a short video worth watching.

August 14 begins a new series. It’s on leadership. You may not consider yourself a leader but God sees you differently. Leadership is influence. And we all have influence with someone. We all can make a big difference by doing small things. Leading well always comes down to serving others well…and we all can do that. I hope this video inspires you to do the small things that make a big difference. I hope the series inspires you to unleash the leader within you.

New series, Lead Where You Are, begins August 14 at all NewPointe campuses.

the virtue of conviction

2011-07-14T13:47:00.001-04:00

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, spoke at Princeton’s graduation last year. He asked some difficult questions:

Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions? Will you follow dogma, or will you be original?
Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure? Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?
Will you bluff it out when you’re wrong, or will you apologize? Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?
Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling? When it’s tough, will you give up or will you be relentless?
Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder? Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?

Wow. This Sunday at NewPointe we’re talking about the virtue of CONVICTION. Here’s how we’re defining it: Standing for what’s right even when others don’t.

Are you willing to follow your convictions? Learn how you can this Sunday! See you at one of our three campuses. Services are at 9 and 11 a.m.!

want to hear from God?

2011-07-13T14:23:00.001-04:00

If you’re like me, God can sometimes feel distant. I mean, intellectually, we know He’s there. It just seems that sometimes He’s hard to find. Don’t you just wish, sometimes, that you could hear Him audibly?

If you’re in a place in life right now where you’re not sure if He’s there or not, or you’re thinking that perhaps He’s forgotten about you, let me take this opportunity to assure you that He’s real, He’s there for you, and He has not forgotten about you.

In the Book of Hebrews God tells us that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). In Romans, the Apostle Paul teaches us that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So hang in there. God has not left you. He’s FOR YOU!

So, back to hearing from Him. When is the last time you heard His voice in a way that you knew for sure He was speaking to you? Have you ever heard Him clearly? Want to?

Here’s a sure-fire way to hear from God, almost immediately. I know this to be true because I’m seeing it in my own life. If you’ll sincerely pray this prayer, you’ll hear from Him. Are you ready? Here it is:

“God, what can I do for you today?”

That’s it. If you pray that prayer and sincerely mean it, you’ll hear from Him—and in most cases immediately. He will show you someone you can help, encourage, love. He’ll reveal an opportunity that He has set aside specifically for you to make a difference in the world.

Will you dare to pray it?

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2011-07-12T15:23:00.001-04:00

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