William Speaks Out

A New Year and a New Attitude

2014-01-01T08:45:00.001-08:00

The start of a New Year means a time for New Years Resolutions right? Which means that we resolve to do a thing or two better than it was done the year before. And of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with resolutions especially if it’s a step in the right direction.

I always make them and of course I always break them but at least I try. To be honest each resolution that I have made over the years more often than not has become in many ways a part of my life. I might loose some steam along the way especially about the time I hit mid February early March, but generally speaking once I start them especially if they produce the result I’m looking for I do seem to incorporate that new thing into my life. Case in point, about four years ago I resolved to start blogging and though I have not always blogged as consistently as I would like to I have not stopped since whenever I first began. So I would have to say at least for me resolutions have never been bad things. They’ve always been positive additions to my life.

Ok, you're probably waiting on my list of a few resolutions and I won't disappoint but first I want to give you some bible, remember it's always good to get a truth from our heads and place that thing deep down into our hearts. Check this verse out

Leviticus 23:23-25 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

Now this seventh month for the Jew was the beginning of the New Year. Remember seven means, for the Jew, completion or perfection and of course for the Jew the seventh month was also the beginning of celebration of Feast for their Jewish New Year, which is called Rosh Hashanah. It's during this time that the Jew in the Old Testament used the start of a New Year as a time of reflection, repentance and refocusing.

Now before you get all bent out of shape I’m not suggesting for a minute that we Christians convert to Judaism but I am saying that there is a great deal of wisdom in taking the time at the start of a New Year to Reflect on the previous year, Repent of those things that are necessary to repent of and finally Refocusing on what to do better moving forward. This is why at the beginning of the Jewish New Year they had what is called Holy Convocation, which was a time for them to come together and reflect and read from God’s word together with other Jews. This is where we Christians get our Watch Meeting services from that are usually held on New Years Eve. Then the text says that they have a time of “memorial of blowing of the trumpets” this of course was a time of recounting or a retelling of what God had done or how he had blessed and delivered them in the previous year. This is so important for us to do as Christians. If you forget what God has brought you through it becomes easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you're doing everything on your own, without God’s help. We all know that this is far from the truth.

Ok I know your waiting on my resolutions and I’m going to list them and at the same time pray that God helps me to stay focused to see them through until next year.

I resolve to talk less and listen more…for me this is gonna be a tuffy
I resolve to start and finish a book…I have several things to write about and I’m also open to suggestions.
I resolve to have more fun enjoying time with my wife and family…we do a lot together but not nearly enough
I resolve not to sweat the small stuff…I’m going to treat more things like ducks treat water. I’m gonna let it run right off my back. This is going to be most difficult. I can’t care for people more than God does.
I resolve to pray more…I love reading books and studying God’s word but my prayer life is truly lacking.
I resolve to love more like Jesus…Not sure what this looks like for me but God knows
I resolve to stay focused on my calling…this is personal. God knows what I’m talking about.

Thanks for stopping by…Let’s Go

What a difference a night makes

2013-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard the saying "What a difference a day makes"? How about what a difference a night makes. Ebenezer Scrooge had a night like the one I’m talking about. I’m certain that anyone over the age of 5 has heard of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and this is certainly true thanks to Jim Carrey and Hollywood films.

In recent years Jim Carrey along with Hollywood revised an old but very familiar Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol and of course Jim Carrey was as funny and witty as ever. If you haven’t seen or read the story A Christmas Carol, I’ll give you a little bit of the storyline just as away of wetting your appetite a bit. Ebenezer Scrooge was a crotchety old man who was best known for his miserly old ways. He loved nothing or no-one more than money. That is until the ghost of his former business associate Jacob Marley showed up to inform him that while he slept that night he was going to be visited by three ghosts: the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. Of course the job of each ghost was to try and convince Ebenezer Scrooge that his current life path will not end well if he fails at making some drastic life changes.

I often wonder what a visit to hell would do for a person who is alive and on this side of eternity. You remember in Jim Carrey’s version of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge was shown by the Ghost of Christmas yet to come that many people were happy that he died. There was a scene where Scrooge see’s his very own gravestone and as he stood over his gravesite the ground sinks and he’s left there standing over a pit of fire. Pretty scary right? The good news is that all of this had a pretty drastic impact on Scrooge. When he woke up from that nightmare he was certainly ready to go and do life differently. I want to put some biblical perspective to this, after all, every truth can be tied back to scripture.

You remember the true story that Jesus tells of a rich man and a poor guy named Lazarus. Jesus said that while the rich guy was alive Lazarus stood at the gate of his house one day asking for food and instead of the rich man feeding Lazarus food he sent his dogs after Lazarus to attack him and chase him away. Well they both eventually die and one woke up in heaven and I don’t have to tell you which guy woke up in hell. Let’s pick up the bible story as the rich man and Abraham are having a discussion. Check this out. Luke 16:24-26

“And he (the rich man) cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 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] from thence.”

You see according to Jesus, hell is a place you don’t want to visit and if you do go there you certainly don’t want anyone you know to go there. In fact, if you read further in the text you’ll see that the rich guy becomes an instant believer and prays for Abraham to send a witness to his 5 living brothers because he knows that in life they obviously are a lot like he once was. Jesus goes on to say that though a person were to come back from death, men still will refuse to believe and of course we all know this to be a very true statement.

Jesus is alive and he was born as a babe in a manger, he lived a perfect sinless life, he died for all our sins and according to scripture he rose again from the dead to take away all our sin and if you would believe in him, hell or even the thought of hell is a non-issue. That story never gets old….LET’S GO

Sometimes all you need is a little renovation

2013-12-14T22:01:00.001-08:00

You ever wonder what would posses any rational thinking person to take on a renovation project. You know, like refurbishing an old antique car or a historical house. Stuff like that. Those types of projects always seem fun and exciting at first but once the project is underway, what seemed fun and exciting in the beginning often turn into nightmares.

I remember my first year of marriage, which would be a few years back. Let's just say I was green and still wet behind the ears. In those days my wife and I lived in a one bedroom apt and of all things I decided that I wanted to refurbish an old cabinet that we pulled out of the apartment complex’s garbage container.

I guess I should be honest here, after all this is a pastor’s blog; it was me (William Harris) who pulled that cabinet out of the garbage. Needless to say I had no idea what I was getting into but I thought to myself it couldn’t be that hard to refinish this little old cabinet. Boy let me tell you, I could not have been more wrong. After spending money we didn’t have and investing several weeks, I finally conceded to the old cabinet. It didn’t quite look like what I had envisioned in my head but at least it looked better than it did when I started and to be honest, I was genuinely pleased with the finished product.

I learned some valuable lessons whenever I took on this refurbishing project and I think they’re worth repeating here. Possibly I could teach you and thing or two if you ever decide to try your hand at refurbishing old furniture.

First thing I learned is that Transformation does not happen over night. What I thought would take a day or two actually took several weeks. The same could be said for one who is beginning their new walk in Christ. The old man is not going to be renewed or changed overnight. So be patient and consistent the old man and those old habits will essentially fade away. I need to put some scripture with this truth so here goes Rom12: 2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The transformation of that old man comes as a renovation of ones thinking occurs and this type of refurbishing project requires one essential tool. Yep, you guessed it. The word of God.

Second thing I learned is that Patience is a must whenever you’re refurbishing furniture or anything else for that matter. If you move to fast, inevitably you will forget something. Whenever I was refurbishing that cabinet I remember having to start over again and again because I acted before thinking things through. That is a lot like growing in your faith. If you act without thinking you are going to say what you shouldn’t and do what you thought you wouldn’t. Because this is true, we all must agree that growing up spiritually simply can prove to be a painful occupation. Again, as always, we need to put some scripture with that so that we can pull this truth out of your head into your heart. Check this passage out please [2Pe 1:5-10 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” I love the last part of that verse; if you do these things, ye shall never fall. How reassuring is that? Lesson learned. Keep at it. Don’t stop and spiritual maturity will come.

Finally Hope became the fuel that kept me focused. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to quit, but the hope I had of seeing that beautiful cabinent in my living room kept me going. I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, I have the perfect verse that will help us get this truth into our hearts. Check it out. [Romans 8:24-25 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].” Did you catch that? Paul is saying that hope is not hope if you have what you’re hoping for in your hands. But if you hope for something that you don’t quite have in your grasp then with patience, you pursue that thing with endurance. This is what it was like for me as I refurbished that old cabinent. I could see in my minds eye what the finished project was going to look like. The same could be said for me as a follower of Jesus. There is a hope in me that sees what God wants to produce in me and because I can see it, then with patience I pursue it and because I am pursuing what I am hoping for I continue to grow stronger and stronger in my faith.

Ok, I could continue to write about other things I learned but I think what I have mentioned here are enough to get you moving in the right direction. Let’s Go.

The Power of Forgivenes

2013-12-11T04:43:00.001-08:00

You ever heard the saying “I woke up this morning with a song in my heart?” Well if you haven’t then Google it, just kidding. When I awoke this morning it was as if the Holy Spirit whispered a song in my spirit. I mean to tell you I could hear the words as if God was standing right there next to my bedside. I bet you’re curious to hear what God whispered in my ear, well hang on, I’m going to tell you, but before I write another word I gotta tell you a story.

There was a man who decided he was going to rob, steal and take whatever he wanted. So he decided to rob a young man and his wife one afternoon. The young man decided he would go and do what’s called a home invasion you know kick a door in and terrorize whomever is behind the door taking and destroying any and everything insight. Well, on this particular day, let’s just say he kicked the wrong door in. Behind this door he found a young man and his newly married wife. The home invader walked right into the home of a young man ready and might I add armed. Needles to say in all the panic the young married fellow shot, but didn’t kill the home-invader. In all the fuss don’t ask me why the young man decided to rush the angry intruder to the hospital. While on the way the intruder prayed and asked the young man to forgive him for breaking into his home and without hesitation the married newlywed responded “of course I forgive you.” In a moment, in an instant the power of hate, anger and whatever else gripped the intruder's heart was broken, he simply couldn’t do anything but weep, because he knew he disserved a lot of things but forgiveness wasn’t one of them.

Ok, I’ll confess this was the dream I awoke to this morning but the words I heard in my spirit were very real and here they are there is incredible power in forgiveness. I have been working in ministry for many years and I have witnessed unforgiveness simply ravage and destroy the lives of so many individuals. I don’t know if you know this but Jesus had a thing or two to say about forgiveness and I won’t disappoint you I'll tell you what he said and where to find it in your bible.

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Did you read that? Pretty powerful words right, well obviously Jesus has forgiven every believer who has confessed Him as Lord but we can see here that Jesus wants us to know how important it is to release folks from whatever wrong they have committed against us. We have absolutely no right to hold unforgiveness in our heart against any wrong committed against us. Think about this for a minute Jesus the very Son of God who was innocent of any crime, he suffered and died for the sins of the entire world and he did so because the truth is he wanted to demonstrate forgiveness to us in a real tangible way. Let me sum this up for you in a few words,

a-wrong committed against you + forgiveness = love.

GOD FORGAVE US SO WE MUST FORGIVE OTHERS…. LET’S GO

Go and Make Love Not War it's a command remember?

2013-12-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I’ve penned a blog, so it might take a few postings to get the creative juices flowing. Non-the-less, I thought it was time for me to get back to expressing my thoughts before my brain implodes on itself.

Ok, so here goes it. You know I’ve been a “Christian” pretty much as long as I can remember and the older I get the more apparent it is to me that those closest to me have the greatest chance of hurting me the deepest. Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that if you are one who loves hard you can expect to be hurt very deeply. I know this to be true and we can even look to scripture and see contention among the followers of Christ. I mean even the disciples bickered over things. At least on one occasion Jesus had to play referee, amongst the twelve. Have you ever stopped to think why is there so much division among folks who claim to be following God and who at least outwardly seem to be pursuing the same biblical goals? I have to tell you that I have seen and heard some of the meanest words come from those who I know love Jesus.

Here’s the point. If Satan can keep us busy fighting with each other we will not have time nor the energy to set our sites on the real battle, which is fought on a whole other realm. Well, that's a blog for a different day.

I always try to end with words of encouragement and here it is….

YOUR FIGHT AND MY FIGHT IS NOT AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.

Ephesian 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

So go and make some love, not war.

Just Keep Living

2011-08-24T21:44:00.001-07:00

I have not blogged for sometime and that is because I’ve been really busy of late. However today, Wednesday, Aug 24^th is a special day to me because it’s my 42^nd birthday. So many good friends emailed, text, face-booked and called me personally to wish me a Happy Birthday. I thought with all the well wishes it would be good for me to extend my thanks and appreciation by writing a short blog.

When I was younger I was the kid that asked a thousand and one questions and my mother would graciously answer most of them. However, there were times that I was not satisfied with her answer to which she would respond, “Son, just keep living.”

What she meant by that was, son I know you don’t understand now but as the years pass and the experiences of life come and go you will. I have to say with all sincerity, momma was right about a lot of things. I thought it would be a fun exercise for me to list a few things that I have learned from these 42 years of life. That may help some of you. And if you don’t understand something that I have listed, then as my momma use to say…..just keep living my friend.

It could always be worse: I have learned that a bad situation could always get worse. So whatever circumstance God allows me to go through is a chance for me to discover a new nuance of God. Just keep trusting in God and you will discover that as well if you just keep living. Romans8:28
Contentment is more valuable than millions of dollars in the bank: Over the years I have made vast amounts of money. But whenever I have allowed a spirit of discontentment to rule my spirit, no matter how hard I worked, I could never earn enough money to satisfy. I have learned simply to be thankful for whatever God blesses me with. Just make do with whatever God provides.1Timothy6:6
Pleasing everybody is very exhausting: You are never going to make everybody happy. So it’s best just to do what’s pleasing to God no matter what people think. Galation1:10
Life is Short: I have enjoyed my life. If you know me personally I am not afraid of risk and I’m not afraid to speak what’s in my heart. But I have to say that Life has simply come and gone very quickly. If you are thinking about doing it, do it. If you are thinking about starting that business, marrying that girl, having that baby, buying that house…do it. As long as you have sought God with your whole heart, with sincerity and it brings God glory and honor do it. Don’t let man prevent you from living your life. You only have to answer to God and that’s it. James4:14
There are people who are simply foolish: It has been difficult for me to accept this as a true statement. However, over the years I have come to understand that this is simply a true statement. Some people are simply not going to get what you are teaching them. No matter how hard you try to explain. No amount of talking or persuading is going to change a fool’s mind. I have had to learn not to take it personal when folks take the truth of God’s word and walk right over it. It hurts my heart but although it hurts my heart, it hurts God’s heart even more. Matthew7:6
Love is the Perfect medicine: This is the most prized life lesson of all. I have learned that loving people is the most intoxicating drug God ever created. Everyone is born into a family no matter how dysfunctional or functional that family is. Your family is still a laboratory that God created to teach each of us the principal of loving each other unconditionally. I have hurt folks in my family very deeply and I have been overwhelmed by the love and forgiveness I have received. I have also been hurt very deeply and yes when giving them love I have watched as God have restored those once broken relationships. If you have not learned anything at all, learn this last thing…the overwhelming value of unconditional love.

I love all who reached out to me on this 42^nd birthday (as well as those who did not.) It really meant a lot. Just keep living and most of all keep learning.

Pastor Will Harris.

When I Pray Nothing Happens

2011-04-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Whenever I pray nothing happens. How many times have you heard that phrase uttered or maybe you have expressed the same sentiments yourself. You ever wonder why God seems to answer some prayers while other prayers it seems that He completely ignores. I have been a Christian for many years and I know that there are times when I pray and I feel an immediate peace about whatever it is that I’m praying about. And then there are times I pray and the moment I say the word “Amen” my hands are still sweaty and my spirit is still very troubled. Why is that?

I have read and studied the scriptures to find the purpose of prayer and I don’t profess to have all the answers but I do have an opinion and I think my opinion matters. At least, to me it does.

I think it’s time we pull out our bible and find the biblical definition for prayer. James 4:3 says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts” so then, according to James, when we ask God for something that is by definition a prayer. So to put this verse into context, James is saying that the reason why so many prayers go unanswered is people tend to pray with themselves as the chief recipient of whatever it is their praying for. So, before we move to the next point lets be clear on what prayer is exactly; to pray is to ask, make a request or to simply converse with God.

Now armed with this definition of prayer it’s correct to assume that praying is a pretty-big-deal. Think about that for a minute. God the creator of the universe wants his kids to converse with him. Which means that prayer is our time TO TALK with God and it's also his time TO TALK with us. Now to some folks that may seem a little odd or far-fetched. They would say God is far too busy to be concerned with my life. But again I think its best to base our opinion about God according to what the bible says about Him. I need to give more scripture here before we go further. Jesus is teaching some folks about prayer and I want you to pay close attention to what Jesus says about prayer in the text. Check this out: Luke11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Clearly Jesus wanted his listeners to know that God was as interested in what they had to say as they would be in terms of listening to their own children. I love what Jesus says in this passage. Clearly he wants us to know that God in many ways is much like our earthly parents but far better. Note verse 13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” Ok, it could not be clearer; God wants to talk to you as a father desires to speak to his own child. The real question is why. Why does God expect us to pray or more specifically what is the purpose for praying?

I want to give you My Top Ten Reasons why it’s good for us to be praying on a daily basis.

1. Jesus Prayed. If I am to be conformed to the image of Christ then it only makes sense for me to follow the example of Christ.

2. God knows what I don’t. Every day is new day to me and I don’t know what new challenges I’m going to be facing that day but God does. So I pray to him for help in getting me through a day that he sees clearly from His perspective.

3. Peace. So many people do not trust in God because their minds can’t fully understand why God allows so many tragic things to happen. If God is real, then why did my brother, father or friend die so tragically? Whenever I pray consistently God often gives me peace when I am facing very difficult times.

4. Strength. I often chuckle in my spirit whenever I talk to people who are arrogant enough to think that they don’t need God. I have had people tell me that God is nothing but a crutch for me, to which I reply, “He’s a really good crutch. You should try him.” How do people make it without going to God for strength? I have no idea. The strength I pray to God for often helps me to avoid temptation. Prayer is a wonderful thing.

5. Provision. There are times when your efforts just aren’t enough to make ends meet. God says it’s ok to seek our provision from him each day in prayer. That does not mean that we should forsake our responsibility of working. But when we are being responsible with our finances and we still don’t have enough God promises to provide us with our daily provisions. What an awesome promise of scripture and like the three Hebrew boys said in Daniel, “if he doesn’t provide I’m still going to trust him.”

6. Providence. God’s plan and purpose should always be more important than my plans. If I’m praying and the situation never changes in the way that I feel that it should, then there is a strong possibility that God is working out His will in my life, His way. My prayer is that I’m ok with that. Jesus said as much. “Not my will farther, but your will be done.” Jesus prayed this way in the Garden of Gethsemene just before he faced Calvary’s Cross.

7. Forgiveness. There are times when I pray and I know that God wants to discuss a certain issue of my heart. If I don’t address that particular issue it seems as if God won’t move on to other topics. Usually when this happens it’s because I have unforgiveness in my heart. So then when I pray I need to make sure that I have dealt with any unforgiveness with a sister or brother, because if I don’t, that will affect my prayer life. So, I make it a practice to apologize if I know I have wronged someone, especially if that someone is my wife. J

8. Confession. So many times we pray and do not confess transgressions. It’s one thing to go and seek forgiveness from a spouse that I have wronged but I also need to agree with God that I have done wrong. This to me is what’s awesome about prayer. Whenever I confess my wrong doing to God the immediate feeling of freedom that I experience is indescribable. He forgives me and He does not hold grudges and that’s a good thing. Often I will confess a wrong to God and before I’m finished praying I will make the same mistake again. God is so awesome.

9. Awareness. Somebody reading this point right now does not believe God exists. I dare you to pray sincerely for God to reveal himself to you. I know that He will. Praying often helps me to become more spiritually aware of how God wants to work in my life.

10. It is a Command. We should be praying because God tells us in his word that believers should pray and not become tired. So keep praying and seeking the Lord. He is awesome. So these are my top ten reasons and purposes for prayer. God always hears and answers prayers. Just keep praying.

A Shot Herd Round the World

2011-04-13T12:24:00.001-07:00

Life changing events are hard to forget, aren’t they? I think of life changing events as life’s landmarks. I am old enough now to have had several of these so called landmarks. I remember my first kiss and that’s all I’m going to say about that. I remember the first time I slept alone, in my own room, that is. I remember the first night I spent away from home in college. I remember asking Carolina to be my wife and it’s been 20years now. I thought I would just throw that in there. These of course were all life changing events for me personally.

I wonder have you ever thought about what it is about events that makes one event more important than the other. Why do we remember some things and forget others? The ultimate question I’m asking is this, “What is it about certain events that we just can’t seem to get them out of our minds?” And of course the answer to that question is obvious. We tend to remember things that bring about the greatest change in us. Amen.

Ralph Waldo Emerson a famous poet who wrote a hymn honoring the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The name of the poem is “The Concord Hymn.” The first stanza in the poem reads as follows

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The 4^th line of the Stanza states that the farmers of Lexington fired the first shot that started the American Revolutionary War. Now figuratively or literally does not matter. The facts are that on April 19, 1775 a shot was indeed fired and because of this single shot a war between 13 Colonies and Great Brittan was ignited. Literally this single event changed the destiny and shape of the World at that time. Do you think the guy who fired the first musket ever forgot the day he fired that rifle? I think not.

If you’ve followed my writing style you know I’m going somewhere with this. I love reading and rereading through the scriptures tracking the life of Jesus. I especially like paying attention to the impact that Jesus had on people who may have met him for the first time. Literally, each time you read about a person meeting Jesus for the first time, the impact that single event had on them is quite remarkable. I want to very quickly look at a view of these examples in scripture.

First let’s look at the centurion guards who stood at the foot of the cross Matt27:54 “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” What did these men, soldiers, see that caused them to admit that this man, who they had just crucified, was indeed the Son of God. The scripture gives us a vivid description of what they saw. I promise you that those guards, who witnessed the sky go black, the earth quaking and shaking, who heard Jesus praying, knew that the events they were witnessing were no ordinary events. I’m absolutely sure that many of the soldiers that day left the scene of the crucifixion forever changed.

Second let’s look at Simon the Cyrene, this is the one lone man who helped Jesus the Messiah carry the cross from The Praetorium to the Hill of Golgotha Matt27:32 “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” Now to go from the Praetorium to Golgotha’s Hill was no short journey. I know Jesus was exhausted from the beating he received earlier that day. Pilate made every effort to beat Jesus bad enough to avoid actually crucifying him. However, Caiaphas the High Priest and the other leaders only wanted to see Jesus dead. So imagine this, Jesus has blood all over his body, his cloths are socked through and through with his own blood, yet Jesus made every effort to carry that cross. Jesus took every step, with as much effort as he could muster up, even though he had the help of Simon the Cyrene. Simon could see in Jesus eyes that though he appreciated the help of Simon, Jesus wanted to carry that cross. Do you think that event changed Simon? I tell you the truth it did. Simon saw the strength of God up close and personal. Writing about what Simon witnessed moves my heart to a compassion that I can’t completely explain with words.

Third and finally, I want to look at Pilot. Now here is this governor whose wife at this point has been persuaded that Jesus is indeed a just man. I would say chances are that Pilot’s wife has had a conversion experience. Now, with that being said, Pilot is faced with the crucifying of Jesus, who, if he didn’t crucify Jesus, would destroy any political future that he had left. The Jewish leaders knew that Pilot was facing political dismissal from the powers that be because of the political upheaval in Jerusalem already. They knew Pilot was one riot away from losing his power, authority and maybe even his own life. Then interestingly enough Pilots’ wife shared some things with him, about this Jewish messiah, that I’m sure he could not get out of his mind. Pilot of course like many of us did not want to go down this very difficult road. Pilot elected to crucify Jesus though he knew Jesus was innocent. Pilot knew that the Jewish Leaders just wanted Jesus dead in order to preserve their own power. I want to show you a passage that stands out to me as it relates to Pilot and Jesus: Matt27:11 “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.”I believe Pilot is asking this question in all sincerity. If it’s true that Jesus is indeed King of the Jews, then Pilot knows according to Jewish teachings, that this is indeed prophecy being fulfilled, right before his very eyes. Pilot is aware of the Jewish teachings. He knows what Herod did when he thought a King was born 30 plus years ago. Pilot is standing face to face with truth and there is no doubt in my mind that he knows the answer to the questions he asks.

We face a changing world every day and many of the events changing the world I believe are orchestrated by God. I know God loves each created person who is living or who has ever lived. Perhaps people like Pilot chose to ignore the God-Change-Moment in their lives. While others will use the same event as a reason to draw nigh to God. However, one thing is for sure, when the shot herd round the world was fired back in 1775, the world changed and the people had no choice but to respond to their changing world. Jesus is changing and preparing this world for his promised return. My prayer is that maybe, just maybe, the reading of this blog will be the event that God uses to change you.

If It Don’t Kill You It Will Just Make You Stronger

2011-04-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I have blogged. I have been doing lots of pondering and bantering in my mind of late which explains why I haven’t shared anything on my blog page. This exercise of pondering has proven, in most cases, to be a dangerous occupation for me. Are you familiar with the saying an idle mind is the devils play ground? Well, if you are, then you must know that I certainly am no exception to this draconian rule.

I have been thinking about the many difficulties that ordinary folks face and what I have come to realize is this. Many times unknowingly folks tend to live in an imaginary protective bubble. Meaning and certainly I am guilty of this, their personal problem’s are the only thing in life that matter. Often, when I face very difficult times my prayers tend to be primarily self focused. I tend to pray things like, and I’m just being honest here “God take this problem away or make it better just do something. Amen.” I realize that difficult times have a way of making you think only about ducking and covering. But something I can remember hearing from my parents when I was much younger and I think it’s a truth worth repeating and remembering “if it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.”

I know I have ADD because I have to mention something here that is relevant but off subject a bit. The other day I was listening to NPR radio which stands for National Public Radio. Anyway, there was a segment on about the Lost Boys of Sudan Africa. The country of Sudan between the years of (1983-2005) was torn by civil war and as civil war goes in that part of the world 27000 young boys along with other members of their family fled on foot and walked barefooted from Sudan to Ethiopia. Many of those fleeing Sudan died along the way. However, several of these now refugees survived the treacherous journey. Did I say they were mostly traveling bare footed through the ruff terrain of Northern Africa, no shoes…..wow! The United States granted 3800 of these lost boys citizenship. The good news is that a large majority of these boys have went on to get advanced degrees and many of them are thriving and living financially independent in a foreign cultural that they knew absolutely nothing about which again validates to some extent what I want you to get from today’s blog, “if it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.”

OK, let’s see where was I? I need to give you some bible to help get this truth down into your spirit. If you got a minute go grab a bible you might want to read more than I’m going to quote here, Phil1-21-23 “For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.22But if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you.” I need to give you some background information here that will help you understand the truth we want to communicate here. Paul is in prison for doing what God called him to do and the blessing he received for his obedience was a Roman prison sentence! Yea, you read correctly a Roman Prison!! So then, it would seem fair and reasonable for Paul to be angry and to some extent hacked off at God. After all, Paul was only doing what God called him to do, right? But, and there’s always a but, let’s try and gain more insight from Paul’s point of view.

Paul says in verse 21 “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” But why does Paul say this? It’s true he is in Jail for following Christ but why is his perspective so, I don’t know, so positive? The answer to that question is found in verse 20 “According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.” It seems that Paul has learned a deep but very simple truth. He has learned that his life is all about making much of Christ and as long as Christ is being glorified in a trial that he happens to be facing then it is both a good and positive exercise. Now I can’t honestly say that I’ve reached this level of spiritual maturity but one thing is for sure “If it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.” So I know as long as I have life I still have trials that I will continue to face. However my prayer is that as I suffer God will help me to grow stronger and that my suffering be a result of my boldness of wanting to make much of Jesus. Because I know that he has already made much of me.

Farther On Up The Road

2011-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

On a hot summer day my dad was notorious for making all of us kids clean house as if the President of the United States was coming over for dinner. I can remember those days as if they were yesterday. My Dad would raise all the windows in the house and turn on some down home blues. We kids would clean and sing the blues like there was no tomorrow. Those were some good times…really they were, seriously. You younger folks may not know what a record player is but in those days my dad would pull out an LP, throw it on the turn table and we would work while listening to some Bobby Blue Bland. One of my favorite songs that he sang was called “Farther On Up the Road.”

This may be trivial but I’m going to mention it anyway. Bobby Blue Bland’s single “Farther On Up the Road” hit the charts in 1957 and it made number one on the R&B music charts within the first month that it came out. There is a stanza in the song that goes like this, I think this part of the song is the reason why the song was so popular, check it out “You gotta reap just what you sow; that old saying is true. You gotta reap just what you sow; that old saying is true. Just like you mistreat someone, someone's gonna mistreat you.” Picture a 10 year old kid with a mop in one hand and a broom in the other singing with all the passion he could muster “someone’s gonna hurt you just like the way you hurt me.”

I’m not sure Bobby Blue knew that he was actually singing scripture but then again being from the south he most likely did. There is a passage in Galatians that communicate these same lyrics that Bobby Blue sang so passionately. Check this out Galatians6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Paul is saying in scripture exactly what Bobby was saying in song. You get back exactly what you give out. This biblical principal is often referred to as “the law of sowing and reaping.”

The interesting truth about sowing seed or scattering seed is this you always reap more than what you sowed or planted. Think about that? Imagine plating a row of 10 tomato seeds and only reaping 10 tomatoes. With all the work of tilling the ground and sowing seed you wouldn’t be very motivated to plant tomatoes. Would you? The truth is each individual seed could produce 10 or more tomatoes. So in actuality and I’m not really using science here, just approximating for effect, 10 tomato seeds could yield almost 100 tomatoes or more. So then it’s true you don’t just reap what you sow but you reap more than what you sowed. Now if we apply this truth to our life actions. The law of sowing and reaping can be pretty scary or rewarding depending on what seeds you are planting with your life. Imagine applying this principal to being a friendly person or financially supporting a ministry, spending time with the broken hearted etc the possibilities are endless.

Ok then armed with this truth lets look at the second part of the verse mentioned above Gal6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” So then Paul gives to us the nugget of truth we need to learn from this metaphor of sowing and reaping. Whenever we do something in life we must take action with the proper motivation. Paul says as much here in the passage. If I sow seed with carnal or fleshly desires as my motivation then that action will produce corruption. However the other side of that coin looks a lot better. If I sow to the spirit that is if my actions has at their core godly sincere love as the motivation then I will reap life everlasting. My dad use to say to me when I was much younger “you can fool some people some of the time but you can’t fool God none of the time.” By that he was saying and you have to know my Dad, “son I really don’t know your heart in this thing but God does.”

We are never too old to learn but we are old enough to forget. My prayer is that I will never forget this principle of sowing and reaping. Although sowing good actions are often very difficult and it seems that it takes forever for that crop to come in but when the harvest finally does come it is always awesome. Let me leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa that does a good job of tying up our discussion.

“Its not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters” Mother Teresa

A Man and His Mission

2011-01-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a great deal of musing about in my mind over the last few weeks. I have wanted to write about these things but honestly what I have been contemplating may not be suitable for most audiences. So, it’s with a great deal of trepidation that I squeeze out these thoughts that are bouncing around in my head.

On the eve of the King celebration services I decided to take my son age 11 to a service being held at a church here in the Kansas City area. I thought it would be good for my son to hear the sights and sounds surrounding a man who was so mightily used of God. No thinking person can deny that Dr King was a man on a mission and as history has shown us, a person and their mission will often mean death for them. The speeches at the celebration were all impressive. There was a big push for education and fair treatment of all people etc. But I have to be honest I left the celebration services somewhat uninspired or perhaps a better word to describe my feelings would be indifferent.

I have been accused of being a bit unconventional in my thinking, so with that I’ll just say what I’m thinking and pray that what I communicate encourages and motivates you If you’ve taken the time to read this far.

First let me deal with why I was so uninspired at the King celebration before I go any further. I got the sense that the leaders and politicians at the celebration I attended are still ridding the wave that Dr. King rode 40 plus years ago. They were still talking about equality for blacks, fair education for blacks, equality in the work force etc. These are all topics that will have to be discussed as long as you have different people with different back grounds who are attempting to coexist in the same world. So I realize that there has to be a voice in the public sector that reminds all people black, white and yellow that we should be treating one another with fairness, respect and with Godly principals.

So, I’m not saying that the topics discussed were inappropriate or even wrong.

What I am saying is this, folks... Find your own mission!! A mission or purpose that burns inside of you that if an obstacle gets in the way you will face it no matter the cost. You ever get the sense that folks support ideas as long as the idea or cause cost them nothing. I wonder how many people would have attended the King celebration gathering if the KKK was posted up around the community daring them go inside. However Dr. Martin Luther King not only would have gone inside but he would have also organized the meeting to begin with. That’s a man with a mission and also a man who is worth following.

I want to get this truth down in your spirit so let me give you some bible to help jump start your heart. Check out Proverbs29:18 “Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.” Ok, so the vision in the text means the same as mission or purpose. When you get a vision from God that means that you have received specific direction from God as to which way you should go. So then if you finish the second half of the passage above, then you can read that a man of God gets his vision or purpose from the oracles of God’s written word. I want to encourage you by saying this if God has given to you a clear word from scripture follow his word at all cost. Even if following God’s word cost you your comfort and yes even if following him cost you your life. Happy is the man who makes a choice to follow God’s vision for his/her life no matter what.

The Blessing of Imperfection

2011-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have needed to get some stuff of my chest and this is not going to be easy for me but okay here goes. My left foot is slightly larger than my right foot. If you’ve ever noticed my left ankle, there are times I have to put on an extra sock just to keep my foot from sliding inside my shoe. I’m now in the forty and over club and five years ago I went to the doctor and I learned that I have imperfect vision in my right eye. The thing is, I have really good vision in my left eye but in my right eye, let’s just say, I have some major problems. The optometrist informed me that my depth perception should be really horrible considering the degree of differences between each eye. Why mention all of this?

I mention these imperfections because sometimes I get the sense that we expect everyone else to be perfect even though we know full well that we ourselves have so many different imperfections.

I think it’s time for a definition here. To be imperfect means the same as flawed; defective, deficient, damaged, faulty, unsatisfactory. Are you starting to get the picture that we all are insufficient and inadequate in some area or another? Each and every person who has ever walked on this planet is riddled with so many different imperfections. Some of our imperfections are physical and some of our imperfections are imbedded into our character. There is no denying, we are all messed up people.

However, I see these imperfections as a blessing in disguise. I have always been a glass half full kind of guy. Let me explain what I mean by that. Have you ever read the story in scripture where Jesus heals a man who was born blind? Check out John9:1-3 “And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth.2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” The disciples here are like us. They see a man who has a physical imperfection and their knee jerk reaction is to think someone did something wrong.

Jesus sets them straight of course and he tells his disciples that this man blindness happened so that the work of God can be made visible. In other words, this man’s imperfect vision became a blessing for him because he had the chance to experience a super natural healing at the hand of Jesus the Son of God.

However, let’s see how the religious elite viewed Jesus healing of this blind man. Check out John 9:13-14&16 “They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.14And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eye…16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” Unfortunately, we make the same mistake the Pharisees made this day in regard to the blind man. We become so fixated on the imperfections surrounding the event that we become blinded to the miracles that God is working-out right out in front of us. These men missed the miraculous, healing of the blind man, all because it took place on the sabbath. Is that crazy or what? You look at that and you think they are so silly. But don’t we do the same thing?

A man starts a church and we say he has to go and get a degree in theology first. Never mind the fact that people are being added to the kingdom because of how he is being used. A man commits to the mission field and he is talked about because he puts his family in harms way. Never mind the many lives that may be impacted because of the danger that his family faces each day. A bunch of college students decide to feed the homeless and we accuse them of being less than a church because they are not connected to a church organization. Never mind the fact that the love of Christ is being shared through the willingness of these young people. They are not just talking about doing something but these young people are actually sharing Christ with a willing heart. A man preaches on the corner and we say he’s wasting his time, no one listens that way any more. Never mind the fact that the truth of the Gospel is being shared and God’s word promises that his truth will never return void. A man walks away from everything he owns to serve the Lord and we call that being irresponsible. Never mind the fact that so many lives are being impacted because of a conscience decision to not accumulate stuff but to accumulate experiences.

I thank God for the truth of scripture. Jesus sums up for us the way we should view imperfections inwardly and outwardly at the end of John9:41 “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” Jesus is saying here that if we understood that we all have plenty of sin and imperfection to go around. And at the point we understand this truth we will be able to grow and mature as we should. But if we fail to see our own problems and imperfections we will always remain immature and controlled by our sin. Now then go and start thanking God for all those imperfections that he blessed you with because truly there’s a blessing in all of our imperfections.

I Hate Christmas..Love, no I hate, no I love........

2010-12-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

I have a love hate relationship with Christmas. I know that I love Christmas time because the entire world practically is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I hate it because everybody seems to get so crazy. Another reason I love Christmas is because I love watching Christmas movies. One of my favorite Christmas movies of all time is a movie called How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Ron Howard directs this film and of course Jim Carrey plays the infamous Grinch. I especially like Ron Howard’s portrayal of this Dr Seuss short story because I think Jim Carrey is really funny and he does a really great job of bringing that Grinch character to the big screen. Anyone who has watched Jim Carrey play other roles knows that he is really good at over acting and I guess, at least for me, that is what makes him so funny.

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched this Hollywood blockbuster and if you haven’t, I’m certain that I can’t ruin it for you. I don’t think there’s a person on the planet that hasn’t heard of this short story originally penned by Theodor Seuss Geisel affectionately known as Dr. Seuss. This story is all about a Grinch like character that hates Christmas and oh yea, some tiny little Who people that are obsessed with it. Ordinarily, a person hating Christmas would be completely understandable but if you reside in Whoville hating Christmas doesn’t seem to be an option at all. Now enters onto the scene Cindy Lou Who. Little Cindy Who, the youngest of Who people, set out to do her own investigation to try and find out exactly why the Grinch, who was the only Who in Whoville, hated Christmas? Of course anyone who has seen the movie or read the book knows that not only did little Cindy Lou learn some things about this Grinch character, she also learned a lot more about the true meaning of Christmas. Now that’s a statement that is loaded with peril.

I'm not going to get on a soapbox here and argue that the Christmas holiday was initiated to compete with a pagan winter festival. Honestly, I won't argue this because I don’t think debating this issue really accomplishes a great deal. Many well-meaning Christians will argue that if you put up a Christmas tree or exchange gifts you are in sin because by doing these things you are participating in a pagan religious holiday. However, I think it would be good to take a hint from Cindy Lou Who and perform your own personal investigation. It’s just better to draw your own conclusion as to why you think it’s good or bad for Christians to celebrate Christmas? If you’ve read this far, not going to disappoint you, I’ll just give you a few things that little Cindy Lou Who learned about the Grinch and more importantly what Cindy Lou learned about Christmas.

Cindy Lou discovered that the Grinch hated Christmas because the people of Whoville were more concerned with receiving gifts than giving them. You remember, all the trash that the Who's threw away some how found its way up the mountain into the Grinch’s layer. Their trash, the Grinch would wear it, burn it or use it as a trash ball to throw against Mayor Augustus' larger than life photo. Whatever the case, the Grinch was on to something. If Christmas was about giving why were the people of Whoville so self-absorbed and mainly concerned with receiving?

The Grinch realized that the Who’s joy was superficial and it was based on getting stuff, stuff and more stuff. So with hate as his fuel the Grinch devised a plan. Armed with hate he dressed up as Santa Clause and he decided to steel everything from the Who’s that remotely reminded them of Christmas. Every Christmas tree, every toy, every candy cane...he stole everything.

So what did Cindy Lou and the Grinch learn from all this? I need to give you some truth to drop into your spirit, don’t want you to get lost in this incredible storyJ.

Cindy Lou Who learned that family and friends are the greatest gift of all. The Grinch learned that there is no greater gift than sacrifice. The Grinch was faced with saving Cindy Lou’s life or holding tightly to his hate for the people of Whoville and as we all well know love conquered hate.

The gift of Christmas is not about receiving gifts but about giving them. Jesus came as a gift to the whole world and the Scripture is clear that whoever receives that gift has everlasting life Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I don’t care about Christmas competing with a pagan holiday. That stuff does not matter to me at all. What does matter is that this is a day on just about every calendar in the world where everyone is making much of my Jesus the Son of God. The whole world recognizes the greatest gift the world will ever receive and that Gift is Jesus Christ...Don't you just love Christmas?

We’ve got help…no really we do!!!!

2010-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last several weeks investigating and teaching about angels and yea fallen angels too, which by definition a demon is considered to be a fallen angel. Personally around Christmas time my interests seem to peek on the subject matter of the celestial kind. This is especially true as I sit and listen to the different accounts of the birth of Christ being read or retold, usually by some little kid reading from a poem that he/she has had to memorize for their Church’s Christmas pageant. My wife will certainly attest to the truth that I have a very vivid imagination. So, with that being said, whenever I read about angels appearing in the scriptures, whether these angels are singing or relaying messages to someone in particular, my imagination just kicks into high gear. Lets look for example at Luke’s account of the birth of Christ.

Dr. Luke, in Luke chapter 2, records that the Shepherds were in the fields watching over their sheep and the Angel of the Lord appeared and announced to them that Jesus the Christ had been born that day in their part of the country. Now when most people read that, they may just think “oh, how nice some sheep herders spoke to some Angles, wow that sounds pretty cool.” Not me man, remember I warned you earlier about this imagination of mine. I picture this huge gigantic man looking person. Bigger than any man that I’ve ever seen before. Who to look upon was a picture of strength and elegance. I also picture that the Angel himself had a brilliance about him self. I mean a glow or glory that just seemed to emanate from his entire body. Kind of like a radiance that is so bright and dazzling that to look upon is almost blinding to the naked eye. I could go on but I think your getting the picture that’s in my mind. And it’s true…I do think in color. While investigating the angelic activity in scripture I realized that Angels play a huge role in helping the people of God finish the work of God while living here on earth.

Let me explain, check this out Heb1:13-14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Now at this point we have learned that context, obviously, is the number one rule to help us learn the bible. So, before we break this passage down let me try and give you the context.

Paul, I believe, is writing to the Hebrews of his day. Of course this should be obvious given the title of the epistle or letter itself. It would appear from the beginning of this letter that Paul was writing with the intent to prove to these Hebrews that Jesus was indeed the messiah that they (Hebrews) all were waiting for. Paul, as part of proving the Messiahship of Jesus explained that Jesus, that young man from Galilee, was active and responsible for creating the universe. Paul also goes on to explain that angels worshiped this Jesus, this man from Galilee. This of course should have been an obvious clue or sign for them that this Jesus was no ordinary man. Their own sacred writings clearly stated that only God was to be worshiped, yet all Jews everywhere knew that this baby was worshiped by angels whenever he was born in Bethlehem.

Ok, now armed with that bit of context, Paul says something about angels in verse 14 that I find very interesting. Paul says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” Now, remember the context is about Jesus, his Messiahship and Angels. Now in verse 14 Paul refers to these angels as “ministering spirits.” Paul is letting us know that these celestial messengers are sent forth to also minister for the heirs of salvation. Heirs of Salvation are those folks who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. So then we need to examine this word minister to fully understand what angels are supposed to do for us, who are the heirs of salvation? Again that is what Angels are sent forth to do. They are sent forth to minister. To minister means to: comfort, to care for, to attend to, to protect and to serve. So then we, that is, those of us who are heirs of salvation, have Super Natural Angelic help to assist us in accomplishing all the purposes of God in our life.

OK, what does this mean? God is very interested in your success. So then as you pray for God’s Holy Spirit to fill and control you, don’t forget to also call on that heavenly host that God has created as a way of providing you the help you need in time of trouble. Now don’t go getting all confused and judgmental on me. I am in no way saying that we should pray to angels because that would be unbiblical. I am saying that your prayers should be for God to give charge over his Angels to come down and help you whenever you need it. It works, friend, it works. Let me tell you what happen to me just this morning.

I was on my way to work. And my car has been running really hot. I don’t have the money to fix it. So I woke up this morning and prayed for God to send his Angels to help keep my car from over heating. I had to get to work on time and didn’t want to be late and my only source of transportation was this car that is constantly overheating. My God came through. As I was driving, the car was starting to really get hot, but about that time I really began to pray specifically for God to send one of his Angels to fix the car and keep it from overheating. Just as I was beginning to pray, the temperature gauge was completely in the red and the car was starting to smell. Wouldn’t you know it, just as I said “Amen?” I watched that gauge with my own eyes, go from red to cool, in a matter of seconds, and I drove that car to work without a single problem. I know this may be hard to believe especially for the skeptical of heart, but it happened. Ask me how I know? I was thereJ.

So never forget this simple truth…you have supernatural Angelic help. God indeed has given to us His Spirit to minister To Us inwardly, but don’t forget, that God has also given us His Angels to minister For Us outwardly.

We are not alone…..

2010-12-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? I remember being in high school and there was a song that gained popularity called I always feel like Somebody’s Watching Me written by a group called Rockwell. I personally think that this song gained popularity because so many folks empathize with its lyrics. You may never admit it, but I’m sure there have been times that you were completely alone and knew it and yet you’ve felt the presences of someone else in the room. Well have no fear the bible gives us a biblical explanation for this sort of phenomenon……and here it is…. “We are not alone.”

You have to see this so that you don’t think that I’m making this stuff up. Note Ephesians 6:11-12: 11“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

Now obviously, according to the bible, there are things in this world that we wrestle against, that we simply cannot see with our eyes. This passage does say clearly that our wrestling is not against flesh or blood. By this, the Apostle Paul is saying “Listen folks, your fight is not against people.” Then he drops the bomb of truth on us and, by the way, this is the part of the passage where most folks miss it. Certainly the Devil himself is glad that we miss this simple truth. Our war, or fight, is against Principalities, Powers, and Rulers of Darkness and against spiritual wickedness in high places. I think it’s time for us to take our Greek lesson for the day because we get a lot more understanding whenever we look to the Greek form of the English word being used in the text.

The word “principalities” in the Greek is pronounced “är-khā” it means the same as the first order/rank in a hierarchy of demons or fallen angels. So, then Paul wants the Christian to understand that we are fighting against a sect or group of “Fallen Angels”…literally.

The word “powers” in the Greek is pronounced “eks-ü-sē'-ä.” The word exorcism is also derived from this same Greek word. Paul uses this word because he is communicating that we are warring against a dark power that also has the ability to oppress and or posses the human spirit. Christian’s differ on whether or not a believer can be possessed. That is a different discussion for a different day. However, Paul is definitely communicating that these dark demonic spiritual powers have the ability/power to both possess and oppress the people in this world. That is a fact.

The phrase “rulers of darkness” should be broken down into two parts in order to gain the full meaning of what Paul wants to teach us from the text. Now the word “rulers” in the Greek is pronounced “ko-smo-krä'-tōr.” This word means: Lord of the world or prince of this age. We can find other passages in the bible were Satan is referred to as the Prince and power of the air ref Ephsians2: 2. the word “darkness” is pronounced in the Greek “sko'-tos.” It can be interpreted to mean darkness in the sense of the metaphysical or unseen. If you put these two words together, rulers of darkness, Paul is simply saying that we fight against the ruler of this dark unseen world. So, then we know that the ruler of the dark unseen world is the same as the Devil himself. The other phrase that Paul uses in the text is “spiritual wickedness in high places”. By now we should not need to see the Greek explanation behind this same phrase to understand what Paul is communicating. Paul is clearly conveying to us that we are fighting against wicked powers that exist in another realm. Now remember this world can’t be seen with the naked eye. Paul, however, is letting us know from the text that Satan is the Prince and Power of the air that controls this Dark unseen world. I know some of you who are reading this, may be a skeptic but hang on a minute. I would like to run some quick real life stories down the hallway of your mind to deal with the skepticism of your heart.

What kind of power can take over a man and cause him to believe that it was his duty to eliminate an entire race of people because he felt that the ethnic group of people he represented was superior? Before Adolf Hitler’s blind hatred was finished he convinced the entire country of Germany to assist him in killing over 6 million Jews. Let me cite a quote from this mad man and you judge as to what realm his thinking originated from, “Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilized.” Hang on, I’m not finished yet. What power would cause two teens to plan the death of several of their classmates and then turn the weapons on themselves? I’m just getting warmed up. What power will make a grown man go to a window were a young girl is asleep in her bed, snatch her out of her window, take her to a designated location, have intercourse with her and kill her? I got one more story I heard just this week. What power would cause a man to go into another man’s house beat and kill the husband, kill the two teen daughters, rape the wife and then burn the house down? I will tell you of such dark power. The master mind behind all this evil wickedness is the arch enemy of God, Satan himself, that once anointed angel who was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him. His crime was that he thought he knew more than God the creator of the universe.

So the next time you think you’re alone just remember that according to that sacred book….. We are never alone. There is indeed another world. This unseen world is involved in a Holy War and what we see in our reality is in truth a manifestation of a reality that we cannot see. So, the next time that child rebel: that husband or wife steps out, that friend gives you the cold shoulder for no apparent reason or that loved would refuses to offer up forgiveness. Just remember this simple truth your fight is never against people. Our fight is against a foe whose greatest weapon is to keep us thinking and behaving as if he does not exist. The truth is if you are part of God's family you have overcome that wicked one. He may be at present winning the battle in your life but according to scripture the war is already won.

Real Joy Isn’t Always Contagious

2010-11-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wished that finding and experiencing joy was as easy as baking chocolate chip cookies? I mean, it’s the "Holiday Season." It comes around once a year and…everyone should be joyful and full of holiday cheer, right? I mean, this is the time of year that families are reconnecting or reconciling, whichever works. Old friends are getting together. All peoples of the universe should be bursting with happiness. After all, Thanksgiving is only a few days away. And nobody fries chicken like my momma!!! (Sorry if you thought yo momma’s chicken is better than mine.)

What if you, somehow, could take a big GI-NORMOUS bowl and mix in some old friends or maybe your favorite set of family members? (Now that might be a tuffy J ) Some good food, some good music, stick them in the oven, and eureka... just like magic, instant joy and holiday cheer.

Well, unfortunately having peace, contentment, joy and satisfaction doesn’t quite come about as easy as mixing together chocolate chip cookies. For many folks this time of year can be difficult.

My father died at the age of 49 in December, 1996. Haven’t thought about this much……. don’t mean to get personal, but transparency is always therapeutic…..anyway, about a week ago I was talking with my son, Drew, who's 11, about my father. Drew has never met my daddy so consequently he doesn’t refer to him as grandpa. We talked about the night my daddy died. His death was a complete surprise to the entire family. At a time when everyone was celebrating and enjoying one another’s company, I was busy making funeral arrangements for my dad.

I was 27 when my dad died and I can still remember the pain just like it was yesterday. Drew, my son, is so inquisitive. He asked me if I cried, which is a reasonable question coming from an 11 year old. He hasn’t seen me cry much, if at all, so I thought, well yea, that’s a good question. I told him, "You know I was so busy making funeral arrangements I don’t think I had time to cry or mourn, really." I do remember crying and mourning some at dad’s services but I don’t ever really remember having much time after or before to mourn my daddy’s death. I think I know why. Allow me a minute to explain…but God.

You know, God has a way of taking our intense sorrows and griefs and turning them into instant Joy and Gladness. Some of you are thinking, “Wait a minute Pastor. You’re telling me it’s wrong to mourn or grieve a death?” No, I’m not saying that at all but what I am saying is that God gives to us, as his children, a guaranteed recipe to having full joy, especially during times of intense sadness. And wouldn’t you know it, God is the best cook ever.

Check out how the apostle Paul explains God’s “secret ingredients" (in my Jack Black voice) to getting and keeping full joy. I’ll pause here for a sec to give you a chance to go and grab a pin. You might want to write this verse down, it’s a gooden: Philippians2:1-8 “If [there be] therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind.3[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Paul says the key to having full joy is to make your business all about handling the business of God. That word “Fulfil” found in the text means; “to complete or fill up.” If joy, comfort and peace are things I want. Then having these things true in my life will only be accomplished as I began to think like Christ. The text says the same in verse 5, “let this mind, be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Well then, with that being said, it’s fair to ask “How do I get the mind of Christ?” Because again, having the mind of Christ is how my joy cup fills up and runs over. Paul gives to us the ingredients that all people every where need. Run and get your self a GI-NORMOUS bowl, and mix in some: humility, putting others first, some forgiveness, forgetting about your riches and wealth so others can enjoy the riches, forget about your reputation so others benefit. Obey God and His Word, even when following him seems crazy or ill advised.

Ok. The things I listed are what Christ did for us. So when we do what Christ did, we will, at that point, experience full joy.

Ok. Back to my Dad….almost finished bear with me. My Dad remarried when I was eight years of age or so. The reason why it was so difficult for me to mourn my Dad’s death is because my Dad and I were not very close. However, my Dad had a son from his second marriage. I knew my Dad’s son but he wasn’t really a brother. To be honest, he was just like another kid, at least that’s how I saw it. Well, this son, Antwan, was a lot closer to Dad than I ever was. When Dad died Antwan, who was 12 at the time, had a huge void in his life.

God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, began to work in the heart of my wife. And she fell in love with this knuckle head. It was as if she knew something about this kid that I didn’t. Well, long story short, my fathers son, my brother, moved in to our home almost a month after my dad passed and we raised that boy just like he was our own child. It took a lot of sacrifice. It took us not thinking about our reputation. It took some forgiveness on my part for sure. God took all of the hurt and pain and turned it into joy almost instantly. Antwan is now 28 years old, has a loving wife and 5 beautiful kids, and his kids call me Papa.

I didn’t stuff the feelings about my Dad’s death into a corner. The truth is, I really couldn’t mourn his death because so much good came from something so tragic. I know someone is reading this that needs to read this. I am very sorry for writing such a long post but I know from experience that when we get and keep the mind of Christ, genuine joy certainly does follow.

Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind

2010-11-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you had two different people living inside your head? You know what I mean, a devil on one shoulder and a sweet little angel on the other shoulder. The devil of course constantly whispering into you’re ears tempting you to do things that you knew were wrong, and then that sweet little angel of course on the other shoulder reminding you to do what you knew to be right.

I remember growing up watching Tom & Jerry cartoons. You might remember that meddling cat Tom was always trying to catch and eat Jerry that sneaky little mouse. I remember watching one episode in particular where Tom had a tiny angel that would popup out of thin air onto his shoulder and remind him how wrong it was for him to try and catch that sweet little mouse Jerry. And on the other shoulder he would have a tiny devil that looked a lot like him, telling him how upset he should be because Jerry keeps stealing cheese and getting him into trouble with his owner. You remember that big old black lady with those big floppy house shoes and that rolled up news paper in her hand armed and ready to spank Tom because he was such a lazy cat. If you remember just about the time Tom would surrender to his tiny look alike angel who had been whispering in his ear. Jerry that innocent little mouse would walk by with a piece of cheese in his hand and poof just like that the angel and the devil both would disappear as quickly as they appeared. And off Tom would go chasing Jerry around the house destroying everything in his path.

This cute little cartoon was created by Cartoonists William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and the episode that I described a minute ago really does an excellent job of illustrating what’s currently happening right now in your head. Don’t worry I’m going to give you some bible to help you get this truth down in your spirit.

Ok, what you should do is stop reading right this minute go grab your bible and read all of Romans chapters 7 and 8. The apostle Paul does a much better job of describing this inner battle than I ever will, but don’t panic you’ve read this far so, I wont leave you hanging. I’ll give you a nugget of truth that God gave to me before I’m finished. Ok check out Romans7:22-25 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Ok, here is the truth behind Tom and those tiny little friends that often fought for his attention on his shoulders. When we made a decision to place our faith in Jesus Christ our inward man is the same as Tom’s little angel. The Greek word used for inward man is “eso” this Greek word means the same as conscience, soul and internal inner man.

Paul is saying that as a God follower my soul or inward man delights in God and his word. But then there are also the desires of my flesh that only seek to please itself. My flesh is not subject to God it only wants to do what makes it feel good. Paul concludes that he is torn from within, he admits that inside of his head his Flesh and Inward Spirit is having an all-out- war. So, then Paul reconciles these two thoughts that are so different in his head. Now listen closely to this because this is the nugget you’ve been waiting for. Paul says whenever he has a thought that drives him away from God that thought was formulated or initiated deep within his flesh. And when he has thoughts that are to do God’s bidding these thoughts are being formulated and initiated from his Inward Man, which he received the day he got saved. Now that’s a thought for another day. This however, explains how a God fearing person can do things that are not very Godly. And in the very next breath do things that are Godly. The good news is that you’re not crazy and you’re definitely not losing your mind. Here’s the truth of the whole matter, you are only………HUMAN. So then, spiritual maturity will come to the one who learns to BE more Godly and less Human.

This is more than I can bear......!!!

2010-10-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have heard every saying imaginable to men that folks use as a way or means of encouraging themselves whenever they have fallen upon difficult times. Think about what I just said for a minute, whenever times become difficult you can hear these old sayings just drift across the crevasse of your brain; it gets worst before it gets better; you have to go through in order to get to where God wants you to be. How about this one, by the way this is one that I hear most often, are you ready? Okay, here goes, anything worth having is worth fighting for.

I know for me personally understanding and knowing these clichés has proven to be very helpful at times…I think. However, a curious thing that I’ve noticed about these short sayings or clichés is that most of the time these sayings can be traced back to the pages of scripture. Kinda like the saying “This is more than I can bear.” I was visiting with a friend here recently we were sharing our hearts with one another. We were discussing how that the hardest thing to do or accomplish seems to bring about the greatest benefit or change. As we were discussing I thought about the cliché; anything worth having is worth fighting for. However, one of the sad things about these short phrases or cliché is that we use them so often and will not give much thought as to what they really mean or where the cliché itself originated from.

Let me hit you with a definition; a cliché is a phrase or word that has lost its original effectiveness or power from over use. So the saying “more than I can bear” has tied to its meaning, deep biblical truth. And I think this phrase is worth investigating. Let me put some biblical context with this cliché in particular that will help you see the images that pop into my head whenever I hear this commonly used phrase being quoted. Check this verse out Hebrews12:1-2“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” So when I hear folks say, Pastor “This is more than I can bear.” I began to picture the words of this verse flashing in my minds eye. And when I do that, I get a vivid picture of Jesus our Savior enduring the suffering of Calvary’s Cross. Blood dripping from his brow from the crown of thorns pressed into his head. There is also blood spewing from his back and all over his body from the beating he endured from the leather strap, with the metal pieces on the end tip of the strap. I can also see sweat dripping off his body just from the shear weight of bearing this cross, this tree mind you. Dirt and mud was smeared all over his body, because he fell to the ground so many times. Again this cross was heavy even for a man who spent most of his life carving up these same trees finishing up projects assigened to him by his step father. Remember Jesus was raised and trained by his step father who was a carpenter. That tree he carried it with the strength of his back and legs. Remember Jesus was strong and also very physical he was raised on the country side where the belief was if a man didn't work he shouldn't eat. Ultimately this tree would be the tool used to crucify him with. Yet he kept marching up Golgotha’s hill step by step. And get this according to the verse above he did it with Joy……Wow that’s just so incredible to ponder. According to the text, Jesus was able to endure, bear such suffering because of the change his suffering would bring about for himself and also the World. You see his death and resurrection made him Lord of all, and it also made it possible for us to become God’s children. So the next time you find yours self using the cliché “This is more than I can bear.” I want you to ask yourself the following questions;

· Can God be Glorified as I endure THIS suffering: What is THIS for you. Are you suffering because a bad choice you made or a choice someone else made. At the end of the day more important than you and your suffering is God and his Glory. Hard to digest when you’re suffering but truth is often difficult to digest.

· Can other’s benefit from this suffering I am enduring: You see I find it curious that when suffering comes we are so quick to get angry or upset. But Jesus with all the strength in the universe in a single word could have said “Father make this all stop.” But he doesn’t. Why? Because he knew that you and I would benefit greatly because of his shame.

· What areas in my life are being strengthened because of my suffering: I know we are not Jesus. But we are in the process of being conformed into the image of Jesus. So, what is the best way to produce Christ image in us? Suffering.

· Is there a part of my suffering that will essentially lead to greater Joy: God created us as creatures who love to have and experience real joy? Ultimately the best way to get full joy is to put ourselves in positions where we can give without expecting anything in return. Let me give you an example of how this works out in real life. Jesus experienced Optimum Joy primarily because he offered his life as a sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross. You see Jesus was able to do for you and I what we could not do for ourselves. And this caused Jesus Joy level to shoot through the roof.

So the next time you find yourself uttering the phrase “This is more than I can bear...” Just focus your mind on JESUS. I think by doing this, you will have an entirely different point of view of the cliché “This is more than I can bear….”

Got...Jesus?

2010-10-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I consider myself to be a reasonable person. I don’t bungee cord jump off mountains, I don’t watch scary movies after six in the evening, and hmm lets see…..I don’t usually ride my Motor Bike without a helmet. I would say that I am a fairly sensible, logical and fairly practical in my thinking. Of course there are those who know me personally that would disagree.

However, as it relates to my belief in Jesus my logic and reason according to some folks takes a sabbatical. Have you ever stoped to think what we Christians say we believe?

We assert that God wrote the bible and that this bible is without error. Meaning every word and idea is Truth. The stories in this book the bible go far beyond any human logic. I mean to tell you, listen to this; men talk to bushes that are on fire but never burn completely. Seas separate and millions of folks walk through on dry land. These same people live in the dessert for 40 years and God feeds them with food from heaven. He keeps them warm with a fire at night, keeps them cool with a cloud in the day, they lived in a desert people!!!!!! Check this out, their cloths never get old and their shoes never ware out. I mean using the restroom had to be a nightmare.

Here’s one that always struck me as hard to believe a fish swallows a man and that man lived inside the fish for three days. No worries the fish puked him up onto dry-land after the third day and then the guy wised up and decided it was better to obey God. How about this one, bet you thought I forgot about this one didn’t you. God tells his nation of warriors to march around a huge wall for some days and then He instructs them that at the end of their marching just blow your trumpets and the walls surrounding this city are gonna fall down FLAT. Sure-nuff they do it, they obeyed and Lickity-Split, just like that those walls FELL FLAT.

Here’s the best one of all. The bible, the book teaches us that God impregnated a virgin who’s name was Mary. Mary gives birth to the God Man whose name was Jesus. Jesus taught the people of his day that he was sent from God and that he was also God’s Son. Jesus also taught that they, the people did not have to See God. Because when they saw him they were at the same time “Seeing God,” because he and God were one and the same person. This made the religious leaders of his day furious and they plotted and schemed and had Jesus murdered. No worries because according to the book after three Days He Walked Out of the Tomb alive and well. He eventually showed himself to hundreds of people and walked around on earth for 40 more days before he goes back to Heaven, promising to return at some point in the future.

Ok, what’s the point of all this I want you to listen clearly to the alternative. We were not created by God at all. No a thousands time no, In fact nothing was created by God at all. A billion or so years ago somewhere in the outer galaxies things got so heated that an explosion occurred. Well this explosion caused matter to float around in space. This matter floated and eventually a big ball formed because all the matter began to stick together once everything cooled-off. This gigantic ball eventually grew trees and vegetation and what-not. Then the unthinkable occurred a few random cells connected on this floating ball and formed amino acids. These amino acids formed the basis for all life on this ball that we now call Earth. Essentially after a few billion years these primitive cells grew to become what we know now as animals, ocean life, and yea go figure, Humans.

My friend my brain is not on sabbatical at all, anyone who believes that load of hot-air, not only are they not thinking. But it requires more faith to believe that nonsense than it does to simply trust in what God’s Word Says. Not a single one of us will walk up to an automobile and accept the notion that it just appeared. Nor should we accept the notion that we or the earth and everything in it, just appeared. God created us he gave us a book that gives to us the answer and also a road map on how we can have an abundant life. I want to leave you with a verse of scripture that sparked all of this pontificatin, its found in Colossians1:16-17 “For by Jesus were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Jesus, and for Jesus: And Jesus is before all things, and by Jesus all things consist.” Jesus the God-Man is the explanation and the answer. If you have not made him your Lord and Savior do it today. Got……….Jesus?

I Love You

2010-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Do you love me? This is the same question that Jesus asked Peter. Peter and his boys were out fishing on the Banks of the Sea of Tiberias and Jesus shows up. Has anyone ever asked you that question, “Do you love me?” If someone was to ask that question of you then, it’s obvious that they have an expectation of you. Meaning they have a reason to believe that you do in fact love them. As in the case of Jesus and Peter, Jesus had reason to believe that Peter loved him.

I just finished the Sermon Series “the Gospel According to Jesus” and I really had a lot of fun teaching through the many different teachings of Jesus. This past Sunday we ended the series with the question that Jesus posed to the Apostle Peter. John21:15 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” You see there in the verse Jesus is asking Peter point blank “Do you love me more than these.”

I’m not a psychologist, meaning I don’t profess to be an expert on the human thought process, but I believe that it’s true to say that what a person spends money, time and energy doing reveals what they truly love. In other words if I spend lots of money and time on myself or boating, training, working, leisure or fishing then I know based on simple observation what I truly love.

So, Ok Jesus appears for the third time after he has risen from the grave to his disciples and he finds his lead apprentice doing what he loved to do. He finds Peter on the fish bank, fishing for fish. This wouldn’t be a bad thing, but the fate of the entire world was left in the hands of this Apostle Peter. Jesus gave to the apostles, a message that had to be shared. And Jesus was leaving Peter as one of the primary person who would be responsible to ignite a fire that’s still burning till this very day.

Jesus had to be sure that Peter understood what he meant by asking him “do you love me.” I love the way Jesus just makes the difficult so clear. Jesus asked Peter three times do you love me more than these. And the third time the text tells us that Peter became grieved in his Spirit because Jesus asked that same question three times. And Jesus gave the same command each of the three times Peter said "yes, lord I love you. Jesus would say, "then feed my lambs." Now remember, to be grieved means that Peter became agitated and angry because Jesus asked this same question three times mind you. I believe that Peter became grieved because he knew that Jesus was really asking, why are you fishing for fish, because if you loved me like you say that you do, you would be fishing for men, feeding the lambs.

I just finished reading a book authored by a man that God used mightily while he lived. I want to give you a quote from his book “The Pursuit of Man”; I love the way AW Tozer makes the point of what it means to know and Love God. “The man who would know God must give time to Him, He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy Church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train.”

Jesus ask this same question of every person who professes to name the name of Jesus Christ, lovest thou me more than these. Wait, hold on a minute, don’t answer the question just yet.

What do you spend time and money doing. Are you sharing Jesus with others? Do you spend time discovering the things that the bible teaches? Are you supporting the church financially, Are you actively involved in a healthy local church? Are you feeding his sheep, are you loving people? If you’re not actively doing these things and more of what the bible teaches, then do you really Love God more than these? I Love youJ

Greater works than who ………… Jesus?

2010-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

I know that some of us are not avid readers and if your not that’s fine. But whether you are, are your not. There is not many folks that hadn't heard of the book written by Pastor Rick Warren titled The Purpose Driven Life. If you haven’t read the book its well worth your time.

Pastor Rick lets us know at the beginning of each chapter that he stole all of his material from the bible. Every Pastor if their honest would have to admit that their richest learning came from pouring through the pages of scripture with out exception.

Now with that being said I was reading this morning through John’s Gospel and I had what I often refer to as an “aha moment.” I’ve been really focusing on the comments and teachings of Christ which is why I am on purpose reading and rereading through the four Gospels. At one point Jesus told his disciples that what they saw him do; they would go on to-do even greater works.

Ok, stop the press, hang on wait a minute. Have mine eyes deceived me. I think I need to look at the Greek to verify if the translators got this right. All kidding aside check this out John14:11-12 “Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”I often quote this passage of scripture but I never noticed that the “He” is capitalized in mid sentence of verse12. Your thinking what’s the big deal about that. Well it’s a big deal because the translators of the version that I am quoting from often capitalized words like him or he, when they were making reference to God as the direct subject of the personal pronoun they were using in place of the name of God.

So look at the sentence again and pay attention to the words that are capitalized in verse mentioned, “12He that believeth on me, ……….. because I go unto my Father.” It could be a coincidence or the translators could be trying to give us a clue here.

Let me tell you why I think "He" is capitalized. When we see “He” capitalized in verse 12, we should immediately get the idea that the translators are conveying to us that the “He” that is doing the mighty works is not “us at all.” It is actually God working through us to do the great works that Jesus did while he was here on earth. Now that I have that understanding, when I witness men/woman accomplishing mighty supernatural works, I should know that what I am witnessing according to John14 is not the work of man but God working through the man or woman that believes in Him.

So, then if it’s “He (God)” that works in “me” that does the greater works. Then In order for me to do the work that Christ did, my life cannot be about "me." I have to make my life all about Him (God). This is where I believe Pastor Rick Warren nailed it. The very first chapter of his book “Purpose Driven life” exact quote “It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on the planet, you must begin with God.” Ok, then how does the person think that knows life is not about them? Because this is the mindset you must have if you will accomplish these mighty works that God put you here to do. Keys to accomplishing the supernatural work of Christ

· See Yourself as God Sees you: if God says you can you will

· Make Sure your Goals are God Sized: If God does not do it you won’t and can't get it done

· Make Sure that God is your Senior Partner: Ask yourself Is God directing my steps

· Have more Faith in God than your Resources: IF God truly ordered it He can pay for it

· Make sure that your Plans come from God: Even though you have faith a failure to plan is still lack of faith

· God Centered Goals will Never Grow Cold: A work for or with God is fueled by The Holy Spirit's mighty power

· God gives us assignments but we are still responsible for staying diligent: I am waiting on God should not be an excuse for not being diligent

If we approach life beginning today with the mindset we just discussed. According to Jesus you can and will accomplish greater works than even him. Now get to workJ

Is Jesus going to return…………….huh?

2010-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have been a God follower for many years now. One of the things that have always gotten my attention is to hear folks talk about Jesus coming back to earth the second time. You may have heard it said this way, at least I have, “Jesus came as a Suffering Savior and he will return as Conquering king.” I have to be honest and say, that when I was a kid, the thought of Christ returning to earth brought fear to my heart and a lot of questions. I’ve never given much thought to why the thought of Jesus coming back brought fear to my heart, but as a young boy, growing up in the 70”s it really did scare me to think that Jesus was actually going to come back……to earth. I mean what was Jesus gonna do? What would Jesus change about the world as I knew it? I was 8 years old in 1976 when I trusted Jesus and became a God follower. And I can honestly say that I became a God follower because I didn’t want Jesus to “come again” and not be ready…….and believe me for an 8year old kid “not being ready” meant many things

Ok, so I’m reading through the gospel of Matthew and to my chagrin Jesus is having a conversation with his disciples about wouldn’t you know it; his definite return?

Toward the end of Jesus earthly ministry Jesus reminded his disciples that he was going to die and rise again and that he would go and be with God his father for a while but he would eventually return. Now the disciples were normal folk so they asked what you and I would’ve asked if Jesus had made the same remark to us note Matt24:3“And as Jesus sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Now obviously from reading the verse the disciples wanted to know a lot more than just, Jesus returning to earth again, because if you read the verse clearly the disciples ask three questions.

· when shall these things be

· what [shall be] the sign of thy coming

· When will the world end

So then we know that what is read from verse 3 on is going to answer all three questions. I want you to notice how Christ answers the question “what will be the sign of his coming.” Because for me I find Jesus answer to that question in particular most troubling. Matt24:36-39 “But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.37 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

You ever get the sense that though so much truth about God and his Son Jesus is available on; Facebook, the world wide web, ipod, youtube, podcasting, volumes and volumes of books, local missionaries, gospel tracks, radio, television, churches abroad, local churches and the Bible itself and anything else you can think of that I have missed. And people are eating, drinking and giving in marriage. That is what I find so troubling. We indeed are living in the last days because the days are similar or like Noah’s days. Although so much information about Jesus is available many are not responding to the gospel or The Proclamation, “Christ is Coming Again.” As Noah preached we too must not grow tired of proclaiming the good news. That same old ancient message that got my attention in 1976 before the days of internet and cell phones has not changed. Jesus is coming again to receive his own. Are you ready for Jesus the King of Kings Return J?

I AM SOOOOO …………………. TIRED!!!!!!!!

2010-09-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks we have really been paying close attention to both the conversations and comments of Jesus. So to be honest I have read and reread the stories found in the gospels over and over again. And so I’m reading through Matthew’s Gospel, again, and I have zeroed in on a time that Jesus is praying. And after he finishes his prayer he makes this comment to the multitude.

The comment itself is pretty amazing. But the comment in light of the fact that Jesus just finished praying sheds a whole different light on a passage that I have quoted so many times. The pray is in Matt11:25, check it out, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. Not to get bogged down in this prayer, because the prayer is not the point of my thoughts. However, I feel that the prayer illuminates the comment that Jesus makes in the very next verse. Ok, so Jesus prays and I’m going to take some literary liberty here just to make it interesting. Jesus prays in my words mind you “Hey Dad, I know you have every thing in this world under your control. I want to give you a big shout out for that. Dad I want to especially thank you for hiding truth from those folks who think that they have all the right answers. And you know Dad, I want to especially thank you for only revealing truth to those who posses a child like faith, because I know that is what truly brings you pleasure.

Ok, now Jesus prays this prayer to his father then he makes this next statement to the multitudes, check this out Matt11:28 “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light”

So then, in light of Jesus prayer, the one who submits to the yoke of Christ is the one who has a Child like heart. The infant, the babe at heart he/she surrenders over the controls of his/her life to God. A baby a child has a heart that’s trusting. If you give a baby a bottle it’s not going to test the bottle for arsenic. The child the infant takes the bottle because it trusts the one who gave it to drink. I get the sense from this passage that Jesus wants us to trust him the same way an infant trust it's mother.

God’s burdens are not heavy and his yoke is light because his love for us is the measure he uses whenever he gives us a load to carry. We know this scripture all too well don’t we “God will not tempt us above that we are able to endure.” So if his yoke or will for us becomes hard and his burdens become heavy, then Love is no longer the measure or the weight of my load of burden. I have added on to my load of love, Pride, selfishness, self centeredness and all these make a light and sometimes difficult load from our God seem so very heavy. If you have become tired and weary then listen to a great but simple truth you are bearing a load that God did not give you to carry.

Jesus expects me to be………….perfect

2010-09-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks I’ve been focusing on the gospels during my quite time with the Lord. I’ve been really paying close attention to what Jesus both said and taught. To be transparent the reason that I have focused on the teachings of Jesus because I’ve had this feeling that my idea of what it means to be a God follower are different than what Jesus actually taught and to be honest my suspicions to some extent were correct.

Not sure what goes through your mind when you think of the word perfect, but I can tell you what thoughts of grandeur go through my mind. Perfect to me means: flawless, no mistakes and unblemished you get the picture. I can’t tell you how many times in my mind that I have rewrote a sermon or relived a moment again and again because things didn’t turn out “perfect” meaning the way I envisioned that they should.

However, in my reading this morning I ran across a conversation that Jesus was having with a group of folks and Jesus used the word “perfect.” Jesus used this word to describe what God the Father expects from us as God followers. Check this out Matt5:48“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Ok, did you see that? Now I know context is everything but there is also another part of reading the bible that is as important as context and that’s “language.” So, before you throw your hands up in desperation and say that infamous phrase “nobody’s perfect.” Let’s get the context first and then will look to language.

The context of the statement that Jesus makes is really setup in verse Matt5:43-44 check it out, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Now the reason this is the context is because Jesus wanted his listeners to become or be the person that Loves his enemies and prays for the person that persecutes them.

So then, what twisted kind of individual loves their enemy? Oh hang on, I’m not done yet, what sick or demented individual loves that person who is trying to hurt them on purpose. Well the answer to that question is found in verse 48 where Jesus says “Be ye therefore perfect.”

So then If your like me, your wondering if I road the short yellow bus when I was in school. Well I didn’t, because if I did I wouldn’t know Greek. Let me give you a language lesson in Greek. The word “perfect” in Greek is translated “teleios and the meaning of this Greek word is similar to the English word mature.” So, the people listening to Jesus didn’t hear perfect what they heard was “be ye mature.” I’ve been having a lot of fun making up list, so I’m not going to disappoint you today either. So let me leave you with six things to look for and work toward as you are on that road toward maturity.

· A mature person has learned that they don’t always have to be right

· A mature person is ok with saying “I’m sorry I was wrong”

· A mature person will listen, hear and understand another person’s perspective even if they don’t agree

· A mature person knows how to give Love when what they would rather give is Hate

· A mature person will always seek out Wisdom

· A mature person understands the value of the word “NO”

Now that I have a better understanding of the word perfect, I can honestly say that I am moving toward perfection every day. Are you?

Change is Good……. I Think!!!

2010-09-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Summer has ended today and cooler days are ahead. Autumn is the season that we have just transitioned into. I don’t’ really know for sure why, but I always seem to forget that autumn is even a part of the four seasons. I think at least for me I forget about autumn because it’s not much different than, say, a late summer. However, according to the calendar summer has ended and winter is sure to come soon. As I write and think about today’s season of change I get the impression that God gave us autumn to give us a few more days to prepare for winter. And if you have lived through a winter in Missouri you definitely need some time to get ready for those blistering cold days ahead.

I think about my life as a God Follower and it seems like I’m always in a constant state of transition. Not preparing for winter necessarily but always it seems preparing, you know what I mean, moving, evolving, converging and modifying.

I remember playing football as a running back in college and being told by several coaches that it’s more difficult for a defender to hit a moving target. So if you want to be successful at this position they would remind me “William you have to keep moving your feet at all times.” I was thinking about that and relating that truth to my Christian life. I just feel that it’s important for any God follower to make sure that they are always moving, transitioning and changing from that old nature into their new nature. And according to scripture that old nature should always be in a constant state of transition. I’m not big on list but I use them occasionally. Lists are useful in helping folks organize and remember their thoughts. So I want to give you six reason why change is good, because most folks if their honest would have to admit that their extremely afraid of change. Ok, six quick things to help you remember why CHANGE is good.

· Change usually means a fresh start

· Change forces you to evaluate the past honestly

· Change helps you to appreciate your past experiences and look forward to knew experiences

· Change gives us new opportunities to impact our future

· Change helps you to see clearly that the way you done it wasn’t the best way to do it

· Change is always going to occur for certain so don’t fight change embrace it

“Be the change you want to see in the world” is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. This is a really awesome way to view change. So let me leave you with this thought. Instead of complaining about the world and its problems, you become that reason why this world is a better place to live.