Have you ever had this happen to you? You are just getting settled into a routine, getting yourself organized, figuring this thing called life out, when out of the blue, BAM! (copyright Emeril) something changes. Maybe its something as common as a fender bender; you know someone hits you from behind as you turn into Starbucks for a Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte, in case you wanted to buy me one, and your day is shot. (No coffee/Starbucks/Expresso pun intended)
It can be something that simple, and annoying, or it can be some of the big stuff. You know what I mean, we are surrounded by it. People lose their jobs with no warning, health problems set back your dreams, hopes and finances. There has been an increase of young males dying early because of hypertension, caused by high blood pressure... Pressure, it is all around us. Transitions always bring pressure.
Paul says in II Corinthians that the "light afflictions come to bring in our lives a greater weight of glory". Could it be that the pressure we are feeling today, the inconveniences we are tolerating are purposefully and strategically designed to transition us to a greater level of "glory", the new carrier we have been too scared to pursue before, the ministry we have been too "successful" to start? Could it be that the transitions we are in are not just an accident, but have been designed to bring God's purpose and plan into our lives?
I think this is exactly the case. The Bible says that if you love God, everything works together for your good. That everything means everything - the job loss, the helpless feeling you have right now, the fender-bender, the spilled cup of coffee on your new shirt, the seemingly mundane irritations of life - all things work together for our good.
I know in my life that is exactly how it has been. When I was the most irritated, and the most troubled by an irritation or situation, God was working in the background for a greater and eternal weight of glory, he was working out my purpose. It was a set back that ultimately brought Deidre and I to Hot Springs. Had it not been for a job lay-off I would not have been desperate enough to ask God what He had in mind for us. I had already began to devise a plan, but God had something different in mind, and the pressure got my attention.
I challenge you today, when the irritations come, and they will, stop cursing them and hating them (at least for a moment) and look around at what is happening. Maybe, just maybe, God is applying pressure so He can take you closer to fulfilling your purpose. Take a minute right now to ask God what He is up to in your life...
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Rise or Resist?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time around the ocean. I was born and raised on Chincoteague, VA, a small island just south of the Maryland line, on the Eastern Shore of VA. There I learned many of the basics of water safety, how to handle a boat, and probably the most important information of all, how to negotiate a big wave! When I was a freshman in high school my parents moved us to South Florida, again near the beach. There I learned and honed my skill of avoiding being thrown about like a beach ball by the powerful force of the ocean.
"The Key?" you ask... well that is a great question, and I am glad you brought it up, because I am very anxious to tell you. For some this key will be very intuitive, for others it will be life changing. But before I tell you this key, I need you to understand it is very, very powerful. This key, which I am going to share with you in just a moment, holds power, not just in the ocean, but in life. OK, here goes, the key is... very important, don't for get it. This power, important, life changing key is... Don't Resist It!
WOW, were you waiting for something a little more theological, more King James Versionish maybe? Sorry, that's it, no deep hermeneutical argument, just stop resisting. You see, in the ocean when a wave comes at you and you stand firm, squared off at this powerful force of the ocean, it will win, every time. It will knock you down, throw you about and get sand in your shorts. BUT, if you will turn your body sideways 90 degrees, and give yourself a little hop, you will cut through and rise above the wave that once knocked you down.
The same is true in life, you can choose to either rise or resist. To rise you need to lean into it, become more agile, and give yourself a little hop. To resist will cause you to be thrown down by life everytime, because, as the BORG say in Star Trek, "Resistance is Futile".
There is an old saying that preachers and leaders like to make to motivate people, "When the water rises, all the boats float". Oh how I wish that were true. The problem is, I have found that with boats, as with people, there are two tings that keep that from happening.
Number 1 - They are tied too tightly to the dock. I found out at a young age in VA that you have to leave slack in the line when you tie up a boat or the tide will damage it as it rises and falls. When it drops, the boat can have the cleats pulled too tightly and can rip them off, or cause the boat's side to be damaged by the dock. When the tide comes back in, because it always does, if you are tied too tightly, it will drag the boat under.
Some people need to let go of the dock. If you are holding too tightly to the past, the traditions, the pain, the hurt, or maybe even the successes, it may be time to let out some rope. I am not saying to let go all together, because then you will just float away. I am saying don't hold those things so tightly to you chest. Leave a little room for the tides to rise and fall.
Number 2 - They have holes in their boats. If you ever get to Saint Lucie County, Florida, drive down Indian River Drive. It is a breathtaking view of the Indian River, the barrier islands, and the Atlantic Ocean just beyond. But it is also littered with the shells of old boats. Boats that failed to give enough rope to rise with the tide, and boats that, for whatever reason, leaked. When the water came back in, instead of the boat rising, it filled up.
Maybe the reason you have been resisting change is because the last time change came you were damaged, and you had a breach in your hull. I want to challenge you to take some time, hit the dry dock. Put your life on hold for a season, and patch the holes. I know, that means you will have to actually deal with some issues that you have been burying, but it will also mean you can finally begin to rise on top of the waves instead of constantly being beaten by them. So call the Pastor, get some counseling, confront the pain, overcome the fear, ask for forgiveness, accept Christ as your Savior and follow Him, whatever the hole is in your life, take some time to repair it...NOW! Because one thing I do know, the tide is getting ready to come back in again, and you can either rise to the top and see sights you have never been able to see while sitting on the ocean floor, or you can continue to resist and allow the waves of life to keep beating you further down.
So, will you rise or will you resist? Will you let go of some of the rope holding you to the past? Will you take the time necessary to repair you leaks, your marriage, your relationship with your kids, your relationship with Jesus? Or will you continue to live in denial and keep doing it your own way?
In the words of Joshua, "Choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". The choice if all yours, the ball's in your court, and the tide is on it's way back in...rise above it today!
"The Key?" you ask... well that is a great question, and I am glad you brought it up, because I am very anxious to tell you. For some this key will be very intuitive, for others it will be life changing. But before I tell you this key, I need you to understand it is very, very powerful. This key, which I am going to share with you in just a moment, holds power, not just in the ocean, but in life. OK, here goes, the key is... very important, don't for get it. This power, important, life changing key is... Don't Resist It!
WOW, were you waiting for something a little more theological, more King James Versionish maybe? Sorry, that's it, no deep hermeneutical argument, just stop resisting. You see, in the ocean when a wave comes at you and you stand firm, squared off at this powerful force of the ocean, it will win, every time. It will knock you down, throw you about and get sand in your shorts. BUT, if you will turn your body sideways 90 degrees, and give yourself a little hop, you will cut through and rise above the wave that once knocked you down.
The same is true in life, you can choose to either rise or resist. To rise you need to lean into it, become more agile, and give yourself a little hop. To resist will cause you to be thrown down by life everytime, because, as the BORG say in Star Trek, "Resistance is Futile".
There is an old saying that preachers and leaders like to make to motivate people, "When the water rises, all the boats float". Oh how I wish that were true. The problem is, I have found that with boats, as with people, there are two tings that keep that from happening.
Number 1 - They are tied too tightly to the dock. I found out at a young age in VA that you have to leave slack in the line when you tie up a boat or the tide will damage it as it rises and falls. When it drops, the boat can have the cleats pulled too tightly and can rip them off, or cause the boat's side to be damaged by the dock. When the tide comes back in, because it always does, if you are tied too tightly, it will drag the boat under.
Some people need to let go of the dock. If you are holding too tightly to the past, the traditions, the pain, the hurt, or maybe even the successes, it may be time to let out some rope. I am not saying to let go all together, because then you will just float away. I am saying don't hold those things so tightly to you chest. Leave a little room for the tides to rise and fall.
Number 2 - They have holes in their boats. If you ever get to Saint Lucie County, Florida, drive down Indian River Drive. It is a breathtaking view of the Indian River, the barrier islands, and the Atlantic Ocean just beyond. But it is also littered with the shells of old boats. Boats that failed to give enough rope to rise with the tide, and boats that, for whatever reason, leaked. When the water came back in, instead of the boat rising, it filled up.
Maybe the reason you have been resisting change is because the last time change came you were damaged, and you had a breach in your hull. I want to challenge you to take some time, hit the dry dock. Put your life on hold for a season, and patch the holes. I know, that means you will have to actually deal with some issues that you have been burying, but it will also mean you can finally begin to rise on top of the waves instead of constantly being beaten by them. So call the Pastor, get some counseling, confront the pain, overcome the fear, ask for forgiveness, accept Christ as your Savior and follow Him, whatever the hole is in your life, take some time to repair it...NOW! Because one thing I do know, the tide is getting ready to come back in again, and you can either rise to the top and see sights you have never been able to see while sitting on the ocean floor, or you can continue to resist and allow the waves of life to keep beating you further down.
So, will you rise or will you resist? Will you let go of some of the rope holding you to the past? Will you take the time necessary to repair you leaks, your marriage, your relationship with your kids, your relationship with Jesus? Or will you continue to live in denial and keep doing it your own way?
In the words of Joshua, "Choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". The choice if all yours, the ball's in your court, and the tide is on it's way back in...rise above it today!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Three things I have learned about walking by faith…
Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
I you have spent any time at all in church as a kid you probably have heard the story of the three Hebrew boys and the fiery furnace. If not, lee me recap, there are three boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (not their real names – long story for another time…) Anyway, these boys have been commanded, along with the rest of the Babylonian Empire, to boy down and worship an idol that was made by the King, Nebuchadnezzar. As you read above in The Message version of the Bible, they said “No!”. This makes the king very unhappy so he threatens to throw them all into a fire and burn them as an example to anyone else who would get the same idea.
This is where it gets good, they make a statement to him in two sentences that have absolutely revolutionized my thinking. I don’t know about you, but I have a thinking problem. Every time God promises something I start with the “What is he doesn’t?” stuff. It really drives me crazy and makes me mad all at the same time. You know what I’m talking about, God says He wants to bless you or heal you or whatever, and we believe for a minute, then we start the how, when, where questions. We know we heard from God for our lives, but we still struggle with doubt.
I have found that faith is actually the exact opposite of the natural, human reaction and thought process. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 10:39 (NIV) ”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew 19:29 He said, “…the last will be first and the first last.” In our world the first are first and the last are, well, last, but Jesus has come to bring a new kingdom, new thought and a new reality.
So back to the Hebrew boys and thre three things they taught me. Number one, they teach us that God can do it. v. 17a - If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it… They had no doubt as to God’s ability to perform. In order to truly walk in faith you have to know that He can do anything. You have to believe He is your source, your supply, your everything. The first thing I had to learn to walk by faith and not by sight was that God CAN. That simple.
If I do not believe He is able to that I can not make it to the next step, that I believe He will. v.17b- and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. Step one is knowing He can, step two is believing He will for you. It is easy to believe that God spoke everything in existence and that He can heal the sick, and that He can provide all you need according to His riches in glory. It is another thing entirely to make that personal and believe He will for you and for me.
The three amigos were not happy just knowing that God could do something, but they were facing a very personal need and they believed that He would do it again, FOR THEM! How much more would we accomplish, or at least attempt, if we truly believed that God would take care of us?
That brings us to the third and final lesson, v. 18- But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Even if He does not come through for us, we will still not bow, we will not stop, we will still believe and we will not worship any other God but our God.
This is the hardest thing for me personally to get my hands around. I know God has called me to do things, I believe He will, but now God is challenging me to walk with the determination that even if He does not answer the way I thought He should, I will not stop serving Him.
My prayer today for each of us is, “God let me know you can, let me believe you will, and let me trust you so much that I can say that even you don’t, I will serve you. This is the true attitude of faith and the attitude that can see God do the miraculous in our lives. It will allow us to truly walk without fear. What is the worst thing that can happen? Name it and get comfortable with it, and then get over it. God has not called us to love in fear, He has called us to walk by faith.
So what happens if he doesn’t come though as you thought He would? I think we are asking the wrong questions. The correct question should be, “What if He does?” Well in the story we read, it caused the entire nation to serve the true and living God. What about you, what would happen in your life if He really did do it? Would it turn your home, your job, your finances, your relationships upside down? What do you have to lose? Take on the attitude, “God Can, I believe that He WILL, but even if He does not, I will still walk in faith…” and watch God move in your life.
Share your stories with us today. Just go to The Bridge – Hot Springs FaceBook and go to the My Story page. Let us know what God has done in your life this year!
I you have spent any time at all in church as a kid you probably have heard the story of the three Hebrew boys and the fiery furnace. If not, lee me recap, there are three boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (not their real names – long story for another time…) Anyway, these boys have been commanded, along with the rest of the Babylonian Empire, to boy down and worship an idol that was made by the King, Nebuchadnezzar. As you read above in The Message version of the Bible, they said “No!”. This makes the king very unhappy so he threatens to throw them all into a fire and burn them as an example to anyone else who would get the same idea.
This is where it gets good, they make a statement to him in two sentences that have absolutely revolutionized my thinking. I don’t know about you, but I have a thinking problem. Every time God promises something I start with the “What is he doesn’t?” stuff. It really drives me crazy and makes me mad all at the same time. You know what I’m talking about, God says He wants to bless you or heal you or whatever, and we believe for a minute, then we start the how, when, where questions. We know we heard from God for our lives, but we still struggle with doubt.
I have found that faith is actually the exact opposite of the natural, human reaction and thought process. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 10:39 (NIV) ”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew 19:29 He said, “…the last will be first and the first last.” In our world the first are first and the last are, well, last, but Jesus has come to bring a new kingdom, new thought and a new reality.
So back to the Hebrew boys and thre three things they taught me. Number one, they teach us that God can do it. v. 17a - If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it… They had no doubt as to God’s ability to perform. In order to truly walk in faith you have to know that He can do anything. You have to believe He is your source, your supply, your everything. The first thing I had to learn to walk by faith and not by sight was that God CAN. That simple.
If I do not believe He is able to that I can not make it to the next step, that I believe He will. v.17b- and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. Step one is knowing He can, step two is believing He will for you. It is easy to believe that God spoke everything in existence and that He can heal the sick, and that He can provide all you need according to His riches in glory. It is another thing entirely to make that personal and believe He will for you and for me.
The three amigos were not happy just knowing that God could do something, but they were facing a very personal need and they believed that He would do it again, FOR THEM! How much more would we accomplish, or at least attempt, if we truly believed that God would take care of us?
That brings us to the third and final lesson, v. 18- But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Even if He does not come through for us, we will still not bow, we will not stop, we will still believe and we will not worship any other God but our God.
This is the hardest thing for me personally to get my hands around. I know God has called me to do things, I believe He will, but now God is challenging me to walk with the determination that even if He does not answer the way I thought He should, I will not stop serving Him.
My prayer today for each of us is, “God let me know you can, let me believe you will, and let me trust you so much that I can say that even you don’t, I will serve you. This is the true attitude of faith and the attitude that can see God do the miraculous in our lives. It will allow us to truly walk without fear. What is the worst thing that can happen? Name it and get comfortable with it, and then get over it. God has not called us to love in fear, He has called us to walk by faith.
So what happens if he doesn’t come though as you thought He would? I think we are asking the wrong questions. The correct question should be, “What if He does?” Well in the story we read, it caused the entire nation to serve the true and living God. What about you, what would happen in your life if He really did do it? Would it turn your home, your job, your finances, your relationships upside down? What do you have to lose? Take on the attitude, “God Can, I believe that He WILL, but even if He does not, I will still walk in faith…” and watch God move in your life.
Share your stories with us today. Just go to The Bridge – Hot Springs FaceBook and go to the My Story page. Let us know what God has done in your life this year!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Port St. Lucie to Hot Springs
On October 4, 2007, three years ago today I was laid off from a very good job as The Director of Commercial Real Estate in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Our life had been in chaos for some time at this point and we were trying to find God's direction in it all. We knew what God had said to us and what we were called to do, but were not sure if that would be a reality again or not.
Within a week of that transition Deidre and I received a call from her mom, Dianne Bates in Hot Springs, AR, with an invitation to work with The Master's Table and begin a mission in this soup kitchen on Sundays to the down and out in Hot Springs. The problem was we were still in South Florida and Hot Springs was a long way away. So we did what we knew to do, we prayed and asked God for His direction. We had some very big issues that needed to be addressed, so I put out a "fleece" to God and said this is what has to happen for me to know it is your will for us to move to Hot Springs; 1. I needed a job there. 2. We had a house in Port St. Lucie, FL to sale in a pretty bad economy. 3. We did not have a place to live and no money to rent it if we did. 4. We did not have the means to make the move 21 hours across the country.
In late October, the 29th, I decided to come on out to Hot Springs for a few days to just check everything out. The day before I was scheduled to fly out I received a call from a national head-hunter I had contacted that said I have a potential job for you in, of all places, Little Rock. She said the only problem was I had to interview there immediately. I told her I was flying into Little Rock the next day and so the meeting was set. I was driven from the airport to the McCain Mall in North Little Rock, met with the mall manager, and in less than an hour I had the job. I left there with the first obstacle checked off.
That night I met with Doug & Lain Rodgers, the founders of the Master's Table. We hit it off and went to the facility the next day. We served 486 people that day, then had 30 return on Sunday for a mission service in which I spoke. By the time this was done I was sold. I called Deidre and told her we were moving to AR. I still did not have a place to live, our house sold, nor did we have money to move, but I had a word from God.
When I returned to Port St. Lucie we decided to go to dinner at Bennigan's. On the way home from dinner my car was rear-ended by a Ford F150. It did a good deal of damage and put me seeing a chiropractor for a couple of weeks. What Iwe did not know was that God was using this event to "give seed to the sower". We settled with the insurance company with all bills paid and $500.00 in cash for pain & suffering. Now we have been around long enough to know that "if it's not big enough to meet your need it must be your seed". We decided to sow that $500.00 in Pastor Clint Brown in Orlando. He was a great mentor and had been our covering pastor for over 5 years.
Within just a few days things started heating up. We had a couple of Hispanic men come to our front door at 9PM and asked to come in and see the house. They said they liked it and wanted to make an offer on it. We showed them around, against my better judgment at that hour, and sure to their word, they made an acceptable offer and bought the house; 2 down, 2 to go!
We then received a phone call from a lady in Hot Springs, she said, "We really feel this is a God thing. We will have signed a lease on a house for 6 months for you, we are going to pay for it and all you have to do it move in." 3 down! Then we received a call from a man who said he wanted to pay for our entire move; gas, hotel, food, everything. He sent me his credit card and that was that. On November 13th, 15 days form the time I flew to Hot Springs I was in a truck with my nephew Andrew and the Twins, Mikayla & Mariah, headed to Hot Springs, AR.
I wish I could say that it has been easy the whole time, but that would be a lie. But I can say, thanks to an initial $500 seed, and many since that, we have been able to walk into the purpose and destiny God has designed for us. My challenge to you is to step out in faith, sow into the ministry God has attached you to, watch God move on your behalf, oh yea go to http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&¬e_id=100692326663310&id=151781231524220#!/pages/Tell-Us-Your-Story/151781231524220 and let us hear YOUR story.
Within a week of that transition Deidre and I received a call from her mom, Dianne Bates in Hot Springs, AR, with an invitation to work with The Master's Table and begin a mission in this soup kitchen on Sundays to the down and out in Hot Springs. The problem was we were still in South Florida and Hot Springs was a long way away. So we did what we knew to do, we prayed and asked God for His direction. We had some very big issues that needed to be addressed, so I put out a "fleece" to God and said this is what has to happen for me to know it is your will for us to move to Hot Springs; 1. I needed a job there. 2. We had a house in Port St. Lucie, FL to sale in a pretty bad economy. 3. We did not have a place to live and no money to rent it if we did. 4. We did not have the means to make the move 21 hours across the country.
In late October, the 29th, I decided to come on out to Hot Springs for a few days to just check everything out. The day before I was scheduled to fly out I received a call from a national head-hunter I had contacted that said I have a potential job for you in, of all places, Little Rock. She said the only problem was I had to interview there immediately. I told her I was flying into Little Rock the next day and so the meeting was set. I was driven from the airport to the McCain Mall in North Little Rock, met with the mall manager, and in less than an hour I had the job. I left there with the first obstacle checked off.
That night I met with Doug & Lain Rodgers, the founders of the Master's Table. We hit it off and went to the facility the next day. We served 486 people that day, then had 30 return on Sunday for a mission service in which I spoke. By the time this was done I was sold. I called Deidre and told her we were moving to AR. I still did not have a place to live, our house sold, nor did we have money to move, but I had a word from God.
When I returned to Port St. Lucie we decided to go to dinner at Bennigan's. On the way home from dinner my car was rear-ended by a Ford F150. It did a good deal of damage and put me seeing a chiropractor for a couple of weeks. What Iwe did not know was that God was using this event to "give seed to the sower". We settled with the insurance company with all bills paid and $500.00 in cash for pain & suffering. Now we have been around long enough to know that "if it's not big enough to meet your need it must be your seed". We decided to sow that $500.00 in Pastor Clint Brown in Orlando. He was a great mentor and had been our covering pastor for over 5 years.
Within just a few days things started heating up. We had a couple of Hispanic men come to our front door at 9PM and asked to come in and see the house. They said they liked it and wanted to make an offer on it. We showed them around, against my better judgment at that hour, and sure to their word, they made an acceptable offer and bought the house; 2 down, 2 to go!
We then received a phone call from a lady in Hot Springs, she said, "We really feel this is a God thing. We will have signed a lease on a house for 6 months for you, we are going to pay for it and all you have to do it move in." 3 down! Then we received a call from a man who said he wanted to pay for our entire move; gas, hotel, food, everything. He sent me his credit card and that was that. On November 13th, 15 days form the time I flew to Hot Springs I was in a truck with my nephew Andrew and the Twins, Mikayla & Mariah, headed to Hot Springs, AR.
I wish I could say that it has been easy the whole time, but that would be a lie. But I can say, thanks to an initial $500 seed, and many since that, we have been able to walk into the purpose and destiny God has designed for us. My challenge to you is to step out in faith, sow into the ministry God has attached you to, watch God move on your behalf, oh yea go to http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&¬e_id=100692326663310&id=151781231524220#!/pages/Tell-Us-Your-Story/151781231524220 and let us hear YOUR story.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Live Where You Are!
I am sitting in a Hampton Inn in Baton Rouge, LA. Pastor Jeff and I just left All Access 2010 Church Planter's Conference for the evening, what a day! We just sat through a message by the host Pastor of The Healing Place Church, Dino Rizzo who challenged us to not despise the small things. Everything starts small, but that is just the beginning...
My take away is that we need to "Live", truly live, where we are. So many times we spend our lives looking for what's next, praying for the next BIG thing, that we forget to enjoy where we are. I am in a town on the Gulf Coast, my family and my church are seven hours away and I am reminded of what is most important. I am so very blessed. I have the greatest wife and kids anyone could ask for. My wife, Deidre, is the most amazing, talented, gifted person I have ever met. She has spent her life giving of herself for people to be saved. She never ceases to amaze me with her love, compassion, and passion for The Bridge. My girls are the prize of my life. God has blessed me greatly. I am so blessed to be able to minister to the greatest church in Hot Springs! I have decided to live where I am and watch God take us to the next place.
Here is the point of my rambling, God has put you and positioned you right where you are. You have two choices, walk around the mountain for 40 years grumbling about where you are, or thank God for his provisions and blessings and watch Him remove every obstacle and take you into the promised land. In the words of John Maxwell, Bloom Where Your Planted! God has great things for you, enjoy the ride!
My take away is that we need to "Live", truly live, where we are. So many times we spend our lives looking for what's next, praying for the next BIG thing, that we forget to enjoy where we are. I am in a town on the Gulf Coast, my family and my church are seven hours away and I am reminded of what is most important. I am so very blessed. I have the greatest wife and kids anyone could ask for. My wife, Deidre, is the most amazing, talented, gifted person I have ever met. She has spent her life giving of herself for people to be saved. She never ceases to amaze me with her love, compassion, and passion for The Bridge. My girls are the prize of my life. God has blessed me greatly. I am so blessed to be able to minister to the greatest church in Hot Springs! I have decided to live where I am and watch God take us to the next place.
Here is the point of my rambling, God has put you and positioned you right where you are. You have two choices, walk around the mountain for 40 years grumbling about where you are, or thank God for his provisions and blessings and watch Him remove every obstacle and take you into the promised land. In the words of John Maxwell, Bloom Where Your Planted! God has great things for you, enjoy the ride!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
EPIC
It has been way too long since I sat down and put my thoughts to paper (or keyboard as it were). I am sitting in front of the fire in my living room at 5:30AM just thinking about how great and wonderful God is and decided it has been long enough.
We have just crossed into, not just a new year, but a new decade. For some of us we can remember a few of these transitions. I remember graduating high school 20 years ago in 1990 and the feeling of anticipation I felt to finally be "in the nineties". Then who can forget Y2K, the year 2000. A transition into a new millennium with its confusion, uncertainty, fear and yes, amazingly disappointing total lock down of all things electronic. (That didn't happen for those who are confused right now, but Microsoft did post record sales in Windows related upgrades that year, just saying.)
We are once again standing at the entryway of a new decade, 2010. We have crossed the threshold and are looking into a new time, a new era, with excitement, fear, frustration, expectation, and longing. Longing for this year to be better than last year. To finally live up to the resolutions we made two days ago, for our marriage to be better, or jobs to be better, to make more money, to lose weight, to pray everyday, or to stop smoking.
It is against this backdrop that God has placed a single word in my spirit for 2010 - EPIC. I believe this year, this decade, will be an epic one for God's people. Epic means to go beyond what is ordinary or commonly accepted in scope and size. I believe this year the body of Christ will begin to see different than it has ever before (scope) and that vision will cause us to become greater than we have ever imagined (size).
Habakkuk said that, "even though the vision takes a little longer to get here than you would like, wait for it. It will come, that you can depend on". I am sitting in my living room at 5:30 in the morning with a prophetic message for you today, your life it getting ready to turn a corner. You are in the place of transition, moving from one arena to another.
In the math world the number 10 is significant because it transitions us from counting in single digits to double, or from 1's to 10's. It begins a new system of measurement. It takes us from simple addition to multiplication. God is speaking, through this Epic year that you are going to be moving to a different counting system. Your church will not be able to count the same as it has before. Your life is exploding this year to a new level. Your relationships are transitioning to a new depth of intimacy.
This year, 2010, is an Epic year for every child of God, every Christ follower. Take your vision, write it down, make it plain. Picture yourself walking in it. Take the time to put together a Vision Board, see it, feel it, smell it and live it. This is the year of faith, of advancing, this is an Epic Year! God bless!!!
We have just crossed into, not just a new year, but a new decade. For some of us we can remember a few of these transitions. I remember graduating high school 20 years ago in 1990 and the feeling of anticipation I felt to finally be "in the nineties". Then who can forget Y2K, the year 2000. A transition into a new millennium with its confusion, uncertainty, fear and yes, amazingly disappointing total lock down of all things electronic. (That didn't happen for those who are confused right now, but Microsoft did post record sales in Windows related upgrades that year, just saying.)
We are once again standing at the entryway of a new decade, 2010. We have crossed the threshold and are looking into a new time, a new era, with excitement, fear, frustration, expectation, and longing. Longing for this year to be better than last year. To finally live up to the resolutions we made two days ago, for our marriage to be better, or jobs to be better, to make more money, to lose weight, to pray everyday, or to stop smoking.
It is against this backdrop that God has placed a single word in my spirit for 2010 - EPIC. I believe this year, this decade, will be an epic one for God's people. Epic means to go beyond what is ordinary or commonly accepted in scope and size. I believe this year the body of Christ will begin to see different than it has ever before (scope) and that vision will cause us to become greater than we have ever imagined (size).
Habakkuk said that, "even though the vision takes a little longer to get here than you would like, wait for it. It will come, that you can depend on". I am sitting in my living room at 5:30 in the morning with a prophetic message for you today, your life it getting ready to turn a corner. You are in the place of transition, moving from one arena to another.
In the math world the number 10 is significant because it transitions us from counting in single digits to double, or from 1's to 10's. It begins a new system of measurement. It takes us from simple addition to multiplication. God is speaking, through this Epic year that you are going to be moving to a different counting system. Your church will not be able to count the same as it has before. Your life is exploding this year to a new level. Your relationships are transitioning to a new depth of intimacy.
This year, 2010, is an Epic year for every child of God, every Christ follower. Take your vision, write it down, make it plain. Picture yourself walking in it. Take the time to put together a Vision Board, see it, feel it, smell it and live it. This is the year of faith, of advancing, this is an Epic Year! God bless!!!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jesus & the Swine Flu
We are facing a "pandemic"! People are running through the streets donned with surgical masks and hand sanitizer. We are walking our days out in fear and anxiety over who had, has or will have the dreaded virus.
While I am not here to minimize the threat, and even horrible loss that has been connected to this sickness, I do want to take a minute and see how Jesus handled the issues of sickness in his day.
We are called to be followers of Christ. As children we all played "Follow the Leader", the basketball game "Horse", "Simon Says", or some other game that called for us to follow after someone else and do whatever they did. As followers of Christ we are called to play a similar game, to do what he did and, in his words, even great things.
Leprosy was a big deal in his day. It was contagious and people would walk around the leper colonies to avoid contact. When a leper came around other people they were required to make the statement "unclean, unclean" so people would not get too close. But in Matthew 8 Jesus reached out and touched them, and even crazier, healed them. In fact, not one time in the Bible does Jesus say the word leprosy, he never acknowledged the sickness, just the person.
James 5 says that if you are sick the elders of the church are to "anoint you with oil and the prayer of faith will save the sick". Instead of running away from and avoiding the sick, Jesus and the disciples went after them.
We are going to be devoting this Sunday at The Bridge to this end, saving those who are sick! If you know anyone that is suffering from any sickness bring them with you this week. We are believing God is going to do great and mighty things in the lives of HIS people!
Pass this on to anyone you know that needs prayer and let them know there is still a community of Christ followers that are "following our leader"! Visit us one the web at www.thebridgehotsprings.org for information and directions!
While I am not here to minimize the threat, and even horrible loss that has been connected to this sickness, I do want to take a minute and see how Jesus handled the issues of sickness in his day.
We are called to be followers of Christ. As children we all played "Follow the Leader", the basketball game "Horse", "Simon Says", or some other game that called for us to follow after someone else and do whatever they did. As followers of Christ we are called to play a similar game, to do what he did and, in his words, even great things.
Leprosy was a big deal in his day. It was contagious and people would walk around the leper colonies to avoid contact. When a leper came around other people they were required to make the statement "unclean, unclean" so people would not get too close. But in Matthew 8 Jesus reached out and touched them, and even crazier, healed them. In fact, not one time in the Bible does Jesus say the word leprosy, he never acknowledged the sickness, just the person.
James 5 says that if you are sick the elders of the church are to "anoint you with oil and the prayer of faith will save the sick". Instead of running away from and avoiding the sick, Jesus and the disciples went after them.
We are going to be devoting this Sunday at The Bridge to this end, saving those who are sick! If you know anyone that is suffering from any sickness bring them with you this week. We are believing God is going to do great and mighty things in the lives of HIS people!
Pass this on to anyone you know that needs prayer and let them know there is still a community of Christ followers that are "following our leader"! Visit us one the web at www.thebridgehotsprings.org for information and directions!
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