Do Not Gloat Over Me My Enemies

While I was in the hospital a good friend of mine, Craig, gave me a verse which encouraged me and my whole family. Micah 7:8, “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.” (NAS) Here I was in one of the darkest moments in my life and I hear this scripture. Micah is telling his enemies not to gloat over him because he is down. He tells us he sits in darkness, but the Lord is his light. Here he is surrounded by his enemies arrogantly gloating over him about his failure and his condition and he is still able to proclaim God is his Light. I felt like God was telling me to ignore all of my enemies, everyone telling me to expect the worse, and focus on His light of truth and He would pull me through.

Church Life Lessons Part III

Part Three of Church Life Lessons

Indecisiveness

Because we will not take ownership we spend to much time trying to plan out how we should reach the lost instead of digging in. People are dying and going to hell everyday while we decide what the best way to reach them is. We need to step up to the plate, take a swing, and hit it out of the park. You might take a strike on the first pitch, but you’ll never get the strike if you stand at the plate first.

Poor Accountability for Performance

The church is lacking in accountability period. It’s not just on performance good or bad, but the things we keep tucked away and hidden. My wife and I have started a new thought process, “If it’s out in the open satan can’t use it against you.” This is not an easy concept in a society of isolationism where there is a computer and TV in every room. We have allowed ourselves to become isolated from our spouses and family. How can we ever expect someone at church to hold us accountable when we won’t allow our families in? The only way to achieve true accountability is to be apart of an in your face community of close members. We need people who are not afraid or embarrassed to ask about our personal lives. God did not design us to loaners through life. We have been connected to some from the day we where conceived, just take a look at your naval to remind you of that.

Church Life Lessons Part II

Part Two of Church Life Lessons

Misalignment with Vision

Garlinghouse was quoted as saying "We are separated into silos that far too frequently don't talk to each other. And when we do talk, it isn't to collaborate on a clearly focused strategy, but rather to argue and fight about ownership, strategies and tactics.” We have allowed ourselves to become isolationist totally oblivious to what God’s master vision is.

Relying on Outside Hires

Too often we rely on someone else. I know in my church I see a lot of the same people doing it all. I once heard it said 20% of the people do 80% of the work in a church. To many times I hear people say God hasn’t called me to that ministry. I know because I used to be one. If we look at the Great Commission Jesus was not selective in who is called. If it involves reaching people then you are called.

No Defined Ownership

It is hard to get anyone to take ownership in anything they are told to do. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, told us to go into all the nations and make disciples for Him. Its that simple.

Continued ...

Church Life Lessons Part I

I first wrote this as one large blog, but a good friend of mine Andy Zook said I might want to break it up. So I did.

I was reading a blog by Tony Morgan, a pastor at Granger Community Church, entitled “Leadership Lessons from Yahoo”. It talked about an internal memo from Brad Garlinghouse, a Yahoo senior vice president, which was published in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago.

Tony began to discuss how if Yahoo, one of the world’s largest internet company’s can have these types of issues how can these lessons benefit our ministries. I really had to agree with him, and then the Lord began to challenge me with this.

We as a church and church goers really can benefit from this as well.

Lack of Focus

We sometimes lose focus on what our main objective in life is. This of course is the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus came to them and said:
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. (CEV)

Our focus really can’t get any clearer than this. Go into all the nations. Jesus didn’t say go where we feel comfortable. He said into ALL the nations. Jesus was very politically and religiously incorrect with the things he did, and the people he reached out and touched. We should live by his example.

Continued ...

God Check

Tonight I was reading a blog by Scott Hodge, and he was encouraging everyone to test their Internet speed and post their results as a comment. I thought this was a fun idea, so I tested my Internet connection and posted my results. I noticed how the men where boasting about their Internet connection speed as if this made them more of a man. It was at that point I heard the small still voice say when was the last time you bragged about the number of souls you saved from the pit of hell. Now don't get me wrong I am by no means judging Scott for this fun post. I don't thing God was telling me we should brag about the souls we save, but rather when was the last you where able to brag about saving a soul. Anyway I thought this was a fun way for his readers to connect, and God also used it to check my spirit.

I serve an awesome God!

Well today is 6 months, and I am 2 1/2 week from finishing my therapy. God has been so amazing through this entire process. I have given God all the glory for my speedy recovery. I plan on playing softball in the spring. I have had people ask why this happened to me. My response is, "Who cares? I'm alive." I will get to see my son turn three next month. I serve an awesome God and I dare anyone to challenge me on this. I was removed from the grasp of death. No one will ever convince me MY God is not real or alive.

Give God Our Best?

I recently watched the movie “Facing the Giants”, and was challenged to give God my best. How exactly do I give God my best? Yeah I know the first fruits and all that, but am I really giving my best? What if I could have tried harder and made better first fruits, or worked harder and made more fruit thus producing more first fruits? Then it hits me my best will never come within miles of touching the shadow Jesus’ best, the Cross. All I can do is try my very best to follow His example, and when I don’t succeed at least I have given it the very best I can. This is really all He is asking for. Thank you Jesus for giving you very best and picking up my slack!

Send the Fire?

Do we really want God to send down His Holy Fire? In our churches we sing the right songs. People get the right feelings and emotions. The True Presence of God is more than a few chill bumps during worship. It is more than a feeling. It is a lifestyle change. So are we really ready for the Fire? I know I'm not. Now before you get all crazy on me I really do want the Fire of God in my life. When the Fire of God consumes every fiber of our bodies we are as pure as the purest gold. However, to get there, every single fault we have been trying to hide in our lives is exposed. Not that it was ever hidden. As in Genesis 3:8-9 "Late in the afternoon a breeze began to blow, and the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. They were frightened and hid behind some trees. The LORD called out to the man and asked, "Where are you?" ." So from beginning of time we have been trying to hide our sin from God. We have tried to hide ourselves from the Very Fire we cry out for. It didn't work then and it still doesn't work in this lifetime either. I'm not saying we should give up on attaining His Fire. I just wanted to say hey this is what happens when we get the fire of God. Now we have no excuses for running from the presence of God.

Broken Vessel

2 Chronicles 7:14 - and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NAS)

This verse and the song which was written about it have been on my heart for several days now. Today in church Pastor N briefly mentioned Jonah and Nineveh. I really feel this all ties together. One man had a word from God and he changed an entire city.

At first Jonah ran from the very presence of God, but God had Jonah swallowed by a large fish. It took Jonah being vomited up by this large fish to finally obey the Word of the Lord. I really feel the Lord wants a people who are called by His Name, a people who are chosen by Him, who will voluntarily bring themselves into subjection and Pray and seek His face and will turn from their wicked ways. He will hear them from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land. God saved Nineveh when one man obeyed the Voice of the Lord. Imagine how much damage all of GodÂ’s people could do to the forces of evil if they humbled themselves before God and seek His face. Today Pastor N said we should not yearn for the presence of God, but we should yearn to BE the presence of God. God wanted Jonah to be His presence in Nineveh. We need to be the presence of God to our Nineveh. This could be our workplace, our families, or sadly even some of our churches. You may ask how God can use me to do anything. The same God who turned a stuttering coward into one of the great men of the Bible can use any willing broken vessel. The funny thing about a broken vessel is it takes more going in to keep it full than a whole vessel.

Biblical advice for bloggers

While floating through the blogosphere tonight I found an interesting blog by James Smith. Here is the link to "Biblical Advice For Bloggers". I hope you enjoy it as I did.

Slow moving rabbits and low hanging fruit.

A good friend of mine uses this term quite often, and when I first started thinking about the subject I started thinking this could be a continuation of “The Right Way”. The more I began to think about this the more God began to show me an entirely different path. I really feel like God is challenging me with this question. Are you giving Me all your issues, or are you just giving me the easy things? So I began to really take this heart. Am I being lazy and only letting God dealing with the easy stuff, or Am I only chasing the slow moving rabbits and grabbing the low hanging fruit?

Overcoming Temptation

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … (NKJ)

James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (NAS)

I found this in the Strong’s:
"A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden"."

I really think the point James was trying to deliver was the Non-Military use of the word a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden. So if we will voluntarily give in to God. Set our selves against the devil he will take flight from us to avoid danger. This is a very powerful statement which shows how we have authority over the devil through the power of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 4:8 Jesus resisted the devil he left Jesus for a season. So we should expect the same. Resisting the devil is an ongoing thing. Resisting him once will not chase him away forever. Everyday we must renew our minds to the mind of Christ and in doing so we will resist the devil.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (NAS)

There is a way out of every temptation. It is not the way of escape or the way of surrender, but the way of conquest in the power of the grace of God. We are able to conquer every temptation we are faced with. Paul indicates here that temptation may be enticing, but it is not irresistible.
God WILL provide a way of escape from every temptation if only we will stop and hesitate. I am reminded of a teaching Pastor N taught. If we will listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit we can avoid the crime, sin, and avoid the time or punishment. I found this while studying this verse on the internet. "God does not save us from temptations; He scours us in the midst of them" We are allowed to be tempted because without them we will not grow in our strength in God. In Hebrews 2:18 the author states "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." If you look at this verse in context it is clear that Jesus is who is being referred to here. Jesus faced the same temptation we did therefore he is able to help us overcome these temptation or provide our way of escape.

The Right Way

Recently during one of my occupational therapy sessions my therapist made a comment to me about doing my exercises the right way. She said men tend to be more about reaching the goal, and could care less if they do it right as long as they get there. Where as women really aren't as concerned if they achieve the goal as long as they are doing it the right way trying to reach the goal. At first I laughed, and thought this woman has lost it.

Later the same day ..... God really started to deal with me about what she said not only with my therapy, but with every area of my life. Am I learning to just walk again or am I making sure I am doing it right. What have I gained if I just achieve the goal of walking again only to develop a permanent limp in the process? Am I just trying to serving God or am I serving Him the right way. I don't know about you I want to do more than slide in the door of heaven. I want to serve God with every fiber of my being. Am I just trying to be just a father or am I really trying to be the father God wants me to be. I am reminded of the saying "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy."I don't want to be a father who is untouchable I want to be a Daddy. Someone my son can learn how his relationship with God should be. I want to more than just a husband. I want to be the husband my wife needs me to be. I want my son to learn how to treat women from me and the relationship I have with my wife, and not from some kid at school.

As a man of God I should not just be living my life, but living my life like 1 Corinthians 9:24. "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but {only} one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (NAS)

Everybody runs the race. Are you running the right way? Are running the race in such a way as to win the prize?