Yesterday, we heard some great testimonies from people who sought the Lord, named their year last year, and how God answered their prayers through that. This year I want to encourage you to do the same. And if you would, respond to this blog and let me know some of the names that God has given you for your year.
This year 2008, I believe for me is the Year of Knowing God More, No Matter the Cost! I truly want to experience God in a more powerful way than I have ever experienced Him before no matter the cost. I need to be willing to lay down any and everything to grab ahold of Jesus more.
So what about you? What is God speaking to you? Let me know so that I can pray and believe with you. We heard some great words that people were speaking out yesterday for this coming year and I want us all to be able to share what God is speaking to us.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
One Man Band
Check this guy out playing a great hymn of the church and a personal favorite, Just a Closer Walk with Thee. He truly is a one man band. He is playing an 8 string guitar. Three are bass strings and the other five are regular guitar strings.
Question to be Answered Part 2
I have not received any comments for my last blog and I got impatient at waiting to share some thoughts, so I figured I would just share some thoughts. Check out some more of that chapter.
Acts 16:25-34
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
It's all about God's timing! Amen. Paul could have driven out the demon any time and yet he waited many days. Sometimes what we think needs done right away may need done over time. God leads and directs every thing. In this instance, let's say Paul prays for the girl the first day and the demon is driven out, then what happens? Who knows? But think of this, when they were put in jail, the jailer gets saved. I think God was working on the jailer. Any other day might not have led to the response that the jailer had. Maybe the jailer would have had a day off. There was most likely other circumstances that led to that divine moment in the jailers life that might not have happened if Paul would have driven the demon out any other day.
So there are two miracles here. The girl being delivered and the jailer and his family being saved. God is sovereign. Amen. And the lesson for us to learn is... be led by the Holy Spirit. Keep your ears and eyes tuned into God and what He is doing. You don't want to miss out on the greater things that God has for each of us because of doing things in your own timing.
Acts 16:25-34
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
It's all about God's timing! Amen. Paul could have driven out the demon any time and yet he waited many days. Sometimes what we think needs done right away may need done over time. God leads and directs every thing. In this instance, let's say Paul prays for the girl the first day and the demon is driven out, then what happens? Who knows? But think of this, when they were put in jail, the jailer gets saved. I think God was working on the jailer. Any other day might not have led to the response that the jailer had. Maybe the jailer would have had a day off. There was most likely other circumstances that led to that divine moment in the jailers life that might not have happened if Paul would have driven the demon out any other day.
So there are two miracles here. The girl being delivered and the jailer and his family being saved. God is sovereign. Amen. And the lesson for us to learn is... be led by the Holy Spirit. Keep your ears and eyes tuned into God and what He is doing. You don't want to miss out on the greater things that God has for each of us because of doing things in your own timing.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Question to be Answered?
Acts 16:16-18
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
When I read this passage yesterday, the words "she kept this up for many days" jumped out at me. This girl had a spirit which allowed her to predict the future. She followed Paul and Silas around shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." When I read "she kept this up for many days," I wondered why Paul wouldn't have cast out the demon the first day. He was there for many days before he did anything about it and it was only because he was troubled. Was he afraid? Was he unconcerned about her? Was it just because she didn't ask for prayer? Why wasn't Paul troubled after the first day?
Or maybe it was in God's perfect timing? God always has a plan and sometimes we have to wait to see the miracle.
Comment me on what your thoughts are for this passage. Why do you think Paul waited to cast out the demon? Let's ask God for insight in this one and see what He speaks to each of us.
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
When I read this passage yesterday, the words "she kept this up for many days" jumped out at me. This girl had a spirit which allowed her to predict the future. She followed Paul and Silas around shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." When I read "she kept this up for many days," I wondered why Paul wouldn't have cast out the demon the first day. He was there for many days before he did anything about it and it was only because he was troubled. Was he afraid? Was he unconcerned about her? Was it just because she didn't ask for prayer? Why wasn't Paul troubled after the first day?
Or maybe it was in God's perfect timing? God always has a plan and sometimes we have to wait to see the miracle.
Comment me on what your thoughts are for this passage. Why do you think Paul waited to cast out the demon? Let's ask God for insight in this one and see what He speaks to each of us.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Ananias and the Response that Changed the World!
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house.
I read this passage today in my devotions and it hit me. Maybe it will hit you as well. First, when God calls Ananias his first response was "Here I am, Lord." How many of us respond like that? It's as if they were already on a first name basis. That God had spoken to him before. Oh to be like Ananias in how we respond when we hear God's voice. Secondly, God calls him to go pray for Saul. Ananias is not to sure about this request. But then how many of us are? And this is my point. I don't think we see as many miracles as we could because we are not heeding God's voice to pray for everyone. What if God asks you to pray for someone you don't know? Maybe He asks you to pray for someone you don't like or who doesn't like you? Maybe He asks you to pray for the meanest person ever? What would be your response? Ananias responded the way most of us would. However, when God said to him again, "Go," he went trusting that the Lord knew better.
Can we get to a point in our lives where we truly believe that God knows better and that if we would step out and pray for whoever it might be that He is asking us to pray for, we would see a miracle? I'm praying that I can get to that point. I do not want my feelings of a person get in the way. If we want to see miracles we need to respond to God like Ananias. No matter how many doubts and/or fears that we have, we do what God asks us to do.
Imagine if Ananias might not have responded to God? Yes, God would probably have went a different route, but you never know. Saul might never have become Paul and half of the New Testament might never have been. What would the world be like if we learned to respond to God when He is speaking to us? How might this community, county, state, etc. be different if we had responded to God when He was speaking to us to pray for someone?
Let's not miss out on what God wants to do through you. Seize the opportunities that He is giving us all. We all can do it. After all, Ananias did.
I read this passage today in my devotions and it hit me. Maybe it will hit you as well. First, when God calls Ananias his first response was "Here I am, Lord." How many of us respond like that? It's as if they were already on a first name basis. That God had spoken to him before. Oh to be like Ananias in how we respond when we hear God's voice. Secondly, God calls him to go pray for Saul. Ananias is not to sure about this request. But then how many of us are? And this is my point. I don't think we see as many miracles as we could because we are not heeding God's voice to pray for everyone. What if God asks you to pray for someone you don't know? Maybe He asks you to pray for someone you don't like or who doesn't like you? Maybe He asks you to pray for the meanest person ever? What would be your response? Ananias responded the way most of us would. However, when God said to him again, "Go," he went trusting that the Lord knew better.
Can we get to a point in our lives where we truly believe that God knows better and that if we would step out and pray for whoever it might be that He is asking us to pray for, we would see a miracle? I'm praying that I can get to that point. I do not want my feelings of a person get in the way. If we want to see miracles we need to respond to God like Ananias. No matter how many doubts and/or fears that we have, we do what God asks us to do.
Imagine if Ananias might not have responded to God? Yes, God would probably have went a different route, but you never know. Saul might never have become Paul and half of the New Testament might never have been. What would the world be like if we learned to respond to God when He is speaking to us? How might this community, county, state, etc. be different if we had responded to God when He was speaking to us to pray for someone?
Let's not miss out on what God wants to do through you. Seize the opportunities that He is giving us all. We all can do it. After all, Ananias did.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Opportunity is Knocking... KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Acts 3:12 NLT says, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd." The word opportunity really jumped out at me today. The situation we have here is, Peter and John have just done a miracle in the name of Jesus. Seeing this miracle, people begin to gather around them. Since people are gathering around them, Peter seizes this divine opportunity and begins to preach the gospel.
My question for us is, are we seeing all of the opportunities that God is giving us? And, are we seizing those opportunities to be a witness for Jesus? Those opportunities might be preaching the gospel, visiting someone who is sick or in the hospital, calling someone just to let them know you are thinking about them, and the list could go on. Maybe you could leave comments on other opportunities that God has given you to minister to others through preaching the gospel or sharing His love. Let me know.
Be encouraged to be open to every opportunity that God gives us to glorify the name of Jesus. May none of us get caught up in our own selves and our own problems that we fail to see the opportunities that are presented to us. May there be many testimonies from us as we are faithful to seize the opportunities presented to us.
My question for us is, are we seeing all of the opportunities that God is giving us? And, are we seizing those opportunities to be a witness for Jesus? Those opportunities might be preaching the gospel, visiting someone who is sick or in the hospital, calling someone just to let them know you are thinking about them, and the list could go on. Maybe you could leave comments on other opportunities that God has given you to minister to others through preaching the gospel or sharing His love. Let me know.
Be encouraged to be open to every opportunity that God gives us to glorify the name of Jesus. May none of us get caught up in our own selves and our own problems that we fail to see the opportunities that are presented to us. May there be many testimonies from us as we are faithful to seize the opportunities presented to us.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Check this Quote Out...
Why all this clutter (even of important or noble things) in our lives? Are we helpless pawns, caught in the jaws of an unrelenting fate? Of course not. One can hardly think of another profession in which the leaders have more freedom to set their own schedule than that of the parish pastor. Sooner or later we must admit that we tolerate or initiate this clutter, because it serves an important purpose for us. As stressful as it may be, it keeps us from having to face a reality we dread even more--that of coming home to ourselves. - Norman Shawchuck
Something that I think I need to meditate on today, coming home to myself.
Something that I think I need to meditate on today, coming home to myself.
What a Wednesday Night!...
I thought yesterday evening was a wonderful discussion as we looked through 1 Corinthians 2. If you were not there we looked at how Paul did not speak with wise and persuasive words but lived in the power of the Holy Spirit and how we need to get there. Many times we create our faith by doing things that we can control, which isn't really faith at all. Then when times of trouble come, we're shaken to the core and left with worry and anxiety instead of having peace of mind in knowing who Jesus is. We need to get away from using our own words and actions and begin to live in the power of the Spirit. And I believe it all starts with us being honest (sincere) with ourselves and with others that we don't have it all together, we need prayer and each other to get through each day.
Todays devotion in The Word for You Today said this about being sincere:
The word sincere comes from a Latin word meaning "without wax." In the orginal Greek it means "sun-tested." In Bible times merchants sold very fine porcelain that was greatly valued and therefore expensive. Sometimes when it was fired in the kiln tiny cracks would appear. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly-white wax over these cracks, which would pass for unblemished porcelain - unless it was held up to the light of the sun. Honest merchants marked their wares sine cera - "without wax." This is what we need to be. Let us not wipe stuff over our cracks. May our cracks be seen so that they can be overcome. Be sincere today!
Todays devotion in The Word for You Today said this about being sincere:
The word sincere comes from a Latin word meaning "without wax." In the orginal Greek it means "sun-tested." In Bible times merchants sold very fine porcelain that was greatly valued and therefore expensive. Sometimes when it was fired in the kiln tiny cracks would appear. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly-white wax over these cracks, which would pass for unblemished porcelain - unless it was held up to the light of the sun. Honest merchants marked their wares sine cera - "without wax." This is what we need to be. Let us not wipe stuff over our cracks. May our cracks be seen so that they can be overcome. Be sincere today!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Getting Unwrapped!
Yesterday, we began the sermon series "UNWRAPPED." It's all about getting honest with ourselves and with God about our true feelings from the circumstances we face in life. We looked at Unwrapping the Pain of Failure yesterday looking at Judas and Peter as our examples. Two men who failed and then took two different paths. One path lead to death and the other lead to learning and moving forward. I mentioned 4 points in overcoming failure. They were: Knowing that Jesus still loves you, Confessing and repenting of failures that need confessed and repented of, Forgiving yourself and letting it go, and Asking Jesus to restore the joy of your salvation. Be encouraged this week to examine yourself and be honest (get unwrapped) with God about what's in your heart. If you want to check out the Amazing Grace video, check it out here.Next week we will look at Unwrapping the Pain of Adversity (the unexpected happenings in life). Invite a friend and come ready to get unwrapped!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Baby Jesus at Dollar Tree
I know that celebrating Christmas has become a battle in todays culture. But maybe it has been a battle for far longer than we might think. Christmas is all about Jesus. But through the years we (Christians) have turned it into a "Wants" list for things that we don't really need, just like the world. Now that it is turning into Happy Holidays we all get upset, but shouldn't we be upset at what it was turned into years ago? I'm not putting down getting gifts or buying gifts for others, I enjoy those things, but when I'm buying a gift for someone I really have to ask myself is this a want or an absolute need or just something to buy for someone to continue to fill their toy box or closet. I'm not saying this to be a Scrooge or anything, just questions that I struggle with in todays culture. I would rather give to missions and to causes that really have a need for money so that they can reach out to those who are hurting and desperate. What do you think?
On another note... Debby Fazekas just shared with me about buying a Nativity set at Dollar Tree and how she was so excited to find one so nice there. The store clerk was smiling at her and asking her some questions and the others in line behind her were smiling as well at her joy of finding Baby Jesus in the Dollar Tree. She really felt that it was a divine moment. That is something to get excited about. Praise the Lord for opportunities like that. May all of us have many experiences like that this Christmas season.
On another note... Debby Fazekas just shared with me about buying a Nativity set at Dollar Tree and how she was so excited to find one so nice there. The store clerk was smiling at her and asking her some questions and the others in line behind her were smiling as well at her joy of finding Baby Jesus in the Dollar Tree. She really felt that it was a divine moment. That is something to get excited about. Praise the Lord for opportunities like that. May all of us have many experiences like that this Christmas season.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Bum Leg
Yesterday my sermon was titled Bum Leg. It was all about the discipleship process and being a servant. We went on a journey through scripture looking at what Jesus tells us about servanthood. I tied it into being a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1) and then looked at Malachi 1 where God tells the people that they have been offering sick and diseased animals to Him.
Sometimes we offer God a bum leg instead of our entire being. We can be unwilling to truly be a servant to all, all the time. But that is exactly what He is calling us to be. It starts with the leaders and moves to all. Because there is no prestige when you serve in the kingdom. We are equal and God has called us all to do our part as His servant. There is no ladder of success, there is only growing in grace, mercy, and love.
Let's get back to what made the kingdom of God attractive to others in the New Testament times, the willingness of the apostles to serve everyone around them. Check out Titus 2:9-10. And be encouraged! We are on the right track, we just need God's grace and mercy and His continuous love to be poured out upon us.
Sometimes we offer God a bum leg instead of our entire being. We can be unwilling to truly be a servant to all, all the time. But that is exactly what He is calling us to be. It starts with the leaders and moves to all. Because there is no prestige when you serve in the kingdom. We are equal and God has called us all to do our part as His servant. There is no ladder of success, there is only growing in grace, mercy, and love.
Let's get back to what made the kingdom of God attractive to others in the New Testament times, the willingness of the apostles to serve everyone around them. Check out Titus 2:9-10. And be encouraged! We are on the right track, we just need God's grace and mercy and His continuous love to be poured out upon us.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Giving...
Hey, this is Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos from Freedom Valley Worship Center in Gettysburg. He is a spiritual father to me and just a great man of God. Check out his story about giving.
Monday, November 19, 2007
How Ya Livin'... Like Thanksgivin'!
I love this time of the year. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the days are filled with excitement as you get to see family and friends who come home for the holidays. I look forward to seeing some friends this week and to spending time with Bethany's family, as we have a giant size Thanksgiving meal with all of them - brothers, sisters, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma's, nieces, and nephews.
This is a time of year that we are to give thanks so I wanted to share somethings that I'm thankful for. In no particular order after the first 3:
- My relationship with Jesus which is always growing and changing as He shapes me
- My wife and son (and daughter on the way)
- The responsibility the Lord has given me as the servant to the New Life Center
- Seeing what God is doing in each and everyone one of you
- The elders of the NLC
- The young people of the NLC
- The entire Ford City community
- My dad and mom
- My entire family
- Friends
- The game of basketball (had to add it cause I love playing and coaching it)
- The church board members (what a great bunch of guys)
- Music (I love to play, sing, and listen)
- God's provision for me and my family (so many blessings)
So what are you thankful for? Take time to think about it this week and every week. There is so much to be thankful for.
This is a time of year that we are to give thanks so I wanted to share somethings that I'm thankful for. In no particular order after the first 3:
- My relationship with Jesus which is always growing and changing as He shapes me
- My wife and son (and daughter on the way)
- The responsibility the Lord has given me as the servant to the New Life Center
- Seeing what God is doing in each and everyone one of you
- The elders of the NLC
- The young people of the NLC
- The entire Ford City community
- My dad and mom
- My entire family
- Friends
- The game of basketball (had to add it cause I love playing and coaching it)
- The church board members (what a great bunch of guys)
- Music (I love to play, sing, and listen)
- God's provision for me and my family (so many blessings)
So what are you thankful for? Take time to think about it this week and every week. There is so much to be thankful for.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Life Changing People
I had the honor of hearing Gianna (Gee on ah) Jessen speak last night at the Life Choices banquet at Lobby Hall in Freeport. (Life Choices is a Christian outreach to those who are pregnant, thinking about abortion, or have had an abortion in the Armstrong County area) Gianna is truly a life changer. Who is she you may be asking? Well, you can check her story out here. But in short, she is a woman who was aborted by having solution shot into her mothers womb at 7 1/2 months of pregnancy which was supposed to kill her by burning her both inside and outside. When her mother gave birth to her 18 hours later, she was still alive. Had the abortion doctor been there she would have been killed by suffocation, strangulation, or by just being left there. But he wasn't, and a nurse took her to the hospital. Through many painful trials and tribulations, she is now 30 years old, has a beautiful voice (she sang a few songs for us), and is very funny. It was a wonderful evening that those at Life Choices put together. Thank you all very much.
A few things that Gianna shared really struck me in the heart. She had the privelege of meeting President Bush in 2002 which was a blessing for her. From this encounter she gained an appreciation for the president. She made this comment, "Until you are willing to put yourself out there to be hated like the president has, you should watch your words." That comment was made out of her feelings for those who only want to hate and spit venom at the president. She also said this, "It is our nature to want to crucify the leaders that are over us." Two powerful statements from a woman who kept you awake, interested, and on the edge of your seat the entire night. She is truly a blessing and anointed by the Holy Spirit as a speaker.
The fruit of the spirit could be seen in her life through her voice, though she has gone through far more trials and tribulations than some of us will see in our entire lives. It was a blessed night. And I recommend that if you have the chance to hear her, take it.
I pray that God continues to lead her through this world that she might be a blessing to the hurting, the healthy, and the hopeless. Amen.
A few things that Gianna shared really struck me in the heart. She had the privelege of meeting President Bush in 2002 which was a blessing for her. From this encounter she gained an appreciation for the president. She made this comment, "Until you are willing to put yourself out there to be hated like the president has, you should watch your words." That comment was made out of her feelings for those who only want to hate and spit venom at the president. She also said this, "It is our nature to want to crucify the leaders that are over us." Two powerful statements from a woman who kept you awake, interested, and on the edge of your seat the entire night. She is truly a blessing and anointed by the Holy Spirit as a speaker.
The fruit of the spirit could be seen in her life through her voice, though she has gone through far more trials and tribulations than some of us will see in our entire lives. It was a blessed night. And I recommend that if you have the chance to hear her, take it.
I pray that God continues to lead her through this world that she might be a blessing to the hurting, the healthy, and the hopeless. Amen.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I Must Become Les(s)?...
Today I was writing in my journal and I wrote down what John the Baptist said, "Jesus must become greater and I must become less." That gave me a chuckle because I thought about becoming Les Rishel. He is a great guy who loves Jesus, has a wonderful wife Bernice, and does a lot of great things for the church. But as he pointed out to me becoming like him would take away about 34 years of my life. Just a thought.
To the point now. As I was talking to him about this, he shared something God layed on his heart today. He was taking time to pray for Africa when he asked Jesus, "Why can't we be closer together with our brothers and sisters in Africa?" Immediately God hit him with the answer. God showed him that as he is praying and the people in Africa are praying, He (Jesus) is holding both of their hands connecting them. So it is as if they are together. Think about it. Powerful word. Thank you Les for sharing it.
To the point now. As I was talking to him about this, he shared something God layed on his heart today. He was taking time to pray for Africa when he asked Jesus, "Why can't we be closer together with our brothers and sisters in Africa?" Immediately God hit him with the answer. God showed him that as he is praying and the people in Africa are praying, He (Jesus) is holding both of their hands connecting them. So it is as if they are together. Think about it. Powerful word. Thank you Les for sharing it.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
His Name is Earl...
That's right! His name is Earl Creps and his wife's name is Janet. They are starting a church in California through Chi Alpha Ministries by the campus of the University of California-Berkley. There is approximately 32,000 students in this area and almost all of them have no church background. In fact, this area is known as a trend setting area for the rest of the United States. It isn't uncommon to find people with multiple doctorates. Education is the "in" thing there. It is very "worldly" in its culture and to say you are a Christian lumps you in with the super conservative republican's who support Bush. It is going to be a GREAT challenge to reach this area for Jesus and it's right here in the US.
It scared me as he spoke of going there to start a church. Why? Because we have the ability to start a church and get a few from the mothering church, a few disgruntled people from the church down the street, and maybe some friends and family. He will start with nothing. And what is even scarier, he will start with nothing with men and women who have no Biblical knowledge or interest. (The thoughts of the culture there bring them to think that they have passed Christianity by.) That is very scary to think about but also awesome because this is where man has to step aside and really have faith in Christ.
You might say you have faith but do something daring like that so that I can see your faith. I'm challenged to do something daring. I think of Brian and Angie Bolt who have done something daring in Pittsburgh for Jesus and the results that God is bringing about for His glory. They packed out their Sunday morning service this past Sunday morning with 190 people by having a Steelers Tailgating Party after church. It was a great time of building friendships and sharing the love of Jesus.
We need to do something daring for Jesus like praying for 10 people a month to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is what I want to see, which would mean 120 people a year getting saved. Maybe that isn't daring enough. Maybe we need to pray for 50 people a month to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If God is who He said He is then He will have no problem stepping up to the plate and hitting a home run when it comes to us stepping out in faith and doing something daring. Get uncomfortable! Because I'm ready, and I believe God is also, to BURN the lazy boy/couch that keeps us comfortable.
Lord, I want to be uncomfortable for You so that I might see Your glory at work.
Look out Ford City/Kittanning/Armstrong County for what God is about to do as we look toward 2008.
It scared me as he spoke of going there to start a church. Why? Because we have the ability to start a church and get a few from the mothering church, a few disgruntled people from the church down the street, and maybe some friends and family. He will start with nothing. And what is even scarier, he will start with nothing with men and women who have no Biblical knowledge or interest. (The thoughts of the culture there bring them to think that they have passed Christianity by.) That is very scary to think about but also awesome because this is where man has to step aside and really have faith in Christ.
You might say you have faith but do something daring like that so that I can see your faith. I'm challenged to do something daring. I think of Brian and Angie Bolt who have done something daring in Pittsburgh for Jesus and the results that God is bringing about for His glory. They packed out their Sunday morning service this past Sunday morning with 190 people by having a Steelers Tailgating Party after church. It was a great time of building friendships and sharing the love of Jesus.
We need to do something daring for Jesus like praying for 10 people a month to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is what I want to see, which would mean 120 people a year getting saved. Maybe that isn't daring enough. Maybe we need to pray for 50 people a month to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If God is who He said He is then He will have no problem stepping up to the plate and hitting a home run when it comes to us stepping out in faith and doing something daring. Get uncomfortable! Because I'm ready, and I believe God is also, to BURN the lazy boy/couch that keeps us comfortable.
Lord, I want to be uncomfortable for You so that I might see Your glory at work.
Look out Ford City/Kittanning/Armstrong County for what God is about to do as we look toward 2008.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
One Day at a Time...
I was thinking about small beginnings. In Zechariah 4:10 New Living Translation it says, "Do not despise these small beginnings." As I thought about this verse, I came up with this picture. What if each day as we wake up, God gives us a brick (not trying to weigh anybody down) and what we do with that brick is very important. We may think to ourselves, all I have is one brick and what good is one brick? But if we put that brick down on the ground where it belongs and do the same thing the next day with that brick, and the next day and so forth and so on. Eventually what was only one brick becomes a foundation. What was only a foundation is now a wall. What was only a foundation and wall now has 4 walls. Soon it will have a roof and when completed will be a BIG beautiful building.
Now thinking that way what if we put our dreams and visions in that brick. God wants to birth something in us and in the NLC and each day He is giving us something to add to the birthing process. What He gives us may be small and look to be of little value but as time goes on and days add up ,the small stuff we started with becomes a great big beautiful God sized baby.
We must only be willing to live each day in God's hand and timing. And make sure that the small things He gives us are not wasted or thrown away but set in their rightful place so that eventually the dreams and visions He gave us come to pass.
Now thinking that way what if we put our dreams and visions in that brick. God wants to birth something in us and in the NLC and each day He is giving us something to add to the birthing process. What He gives us may be small and look to be of little value but as time goes on and days add up ,the small stuff we started with becomes a great big beautiful God sized baby.
We must only be willing to live each day in God's hand and timing. And make sure that the small things He gives us are not wasted or thrown away but set in their rightful place so that eventually the dreams and visions He gave us come to pass.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Patience in Pregnancy
I was reminded yesterday morning as we were worshipping God through music and our voices, about being patient and waiting on Him. A few months ago I shared how I believe God is birthing something new here at the NLC and in the community just like He gave a son to Abraham and Sarah, though they thought that they were to old to have children. My thoughts were on how this church has been in Ford City since 1978 but that does not make us to old to give birth to something new here. It only takes us believing in Jesus Christ and what He can do in and through us.
Those dreams of giving birth to something new have brought an increased desire for God and His supernatural power to work in our church and the community. But it has also brought about anxiety on my part. I want to see what He is going to do NOW! which can bring about anxiety or even disappointment because we haven't seen great big tangible evidence of this whole process. (We have seen some wonderful things happen during this time and I do not want to take anything from those things, but in human perspective they have been small and not the great big things that we all long for.)
I know that it led me to some disappointment of not seeing bigger things. But God reminded me this past week that for an expectant mother, thanks to Bethany who shares with me what she is going through during her pregnancy, they don't feel anything for the first few months of the pregnancy but that doesn't mean something is not there. It's there all the time, growing and maturing. And that is where I believe we are. We are in a growing and maturing time where we don't always know if something is growing or not. But I believe the KICK is coming soon. Just like the expectant mother gets that first kick to let them know "Mommy I'm here," I believe that God is going to give us a kick to let us know "NLC/Armstrong County I'm here." It's coming, do you believe?
Let us not grow disappointed with not seeing BIG things because God is doing things little by little. Let us not take for granted those little things that He is doing but appreciate that God is at work and that He is birthing something new here in all of us. The process has started and He will bring it to completion. I BELIEVE!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Beauty in Ugliness
I recently watched part of a movie called Nanny McPhee. It was a very interesting movie, at least for the part that I watched. It is about a very ugly looking nanny who takes care of the children of a very big family. The interesting part is that as the children learn the lessons that Nanny McPhee is trying to teach them - such as learning to work together, care for one another, etc. - one of the ugly features of Nanny McPhee becomes an attractive feature. Her ugly features such as a big mole on her cheek, uni-brow, big tooth that hangs out over her lip, big round nose, and a few others go away and at the end she becomes a beautiful person.
This hit me because so many times we look at everyone, whether in the church or outside the church, and all that we want to see is their ugliness. But deep inside is a beauty that only Jesus can bring out. And it can only be brought out by us learning the lessons that He (Jesus) wants to teach us in His Word, such as being faithful in prayer, killing selfishness, being a servant to all, and much more. As we learn and grow we become the beautiful men and women of God that He created us to be. It is truly a wonderful process.
This is the key, however. It is a process. It doesn't happen over night. We all struggle with so much in our lives and as God brings those struggles to the surface it is up to us to learn from them and let Him get rid of each and every one of them. But many times we become frustrated when we don't see people growing the way that we think that they should grow. (Pastors can struggle with this a lot.) We must only remember that it isn't up to us to make someone grow or mature. It is up to us to preach and live the Word and let God do the rest. The scripture is true where it says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). Can we all just be patient as God does His work?
So let us look at one another and see who we can become and then let us encourage one another in that. Let each of our ugly characteristics turn to beautiful traits as God deals with us. And may none of us get in the way of what Jesus wants to do by our thoughts, words, and attitudes.
Keep us all open to You, Lord, that we can become the beautiful people you are coming back for. Finish the work in each of us. Amen.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Uglier the Better!
Check this out. I thought it was funny...
St. Petersburg, Russia - A recent study conducted by the TBNN research group revealed a possible connection between looks and theology. The survey was conducted over the course of three months during which time 2,000 people were shown pictures of various religious and theological figures and were asked to rate the individuals' beauty on a scale of one to ten. In the end 80% of those who held to bad theological perspectives were considered to be on the "attractive" or "good looking" side while 76% of those who held to sound evangelical theology were considered "unattractive" or "not pleasing to the eye."
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"We were shocked when we began to show people photos and pictures of good theologians" stated Slawson." Very few rated over five." A sampling of the ratings from the "Good Theology" category clearly showed that with improved theology often comes less attractive looks.
George Whitfield - 4.97
C.H. Spurgeon - 4.23
Martin Luther - 4.15
John Owen - 3.99
Jonathan Edwards - 3.98
"When it was all said and done the evidence was pretty overwhelming" said Slawson." The better one's looks the worse his or her theology will be, and the less attractive one is the better his or her theology will be. We are now trying to figure out a possible reason for this. One theory is that perhaps those with good theology are so occupied with studying God's Word that they don't have time to visit hair salons and beauty parlors and such." "Of course there are exceptions, that's always the case" stated Slawson." But the paradigm seems pretty consistent. If you're visiting churches out there, or are perhaps unhappy with your current church situation I'd take a look at your pastor. If he's a handsome guy, I'd be careful."
What do you think? Just thought this was funny.
St. Petersburg, Russia - A recent study conducted by the TBNN research group revealed a possible connection between looks and theology. The survey was conducted over the course of three months during which time 2,000 people were shown pictures of various religious and theological figures and were asked to rate the individuals' beauty on a scale of one to ten. In the end 80% of those who held to bad theological perspectives were considered to be on the "attractive" or "good looking" side while 76% of those who held to sound evangelical theology were considered "unattractive" or "not pleasing to the eye."
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"We were shocked when we began to show people photos and pictures of good theologians" stated Slawson." Very few rated over five." A sampling of the ratings from the "Good Theology" category clearly showed that with improved theology often comes less attractive looks.
George Whitfield - 4.97
C.H. Spurgeon - 4.23
Martin Luther - 4.15
John Owen - 3.99
Jonathan Edwards - 3.98
"When it was all said and done the evidence was pretty overwhelming" said Slawson." The better one's looks the worse his or her theology will be, and the less attractive one is the better his or her theology will be. We are now trying to figure out a possible reason for this. One theory is that perhaps those with good theology are so occupied with studying God's Word that they don't have time to visit hair salons and beauty parlors and such." "Of course there are exceptions, that's always the case" stated Slawson." But the paradigm seems pretty consistent. If you're visiting churches out there, or are perhaps unhappy with your current church situation I'd take a look at your pastor. If he's a handsome guy, I'd be careful."
What do you think? Just thought this was funny.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
TOO TIRED!
After 4 1/2 hours of testing for my ordination, my mind is fried. I want to continue with what I've been typing but it will have to wait another day or so. Enjoy the day. I know I will as I will be celebrating my wifes birthday.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
More Thoughts...
I just did my first conference call. It was exciting but different. I was in a meeting but could not see any of the people and you had to take turns talking. That is hard to do when you get a bunch of pastors together. HA HA
These thoughts come from a conference that was held in Ohio that a few of the people from NLC went to. Take time to think about them.
To rightly judge your own flesh you need to see yourself as Christ sees you.
To rightly discern others you need to see their potential in Christ.
You need to love yourself first and see yourself as God sees you before you can love others.
You need to discern yourself properly before you can discern others.
There is authority in love !!!
Some powerful thoughts as we take time to think about how we should love one another. It all starts with me. And when I speak about one another I mean our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, scripture says to judge those in the church, but I think we have abused that privilege and have taken it more as a right to look down my nose at those who do not measure up to my standards of Christianity. Not that the standards God has set are wrong, I just think we throw in some of our own standards and then hammer people with those. A thought came to me yesterday as I was talking to one of the people who went to the conference and gave me these quotes. We don't see in the Spirit or hear in the Spirit when it comes to prophecy because we can't look at the potential everyone around us has. We only see the ugliness that needs changed. But if we want to speak hope into peoples lives we need to see what God is doing in everyone, and especially ourselves. This opens us up to speak God's Word into peoples lives to see them built up in Jesus. I have some great spiritual fathers as examples who live this out in their everyday lives.
Thank You Jesus for the example Pastor Gerry, Pastor Jeff, and Pastor Art have been to me. May I take their example, put it into practice in my own life, and be an example to those who You have placed here in the NLC of how to love and see the best in everyone around me.
Still more to come...
These thoughts come from a conference that was held in Ohio that a few of the people from NLC went to. Take time to think about them.
To rightly judge your own flesh you need to see yourself as Christ sees you.
To rightly discern others you need to see their potential in Christ.
You need to love yourself first and see yourself as God sees you before you can love others.
You need to discern yourself properly before you can discern others.
There is authority in love !!!
Some powerful thoughts as we take time to think about how we should love one another. It all starts with me. And when I speak about one another I mean our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, scripture says to judge those in the church, but I think we have abused that privilege and have taken it more as a right to look down my nose at those who do not measure up to my standards of Christianity. Not that the standards God has set are wrong, I just think we throw in some of our own standards and then hammer people with those. A thought came to me yesterday as I was talking to one of the people who went to the conference and gave me these quotes. We don't see in the Spirit or hear in the Spirit when it comes to prophecy because we can't look at the potential everyone around us has. We only see the ugliness that needs changed. But if we want to speak hope into peoples lives we need to see what God is doing in everyone, and especially ourselves. This opens us up to speak God's Word into peoples lives to see them built up in Jesus. I have some great spiritual fathers as examples who live this out in their everyday lives.
Thank You Jesus for the example Pastor Gerry, Pastor Jeff, and Pastor Art have been to me. May I take their example, put it into practice in my own life, and be an example to those who You have placed here in the NLC of how to love and see the best in everyone around me.
Still more to come...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
More Thoughts from Wed.
This is an excerpt from the devotion for Friday, October 12 from "The Word for You Today." Think about it...
John 21:22 says
22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
Peter had strong opinions about others. Maybe you are like him. One day he started meddling in John's business, saying, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "What is that to you?...follow me."
There's an important lesson here. Learn to identify 'who owns what.' If it's their garden let them mow it, or live with the weeds. If someone can only get what they want by playing the martyr or guilt tripping and manipulating others, that's their issue; don't make it yours! If they're living with consequences, it's their consequences not yours! If they deny their problems or can't think clearly on a particular issue, the confusion is theirs. It's your responsibility to love and pray for them, even offer help, but it's not your responsibility to fix or rescue them. If they don't seem capable of showing appreciation or apologizing when they're wrong, that's their problem. Only when they have an attitude of gratitude and the humility to acknowledge their mistakes, will they grow. In the meantime it's their garden, stop trying to mow it! If your hopes your peace and your happiness are dependant on anyone other than God, learn to detach. You're a joint-heir with Christ, not a joint-tenant with Him (see Romans 8:17).
This goes along with my post from yesterday. Let us start examining ourselves. Let us start praying for God to begin to point out others faults and failures instead of us thinking we have to do it. God is more than capable. Let us start seeing the good that God is doing in others and spur one another on in what Jesus is doing. Yes, there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. But it's only by God's grace that we will be able to do both. Let Him continue the work that He began in us.
To Be Continued...
John 21:22 says
22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
Peter had strong opinions about others. Maybe you are like him. One day he started meddling in John's business, saying, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "What is that to you?...follow me."
There's an important lesson here. Learn to identify 'who owns what.' If it's their garden let them mow it, or live with the weeds. If someone can only get what they want by playing the martyr or guilt tripping and manipulating others, that's their issue; don't make it yours! If they're living with consequences, it's their consequences not yours! If they deny their problems or can't think clearly on a particular issue, the confusion is theirs. It's your responsibility to love and pray for them, even offer help, but it's not your responsibility to fix or rescue them. If they don't seem capable of showing appreciation or apologizing when they're wrong, that's their problem. Only when they have an attitude of gratitude and the humility to acknowledge their mistakes, will they grow. In the meantime it's their garden, stop trying to mow it! If your hopes your peace and your happiness are dependant on anyone other than God, learn to detach. You're a joint-heir with Christ, not a joint-tenant with Him (see Romans 8:17).
This goes along with my post from yesterday. Let us start examining ourselves. Let us start praying for God to begin to point out others faults and failures instead of us thinking we have to do it. God is more than capable. Let us start seeing the good that God is doing in others and spur one another on in what Jesus is doing. Yes, there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. But it's only by God's grace that we will be able to do both. Let Him continue the work that He began in us.
To Be Continued...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Thoughts from Last Wed.
One of the thoughts that came out of last Wednesday nights discussion was Agape and Unconditional love. We looked at how God loves us all unconditionally but to truly experience God's love there are conditions that require our obediance to Him. It's like a relationship. I love Bethany unconditionally but in order for our love to grow their are conditions. Like the fact that I shouldn't be looking at other women and she shouldn't be looking at other men, etc.
The problem lies in when we try to replace God with ourselves and push the conditions that God requires. Loving God can not be pushed on anybody. There lies unconditional love. He loves us so much He gives us the right to choose to love Him or not. The same is true in a relationship. I cannot make Bethany love me, no matter what I might say or do. She has to choose on her own. I can point out to her why she should love me but I can't make her love me.
We can try to take the Holy Spirit's job.
In a devotion by Bob Gass in "The Word for You Today" he says how many times we as Christians try and mow other peoples grass instead of taking care of our own yard. This is a fatal flaw in Christian people. We want others to be where we are at but there are steps that God is taking us all through to get us to that point. Yesterday I used this illustration: Picture yourself as a hamburger with tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup. It's easy to see when someone doesn't have tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup because you have it. But it isn't easy to see that they have bacon, lettuce, and onion. Something that you don't have yet. So we constantly point out the fact that they are missing tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup all the while not realizing that we are missing bacon, lettuce, and onion.
And I do agree that their needs to be repentance and it does need to start with the church. But I cannot convict anybody. That is God's job. I must only PRAY for them and myself. If God would lead me to talking to them then I must do it with a humble heart and much love and compassion so as to not to destroy the friendship. Love should be what motivates us to encourage others to see their potential in Jesus. Not to condemn them because we think we are better. Which sometimes can be the underlying factor to why we speak the way we do.
To be continued...
The problem lies in when we try to replace God with ourselves and push the conditions that God requires. Loving God can not be pushed on anybody. There lies unconditional love. He loves us so much He gives us the right to choose to love Him or not. The same is true in a relationship. I cannot make Bethany love me, no matter what I might say or do. She has to choose on her own. I can point out to her why she should love me but I can't make her love me.
We can try to take the Holy Spirit's job.
In a devotion by Bob Gass in "The Word for You Today" he says how many times we as Christians try and mow other peoples grass instead of taking care of our own yard. This is a fatal flaw in Christian people. We want others to be where we are at but there are steps that God is taking us all through to get us to that point. Yesterday I used this illustration: Picture yourself as a hamburger with tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup. It's easy to see when someone doesn't have tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup because you have it. But it isn't easy to see that they have bacon, lettuce, and onion. Something that you don't have yet. So we constantly point out the fact that they are missing tomatoe, pickle, and ketchup all the while not realizing that we are missing bacon, lettuce, and onion.
And I do agree that their needs to be repentance and it does need to start with the church. But I cannot convict anybody. That is God's job. I must only PRAY for them and myself. If God would lead me to talking to them then I must do it with a humble heart and much love and compassion so as to not to destroy the friendship. Love should be what motivates us to encourage others to see their potential in Jesus. Not to condemn them because we think we are better. Which sometimes can be the underlying factor to why we speak the way we do.
To be continued...
Friday, October 12, 2007
It's a Girl!
Just wanted to let everyone know that our second child, due March 9, 2008, is a girl. Her name will be Chloe Renee'. Also, stay tuned for an entry dealing with what we talked about this past Wednesday.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Last Night...
Great discussion last night. I pray those of you who attended have a lot to chew on in the coming days. And that it encourages you to run after God with all of your heart. If you were not there, I will post some of what we were talking about a little later. Blessings to you all!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Hosea 8:13-14 New Living Translation
13 The people of Israel love their rituals of sacrifice, but to me their sacrifices are all meaningless. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt. 14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.”
Does this picture look familiar? In case you are wondering, it is a picture of stagnant water. It has green stuff growing all through it and is not suitable to drink. Most of us would answer the question, "No, it does not look familiar." But take a closer look at it. I hate to say it but it is a picture that resembles our lives. Think about it. For most of the churches today have become a great big lake of stagnant water that is unsuitable to drink. Why is this? Because we begin to love our rituals like Israel did in the above passage and we forget our Maker. These are both displeasing to God.
If you look closely at the picture, there is a pipe that feeds the water. I'm sure at what time there was water flowing through the pipe keeping the water active and living. But for some reason the water is now just trickling out letting the water sit and get stinky. Our walk with the Lord is the same way. When we let Him pour His Holy Spirit into our lives we are active and living. We are being filled with living water that others might drink from us. We have desires to share the gospel. Each morning we awake we are aware of His awesome presence all around us. But something happens. Instead of continuing to pursue Him with all of our hearts, we get into rituals and after awhile, we become stagnant and stinky unsuitable for anybody to drink from. There must be a sustained enthusiasm for Jesus. A passion to press in deeper and deeper until there is no stagnant aspect of our lives. Oh, how I pray that I do not grow stagnant, though sometimes I do.
How do we overcome this? By continuing to let God "change" us. Change is important. Without it we begin to grow stagnant. There is no such thing as an old dog not able to learn new tricks. Jesus wants to teach us everyday of our lives. He wants us to pursue Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Stay in Him. Let Him rejuvenate the stagnant aspects of your life. So that we might all truly be rivers of life giving water to the thirsty souls around us.
Don't let church, ministry, your family, or your walk with God become a ritual. If it has, shake up your prayer and Bible reading time. Stir up the ministry that God has called you to. Do something new and different and get back to a first love for Jesus.
Monday, October 8, 2007
...Community...
As I was praying and meditating the other day, the Lord showed me something. Community sounds like Come Unity. We need to continue to pray for unity to come if we truly want to be a community. In Merriam Websters Dictionary, community is defined as: a. a unified body of individuals; b. the people with common interests living in a particular area; c. an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location; d. a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. Take time to think about the definition of community. Then let us go to work on the next part of what God taught me.
What is that? That Satan has strongholds here in our area that need broken down so that we can truly be a community. I thought about how walls were built in Bible times to create strongholds. I also thought about how armies came against those strongholds. (Reading through Ezekiel, you can understand this by looking at Babylon and what they did to Israel.) They built siege works around the walls and controlled what came in and out of a place. Which usually meant nothing was going into that place and therefore people would begin to starve. They would then work on tearing down the walls.
I believe that we need to lay siege to the walls Satan has built around our area. We need to begin to starve these strongholds until Satan is defeated and the walls have been torn down. There is a song we used to sing that went like this: The walls will come down with the shout of praise; The walls will come down with the shout of joy; The walls will come down with a shout of triumph; To the Lord God Almighty! Take these words to heart and let us continue to seek the Lord so that we can lay siege to the enemies strongholds and destroy what he has built up in this area. Satan is defeated! May we truly be able to call our selves a community. Come Unity, Come!
What is that? That Satan has strongholds here in our area that need broken down so that we can truly be a community. I thought about how walls were built in Bible times to create strongholds. I also thought about how armies came against those strongholds. (Reading through Ezekiel, you can understand this by looking at Babylon and what they did to Israel.) They built siege works around the walls and controlled what came in and out of a place. Which usually meant nothing was going into that place and therefore people would begin to starve. They would then work on tearing down the walls.
I believe that we need to lay siege to the walls Satan has built around our area. We need to begin to starve these strongholds until Satan is defeated and the walls have been torn down. There is a song we used to sing that went like this: The walls will come down with the shout of praise; The walls will come down with the shout of joy; The walls will come down with a shout of triumph; To the Lord God Almighty! Take these words to heart and let us continue to seek the Lord so that we can lay siege to the enemies strongholds and destroy what he has built up in this area. Satan is defeated! May we truly be able to call our selves a community. Come Unity, Come!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Forgive me...
I want to take this time to ask for forgiveness for something I said on Wednesday night. I mentioned about hearing some people pray and wondering if they were actually listening to what they were praying because it would be something that would help them in their life. This was wrong of me because that is judgement. I am repenting for that comment and asking everyone for their forgiveness.
I do think it is important to pray from our heart and to examine ourselves as we pray. I can be guilty of praying and thinking it pertains to others and not really examining my own life.
I do not want to hinder the Spirit in anyway by making people afraid to pray in front of me or anyone else. Please know that I am very sorry if I have affected anyone by this comment and I ask for your forgiveness. Let us continue to pursue God with all of our hearts and minds and not let man (especially this man) get us down. May we grow from this and never be afraid to lift our prayers up. I know I have learned a lesson here and I will ask God to help me guard these lips.
I do think it is important to pray from our heart and to examine ourselves as we pray. I can be guilty of praying and thinking it pertains to others and not really examining my own life.
I do not want to hinder the Spirit in anyway by making people afraid to pray in front of me or anyone else. Please know that I am very sorry if I have affected anyone by this comment and I ask for your forgiveness. Let us continue to pursue God with all of our hearts and minds and not let man (especially this man) get us down. May we grow from this and never be afraid to lift our prayers up. I know I have learned a lesson here and I will ask God to help me guard these lips.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
You're Invited...
If you are checking this blog out, I want to invite you to our prayer time. It takes place at the New Life Center on 9th Street in Ford City from 12:00 - 1:00pm. All our welcome. We are going to be continuing to pray from now until forever. Make the trip down and let God stir the fire within you, even if you don't think it's burning anymore, let Him spark it up. We won't let you leave until God has sparked something new in your heart and that's a promise. Be encouraged and know that God is speaking to you... You just need to listen.
Monday, October 1, 2007
10 x's Better
Daniel 1:20 (New Living Translation)
20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Daniel and his friends are smart, goodlooking, young men who fear God. (Read Daniel 1) After going through the same training that the wise men of Babylon go through they are put to the test. So what you have is 4 men of God up against everything that Satan tempts us with in todays society. You had those who look at the stars to tell the future. You had those who looked at palms and cards to tell the future. All witchcraft in different forms. And do you know who comes out on top... (drum roll please) Daniel and his friends. And not only do they come out on top they are found to be 10x more capable than any of Satans ploys to undermine who God is. Their wisdom and judgement find no one even close to them.
Now isn't that what the world should see in us? I want the world to come to me and see that the wisdom and judgement I have through Jesus is 10x's better than anything they have found in the world. And that is all because of Jesus! This should be our hearts cry. IS it yours?
Lord, give me favor in all of my dealings that others would see You and hear You when I speak. That what I say and how I live, would be 10x's better than anything this world has to offer. Amen.
20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Daniel and his friends are smart, goodlooking, young men who fear God. (Read Daniel 1) After going through the same training that the wise men of Babylon go through they are put to the test. So what you have is 4 men of God up against everything that Satan tempts us with in todays society. You had those who look at the stars to tell the future. You had those who looked at palms and cards to tell the future. All witchcraft in different forms. And do you know who comes out on top... (drum roll please) Daniel and his friends. And not only do they come out on top they are found to be 10x more capable than any of Satans ploys to undermine who God is. Their wisdom and judgement find no one even close to them.
Now isn't that what the world should see in us? I want the world to come to me and see that the wisdom and judgement I have through Jesus is 10x's better than anything they have found in the world. And that is all because of Jesus! This should be our hearts cry. IS it yours?
Lord, give me favor in all of my dealings that others would see You and hear You when I speak. That what I say and how I live, would be 10x's better than anything this world has to offer. Amen.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Two Eyes, Two Ears, Yet Can't See or Hear...
Ezekiel 44:5 (New Living Translation) says, "And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, take careful notice. Use your eyes and ears..."
I read this in my devotions today and it really stuck out to me. God tells Ezekiel to take careful notice using his eyes and ears. In todays Christian church we don't use our eyes and ears to take careful notice of what God is doing. Our eyes are to busy looking at things they were never meant to look at and our ears are to busy listening for things that they were never meant to hear. You know what I mean?
Our eyes are constantly scanning the horizons for those things that satisfy us. They are trained to see everything that we want to see and trained to filter out everything we don't want to see. But as soon as someone passes by that's attractive or something passes by that we want, our eyes are drawn right to it. The same way with our ears. They only hear what they want to hear. (I know, because when Bethany tells me to do something around the house, I always seem to not hear her right.) Anyone admit to that? But as soon as someone else is having a conversation about so and so our ears perk up and can pick up the slightest change in vocal tone. It's all about what they are trained to hear. And it's sad to say that the eyes and ears of the people who make up most of our churches are not trained in taking careful notice of what God is doing.
Look at Jacob in Genesis 28:16, he says how God was in the same place he was and he was unaware of it.
Oh Lord, may our eyes and ears be attentive to the move of the Holy Spirit. May we not miss out on what You are doing. Let us all take careful notice of what You are doing here in Ford City and Kittanning. May we not miss the smallest detail that You change. Give us eyes that see into the Spiritual realm, that see what You see. Give us circumcised ears that hear in the Spirit, that are attentive to the smallest whisper of Your powerful voice. We don't want to miss a thing. I don't want to miss a thing. Do it in all of us Lord. Amen!
I read this in my devotions today and it really stuck out to me. God tells Ezekiel to take careful notice using his eyes and ears. In todays Christian church we don't use our eyes and ears to take careful notice of what God is doing. Our eyes are to busy looking at things they were never meant to look at and our ears are to busy listening for things that they were never meant to hear. You know what I mean?
Our eyes are constantly scanning the horizons for those things that satisfy us. They are trained to see everything that we want to see and trained to filter out everything we don't want to see. But as soon as someone passes by that's attractive or something passes by that we want, our eyes are drawn right to it. The same way with our ears. They only hear what they want to hear. (I know, because when Bethany tells me to do something around the house, I always seem to not hear her right.) Anyone admit to that? But as soon as someone else is having a conversation about so and so our ears perk up and can pick up the slightest change in vocal tone. It's all about what they are trained to hear. And it's sad to say that the eyes and ears of the people who make up most of our churches are not trained in taking careful notice of what God is doing.
Look at Jacob in Genesis 28:16, he says how God was in the same place he was and he was unaware of it.
Oh Lord, may our eyes and ears be attentive to the move of the Holy Spirit. May we not miss out on what You are doing. Let us all take careful notice of what You are doing here in Ford City and Kittanning. May we not miss the smallest detail that You change. Give us eyes that see into the Spiritual realm, that see what You see. Give us circumcised ears that hear in the Spirit, that are attentive to the smallest whisper of Your powerful voice. We don't want to miss a thing. I don't want to miss a thing. Do it in all of us Lord. Amen!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
One more thing...
Here is a picture from Ford City's, See You at the Pole. God is doing great things but there is still much more prayer to be done.
Check This Out!
Our noon time prayer and fasting has been going on for almost one month. During this time the mayor of Ford City has stopped in for prayer. We have also had a testimony from one business saying how things have been improving for them and they thanked us for our prayers. Awesome! We are believing in God for miracles, signs and wonders, and just an all out move of the Holy Spirit here in Ford City and Kittanning. That God would release His peace and property as we call out to Him. Prayers are already being answered and I believe that there will be countless testimonies as we continue to pray. In fact, we are so excited about what God is doing that we are going to continue to pray throughout October.
Disclaimer: I want to encourage people that we don't get focused on turning this into something that it is not. I picture it like this... riding a horse bareback. Now I've never ridden a horse so I can't tell you from experience, but I just feel that we need to ride what God is doing bareback. We are not, I repeat not, getting weird or anything. I just want to see the Holy Spirit continue to have His reign in what we are doing. To many times we start out riding the horse bareback but before to long we put a blanket down on the horses back, then we get the saddle out, then we add the bit in the mouth, and pretty soon we have what we always have. But sometimes what we always have had just isn't the best or nearly enough. We want to ride this horse bareback and let Jesus lead the horse where He wants it to go. I hope you are seeing what I'm saying here. We want the Holy Spirit to direct and lead this the entire time. May mans fear and flesh be defeated and Christ have full reign.
I have an enthusiasm about what we are doing and I'm praying for sustained enthusiasm in me and in all of us. May we not die down, get tired, throw in the towel, until the gates of Hell have been stormed, torn down, and the powers of darkness defeated! Come on!
Disclaimer: I want to encourage people that we don't get focused on turning this into something that it is not. I picture it like this... riding a horse bareback. Now I've never ridden a horse so I can't tell you from experience, but I just feel that we need to ride what God is doing bareback. We are not, I repeat not, getting weird or anything. I just want to see the Holy Spirit continue to have His reign in what we are doing. To many times we start out riding the horse bareback but before to long we put a blanket down on the horses back, then we get the saddle out, then we add the bit in the mouth, and pretty soon we have what we always have. But sometimes what we always have had just isn't the best or nearly enough. We want to ride this horse bareback and let Jesus lead the horse where He wants it to go. I hope you are seeing what I'm saying here. We want the Holy Spirit to direct and lead this the entire time. May mans fear and flesh be defeated and Christ have full reign.
I have an enthusiasm about what we are doing and I'm praying for sustained enthusiasm in me and in all of us. May we not die down, get tired, throw in the towel, until the gates of Hell have been stormed, torn down, and the powers of darkness defeated! Come on!
Monday, September 24, 2007
It's GREAT!
It's great to be the pastor of the New Life Center. I enjoy everyone who calls this church their home. We are truly seeing "new life" come to many hearts in this church, and in the churches in this community, and I believe we will continue to see God do even greater things. I want to encourage each of you to continue to pray and examine yourself. All we can do is examine ourselves and see where we are at with God. Ask yourself if there is anything you need to repent of. God will bring it to light. Ask God to seek out every crack and crevice where sin might be hiding and bring it into His marvelous light so that it can be dealt with and done away with. We do not want to give Satan a foothold that would keep us from experiencing the life that a relationship with Jesus brings. If there is anger, then forgiveness is the answer. If there is guilt, then confession and restitution is the answer. If there is greed, then giving is the answer. If there is jealousy, then praise is the answer. Remember Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
Also, please take time this week to read over Ezekiel 37 and through the book of 1 John (it's only 5 chapters). There are many powerful truths in those scriptures that will challenge us. Be blessed in all that you do this week. May it all be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Also, please take time this week to read over Ezekiel 37 and through the book of 1 John (it's only 5 chapters). There are many powerful truths in those scriptures that will challenge us. Be blessed in all that you do this week. May it all be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Fear...
What fears do you have? Wednesday night I shared a fear of mine. (I'm not trying to be disgusting.) I shared that I fear driving long distances with others because I have to use the bathroom a lot. Most people don't like to make to many stops so this brings about fear in me which just makes me have to go to the bathroom more. Unless I'm driving because then I know I can pull over whenever I need to.
The response of the people... laughter. They thought my fear was funny. As I thought about this yesterday, I thought just how funny our fears are to a MIGHTY God who is bigger and greater than any fear. I'm not saying that He is laughing at us but that if we truly look at what makes afraid it usually isn't much. We fear spiders, around here they are not to big. We fear the dark. We fear snakes. These things have all been learned because of things we've heard or seen on tv or in movies. We need to truly look at what we are afraid of and start letting them go. Our fears are not to big for God. They can only hold us back from going places that are far away and require multiple hours to get to. My fears will not hold me back. Take them away Lord and let there be bathrooms all along the way.
So what are you afraid of? Let's get rid of the fear in Jesus name!
The response of the people... laughter. They thought my fear was funny. As I thought about this yesterday, I thought just how funny our fears are to a MIGHTY God who is bigger and greater than any fear. I'm not saying that He is laughing at us but that if we truly look at what makes afraid it usually isn't much. We fear spiders, around here they are not to big. We fear the dark. We fear snakes. These things have all been learned because of things we've heard or seen on tv or in movies. We need to truly look at what we are afraid of and start letting them go. Our fears are not to big for God. They can only hold us back from going places that are far away and require multiple hours to get to. My fears will not hold me back. Take them away Lord and let there be bathrooms all along the way.
So what are you afraid of? Let's get rid of the fear in Jesus name!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
OHANA is UNITY which means POWER!
My vision is to be an OHANA. OHANA is Hawaiin for family and family means no one is left behind or forgotten. It is a thought that came from the movie Lilo and Stitch but it is a powerful thought.
I just got done with an hour long prayer session that I've been a part of with 5 other churches. We have been gathering each weekday of September and fasting and praying for our community. God gave me a vision of sending out letters to community businesses repenting of not being a more community minded church and asking them for specific prayer requests which led to praying throughout the month of September (and will lead us to praying through October). We sent out over 70 letters and got back 8, which I consider a tithe. And we've been praying for them and for our churches. The power that has been present and released in the ministries of the pastors has been awesome to see. We have pentecostals praying with methodists praying with presbyterians praying with nazarenes. And we are not holding back. This is pray in tongues, pray out loud, cry out, prophecy, don't hold back prayer to God. We are serious about what we are doing. And we believe that Ford City and Kittanning are going to change. In fact, Ford City's mayor even stopped down Monday and we were able to lift him up in prayer. God is breaking down strongholds that need broke down because we are all apart of His OHANA. No one should be forgotten or left behind. He is bringing His family together and I am blessed to be part of His movement in this community.
Satan, we're tearing down strongholds by the shed blood of Jesus! Watch out! We are an OHANA and where there is unity... there is power.
I just got done with an hour long prayer session that I've been a part of with 5 other churches. We have been gathering each weekday of September and fasting and praying for our community. God gave me a vision of sending out letters to community businesses repenting of not being a more community minded church and asking them for specific prayer requests which led to praying throughout the month of September (and will lead us to praying through October). We sent out over 70 letters and got back 8, which I consider a tithe. And we've been praying for them and for our churches. The power that has been present and released in the ministries of the pastors has been awesome to see. We have pentecostals praying with methodists praying with presbyterians praying with nazarenes. And we are not holding back. This is pray in tongues, pray out loud, cry out, prophecy, don't hold back prayer to God. We are serious about what we are doing. And we believe that Ford City and Kittanning are going to change. In fact, Ford City's mayor even stopped down Monday and we were able to lift him up in prayer. God is breaking down strongholds that need broke down because we are all apart of His OHANA. No one should be forgotten or left behind. He is bringing His family together and I am blessed to be part of His movement in this community.
Satan, we're tearing down strongholds by the shed blood of Jesus! Watch out! We are an OHANA and where there is unity... there is power.
I think I shall blog...
I am going to begin to blog my thoughts for others to see and comment on. I can't wait to see what kind of conversation can be generated on here for God's kingdom. Stay tuned... for more.
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