So here I was, a 31 year old grown man coaching girls' highschool softball. Everything is going along great, we were running a practice and the girls were all doing what was asked of them. They, were hustling and making the plays that we expected them to make. They were cleaning up and I had just told them to get all the equipment up and then I wanted to talk to them. While I was giving them their instructions I lost my focus and got this weird feeling in my stomach. I had heard a voice, a voice getting on to one of the varsity girls. A very familiar voice that used to get on to me, it was my friend's dad. He had a daughter playing on the varsity, and he has one of those voices that you notice anywhere. Hearing his voice, in a disciplinary way brought back memories and thoughts. He was my friend's dad who I had been around a lot as a teenager and as a young boy. He was also my little league coach for about 7 years.
Do you do that? Do you hear voices from the past and immediately feel that bond or the feelings that you had for that person in the past? For me, he was a disciplinary figure so I got that old childhood feeling of being in trouble. I have a lot of people like that in my life. There are certain family members whose voices I hear and pick out distinctly in any crowd. I am now the same way with my children, and my wife(though she is quite loud, haha) they are voices that I hear and tune in to.
John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me".
Jesus is referring to us as sheep, and the way that sheep listen to their shepherd. Of all the noises in the wilderness, in any situation, the sheep hear His voice and listen. So ask yourself today, do you recognize God's voice? When you hear His voice do you immediately tune in and listen? I hope so. After all we are His sheep, and He is our Great Shepherd.
Listen for God daily, and when you hear Him stop and listen intently to the things that He is showing you.
Thanks for reading and have a great day! Don't forget to check out our website for updates on upcoming events and news! www.freedomfamilysa.com
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
in the desert
A lot of things go on in the desert or the wilderness in GOd's Word. Time and time again someone wanders off into the wilderness, into nothingness away from all human, earthly influence and it's like magic, they have a life changing experience with God. We see them change drastically from who and what they were into intruments finely tuned for the war against sin and the lost. God uses times of clear thinking and lack of outside influences to change our hearts and our outlooks.
Think about it, Joseph was dropped into a pit in the wilderness by his brothers which started his 13 year journey that culminated in his being a ruler in egypt. David wrote this Psalm while in exile in the desert of Judah. David was trained to become a shepherd in the wilderness by fighting off wild animals to prepare him to keep his sheep safe. Elijah learned the main principles of spiritual leadership in teh desert of Gilead. Jesus was tempted for 40 days and nights in the desert. How could we forget how God broke down and changed the Israelites in the wilderness for years.
Each of these are examples of God using desert or wilderness settings to set in place His desires for the lives of His leaders. Every single situation is ordained for God's glory, and by God for His people's growth. We studied in Acts yesterday as Paul and Silas were in the dungeon of a jail, shackled to teh wall, after having been beaten and God used this opportunity to show them all that they had to be thankful for and to empower them spiritually.
Psalm 63:1 "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water"
Take away creature comforts and have an experience with God that will change your life for the better. Interesting concept, what do we do today that brings about these changes, hmmmm, let me think. Ah yes, youth camps do this. We take the kids away from their home life, away from school, work whatever else there is and we put them up for a week in a foreign place. We inendate them with worship, Bible studies and God driven experiences and presto! They are changed. As adults we need to make sure we take the opportunity to shut everything out, to get away from earthly influence and to focus on our relationship with GOd. If we do this, we will grow spiritually, if we don't do this many times we hinder ourselves. Even in our quiet times and devotions we need to make sure the tv is off, that we are completely shutting out the world around us or we will be wasting our time.
So look for wilderness experiences, and understand that when you have nothing, that is when you most appreciate having GOd.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Think about it, Joseph was dropped into a pit in the wilderness by his brothers which started his 13 year journey that culminated in his being a ruler in egypt. David wrote this Psalm while in exile in the desert of Judah. David was trained to become a shepherd in the wilderness by fighting off wild animals to prepare him to keep his sheep safe. Elijah learned the main principles of spiritual leadership in teh desert of Gilead. Jesus was tempted for 40 days and nights in the desert. How could we forget how God broke down and changed the Israelites in the wilderness for years.
Each of these are examples of God using desert or wilderness settings to set in place His desires for the lives of His leaders. Every single situation is ordained for God's glory, and by God for His people's growth. We studied in Acts yesterday as Paul and Silas were in the dungeon of a jail, shackled to teh wall, after having been beaten and God used this opportunity to show them all that they had to be thankful for and to empower them spiritually.
Psalm 63:1 "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water"
Take away creature comforts and have an experience with God that will change your life for the better. Interesting concept, what do we do today that brings about these changes, hmmmm, let me think. Ah yes, youth camps do this. We take the kids away from their home life, away from school, work whatever else there is and we put them up for a week in a foreign place. We inendate them with worship, Bible studies and God driven experiences and presto! They are changed. As adults we need to make sure we take the opportunity to shut everything out, to get away from earthly influence and to focus on our relationship with GOd. If we do this, we will grow spiritually, if we don't do this many times we hinder ourselves. Even in our quiet times and devotions we need to make sure the tv is off, that we are completely shutting out the world around us or we will be wasting our time.
So look for wilderness experiences, and understand that when you have nothing, that is when you most appreciate having GOd.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Better is one day
I find myself in a current jam for many reasons. The first reason is that I cannot work at the church full time and that is all that I really want right now. I like my job at the Betty Griffin House, I don't think any other job could co-exist with being a Pastor better than this one. I like my bosses, my co-workers and there is not one single draw back to this job. I don't think anyone could come into this job and this setting and not be completely happy, except me. I long each day to get up, go to the church and pray, read, study and make visits. To be able to paint, clean and straighten things up there on a daily basis.
A great example of this is that yesterday, my dad had a doctor's appointment and I went with him and then realized that I had over 7 hours comp time from my weekend trip and conference so I took the remainder of the day off. And you guessed it, I went to the church, did a bunch of praying and studying then painted the rest of the afternoon until time to start picking up kids for youth group. We had youth, I loved it and had a great time with them. THen, aftward I took them home and went to the house to end up watching Wipeout with the girls. I was well at peace and feeling good about life. It was an evening after a great afternoon in my heart and in my mind.This morning I got up, and found myself driving to work wishing I could just go to the church and pray, study and paint. That's right I would rather be painting(which I hate by the way) than sitting in a nice office doing some reading and talking to people.
It brings me to the song Better is one day. The chorus goes like this:
Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere.
Those words were oh so true to me yesterday afternoon as I found comfort and peace in painting in the sanctuary. Better was one afternoon in His house painting than thousands anywhere else.
Thanks for reading(and enduring my whining) and have a great day!
A great example of this is that yesterday, my dad had a doctor's appointment and I went with him and then realized that I had over 7 hours comp time from my weekend trip and conference so I took the remainder of the day off. And you guessed it, I went to the church, did a bunch of praying and studying then painted the rest of the afternoon until time to start picking up kids for youth group. We had youth, I loved it and had a great time with them. THen, aftward I took them home and went to the house to end up watching Wipeout with the girls. I was well at peace and feeling good about life. It was an evening after a great afternoon in my heart and in my mind.This morning I got up, and found myself driving to work wishing I could just go to the church and pray, study and paint. That's right I would rather be painting(which I hate by the way) than sitting in a nice office doing some reading and talking to people.
It brings me to the song Better is one day. The chorus goes like this:
Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere.
Those words were oh so true to me yesterday afternoon as I found comfort and peace in painting in the sanctuary. Better was one afternoon in His house painting than thousands anywhere else.
Thanks for reading(and enduring my whining) and have a great day!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
limiting God
I used to love a billboard in south Jacksonville that belonged to a contractor. It had a picture of a home on it and it said, "Our only limitation is your imagination." I thought that was catchy and interesting. I also used to tell teenagers that the biggest limitations on God are our images of Him. We tend to put Him in a box and think we know what He can or will, and cannot do. We make huge mistakes when we think that way. But, in my recent studies of Paul's writings and elsewhere I see where there are some areas where we are limiting God. I do it quite regularly in my prayer life. We pray for things that are realistic rather than things that are out of our grasp, which is closer to where God is.
Well, in my findings there are 5 things that tend to limiit God a great deal that can be found in our everyday list of actions.
1. Comparisons - that's right we are limiting God when we are looking around at what is going on in other people's lives. Comparisons are the first stumbling block to completely losing our focus on God.
2. Complaints - after we are done with our comparisons we start to complain about what others have and what we don't have. Many times I find that I am completely content, happy with all areas and then I make a small comparison and boom, I am unhappy and discontent.
3. Coveting - after comparing and complaining, we start coveting. If we don't match up well in our comparison, and we get caught up in complaining about it, pretty soon we start wanting what others have for ourselves.
4. Compromising - this is the fourth step to completely losing our touch with God. We start compromising our beliefs and our actions to try and get to where the others are that we didn't compare well with.
5. Carnality - finally we become so carnal, we throw away our boundaries and restraint and soon we are so after whatever has sent us into panic mode that we cross every boundary, and lose our moral compass all in the name of getting what we want.
These are the five main things that cause us to lose our vision of God. Proverbs says that we without vision, we cast off all restraint. That is completely true, when we take our eyes off God we lose our vision, then we go through comparing, complaining, coveting, compromising and become carnal where we can no longer see God or His plans for us.
Thanks for reading and keep your eyes on God's work in your life and stop the moment you find yourself comparing. Have a great day!
Well, in my findings there are 5 things that tend to limiit God a great deal that can be found in our everyday list of actions.
1. Comparisons - that's right we are limiting God when we are looking around at what is going on in other people's lives. Comparisons are the first stumbling block to completely losing our focus on God.
2. Complaints - after we are done with our comparisons we start to complain about what others have and what we don't have. Many times I find that I am completely content, happy with all areas and then I make a small comparison and boom, I am unhappy and discontent.
3. Coveting - after comparing and complaining, we start coveting. If we don't match up well in our comparison, and we get caught up in complaining about it, pretty soon we start wanting what others have for ourselves.
4. Compromising - this is the fourth step to completely losing our touch with God. We start compromising our beliefs and our actions to try and get to where the others are that we didn't compare well with.
5. Carnality - finally we become so carnal, we throw away our boundaries and restraint and soon we are so after whatever has sent us into panic mode that we cross every boundary, and lose our moral compass all in the name of getting what we want.
These are the five main things that cause us to lose our vision of God. Proverbs says that we without vision, we cast off all restraint. That is completely true, when we take our eyes off God we lose our vision, then we go through comparing, complaining, coveting, compromising and become carnal where we can no longer see God or His plans for us.
Thanks for reading and keep your eyes on God's work in your life and stop the moment you find yourself comparing. Have a great day!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
always in growth phase
So I went to a conference yesterday for capacity building and to learn the concensus model. It was an interesting conference for my work at the BGH, but I found my mind wandering. It was very similar to something we had done at Ancient City some time ago, so I am sure it was developed in the business world. It's a model of a way to get a diverse group of people to a concensus and not have to do things the democratic way. After all imagine if we had to have concensus on our elections, boy would that get ugly. So I sat in the training all day yesterday in Tallahassee and all I could think about was a way to incoporate this strategy into our ministry. As way to take what I was learning, use it at Betty Griffin House for sure and use it at the church for the good as well. I came up with a plan and I have a way to use it in our growth strategies in the near future.
Funny thing is I find myself in this position quite regularly as my three worlds collide. I see the work at the Betty Griffin House and the trainings and job skills I have there filtering their way over into the ministry we have at the church. I also see my ministry ways filtering over into my work at the Betty Griffin House. And both seem to find their way into my softball coaching. On the flip side I am constantly learning motivation techniques and other things in the athletic coaching arena that I can easily implement into the ministry.
Proverbs 1:5 – “A wise man will hear and increase in learning.”
Here's the thing God has put me together in such a way that every day I am trying to learn something new. I am reading 1-2 books a week and sometimes more depending on the amount of free time I have. I am constantly trying to be sponge-like and absorb the good stuff out of the books and conferences that I attend. I have changed so much over the past 3-4 years because of the hunger for knowledge and the want I have to learn each day.
Looking at the verse I chose to share today I think it is important that we hear(or read) and increase in learning. It's important that we put ourselves in a position each day to increase our learning, and increase our abilities. This can be most easily done through reading the BIble in the morning and picking out God-centered books to read that will help us in life.
So grab a good growth book, read a dozen verses of the BIble and pray that God will use those things as well as your job to help you increase in your learning so that youc an complete the tasks that His will has in store for you.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Funny thing is I find myself in this position quite regularly as my three worlds collide. I see the work at the Betty Griffin House and the trainings and job skills I have there filtering their way over into the ministry we have at the church. I also see my ministry ways filtering over into my work at the Betty Griffin House. And both seem to find their way into my softball coaching. On the flip side I am constantly learning motivation techniques and other things in the athletic coaching arena that I can easily implement into the ministry.
Proverbs 1:5 – “A wise man will hear and increase in learning.”
Here's the thing God has put me together in such a way that every day I am trying to learn something new. I am reading 1-2 books a week and sometimes more depending on the amount of free time I have. I am constantly trying to be sponge-like and absorb the good stuff out of the books and conferences that I attend. I have changed so much over the past 3-4 years because of the hunger for knowledge and the want I have to learn each day.
Looking at the verse I chose to share today I think it is important that we hear(or read) and increase in learning. It's important that we put ourselves in a position each day to increase our learning, and increase our abilities. This can be most easily done through reading the BIble in the morning and picking out God-centered books to read that will help us in life.
So grab a good growth book, read a dozen verses of the BIble and pray that God will use those things as well as your job to help you increase in your learning so that youc an complete the tasks that His will has in store for you.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Monday, June 22, 2009
headlights
So you know you have heard the BIble referred to as the Living Word. That means it is alive and it speaks straight to our hearts. It also means that it is just as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. Today, we can get up and spend time in the word and have the very words of God and His chosen writers speak to our hearts through out the day. We can feel the presence of God as we see things happen during our daily routine that His word already prepared us for. This happens each day if you will take the time to start your day off with God's Word.
Tara's new car is about 2 years old now, but it is still new to us. It has a lot of gadgets on it that are helpful for doing all sorts of things. One of the things I noticed first while I was playing around with it was the back up lights. It has some of the brightest back up lights I have ever seen. You can put that baby in reverse and light up behind you well enough to actually see what you are backing into. They're great, but they are not nearly as bright as the headlights. If you had to choose between driving with headlights to light your path or back up lights you would obviously chose headlights.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path"
This verse tells us how to use the Word of God, as a lamp. A light unto your path, not back up lights. If you were walking in the dark you would want to see where you are going, not where you've been. Same way with God's word, you need to use it to prepare you for your day, not to cover up your tracks.
This is why I think it is very important to have an early morning quiet time routine. We need to prepare ourselves(light up) the day to come, not the day that is behind us.
Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!
Tara's new car is about 2 years old now, but it is still new to us. It has a lot of gadgets on it that are helpful for doing all sorts of things. One of the things I noticed first while I was playing around with it was the back up lights. It has some of the brightest back up lights I have ever seen. You can put that baby in reverse and light up behind you well enough to actually see what you are backing into. They're great, but they are not nearly as bright as the headlights. If you had to choose between driving with headlights to light your path or back up lights you would obviously chose headlights.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path"
This verse tells us how to use the Word of God, as a lamp. A light unto your path, not back up lights. If you were walking in the dark you would want to see where you are going, not where you've been. Same way with God's word, you need to use it to prepare you for your day, not to cover up your tracks.
This is why I think it is very important to have an early morning quiet time routine. We need to prepare ourselves(light up) the day to come, not the day that is behind us.
Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Fathers Day is almost here!
Do you remember getting in trouble as a child? I can remember that one or maybe two times that I got into trouble. It's vague because it happened so seldomly. Okay, so maybe I did get into my share of trouble, we all did. But, I remember times when I got in trouble in school. In elementary school it was always for talking, or disrupting class. Then in middle school it was more for disrupting class and cutting up a lot. In high school it was mostly for being late to class, making jokes and sometimes for making the teacher laugh. Yes, one time I got in trouble and had to leave the classroom because I said something so funny the teacher laughed and then she asked me to leave the room.
I also remember my junior year they had the bright idea to let parents come to school with you. Mine didn't(thank Goodness) but a close friend's did. I was showing up for class in my usual setting with no book or paper. A pen and pencil was all I needed. Then, in third period my friend's dad came into the class and sat right behind me. He leaned over and asked me where my books and paper were. As I was leaving the classroom I even heard him tell the teacher he was going to put me on his tax return because he realized his son was supporting my education, haha.
But, each time I got into trouble I recall not sweating it too much so long as my dad didn't find out. Dad had this way of making life miserable when you were in trouble, and that for me was the rock bottom of getting into trouble. So there was nothing any teacher or dean or principle could do that would compare to a disappointed and angry dad.
1 John 4:18-19 "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us".
In this world there is no punishment, no fear that can overcome the fact that we will not spend an eternity in hell. We deserve it, true, but we won't get it once we become one of God's children. So nothing that troubles us can compare to knowing our Savior overcame our ultimate punishment for our sins with His love.
So next time you're in a bind, remember that there is no pain so great that God's loving sacrifice did not cover. And no trouble so deep that we will not face God and be sentenced to an eternity separated from Him.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
I also remember my junior year they had the bright idea to let parents come to school with you. Mine didn't(thank Goodness) but a close friend's did. I was showing up for class in my usual setting with no book or paper. A pen and pencil was all I needed. Then, in third period my friend's dad came into the class and sat right behind me. He leaned over and asked me where my books and paper were. As I was leaving the classroom I even heard him tell the teacher he was going to put me on his tax return because he realized his son was supporting my education, haha.
But, each time I got into trouble I recall not sweating it too much so long as my dad didn't find out. Dad had this way of making life miserable when you were in trouble, and that for me was the rock bottom of getting into trouble. So there was nothing any teacher or dean or principle could do that would compare to a disappointed and angry dad.
1 John 4:18-19 "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us".
In this world there is no punishment, no fear that can overcome the fact that we will not spend an eternity in hell. We deserve it, true, but we won't get it once we become one of God's children. So nothing that troubles us can compare to knowing our Savior overcame our ultimate punishment for our sins with His love.
So next time you're in a bind, remember that there is no pain so great that God's loving sacrifice did not cover. And no trouble so deep that we will not face God and be sentenced to an eternity separated from Him.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thought seeking
So I have been happily married for over 10 years now. There are times when Tara and I don't even have to speak because we already know what the other one is thinking. I can tell you this happens a lot. We have been working our tails off lately. Monday night we had a crew helping us at the church painting, then Tuesday Tara and I tackled the other half of the sanctuary by ourselves. Both days I worked at the office all day and she painted at the house all day. She is re-doing the kitchen and I am assisting when I can. Basically we were both exhausted and not really excited painters. I don't like painting at all but I realize that if it is going to get done, I usually have to do it. She feels the same way at home, and that is true. But, many times during our working together I find myself doing things differently because I knew what she was going to say about it. I knew she would not like it that way, or would say something about it, so to avoid it I just did it the way that would involve the least discussion. I knew her thoughts.
Also, Jordon has been a part of my ministries(I don't take ownership in the ministries, just clarifying which ones) since he was about 6 years old. He grew up when I was doing children's stuff, later was in my youth group and now he is at the church with me. He knows what I am thinking and how I am going to handle situations before they are handled. Last night he was re-inforcing my feelings about one particular thing at the church, I don't know if it was because he feels that way or because he knows my thoughts and feelings so well.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways"
God addresses the thought patterns of his creation by letting us know that we can't gain His thoughts. We can't do it that way, while growing closer to Him each day and hungering for His will is important and does help. There is no one day that we will get up and have His thoughts. His thoughts are 1 million times too deep and too strong for us to be able to know them. When we think about things we see them for the situation at hand. God sees where they came from, how they were made, what they will do in the future, and how it will all end. We can't take credit for knowing any of that in most situations.
Come to think of it, I am glad that God's mind can't be read. That is more of the mystery and awe that comes from worshipping God. He is far beyond what we can imagine or think, or ever understand. If that wasn't so we would be disappointed the very second we had Him figured out.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Also, Jordon has been a part of my ministries(I don't take ownership in the ministries, just clarifying which ones) since he was about 6 years old. He grew up when I was doing children's stuff, later was in my youth group and now he is at the church with me. He knows what I am thinking and how I am going to handle situations before they are handled. Last night he was re-inforcing my feelings about one particular thing at the church, I don't know if it was because he feels that way or because he knows my thoughts and feelings so well.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways"
God addresses the thought patterns of his creation by letting us know that we can't gain His thoughts. We can't do it that way, while growing closer to Him each day and hungering for His will is important and does help. There is no one day that we will get up and have His thoughts. His thoughts are 1 million times too deep and too strong for us to be able to know them. When we think about things we see them for the situation at hand. God sees where they came from, how they were made, what they will do in the future, and how it will all end. We can't take credit for knowing any of that in most situations.
Come to think of it, I am glad that God's mind can't be read. That is more of the mystery and awe that comes from worshipping God. He is far beyond what we can imagine or think, or ever understand. If that wasn't so we would be disappointed the very second we had Him figured out.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Long, dark travel
My dad and I have always enjoyed drag racing and one of the drawbacks to racing here in florida is there aren't any tracks real close to us. If we race in Gainesville there is about an hour and a half of travel. If we race in Orlando there is about 2 hours of travel and it only gets worse from there. Most tracks around here race on Saturday nights because of the heat. So we are usually travelling home late at night and many, many times early in the morning. I can tell you there are times when you are fighting to not feel the drowsiness sinking in, the feeling of wanting to stretch your legs and rest your eyes. But, those feelings hit hard and you long for certain sights. On the way back from Gainesville we travel state road 16 most of the way, coming from that direction we long to see the lights of the Outlet malls when we come around the corner on 16. When we see those we get the feeling of having made it safely home and can start feeling our minds go and relaxation setting in. When travelling from Orlando it's the exit onto US1 from I95 that brings those feelings to reality.
Wisdom works kind of like that. If we seek God with all our hearts and minds then as we grow we get certain little beams of sunlight that signify that we are attaining God's knowledge. It isn't until we are united with Him in Heaven that we get the full sun rise affect in our lives.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of righteousness is like the first beam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
As we grow as Christians we see alittle bit more of God's wisdom and His plan every day. Then, when we have left this world and are in our new bodies, in His presence we see the full glory and majesty of His wisdom.
Keep on seeking His wisdom, get excited when you see that glimmer of light that lets you know you have taken a step closer to Him. And know that one day you will sit with your eyes and your mouth wide open in awe at the glory and splendor of the fullness of Him, Your Creator.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Wisdom works kind of like that. If we seek God with all our hearts and minds then as we grow we get certain little beams of sunlight that signify that we are attaining God's knowledge. It isn't until we are united with Him in Heaven that we get the full sun rise affect in our lives.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of righteousness is like the first beam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
As we grow as Christians we see alittle bit more of God's wisdom and His plan every day. Then, when we have left this world and are in our new bodies, in His presence we see the full glory and majesty of His wisdom.
Keep on seeking His wisdom, get excited when you see that glimmer of light that lets you know you have taken a step closer to Him. And know that one day you will sit with your eyes and your mouth wide open in awe at the glory and splendor of the fullness of Him, Your Creator.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
humbled by teenagers
So I have a few questions for you today? First of all, have you ever been in a situation where you thought you knew everything you needed to know, and you had everything you needed to have to tackle that particular situation? You know the feeling, "I've got it all together", full confidence in yourself. Secondly, have you ever worked in or taught youth ministry to anyone?
I was about 20 years old, Dell Cook came to me and asked me to teach youth Sunday School. I'm sure he had heard from Frank Northcutt my pastor at the time that I had felt called into theministry. I had spent several hours talking with Frank, and discussing it all with him. Dell, was the youth pastor at the church during those times and I spent a lot of time talking with him and sharing with him as well. I answered with a resounding yes! I was excited about my first opportunity to do youth since I had led it in highschool at my former church.
I prepared, and prepared, and prepared each week for Sunday school. I would come up with a cool topic, jot down enough verses and study up on those verses each week in preparation for the group that would walk into Sunday School that day. Enter, the imfamous Michael Hudnall, "micky" we called him then. He would challenge every thought, question every verse and leave me feeling totally inadequate and unprepared. How could this happen? How could I prepare for over 3 hours during the week only to be ripped to shreds in less than 20 minutes. No matter how much I prepared, how much I studied he found a loophole each week. Most of the other kids didn't pick up on it, but my wounded pride walked out of there each week. By the way, he was in middle school at the time.
Isaiah 5:21 says, "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight."
THere you have it, I was wise in my own eyes and clever in my own sight. The closer I grew to God, the more studying I did, and the more credit and insight I sought from God the better I got. I learned to focus on God, to use Him as the central focus rather than some witty thoughts or cool illustrations. I realized that my job was to exemplify Christlikeness, and not knowledge and wisdom. As I realized that, the class went better, and the kids responded even better. Sure, there were still those "Micky moments", but they became fewer and fewer. I don't know if it was because I was doing better, or if it was because I was focusing on them less but there was a definite change.
So, in closing don't think of yourself and your abilities or knowledge too highly. If you do find yourself doing that, go teach a group of teenagers for a while they will bring you to your knees with or without a micky hudnall. Keep the focus on GOd, on His glory and off your own abilities and you will be a far greater blessing to them than you can imagine.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
I was about 20 years old, Dell Cook came to me and asked me to teach youth Sunday School. I'm sure he had heard from Frank Northcutt my pastor at the time that I had felt called into theministry. I had spent several hours talking with Frank, and discussing it all with him. Dell, was the youth pastor at the church during those times and I spent a lot of time talking with him and sharing with him as well. I answered with a resounding yes! I was excited about my first opportunity to do youth since I had led it in highschool at my former church.
I prepared, and prepared, and prepared each week for Sunday school. I would come up with a cool topic, jot down enough verses and study up on those verses each week in preparation for the group that would walk into Sunday School that day. Enter, the imfamous Michael Hudnall, "micky" we called him then. He would challenge every thought, question every verse and leave me feeling totally inadequate and unprepared. How could this happen? How could I prepare for over 3 hours during the week only to be ripped to shreds in less than 20 minutes. No matter how much I prepared, how much I studied he found a loophole each week. Most of the other kids didn't pick up on it, but my wounded pride walked out of there each week. By the way, he was in middle school at the time.
Isaiah 5:21 says, "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight."
THere you have it, I was wise in my own eyes and clever in my own sight. The closer I grew to God, the more studying I did, and the more credit and insight I sought from God the better I got. I learned to focus on God, to use Him as the central focus rather than some witty thoughts or cool illustrations. I realized that my job was to exemplify Christlikeness, and not knowledge and wisdom. As I realized that, the class went better, and the kids responded even better. Sure, there were still those "Micky moments", but they became fewer and fewer. I don't know if it was because I was doing better, or if it was because I was focusing on them less but there was a definite change.
So, in closing don't think of yourself and your abilities or knowledge too highly. If you do find yourself doing that, go teach a group of teenagers for a while they will bring you to your knees with or without a micky hudnall. Keep the focus on GOd, on His glory and off your own abilities and you will be a far greater blessing to them than you can imagine.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Monday, June 15, 2009
A test or a take away?
Have you ever longed for something? I mean, really, really wanted something so badly and felt like God had put you on a journey to get it only to see it slip away. I have done this on several occasions.
Once, in a points battle, in reality the only year I have ever ran a full points season. I was locked in a battle with a one point lead in first place. It was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to actually make every points race for an entire race season. Usually due to camps, graduations and other things I was unable to run a full season, thereby giving up any chance at a championship. This year was to be different, until a Saturday in mid July, we got a lot of rain and the race was called. They announced that since it had rained out they would race 2 weeks from then which was to be an off week. That was the week we left for camp with the youth group. I was devastated, how did I end up with this carrot dangling in front of me. My strongest shot at winning a championship gone, my great season washed away right in front of my eyes. I prayed long and hard about what to do. I knew what I should do, go to camp and erase all thoughts of racing, but my selfishness led me to prayer and still God pointed me towards camp. We went to camp and just as a thought Friday night I checked the Orlando forecast and sure enough 20% chance of rain. THere goes my season, then I get home a week later having almost forgotten about racing, and having had an awesome experience with a great group of teenagers at camp in God's complete presence, and I find out the race got rained out again. I was back on top, and no one will ever convince me that it was anything other than my faithfulness to God's ministry that brought that rain. I went on to win that championship and proudly represent Orlando Speedworld in teh Race of Champions that year. But, more importantly I chose God and His calling on my life over my wants and it made both much more valuable to me.
Genesis 22:10 "Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son"
Isaac was a blessing to Abraham because he was a promised son. A long awaited son, and now GOd had asked Abraham to sacrifice him. Now, I will admit my championship that I won because of faithfulness to God pales by far in comparison to Abraham's trial and test that he passed. But it is the same premise, God wants us to cherish his gifts to us, but not as much as He wants us to cherish Him. The moment something takes the place of your routine with God, you are risking idolatry. And idolatry is a sin that leads you down the road to many things, and rarely ends in a strengthened relationship with God.
So when God tests you, stand up, take it and be thankful that you never had to endure a test like that of Abraham. I couldn't imagine strapping either of my two little girls to an altar, I don't want to even think of it. So every test from God is in perspective, and meant to make you stronger.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Once, in a points battle, in reality the only year I have ever ran a full points season. I was locked in a battle with a one point lead in first place. It was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to actually make every points race for an entire race season. Usually due to camps, graduations and other things I was unable to run a full season, thereby giving up any chance at a championship. This year was to be different, until a Saturday in mid July, we got a lot of rain and the race was called. They announced that since it had rained out they would race 2 weeks from then which was to be an off week. That was the week we left for camp with the youth group. I was devastated, how did I end up with this carrot dangling in front of me. My strongest shot at winning a championship gone, my great season washed away right in front of my eyes. I prayed long and hard about what to do. I knew what I should do, go to camp and erase all thoughts of racing, but my selfishness led me to prayer and still God pointed me towards camp. We went to camp and just as a thought Friday night I checked the Orlando forecast and sure enough 20% chance of rain. THere goes my season, then I get home a week later having almost forgotten about racing, and having had an awesome experience with a great group of teenagers at camp in God's complete presence, and I find out the race got rained out again. I was back on top, and no one will ever convince me that it was anything other than my faithfulness to God's ministry that brought that rain. I went on to win that championship and proudly represent Orlando Speedworld in teh Race of Champions that year. But, more importantly I chose God and His calling on my life over my wants and it made both much more valuable to me.
Genesis 22:10 "Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son"
Isaac was a blessing to Abraham because he was a promised son. A long awaited son, and now GOd had asked Abraham to sacrifice him. Now, I will admit my championship that I won because of faithfulness to God pales by far in comparison to Abraham's trial and test that he passed. But it is the same premise, God wants us to cherish his gifts to us, but not as much as He wants us to cherish Him. The moment something takes the place of your routine with God, you are risking idolatry. And idolatry is a sin that leads you down the road to many things, and rarely ends in a strengthened relationship with God.
So when God tests you, stand up, take it and be thankful that you never had to endure a test like that of Abraham. I couldn't imagine strapping either of my two little girls to an altar, I don't want to even think of it. So every test from God is in perspective, and meant to make you stronger.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Friday, June 12, 2009
perceptions are reality, not with God!
So I know I say this a lot, perception is reality. I hope this point gets accross, that when you look or act a certain way people perceive you that way. I'll give you a great example. When I first started doing things in the ministry I was 17 and I was working with the young boys at our home church. I did what was called RA's and had a group of about 15 boys grades 1-5. One night they were all really wild, I took them outside and we played some games and we had a new family show up for church. It was a Wednesday night and they showed up a little after our childrens' programs had started. It was almost time for us to go inside so I was rounding up the kids, who were mostly playing football. One more play, one more play, I heard the kids say this about 4 different times so I got a little aggravated. I walked over to them and took the football and told them to line up right now! They did, but right then is when this new family walked up. Our Pastor's wife brought them over to introduce me to them and their son who was in 2nd grade. He started crying and sobbbing and pulling away from his mother. He absolutely was not going to stay in our class that night. I found out later, as the family joined the church and he became a regular in our ministry why. The Pastor's wife had introduced me as the "main teacher", about that time I was ripping the ball from a kid and telling them to line up to go inside right now! The young boy thought she said, "mean teacher" and that coupled with my actions sent him into a panic.
Titus 2:7 “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity”
If we are going to be a model of good works, full of integrity and dignity we have to make sure our actions at all times match those words. If we slip, even for one moment, someone is going to see it and cash in on it. It will become their perception in that moment.
So make sure your walk and your talk match with God's word and His will for your life. Once you master that, your perception will be godly in the eyes of others.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!
Titus 2:7 “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity”
If we are going to be a model of good works, full of integrity and dignity we have to make sure our actions at all times match those words. If we slip, even for one moment, someone is going to see it and cash in on it. It will become their perception in that moment.
So make sure your walk and your talk match with God's word and His will for your life. Once you master that, your perception will be godly in the eyes of others.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Do you really want Him to test you?
So I will admit to you now that I may be a bit of a Facebook junkie. It's funny to log on and see what other people are doing, it's fun to know in just a click what someone is going through, or experiencing in life. It's also funny to see the quizzes that people endure. I log on and see what color people's personalities are, what pro wrestler they would be, what their iq is, what type of flower they would be, what type of car they should drive, how many kids they will have and what their name should have been. I just flipped over to there and today on my homepage I can find out my Iq, my true age, who my soulmate is, what my name means, and what type of car best fits me.
It's just funny that people subject themselves to things that God has total control of. God knew what your name was when He knit you together in your mother's womb. He knew how many kids you would have and what type of personality you would have.
Here's my little confession to you, ssshhhhh! don't tell anyone but I have take a few of the quizzes. I found out that I am Hulk Hogan(as if there was any doubt, all you jeffamaniacs!haha) and my true age is 25. That's what I am talking about, and after that quiz I began to believe in these quizzes, ofcourse I am really 25, I actually feel about 20 most of the time.
Psalm 26:2 "Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind"
David said this to God? What was he thinking? FIrst of all God already knows your heart and your mind. Duh! He wrote that himself earlier in Psalms. Also, who in their right mind would truly want God to test them and examine them. Not me, I already know that God knows all my thoughts and my heart, but I don't want to cordially invite Him to examine it all.
David says these things for 2 reasons, first so that he himself can clean up his act and his thoughts. So that he can better respect and fear God through the cleansing of his lifestyle and thoughts. Secondly, he wants the peace of mind that there are no barriers between him and God. I think we all really want that, we just don't accomplish it because of our human pride and selfishness.
So examine yourself, and decide do you want God to be part of that examination. If not, there are some changes you need to make.
Have a great day and GOd Bless!
It's just funny that people subject themselves to things that God has total control of. God knew what your name was when He knit you together in your mother's womb. He knew how many kids you would have and what type of personality you would have.
Here's my little confession to you, ssshhhhh! don't tell anyone but I have take a few of the quizzes. I found out that I am Hulk Hogan(as if there was any doubt, all you jeffamaniacs!haha) and my true age is 25. That's what I am talking about, and after that quiz I began to believe in these quizzes, ofcourse I am really 25, I actually feel about 20 most of the time.
Psalm 26:2 "Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind"
David said this to God? What was he thinking? FIrst of all God already knows your heart and your mind. Duh! He wrote that himself earlier in Psalms. Also, who in their right mind would truly want God to test them and examine them. Not me, I already know that God knows all my thoughts and my heart, but I don't want to cordially invite Him to examine it all.
David says these things for 2 reasons, first so that he himself can clean up his act and his thoughts. So that he can better respect and fear God through the cleansing of his lifestyle and thoughts. Secondly, he wants the peace of mind that there are no barriers between him and God. I think we all really want that, we just don't accomplish it because of our human pride and selfishness.
So examine yourself, and decide do you want God to be part of that examination. If not, there are some changes you need to make.
Have a great day and GOd Bless!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Excuses, excuses
I have never been one for excuses myself. Unless I am backed into a corner and forced to defend myself I will almost never give an excuse. I catch myself a lot of times showing up a little late for something, not doing something that is expected of me or just plain messing up. When I catch myself in this type of situation I have a reason for it happening. I am almost never late(I am actually usually early for everything), I rarely miss something that is expected of me, but I do mess up regularly. I don't think people want to hear excuses, or justification for my actions. I rarely hear others give an excuse and accept it for what it is, an excuse.
I have a lot of people who depend on me to do things whether at the church or at the Betty Griffin House, or in my home. If I let them down, it's pretty simple, I let them down. No excuse is going to make it any better.
Just yesterday I wanted to take lunch to the girls out at Southwoods. I rushed to Chikfila which is what P.J. wanted, then I ran through the drive thru at Krystals to get Alexa's food. P.J. eats at 10:50 and it is all the way in Hastings. Krystals did not serve lunch until after 10:30 and I was there at 10:15. I asked the lady and she said she would cook the two chicks for Alexa but it would take a few minutes because they weren't set up for it yet. I waited patiently but it was going through my mind that I might be late to P.J.'s lunch. Think about this scenario, if I am late for P.J.'s lunch she is sitting there hungry with nothing to eat while she wonders if I am coming. Telling her I waited in line extra time to get a special order for Alexa does not dispell the fact that she was hungry and I was late. No amount of pleading or justifying of my behavior whether it is my fault or not takes the hunger away from her.
That's how it is with excuses, when you're wrong, you're wrong and a lot of times it is going to be your fault. So just keep your mouth shut and apologize unless they push the issue too far and you have to give your reasons.
God doesn't accept excuses, and He certainly doesn't need them because he not only sees your actions, He sees your heart and your motives.
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your heart. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight."
THose are Jesus' exact words when dealing with the love of money. Just after He says you can't serve two masters, money and God, He goes on to show us that you can't fake it either. You must keep your motives clean because that is what God looks at. So if your motives and reasons are pure there is no need to make excuses in any situation, just do your best and God will know that.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
P.S. I was on time with the lunches yesterday, I must admit it was a close call.
I have a lot of people who depend on me to do things whether at the church or at the Betty Griffin House, or in my home. If I let them down, it's pretty simple, I let them down. No excuse is going to make it any better.
Just yesterday I wanted to take lunch to the girls out at Southwoods. I rushed to Chikfila which is what P.J. wanted, then I ran through the drive thru at Krystals to get Alexa's food. P.J. eats at 10:50 and it is all the way in Hastings. Krystals did not serve lunch until after 10:30 and I was there at 10:15. I asked the lady and she said she would cook the two chicks for Alexa but it would take a few minutes because they weren't set up for it yet. I waited patiently but it was going through my mind that I might be late to P.J.'s lunch. Think about this scenario, if I am late for P.J.'s lunch she is sitting there hungry with nothing to eat while she wonders if I am coming. Telling her I waited in line extra time to get a special order for Alexa does not dispell the fact that she was hungry and I was late. No amount of pleading or justifying of my behavior whether it is my fault or not takes the hunger away from her.
That's how it is with excuses, when you're wrong, you're wrong and a lot of times it is going to be your fault. So just keep your mouth shut and apologize unless they push the issue too far and you have to give your reasons.
God doesn't accept excuses, and He certainly doesn't need them because he not only sees your actions, He sees your heart and your motives.
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your heart. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight."
THose are Jesus' exact words when dealing with the love of money. Just after He says you can't serve two masters, money and God, He goes on to show us that you can't fake it either. You must keep your motives clean because that is what God looks at. So if your motives and reasons are pure there is no need to make excuses in any situation, just do your best and God will know that.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
P.S. I was on time with the lunches yesterday, I must admit it was a close call.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
association
Have you ever been a part of a large association? One where everyone tends to group up by their status. Different economic status groups pop up all over the place. You have the country clubbers all together in one cluster, you have the regular everyday hard working people in one cluster and so on. You end up with groups of people with like interests, and it isn't totally their fault.
We tend to sit on the outside of the groups and judge, accuse them of being snobby or conceited, but we don't realize the dynamics. If you are in a certain financial situation, you have like interests with others in that same predicament. It's automatic in all different types of groups.
One thing we often fail to do is see people for what they are, that is people. We think if someone has a lot of money, and is well of they have no reason to associate with us. But, in a church setting we should all have one thing in common. A love for Christ and a hunger to reach the lost. If we see people as living, breathing, heart filled organisms we will realize that underneath all that exterior we're all equals. Those who are in good financial standing should make sure they realize that as much as those of us who are not.
Romans 12:16 says, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate iwth people of low position. Do not be conceited."
One of the main components of living in harmony with those aroundus is being willing to associate with everyone rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, fun to be around or boring. We all have the same basic needs, food, water, air, shelter and ofcourse forgiveness of our sins. We all sin which is another major equalizer.
That is one reason I feel I hung on to youth ministry as long as I did. You can take a spoiled, well off teenager and watch them build a relationship and strong bond with a kid who barely eats dinner each night. It's far easier to build harmony within the lives of young people than it is adults. I think in some ways we adults could learn a lot from middle schoolers. While they are all striving to be cool in their own way, they don't pay so much attention to who has what, but who does what is the important thing in their circles.
So live in harmony, if you are in a high position throw off your shackles of pride and associate with those who are not, and the same goes for the other side of the equation. Harmony comes from the hearts of teh group being united, it really has nothing to do with anything else.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
We tend to sit on the outside of the groups and judge, accuse them of being snobby or conceited, but we don't realize the dynamics. If you are in a certain financial situation, you have like interests with others in that same predicament. It's automatic in all different types of groups.
One thing we often fail to do is see people for what they are, that is people. We think if someone has a lot of money, and is well of they have no reason to associate with us. But, in a church setting we should all have one thing in common. A love for Christ and a hunger to reach the lost. If we see people as living, breathing, heart filled organisms we will realize that underneath all that exterior we're all equals. Those who are in good financial standing should make sure they realize that as much as those of us who are not.
Romans 12:16 says, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate iwth people of low position. Do not be conceited."
One of the main components of living in harmony with those aroundus is being willing to associate with everyone rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, fun to be around or boring. We all have the same basic needs, food, water, air, shelter and ofcourse forgiveness of our sins. We all sin which is another major equalizer.
That is one reason I feel I hung on to youth ministry as long as I did. You can take a spoiled, well off teenager and watch them build a relationship and strong bond with a kid who barely eats dinner each night. It's far easier to build harmony within the lives of young people than it is adults. I think in some ways we adults could learn a lot from middle schoolers. While they are all striving to be cool in their own way, they don't pay so much attention to who has what, but who does what is the important thing in their circles.
So live in harmony, if you are in a high position throw off your shackles of pride and associate with those who are not, and the same goes for the other side of the equation. Harmony comes from the hearts of teh group being united, it really has nothing to do with anything else.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Monday, June 08, 2009
one of those days
Have you ever had one of those days? You know the ones, where at anywhere from 2-4 times during the day you have had the urge to go climb back into the bed. When, you question why you are doing whatever it is you are doing with your life. We've all had them. Sometimes we get out of bed with such a gloomy attitude that we pray that it won't be one of those days.
I've met a lot of people who are really pessimistic. I for one, am rarely pessimistic. I tend to see things for the potential rather than for what they really are. Whether it is people, situations or any type of setting I see it for what good it could bring rather than for the bad that may be going on right in the middle of it.
I got up early this particular Monday morning, I grabbed a bite to eat and I was off. I got outside to find a flat tire on my truck. I didn't let that bother me, I jacked it up, got the tire repair kit out and fixed it. I then jumped in the truck and drove to the church where I was working. No one was there at the time so I let myself into the main building to go get some cd's to listen to on our trip. We didn't have a van or bus or anything so I put the cd's in my truck and we were taking Tara's truck as well. I checked the oil in the truck and all the things I needed to and saw that everything was fine.
Meanwhile, Tara got up and got ready to go. She drove the the church a little bit later and met me there. We got all of the kids together and loaded up to go. We got into the truck and my loving daughter had spilled her drink in my seat. I had already sat in it and my pants were now soaked in the back. I got in anyway and we were off. We drove to just north of Orlando and stopped to get some lunch. I reached down into my wallet to get the cash out for lunch and realized I had forgotten it at the house. So we had to use the debit card and screw our finances all up(they just recently recovered, haha). we then jumped in the truck and started driving after we had lunch taken care of. We drove into downtown orlando and my truck started overheating, no biggie I would just stop somewhere and check things out. We stopped at a gas station and I found a lot of water missing, it had boiled and some had come spewing out of the overflow. So I let it cool off with 2 car loads of kids playing ball in a gas station parking lot mind you. Then, we put fresh water in the truck and took off. This time we made it a few minutes up the road and there was no where to stop. We were overheated, the engine was missing and we were climbing up a huge overpass that tied into about 3 other over passes. We had just passed a turnoff and were forced into teh middle of 6 lanes. My co-pilot was switching off between laughing hystericcally and hoping no one looked at us. We managed to climb the overpass once traffic cleared out some and cut accross the lanes into a turning lane and get off onto another exit. We did so at a whopping 10 miles per hour. Not fun times at all. We had to park the truck and pack all the kids into one vehicle all teh way to st. petersburg. Then, Tara and Justin drove all the way back to get our luggage and bring it back to us.
I loved that truck, I drove it on about 5 otu of 8 cyllinders for another couple of years before selling it for next to nothing.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior"
The end of this story is, that was the best camp I have ever been to. First we appreciated it because we had such a bad experience on the way there that we were relieved to arrive. We also had over half of the kids on that trip accept Christ.
So next really bad day you have(not necessarily the jelly fish day I shared a few weeks ago), stop and thank God for the opportunity to come out of that bad day and thank Him for teaching you to appreciate the good days.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
I've met a lot of people who are really pessimistic. I for one, am rarely pessimistic. I tend to see things for the potential rather than for what they really are. Whether it is people, situations or any type of setting I see it for what good it could bring rather than for the bad that may be going on right in the middle of it.
I got up early this particular Monday morning, I grabbed a bite to eat and I was off. I got outside to find a flat tire on my truck. I didn't let that bother me, I jacked it up, got the tire repair kit out and fixed it. I then jumped in the truck and drove to the church where I was working. No one was there at the time so I let myself into the main building to go get some cd's to listen to on our trip. We didn't have a van or bus or anything so I put the cd's in my truck and we were taking Tara's truck as well. I checked the oil in the truck and all the things I needed to and saw that everything was fine.
Meanwhile, Tara got up and got ready to go. She drove the the church a little bit later and met me there. We got all of the kids together and loaded up to go. We got into the truck and my loving daughter had spilled her drink in my seat. I had already sat in it and my pants were now soaked in the back. I got in anyway and we were off. We drove to just north of Orlando and stopped to get some lunch. I reached down into my wallet to get the cash out for lunch and realized I had forgotten it at the house. So we had to use the debit card and screw our finances all up(they just recently recovered, haha). we then jumped in the truck and started driving after we had lunch taken care of. We drove into downtown orlando and my truck started overheating, no biggie I would just stop somewhere and check things out. We stopped at a gas station and I found a lot of water missing, it had boiled and some had come spewing out of the overflow. So I let it cool off with 2 car loads of kids playing ball in a gas station parking lot mind you. Then, we put fresh water in the truck and took off. This time we made it a few minutes up the road and there was no where to stop. We were overheated, the engine was missing and we were climbing up a huge overpass that tied into about 3 other over passes. We had just passed a turnoff and were forced into teh middle of 6 lanes. My co-pilot was switching off between laughing hystericcally and hoping no one looked at us. We managed to climb the overpass once traffic cleared out some and cut accross the lanes into a turning lane and get off onto another exit. We did so at a whopping 10 miles per hour. Not fun times at all. We had to park the truck and pack all the kids into one vehicle all teh way to st. petersburg. Then, Tara and Justin drove all the way back to get our luggage and bring it back to us.
I loved that truck, I drove it on about 5 otu of 8 cyllinders for another couple of years before selling it for next to nothing.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior"
The end of this story is, that was the best camp I have ever been to. First we appreciated it because we had such a bad experience on the way there that we were relieved to arrive. We also had over half of the kids on that trip accept Christ.
So next really bad day you have(not necessarily the jelly fish day I shared a few weeks ago), stop and thank God for the opportunity to come out of that bad day and thank Him for teaching you to appreciate the good days.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Friday, June 05, 2009
raising and rearing children
So I spent most of my younger years praying for God's guidance, and for good things to happen in my life. I prayed for GOd's will and for me to continually seek His will in my life. But, then I had children, I constantly pray for my kids. I pray that God will guide me as a parent, and guide my children as they grow up. I pray that I am as Christlike as possible in all that I do and that they will want to be CHristlike as well. I'm sure all you parents out there have experienced the same ambitions.
Then, come the selfish prayers. The ones I used to pray as a teenager to win my softball games, to date a really good looking girl, or to be the best at whatever I was doing. I would pray and pray for good things in my life, but now those prayers are for my children. I pray that they are good at the things they enjoy doing, that they are good students and make good grades. That they get a great education and grow up first of all to be great CHristians, secondly to be successfull in life.
My mind wanders off to Jeremiah 29:11 wher it says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
God has plans for our children, and it is our job to help them realize that. I bring all this up because of a recent book my daughter wrote. She wrote about how she loves softball, helping people feel better when they are hurt or sick, and eating macaroni and cheese at CHili's. Then comes my proudest moment as a parent, she states in teh book that she want to be an ice cream truck driver when she grows up.
THere you have it, much prayer for God's plan to involve something with a little bit more ambition than that.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! Sorry I was so late with my post today, my daughters had all pro dads this morning at their school and I went out there to eat with my softball player, and my ice cream truck driver.
Then, come the selfish prayers. The ones I used to pray as a teenager to win my softball games, to date a really good looking girl, or to be the best at whatever I was doing. I would pray and pray for good things in my life, but now those prayers are for my children. I pray that they are good at the things they enjoy doing, that they are good students and make good grades. That they get a great education and grow up first of all to be great CHristians, secondly to be successfull in life.
My mind wanders off to Jeremiah 29:11 wher it says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
God has plans for our children, and it is our job to help them realize that. I bring all this up because of a recent book my daughter wrote. She wrote about how she loves softball, helping people feel better when they are hurt or sick, and eating macaroni and cheese at CHili's. Then comes my proudest moment as a parent, she states in teh book that she want to be an ice cream truck driver when she grows up.
THere you have it, much prayer for God's plan to involve something with a little bit more ambition than that.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! Sorry I was so late with my post today, my daughters had all pro dads this morning at their school and I went out there to eat with my softball player, and my ice cream truck driver.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
going to church with a clear conscience
Have you ever had to sit in a room with someone who has dirt on you? Or had to speak to a group that someone in the room knows something about you? How about as a kid or teenager coming home to your parents and feeling guilt because you have done something wrong they won't approve of. Odds are all of us have done atleast 2 of these and know what it feels like to be in that situation.
I remember coming home as a kid from somewhere I was not supposed to go. It seemed like everyone could tell, my mom and dad asked questions about school, my day, sports and so on. But, the guilt made me feel like I was under interrogation, the pounding in my chest the feeling was too much for me to deal with. I'm sure you know the feeling, you can't focus on anything but the guilt.
Think about worshipping under that type of stress. Sitting in a room full of believers singing praises and worshipping God, but over there on the other end of the pew is someone who knows some deep dark thing, or there's someone who you have offended at some point. What is that feeling? It starts to feel as if that is all that is going on in the room, and everyone else seems to know it(even though everyone else is clueless).
That is much of what the Holy Spirit does, He pushes us and drives us toward purity and godliness. Any time there are things in our lives that are not pure or godly the Holy Spirit kicks our conscience into overdrive. SO when you offend, clean it up, come to grips with it and fix it before you go trying to worship again.
Matthew 5:23-24 says, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
Jesus is saying before you even step foot in a worship atmosphere fix it. If you start heading off to church and you realize someone has a grudge or something against you fix it, go straight to them or call them and fix it. Then and only then can you worship God in the fullness that He wants from us.
We need clear minds, and clean hearts to worship God in fullness. Without these two things we will be distracted, and a distracted worshipper is no worshipper at all.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
I remember coming home as a kid from somewhere I was not supposed to go. It seemed like everyone could tell, my mom and dad asked questions about school, my day, sports and so on. But, the guilt made me feel like I was under interrogation, the pounding in my chest the feeling was too much for me to deal with. I'm sure you know the feeling, you can't focus on anything but the guilt.
Think about worshipping under that type of stress. Sitting in a room full of believers singing praises and worshipping God, but over there on the other end of the pew is someone who knows some deep dark thing, or there's someone who you have offended at some point. What is that feeling? It starts to feel as if that is all that is going on in the room, and everyone else seems to know it(even though everyone else is clueless).
That is much of what the Holy Spirit does, He pushes us and drives us toward purity and godliness. Any time there are things in our lives that are not pure or godly the Holy Spirit kicks our conscience into overdrive. SO when you offend, clean it up, come to grips with it and fix it before you go trying to worship again.
Matthew 5:23-24 says, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
Jesus is saying before you even step foot in a worship atmosphere fix it. If you start heading off to church and you realize someone has a grudge or something against you fix it, go straight to them or call them and fix it. Then and only then can you worship God in the fullness that He wants from us.
We need clear minds, and clean hearts to worship God in fullness. Without these two things we will be distracted, and a distracted worshipper is no worshipper at all.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
the recipe for a good church member
So I have taken on cooking at the house. Since our financial demise over the past few years Tara has been forced to take a second job. She works at Publix 2 nights a week, that leaves me with all the chores and all teh cooking for a few nights each week. That originally meant frozen pizzas, pizza pockets, fish sticks and ofcourse chicken nuggets. But, after a while even the girls wanted to broaden the spectrum a bit. So, I have tackled a few other things slowly, and mastered few of them. I do like to cook on the grill over the weekend leaving me plenty of food for the weeknights and for my lunches. But I will confess I have not tackled anything major that includes a recipe(unless sloppy joes or mashed potatoes count).
To me many times scriptures act as a recipe, a list of the ingredients needed to put together the perfect believer. Not perfect by God's standards, but as close to perfect as humanly possible. One such scripture is 1 Peter 3:8.
Finally, all of you, live in hamony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult,but with blessing,because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
THere is so much to break down in these verses, the apostle Peter wrote this book of the Bible for those who he knew would face persecution as believers. He wrote this particular set of verses to those who were wondering how they should conduct themselves when the persecution comes from other believers.
It's clear that he wants us to live in harmony and avoid conflict as much as possible. In a church setting harmony should be easy because we are all seeking to grow closer to God, and to reach those who do not know Him. Secondly, he urges us to be sympathetic. In other words get into the habit of putting yourself in the other person's shoes. If you do that, you will find yourself far less defensive and far more understanding. Third, is the one that covers over it all, be compassionate and humble. If you will be humble, all the rest of these things will become automatic. You will have no problem putting yourself in other people's shoes if you stop thinking of yourself as better than them. Think about it, the majority of the time when we are arguing it is because we think our opinion and our feelings are right and more important than the other person's. Humility will cover over all of this, you won't fight for what you think is right so often when you realize(here's an epiphany!!!!!!!) that you are capable of being wrong! What? That's right and an even bigger epiphany, others can be right sometimes. That's right people other than you are capable of being right.
So be humble, put yourself in the other person's shoes and allow God's love and compassion to rule in all your dealings, especially inside of your church family.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
We do have our website up, it isn't finished but it's up and you can find the blog on one of the pages there as well. IT's www.freedomfamilysa.com
To me many times scriptures act as a recipe, a list of the ingredients needed to put together the perfect believer. Not perfect by God's standards, but as close to perfect as humanly possible. One such scripture is 1 Peter 3:8.
Finally, all of you, live in hamony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult,but with blessing,because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
THere is so much to break down in these verses, the apostle Peter wrote this book of the Bible for those who he knew would face persecution as believers. He wrote this particular set of verses to those who were wondering how they should conduct themselves when the persecution comes from other believers.
It's clear that he wants us to live in harmony and avoid conflict as much as possible. In a church setting harmony should be easy because we are all seeking to grow closer to God, and to reach those who do not know Him. Secondly, he urges us to be sympathetic. In other words get into the habit of putting yourself in the other person's shoes. If you do that, you will find yourself far less defensive and far more understanding. Third, is the one that covers over it all, be compassionate and humble. If you will be humble, all the rest of these things will become automatic. You will have no problem putting yourself in other people's shoes if you stop thinking of yourself as better than them. Think about it, the majority of the time when we are arguing it is because we think our opinion and our feelings are right and more important than the other person's. Humility will cover over all of this, you won't fight for what you think is right so often when you realize(here's an epiphany!!!!!!!) that you are capable of being wrong! What? That's right and an even bigger epiphany, others can be right sometimes. That's right people other than you are capable of being right.
So be humble, put yourself in the other person's shoes and allow God's love and compassion to rule in all your dealings, especially inside of your church family.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
We do have our website up, it isn't finished but it's up and you can find the blog on one of the pages there as well. IT's www.freedomfamilysa.com
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
The easiest decision
I have been through a lot as a parent(so it seems) and as a person. I have made all types of decisions that were important and that had a lot of people affected by it. I have had to decide on things that affected me and no one else would know as well as make decisions that would affect an entire congregation. The results would tell if it was a good decision or a bad one, but many times you don't know until after the fact and many times way down the road if it was a good decision or not. Well, so far I have made more good decisions than bad ones and I thank God for guiding me to make those decisions.
Many times facing decisions we call people who we know we trust and will give good advice. I have certain people I go to when I am faced with such decisions. I have always gone to my parents to let them know which way I am leaning and have them pray about it and tell me how they feel about it. I have friends in the church who I have known for a long time such as Jordon Hutson and Mark Cooksey who I call on with the tougher decisions. I also call David Beachamp regularly whether I am in the middle of a decision or not just to receive his continued guidance. Decisions can be tough. On the lighter side, I can't stand to go shopping with Tara. Don't get me wrong I enjoy time with my wife, just not in a mall or store. She can't make decisions she has to touch everything in the store and she can completely lose track of time. It's like a time warp that sucks her in and eventually spits her back out into the world. I constantly tell her, if you can't decide then neither one is a bad decision. I tell her this about shirts, shorts, pants, shoes, hats, rugs, curtains. It doesn't matter what it is, she always struggles with a decision. Is it the right color, will it go with what we have, do we need more stuff to help it fit in. Will this shirt go with my old pants, or do I need new ones(guys I know you are sympathizing with me and ladies you are biting your tongue right now, sorry) and so on.
THere is one decision in life that when people realize just how simple it is, they don't need any advice. That is salvation and eternal life. Paul describes it best in Romans.
That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"(Rom 10:9).
That is the simplest, most laid out for you decision you will ever make. Not only does it offer a solution, it offers the end results. You know the end results of this decisions before you make it and seldom can you say that. If you decide to take a new job what will the end results be, if you decide to try a new diet what will the end results be, all decisions are tough because you can't know for sure how it will end up. But, salvation is the one decision in life that has a gauranteed happy ending. I mean think about it, there is no other decision in life that you are 100% gauranteed the results.
So add that to your arsenal next time you are sharing with a lost friend, it's a win win situation like no other!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Many times facing decisions we call people who we know we trust and will give good advice. I have certain people I go to when I am faced with such decisions. I have always gone to my parents to let them know which way I am leaning and have them pray about it and tell me how they feel about it. I have friends in the church who I have known for a long time such as Jordon Hutson and Mark Cooksey who I call on with the tougher decisions. I also call David Beachamp regularly whether I am in the middle of a decision or not just to receive his continued guidance. Decisions can be tough. On the lighter side, I can't stand to go shopping with Tara. Don't get me wrong I enjoy time with my wife, just not in a mall or store. She can't make decisions she has to touch everything in the store and she can completely lose track of time. It's like a time warp that sucks her in and eventually spits her back out into the world. I constantly tell her, if you can't decide then neither one is a bad decision. I tell her this about shirts, shorts, pants, shoes, hats, rugs, curtains. It doesn't matter what it is, she always struggles with a decision. Is it the right color, will it go with what we have, do we need more stuff to help it fit in. Will this shirt go with my old pants, or do I need new ones(guys I know you are sympathizing with me and ladies you are biting your tongue right now, sorry) and so on.
THere is one decision in life that when people realize just how simple it is, they don't need any advice. That is salvation and eternal life. Paul describes it best in Romans.
That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"(Rom 10:9).
That is the simplest, most laid out for you decision you will ever make. Not only does it offer a solution, it offers the end results. You know the end results of this decisions before you make it and seldom can you say that. If you decide to take a new job what will the end results be, if you decide to try a new diet what will the end results be, all decisions are tough because you can't know for sure how it will end up. But, salvation is the one decision in life that has a gauranteed happy ending. I mean think about it, there is no other decision in life that you are 100% gauranteed the results.
So add that to your arsenal next time you are sharing with a lost friend, it's a win win situation like no other!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Finding your leader's joy
Paul shared it, it's all about teamwork. Whether it's a corporation, a sports team or a church it is all about teamwork and likemindedness. If you work for a huge corporation your job is to contribute all that you can to the bettering of your particular area of that corporation. If you are on a sports team, it is you job to work as hard as you can to get better at your position so that you can fully contribute when the time comes and help the team. If you are involved in your church, it is your job to grow as a Christian and to work hard at it so that when the time comes you can share your faith and help the church reach others.
Each of those are examples of what Paul is talking about in Philippians chapter 2.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded,having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
How do you find your boss's happiness? By working hard to get along with co-workers and having the same passion and work ethic as all of your co-workers. How do you find your pastor's happiness? By being like minded, looving Christ and being one spirit and purpose. If we want to see our communities changed for Christ it takes a whole group of people. One person on fire for Christ will definitely make a difference, but if that person brings their friends and others into a body of believers that are luke warm or even stagnant then his hard work is nullified. There's nothing worse than bringing a friend to church, wanting them to experience the richness and fullness of being in an atmosphere filled with the Holy Spirit and then have them encounter people who are unhappy. People who have an agenda other than bringing glory to God and spreading teh Gospel.
As a church we have to reach out together daily to grow closer to Christ. To love one another and make sure that what people see in us is Christ. THen, and only then will we impact this community for God. What does Paul say are the things we that we should exemplify? Likemindedness, same love for Christ and one another and one spirit and purpose. Each of those are pieces of a life lived for Christ in a church that is vibrant and living for Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Each of those are examples of what Paul is talking about in Philippians chapter 2.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded,having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
How do you find your boss's happiness? By working hard to get along with co-workers and having the same passion and work ethic as all of your co-workers. How do you find your pastor's happiness? By being like minded, looving Christ and being one spirit and purpose. If we want to see our communities changed for Christ it takes a whole group of people. One person on fire for Christ will definitely make a difference, but if that person brings their friends and others into a body of believers that are luke warm or even stagnant then his hard work is nullified. There's nothing worse than bringing a friend to church, wanting them to experience the richness and fullness of being in an atmosphere filled with the Holy Spirit and then have them encounter people who are unhappy. People who have an agenda other than bringing glory to God and spreading teh Gospel.
As a church we have to reach out together daily to grow closer to Christ. To love one another and make sure that what people see in us is Christ. THen, and only then will we impact this community for God. What does Paul say are the things we that we should exemplify? Likemindedness, same love for Christ and one another and one spirit and purpose. Each of those are pieces of a life lived for Christ in a church that is vibrant and living for Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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