Poke em' with a stick.........

Good morning everyone! Are you having a good day so far? Boy, I had a great night at youth last night. We just completed our third week of Way of the Master Bible Study. It is a course to teach you how to share your faith the way Jesus did! The youth and adults seem to really be jumping in and learning to share their faith. This is what it is all about! We must be alive in our faith. If we are born again then we should have works! We can't be dead beat Christians. Dead people can't do anything! Can they? Let's dig into some of the good stuff and look at this........

Bible Verse: Ephesians 2:1-2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Did you hear about that team of dead guys who climbed Mount Everest? Nope? That's because dead guys don't climb mountains. Dead guys don't do anything. Dead guys who are pretty much all the way dead just sit there decomposing. You can poke them with a stick. Guess what happens? Nothing!

I have a question for ya What would it take to be good enough to be with God in heaven forever? It would take a lot more than being able to climb Mount Everest. Some people have done that, right? But none of them were dead.

Paul wrote that we all start out with a big, no wait a huge problem. Spiritually speaking, we're dead! We're born that way because we were born sinful. Poke-us-with-a-stick dead. All the way dead. Pretty much dead! Get it? And spiritually dead people can't take even one step toward God. So we lived spiritually dead lives, just like Satan wanted us to. Powerless. Lifeless. Dead.

If we start out as spiritual dead, how much of heaven can we ever hope to earn by doing spiritually good stuff? Just go ahead and say none! See, there is this thing called grace....It's by grace through faith that we are saved. It's not what we do. There is not any work you can do to get that ticket into heaven. But, what's cool is that when we are saved! We should have works!

Ok, I have a mission for you! Find something dead and poke it with a stick. No? Okay, find someone spiritually dead and poke him with a stick. Then read Ephesians 2:1-10 to them. Do me a favor. Have a great day, know I love you, and God bless!

Read the directions........

Good morning friends! Are ya ready for the weekend? Do you know what you are going to do already? Have you made plans? What is going to guide you while doing those plans? If you are going to a trip do you have directions? Do you have a map? We are fixing to go on vacation and even though I am going somewhere that I totally know how to get there. I will take directions and even a map. Heck, I might even go and get one of those fancy GPS units for the car! Well, let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it tells us.......

Bible verse: 2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is one book, one history, one story, His story. Behind all of the events in the Bible stands God and God is the engineer of all of this history. What was the reason for the Bible to be written? I believe that God has one great purpose of the Bible and it is to redeem a jacked up, ruined, and doomed world.

I have this really complicated home theater system at my home. I attempted to hook all these wires up and set all these delicate settings without use the instruction manual. Well, I got it all hooked up after hours of scratching my head, it sounded good. Then, about a week later I found a problem. I finally went to the manual and found that I had not hooked everything up right. When I hooked up everything the way it was supposed to be. The system came alive and sounded unbelievable. Wow, what a difference it made when I used the manual. When I took the time to read it and not try to fumble my way through it.

Our manual in life is the Bible. We can choose to not use it to guide our lives and hope that works out for us. We can fumble through life hoping to get it right. Or, we can use the Word of God to guide us through our lives and see the difference it makes. Now look at how we read the Bible. Do we skip around reading a little here and a little there. Have you ever read a novel? Do you read a little in the middle, then a little at the end? I think, probably not. Why do we do this with the Bible? I don't think we would read even the smallest novel in this manner. Each book of the Bible has a message and we should strive to discover that message.

I know in the past I used to read the Bible a little here and a little there. It wasn't weeks or months reading through the book. Every book in the Bible is about something and we should read and reread until we find out what that something is. We must let the Holy Spirit guide us open the eyes of our hearts. I am not saying you should read the bible from Genesis through Revelations without reading other books of the Bible. I am saying that we have to have a plan to read God word. Have you ever gone to a museum? When you walk through the museum and look or glace at the art, do you truly understand it, without studying it? We need to dig in and study. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Do me a big favor have a great weekend, know that I love you, and God bless! Always remember to smile cause God loves you!

Our Value.......

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I have sat and I have prayed about this and it still bothers me. It seems like I have been getting kind of attacked from a bunch of different directions. A friend of mine pretty much cussed me out in front of a bunch of people over something that I did not even do. I took it and later tried to explain to him that it wasn't me and he didn't want to hear it. I don't hold anything against him. I know we all have bad days and I have already forgiven him. But, I still kind of missed talking to him. There is so much bad stuff going on in the world that I really don't want any going on around me. But, it seems that over the last couple weeks I have been under attack. Heck, the last year and a half. A good friend and mentor told me that I must be doing something right for God or the devil wouldn't be spending so much time on me. Guy's, I really think that little by little we can change that and here is how. My grandfather told me once that even a fool is counted wise if he doesn't move his lips. Let's dig into some of the good stuff......

Bible verse: Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Fathers will. But, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are more value than many sparrows.

God is totally aware of everything that is going on, at all times. How valuable are we to God, that he would send His son to die for us. We should never worry about the trials or personal attacks in our lives. God's love and spirit is in us and there is no way any outside power or problem can take that away from us. Saying that, we are all going to go through hard times. We are but sheep sent out among wolves. We will be tried and tested. We have to be aware and steadfast in our everyday walk. If we could all be like pillars of stone. Standing tall and strong in the face of the enemy and adversity. In Matthew 5:10 Jesus says "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven".

I was once told by a coworker that if I kept on talking about God and the Bible that people would start to shun me here at work. I thought about that statement for a bit and came to this conclusion. I would gladly except being shunned by people for my faith in God and trying to share the word of God with others. I was thinking,"Wow, this is just a hint of persecution. I can't imagine how Jesus felt". I know that it bothered me a little when this man said that to me. What about everything that was said and done to Jesus. What was it like to be in his shoes? Have you ever thought how life would be if Jesus never came to earth for us? What would our existence be like? If Jesus stood and took all that he suffered through. Can we not handle people saying hurtful things, talking bad about us because of our faith, making bad jokes, or challenging our faith. I really think that we will be tested from time to time and God will let this all happen to see how strong our Faith in Him is. Sometimes is so much stronger to turn the other cheek. There are times that we show our true self. Are we true to God? Will we stand strong and stand tall? Remember we are Gods' children and we are so very valuable to Him. Have a great day, I love you, and God Bless.

Don't be the Sunblock..........

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone is ready for the weekend. We have had a pretty busy week. I took Joslyn and two other cool girls to see the movie "Marmaduke" and have lunch yesterday. Had a really good time and Joslyn called me her prince again. You have to just love the little princess! Well, I believe I have already talked to you about our missions garden that our church grows and I would like to talk about another garden for a bit. Let's dig into some of the good stuff......

Bible verse: Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

I know everyone has heard the saying that you reap what you sow. Well, what does that mean exactly? If we are critical rather that compassionate, we will in return receive criticism. If we treat other with generously, graciously, and with compassion, these qualities will come back to use in full circle and in full measure. If we sow in the flesh, then we are going to reap what we sow. On the other hand, if we sow in the spirit, you cannot fail to reap good things. You can't even give the simplest thing in the name of God and lose your reward. Every seed that we plant for Jesus is going to sprout. It might be a slow bloomer or it might spout in a direction we were not expecting, but it will sprout. Our families, our friends, our fellow Christians, even people we might not like, maybe even people we don't even know are our gardens. Are we going to help them grow or are we going to beat them down and block away the sun? Are we going to be like SPF 5000 sunblock? I think we should put on our work clothes and grab our shovels and hoe's and get to work on our gardens. I've got some extra fertilizer if anyone needs any (some good scriptures). We are to love others, care, and not judge them. Happy gardening! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Blessed Assurance........

Hello friends! We had a great night last night setting up the tents for our outdoor/celebration service this Sunday. I shared with you yesterday that we started the course Way of the Master last Sunday and I will be touching a lot about salvation over the next few weeks. Have you ever thought about death? I know it sounds weird to ask this but, does it scare you? I have thought long and hard about it and I can't say that it really scares me. I am not saying this because I am some macho tough guy. I am saying this because I will leave this earth and go to a place that I can't even imagine. A place called heaven. I would miss my family here in this world but, know I will see most, hopefully all of them soon enough. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it say's about it.....

Bible Verse: Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise."


Some of you may know that my mother is a flight attendant with the airlines. Well, I read this story and thought of her. There was this man on an airplane in a really bad storm. Even the flight attendant was pretty nervous, but there was this little lady with a grin on her face and humming "Blessed Assurance." She seemed to be so at ease. This man was very nervous and said to her, "Lady, aren't you afraid?" She replied to him, "Not at all. I've given my heart to Jesus. It hasn't been very long ago, I had a daughter who passed away. She was a beautiful and faithful Christian and is now in heaven. I have another daughter who's in Denver, where we're heading is this ole' airplane. But, I have to tell you the truth. It really doesn't make matter to me which daughter I visit today." She told this man about Jesus and what He told a man on a bloody cross next to Him, "Today you'll be with Me in paradise." Now, I don't know if this man realized the peace that should come with salvation. I don't know if some of us realize it. I must ask you if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? Where would your family spend eternity? Please ask yourself this question and think about your loved ones. Because if you are born again you are not of this world anymore. You don't let it conform you or put the fear of death in your mind. Live your life with "Blessed Assurance" and with that smile on your face. I pray you have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Don't be greedy........

Good morning everyone. Had a great day yesterday. Awesome church service and then a great Youth service. We started Way of the Master study last night. It is an 8 week course on how to share your faith. The youth really seemed to enjoy it and get involved. I have a super huge praise for last night too! We had one young lady accept Christ as her Savior!! This is what it is all about folks! We must remember that we are to take the gospel to all corners of the earth. So, I want to share with you today a little on the subject. I ask you to stay with me. Today's scripture is a little longer than most. Let's dig into the good stuff.....It is about a rich man and a beggar!

Bible Verse: Luke 16:19-31 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Now, the rich man didn't want his family to die and come to the place where he was. That real place called hell. He begged Abraham to raise Lazarus from the dead and send him to his family. He had a real desire to keep his loved ones from coming to that place of torment. What is messed up about this is that it took hell to develop the concern for the lost. This man's stony heart finally found compassion. Guess what? It was too late for him but, it's not too late for us!

I want to share with you a quote from Charles Spurgeon "The saving of souls, if a man once gained love to perishing sinners and his blessed master, will be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he will almost forget himself in the saving of others. He will be like the brave fireman, who cares not for the scorch or the heat, so that he may rescue the poor creature on whom true humanity has set its heart. If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Here is a fact for you. Only 2% of Christians share their faith! Don't be a statistic. Be a difference maker. If you don't know how to share your faith call me and I will help you learn. Come join our course. Don't make excuses. Someone had the courage to tell you about Jesus. We can't be greedy with the good news about Jesus! I pray you have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

The "Godzone".........

Good morning! I hope all had a blessed Memorial day weekend. We were very busy. Some of the youth, Joslyn, and I went to a Memorial Service yesterday morning at Oak Grove Cemetery. One of our youth spoke and did a great job. We are very proud of her. I am proud of all of our youth they are awesome. Well, let's dig into some of the good stuff. I want to talk about "The Godzone" or The Kingdom of God. When Jesus described the kingdom of God he used a series of stories and/or parables. Jesus was very passionate about helping us understand that the kingdom of God or the "Godzone" is different than we might expect. Now, when Jesus started teaching and healing, His explanation for what he was doing is in today's scripture. Today's devotion will be a little long. Hang in there and let's dig it.......

Bible Verse: Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus is trying to let everyone know that the kingdom of God is at hand or is near. He say's it again in Luke 10:9. Then , in Luke 17:20-21 He say's that the kingdom of God is in you. Guy's so many people are searching for the magical place. That "Godzone". Those who have eyes to see it can find it. The Godzone isn't anywhere in particular, really. Instead it's everywhere. It's anywhere you are! For so many people, when they can't see something it doesn't make sense to them. But, what's cool about the Godzone is that once you've entered into it. You can't believe you've missed it all these years. So many have asked what is the Godzone like. Well, in Jesus' life we can see what the Godzone looks like. All are welcome, made whole, and forgiven. The blind see and the deaf hear. Good news comes to the poor and justice to the wicked. This is what the Godzone is all about. Jesus taught more about it in many stories found in Matthew 13. One about the farmer sowing seeds, one about yeast, one about a mustard seed, and one about an expensive pearl.

Here is one helpful idea to help you understand the Godzone. It is upside down - opposite of what you would expect. Your worth is based on who you are, not what you do. Those who are persecuted are blessed. You die to find life. It is better to give than to receive. You let it go to find something and the last shall be first. Let's look at Matthew 5:1-12 and see the beatitudes - And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Guy's, when we can live in this upside down way. Suprise - Suprise! Joy and Life are found. Weird huh? Let's do our best to stay in the Godzone more and more every day and live upside down. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!