Kick it Off Right

If you want to take it up a notch in your walk with Christ in 2013 plan on doing a few things.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 some of the key things that we must do to not only stay in tune with God but to prosper in our relationship with him.  If we do two out of three, its still not as effective.  We must ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with His strength so we can accomplish these spiritual disciplines.

First, we must be a 'giver'.  We must be sacrificial in our giving of our time, our resources and anything else God asks us to give.  Simply put, God blesses a giver.  He 'gave' his life for us, the ultimate gift. We can never repay him but we can 'give' in such a manner of thanksgiving that pleases him.

Second, we must always be in a 'state of prayer'.  Its very important to have a time set aside for your time with God in prayer.  But just as important, we need to 'pray without ceasing'.  We need to always be talking and listening with God all day long.  He really longs to fellowship with his children.  Not only does this please our Father, but it gives us the power in our lives that God wants us to have.

Last, we must learn to 'fast'.  We have to be willing to give up and sacrifice food for God.  Jesus was the role model in the Bible as he went on a 40 day fast.   A sun up to sun down fast, a 3 day fast, 7 day fast or even a 21 day fast.  Begin with fasting a meal and graduate from that.  This time should be spent praying or reading God's Word.  It has to be important to us and it will be important to God.

Getting these three spiritual disciplines down for 2013 will kick off your new year like you have never imagined!!  God Bless!!

Joy "In" The World

Is is possible to have joy "in" this world?  The Bible says we are not to be "of" the world but we are live "in" the world to make a difference in other peoples lives.  It seems like many people strive to have happiness but when it comes to joy, the is not much to be said.  We are not quite sure what it means and  how we are supposed to attain it.

I had a buddy Blane who said one time, "I may not be happy, but I still have joy".  It was a comment that I will never forget.  it didn't make much sense at the time and would take me several years to figure out.  (I am still trying to live it out!).  He was simply telling me and the guys that were meeting together, that in his current stage of life he was not happy, but he had joy.  He had the joy of the Lord as his strength.

Our relationships that we have can be a source of joy in our lives.

The most important relationship that we have is our relationship with Christ.  Jesus says in John 15:4-5, "remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  We are only branches while he is the life-giving vine.  We have the freewill to stay connected in Him.  If we choose not to, then we are saying we can fend for ourselves.

The other way the joy of Christ can be displayed is through our relationships with other people.  Paul tells us in Philippians 1:3 "I thank God every time I remember you."  We are to put others in our thoughts and thank God for them.  Just because we are not in the same physical place as someone else, its still good to think about them offer up thanks to God.  This brings Joy to our hearts.

Joy requires surrender to self and an intentional sacrifice to think of others ahead of ourselves.  God wants the joy that His Spirit gives to be displayed in the world so that others can see him....and one day know Him!!

OK is very OK

Our family is enjoying our new life here in Broken Arrow, Ok.  We have been here a little over 2 months and will experience our first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from Florida.  I am thankful today to have a supportive wife and 3 kids that are flexible and roll with the flow.  We have a great church family here at Broken Arrow Nazarene that has made us feel very welcome.  They have showered us with food, cards and lots of encouragement in these few short months. There is not a shortage of restaurants here in Broken Arrow/Tulsa.  I have to keep working out so that I do not end up on one of the TV shows "The Biggest Loser".  Ha!

I am fortunate to work with a great staff who are eager to build the Kingdom of God together. We are excited to see what God has in store for us and our new church family.  We can tell that God is moving in our midst and we are in full anticipation that He is going to do Great things!!  

Change is tough

As God continues to lead changes in our families lives, it is always so very cool that are dependence is greater on Him.  I think that God allows and places the desire in our hearts for change, knowing that we will draw closer to Him and become even more of a disciple for him.  Change is uncomfortable, scary, hard work and exciting...all at the same time.  Its awesome to know that he wants his sons and daughters to not be the same, but to develop into his image and his character!!

Jesus hangs out with sinners...awesome!

Reading Luke 7 verses 36-50 the last few days has sparked some thoughts.  The story begins with a Pharisee inviting Jesus to come over and hang out with him and eat dinner.  (one of my favorite things to do)  A woman comes in and starts crying at his feet for all the sin she has been involved in.  She is truly repenting for the tough things that have made up her life to that day.  The Pharisee, who we see later in the story is named Simon, thinks to himself that if Jesus was really a prophet and knew how bad this woman was, there's no way he would allow this to happen.  Jesus knew his thoughts and instead of raking him over the coals and telling all the others at dinner at what a judgmental dude this dinner host is... he takes another approach.  He begins a parable....it starts with 2 men that owe a lender some money.  One owes $500 dollars and the other one owes $50.  The lender who loaned them the money says that they will forgive the debt with no re-payment necessary.  Pretty good deal huh?  Where can I find this lender, I need to borrow a few bucks!  Jesus then asks Simon which one of the men will love the person more who owed him money.  He answered correctly in that he said the one who owed more money to him and had a larger debt forgiven.  Exactly..the one who had the larger debt forgiven will love the person more.  More sin, more forgiveness.  He said the woman who came in and started wiping her tears and washing Jesus feet is forgiven and loves him much.  In fact, he calls Simon out.  He says when he came in his house for dinner Simon did not even wash his feet..this woman has been washing his feet with her tears ( of wanting forgiveness).  He then said that he was not greeted with a kiss....and again this woman has not stopped kissing the feet of Jesus since she came in.  He also said that Simon didn't even annoint his head with oil, and yet the woman has been at his feet with pefume and washing his feet.  My goodness..what kind of host are you man.  Maybe we should have the sinful woman host next time. He explains that a person who shows great love to Jesus is one who has been forgiven much.  When we think we have been forgiven a little...we love little. Realize our forgiveness big time..love bigtime.    He tells the woman that her sins are forgiven and that her faith has healed her.  Go in peace! 

May we all go in peace this weekend as we realize the saving grace of God and his power to forgive us of all our sins!  He is Risen!!

My beautiful Kids!!

Renewal

As the discipleship pastor at Highland Park we just came off of an incredible experience with a 5 day revival service.  God stirred our heart, renewed our soul and reminded us of his goodness and plan for our life.  The Lord reminded me that his timing is always perfect and that He is in control.  He reminds us to stay humble and keep an open mind and heart.  We are to always be thinking of others rather than ourselves and to keep our motives true and pure.  Each night he had a different speaker with a different message.  Each one brought something different to the table, each one was used by God to be a piece in the puzzle that God is designing for us.  We all play some kind of vital role in each others lives if we would be open to what that would be.

Change our God hearts God and continue to transform our mind and soul for you.  "Your plans are much higher than ours and your thoughts are much greater than our thoughts Lord."  Thank you for making us children of yours and having our best interests at heart!

Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house....ok, not really. I am thankful for some new insight that I have with God and what he has confirmed in my life.  I have been walking with God for about 16 years already and yet I feel somedays that we just started our relationship a few years ago.  It never ceases to amaze me that God is still speaking to me loud and clear and that when I listen, He shows me some pretty cool things.  No matter how good things are going.  Even when your marriage is good, the kids are healthy and the bills are paid.  Circumstances are fine, careers are on the positive and friends are faithful, some things are just more important.  Even as Christians, we try to fill a void that only Christ can fill.  We still look to church, to our pastors and leaders, and even to good Christian friends.  But to no avail, only Jesus can do something in us and with us that makes perfect sense.  Its only his presence and purpose that we can have life abundantly.  Nothing else really matters...nothing....

Fruits & Vegetables

I was in unfamiliar territory the other day. I really had not visited this place very often and felt a little weird walking around here. Normally I know where to go and how to get around but this was a little different. I was in the fruits and vegetables section in Publix! I really hadn't frequented this area of the grocery store for several years. I know the bakery area far to well but this section was a little intimidating to me. The more I walked around the more comfortable I was. The more time I spent looking at each item and figuring out what it was and if I was going to put it in my buggy, the more things seemed to flow. God wants us to continue to be in a state of change with him as He transforms our hearts and minds into his likeness. He allows us to venture into unfamiliar territory which creates a stronger dependence on Him. The more time we spend with him, the more comfortable we are in his presence. He wants us to have an intense fellowship with him, unlike no other relationship in our lives. He wants us to be honest in our prayer time and reflective with his word. The next time I enter the fruits and vegetables section I will feel a little more confident that I know what I am doing. In the same way, each time I enter the presence of the Lord I feel like I know him a little better also. And thats a great thing!!

Tomlin Concert

This evening Jean and I had a date night and went to the Chris Tomlin concert.  He was in town with Louis Giglio and Christy Knockles and on the last stop in Florida for hsi tour. As we were parking our car we had a lady honk at us, as if to say, hurry up, I am late for the concert and I want to get a good seat.  She wasn't the only one who was excited and anticipating the night.  We heard another couple say to each other, "boy there are some crazy drivers out there tonight".  We went up the ramp to get in line and there were people everywhere. They had just opened the doors and you could hear a scream or two that came from the beginning of the bunch that got in as soon as the doors opened.  It was a mad rush and you could sense the anticipation of the crowd to get in there and get a good seat.  Oh, I didn't mention, it was general seating so you had better hurry and find where you were going to sit in hurry.  The concert started and was one of the most amazing worship services/times I have ever experienced in my 15 years of being a Christian.  All hands were up, people were engaged and voices signing in every seat.  As I scanned about the sold out arena, I was amazed at all the people that were there.  They were all fully there and diving into God.  I have never seen such expectancy to be with God as I did tonight.  The parking lot was a sign of people who were desperate to get into the presence of Almighy God.  Looking back now, the sheer excitment and hurry up-ness were people just trying to push their way into this Holy environment we were about to become a part of.  Nobody came away empty tonight.  We were all filled with his Glorious presence and all who were there there got a glipmse of what heaven will be like.  Selfless Surrender!

I love the new technology available today. Oh to be able to blog from my cell phone by texting.... Cmon really??!

His Word

We had a speaker come in a few weeks ago and he had a message I will never forget. Well, it wasn't the message I remember, but it was the message within the message. He basically shared his passion for Jesus and that we should all live and die for Christ in our actions and behaviors everyday. But it was the scriptures he used that got my attention. In fact, it was the amount of God'd word that this young man had hidden in his heart. He almost couldn't help himself as he would be going from one point to the next without the Holy Spirit prompting him to say a scripture that referenced his point. I left thinking and pondering the value in this and the challenge to hide God's word in my heart. In my devotions the scripture that came up is one that I now have memorized....pretty much.....it takes me a second to go through it....but I think I have it!! It is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and it talks about why I think that we all need to understand and crave God's word even more. It says that " All Scripture is God-Breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." That tells me that we know that every single word in His Bible came from God and that its useful for many things in our life. We need it so we can be ready to make a difference in this world!! So next time you are asking God for wisdom and he's directing you to his word know that there is a good reason that he wants you to dive into it and digest it for eternal things.

Night of Worship

It was quite an exciting night last night, August 1, as we all gathered together to worship our creator. We had fasted, prayed and came with expectant hearts and spirits, desiring what God had in store for us. God showed up and we were all in awe, from our heads down to our feet. Just being in God's presence in that setting, with that hunger, was like no other. Its hard to put into words! In fact, it was such an amazing experience, no one can put it into words.

I have never been in such a place as we were last night. The church came hungry and we left full. There were hands raised, hearts filled, desperate pleas answered and tears flowing. All because Jesus is alive and well and living out His plan in our lives.

God spoke to each of our hearts individually and personally. He wanted to get us in a place where we would hear his voice and submit to the bigger plan he has for our lives. By fasting, we were able to hear his voice and sense his presence loud and clear. He was even more real and alive in my heart. As I cried out to him I knew that our love affair had just gotten deeper. He filled me fresh with his joy and love. There is nothing like a good dose of Jesus and his mighty power, just when you need it. He is so worthy of all of our praise and all that we give him. May our hearts continue to seek after him and his perfect will for our lives!

Memorial Day Friends 2010

Our life Group got together and had a blast on Sunday evening celebrating our with our families eating and fellowshipping. We had tacos and the kids swam until they dropped. I was reminded of how God wired us for relationship and how much more "Full" life is when you invest with friends. Friendships help one'e soul to feel a sense of completeness and I cannot imagine life without them. Once you have tasted how good it is you can never go back, nor would you ever desire to do that. Once you have had the relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ you can't deny how awesome it is!!

Groups

Life is meant to be experienced together! When we gather together and fellowship in His name its amazing what we see God do through other people. He speaks to us and shows us things about ourselves that He wants to work on. We are all in process, no one is exempt!! There is nothing more rewarding than discovering the rich full blessings in friendships. It fulfills Gods plan what we were absolutely created for. First, relationship with Him. Then relationship with others. It has to be in that order for if we get it backward we will start to lean on man and will end up getting disappointed. He wants all of us first. By doing this He shapes us in the way He wants us so we can have the relationships with others in the way He wants it to happen. God is sooooo Good to us!!!

Training & Discipline

Many times and seasons in our life God allows us to go through times of discipline. The Christian life is a marathon and training for a marathon involves long runs to help develop perserverance. With our world quick gratification is what everyone wants. No one wants to wait for anything-we even get mad or upset and sometimes noticeably impatient if we have to wait in line for something! Imagine that-not being able to go right away-having to wait. When Jesus is molding us into Christlikeness he wont do it instantaneous. He loves us to much to do that. He knows that we must undergo training and seasons of learning. If we arent willing to wait on Him in these times we miss out in what has for us. God wont rush things even though we want him to-"Father knows Best". Sometimes the training can seem boring or dry and non-eventful but God works all things together for good. Hebrews 12:11 says that "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." So when you are going through a season of your life where you are undergoing training remember that it will produce fruit-fruit that will last!!

CR

So much happening with CR! God is sending us new leaders and we are witnessing how God is changing peoples lives and healing them from stuff they have been carrying around for years. 15 people from CR are getting ready to do cardboard testimonies for our church-Highland Park and its going to be powerful!! He is faithful!!

Celebrate Recovery Meetings

It seems like every Friday night and come home and think about what all God has done at Celebrate Recovery that night and just feel thankful for him moving in peoples hearts and lives. I can see lives that are being changed and challenged to grow closer to him and it spurs me on to want to be a better follower of Jesus. Our leadership is learning so much and growing in our quest to help equip others to beat their addictions and hangups. Each one of us is challenged every day to ask God to search our heart and ask him what he wants to renew in us. Its amazing what he is showing us-we are to stay humble and a servant for him and not to rely on ourselves but his Holy Spirit. Its then and only then can we stay empty of ourselves and watch him use all of us ordinary people to be vessels ready to set sail for him whatever it takes!

Trusting Him

In listening to Pastor Brett today he reminded me that "Trust is rooted in Love". We can trust the God we serve becasue he loves us and wants the very best for us. Just like I want the best for my kids so does a loving heavenly father want the best for the children he created. The more I love God the more I believe that I will trust him. The more I trust him the less I will worry about things that I dont have any control over. Trust and obey-there is no other way!!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path!! Just reading and remembering God's word is so uplifting and encouraging to my spirit!