A Word for Christian Leaders

"Ministry is tough and the devil hates the church and hates Christians. It is no different than with Jesus, now the devil persecuted the church, His body. The devil's tactic is the same; strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep."

I wrote these words after hearing the testimony of a very famous Christian leader. They had been in a ministry family and were well known world wide. At one point they were very successful and everything was going good. Through a series of events they lost their ministry assets and even the ministry itself. The pressure was so great it even threatened to end their marriage. Thankfully God is faithful and they are together today and still have a ministry and are moving forward together. 

It is a sobering reality when you hear these types of testimonies from successful and influential people. Success and influence come with a fight. I believe the more significant of a work we do the greater the battle gets. I realize in many ways my ministry is built on the victories others won. I am very blessed to start my ministry where others have done so much. Having said that I can tell you that as I have risen in the ranks of church leadership that it isn't easier but harder. The struggles are greater and the challenges are more numerous. 

The comfort I find in all this is that as I have progressed in life and ministry so has my faith. The Bible tells us that we go from faith to faith, strength to strength, glory to glory. Any time there is a repeat of a statement in the Bible it is for emphasis. The beginning of our faith is great. In fact we get saved through it. As we grow in our knowledge and experience with God we get stronger and stronger. 

Be encouraged that God is growing you up. You are not where you used to be. The battles you face today are preparing you for greater things in the future. As you grow stronger you will be able to handle more. Jesus said that if we are faithful in the little things we will be put over much. We all want that growth but don't want the discipline and the fight to get there. Stay faithful and fight the good fight of faith and you will see the faithfulness of God and have a testimony to tell. 

When Words Fail

"I ran in to a couple that lost their baby. The husband was broken. We cried together and then prayed and talked. I was a mess."

These few messy sentences summarize so much pain and emotion. I didn't have any words of wisdom for this couple that lost their child. Words failed me. I had tears, prayers and eventually some encouragements. I don't think an immediate response of anything other than that would have even been appropriate. 

Many people are just like this couple. Tragedy has hit and there are no words to comfort or settle them. We see it every day. Pain and trials are the norm. 

Recently in our nation we have seen loss and tragedy on many levels. In our social and political structures we are divided. Racially we are heading down the wrong path. In the natural realm disaster has struck and devastated lives. With our national relationships abroad the word 'tense' seems to understate the current norm. 

People are looking for answers. All these things impact people personally. Even without the things that have happened in our nation we see people living amidst personal trials. While the Christian life is not easy I can't imagine doing life any other way. How do people make it without God? 

The only hope we have in the midst of tragedy is that God is good. Some scoff and some don't believe in the goodness of God. I can't see any other option. Without it I am without hope. God's goodness is the only thing that assures me that the suffering and pain we endure in this life will be worth it all in the end. 

God is near to the brokenhearted and collects our tears as His treasures. That in itself is mind blowing. But when you think of a God who cries with us, Who listens to our prayers and Who speaks words of comfort and wisdom to us there can be no other conclusion than that God is good. He loves us and love never fails. His words are eternal and when words fail us His word stands strong. 

If you're experiencing pain or tragedy know that God is with you in your pain. He loves you and hasn't left. Your emotions are normal and it's okay to experience anger, confusion, sadness and to have questions. But when you settle in to the reality that God is good it will help you to go through the trial and the pain. 

The Gentle Push

"I found out he had been in rehab for alcohol addiction. It almost broke up his family but he said his wife stuck with him. I could tell he was ashamed and didn't want to really open up too much. I just gently pushed and he told me about it once he knew I was genuinely interested and wasn't just making small talk. I told him I was proud of him and he teared up and thanked me for really asking him and not just passing by."

The title of this post sounds like what my kids often try to do to each other at the edge of the pool. They don't want to get caught shoving their siblings in to the water so they look at me while gently try to edge their brother or sister over the edge. Most of the time I would catch on to what they were doing and stop them. 

My thought from last year isn't kids playing jokes. It is a subtle push that most people need in order to know that you care. Yes, you may be trying to get them over the edge of something but the motive isn't mischievous. Genuine care in a fake world is hard to find. Have you noticed? 

There have been times I have been on the receiving end of the push and appreciated it later. I was just reading about a day when I had the wrong attitude and went in to a situation with guns blazing only to have someone who cared about me remind me of what my purpose was in a direct but very lovingly gentle way. It made all the difference. If fact once I crossed over in to sanity again I became the one giving others the same encouragement that I had received. 

There are people in the world who are looking for genuine relationships and real contact with others. They may be popular on social media or well known at work but when you get in close proximity you find they are lonely and searching for someone to share life with. While I risk sounding cliche the old saying is true that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

Some of the words that pops out to me when I read about the Apostle Paul's ministry in his own words are genuine, sincere and care. He really loved the people he ministered to. So much so that at one point he likens himself to a nursing mother. How is that for imagery!? But could it be that this is the real reason why God was able to use him so mightily? He really loved and cared for the people. Not like a little brother pushing to get a laugh but like a mother pushing to get greatness out of her child. You can imagine him praying and preaching and pushing until he saw what he was desiring in the churches. 

In the Proverbs it says that a soft answer can turn away great wrath and a gentle answer can break a bone. It may be that we fear the backlash of someone who is closed up. But if the push is giving in the right spirit it can have tremendous results. 

Allow your love and care to push you to gently push others. Know where the boundary lines are and make sure your motives are pure. If you do this right though it will make all the difference in someone elses life. 

Have you ever had that gentle push? How did it make you feel? Have you successfully given someone else this push? What does this look like in family vs. friendship? 

God doesn't sleep

From the Word: Esther 6:1 “That night the king could not sleep…”

"Not when there is injustice. The King of Glory never sleeps nor does He slumber. He will bring justice swiftly for those who love Him. The devil is plotting and we are not unaware of his devices. Even more so the all knowing God. Will He not arise and carry out His good plan according to His mercies? Will He not see us in the court, dressed and ready for Him and extend his scepter to us? Will he not hang the devil on the gallows he meant to hang us on? Will He not bring us to His banqueting table and hang His banner of love over us?"

It is Easter weekend as I write this. So many thoughts and emotions come with this time of year. Beauty is all around as flowers are in bloom and for a few weeks in California we get to see green hills instead of brown ones. 

Even with all the beauty we are constantly reminded of the fallen world we live in. Just last week the headlines were "Shooting at an Elementary school." Sin and the devil are at work. They don't take a day off. We read that after Jesus overcame the temptation in the wilderness that the devil went away looking for an opportune time to trip him up. 

The good news is that God doesn't sleep either. In fact Jesus said that He and His Father were working from the beginning. God doesn't change and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! Jesus is alive and working on the earth. 

Jesus told a parable of a widow who went to an unjust judge to get deliverance. Eventually she did because the unjust judge didn't want to be wearied with her coming anymore. In the explanation of the parable Jesus tells us that we shouldn't give up either. God is not unjust! He hasn't forgotten you. Jesus ended his statements by saying that God would bring justice swiftly. 

Don't give up or give in. When you see the devil taking lives and sin destroying people press in to God. He isn't off taking a nap or an extended vacation. He is intimately involved in the events of the earth bringing justice, comfort, peace, healing and especially the good news of the gospel that Jesus took our sin on the cross and defeated death and the devil when he raised again to life! 

God loves you so much. Easter shows us that. The beauty of spring shouts that there is a resurrection and we can be made alive with Christ. I would encourage you to take some time to meditate on the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Get into a Bible believing church and experience the wonderful presence of God. Tell God how thankful you are for His love and love on Him right back. Finally, take some time to pray for those who are bound by sin and the devil, that they would be delivered and experience the salvation and love of Jesus this Easter weekend as well. 

Some Good Advice

"I told him to stay humble, stay teachable, forgive quickly and apologize quickly. It is good advice for all of us."

There are times I know God is speaking through me to others. I am sure any of you readers who are Christians can identify a time when you were used of God to speak to someone else. At times we find that those same words God speaks through us are spoken to us. 

In the case of what I said to my friend as I wrote it down that night and now a year later as I read it today it applies to my own life. 

Humility is a misunderstood word. In our present society we think of humble as it relates to things. People will call a small house a humble house. Some would say that someone without means in the natural is living a humble life. This is not the humility that God wants from us. 

True humility is depending on God. Moses was said to be the meekest man on earth. Did you know he wrote that about himself? Most of us would say he was prideful. Not so if you have the right definition of humility and meekness. All Moses was saying about himself was that he was the one who depended on God the most. 

In order to succeed in life we need to stay humble. That means we continually depend on God. Depend on Him for everything. For wisdom, direction, strength and whatever else you need. If we can stay humble then we can know that God will pour out His grace on us. God opposes the proud be He gives grace to the humble. 

We should also endeavor to stay teachable. It is a personal goal of mine to be a lifelong learner. The crazy thing is that the more I know the more I realize how little I know. Especially when it comes to God. The more I know of Him the bigger He gets. 

When we realize we don't have all the answers it frees us from pride and helps us to stay humble. Then we get back to the place of grace. Being teachable will also help us to navigate new areas of life. 

Finally we should all be ready to forgive quickly and apologize quickly. Jesus forgave us. That is reason alone to forgive others. If fact, we are commanded to forgive as God in Christ forgave us. 

Pride will stop us from both forgiving and apologizing. When we are prideful we hinder relationships and hold on to hurts. It is that ungodly spirit that insists "I was right and they were wrong!" that wont let go. A spirit of humility depends on God to forgive and apologize; even when you don't think you were that wrong. It doesn't matter as much as following the way of God. God's way is forgiveness. He showed us that in Jesus Christ. 

This is just a short list of things that will help us in life's course. Can you think of any other good advice that you would add to this list? 

Back to Work

"Back to work. It was a normal day in the office. Normal meaning that I sat and intended to pray and study and get some of my desk cleared and didn't do anything that I set out to do because of meetings and pressing ministry needs that arose."

Can you identify with my quote from last year? I am sure you can in one way or another. You had plans. You intended to get something done. You were going to make it happen. 

Then you got busy. 

It happens to all of us. We get distracted with the day and pressing things interrupt our best laid plans. This is okay every now and then. We need to be flexible. Stuff happens. The problem that we all know far too well is that this is a regular occurrence. It becomes the norm. 

So we live with our dreams and desires on the shelf we label "When I have time..." and there they sit collecting dust. 

Or not. 

Isn't it time for a change? Aren't you sick of living an unfulfilled life? I know I can't stand having dreams and desires that look like empty rooms in my house. (This expression comes from the fact that I really need to print some photos on canvas and metal and decorate the house I have lived in for a year and a half so it looks like someone lives there...too much info?) 

So how do we change it? Glad you asked. 

It starts with the priority. How valuable is that dream or desire? If the desire is to have a prayer and study time in the morning with the Lord before you start your day you better lose some sleep or go where you can't be interrupted. I recently fasted two hours of sleep every morning for ten days and gave that time to the Lord. It totally revived me. I had fresh prayers, my journal was filled with insights from the Lord and I just had better days. In fact I made breakfast for the family two mornings in a row. Not just cereal either, it was bacon and eggs and then Dutch Babies on another day. (If you don't know what Dutch Babies are you need to start living.) Sure I was tired but the benefit far outweighed the loss of sleep. 

Our priorities will drive our actions. This means saying no to things that would distract us. This also means strategic planning for what we want. I had a plan to wake up early. I am still waking up earlier than I was before my fast and putting the priority on giving God the first part of my day. It was like a reset for me. 

For you it may be a different time of day is when you set aside for your priorities. Maybe it is setting aside time to be distracted. What a thought! If e-mail is a distraction why not give yourself an hour just for e-mail and then discipline yourself to stay away for the rest of your day? It just might work. 

The staying power of all this is consistency. The commitment without consistency is not a real commitment at all. It is just a dusty whim on the shelf. Stay after it. If you get off then get back on. Don't beat yourself up but rather discipline yourself. There is a huge difference. On defeats and deflates you the other will propel you and pump you up. 

Take some time to dream this week and write down what you really want from life. Is it more time in the word and prayer? Is it more family time? Is it a more productive work day? Whatever it is, and it may be a lot of things, place numbers or values next to the items you listed in order of priority. Then ask God to help you with a plan of action. Look for the distractions and overcome them before you get distracted by them. Also you may want to involve a spouse or friend as an accountability partner to keep you focused. I know I need that in my life! 

This year let's not stay with the norm, let's grow to new heights!

Planning for the New Year

"I have labored most of this day on my message for the weekend. I am supposed to give vision and bring out what the year is to look like. It is tough because I have so much in my heart and yet I am finding it hard to make clear. There are no easy steps to make this happen. There is heart, faith and following the Lord."

The Bible says that there are many plans in a man's heart but the answer comes from the Lord. Looking at a new year can bring on a host of emotions. Sometimes the task ahead can be daunting. Other times the prospect of the unknown can be exciting. We may also find that having a clean slate to work with is a relief and there is a peace that comes with the new year. 

I think the sentiment from my thought from last year is still the same today. No matter how you feel as you approach 2017 know that it can be your best year. The reason is that when you have God giving direction and laying out the vision of what is to come it makes life an adventure. Adventure doesn't mean easy. I couldn't give you three easy steps to the best year of your life. But I can give you encouragement that you can have the best year of your life. 

How can I say that? Glad you asked. 

I have a question for you. 

What is in your heart? 

Do you really want to have a great year? You can have it. God says that if you delight yourself in Him that He will give you the desire of your heart. That shows me that if you really want it you can have it. 

Beyond that what can you believe God for? How big is He to you? What is He able to do? My Bible says God is an exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or think God. That means my desires and my ability to ask will always come up short of what He is able to do. He will always exceed my expectation! So my faith needs to rise to new levels to have a better year. 

Finally we need to realize the simplicity of just following God as our leader. Again, this is not always easy, but it is simple. 

There have been many times that I have lamented over a member of my family, who will go unnamed (you know who you are), and their inability to make boxed macaroni and cheese. If they could just follow the directions everything would turn out right. But rather than boil the water before they add the noodles I see them dumping the box in water that is just starting to warm up. Oh I warn them that soggy macaroni noodles are on the horizon but do they listen? No. Not until they are eating mushy mac 'n cheese. 

All joking aside I know that God's plan is better than mine. If we could just catch a vision of what God has planned for us and follow His will we would have the best year of our lives. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for a look in to what He desires for your year ahead. Press in, fast, pray and find out from the scriptures and your personal time with the Holy Spirit what that is. 

My 2016 ended up being an amazing year that when I look back on I am blown away. God is faithful. We can see it behind us and we can believe for it ahead of us. 

One Year After a Terrorist Attack

"Looking back over today I never would have thought it would turn out as it did. The head of our safety ministry came in to our pastors meeting to tell us that there was an active shooter down the street and that we were locking down the facility. Soon after we started working again our administrator came and asked if we could bring the people from the site to our church while they were interviewed by the police. I immediately thought of the school but then knew that in a time like this we needed to be a light and extend care to our hurting community. We watched some of the news reports and then started preparing for the arrival of the people. We had snacks, sodas, water and coffee available for them. Some counsellors showed up and set up in the youth auditorium. Police and probation officers arrived first. One of the detectives who attends our church showed up with a shirt soaked in blood. I remembered I had two shirts in my office that were samples from Man Day that I went and grabbed. I gave him one and his partner the other one. They were both very grateful. When the people arrived they separated them by who saw something and who was just there. The people had tears in their eyes. They were very grateful we were open for them. When the bus pulled in and parked at the church one person yelled “Thank God we're safe!” One of our members who worked at the IRC said she has never been prouder of her church than today. Some of our other members were there and greeted me as they walked in the building. Many of the officers and peer support personnel were from our church as well. The cafe was packed. They were getting most of their names and pictures and busing them to another site to be picked up. We had a second bus load of people come bringing the total from 200 to probably 400 not counting the hundreds of volunteers, chaplains, police, detectives, and counsellors. They started to ask about if we were going to have a church service. I had told Pastor Luke we would have a prayer service tonight. They were concerned about opening the campus. We decided to move forward and believe God for safety. A guy went to Costco to buy a pallet of water for the people and when Costco asked him what he was doing and found out they dumped chickens and bagels, croissants and bread in his truck to bring. It was great to see pastors from other churches and the community uniting for this. When the sun had set I walked across to get ready for the prayer service. It was God orchestrated. There were 16 salvation's and who knows how many online. We prayed and preached the gospel. That was all. People from all over the world were texting and hitting us up on social media."

One year later after these events I woke up and came to church to pick up Pastor Luke and our Administrative team and we all headed to the IRC for a memorial gathering where they honored the organizations who opened their doors for the people being evacuated. There were somber moments and words of hope given. They presented a plaque to The Rock Church for our involvement and had Dr. Fred Adams, our administrator at the time of the event, say a few words. 

What I think left the greatest impact was the scripture he read from Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

There are many people whose lives will never be the same after December 2, 2015. Fourteen individuals are now gone from our lives. Their families and friends left in the wake of terror. I am sure many questions and sorrows still linger. Only in Jesus will we find rest for our souls. He alone has the answers. He alone can calm our fears and give us peace amidst the storms of life. He was acquainted with sorrows and if you listen to some of the statements He made regarding current events of His day you will find that there was plenty of tragedy and many questions. 

It was the mission of Jesus to point us to and show us the Father. That is exactly what He did when He went to the cross. Not only in that one instance but also throughout His entire life He showed us the Father through his life, His words, the miracles He performed, His emotions and His actions. 

Now He calls us to the same life. He wants us to show others the love of Jesus through our lives. We can share the words of life. We can act in a way that displays the goodness of God. Whether it is through a prayer, a shoulder to cry on, buying a pallet of water at Costco or giving someone a fresh shirt it all displays the love of Jesus.

We will not forget those who lost their lives. We will work towards love and unity in our nation. Over and above all, we as Christians, will show the love of Jesus to a lost and dying world. 

The Journey

"God is taking us all on a journey." 

This past Wednesday marks the one year point that started a new phase of my journey. It was a year ago that I was named the Senior Pastor of The Rock Church and World Outreach Center. It happened in an organizational meeting and no one was expecting it. That night I wrote the words above along with a lot of other thoughts. There was a myriad of emotions that came throughout the day. I remember the feeling like I wanted to cry but no tears would come. I was excited but apprehensive. I had thoughts of what I was supposed to do for the church, for myself and for the family. I felt confident that God would give me grace for the task but had the lingering question of whether He got the right guy for the job. 

This past year has proven that God is faithful and He is in control. He has lead the church from it's inception and continues to do so. Our journey is a result of His perfect plan. He has ordained every step we take and has placed us here for such a time as this. 

I never set out to be a pastor, let alone a Sr. Pastor, on my journey. I was just a teenager who fell in love with Jesus and started following His lead. If my plans had been followed I would have been a rock star and maybe later in life done some ministry in the church once my platform had been built to speak from. God had a much greater plan. He has lead me around the world and across the U.S. through mission. He lead me to the love of my life, Jessica. He lead us together to Bible College, young adults ministry, and made us the parents of three amazing children. 

More recently God lead me to the place of being the Executive Pastor of the Rock Church and I couldn't have been in a better place in my opinion. I loved the place of supporting the vision and mission of our church and carrying out the direction from Pastor Jim. I got to lead, to serve, to preach, to be amongst the people and make ministry happen. 

Today I see after this year that God had been leading me through all those experiences to got me to the place where I am today. It was no accident. 

Hopefully as you read this blog you aren't discouraged that God hasn't lead you to where I am at. That would be tragic! Why? because God has a plan for you individually. He is leading you on a journey of your own. If everyone had my story where would all the other stories be? How bland and boring! 

You were specifically designed by God with a purpose. With that purpose in mind God has lead you through every trial and triumph. All the growth you have experienced over the years has been to the end that God intends to use you for His glory. Sometimes the process is painful and grueling. Other times you don't even know God is at work. 

Be encouraged today that God is taking you on a journey. Fall in love with Jesus and follow His lead. As you do God will take you on adventures and take you places you never would have imagined. The story He wants to write about your life will be far greater than your best laid plans. 

True Direction

"...love believes the best so I am going against what I think."

If we are going to stick with what is real and true then many times we will have to go against what we think and feel. I was reminded of two songs from the 90's recently that both carried the idea that if something feels good then we should do it. In the flesh we often place our immediate happiness and gratification ahead of what we know to be true in God's word. These songs just reinforce our natural tendencies towards sin and comfort. God knows where we are at and has a way of bringing us around to His truth. 

What I think doesn't always line up with God's word. I have felt at times that I was right about someone or about a situation only to find out later I was wrong. Thoughts, feelings and emotions will present themselves as the authority on reality. But when I look over my life I can see in hindsight that what I feel for a moment can change, my emotions are like the tides of the ocean and my thoughts change as I get more information. It isn't about what I think or feel but rather about what God says. 

It is important to continually study God's word so that it gets inside of you. When you have it inside of you and a situation arises that jars you then what is inside will spill out. Jesus teaches it is out of the abundance of what is in our hearts that our mouths speak. If I can stay full of God's word then I will speak it in the face of opposing factors. What we say ultimately guides our lives. James used the illustration of a bit in a horses mouth and the rudder of a ship turning and steering the life. So it is with out tongues. The words of our mouths show what is in our hearts and guide our lives. 

Believe the best. God's truth is the best for your life. When you look at others view them as God does. Let God's love flow through you. Allow the truth inside to spoken out of your mouth. Speak it over your family, your coworkers, neighbors and community. It is easy to say negative things about what we see and feel. Many times we repeat thoughts that aren't even our own. It makes all the difference in the world when speak God's word and let His love guide us. 

2 Decades of Good Times

"What a crazy ride it has been!" 

In these words I sum up twenty years of my Christina walk. I never dreamt that God would take me around the world preaching the gospel when I said yes to Jesus. I never dreamt that God would have me pioneer ministries, teach in a Bible College or pastor at one of the greatest churches on the planet (which I believe is the greatest but I am a little biased). I never dreamt that God would bless me to have the family that I do. I look at my wife and children in amazement. 

All of this is not to brag. All the praise goes to God. I couldn't have done any of this by myself. At best I would have been playing guitar in a coffee shop somewhere hoping someone would like my version of an old song and they would give me a tip with paper money rather than coins. How miserable. 

Every morning I wake up with the words 'thank you' on my lips. I think God smiles when we say thanks. He knows He is good but loves a grateful heart. The words 'be thankful' occur on several occasions in the New Testament. I guess we have to be reminded. If you look around you will see the hand of God on your life. 

I could tell stories of how I should be dead. How people on my street pulled guns on me and my friends while we were playing basketball. I could talk about car accidents that never happened and I don't know how they were avoided. To be honest there was one time in San Timoteo canyon I closed my eyes when a truck crossed over the double yellow lines on to my side of the road and when I opened them again I was just fine. Or when I rolled my car in Reche Canyon and told God on the way over "Here I come!" (That accident did happen but I was fine. Maybe I should stay away from the canyons?!)  

As I look forward to the next twenty years I wonder at what God will do. What victories are in store and what tragedies will be avoided or withstood with grace and joy? No matter what comes good or bad I do know that two words will be on my lips; "Thank you!" 

What has God done in your life since you said yes to Jesus? How grateful are you?

What the World Needs Now

"I was thinking about how we need to operate in agape love. Love covers!"

People are hurting. Times are not just tough, they are tumultuous. There is fear on every side. Terrors on the outside with divisions on the inside. If you have been following the news or the social media stream you know exactly what I am talking about.

People all over the world read this blog from every walk of life. You are concerned and feel the pain of what is going on firsthand. In our nation we are experiencing things we never would have dreamed of. Some of you are mourning the loss of a friend or the loss of an ideal you have lived by because of the actions of others.

I titled this post "What the World Needs Now" with the old song in mind. We need love. But not just any love. We need agape love. If you aren't familiar with what agape love is let me tell you about it.

Agape is a Greek word for love. It is different than our English word from love in the sense that agape is a very specific type of love. In fact the Greeks had several words they used to describe love. We in our language would say "I love my friends," "I love my spouse," "I love my dog," and "I love nachos" all in the same day. Obviously we do not love nachos the way we love our spouse. Nor do we love our friends like we love our dog. (For some they love their dog more than their friends!)

In the Greek language they had separate words for the different kinds of love. They would use phileo for the friendship type of love. Eros was used for the sensual and romantic type of love. But agape is different. We find that it is entirely a word that was used mostly by the Bible and was used for the love that we as Christians are supposed to have. It is a unique type of love that flows from God the Father.

It was the agape love of the Father that motivated Him to send Jesus to live and die for our sin and salvation. It is the agape love that Jesus lived in that caused Him to touch the unclean and heal them, to stop with a half breed outcast woman by a well and save her soul, and to weep at the death of His friend and raise him from the dead. Jesus is love incarnate because 1 John tells us that "God is love."

God is agape love. It defines Who He is and how He operates. It is this agape love that we are to operate in. It is this agape love from the Father, working through His children, that the world needs. Without it the same problems will keep going on. Division and separation, prejudice and murder will continue without agape love.

When we, God's children, the church of Jesus Christ, come together in love and spread the love of the Father it will tear down the walls of separation. The love of God will show the world that we are His disciples. Our love will be shown in our obedience to the commandments of God and people will see the difference in our lives. This love will compel us to reach out with the Word and power of God. This love will motivate and fuel our prayers for the world and cause us to pray for our enemies and bless those that spitefully use and persecute us.

Agape love is what the world needs now. Love never fails.

Super Powers

"We saw the new super hero movie. It is a bit disturbing how much they quote scripture and misapply the Word. They have a form of godliness yet deny its power. So sad that all the answers and greater power than any superhero are right in front of them and they don't even care or recognize it."

As a kid I loved comic books. So much so that whenever I made any money from mowing my grandmother's lawn I would immediately ride my bike to the comic store and spend it on the latest copies of all my favorites. It wasn't until I grew in the Lord and understood more of the things of God that I really saw how many spiritual things are hidden in these books. Eventually I made the choice to stop reading the comic books and even burned my whole collection in four small barbecues (but that is a story for another time). 

Now these same spiritual messages are being woven into the movies that are being produced. There are spiritual themes and raging wars between good and evil. I enjoy a good action flick with explosions and well won victory. What gets to me is the exaltation of evil and the err when it comes to God's truth. 

As much as we can imagine when it comes to power and ability it still pales in comparison to the power and ability of God. The movies make these super heroes and the bad guys they protect the world from look like they are in an exalted position but none of them come close to the exalted position Jesus has at the right hand of the Father. They will never come close! 

In John 19 Jesus is face to face with Pilate. During the encounter Pilate tells Jesus that he has the power to set him free or to send him to be crucified. Jesus' response is so powerful that I have to pause and take it in when I read it. He responds by saying that Pilate would have no power unless it was given from above. Wow! We think we are so great and mighty but the only reason we are anything is because of God's sovereign plan. 

The truth is that only God is powerful. Only Jesus is exalted. Only the Holy Spirit is worth being in awe of. When we try to substitute any other it will be out of place and rob us of the true blessing of what is real. So go have fun at the movies and enjoy a good story and some awesome special effects but be sure to have more fun in church praising the God who is over all. 

How have you experienced the power of God in your life? 

How Much Do You Want it?

"I gave an altar call right away and a bunch of people came forward. The service went on and at the announcements I was thinking about how to tell the people if they missed the first altar call to come and talk to the prayer teams when God told me to give them another altar call. I thought"But I only have five minutes left!“ And He responded "So, give them an altar call.” I gave the quickest altar call I ever did. It reminded me of a radio broadcast invitation for salvation. Eighteen people responded! Ten showed up but I think some were repeats and realized they had already done what we were doing. Still, ten people needed that altar call. God would spare a city for those ten. He would certainly leave the ninety nine and go after the one. At home the Lord spoke to me about a double portion. We can have it if we want it. We have to want it. We have to ask for it. And we have to stick in there to receive it. Once you get it you have to walk in it, or, use it."

Whatever we want in life, after we have settled the issue of if it is God's will, we can have. The question we all have to answer is; "How much do you want it?" The answer to this question will determine if you get what you want. 

As a pastor my life's work is to help people on their journey with God. From birth to death I work with people in all stages of life. Primarily I want to see people start their new life by being born again. Every time we have a church service there will be an altar call. I pray and seek after God for people to respond when we give the invitation. 

On morning I woke up before my alarm and had the thought to go back to sleep. As I closed my eyes I heard God whisper in my spirit, "How bad do you want it?" I knew exactly what He was talking about when I heard the question. How bad did I want to see my prayers answered for people to respond tot he call for salvation? How bad did I want to see them grow? How bad did I want our church to grow? I responded by getting up and going to prayer and preparation for the day. 

It is the same for anything we want in life. How bad do you want to grow? How bad do you want a great marriage? How bad do you want your kids to grow up right? How bad do you want to prosper in business? The answer will determine what your next move should be. 

Once you know how bad you want it then prove it with your life. Prove it to yourself, to God and to those around you. Spend the time you need to working at what is important. Work at it without getting distracted. The longer you stick with it the more progress you will make until you eventually achieve your goal. 

It sounds easy but, like with all things that truly matter, will take a lifetime. I don't know that this side of heaven we will ever say we have arrived when it comes to building a marriage or family or with our spiritual growth. We can always be growing and attaining greater heights. If you really want it, whatever it is, you will be in it for the long haul. And chances are if you stay after it you will not only get it but it will be wonderful. 

The Heart Test

"1 Chronicles 29:17 near the beginning of the verse says that the Lord tests the heart and has pleasure in uprightness. This is obviously an uprightness of heart. It is not only in the outward appearance of being good but in the recesses of the heart where no one can see except the Lord Himself. Am I pure of heart? All things are open to the eyes of Him with Whom I have to do! What will He find when He looks in me? Will it be uprightness of heart? Will it please Him?"

These questions should be asked daily. The reason is that we are exposed to the pollutants of the world daily. Between the influences of the flesh, the world and the devil we are exposed to a lot! It can be overwhelming. 

The good news is that when we are upright in our hearts we can make it through. Psalm 7:10 says that God is our defense and saves the upright in heart. We can't lose when God is protecting us. 

How do we develop uprightness of heart? First of all we have to commit ourselves to the Lord's work in the heart. It starts at the point of salvation and goes on into our spiritual walk with God. We have to also guard our hearts. Jesus talked about light and darkness going in to the body through the lamp of the eye. Obviously there is more than just a physical thing going on here. We walk by faith and not by sight. So what we 'see' is very important. What are we dwelling on in our thought life? How many ungodly influences are we listening to? These are the influences that can darken our hearts. 

Instead of being influenced by the world, the flesh and the devil allow yourself to be led by God. The Bible tells us to look unto Jesus. That looking to Jesus implies that you look away from everything else in order to focus the whole of your attention to one thing. Jesus has to be your one thing. When you focus on Him you will listen to His voice, see what He is doing and do the same and you will catch His heart; an upright heart. 

Take the spiritual heart test today and ask those tough questions. As you find the results make the changes necessary to have an upright heart. God's pleasure will be on you and you will have Him as your defense! 

The Treasury of Prayer

"Quite an imagery from Spurgeon: let every believer cast his mite into the treasury of prayer. We ought to give it our all in prayer. Everything we have. Our fellowship in prayer is with the Father. I have been with people who I know didn't want to be with me. How much more does the Father know!?"

In desperate times we need to be desperate in our prayers. Desperate for God to move. Desperate to hear God's voice. Desperate to see change in our world. 

Too often prayer is a last resort if at all. We go through life saying we have fellowship with the Father and yet don't speak to Him about our lives. We are to pray without ceasing. That doesn't mean that all you ever do is pray. Rather it means that you keep the lines of communication open with God all day long every day. 

We ought to remind ourselves that God is with us everywhere we go. How rude not to talk to someone you get up with in the morning and go to bed with at night! Sure there are times to sit and be quiet and not say anything. But relationships that are healthy have communication. We listen to God and we speak to God. It is a two way street. 

Take some time right now to connect with God through prayer. Don't let 'amen' be like ending a phone call. Leave the line open and talk to God as you go throughout your day. In desperation cast all you have into the treasury of prayer. 

I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share how you keep after your passion in prayer. 

Undying and Incorruptible

"Ephesians 6:24 in the Amplified Bible says "Grace be to all those who love the Lord with an undying and incorruptible love." Our love must grow by the grace of God to be able to be like His love for us. Undying, it cannot be quenched by deep waters, blown out by the mighty winds or put out for lack of oxygen. It also will be incorruptible. It will never be tainted or grow weak or tarnished. It cannot be perverted or grow less brilliant in its quality."

The greatest love stories of our day do not compare with the lavish love God has poured out on us. We look at His expression of love and the triumph of love and cannot be anything but humbled and driven to love God back. How could we not?  

Here we see in this passage that the grace of God is given to those who love the Lord with a certain kind of love; undying and incorruptible. It seems that in our human ability this is impossible. With God though all things are possible. 

When we truly have been saved we are forever grateful. A grateful and forgiven heart is one that is not easily swayed. Our love for God will be undying because we have been saved from sin and Hell and our only response is love. 

When we truly have been saved we won't be corrupted by this world. The things that try to get us off track will be nonsense to us. Our focus will be our God. Nothing can take our gaze away from Him nor can we be tarnished in our thinking towards Him. 

When we love like this then grace will be given. Gods ability will be upon us. The power to succeed in life will be granted. We all need that. It starts with love, His love, and then our love to Him. 

Please share any comments below. 

A Double Portion

"A couple of thoughts from the Word: 1 Chronicles 16:37 “as every day's work required.”

There is a required work for today. God has a prescribed way to do life. When we follow His plan we fulfill His purpose. There are requirements. We must carry them out and be careful to fulfill all that He desires the way He desires.

1 Chronicles 16:43 David returned to bless his own house.

David had just brought the ark to Jerusalem and erected a tent for it. There has been great celebration. It wasn't enough for him to bless Jerusalem or the people that he led as King. He now would take what he had home and bless his house. God would have us to bless our families, spouse, children, even the neighbors and strangers that come around. If they will receive it. David's wife despised her husband dancing and she ended up not having children. In other words David was on his way to bless and when she rejected David and his blessing she in turn received a curse."

Is it possible to get more than one revelation from the scripture in one day? Absolutely. Sometimes I think we (or I if this is old news to you) over complicate things. Let's take hearing from God. We (I) get the idea that in order to hear from God you have to be in deep prayer for hours, sweating and tired, maybe crying a bit too, and then when you have fulfilled your pious duty of praying to God He will respond. 

Foolish. And not so. 

God can speak whenever He wants. He can also use different means to get the message to us. 

That is not to say that sweating, crying, lengthy prayer is bad. I've had some good prayers like that. Not too often though. 

What I am really saying is that these lengthy arduous prayers are not the requirement of hearing from God. You do have to be listening. 

We can help the process by being in a constant state of listening. When you are ready to hear from God and have spiritual eyes and ears open then when God speaks you will hear him. Didn't Jesus say "My sheep know my voice...?" He sure did! If you are His sheep then you don't have to worry about missing out. He will speak to you. You have to be ready to hear. 

All throughout your day God will take moments and make them communication. I have heard God's voice in prayer, through His word in the scriptures, from pastors while the preach, in conversation with others and in every day activities. God will take an experience and make it a parable for your life. 

Just recently I was watching a movie and God used it to teach me about the power of His word and at the same time gave me a tool to teach others with the gospel. What a great God He is! 

In our life it should be normal and expected to hear from God multiple times every day. If you haven't heard his voice recently it may be that you aren't listening or aren't doing what He says. It is time to change that. Live in obedience, open your eyes and your ears and most of all your heart to hear from God. He wants to speak to you today...multiple times. 

Was there ever a unique way God spoke to you?

Getting it Right

"From the Word: For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” (‭I Chronicles‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ NKJV) King David recognized that the outbreak of the Lord when Uzzah was driving the cart and put his hand out to steady the ark was because they were not doing what God wanted the way He wanted them to. There is a proper order in life and in our approach to God. Nature shows us proper order. There is a proper family, church and social order. When we try to do these things out of order and say we are doing what God wants we lack the wisdom of doing it the way He wants and displease the Lord."

God knows how life should work. He is the Author of life after all. Doesn't it make sense that we should listen to how He would have us to do life? 

We make two mistakes when it comes to getting directions. Either we don't get any direction or we get the wrong direction. 

Without getting any direction the auto pilot of our flesh will take over. The flesh will go where it pleases. I don't think I need to tell you where we end up when this happens. We could trade shameful stories about what happens when the flesh takes over. A quick study of the letters to the church will also show more of where the flesh wants to go. 

When we get fed up of going only where he flesh wants the natural place to turn is to people. Family and friends or coworkers are easily accessible and some are even happy to help. No matter how well meaning and knowledgeable they may be unless they are sending us to the Word of God they will often give bad or wrong directions. Some of what they say may be good or might even get you through to something better than the flesh. But just because it is better doesn't mean it is right. In the end a wrong direction will get you to the wrong place. So we wander. 

A lot of mistakes and pain in our wandering will send us to God for direction. Now we have what King David called the proper order. Life works when we have the proper order. We won't follow the flesh or wander in the opinions of well meaning people. Most importantly we will have God working for us and not against us. That is called blessing by the way. 

If you have been getting the wrong direction take some time to pray and seek God for direction. Read scriptures that deal with your situation and start putting things in the proper order. 

I would love be to hear any testimonies of how life worked out when you found out what God's directions were. Feel free to post in the comments. 

The Lord was with Him

"From the Word: “The Lord was with Him”. What a statement! Write it on my grave for it is written on my heart. How can I have this said of me? I must be with the Lord. If I draw near to Him He will draw near to me. If I am for Him then I am not against Him. If I open the door He knocks on in my heart He will come in and eat with me. If I call on His name as Abraham His friend, if I walk with Him as Enoch did who pleased Him so much that He took Him, if I will be obedient and follow Jesus commands then the Lord will be with me. Amen."

Plain and simple. We have access to God. He is not far away. We may have felt far away but He has always been there. We may have felt distant but He was close. He has opened the way to be with Him. 

Jesus is our access. We can go to God through Him. Our prayers are heard because of Him. We can be with God anytime and anyplace. He is already there and wherever and whenever we desire we can access His presence. 

With God's presence also comes His power. We have the power of God available to us. It is called grace. It is God's sovereign divine ability to get the job done on our behalf when we couldn't do it. Whatever it is you are endeavoring to do, know that you have the power of God available to you to do it. 

Too often we try to go at it alone. And yet the greatest power is present and available to us. Call on God, be with Him, give him your situation and ask for His grace. As you do God will empower you and walk you through the process. If God starts something then He will also finish it. God doesn't do anything substandard. He does all things well. You can trust Him with your life. 

God is with you! 

How have you seen this principle at work?