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It’s a mystery why God choses to act through His people, but He clearly does. When a situation, problem or needs comes to our attention, it could be God calling us to play a part in His great plan. But it could be our human nature, the devil, or the bad shrimp we had for supper the night before. How can we know? It’s tough but there are ways. 1. Pray. Before taking any action or saying any word in response to a perceived need, we need to pray. I am talking about serious prayer. I mean prayer that is 1 percent us talking and 99 percent us listening. Because the bottom line is God will tell us what we need to do and what we need to stay away from. Hearing for His voice to determine His will is something we learn. It’s why He starts us out with small things then moves us on to bigger challenges. 2. Investigate. If we see a situation that seems to need some correction or intervention, we need to look closer. For example, if we think something is wrong in our children’s program at church we need to get involved. We […]

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-11 Football season starts in less than sixty days. For fans, that means the excitement is starting to build. For players and coaches, that means that the time of hardest work is upon them. I remember the year that my son went out for football. He spend the hottest days of summer in grueling practices. He would come home […]

Imagine with me the following scenario: You arrive at church next Sunday and instead of the usual order of service the Pastor takes the microphone and announces that the Lord has been dealing with him and that he believes that your church should become a true New Testament Church. He advises that some significant changes are going to take place: 1. The building is going to be put up for sale. In the future the church will meet at homes. He asks for suggestions for next weeks meeting place. He is meet with silence. 2. He and the entire staff are resigning. In the future there will be no paid staff or clergy/lay distinctions. Everyone is staying around but will be seeking employment outside the church. This will obviously require more participation from everyone. The congregation seems quite uncomfortable and folks begin shifting in their seats. 3. There will be no more clergy given sermons or worship leading. Everyone is asked to pray during the week and in the future come prepared to share a word, a testimony or a song. He, the former Pastor, is excited about learning as much about Jesus from everyone else as He has […]

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” – (Matthew 28:19-20).  I actually think there can come a point in your Christian life where you don’t need to go hear more Bible studies (now, don’t take that out of context). What I mean is, there can come a point when you are sitting down and having a meal, and it is time to push away from the table, digest your food, and let it be turned into energy to do something productive. Greg Laurie Yesterday was an encouraging day. We had a great time at church service with inspiring worship and a good message on the Power of God. But the real encouragement came at 4 p.m., when the church was again full of folks applying the morning’s message and volunteering for VBS. Everyone there was ready to serve in any way necessary. There was no fighting for the “best parts” or grumbling about anything. The whole meeting took less than an hour and I came away encouraged and excited […]

Ron Edmondson recently posted the 7 most frustrating and the 7 most exciting things a pastor sees. He has great insight into what’s good and bad in church.  His thoughts can give us some ideas about what should and shouldn’t happen “in church.” He is frustrated by people who abuse power or position,  hypocrisy, rumor spreading, selfishness, tradition, time wasters,  and half-heartedness. In these feelings, he seems a lot like Jesus. Jesus’ harshest words were for those in power. He called them hypocrites. As to rumor spreading, He said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is said whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matt 10:26-27). He focused on putting others above ourselves. His ministry was certainly not about tradition. He wasted no time and did nothing and encouraged nothing that was half-hearted.  Edmondson is encouraged by note takers, sacrificial givers, visitors and the people who invite them, servant hearts, new people joining the church and when the church is the church. Here it seems that Edmondson is just like most of us. He wants folks […]

I was not involved in sports as a kid. It just wasn’t our family thing. Perhaps because of that my kids weren’t involved either. We didn’t do soccer games, or little league or drop off kids at football practice. I say this to put last night’s dream in perspective. I dreamed that my four year old great grand daughter was showing promise as a runner and we were all acting as her coaches. In fact, she got to be pretty good and folks asked me what I did as a coach. This is what I love above dreams. I can be smarter and more daring in dreams than I am in real life. In my dream I told people: “All I do is stand past the finish line and call after her to ‘come here.’”  We are all called to be coaches. There is even a job title now, “Life Coach.” I guess we are all called to be life coaches. It’s different from being a sports coach. We can’t claim a lack of experience. We have all played the game of life. It’s easy to think that a four year old doesn’t want to hear from a sixty-four […]

Wednesday evening after services, Rose and I went to Yogurtland with Pastor T, Debbie and our grandson, Nicky. At this place you put together your own yogurt creation. There are a bunch of yogurt dispensers with a wide variety of flavors and a ton of different toppings. It turns out I’m a pretty simple man. I selected one flavor and one topping. My companions were much more creative. I don’t know, mathematically, how many different combinations of toppings and yogurt is possible, but it has to be in the millions.  I don’t think while we were there any two customers came up with the same finished product. Ain’t God something. While it is true that all of us can be basically divided into two groups: those who follow Jesus and those who don’t. It is also true that we are a complex variety of individuals of all shapes, sizes, colors, likes and dislikes. It’s what makes God’s creation so great. Last night was the last night of the NBA Finals. I was cheering for San Antonio but Miami won. I’m sure some San Antonio fans didn’t sleep last night after the very close loss. I turned off the TV […]

Nicky and I went to see Man of Steel yesterday. It’s the story of Superman from his birth on Krypton to his emergence as super hero on earth. The director was way too much in love with special effects. In his attempt to save the world, he nearly destroys Metropolis. Thousands must have died but Lois Lane was saved, more than once. My favorite part was in the last scene when Superman decides he will hide out as a mild mannered reporter. He accomplishes this by putting glasses on what has become the most famous face on the planet. I don’t know about you, but people know who I am with or without my glasses. It just not that easy to hide who you are. The movie did remind me that it is all about identity. It’s really not that complicated. Fundamentally we or either sinners on our way to hell or blood bought children of God headed in the other direction. If we are His children, God can weave a wonderful story of purpose, challenge and joy for our lives. If we are in the other situation, we are left to try to work out a happy ending […]