Left in a Manger

On Christmas Eve our church (Countryside Chapel) has a communion service. This year my dad who is an elder was asked to share 5-10 minutes before we took communion. My dad and I are very different when it comes to getting in front of people and talking. I love it and he gets very nervous. After getting the initial nerves out of the way he did an awesome job. It was actually one of the best 5 minute sermons I have ever heard (and I am not just saying that because it was my dad). I left convicted and challenged. Here are some thoughts that have been going on in my head the past few days.

You see, everyone knows "The reason for the season." Most people can tell you about Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Wise Men, Shepherds, and I could go on and on. The problem lies in the fact that many of us leave baby Jesus in the manger. And that is the question I guess I would pose to you. "Is Jesus still in the manger or have you made Him Lord of your life?" Don't get me wrong, the Christmas story is an incredible true story but it is only the beginning of an even bigger story. Jesus had to grow up, he had to die. He had to humble himself and come as a baby, grow up to be mocked, beaten, and hung on a cross to be exalted.

¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. - Ephesians 1:18-21

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

The birth of Christ was the start of a plan that God chose to show his unconditional love for us. When we live life for ourselves and not for the God of the universe we leave Jesus in the manger. We can recite the story, it is in our head but it is not in our heart. I want you to really think about this question, "What do I believe about Jesus Christ?" Really, what does your head AND your heart agree upon about the person of Jesus Christ? Do I believe he was born of a virgin? That he grew up being fully man and fully God? That he was put to death of a cross and three days later rose from the dead and paid the penalty of sin that we deserve?

As you read in the verses above Jesus has been given the name above every name. He doesn't need us, we need him. If we didn't need Jesus, God wouldn't have sent Him. My prayer is that your heart and mind would agree that Jesus is Lord. That you would examine your life and surrender yourself to Him and His will for you. Once you do, things will never be the same.

Titles

Do you like titles? I like titles. Titles always try to encapsulate a movie, person, book, etc. in a few short words. Do you have a title? What would be the few short words that encapsulates who you are? I think you can find out a lot about someone by there title. I also think titles help us remember our purpose and who we are. I have thought about this awhile and for me personally, I like the title "Torchbearer of Jesus Christ." I want to always be a light for Jesus everywhere I go.

So hopefully you are thinking about what your title may be or what you want it to be. I think this leads to deeper questions or more important questions to wrestle with like, "what is your legacy?" or "What do people associate with your name?" You see, everywhere we go, whether we like it or not, every person that knows your name associates character with it. Think for second about a few people you may know. When you think of their name you can probably instantly identify with their character. You can think about what you like about them or not like. In your head you can say they are nice, mean, rude, polite, caring, selfish, and the list could go on and on. I think this is important to realize because we have an opportunity as Christians to be light to a dark world each and everyday and our title is very important. If I want my title (Legacy) to be a torchbearer of Jesus Christ I need to make sure I am living up to that.

I love the story in Acts 17 where Paul and Silas are out preaching the gospel and doing amazing things for the kingdom of God. When they came to Thessalonica Paul preached for three Sabbath days about Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. The Jews became jealous and were trying to have Paul and Silas killed. It is very interesting though that in verse 6 in the English Standard Version they referred to Paul and Silas as "men who have turned the world upside down." How awesome is that, to be know as the people who turned the world upside down for Jesus Christ. I think many times in life we forget our purpose, we constantly try to find purpose in drugs, alcohol, jobs, money, careers, relationships, etc. and we live defeated lives. I know the days that I wake up and remember I am a child of God whom he has set apart to be a "torchbearer for Jesus Christ" I find it easier to walk in the fullness of my purpose.

I pray that you would take time today and reflect, spend some quality and quantity time with God and in His word. When we make God a priority with our lives he becomes a priority in our lives and we can't wait to spend time with him.

Watching the World Wake Up

Recently we were visiting some friends from Church and as we were talking deer hunting naturally came up. Besides all the male macho hunting talk was the idea of watching the world wake up. Sitting in a deer stand early in the morning you hear the calm and quiet of a sleeping world. Slowly you see the sun start to rise, light begins to shine, and living things are alive. It is in moments like this when I feel like I have God all to myself (in reality God finally has all my attention). When the world is sleeping my God is awake and desiring to spend time with me. In times like this my faith is strengthened, my heart is encouraged, and my desire for the things of God grows. The world throws many distractions our way to keep us from God, to make us ineffective and unproductive. I believe the still and quiet of the morning provide us an amazing opportunity to have time with God. As it says in Psalm 5:3,

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation."

You don't have to be a deer hunter (I am not one) to enjoy time with God in the morning. Living in a house with 8 people it is very hard to have quiet time so I usually need to get up an hour before everyone else. Sometimes I go on early morning walks with my ipod and listen to worship music. When it is warm outside I may just go sit on the porch and pray. It will look different for everyone. Watching the world wake up is an interesting thing. It tends to calm you down, it helps you start you day off right, and for me it draws me closer to my Savior Jesus Christ.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Do you enjoy the old hymns? Most of them are simple and powerful. Many artists today are adding musically to the hymns but keeping the timeless words and truths. My favorite hymn of all time is"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Every Sunday growing up we ended almost every service singing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." This could be one of the simplest songs but has so much truth and meaning. Think about the words for a second....

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

We just got home at 4:30 this morning from taking a group of young men to serve in Chicago. We finished up our time in Chicago spending time with some homeless guys that live underneath the streets in Chicago. We were planning on giving them socks because that is what their biggest need is. Once we arrived the homeless ended up with coats, blankets, and some sleeping bags. Our plan was not to give away the coats, blankets, and sleeping bags, in fact some of them were quite expensive. Many of the guys saw the things of earth grow strangely dim through this trip. The tight grip that was held onto stuff started to loosen. Turning your eyes upon Jesus is a daily challenge. Every morning I have to get on my knees and ask God to help me focus on him.

My prayer for you today is that you will turn your eyes upon Jesus because when you do the things of the world truly grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

I AM

This past weekend we were blessed to see God work in the lives of over 75 high school students. Our theme for the weekend was I AM. One verse continued to be brought up throughout the weekend and that was Romans 12:1 which says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." In some versions it reads "reasonable act of service" or "rational service." As I marinate on that it seems simple but makes sense. Jesus Christ has paid for my sin through his death and resurrection at the cross. It would only seem reasonable or rational that I would give him all I have. It's like in movies or in life when someone saves your life or does something for you then you in turn feel like you owe them something. If we truly grasp what Christ has done for us it would only be reasonable to give him our time, money, selfishness, pride, worries, etc. Instead many times we become self focused, self seeking, and our world revolves around ourselves instead of our God. The deeper my relationship with Christ grows the more the focus of my life shifts from me to Him. I am still growing and will continue to do so but my prayer is that my life would revolve around Him and not me.

A Barbarian Call

I am currently reading the book "Barbarian Way" by Erwin McManus. Often times our expectations of following Jesus is that life will be easy and everything will be smooth sailing. In my experience life becomes more challenging, spiritual warfare becomes more intense, and you separate yourself from the world. In the book McManus talks about how this call to follow Jesus has become caged and domesticated here in America. Here is an excerpt from the book.

"This is the sticky part of the barbarian call. It's not fair or equitable. When you hear the call, when you follow the call, you must recognize that is is a life and death proposition. When you understand what Jesus means when He says that you must follow Him, you finally realize that this is not a cattle call. He is not calling you to the same life that everyone else will live. He's not even calling you to the same path that every follower of Christ will walk. Your life is unique before God, and your path is yours and yours alone. Where God will choose to lead you and how God chooses to use your life cannot be predicted by how God has worked in the lives of others before you."

Have you gotten too comfortable? Do you find yourself constantly comparing your life and hardships with other people's lives? Are you focused on what God wants you to do for him? No matter what the cost?

Jesus says "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Mark 8:34b

Living a life as one of God's Beloved is not something to take lightly. It is a call to sacrifice, love, and humility. God is constantly teaching and showing me more crosses to carry, areas where I need humility, and sacrifices I need to make. I want to challenge you today to break up routine, escape from complacency, and play offense against an enemy that is constantly trying to make us retreat.

Promises

Do you ever forget about God?

If you're like me you can have a tendency to get caught up with the details of life and we tend to forget that God is in control and running the whole picture. So in the midst of our life if we tend to lose sight of God we will then often lose sight of God's promises.

Living in a house with 5 young men is sometimes challenging, encouraging, and entertaining. We get into many talks and recently it seems they guys have been really struggling with losing sight of God's truths and his promises. So this past week I decided we were going to do a project. They each had 5 days to search the scriptures and come up with promises that spoke to them. This morning we all got together and shared those promises. Here are a few that I would like to share with you.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." 1 John 5:14

"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

These are just a few of what we discussed this morning. If you have a moment I would also encourage you to read Revelation 21. It is an amazing picture of what God promises us.

God vs. Science

Check out this story I came across, I hope it encourages you today!

Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’
‘Yes sir,’ the student says.
‘So you believe in God?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Is God good?’
‘Sure! God’s good.’
‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’
‘Yes’
‘Are you good or evil?’
‘The Bible says I’m evil.’
The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?’
‘Yes sir, I would.’
‘So you’re good…!’
‘I wouldn’t say that.’
‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?’
The student remains silent.
‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’
Er … yes,’ the student says.
‘Is Satan good?’
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’
‘Then where does Satan come from?’
The student falters. ‘From God’
‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?’
‘Yes’
‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’
Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’
The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’
‘So who created them?’
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student. ‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?’
The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’
The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?’
‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’
‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’
‘No, sir, I have not.’
‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’
‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
‘Yet you still believe in him?’
‘Yes’
‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’
‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’
‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’
‘ yes.
‘And is there such a thing as cold?’
‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’
‘No sir, there isn’t.’
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. ‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.’
‘Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.’
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’
‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’
‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word.’
‘In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?’
‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Fl awed? Can you explain how?’
‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains. ‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’
‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.’
‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?’
‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’
The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into laughter.
‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.’
‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lecture s, sir?’
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’
‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’
Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see it everyday It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’
To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.’

The professor sat down.
If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title ‘God vs Science’

PS: the student was Albert Einstein

Are you Dangerous?

Today I was thinking, "I wonder if Satan is fearful of me?" Now we could dive into a deep theological discussion but lets just think about it simply for a second. "Am I dangerous to Satan?" You see, I am a guy and those of you who know guys know that they like fighting, battles, and doing dangerous things for the most part. So obviously as I was thinking about this I really started to get excited. I want to be dangerous or a threat to the enemy's plans. I want to wake up each morning empowered by the Holy Spirit of God and take on the world. I am not talking about doing these monumental things that "the world" would say is great but I want to be dangerous in the little things. For instance, when I walk into the coffee shop in the morning I want to make sad people smile. I want to bring back the joy that Satan has robbed many people of. Imagine people have a joy meter that goes from -10 to +10. When you encounter someone do they shift to the negative or move toward the positive? Everyone we encounter is affected by what we say or how we act. How does that make you feel? That you have the opportunity to take someone from a -10 day to a +10 day. Are you asking God for opportunities to be dangerous to the enemy? Are you looking for ways to encourage one another? Do you want to be dangerous? I know I do, I want to cause as much damage to the enemy and share the abundance of love that Jesus Christ has shown me by his shed blood on the cross. So I want to encourage you to live dangerously today!

But, Jesus...

I have been reading and thinking about Mark 6 recently. There is a lot in that chapter but what interests me is when the disciples present a problem to Jesus. The disciples are trying to get the crowds to leave and they come to Jesus and tell him to send them away so they can go to town to get some food. Well Jesus responds by saying, "You give them something to eat." Can you picture this scene? BUT JESUS! You want us to go buy the food? That would be 8 months wages! BUT JESUS, don't you understand how much work this will take? BUT JESUS, what you are asking us to do is impossible. I wonder if Jesus was thinking, BUT DISCIPLES, don't you trust me? BUT DISCIPLES, don't you believe I am big enough to provide?

Many times God calls us to do things. Sometimes they are little things and other times they are bigger. How many times do we say BUT JESUS and start coming up with excuses of why we can't do something for God. The great thing about God is that he is constantly giving us opportunities to trust him. Everyday we have an opportunity to test our faith. I want to encourage you to step out in faith and let God amaze you today!

Alaska - Summary

Well, we have finally arrived home. Our trip to Alaska was truly an adventure. When we left our prayer was that God would use us while we were there and bring things together for the mission's trip this summer. God opened doors for us to share with high school students at different schools, encourage families, pastors, and communities by sharing the word of God, ministering to broken people through providing food and praying with them, and he grew our faith as well.

Our trip home was a long adventure. Don can sleep on planes and I can't. I went about 40 hours without sleeping and I still experiencing jet lag as I have trouble going to bed before 1am and I usually have to get up around 6:00am. I will just have to start getting some afternoon naps in.

I figured I will give you some of the basic details for next summer. We will be having meetings at Countryside Chapel in the near future for those wanting to get involved. The trip we be from August 7th -14th or 15th. There may be an option for some to stay longer but we still need to work out those details. As of right now we don't have a limit on how many people can go and depending on plane tickets the cost per person looks to be around $1,000 to $1,200. There will be a lot of work projects to do at Dennis and Celesta's church including painting, trim work, landscaping, chopping down trees, drywall, and much more. They also need help with their food ministry and we might be able to put on a VBS at their church. Marlin is also interested in putting on a youth outreach event in the Sutton area. These are a few of the details and please let me know if you want to be kept in the loop as we plan for next summer and get the team together.

Alaska - Day 10

Every Thursday morning Dennis has breakfast with some local pastors and missionaries in the community. Some of the them minister in Anchorage and others to the native Alaskan villages. Don and I were able to come along and it was very informative to hear about the ministry to the native villagers. The guys educated us on the native culture, history, and the most effective ways to minister to them. I was overwhelmed with how much ministry there is to the villages. Alaska is so big (like 3 or 4 times bigger than Texas) with tons of native villages that you have to fly to get there. It was an eye opening experience and also encouraging to hear what these guys are doing to reach the native Alaskan villagers.

After doing some office work and preparing for ministry next week most of the day about 20 high school and college kids came over for our "Jesus Night." We spent about 2-3 hours wrestling with questions they had, challenging them to live boldly for Christ, and then spent some time singing songs and worshipping. We met a lot of awesome kids today and I hope that God does some amazing things with them. I am going to try to catch up on some sleep tonight because tomorrow night it is time to fly back to Ohio.

Alaska - Day 9

Our Alaskan adventure is beginning to wind down. We will fly back to Ohio late Friday night and dive right into a jam packed fall full of ministry. We had to wake up and hit the road by 5am this morning. It was a really dark 2 and half hour drive to Cook Inlet Academy in Soldotna. We arrived a little early and joined the staff and administration for devotions and prayer. Mary (the principal) gave us a tour of the school and gave us some insight to the student body. Don and I had a great time sharing with the students and encouraging them to passionately live out their faith in Jesus. Afterwards we grabbed some coffee with Pastor Larry, his wife, and his daughter-in-law. It was a good time of brainstorming and recapping the trip with each other. We had a long drive back to Anchorage so Don and I made a lot of phone calls to catch up with people, work on ministry for next week, and raise support.

We got back to the Richardsons in time for dinner. They cooked up some Salmon and Moose Burgers. To our surprise Don actually tasted part of a moose burger and he survived! He actually said it wasn't that bad. After dinner a few of Seth and Sarah's friends came over and we spent hours having Theological discussions. There were some pretty intense times with Dennis and Don going back and forth but it was great conversation. Tomorrow we will go with Dennis to breakfast with a few local pastors and then tomorrow night we will have a Jesus night at their house. I guess they made an announcement at the high school so we might have a lot of kids over at Dennis and Celesta's house for pizza and Jesus time.

Alaska - Day 8

We awoke early today to coffee and devotions with Dennis and Celesta. Then we ventured out for the long day of ministry ahead. We arrived to Mountain View Baptist Church around 8:30 to prepare for the food shelf that runs the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. We saw how organized and structured the program is. It takes many volunteers and food donations to run each week as it serves 40-50 local families. Don and I were able to serve by helping people carry their food to their cars or to their homes. There also were a few opportunities to pray with people. It was a reminder to us both about how blessed we are to have food in our cupboards. Many of the people that came through were very thankful for the food. Once the food shelf was finished and cleaned up we drove to the Alaska Food Bank to stock up. Their food supply had run really low and when we showed up at the Food Bank it was like Christmas. The Alaska Food Bank is a place where retailers, wholesalers, etc. donate food and then non-profit organizations can come pick up food for $0.18 per pound. Dennis said they were lucky to get a couple hundred pounds of food lately but today we got 1700lbs of food. We packed a Ford Explorer and Dennis's car full of food. Then we spent most of the afternoon unloading and storing all the food we got.

Dennis squeezed in a quick tour of the church and shared many needs for the church that we can help with next summer. There is much need there and I am excited for how countryside Chapel can serve next summer.

After a quick rest and coffee break we had to get ready for Kids for Christ club which starts at 5:30. We had a meal then went upstairs to sing some songs. There was about 30-40 kids there from Kindergarten through 6th grade. Don taught them a song and then I was able to share with them about Jesus for about 15 minutes.

It felt good to finally get back to the house and relax. Some friends of Dennis and Celesta came over and we just spent some time hanging out and eating ice cream. Hopefully we can get a few hours of sleep tonight because we have to get up at 5:00am tomorrow.

Alaska - Day 7

Today was one of those rainy nasty days where you want to just sit around and drink coffee. After Marlin was done with his morning bus route that he sometimes drives we spent time fellowshipping together. It was a great morning to talk about life, God, ministry, and sports. Around noon Aaron (youth pastor at Glacier View) came down to the house. He took Don and I down the road to Victory Bible Camp. This camp is absolutely beautiful and I wish we could have seen it on a sunny day. The camp serves around 700-800 youth each summer.

After our tour of Victory Bible Camp we packed our stuff up and loaded it into the car. We decided to head back to Anchorage today because the weather wasn't looking too good and there could possibly be snow overnight. Before we left Marlin & Sharon took us out to eat at the Long Rifle Lodge. I enjoyed a Glacier Burger (it was good!) while actually looking at a Glacier out the window. The view was pretty amazing along with all the stuffed bears and other animals inside the lodge. After dinner we said our goodbyes and prayed with Marlin & Sharon.

We made the hour and a half drive through rain and clouds back to Anchorage. We we arrived we found Dennis and his moose hunting buddies butchering the moose in the garage. It took some convincing but Don eventually came out to take a look. After the initial shock of seeing the inner parts of a moose Don finally became curious and inquisitive of the butchering process and began to take pictures. I believe he has taken over 350 pictures so far this trip. I will try to post some pictures in Day 8. Don is still not convinced to try moose meat but hopefully before we fly back he will try it. We have a really busy day tomorrow so some rest is needed. Check back for Day 8 to hear about the food bank and kids club.

Alaska - Day 6

Thought for the day: "Do you see people where they are or where they could be?"

Don and I were privileged to get to share at GlacierView Bible Church this morning. The church has a congregation around 150 people and tends to fluctuate from summer to winter. Since many in the area travel much to work and make a living in Alaska consistency is one of the biggest struggles for the congregation. Marlin has been the pastor for 23 years. They have moved into in the building above in the picture in 2001. Don preached and we were able to share about Off The Wall and stress the importance of discipleship. We also spent time after the service talking with a lot of the young people at the church. Many of them serve at Victory Bible Camp. We also spent some time with the director of Victory Bible Camp and the possibility of speaking and serving there next summer with the Mission's Trip.

We met a man named Dwayne at church who trains missionary pilots to go into the interior of Alaska and into Russia. He offered to take us on a scenic flight in the afternoon but due to bad weather we were unable to go so we spent the afternoon talking about ministry in Alaska.

GlacierView recently planted a church in a nearby town called Chickaloon which holds its services on Sunday evenings at 6pm. We made the 30 minute drive that evening and I was able to share. We packed about 40 people in a small little community center building. It was great to meet and talk with the people and hear their stories. Marlin also mentioned that they have discussed planting another church in a town called Sutton. It might be something we may be able to help with next summer. It was a busy day but God is good and I met some awesome people and saw the huge ministry need here in GlacierView Alaska.

Alaska - Day 5

"Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God." - RC Sproul

I thought I have seen God's majesty on this trip but today blew me away. We grabbed Dennis & Celesta's son Seth and headed up to Glacierview where Marlin Beachy lives. As we drove deeper into the mountains Don kept leaning out the passenger window to take pictures. It was about a 3 hour drive with all the stops we made.

Once we arrived at the Beachy's house they gave us a tour of the area. Then they decided to show us the Glacier and some other scenery. Marlin and Sharon (his wife) took us up to some of their land to see the view. We had to climb a small mountain to get there. This is when Don stated, "Black people are not meant to climb mountains, they are made to play basketball." The view was incredible.

After a excursion we made it back to the house and enjoyed some Alaskan Salmon. We spent the evening discussing the Glacierview area and the ministry there. We also were able to brainstorm some ideas for ministry next summer. Tommorow we will be sharing Off The Wall Ministry at Glacierview Bible Church and Don will be preaching. Tommorow evening we will head to a church plant of Glacierview and I will be preaching.

Alaska - Day 4

After spending a few days in Alaska I have determined they have the best coffee ever. I have been drinking at least 3-4 cups a day. That is party due to the lack of sleep and partly because the coffee is just so good. Since we had a 3 hour drive in the morning Don and I decided to fill up with some Kaladi Brothers Coffee. I am going to endorse Kaladi Brothers as one of the best coffee shops not only because there coffee is good but also because we told them we were from Ohio and they gave us free coffee! Check out www.kaladi.com. With coffee in hand we made the journey from Soldotna to Anchorage. We made many stops along the way to take pictures and marvel at God's creation.

On our journey Don and I prayed, read and discussed scripture, and at some points didn't say a word and just enjoyed the splendor of our King. About half way through our drive we saw a guy and girl (prolly late 20s early 30s) hitchhiking. I didn't think twice and just kept driving. Don was like "why didn't you pick them up?" I went on to tell him how dangerous picking up hitchhikers can be. Then his compassionate side came out and felt for those two people trying to get a ride. He explained how we could have shared Jesus with them and enjoyed the journey with them. As we continued driving I started to think about this and really started to wrestle with the thought of missing out of an opportunity to share Christ with someone. Once they get in your car they can't go anywhere so they have to listen. I came to the conclusion that I acted out of selfishness. I was thinking of my own comfort and enjoying MY journey that I was on. I was being selfish and not wanting to share it with others. I had all the thoughts in my head like, "what if they steal something?" "what if smell?", "what if they want money?" Instead I should have been asking questions like "I wonder where they are going?" "I wonder what they believe about God?" "I wonder if they need help?" "I wonder if God has brought me across their path for a reason?" About an hour later we pulled into a awesome little restaurant called the Bake Shop. As we were pulling in I saw the two hitchhikers walking down the road. They got a ride and reached their destination. After seeing that they made it OK I thought I would feel better about not picking them up but something inside me felt like I missed an opportunity for God to use Don and I. During times like this God continues to work on my character.

We arrived at Dennis & Celesta Richardson's home in Anchorage in the afternoon. Dennis is out Moose Hunting and just when we got there Celesta got the call that he shot a moose. She was going to cook some moose burgers for dinner but Don was not about to eat anything from a moose. It was great to spend some time with Celesta and their kids Seth & Sarah. We were able to talk about many different ideas of ways to serve during our mission's trip next summer. There is a huge need at their Church and lots of opportunities to minister to some very hurting people.

We also were able to connect with Mary from Cook Inlet Academy. CIA is a christian school that serves the Soldotna & Kenai area and is where most of Pastor Larry's grand kids go to school. She invited Don and I to come speak at chapel and to talk to the staff and some parents about discipleship. We will be going there on Wednesday morning.

I have completed my third cup of coffee for the day so it must be time to get to bed. I wanted to leave you with a Psalm that Don and I read today.

"Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end, you are God."

- Psalm 90:2

Alaska - Day 3

Don and I felt the effects of Jet-Lag this morning. We were both up at 5:30am ready to go. Since we had wireless Internet we spent the morning working and preparing for our fall/winter ministry. As soon as we return home Re-Connect starts on Monday nights at New Grounds Cafe.

RE-Connect is a discussion based outreach ministry. The goal is to provide a safe & inviting atmosphere for believers, non-believers, and those searching to all come together to talk about the questions many of us wrestle with. RE-Connect is cross-generational and allows young and old to share their life experiences and knowledge with each other. Don and I took some time this morning to put together some topics and videos ideas to initiate discussion. You will have to come check it out to see what we came up with!

McDonalds was calling so we found a break to have some breakfast with Pastor Larry. It is always good to share our ideas with Pastor Larry and get his feedback. He is an awesome resource for Don and I. We also talked about getting some time at Countryside some Sunday morning to share more about Off The Wall and all that God is allowing us to do as well as the Alaska trip for 2010. We will try to do that probably in November.

We also spent a lot of time working on AWAKE which is our College Retreat October 16,17, & 18 at Camp Patmos. We are trying to create an atmosphere for God to move in the lives of the College Students. I spent a lot of time making phone calls, emails, & facebook messages to kids and making sure they are getting signed up. Our goal is to have an intimate retreat with 30-50 college kids.

Around noon I was able to connect with Celesta Richardson via Phone. It looks like tomorrow we will drive back up to Anchorage to spend the afternoon and evening with their family before we head to Marlin Beachys Saturday morning.

After working hard all day we decided to spend our afternoon and evening with Pastor Larry and his son Rob's family. When we arrived Rob and the boys were outside chopping wood and playing with fire. We then got the brilliant idea to have a fire jumping contest (see picture). Don did well but did come away with a few singed hairs. We also saw some Caribou and Moose in their woods which was pretty cool. After dinner we were able to sit in the living room and sing worship music, share testimonies with one another, and just enjoy the goodness of our God. We finally ventured back to the hotel around 11. As we were leaving I found out that Don is pretty scared of Grizzly Bears and that I really should stop "crying wolf".

Alaska - Day 2

It never felt so good to sleep! Even if it was only like 5 hours it was much needed. After a quick walk down the street to McDonalds for a Sausage McGriddle it was time to go grab our rental car and head to Anchorage Grace Christian School. The school has around 700 kids K-12. Don and I were able to speak during chapel time to the 200+ High School Students. They had some awesome kids and staff members at the school. We just wanted to talk to the kids about Jesus all day but they eventually had to go back to class. While we were there we ran into Celesta Richardson (who we will be staying with next week) and got to hang out and talk with her for awhile. We also connected with Nate Davis who is the Superintendent of the school and we talked about possible ways to help the school next summer through our mission's trip. There are some possible work projects along with potential speaking and teaching opportunities.

After a great morning at the school we ventured on the 3 hour journey from Anchorage to Soldotna. I hope you enjoy a few of the pics we took along the way. Alaska is truly majestic. We spent most of the drive really praying for Pastor Larry and his two sons and their families. At this point of the day Pastor Larry still had not been able to contact his son Eric and grandson "Little" Larry. When we arrived in Soldotna we checked into our hotel then went over to Rob Smithwick's (Pastor Larry's son) for dinner. We had an awesome time with his family. We played basketball with the kids, went on a moose sighting excursion, and scared Don by pretending a Grizzly Bear was chasing us through the woods. We then ventured to the nearby town of Kenai to see if we could connect with Pastor Larry's grandson "Little" Larry. He opened the door and was shocked to see Don and I there. It took him a little bit to figure out who we were. We ended up hanging out at his house for an hour or so just talking and catching up. Don and I were saying how awesome it must be to live here and see all the amazing scenery all the time. He said it is just normal and he thought all the scenery in Sugarcreek, OH was amazing when he spent the summer there. "Little" Larry talked about the summer he spent in Ohio and tried to remember all the people he met. It was really good to see him but he definitely needs our prayers. We are planning on having dinner with him tomorrow to hang out and talk more. It is about 11pm here which means it is 3am for those of you Eastern Standard Time people. It is time to get some rest, Good Night and God Bless!

Alaska - Day 1

Don and I are excited for the opportunity God has put before us to travel to Alaska. During our time there we will be ministering in various ways as well as preparing and planning for a Mission's Trip for summer 2010. We thought it would be awesome to keep everyone informed and updated on whats going on. We will try to update this blog every day or so while we are here. Please pray for us and for the residents of Alaska.

DAY 1

I awoke this morning in a cabin at Camp Calvary outside of Philadelphia, PA. The cabin was full of about 12 high school boys that didn't smell the greatest. Today was the last day of our 3 day retreat with the Faith Christian Academy Seniors. Don wrapped up this morning with a message from Luke 18. In verses 35-43 there is a story about a blind beggar. When he heard Jesus was passing he called out to him. "Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more (v.39)" "Those who led the way" could very well have been the disciples or others really close to Jesus. Here was a blind man who wanted to see and he had faith that Jesus could heal him both physically and spiritually but the "leaders" told him to be quiet. Many times we tend to follow the crowd and we want to live boldly for Jesus but the crowd tends to shut us up. I love the blind man's response, "but he shouted all the more." This was a challenge for me to live more boldly for Jesus Christ and not to hinder or "tell others to be quiet."

After the morning session and some activities in the woods we said our goodbyes and headed to the Philadelphia airport. We arrived in time to grab a bite to eat before our connecting flight to Phoenix. We faced a tough choice of many fine dining selections in the food court but finally decided on on Chick-Fil-A. It was a 4.5 hour flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix. I enjoy flying because I find myself spending most of the flight reading my Bible, a good book, praying, or just listening to worship music. I also love the window seat and it is awesome to look out at the sky and God's creation.

We had about a 2 hour layover in Phoenix before we boarding our plane to Anchorage. After a 4.5 hour flight we were about to embark on another 4.5 hour flight. Even though I was wiped out I was able to get into a conversation with a guy named Marvin. He sat beside me and I found he worked for US Airways and was traveling to Anchorage for work. We were able to talk about God most of the trip which was pretty cool. He grew up in a Baptist Church and his two brothers are pastors in Ohio. Marvin however seemed to have been turned off to Christ by some of his past experiences. He considers himself spiritual but not a Christian. After we landed Marvin said he really enjoyed talking and he seemed very encourage by our conversation. I just tried to share my love of Christ and what he has done in my life and pray that God may use that to work in Marvin's heart.

We arrived in Anchorage at midnight which is 4am eastern time. We finally made it to our hotel by 12:45am. It was a long day but God is good. We will get a few hours of sleep then Pastor Larry will pick us up in the morning and take us to Anchorage Grace Christian School to speak to the students there.

Thanks For The Bread

I am reading "In The Eye of The Storm" by Max Lucado and this is an excerpt from the book. I pray that it may encourage your heart today.

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to say thanks. I wish I could thank you personally, but I don't know your name. If I knew your appearance, I'd look for you, but your face is fuzzy in my memory. But I'll never forget what you did.

There you were, leaning against your pickup in the West Texas oil field. An engineer of some sort. A supervisor on the job. Your khakis and clean shirt set you apart from us roustabouts. In the oil field pecking order, we were at the bottom. You were the boss. We were the workers. You read the blueprints. We dug the ditches. You inspected the pipe. We laid it. You ate with the bosses in the shed. We ate with each other in the shade.

Except that day.
I remember wondering why you did it.

We weren't much to look at. What wasn't sweaty was oily. Faces burnt from the sun; skin black from the grease. Didn't bother me, though. I was there only for the summer. A high-school boy earning good money laying pipe. For me, it was a summer job. For the others, it was a way of life. Most were illegal immigrants from Mexico. Others were drifters, bouncing across the prairie as rootless as tumbleweeds.

We weren't much to listen to, either. Our language was sandpaper coarse. After lunch, we'd light the cigarettes and begin the jokes. Someone always had a deck of cards with lacy-clad girls on the back. For thirty minutes in the heat of the day, the oil patch became Las Vegas - replete with foul language, dirty stories, blackjack, and bar stools that doubled as lunch pails.

In the middle of such a game, you approached us. I thought you had a job for us that couldn't wait another few minutes. Like the others, I groaned when I saw you coming.
You were nervous. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other as you began to speak.
"Uh, fellows," you started
We turned and looked up at you.
"I, uh, I just wanted, uh, to invite..."
You were way out of your comfort zone. I had no idea what you might be about to say, but I knew that it had nothing to do with work.
"I just wanted to tell you that, uh, our church is having a service tonight and, uh..."
"What?" I couldn't believe it. "He's talking church? Our here? With us?"
"I wanted to invite any of you to come along."

Silence. Screaming silence. The same silence you'd hear if a nun asked a madam if she could use the brothel for a mass. The same silence you'd hear if an IRS representative invited the Mafia to a seminar on tax integrity.

Several guys stared at the dirt. A few shot glances at the others. Snickers rose just inches from the surface.
"Well, that's it. Uh, if any of you want to go . . . uh, let me know."

After you turned and left, we turned and laughed. We called you "reverend," "preacher," and "the pope." We poked fun at each other, daring one another to go. You became the butt of the day's jokes. I'm sure you knew that. I'm sure you went back to your truck knowing the only good you'd done was to make a good fool out of yourself. If that's what you thought, then you were wrong.

That's the reason for this letter.
Some five years later, a college sophomore was struggling with a decision. He had drifted from the faith given to him by his parents. He wanted to come back. He wanted to come home. But the price was high. His friends might laugh. His habits would have to change. His reputation would have to be overcome.

Could he do it? Did he have the courage?
That's when I thought of you. As I sat in my dorm room late one night, looking for the guts to do what I knew was right, I thought of you.
I thought of how your love for God had been greater than your love for your reputation.
I thought of how your obedience had been greater than your common sense.
I remembered how you had cared more about making disciples than about making a good first impression. And I when I thought of you, your memory became my motivation.

So I came home.
I've told your story dozens of times to thousands of people. Each time the reaction is the same: The audience becomes a sea of smiles, and heads bob in understanding. Some smile because they think of the "clean-shirted engineers" in their lives. They remember the neighbor who brought the cake, the aunt who wrote the letter, the teacher who listened...

Others smile because they have done what you did. And they too, wonder if their "lunchtime royalty" was worth the effort.
You wondered that. What you did that day wasn't much. And I'm sure you walked away that day thinking that your efforts had been wasted.

They weren't.
So I'm writing to say thanks. Thanks for the example. Thanks for the courage. Thanks for giving your lunch to God. He did something with it; it became the Bread of Life for me.

Gratefully,

Max Lucado

How He Loves Me

God loves me. I tend to say that a lot or hear people say that phrase, "God loves me." I think to myself, what does God's love really mean in my life? Am I encountering God's Love on a daily basis? And, what does it mean to encounter God's Love? For me I encounter God's Love the most when I am seeking after him, spending time with him, and receiving his love and in turn giving him my love. Many times we may feel like we messed up really bad and God doesn't love us anymore so we choose to stay away from him. When we need his love the must we choose not to run to it. We as believers need to encounter God's love in our lives. You see, when we encounter God's love it changes us, it transforms us, and it gives us hope. Encounter God's love today and remember....

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

The Constant Communicator

"God is constantly communicating with his people"

In America we fill our lives with so much stuff I often wonder in my own life if I have my eyes and ears open to God's communication. If your like me you may have a tendency to occupy your time with menial tasks or facebook and next thing you know you have skipped your prayer and daily devotional time. Or many times you just get so busy you forget to thank God for a meal, or for your day, or just a simple thanks God for eternal life. God has really put on my heart that I need to communicate more with him and be more aware of him communicating to me. I have to be more obedient to the "God Tugs" (you know, the little nudges when God lays something on your heart to do or say) in my life.

I pray today that we would constantly be communicating with our God because he is constantly communicating with his people.

Overwhelmed

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

This week I was thinking about all the hurting people in the world and just felt bad because I can't help them all. There is so much sin and hurt in this world that sometimes I just get overwhelmed. If you understand my personality you find out that I am an influencer. It is in me to inspire, encourage, and influence for God's glory. I see all the hurt in Holmes/Tusc. Counties, the inner city of America, and the remote parts of the world and I just want to bring them all to Jesus. I have come to the realization that if I want to impact the world for Jesus Christ I need to start with one person at a time. I need to start asking God, "Who do you have for me today?"

So if you ever start feeling overwhelmed remember to just start with 1 person. Start asking God Who do you have for me today? Then maybe he will give you more, and more, and more, and more. By bringing one person to Jesus you have changed the landscape of eternity and impacted the world.

Chicago Day 1

We have arrived in Chicago for a mission's trip with New Pointe's High School Students. They are a great group of kids. I am praying that God challenges them, grows them, stretches them, and brings them together as a community. Our first day we worked at a Greater Union Baptist Church. It is one of the oldest churches in Chicago and is located right across from the United Center where the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks play. We arrived early so everyone went and got pictures in front of the Michael Jordan statue. We then we taught on the area and the church. After many hours of cleaning, painting, and serving the church we ventured over to Moody Bible Institute to work with GRIP (where Don, Kellie, & I used to serve). Almost 50 inner city youth showed up and the kids from New Pointe where able to interact with them, play games with them, and hear some of their stories. It was a great start to the week. I am looking forward to tomorrow when we hit the streets to evangelise!

Today

This is an excerpt from a book. Not sure what book or the author but I love it and wanted to share it with you...

Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling and I'm finished with wavering. I've made my choice, the verdict is in, and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living, and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, "we" or "me", character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough, and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit led, purpose-driven and mission-focused so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I say: However, Whenever, Wherever, and Whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; Whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I'll hear you say, "Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!

Foxholes

Have you ever been in a foxhole?

Foxholes were made famous during war times, they are the bunker you sit in as the bullets fly overhead and things all around you are blowing up. Often times in life we can find ourselves in what could be considered foxholes. Many times we feel like things are blowing up all around us. Life is not easy and many times we experience hard times that could include a loss of someone close, financial crisis, broken relationships, and many other things. You could consider these times the foxholes of life. At church this morning our Pastor talked about how foxholes make lasting friendships. Many times in life I tend to complain, get frustrated, and sometimes try to drown my sorrows away during these times. I am learning more and more that I need to embrace these times.

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

When we choose to embrace these times our relationships with those in the foxhole grows. The first thing I needed to realize is that Jesus is always with me in the foxhole. If I choose to embrace my Lord and Saviour during the foxhole times my relationship with him drastically grows. When I think back on my life the friends and family that went through some really rough points in my life with me have the strongest relationships with me. When the world seems to be beating you down, bunker down in the foxhole with the God of the Universe and grab some brothers and sisters in Christ to fight with you.

Reflections From the Retreat

We just finished our first event as a ministry which was called "A Whole Lot of Jesus Retreat." It was held at Camp Patmos on Kelleys Island, OH. We had around 60 people come out that ranged in age from 16-60. It was an amazing weekend full of God's hand working in each and every person's life. Men and Women of all ages were worshiping together, praying together, crying together, and breaking bread together.

Here are some things I learned this weekend...

• When you try to do something big for God attacks from the enemy come in all shapes and sizes.
• A cord of 3 strands is not easily broken, a group of 60 people committed to Jesus Christ and each other is virtually indestructible.
• We can't change people, God changes and transforms people. Our job is to create environments for God to work and bring people to Jesus.
• Pray without ceasing! Prayer is so powerful. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Remember today that...

"Life's interruptions are God's opportunities."

Mental Battle

My cousin Lincoln wrote this and he gave me persmission to share it with you.

Mental Battle
By Lincoln Troyer

Doesn't it always hurt when God works on you mentally? Why does it hurt so bad? My only conclusion i can come up with is becasue God is changing how we normally think to the way we are suppose to think. Life is a constant change. You never stop changing. I think if someone stops changing then that person can no longer live life. They get stuck in what they know and refusing to change. They build up bitterness and hatred in their harts and become hard towards one another. That is not a spot to be in. Satan is very good at what he does. He is the father of all lies (John 8:44). As christians we are in a constant spiritual battle and a lot of the battle is a done in the mind. Once you accept Jesus into your heart he saves your soul. Nothing can take that away. Satan hates that! The only thing he can do now is to make you unaffective for God's Kingdom. His biggest attack is on your mind. Your mind has 5 basic purposes; learn, think, know, understand and interpret. Your mind is the most powerful tool of your body. Satan is so good at distorting the truths. He wants you and I to make choices based on our sinful nature and to believe some sort of a distorted truth. Thats my biggest one I tend to believe, the distorted truth. It makes you feel like crap. Even when you know the truth your mind is so used to thinking the latter you run wild with that. Then you get all tore up in thinking lies and one thing leads you to another. Then you start getting angry, sad or depressed and not believing the truths about yourself! or a situation! The wrong emotions kick in and your done...You start to pray and cry out to God who hears your prayers in heaven and answers your call. God wants us to know, understand and correctly interpret the truth in order to renew your mind! Pray to God in that moment of thought to rip the falsehood out of your mind and set the truth in you. Constantly stay in the Word. Memorize some of God's Truths. The Bible is the word of God. It is life to all who read it and by reading it it will radically change your life. Let God take control of your mind.

Sacrifice

Could you trade your car in for a horse and buggy? How about giving up travel on airplanes? OR what if you had to give up designer clothes for home sewn plain clothes?

One of my best friends is facing one of the most important decisions of his life. He grew up as an Amish boy but at the age of 18 started upgrading to Tommy Hilfiger & American Eagle. He got his license and has been driving ever since. His girlfriend of over three years recently joined the Amish Church. He really loves this girl and is at the point in his life when he wants to settle down and have a family. For him to make the next step toward marriage he will have to sacrifice many daily luxuries to be with the one he loves.

Joining the Amish Church is a life altering commitment. Life will be different for him. As we were talking about this next step in his life we were reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. As hard as it is for him to give up driving, flying, and his clothing attire we often times are unable to grasp the sacrifice of Jesus's life. I often wonder how hard it must have been to leave the glory of heaven and come down to earth to be spit at, beaten, and brutally killed. He knew what was going to happen and he still came. Why would he do that? LOVE! He loved us so much that he was willing to leave the luxuries of heaven and take the wrath of God on his shoulders. Sometimes I just can't wrapped my head around that but all I can do is praise God and try to live everyday for him. Be blessed and remember the sacrifice of our Saviour!

Swine Flu

Isn't it crazy how a virus strikes fear in people all over the world? Texas has canceled all sporting events until May 11. Egypt slaughtered 300,000 pigs eventhough they didn't have one single case of swine flu in there country. Britian, which has had 5 cases of swine flu has ordered 32 million doctor's masks. President Obama has said over 132,000 schools have been closed for some period of time due to the virus.

The steps people and governments have taken out of their fear of Swine Flu are crazy. They have done radical things because this virus has the power to take their life. This begs the question, why don't they fear and respect the Author and Perfector of Life?

"The fear of the Lord is the beggining of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
-Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is a good thing. It is an understanding that God can give life and take it away. It is knowing that you are not in control, the one who is seated on the Heavenly Throne runs the show. Isn't it refreshing to know that our Father in Heaven is in total control and one day we will be in his presence. The Swine Flu has really got me thinking. If the fear of a Flu Virus (understanding its power to take life) causes people to do crazy radical things, why doesn't the fear of the Lord cause Christians to do crazy radical things for Jesus? Why do we worry about everything instead of being confident in our Creator? I challenge to trust in the Lord today, ask God to increase your faith so you may move on toward perfection.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

The Busyness of Life

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalm 46:10

Do you ever take time to be still and just know that our God is seated on the throne? Many times in my life I get caught up in the busyness of life and ministry. This morning I woke up with my schedule, meetings, and tasks for the day running through my head. I didn't even take time to thank the Lord for waking me up and giving me another day to do the work of Christ. Everyday we have a chance to change the landscape of eternity and we need to be prepared for it. I was really convicted about not giving God the first 10-15 minutes of my day like I normally do. For me, I need to ask God to open my eyes to the people I need to encourage, love, serve, and minister to each day. You never know what a kind word of encouragement might do for someone. My prayer for you today is that you will take a few minutes to do just as Psalm 46 says, "Be still, and know that I am God". When we take a moment to slow down and focus on our Saviour we start to hear what he has for us today.

I want to leave you with a quote from a movie I watched last night and remember to LOVE JESUS TODAY!

"When you light a lamp for someone else you brighten your own path too."

Flashbacks

I had a great evening with a close college friend of mine. We spent the evening reminiscing about our college days but more importantly how God has worked in both of our lives. We talked about the really tough and painful times we went through and how the weren't fun at the time but God really taught us and grew us through those times. We shared funny stories and embarrasing stories. There are many things I am not proud of that happened in college but there are also many things that shaped and molded me into the Man of God that I am today. I have found it very encouraging to "flashback" into the past. I would encourage you to consistantly sit with friends and reminisce. When you realize how much Jesus has transformed your life all you can do is praise him. Sometimes all we need to do is just praise Jesus!