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!

Chocolate Milk

This week my dad called me and wondered if I could teach Sunday School becuase he was going to be out of town. I said, "Sure thing, who am I teaching?" He replied with, "the seniors." It was then when I got excited! I realized I was probably going to be the student and they would be teaching me. I had a great time this morning with them going through the last part of Luke. This evening I also had the chance to speak to a local youth group. We went through the same passage of scripture and really talked about the Holy Spirit and the role it plays in our lives. I was trying to think of a great word picture for the youth group and thought back to something my pastor in Chicago shared. He said that the Holy Spirit is like chocolate milk. Which is pretty cool becuase I love chocolate milk! We are the milk and the hershey's syrup is the Holy Spirit. When the hershey's syrup is stirred the milk looks like chocolate milk. However, when the syrup is not stirred up it sinks to the bottom and the milk retains it's white color. There is still chocolate in the milk but you cannot see it.

In Luke 24:49 Jesus says "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you have been clothed with power from on high, the Holy Spirit. There are many times we get caught up in the world and the busyness of life in which we leave the Holy Spirit at the bottom of our cup and our appearance starts to change. We start to forget we are God's children, that we have a responsibility to represent Christ in our home, work, school, and community. The milk doesn't drastically change color but it is a slow process. Satan's best attack is a "Slow Fade" to take our eyes off Jesus. Will you allow the Holy Spirit to be alive and active in your life? Keep your chocolate milk stirred so that others will see the Christ in you!

Are You Ready?

I have been reading the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It has been challenging me to a radical love relationship with Jesus. Here is a power excerpt from the book that I wanted to share with you...

ARE YOU READY?

As a pastor, I'm often called upon when life "vanishes like a mist." One of the most powerful examples I've seen of this was Stan Gerlach, a successful businessman who was well know in the community. Stan was giving a eulogy at a memorial service when he decided to share the gospel. At the end of his message, Stan told the mourners, "You never know when God is going to take your life. At that moment, there's nothing you can do about it. Are you ready?" Then Stan sat down, fell over, and died. His wife and sons tried to resuscitate him, but there was nothing they could do - just as Stan had said a few minutes earlier.

I'll never forget receiving that phone call and heading over to the Gerlach house. Stan's wife, Suzy, was just arriving home. She hugged me and cried. One of her sons, John, stepped out of the car weeping. He asked me, "Did you hear the story? Did you hear? I'm so proud of him. My dad died doing what he loved doing the most. He was telling people about Jesus."