Everybody's working for the weekend

Oh that goes back to the old days of Loverboy, excuse my sin yet its still true and so to help I want to encourage your prayer this weekend by sharing my prayer.

Holy Spirit, Lead Me (What you do with my life is far greater than what I will do with it)
Jesus Christ, Teach Me (Show me something that will help me share You with others)
God, Amaze Me (Ministry without a Miracle is like Life without Breathing, its dead)

I can't wait for Sunday as we all have been working for the weekend.

Clarity is Cleansing

I have often wondered what happened to me several years ago.
      What changed in me?
      What made me care less about tradition?
      What turned me against a certain kind of Christian?
      What made me want to be part of a different kind of Church?
      What drew me to positive messages in men and music?

 I began to see in Jesus Empathy and Redemption instead of dogmatic sermonizing.
And I liked it.
Through my pain and loss, Jesus came to me and rather than rebuke me for being human, He bent down and held me and loved me. Instead of remove Himself from me because of sinfulness, Jesus came to redeem me because He loved and wanted me.
And I looked out into the world around me and saw more like me than more like .
Sinful people who need to be loved and wanted, not looked down upon and left alone.

So I leave you with this as a testimony of clarity.

The Only Things I Control Today are.....

A Vibrant Growing Relationship with God
A Healthy Genuine Relationship with Debra
An Authentic Family that Loves one Another
A God Pleasing Ministry
A Job done to the best of my Ability
A Physical Healthy Body
Time to Enjoy my Family and Friends

These things I choose to do,  Everything else, I pray to God for.

My Prayer Is............

That Every Sunday Is Better than the Last


Have an Awesome Day and I Can't Wait for Next Sunday

Insanity? Maybe

It has come to my attention that some in our church still don't understand why we are transitioning to small group studies this Summer instead of continuing with our traditional mid-week service and so I think Albert Einstein answers it best

“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
― Albert Einstein

 

As a Church we have tried  to make Disciples as Jesus called us to in Matthew 28, but as we surveyed those in the church, some who had been in church Sunday Morning, Night, and a mid-week for years, we noticed something. A lack of Spiritual Maturity. Though personally discipled, though faithfully attending all services, they were weak in the faith with poor prayer lives, weak giving, selfish attitudes and for some, a struggle to love lost and hurting people. We can continue to do the same things we have been doing for years, but it would be insane to expect different results.

So for the summer we will attempt to develop better prayer lives through small group studies. This bothers some, makes others uncomfortable and it should because it requires more than just doing what is easy. It will require your sacrificing your insane tradition for a chance at spiritual maturity. Do we expect different results? Yes. What will they be? We don't know but we know this, it will be better than the insanity of attending a church for years and never growing up.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Try living by it, you might not be able to live any other way

I am Home Sick

Hey Lifers its good to be home, but the trip wasn't all bunny's and flowers. Three days into the trip I got what I think was the Flu and what followed was an experience I will never forget. I will be sharing over the parts of it over next few week but Know this, God has done a great work in me personally and I am excited to share with you what God has done.

See you all on Sunday.

This week Debra and I received some very disturbing news as two couples that are our friends, have split up. This was devastating because it was never expected as both of the couples seemed to be solid Christians as well as solid citizens. One was a pastor and the other a friend. The only real benefit was that it sparked some important conversation between Debra and myself and so this morning I want to share a few things from my heart for all couples.

1. If the Plan is to stay together, Meet each others emotional Needs.
I believe that the emotional needs of a couple are very different and very important.

For a man its that He needs to KNOW that he is Believed in. That the work He is doing is the best He can do and that YOU wife stand behind Him. The bible says in Ephesians that the wife is to Reverence her husband and this is clearly due to the needs of his heart to have at least ONE person in his life who thinks he is the Bomb.

For a woman its that she needs to KNOW that she is the most Valuable thing in his life. If the man talks more about his job or his hobby than he does about his wife, she knows that she is not as important. Again Ephesians says that a man is to Love his wife as himself meaning that her life is as valuable as his. Every woman needs a man to turn off the TV and look at her with the same intensity, leave work at work when he's with her, and listen to her heart as she speaks.

Do these things and your emotional needs will be met.

2. If the Plan is to stay together, Force yourself to go the extra mile.
I can see where after a long day it is so easy to slide into comfort mode. She needs a kiss, but shes OK right? I struggle with this the older I get which means its all the more important to force myself. My body says sit, my bride might need me to get up. My brain says shut down, my wife might need me to listen up. My bike (Harley) might say Start me Up, My Wife might ..........well you know what I mean. Its not that I am forced to go the extra mile by Debra, but I have to force my body to function beyond its own desires because according to 1 Corinthians its hers. (Chap 7)


3. If the Plan is to stay together, Fight for them.
Two things our culture is quick to do.
Divorce and Die.
We abort children by the loads, we accept suicide as a legal alternative, and we divorce over the dumbest things like Irreconcilable differences.
But if your going to stay together you must have a battle plan.
I am going to fight for my physical health so that I will have the energy to meet her needs.
I am going to fight for my financial health so that I will have the ability to meet her needs.
I am going to fight for my emotional health so that I will have the desire to meet her needs.
I don't want to wait until Ive lost her to fight to get her heart back.
I want to fight to keep her so that I NEVER lose her heart.

I don't ever want be that devastating news to others.
What is your plan to keep your marriage together?