the youthful soul.

I've interacted with teenagers whose souls seemed so prematurely old...shriveled and shrinking back from belief in anything new or great.

And I have also interacted with "elderly" folk ranging from 80s to over 100 with some of the youngest souls you could find. Saints filled with the joy for God's life, free from the bondage of doubt and baggage of continual regret..

"Youth is not a period of time. It is a state of mind, a result of the will, a quality of imagination, a victory of courage over timidity, of the taste for adventure over the love of comfort.

A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years.

A man grows old when he deserts his ideal.
The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul.

Preoccupations, fears, doubts, and despair are the enemies which slowly bow us toward earth and turn us into dust before death. You will remain young as long as you are open to what is beautiful, good, and great; receptive to the messages of other men and women, of nature, and of God.

If one day you should become bitter, pessimistic, and gnawed by despair, may God have mercy on your old man's soul." (A prayer composed by the late Gen. Douglas MacArthur)

fastforward 2010

Let me take a few minutes to share something the Lord has increasingly laid on my heart over the past several months. The promise found in 2 Corinthians 6:2 (In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation) is a promise I want us to contend for as a church family in 2010. You may have heard the saying, “One moment of favor is worth a lifetime of labor.”

As we move into the New Year, I want us to join our faith and believe God for increased favor in our lives and on our church, as well as for an increase in salvation for our loved ones, co-workers, and members of our community.

To help get ourselves in the right mindset and to position our hearts toward this focus at the beginning at 2010, we will be doing a series this January called FastForward. Here are a few ways you can get involved in this New Year emphasis:

• Attend 3 weeks of teaching on Biblical fasts on Sunday mornings (Pastor Joshua on January 3 & 10; Pastor Eric Peoples from CT on January 17)

• Participate in some way in our 21 days of prayer & fasting (January 3–23)

• Read the book, Fasting by Jentezen Franklin, and “helpful tips” articles from at the Resource Center

• Participate in the worship gathering on Sunday night, Jan. 17, with worship led by Mike Kim and ministry from Eric Peoples

• Attend weekly prayer and worship, Saturdays 8–9 am in Youth Room

In preparation for this emphasis, our elders, pastors, lay pastors and several staff have already begun to read Jentezen Franklin’s book on Fasting. This book had a significant impact on my life when I read it in 2008. It’s filled with helpful teaching on the subject of prayer & fasting, as well as inspiring testimonies from members of Pastor Franklin’s church. I hope you’ll pick up a copy at the Resource Center and see what the Lord may speak to you through it. You’ll also want to check out our website (elimgospel.org) and the Resource Center for some helpful articles on different kinds of biblical fasts, as well as practical tips on how to start and end a fast.

Before jumping into such a sacrificial emphasis, we should ask ourselves the obvious question: Why do we fast? We’ll be talking more in-depth about this in January, but here are a few reasons why I have worked to build fasting into my lifestyle.

• Men and women of God have sought the Lord through consecrated times of prayer & fasting in both the Old and New Testaments. Moses fasted. Ezra fasted. Daniel fasted. Esther fasted. Elijah fasted. Paul fasted. Jesus fasted.
• Jesus said His disciples would fast after His earthly ministry was complete. (Mark 2:19-20)

• All throughout church history, corporate fasting has positioned God’s people for fresh breakthroughs. Are you in need of a physical healing? Do you need deliverance from an addiction or habitual sin? Are you in need of a financial breakthrough? Do you have a loved one, co-worker, or neighbor who needs to get right with God?

• Fasting helps break the “at ease disease” that can so easily set into our relationship with the Lord. (Amos 6:1) Over time, all of us are prone to selfishness, distraction and apathy in our relationship with the Lord. I’ve found that setting aside time to fast and pray has been one of the best ways for me to jumpstart my devotional life when I have found myself in one of these spiritual ruts.

• Our heavenly Father still loves to reward those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6; (Jeremiah 29:13) We do not fast to twist God’s arm or because we need to get His attention — we already have it. We fast to remove the obstacles and distraction that are in our own hearts, minds and lives. Sometimes we find ourselves saying things like, “God is trying to speak to me” — as if God ever has to try to do anything! God is never trying to speak to us, we are just trying to hear what He is clearly saying to us. Fasting can help clear up the lines of communication. “Man does not live on bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Fasting is not about putting on a show of spiritual discipline. Religious Pharisees in the New Testament would fast to impress others — they missed the whole point and power behind this spiritual discipline. When done with a right heart, fasting is one of the most humble offerings we can bring to the Lord. As we fast, we are saying to the Lord, “I need more of You more than I need my next meal.”

Fasting is not “easy” or glamorous. It is a pretty grueling denial of our flesh. I’ve found it’s easier for me to give God my time and money than sacrifice my meals! Yet I have never fasted without some significant change in my heart and life. Sometimes the change comes through answered prayer, sometimes through a change of heart, and sometimes I’m simply left with an increased love, clarity, and spiritual hunger in my relationship with the Lord.

I hope you will prayerfully consider joining us on this FastForward 2010 journey. No matter what level of participation you feel the Lord is calling you to take, there is some-thing special about offering up the “first fruits” of our new year as we seek first the Kingdom and seek first the King. (Matthew 6:33)

turning...not earning

"Repentance is not what we do in order to earn forgiveness; it is what we do because we have been forgiven.

It serves as an expression of gratitude rather than an effort to earn forgiveness.

Thus the sequence of forgiveness and then repentance, rather than repentance and then forgiveness, is crucial for understanding the gospel of grace." (emphasis added)
-Brennan Manning

Thought I'd share a quote that has caused me to be thankful...taken from the book "The Ragamuffin Gospel." Anyone wanting to venture out into the deep waters of God's costly and recklessly extravagant grace should pick up a copy and read it.

Repentance is about turning...not earning.

more.

"It is hard to bear with people who stand still along the way, lose heart, and seek their happiness in little pleasures which they cling to....You feel sad about all that self-indulgence and self-satisfaction, for you know with indestructible certainty that something greater is coming..."
-Henri Nouwen

The Bible says that the path of the righteous grows brighter and brighter. (Proverbs 4:18)

The increase of Jesus' Kingdom government will never end. (Isaiah 9:7)

Dr. Oz, once said during an interview with Oprah that he chose the his career in the medical field because he could study the human body for the rest of his life and never get bored because there would always be something more....a new discovery to pursue, a new fascination to study out further....

While the human body is fascinating and medical science is a truly noble field, I think I will give my life to pursuing the One who created the human body. The One, who for all eternity we will gaze at in awe, wonder, amazement, and worship.

The best thing about longing for more of God...is that there will always be more of God.

game over.

"Grace means that in the middle of our struggle the referee blows the whistle and announces the end of the game.

We are declared winners and sent to the showers.

It's over for all huffing, puffing piety to earn God's favor; it's finished for all sweat-soaked straining to secure self-worth; it's the end of all competitive scrambling to get ahead of others in the game.

Grace means that God is on our side and thus we are victors regardless of how well we have played the game.

We might as well head for the showers and the champagne celebration." -Donald McCullough

When we begin to get a glimpse of the Grace of God it appears almost scandalous and offensive.

It is so recklessly extravagant, completely empowering, and altogether sufficient!

Will the life of a Christ-follower be pain free and full of ease??.....far from it! Jesus said we would face many trials in this life, but to take heart because He has overcome this world.

I know that in the end I will be judged on my reliance on Jesus' performance rather than my own.

Jesus' perfect life, sacrificial death, and miraculous resurrection really was enough.

There is nothing I can add to a perfect sacrifice.

When it looked like "the game" was over for all of us...Jesus hit a home run in our place and now we get to spend our lives rounding the bases for Him.

The rest of my life will be a home run trot because of His work on the cross.

When Jesus said "It is finished" He was simply saying "game over" to man's attempt to earn his own salvation.

treasures of darkness?

My freshmen year of High School I took a photography class.

I thought I'd love it. I loved taking pictures, appreciating good art & creativity, and I was given a free pass to roam around the entire campus to look for great shots.

It was not long before I hated going to photography class. All for one reason...I'd walk into the room with a clear picture in my mind of what I thought was on my film and then would end up walking out of the dark room with something completely different developed on my print.

I did not know how to maximize my time in the dark room.

It was not until I asked the teacher to join me in the dark room for some extra coaching. She wouldn't talk a whole lot (teachers rarely talk while their students are taking tests) and she wouldn't do the work for me, but just knowing that someone was standing next to me that knew how to work in that environment, helped. In the end, my pictures develop with much sharper clarity.

"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3

Light shines the greatest in dark places.

Many times our spiritual valleys are the places most pregnant with fresh vision.

All of us will find ourselves in these dark, difficult, quiet, trying, isolated valleys...but often it's in the the "dark rooms" of our lives that God's call and vision for our lives begins to come into greater focus.

Don't leave your current valley without the treasure and riches stored for you in the dark and hidden places.

chewing your own gum

I'm not a germ freak by any means, but I do like to chew my own gum.

I've shared gum with my wife before and had no problem with it. In fact, when your breath is not the greatest and a loved one is trying to look out for you and all that's available is some gum they've already been chewing on for the past hour...you're grateful to take whatever you can get.

But chewing on someone else's gum always come with a downside...less flavor than if you were chewing on your own fresh piece.

There are definitely some similarities when it comes to our spiritual lives.

I'll be the first to say that I love to learn and glean from other Christ-followers, mentors, leaders, etc. Ones that are older, younger, and ones that have been dead for decades.

And although we can appreciate, learn, be inspired by, and even experience a level of transformation from the "gum" others have already chewed on, we must never settle for only living on secondary revelation.

"When the religious views of others interpose between us and the primary experience of Jesus as the Christ, we become unconvicted and unpersuasive travel agents handing out brochures to places we have never visited." -Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel)

"The culmination of knowledge is not conceptual but experiential."
-Philosopher Jacques Maritain

Many times I am so busy learning new things from other great men and women of God that the Holy Spirit has to prompt me to put down the books, turn off the ipod, and shut down the computer.

It's time to "Be still and know [experience] that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Enjoy chewing your own gum this week. There is no substitute for having a personal encounter with the living God.

Representing Love.

When you read through the New Testament it is easy to see that being a Christ-follower is all about love. Love for God and love for other people.

Love is the focus of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

The apostle Paul gave a pretty elaborate description of this kind of love in his letter to the Corinthians.

For a challenging exercise to see how you are doing on representing God's love to the world around you...you can insert your name every place where the word "love" appears. None of us are completely there yet, but this is exactly what the Holy Spirit is working towards in our hearts and lives.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴Love [Joshua] is patient, love [Joshua] is kind.
It [Joshua] does not envy, it [Joshua] does not boast, it [Joshua] is not proud.
⁵It [Joshua] is not rude, it [Joshua] is not self-seeking, it [Joshua] is not easily angered,
it [Joshua] keeps no record of wrongs.
⁶Love [Joshua] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
⁷It [Joshua] always protects, [Joshua] always trusts, [Joshua] always hopes,
[Joshua] always perseveres.

Give it a try. Let it stretch you as you think about representing God's love.

"In my own language please."

I heard some commotion in the living room this afternoon.

My oldest son Judah was extremely frustrated with his brother Jesse. They had been watching a dvd together and at first I couldn't figure out what the problem was. For some reason the show wasn't as engaging as it had been on previous occasions. TV still on: check, volume still good: check, sippy cups in sight: check....so what was the deal with all the racket??

Then as I listened closer I realized that my youngest son must have hit something on the game controller (yeah...we're pretty ghetto and use an old ps2 as our dvd player:) because the animated characters on the screen were no longer speaking in English.....and Judah quickly realized that he didn't understand French!!

As a preacher, I continually find myself asking God for His Grace to to keep this principle in mind whenever I am preparing to communicate His Word.

The Levites involved in the work of the ministry during Ezra's day seemed to get this principle down....the principle of communicating God's Word in a way that their audience to understand it, internalize it and have a chance to apply it.

"They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read." (Nehemiah 8:8)

The greater teacher of preaching, Hadden Robinson said, "If it's a mist in the pulpit, it will be a fog in the pew."

God help all of us preachers!! What an amazing challenge and privilege...to present the most timeless and transformative text in a language our culture can comprehend.

"I know where you live!"

That statement is often used as a threat. It doesn't mean much if the person saying it is simply talking a good game and not going to do anything further.
It's a whole different story if someone says that and is completely sold on the idea of acting on that knowledge.

It's a great day when God says, "I know where you live!" to your greatest enemy.
You can rest assured that God never breaths out idle threats...only promises backed with action.

The prophet Isaiah tells a story of this happening in Israel's history.

The powerful king of Assyria named Sennacherib starts running off at the mouth taunting Hezekiah, Israel's King. Hezekiah trains his people not to respond to these threats coming from his messengers. (Isaiah 36:21)

God's response to Sennacherib in Hezekiah and Israel's defense is priceless...and down right scary... "But I know where stay and when you come and go..." (Isaiah 37:28) You've got the love the Bible....God tells this feared and powerful king, back down big boy because I know where you live!

As we look to the Lord He has a habit of fighting our greatest enemies for us. He may wait until it looks like there is no chance for our victory before intervening many times, but rest assured and draw strength from these words...

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
He will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
He will come to save you." (Isaiah 35:3-4)

courage by memory

There is death by chocolate, death by meeting, paint by number and...courage by memory.

Psalm 78 is a song of remembrance. This psalm lists generational testimonies that God wants to be preserved through the ages. Not just for the sake of remembering the "good old days" but as a source of encouragement for our current battles.

v. 9 Says that "the men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle."
v. 11 gives the reason..."They forgot what he had done, the wonders He had shown them."

When we fail to recall God's faithfulness we end up forfeiting courage that is available to us.
These soldiers were armed, ready for battle, but spiritual amnesia stole their courage.

Remembering what God has done in the past has the ability to fill our hearts with faith for the present. David had to do this when he was preparing to face Goliath. Not only did he remember the Lord delivering the lion and the bear into his hands, he reminded all the doubters around him that were trying to inject him with their anxiety.

Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 8:18 "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear. And don't you remember?"

When we cannot see what God is up to and can no longer hear, we need to remember what God has done and draw strength and courage from that amazing track record.

When facing lack, remember His last act of provision in your life.
When facing sickness, remember His last touch of healing.
When facing isolation, remember His promise to never leave you.

Meditate on the victories God has already worked for you and you will find yourself more courageous to face your current enemies.

Courage by memory..try it out this week as you face your latest enemy..it's another weapon our loving Dad put in our arsenal.

ending envy.

I was challenged by another pastor recently as he shared on the issue of wanting to live someone else's life.

It is very easy for us to struggle with a comparative and jealous cancer called envy.

Envy is a paralyzing sin. It can silence your gratitude and blind you of the vision God has for your life.

Envy can fill each of us with excuses....excuses that become quick exits off the path God has specifically marked out for us.

The Psalmist Asaph had to face this enemy just like us.

"...my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."
(Psalm 73:2-3)

The Old Testament refers to envy as coveting.

The good news is that there is a cure for coveting.

The Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 begins with "You shall have no other Gods before Me." Jesus defined that in the New Testament as loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The tenth and final commandment is "You shall not covet." The beautiful thing is that as we allow God's love and grace to empower us to walk out the 1st commandment we will automatically have power to walk out all the others.

When you live your life with an increasing revelation of God's love...you will not want to live anyone else's life.

Envy will end. You will not covet another person's wife, donkey (ride), or life!
May the love of God end envy in our lives.

dancing in the wrong end zone.

In 1963, in a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers. Bill Kilmer was the 49er quarterback and he fumbled while being sacked in the backfield.

Jim Marshall, Viking defensive end, picked up the ball and ran about 70 yards the wrong way into his own end zone for a safety against his team.

After Marshall threw the ball towards the stands in elation after 'scoring' the safety, not realizing what he had done, 49er offensive tackle Bruce Bosley ran up to him and patted him on the shoulder as if to say, sarcastically, 'Great play, Jim!'. (ask.com)

None of us ever want to find ourselves dancing in the wrong end zone.

It is so easy to major on the minors...to passionately and fervently climb up a ladder only reach the top and find that it's up against the wrong wall.

The enemy would love for us to give in to distractions...music styles, volume levels, preaching styles, busy schedules, building sizes, carpet colors, the opinions of man over the approval of God, etc.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." -Tim Kizziar

The Christian life boils down to experiencing God's crazy, radical, life-changing love and giving it away the world around us...one person at a time. That needs to become the filter through which we view our Christianity and Kingdom contribution.

May God give us the grace to major on the majors and minor on the minors.

beyond measure.

It amazing how easy it is to become familiar with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

After walking in relationship with the Lord for several years we can slip into a mindset that we have a pretty good handle on this miraculous Gospel. As a preacher I can be especially susceptible to this trap.

King David, walked intimately with the Lord and was a continual herald of His goodness for years but still made this statement, "My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, thought I know not its measure." (Psalm 71:15)

The Good News of the cross of Jesus Christ, our forgiveness, our healing, our deliverance, our inheritance, our mission, our future residence.....we can sing about it, study it, preach on it, personally experience it, but in the end it is still beyond measure.

What an amazing promise...our revelation of Who God is and the everyday response we walk out to that revelation has the potential to keep growing for all eternity.

Tough to get bored or settle for what is familiar with that kind of potential in a relationship.

God's Dream Team

Team work makes the dream work. It's a pretty simple yet profound thought.

Every time God has ever given a mission to a leader He also prepares and gifts some of the lives of those around him.

God may place the responsibility on the leader but often the capability on the leaders team.

We see this in Exodus 31:1-11. Moses is commissioned to build the tabernacle that God will dwell in among the Israelites. God goes into great details as to how this tabernacle and all of its intricate and artistic surroundings are supposed to be crafted.

Moses must have been thinking to himself, "How in the world am I ever going to get this done???"
Then God fills Moses in on some of his future team members. Team members that God has:

• "chosen"

• "filled with His Spirit"

• "given skills, abilities, and knowledge" in all the areas Moses was needing

"I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you." (v.6)
"They are to make them just as I commanded you." (v.11)

The responsibility will always rest on the leader but most often the capability will come from the people who surround that leader.

Find out what kinds of gifts God has placed in your life-both natural and spiritual.
Begin to serve a God-given mission and dream with those giftings and abilities.
It will be one of the most satisfying things you could ever do with your life.

I am so thankful for the dream team that God has surrounded my staff and I with....because it really is team work makes the dream work.

why pray? pt.5

5- Prayer that is motivated by humility will release fresh grace over our lives.

James 5:6—“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

I used to think that the number one reason for prayerlessness in my life was busyness. Then the Lord began to show me that it was really pride.

Just by taking the time to pray about things we are struggling with acknowledges to God, “I can’t do this without you, and I don’t even want to try.” Prayer done for the wrong reasons (to impress others with our devotion or spirituality, motivated by religious guilt, etc.) is not very rewarding or pleasing to God. But prayer that is humbly brought before our loving Father will always release fresh grace. And who of us couldn’t use some more grace?

Prayer and the time we are setting aside for it will cost all of us something very valuable, something that we all cherish—our time. I believe the sacrifice is worth it.There is no telling what God will supernaturally release in our midst as we pray.

Even if your schedule doesn’t allow you to come every week, set aside one Saturday a month or as much time as you feel the grace to give. Come join with our leaders as we contend for the increase of God’s Kingdom in our lives and church.

Sat am prayer. 8-9 am. youthroom. hope to see you there!

why pray? pt.4

4- Many battles will be won or lost in the place of prayer.

Exodus 17:11—“As long as Moses held up his hands [in prayer], the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.”

The Bible very clearly shows us that some victories are only received as we partner with God in our prayers.

Prayer is still the most resisted activity on the planet....because: History still belongs to the intercessors.

why pray? pt.3

3- Prayer births a fresh sense of expectation to see God move on our behalf.

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.” The disappointments of life can cause us to live with a “Don’t get your hopes up” mentality, but prayer has the ability to feed our level of expectation.

I believe that in many ways expectation is the womb of the miraculous.

I am asking the Lord to impart to us a fresh sense of expectation as we come to Him with our requests.

why pray? pt.2

2- Jesus’ directly links intercession with salvation.

Hebrews 7:24-25—“But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Praying for our friends, family members and neighbors who have yet to surrender their lives to Christ’s transforming love is a key focus in our Saturday morning prayer gatherings. (8-9am in the Youthroom). Bring your egc 3 prayer cards...if you don't have one you can pick one up at the Resource Center this Sunday.

why pray? pt.1

There is no doubt that God wants to do more in our lives, families, church, community and world. There are more testimonies of transformed lives to be heard, more disciples to be equipped, more healings to be released, more financial breakthroughs to be realized…there is more.

Living with the absolute conviction that God has more for us to realize as a church causes me to carry a great desire in my heart to see united prayer continually raised up from our community of believers.

Prayer changes things—things that would not normally change on their own—and that is why I believe it to be the single most resisted activity on the planet.

Here are a few reasons* why I feel compelled to see a fresh grace for prayer to permeate every area of our lives and church:

1- Jesus prayed continually while living on this earth. Hebrews 5:7—“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Even as God’s only Son, Jesus saw the need to offer up prayers to His Father for breakthrough.

*(I'll be continuing to expand on this blog over the next several days.)

The Great Outdoors

Here is my "top ten thankful list"after a trip to the Great Outdoors with my oldest son Judah and a friend of mine who also brought along his four year old boy.

10. Good friends will always let you borrow their camping gear when you are in desperate need.
Thanks Matt and Eric for the hooking us up. My heart (and back) are eternally grateful.

9. Nathan's hot dogs on a stick can hit the spot every time.

8. Within minutes of capture, toads and caterpillars can become beloved pets to a pair of 4yr olds.

7. Those beloved "pets" can keep a pair of dangerously curious 4yr olds occupied long enough for their dads to masterfully assemble proper living quarters....for hours if necessary:)

6. The dirty underwear of a 4 yr old hanging from a tree branch does not greatly damage the ozone layer.

5. The dirty underwear of a 4 yr old hanging from a tree branch does not overpower the smell of a even a somewhat weak campfire.

4. 4 yr olds can not only keep up with grown men on a 3 mile hike through the woods, they can do it without complaining or even pulling a single muscle in the process.

3. Flashlight batteries only have a certain life expectancy. Even energizer's reach a point where they graciously stop going.

2. Wives know how to pack men's bags before letting them out of the house...especially when their children's lives depend on it.

1. I am not getting to heaven based on my camping skills.

The Great Outdoors are Great because we have a Great Heavenly Father who made them for us to enjoy.

Thanks Dad for a memorable day in your back yard with a few of my favorite people!

"Bless Me!!"

A few weeks ago I had just put my youngest son Jesse to bed. As I walked down the hallway to put his older brother to bed, I could hear him begin to scream something. I didn't feel the need to discern the words he was yelling...I just know he needed to be disciplined and put back down to bed. So I turned and walked down the hallway with his cries growing louder and louder as I approached the door.

I opened the door and walked straight over to his crib, fully intending to discipline him, and then lay him back down for bed. As I picked him up I could tell that he had been really crying and not simply throwing a fit. He began to say to me over and over, "Bless me....Bless me...Daddy Bless me!"

Then it dawned on me. In my haste to get him down for bed, knowing that I still needed to put his brother down for bed, I spoke some quick, mindless, prayer over him and laid him down. That wasn't going to cut it. Normally I would intentionally speak the blessings of God over him before bed and this 23 month old little boy could definitely tell the difference and wasn't about to be gypped by my hurried prayer.

Prayer is powerful. Speaking blessing has real life and transformative power. The tongue really does have the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21)

Scripture is very clear that there are some blessings that are never released until they are spoken.

How many of us have missed out on blessings because of other's silence?
How many people around us have missed out of blessings because of ours?

Abraham blessed Isaac. Isaac blessed Jacob. Jacob blessed his 12 sons and 2 grandsons before his death. In fact, this is one of the acts of faith that gets Jacob listed in the "Hall of Faith." (Hebrews 11:21)

Who is inwardly crying out for you to bless them this week?

wait like the weaned...

"I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore." (Psalm 131 1-3)

Many parents can remember the process of weaning their children from nursing. It's not always a quick and easy process. A child in its immaturity does not know that their parents already know they need they have to eat and will make sure that need is met. So naturally, they will proceed to cry, wail, and act like they will never have their hunger and craving satisfied. If the answer they are seeking doesn't come immediately, it's assumed that is will never come.

How easy it is for us, as the children of God, to often act like this in our time of need?

It is very easy to "cry out" to the Lord like an unweaned child. We can find ourselves praying from a place of fear, doubt, and anxiety rather than from faith, hope, and love.

David shows us that it is possible to wait on the Lord as a weaned child. To wait on the Lord with the absolute assurance that He not only sees our need, but fully intends to take care of it. The peace in the soul of a weaned child is birthed out of unshakeable and confirmed belief in the goodness and faithfulness of their parent.

It is from this place of peace that David was exhorting Israel was to put their hope in the Lord forevermore.

What areas of your soul could use some weaning?

creating community

Our mission as a church family is clear: To help one another experience Christ’s transforming love so that we can love Him, ourselves, our families, our church and our world. While we may wholeheartedly agree with this vision and have a genuine desire for more of this kind of transformation in our lives, it can be very easy to overlook some of the key elements that the Holy Spirit uses to bring about this kind of life change.

The diagram we often refer to is called “The Transformational Triangle.” It shows how the Holy Spirit uses three elements of our lives (life challenges, our relationships, and the truth of His Word) to bring about spiritual growth—transformation. Most of us would agree that, from our perspective, we have more than enough trials in our lives, and that we have been taught more truth than we know how to regularly apply. But for many of us, the area of growing and experiencing transformation through relationships is probably the most untapped portion of the triangle.

From the very beginning God plainly laid out the facts to us: It is not good for man to be alone, and we are not created to live in isolation. (Genesis 2:18) Even with some level of awareness of that truth and/or need, creating community in our personal lives and in our church family is not an easy or automatic thing. Living in our busy culture, many of us can almost subconsciously find ourselves living with this unspoken goal: “Avoid people at all cost.” And it has cost some of us dearly. I know that I have found myself, at different times, paying far too high a price for a lack of community in my life. It’s not that we dislike the people around us—it’s just that we don’t think we have time for them. My prayer is that over the next several months, the Holy Spirit will begin to show you areas of your life in which He wants to bring growth and meaningful connection to you through relationships.

I really love our Sunday morning gatherings and hope that you do as well. The opportunities we have for the presence and love of Jesus to pour in and through us in those corporate settings are vital. As helpful as those gatherings are, I am also aware of the fact that, of the over 50 “one another” statements in the New Testament, the majority of them are most effectively practiced within smaller groups. These “one another” statements are in the Bible to give us a clear picture of how each member of the family of God has been designed to live his or her life in relationship to one another and the world around us. It’s for this reason that I think the early church met together both in the temple and from house to house. (Acts 2:46)

This August 30–October 4, our teaching team will be taking us on a 6-week journey through the topic of creating community. My desire for this series is that it will be insightful, convicting, inspiring, and practical. I have no desire to put an added burden on our church family, but I believe that as each of us begins to see with greater clarity the value of community, we will move from the tendency to avoid it to intentionally pursuing it. My desire is that each of us would find a circle of relationships within our church family where “everyone knows our name” and which will help stimulate spiritual growth in our lives over time.

I know it will take creativity for some of us to make room to experience the benefits of this in our everyday lives. That is why this fall we will be offering community group experiences that run for 8-10 weeks. On Sunday, October 4, we’ll cap off our teaching series on community with a Groups Fair, where we’ll be able to meet group leaders, explore the variety of group topics available, and sign up for one of the groups (Anna and I are now making adjustments in our calendars so that we can sign up for a fall group). Afterwards, we’ll all enjoy a great time of fun & fellowship together at a Church Family Picnic down by the pond. Please mark this date on your calendar and watch for more details in the September EGC Monthly.

This summer begin to ask the Lord which areas of your life could use a jump-start and some real growth. This fall we hope to help you make some meaningful connections, as together we continue to “help one another…”

the effect of righteousness

What is the effect of righteousness in our lives? What difference does it make that we stand in right relationship with God? The prophet Isaiah has some powerful things to say about this subject.

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace, the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, and in undisturbed places of rest."
Isaiah 32:17-18

The verses leading up to this profound promise speak of times of great devastation and trial for their land. Even in the midst of the greatest attack, trial, or season of discouragement that may come to us, God is able to reverse our environment because of Jesus' costly purchase our righteousness on the cross.

This morning I was reminded of the amazing effect righteousness can have on our lives...
peace...
quietness...
confidence....
peaceful dwelling places...
secure homes...
undisturbed places of peace....

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! A powerful prayer to pray today..."Father, let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done and Your righteousness manifested in each area of my life."

Spiritual Warfare: Strength to sit

In battle scenerios no one wants to be caught off guard, unprepared, or blind-sided like a "sitting duck." And the words of a long term army general "The more we sweat in peace time, the less we bleed in war," are very true. Preparation and action are very necessary to win wars.

Nevertheless, often the greatest act of courage and wisdom during times of spiritual warfare is to simply sit.

Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 to a group of Pharisees to emphasize His identity as the Son of God. It's interesting that the Psalm says:

"The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."

Sitting at the right hand of the Father, enjoying intimacy with our Dad and becoming increasingly confident in our royal identity, can accomplish far more in our battles than running off to impulsively fight in our own strength.

At times when we find the heat is all on, it is easy to find our actions fueled by anxiety rather than faith.

Maybe the greatest strategy for spiritual warfare is to simply sit at God's right hand while He makes our enemies a footstool for us?

Current reading list.

I was told long ago that leaders are readers.

Interesting to note that I don't think I ever completely finished reading a book in high school and now God has me pursuing wisdom at a rate I never would have even desired.

Currently I am digesting some good stuff from:

• Qualities of a Warrior by Graham Cooke
• Loving Your Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk
• Bringing up Boys by James Dobson
• Good to Great by Jim Collins

Keep reading...stay a lifetime learner.

the birth of praise...

Every good and perfect gift comes from above. Today our family celebrates the birth of our little "praise"man...aka Judah James. The book of Psalms says that God has ordained praise on the lips of infants..and this little guy definitely came out screaming.

He's 4 years and ready to take over the world...just ask him. He'll tell you I'm a "history maker, world changer, man of God!"

It's a sobering thought to think that he's watching my every move...looking for a model to follow. What an amazing privilege our Father has given us to raise up little world changers.

Be sure to check out our upcoming series at church: PG: Parental Guidance Required. I plan to learn some things for sure.

Off to the beach to go celebrate with the fam:)

Honor: humility in action

"We don't just honor people because they are honorable. We honor them because we are honorable. For a Christian, honor is a condition of the heart, not just a product of a good environment.

Honor is humility in action.

The presence of honor creates order through dignity instead of the fear of punishment. Order, when it is fostered by honor, results in empowerment; order enforced through fear results in control." -Kris Vallotton "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty"

hypocrisy??

Every Christian is pretty well aware that they never want to be considered a hypocrite by a closely watching world.

The only problem is that many of us have been duped into thinking hypocrisy is something that is really isn't. Many times we believe the enemy's lies when he calls us a hypocrite for worshiping in church when we don't feel like it or sharing our faith inspite of being fearful or not feeling this supernatural down load of love for the person we are sharing Jesus with.

Hypocrisy is NOT when a person's actions are inconsistent with their feelings but when a person's actions are inconsistent with their convictions.

Beliefs are things people argue over...convictions are what people are willing to die for. It is more important for me to get my actions tied to my convictions and let the feelings follow...

Side note: It's vital for each of us to stay teachable and live as lifetime learners. A wise man once said, "Every person I meet is superior to me in some way." Every person we meet has the ability to teach us something. This provoking thought on hypocrisy was passed onto me by a son in the faith...who happens to be 17.

What kind of wisdom and revelation is hidden inside the people that surround you everyday??

humility: all the way down to the top

It's been said that the truth of God's grace humbles a man without degrading him and exalts a man without inflating him.

Many of us within Christian culture have misunderstood the true meaning of humility. We've convinced ourselves that humility is about living a life bound to smallness.

"The consequence is that we've shrunk men below the size of their devil and so they are left to face him without the full benefit of their true identity and authority." -Kris Vallotton

Humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. Humility is not demeaning ourselves but exalting our God.

Proverbs 15:33 says that humility comes before honor. Those two virtues are greatly needed in our culture and lives. It is very interesting how tightly connected honor and humility are. I'll take some time to write about honor in an upcoming blog.

Preoccupied with purpose

Life can be distracting. In fact, if the enemy cannot defeat you, he will settle for distracting you from your divine assignment.

He tried to do this to a man of God from the Old Testament named Nehemiah, and he'll try to do the same to us. An adversary was attempting to taunt and distract Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We can learn a lot from Nehemiah's answer. He didn't react out of fear and anxiety; he responded in faith and clarity of focus....

"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down to you."
"Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer." (Nehemiah 6:3-4)

The same power that caused Nehemiah to become preoccupied with his purpose is available to each of us today. We must learn to not lower ourselves to the taunts of our adversaries.

You can always tell the size of a man's identity by the size of the problem it takes to discourage him or break his focus.

He's Just That In To You!

Recently I found myself watching a movie with my wife. It was one of those chick flicks that was worth watching and not a waste of my time simply because my beautiful wife, Anna, was in the room with me and because the Holy Spirit reminded me of a simple and yet continually revelatory truth...."He (God, my Father) is just that in to me!

The movie was all about this guy teaching a girl to read the signs that men give women when they are just not that into them. Reasons why their phones never ring, second dates never happen and their dreams of a fairy tale wedding will never materialize....at least with the guy who they are waiting days for him to call them back.

One of the main ideas of the movie was this: If someone is really into, really loves you, really wants to be with you....He will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

WOW!!! If that doesn't remind you of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I'm not sure what will. Even when I was far from God, blinded by my sin and selfish way of living, He came and gave it all to have relationship with me.

God is just that into us.

Into us enough to do whatever it takes to have relationship with us(I John 3:16) .
When it comes to Jesus, you never have to wonder how He really feels about you....just take a look at the price He willingly paid to pursue us.

An inside job

Enjoy this excerpt from a book I am reading by Kris Vallotton entitled "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty":

The mind has a power to affect our behavior either positive or negative. But it does not possess the power to change our nature. That alone is accomplished when we are born again. When people people are born again, they are transformed from the inside out. It is not the external things that are are likely to change first. God takes up residence in our hearts, transfroming us, as it really is an an inside job. On the other hand, religion works on the outside. While it can bring conformity, it is is powerless to bring transformation. (page 56)

Religion is all about how things look on the outside (form) but doesn't bring much transformation (power).
2 Timothy 3:5

Forget religiosity...let's keep helping one another experience Christ's transforming love!

Napoleon complex??

Growing up I always had the hope and expectation that I would keep getting taller. After all my dad is over six feet and I just thought at some point the genes would kick in. As I got older and still hadn't reached that six foot mark, I was told to not lose hope because girls will typically stop developing closer to 18 but guys can keep growing until 25:)...Well, here I am at age 28 and it's not looking like I'll ever get past 5'9"....

As much as I really wanted to be taller growing up, now it doesn't matter much to me because I realize that my height does not minimize my true stature. The world will say that those who are short and live there lives like they always have to prove something are living with a napoleon complex.

I think it's obsurd for any Christian to live with a spiritual Napoleon complex.

It's obsurd for us to try and prove anything to our enemy...especially considering that we are part of the Body of Christ. Our lives are actually hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Jesus just happens to be larger than life and seated above all (Ephesians 1:22). And because our lives are hidden in Him, the lowest (the least) member in His Body is superior to the highest principality and power of the enemy.

Let's loose any napoleon complex we've been conned into living. Like the great revivalist Smith Wigglesworth we can say, "I am 1,000 times bigger on the inside!"

Creating a Kingdom Culture

My desire is to not simply pastor a healthy New Testament church, but to actually see a thriving Kingdom Culture established within our family of believers. A Kingdom Culture that will bring heaven's realities to earth in such a way that our community and region, can't help but take notice and are forever changed.

Whenever a culture changes it is because the people of that culture begin to change the way they think. The Bible calls this process repentance leading to a renewed mind.

I was reading a book Bill Johnson (one of my favorite authors) and found 4 cornerstones of thought that are needed before a Kingdom Culture can be established within a church. Last week I had the chance to sit down with Bill over breakfast and have him share more on these four areas. The thoughts below are taken from that conversation as well as his book, "Face to Face" p. 194-196.

4 Cornerstones of thought:

#1 God is good.
God really is in a good mood. He might be mad at someone, somewhere but He's not mad at me. I'm his kid. God really is better than we think, so we need to change the way we think. We cannot afford to live this life with thoughts going through our minds that are not in His.
Brewing in the earth right now is a conflict and the leading issue in this conflict will be centered around the goodness of God.

#2 Nothing is impossible.
As believers we have been assigned to invade what has previously been called impossible. Many Christians believe in miracles but shrink back from contending for miracles. One of the saddest parts of this belief and practice is that we begin to think over time that the rest of the Christian life is actually possible! The fact that I am able to love others, have a desire to read and apply God's Word into my life, etc. all require supernatural grace and empowering. Jesus meant what He said in Mark 9:23. You know your mind is renewed when the impossible looks logical.

#3 We fight from the victory of Christ.
The warfare we engage in as believers is not in order to win a battle but rather to enforce the victory Jesus already won for us at the cross. The church of Jesus Christ is not on the defensive. We are on offense and have been given the ball. We are living out Jesus' win, not living in such a way as not to lose. There is a big difference. This revelation will change the way we pray, worship, lay hands on the sick, etc.

#4 I am significant
The discovery of this biblical truth is so liberating and actually produces true humility. There is a humility that comes from seeing our past. But the greater measure of humility comes from seeing our future. As the Holy Spirit leads us into a greater discovery of personal significance our awareness of our dependency on God actually grows. Face it....we are a big deal in heaven and we are a big deal on this earth. We just need to be careful not to confuse our destiny with our assignment. Our destiny is heaven and our assignment is to bring it to this earth. Our Father has entrusted to us the continuation and fulfillment of the mission, His Son, our elder brother Jesus began. (I John 3:8)

What a playbook, what promises, what a family, what challenges, what empowerment, what a life our Father has called us to live!

I personally don't have time to be bored when I take a moment to think about the hour in which we live:)

the qualities of a warrior

"Warriors do not react to their circumstances, they respond to God. They see everything as an opportunity to learn, grow, advance and increase faith. They have taken their own internal territory.

They do not avoid tough situations; they are not looking for rescue. They are developing a revelation of God so profound, it governs every facet of their lives.

Warriors know that Jesus reigns and everything leads to majesty. That means that every situation is not theirs to win; but theirs to lose.

Graham Cooke examines the qualities of people who fight from victory not towards it. He explores the attributes required for involvement with God at a high level of warfare. Warriors cannot be intimidated by the enemy, because they are too busy being fascinated by Jesus.

There is a place in the Spirit set aside for us where we make the enemy confused. We weary him by our rest. We discourage him by our faith. We demoralize him with our joy. We depress him by our endurance. He is dispirited by our favor; defeated by our grace. Warriors win by staying fresher, longer."

Graham Cooke is a prophet whose writing provokes me towards greater trust in God.The above is only an excerpt from the back cover! I just ordered a copy of this book and can't wait to begin devouring it's content.

"a prisoner of promise"

Normally when we think of a prisoner we naturally only think in negative terms. A prisoner is one who is being held against their will and dying to break free. A person who is held captive but someone or something greater than themselves...

What would life look like if that stronger, captivating force were the Promises of God?

Oh, to live the life of a prisoner of promise.

"..and now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.." (I Corinthians 13:13)

We definitely need God's faith for the present ("Now faith is.." Hebrews 11:1) but it doesn't help our past much. We need God's love to cover our past and all of it's failures.
And in regards to our future, it is true, biblical hope that draws us towards God's purpose and destiny.

Abraham was the father of our faith. The Bible says that when he found himself in a situation that for every good reason looked hopeless....he had hope....against all hope, he hoped.
(Romans 4:18)

The question reigning in the heart and mind of such a person is no longer "if" but rather "when".

Abraham's reliance on God was so strong that he was literally held hostage to hope and a prisoner of promise.

satisfied.

In Psalm 17 David prayed that God would deal with some of the people surrounding his life. People that were causing him some real problems. One summarizing statement describing this group of enemies can be found in verse 14:

"O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life."

How easily all of us are prone to get focused on, pursue, become envious of, such temporary things. These other men gave into the temptation to live their lives based solely on the temporary and fleeting rewards of this life.

The cry of David's heart reveals a way to counteract this common temptation...Verse 15:
"I will be satisfied with the seeing of your likeness."

When we get a glimpse of our Father....our view towards everything else is radically adjusted.

Suddenly our souls can be at rest. Striving, competition, envy, rivalry, shortsightedness... all lesser ambitions are displaced with legitimate satisfaction deep within our souls.

n.o.w.

It is so easy to forget that this life and all that we see will not always be here. When the Bible speaks of our lives, it refers to the sum total of our years as, "but a breath." There is a time coming soon that God the Father will wrap up this whole story we call HIStory.

Ephesians 5:15-20

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
¹⁶making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. ¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray together..."Holy Spirit fill us in such a way that we are able to live in the NOW."

N - No
O - Opportunity
W - Wasted

happy day

By far the number one song request in my house is "Happy Day" by an artist named Tim Hughes. My 3 yr old son, Judah, goes absolutely wild when he hears the song....jumping...dancing...and spinning all over the living room.
The song speaks about Easter, the day we celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.

It was a good day for all of us, but the worst day for the Son of God. The man that was totally God-forsaken,and the God that was totally man-forsaken. He hung on that cross totally alone...the only person to ever experience ultimate rejection and isolation....and yet there was a powerful picture in His mind that awful day...

"who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning it's shame..."
(Hebrews 12:2)

Happy Day (Easter) was on Jesus' mind that Good Friday. Every sick person who would receive healing because of His sacrifice were on Jesus' mind that day. All the people who would ever be set free from the bondage of sin were on Jesus' mind that day. People from every tribe, language, and nation filling heaven's banqueting table were on Jesus' mind that day. The image of a 3 year old dancing across my living room to the truth of that day, was on Jesus' mind that day and helped keep Him hanging on that old rugged cross.

Jesus made happy days possible. Happy Easter!

The price of progress

I had just come out of our Sat am prayer gathering (8-9am), sat down at my computer and couldn't help but be struck by the quote I read at the bottom of an email response from Pastor Mike:

"The self-sufficient do not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray. No man is greater than his prayer life." — Leonard Ravenhill

Very provoking, very true.

Lord teach us how to pray:)

Spring cleaning for my mind...

We just finished a series called "Too busy NOT to Pray" and as I was reading through the apostle Peter's letter to the early church and was stopped at this one verse...

"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."
(I Peter 4:7)

Each of us live such busy lives...working, grocery shopping, bill paying, child raising, house cleaning, church attending, phone calls, email, exercise, reading, hobbies, holidays....
All of these necessary things can quickly add to the level of complexity in our lives which can quickly lead to confusion in our minds as to what is really important and in regards to how much time we have left to accomplish everything.

We can only focus on so many things.

"The divided heart tries but the undivided heart does." Dr. Lance Wallnau

So as we begin to do some spring cleaning around our house, I'll be asking the Holy Spirit to also help me clear any clutter that has collected in my mind and heart...taking away all the things that are not necessarily even sinful or bad, but unnecessary. Who doesn't want to be able to pray with greater simplicity and clarity?

face lift

In my humble opinion, every person should consider getting a face lift.

No, I am not talking about the kind of face lift that people pay tens of thousands of dollars for only to many times end up being the talk of the tabloids or left with the thought,
"What have I done!!!"

I'm talking about a face lift that affects much more than just outward appearance. The kind of face lift that affect our internal reality. The kind of face lift that is too expensive for any person to ever afford, and yet the kind available to each of us....available for those the world would consider beautiful or homely, rich or poor, intelligent or ignorant, believing or doubting...

Those words to the song "By Your Side" by tenth avenue north really struck me a few days ago and I haven't been able to shake it. The lyrics left me with the kind of thoughts that have staying power attached to them...the kind that make you realize all at once that God is trying to speak to you.

"Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face.....
Just don't turn away."

When was the last time you let God give you a face lift?

egc3

Yeah right...you've got to be kidding me...WOW!...God, you are so much bigger than I ever thought!!!

Those were the thoughts that raced through my mind one night at a church service as my belief in prayer was totally revolutionized. As a sophomore in high school God gave me a burden to pray for several of my friends and classmates that were living without any relationship with Christ...

They were lost and didn't even know it...I did...and wanted to see that change.

I knew I was quite incapable of bringing the level of transformation that was needed in their lives so I began to pray. There were quite a few people I wanted to pray for and so I began by simply taking out an index card and filling both sides with names. Probably 30-35 people in all. I found out that in a month or so, there was going to be a service at my youth group that would be geared towards explaining the Gospel to people seeking truth. Here was my opportunity to partner with God.

These kids were awesome people who just didn't know that to find truth is to find a person...Jesus Christ.

Every night before going to bed I'd pull out my notecard and just mention their names to the Lord. I'd ask Him to open their hearts and to give me the boldness to extend an invitation for them to come with me to church. God was not only going to have to do His part, He needed to give me the courage to do mine. He kept to His end of the deal....and by His Grace so did I.

Over the next few weeks I handed out little invitation "touch cards" and then showed up to see what would happen. Our little youth group that night went from a group of 20 to a group of 40...I couldn't believe my eyes...15-20 of my friends showed up and were with me at CHURCH!!!

By the end of the night, I had the opportunity to look around the room, when everyone's eyes were supposed to be closed:) and see several of my friends, tears streaming down their faces, surrender their lives to Christ. Everything changed for me at that point. I still have doubts just like the rest of us, but for me, on that day several questions were answered in my heart:

-My Father not only hears but can direct my prayers
-My prayers are more powerful than I realize
-The Good News of life in Jesus Christ can penetrate hearts you never imagined could be touched.

Over the years, some of those friends drifted away from their relationship with Jesus, some are still walking with Him today, and one is powerfully extending God's Kingdom in areas of ministry all over the world.

A divine seed of truth is still planted in all of them. It was first planted in their hearts through prayer.

Let's see what God will do with our prayers.

Taking my medicine

There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
...A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer...
Ecclesiastes 3 (the message)

So as my family drops one by one to the flu and I am doing anything but laughing...a humorous picture comes to mind that cheers me up. This week, while shopping at Walmart with Anna and the boys, I bought a Whoopi Cushion for the two of them to play with. Watching them jump on it, lay on it, and squeeze it in each others faces was some great comedy relief.

The thought accured to me, that If I get this much joy out of watching my two sons run around playing with a whoopi cushion, how easy is it for my heavenly Dad to find joy out of watching my life. Afterall, He did say that we are the apple of His eye.

I'm learning more and more that you can find God in the most mundane, common, and seemingly "unspiritual" areas of life. His Presence and joy are many times only a thought away. God really is closer than we think.

Next week (Mar 8) we'll be talking more about this as we look at the common question, "If God is always with us, than why is He so hard to find??". Be sure to come and check it out:)

So while my family takes their medicine to get over the flu, I decided to respond the the Holy Spirit's nudge and take some myself.

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.
Proverbs 17:22 (the message)