Thankful For

1. A  God who loves us
2. A country that allows me to worship God freely
3. A  family that I can take care of
4. A home that keeps me warm
5. A home with running water
6. The ability to work to earn the things we need
7. My children’s general health
8. A refrigerator that keeps my food cold
9. That I can see most any relative within a day’s drive
10. The ability to laugh with friends
11. The many books I get to choose from
12. Two cars that drive… most of the time
13. Autumn leaves
14. A warm fire to sit by
15. You

Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for? Post your responses below.

A couple of weeks ago I had to make a choice, to do what the Holy Spirit was directing me to do or to turn away and go another direction.  I choose to walk away.

Very often I will pray that God will use me to reach those around me, but yet when the time arrives I sometimes can be very reluctant to do what He is telling me to do.  You would think after reading Jonah a few dozen times I would have learned the lesson of listening to God by now (If you have not read Jonah read all four chapters here ).  However, it’s obvious that I have much to still learn.

What Happened

It all took place about two weeks ago when I was on my way home and decided to pull over and get gas.  I found myself pulling into a gas station that I NEVER go to and walking into the convenience store part for no apparent reason.  As I stood there for 3 minutes, wondering what I was doing in there, a gentleman walked in expressing his frustration that his car broke down and he needed help.  Not wanting to get involved I proceeded to walk out and immediately I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to go back to talk to this man.  However,  I ignored God and continued to walk out of the store, but as I moved closer to my car the Holy Spirit got louder.  When I opened the door to my car, the Holy Spirit hit me in the gut and I finally relented.  Like the reluctant prophet Johan I walked back to the man in need and asked him if I could be of any help.

Why God Sent Me

For ten year I worked in special education and have become very skilled with working with people who learn differently.  When I approached this man it was very obvious to me that he was somewhere in the autistic spectrum and that problem solving in this type of situation can be very difficult for him.  God had spent ten years preparing me to help people like this when others would be perplexed and unsure how to work with someone in the autistic spectrum.  I however felt right at home and began to to learn more about this man.  He was traveling across the state, his family lived over 6 hours away and he didn’t know anyone in the area.  Working together we came up with a plan to get this guys car worked on and, with the help of some friends, we got him a ticket so that he could get back home to family.

How We Should Respond

God has called us to be His love, His messenger and His servant here on Earth.  He has given each of us unique experiences, talents, passion and personality to do His will and because of this, He can place us in particular situations that brings Glory to Him.  However, we must be willing to submit to the Spirit when he calls on us to act and be willing to serve and love others.  Are you willing to stop what you are doing, to do what the Spirit is calling you to do?

God had me go to that gas station just so that I could help that man.  He prepared me for it, guided me there and then put me to work for Him.  That was an awesome feeling that I hope you get to experience.

Moment's like these just make you stop and admire God's work.

The group Sidewalk Prophets sing a song called “The Words I Would Say.” So simple, and as I write this I know that there are things that I need to write that I may not be able to say in person but are deep within my heart.

I just love the lyrics of the song because they say so much. “If we were face to face, I’d tell you just what you mean to me, I’d tell you these simple truths, Be strong in the Lord and, Never give up hope, You’re going to do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so, Don’t live life in fear, Forgive and forget, But don’t forget why you’re here, Take your time and pray.”

Just stop a moment, and pray. Take it all to the Lord, as he will find you wherever you are and will hear you. I’ve found myself doing that a lot lately, instead of writing a letter (that would never be sent), I turn what I want to say into a prayer. It’s not always easy just to spill it all out, but then God knows every part of my heart, so even if I’m not ready to say the words I need to, he already knows what troubles me.

On this journey that I’m on, I’m learning that it doesn’t matter really what I have to say but more what I am doing and how I am living my life. The song goes on to say “Last time we spoke, You said you were hurting, And I felt your pain in my heart, I want to tell you, That I keep on praying, Love will find you where you are, I know cause I’ve already been there…”

The words I would say…well I say them through prayer for those who hurt me, as God hasn’t given up on them. I would tell them that it’s not about them and me but about them and God. Finding peace can only come when we turn it all over to God. As I finish this, the song just came on the radio and I find it a fitting way to close. May the words you have to say be brought to the Lord, and may you know that love will find you wherever you are.

Romans 12:1, say,: “ I appeal to you therefore, brethren and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies…presenting all your members and faculties…as a living sacrifice, holy and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable, rational, intelligent, service and spiritual worship. ”

What’s Sacrifice?

In the Greek, the word for ‘sacrifice’ primarily denotes an act of offering, with no stipulation as to what is offered. As we look at two people, mentioned in the New Testament we see what this living sacrifice really is.

The first example is, of course, that of Jesus. Philippians 2:5-11, describes what Jesus did in offering himself for our sins. “Let this same attitude and purpose and (humble) mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…let him be your example in humility. Who being in the form of God, counted not being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped. But emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant and to be born like other men, and appearing in human form, he abased himself, and showed obedience, even unto death…”

Do you see the two acts of offering which Jesus performed? They were, first humility, the complete absence of pride, and second, obedience, submission to authority, the will of the Father.

The second example is the Apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:7, he shows his humility when he says, “But all the things that I once held to be gain, I have now, for Christ’s sake, come to count as loss.” Paul demonstrates his submission to authority in his calling on the road to Damascus. In Acts 9:4-6 Jesus said to Paul, ‘Why are you persecuting me?’ To which Paul replied, “Who are you?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus. ” Then, with trembling and astonishment, Paul said, “Lord, what do you want me to do.” From that moment on Paul became obedient to the will of the Lord.

What’s the Result?

For His act of offering, Jesus was ‘highly exalted,’ as His reward. Paul was rewarded when he heard God say, just as we will one day hear Him say to us, ‘Well done thou good and faithful servants… enter into the joy of the Lord.’ God calls on all of us to offer unto Him the act of humility and obedience for which we will be rewarded as ‘living sacrifices.’

In the words of an old song, “there is coming a day…when I look upon His face…what a day, glorious day, that will be.”

I John 3:1 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does now appear what we shall be, but we know when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. For, we shall see Him as He is.”

An orchard I visited yesterday. It looks like a light at the end of a tunnel.

It’s been rough the past nine months. Last February I was let go as the children’s pastor at my former church and since then I have applied to hundreds of positions on line.  So far I’ve had some conversations with other churches, but to date nothing solid has come out of these conversations. It’s been a long journey and it has been one that can bring great discouragement. That leads me to ask, “How are we to deal with discouragement?”

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Here are some simple steps I have used or been reminded of:

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1. Just call it as it is and accept the fact that you are not perfect. Sometimes you get in a bogged down and you need help.
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2. Call on God when you are in the slumps. God can pull you out of any pit if you are willing to put your hand up for help. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. “ James 5:13a
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3. Ask others for prayer. There is nothing wrong for asking for prayer, in fact there is everything right to have others pray for you.  Paul asked others to pray for him regularly (Colossians 4:3, Ephesians 6:19, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, Romans 15:31-32).  I am encouraged when others are praying for me.
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4. Recite or begin memorizing scripture. I verbally quote my life verse, Romans 8:38-39, to remind myself that regardless of my situation, I am loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love.
   “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.
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5. Sing a song to God. Lift your voice to God and make him the center of your attention.  I personally like to sing “Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary”

Yesterday while feeling very discouraged I went to a nearby orchard and spent time doing just these five actions.  It was encouraging and helpful as I sat in prayer and talked to God.  I encourage you, if you are feeling discouraged, start with these five steps and put your focus on God and His power.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” Luke 12:22-26. (Also see Matthew 6:25-34)

Thank you @Faithfulfish and @PriceChris for the prayers and the words of encouragement yesterday.

It’s already November! Where has the year gone?

And, if you’re still wracking your brain over how to communicate the Truth of the Christmas season (once again) this year, you’re not totally at a loss.

The weeks leading up to Christmas will all to soon fly by and between the holiday parties, special church services, year-end staff meetings, teen’s Christmas plays, volunteering at the local shelter, egg-nog, mall shopping, online shopping, hosting the church food drive…etc…WHEW…

…you may be in a panic for solid lessons/messages to communicate the power and wonder of the birth of our Lord.

If you’re still worrying over how to make your Christmas lessons drive home the meaning of the season, consider these quick options:

1. Video/Documentary Story

This option requires the most prep of all the options. But, it can be a powerful visual and experiential tool for your ministry. You’ll need a few video savvy teens,  a camera, and a few hours on location. Give your teens the assignment to take a Saturday (or any free day) and create a video portraying some aspect of the first Christmas story if it happened today!

Just imagine if Christ were born today! To whom would the angels bring the good news? –the homeless, city sanitation workers…?

Instruct your teens to act out the story (or recruit their friends and family to get involved). Let your teens be creative with this and maybe even make a contest for best video!

2. Host a Birthday Party for Jesus

Everyone loves a party and Christmas seems to be the best excuse to have one! But, design a Christmas party that is obviously a birthday party…for Jesus. As cheesy and/or obvious as that sounds there is plenty of room for sharp lessons about the meaning of Christmas in the midst of all the fun. Christmas is all about presents under the tree, right? Well, what if the presents were for Jesus? What does a teenager give to Jesus for his birthday? Let your teens be creative and find out! And, maybe we all could take this opportunity to learn the phrase, “Christmas is not MY birthday.”

3. Teach Christmas Carols for Worship

Most of us know at least a few Christmas carols…but do we know what they mean or where they came from. I used this lesson last year and it really opened up the teens appreciation for the “same old Christmas carols” they’d heard for years. You can teach theology through them. I think of lyrics like, “Behold Him arise/King and God and Sacrifice/Hallelujah, hallelujah peel through the earth and skies.”

Also, consider changing your usual youth service schedule to present your message on carols at the beginning followed by worship using the very Christmas carols you talked about.

4. Bring Christmas to Someone

Plan to caravan your teens to a nursing home/shelter/halfway house and bring Christmas to them. Be sure to notify, discuss, and plan ahead with a contact or agent of whatever organization you think your youth ministry should visit. Coordinate snacks and Christmas-y food to bring if you like. Have your teens be prepared to “bring” Christmas to someone else rather than have another party given to the teens.

Let the love and attitude of Christmas be shown through your youth ministry to someone else in your community.

Do you have any suggestions for a quick Christmas lesson?

“I forgive you.” We hear these simple words numerous times throughout our lives, but what does “forgive” really mean? And what does God call us to do.

We find it easy to forgive little things in life and yet find it almost impossible to forgive someone who hurt us. Loving our enemies is not a concept that anyone really wants to do, but God calls us to do things that we never thought we could. In fact, forgiveness is required by God.

I have always felt that God blessed me with a very forgiving heart, for whatever reason. It wasn’t until recently that I began to realize just how special and for what purpose that he gave this to me. To forgive means that one cannot harbor the very thing that caused the other harm if they have forgiven the other party. In order to forgive, we must be willing to accept what happened and be able to move on from it. I’m not saying that we forget what happened but we grow from it instead of harboring resentment or other ill feelings.

Lewis Smedes says in his book, “The Art of Forgiving” that there are three steps to forgiveness: Accept your own humanity, give up the right to get even and give well wishes to the person who offended or hurt you.

When we think of sin, a variety of things comes to mind but we wouldn’t think that not forgiving someone is also a sin. Therefore, we must accept our own humanity and understand “that sin is no less hurtful or significant in God’s eyes to the offense committed by the other person. In God’s eyes we are on a level playing field and we need to see ourselves from God’s perspective.”

Thoughts of revenge often come to mind when we are hurt. I know that for me I thought the best thing in the world was cutting the person who hurt me completely out of my life. My heart was so broken that I tried to remove everything from my home to omit them from my life. I gave them the silent treatment thinking that by cutting the person out was a way for them not to hurt me again. I felt like there was nothing the person could do to make up for the pain that they had caused me. “Think of it like putting broken glass back together—there will always be lines and it will never be whole or as perfect as it was before the break. There will continue to be evidence of the brokenness.” So instead, we are called to let go of the desire for repayment of the pain, and in letting go, we learn to forgive.

In recent months, I’ve learned the hardest part about forgiving someone is wishing the person who hurt me the most, the best in life. Honestly, wishing or hoping well for the person who caused me pain assures me that I have truly forgiven them. While I have forgiven the person, I know that forgiveness is not a one-time act. After hours of prayer, God has given me the message that the process is long, hard, and takes time.

The road to forgiving someone begins with the first step, which is choosing to say that I forgive this person. “This does not mean our heart will follow that decision. We have to continue to work through our feelings so our heart catches up with our decision.” We must also remember that forgiving does not mean forgetting, as we never forget the pain but we learn to overcome it and we learn God’s purpose for it in our lives. I remember the pain of everything as a means to help me grow from it. For me forgiveness is not reconciliation, instead, it is something that I am doing for myself, so that I can lead a productive life while understanding God’s grace.

Last night I was reading 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 which spoke to my heart and my mission to understand the depth of what it means to truly forgive.

1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. 5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Recent ads have attempted to show the importance of adding milk to our daily diet with the question, ‘Got Milk?’ In 1 Peter 2:2, we find a reference to milk; “As newly born infants, desire sincere spiritual milk, so that you may thrive upon it to your soul’s health.” To this statement, I would ask you, ‘Got Milk?’

In this verse we find Peter making a comparison; just as milk is necessary for the growth of newborns, so too, is the Word of God essential for a Christians spiritual growth.

Psalms 119:9 asks and answers the question, “How can a young man cleanse his ways, by taking heed according to Your word.” Again in verse 11, he says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Over and over in this Psalm the writer stresses the value of God’s Word to our daily Christian walk.

Again, in I Peter 2:2, Peter makes a contrast; it is the one between just any kind of milk and that of the ‘sincere” milk of the word. The word ‘sincere’ had an interesting use in the daily lives of the people of Peter’s day. Clay pots were used in almost every household and often a pot would crack when it was fired. The merchant would then take wax and blend the crack so that it was not seen by the buyer. So, the buyer would ask, “Is this pot sincere?” In other words, “Is it ‘without wax or unflawed?”. Of course the true test was to hold it up to the light, and then the flaw would be clearly visible.

The food a Christian needs is God’s Word, untainted by human hands or reasoning, able to stand alone as truth.

Finally, in I Peter 2:2, we find a command; we are to ‘desire’ this milk. In some translations it is, ‘crave’, ‘long for’, or, ‘eagerly thirst’. The word is also translated ‘lust’ when describing desire in an evil sense. ‘Lust’ describes for us the intensity by which we are to seek after God’s Word.

Psalms 19:7, 8, 11, 12 reads this way in the Message translation:

“The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road..
The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.
God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasures.
Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool?”

We are to desire, long for, eagerly thirst for God’s Word, “that you may grow thereby.”

I Peter 2:2, makes a Comparison, a Contrast, a Command, and asks a question: ‘Got Milk?’

What is a Clover Site?

Clover Sites provide flash based templates for churches and ministries and is entirely managed through flash and lets users create and use many of their features, such as online calendar, sermon module, the ability to create Up to 8 Main Pages and sub pages under these.  The question then is, is a Clover site right for you and your church?

What can Clover Sites do?

In order to get a good feel for Clover Sites I looked up several sites created by Clover Sites by going to Google and typing “link:www.cloversites.com.”  The list was long and I had plenty of options to choose from, so I picked several sites and began exploring what Clover Sites could do and not do.

Right off the bat I want you to know that Clover Sites Content Management Systems (CMS) is easy to use and their support people are great.  The sites are clean, simple and easy to navigate.  However, I was not overly impressed with how few templates I had to choose from or the limits I had as a programmer.

How do Clover Sites rank on Google?

I then checked out to see if the sites were Search Engine Friendly (SEO) with Google, Yahoo and Bing.  By typing “site:www.NameOfChurchHere.com” I could see that Google indeed does index the pages, but that does not necessarily mean the sites are optimized for search engines.  For starters you can’t optimized the headers or photos for better search engine results.  I then did a search on several different random church websites built with Clover Sites by going to Google and typing,  “Churches in (city where the church is at).”  Here are the results:

• I found the www.Rockchurchqc.com on page eight of Google
• After looking at 15 pages I never found www.soulcitychurch.com on Google, even if the search was focused on the sub city, the Clover site could not be located.
• After looking at 15 pages I never found www.fueleveryday.com on Google.  Interestingly enough Fuel is part of a larger church called Eastview Christian Church and the Eastview website came up on page 1 of Google, because it was built in PHP (same as joomla and wordpress).
• I did some research on seven additional Clover Sites and came back with similar results.
  ..

What’s the Verdict?

The results are that Clover Sites are just not as SEO friendly as I had hoped.  Even if churches added in keywords throughout the site, churches would still need to hire out an SEO company to improve their rankings.

What does this mean for your church?  The CMS for Clover Sites is easy to use and at least gives you some web presence.  If you are a small church that is just looking to get something on the web or if your church has a youth group that wants its own page, Clover Sites may be an option.  However, if you are a church that would like to make an impact using the internet I would recommend investing in a solid PHP website with a CMS like WordPress.  WordPress is very Google, Yahoo and Bing friendly and the content management system is easy to use.  I often compare it to working with Microsoft Office.

If you have any questions about your church or ministry website, please contact me and I would be glad to help you.