I Wish I Knew

I received this email today from Sermon Central and wanted to share it as a blog…

10 Ministry Principles I Wish I Knew When I Started

Brady Boyd

I have been a pastor for about 15 years now, and it has mostly been a fantastic journey with some of the best people on the planet. I did not attend seminary or have much formal training when I started out, but I sure wish someone had told me these ten things in the beginning.

1. Sheep bites can’t kill me, but the gnawing will make life miserable a few days each year.

2. No matter how hard I try, I will always be tempted to measure my success by attendance numbers.

3. The best thing I can do to build and grow God’s kingdom is to be myself and not compare myself to others.

4. It takes a long time to become old friends so nurture and cherish the old friendships God has given me.

5. I will only have as much spiritual authority as I am willing to submit to myself. Independence will destroy me, but there is power in submission.

6. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Challenge people to go deeper even when the message is unpopular.

7. My brain will always feel like scrambled eggs on Sunday afternoon so don’t make any major decisions until Tuesday morning.

8. Some people will only trust you after a really long time of proving yourself, and another group will never trust you no matter what you do.

9. Don’t feel guilty about taking a Sabbath. It was not a suggestion.

10. I will never regret spending time with my family instead of saying yes to a church meeting that someone else could lead.

I hope this is helpful to other young leaders who are launching out into ministry. What are some of things you wish someone had told you before you started ministry in the local church?

Now here is my response to the question at the end of the blog….

11. Be careful you who share dreams and successes with. Everyone cannot handle what God wants to do in your life.

12. Be careful how much information you share about your personal life with others. Some will use it against you when the time is right.

13. Going with the goers is not easily identified. Some hang around for what they can get from you rather than what they can contribute to the progress of God’s work and the progress of your spiritual maturity.

14. Eliminate distractions immediately. Letting them linger can be detrimental to your focus.

15. Be careful to not allow others to validate your worth, work, and witness. People forget what you’ve done today as quickly as tomorrow arrives (or they remember a past failure). In addition, compliments are not compliments but is patronizing covered with cute words to make you feel good with a hidden agenda.

16. Guard your family from the wolves. Wolves in sheep’s clothing are not always distant. Some of them are those closest to you!

Many of these I’ve heard before but did not really understand until I’ve experienced them for myself.

Seasons!

A good devotional on seasons from Today In The Word...

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. - Ecclesiastes 3:1
Scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, recently created the world’s most accurate clock. Called an “optical atomic clock,” it’s made of an oscillating laser, a mechanism called a “comb” that counts oscillations, with a single mercury atom as the point of reference.The optical atomic clock “ticks” one quadrillion times per second. Research is ongoing, but this type of clock could be up to one thousand times more accurate than current atomic clocks. Such precise timekeeping might be applied in navigation, communication technology, and deep space exploration.Time, no matter how it’s measured, is one of the inescapable realities of life. God ordained seasons in nature; He built them into the rhythm of life.

There are seasons in our lives as well, and in God’s plan for history (cf. Dan. 2:21; Titus 1:2–3; 1 Peter 1:3–5). The observation about times and seasons may be simple, but it’s important for keeping a sense of balance. Today’s reading sets forth a principle, then fleshes it out with contrasts. Some events are pivotal, such as birth and death, war and peace. Others describe basic emotions, such as love and hate, weeping and laughter. Still others highlight fundamental patterns of action, such as speaking or keeping silent, searching or giving up. These events, emotions, and actions are the stuff and substance of life, the threads of which it’s woven.Getting hold of the truth that life has times and seasons can be one of the keys to inner peace and contentment

Current Event Preaching

There is a rise in what I call “current event preaching”. Current event preaching is taking the latest current event or hot topic of the world and building a sermon around it. I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I think it can be very beneficial because people in our churches (as well as society) are looking for answers to explain all the chaos taking place in our world. And then, I believe it can be very dangerous and harmful because our attempts to answer people’s concerns can lead to stripping the text from true interpretation. It is the heart of a pastor to wants to address issues that affect the members and I can truly appreciate that. However, there are others who use current event preaching as a form sermon preparation cheating. You don’t have to work hard to talk about the hot topics.

But if we must, allow me to suggest what I believe to be helpful hints when discussing current events:

Point People To God – It’s important to remember the sovereignty of God in all situations. Yes, God is sovereign and He’s not an angry God sitting in heaven waiting and wanting to rain down terror on the wicked. No God is a loving God who cares for humanity. In the midst of adversity, people doubt God knows what He’s doing and it’s the responsibility of the preacher/teacher to remind them of what kind of God we serve. We may not understand everything that takes place but God knows more than we do. We have to trust Him, no matter what!

Stick to the Bible – Let scripture do the explaining. Stay away from your opinions, ideas, and philosophies. The bible has the answers to our questions. We may not like the answer but it does give an answer.

Pick and choose the current event wisely – There’s just some stuff we don’t need to discuss from the pulpit. I heard a guy preach a sermon on Michael Vick’s conviction for dog fighting, WHY! Another person preached a sermon of Tiger Woods, FOR WHAT! These topics are not worth the time and energy.

Lead people in a time of prayer – The best response to life’s questions is a prayer response.

May I Have This Dance

A few years ago, Tracy and I attended a class for pastors and their wives. The discussion was good and very helpful. One of the topics that came up was the do’s and don’ts for the pastor, here’s one of the don’ts, “Pastors shouldn’t dance!” Immediately everybody started commenting but they were commenting on the holy dance (or the shout). I knew what he was talking about and asked him to clarify what dancing he was talking about and of course it was not “the shout”.

This week, I received a text message from a member of the church asking me, “Is dancing a sin?” The question being asked had to do with dancing at parties, weddings, for leisure, exercise, etc.

Allow me state an objection as well as explain my conviction on the matter:

First, I think we’ve made Christian living entirely too complicated with do’s and don’ts that have no biblical soundness but filled with philosophy and opinions. Therefore, painting a picture of Christian as boring. Being a Christian is not boring. We have our challenges but this lifestyle is refreshing and joyful.

Secondly, my answer to the text message question was this: “Dancing is morally neutral. There’s nothing wrong with dancing in and of itself. However, it’s your motive while dancing that makes it sinful”. Dancing in a seductive way that will entice a people to sin makes dancing a problem for the believer.

The bible speaks of dancing as being a leap for joy (Eccles 3:14, Job 21:11, Isaiah 13:21). It is also symbolic for rejoicing as seen in Psalms 30:11 which says: “You have turned my mourning into dancing”. One of the most popular illustrations for dancing is David in 2 Samuel 6 where he danced out of his clothes before the ark of God rejoicing or shouting (doing his holy dance). Footnote: David got away with dancing out of his clothes but you need to keep your clothes on.

Dancing, biblically, was reserved for religious worship and festivities and the gradually became a practice of common life on occasions of rejoicing as seen in Jeremiah 31:4, “Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice”. The women of scripture danced by themselves and that explains why many times we see women dancing by themselves at functions, it was a biblical practice. As well as, many guys can be jerk when it comes to dancing because they dance with their eyes and not with their legs.

The bible is very clear that dancing is a time of rejoicing. As well, dancing can be very therapeutic to escape the pressures of life. Dancing is a form of exercise to burn calories. Dancing can a time of bonding for married couples (Christians and pastors).

There are many dances that are fun and non-seductive. For instances, I like the Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, Macarana, break dancing, pop-lock, the jerk, etc. These dances can be done with a group of people without becoming seductive and sinful. For couples: the Cha-Cha, Salsa, Chicago Stepping, etc are fun and it may help enhance the romance level of your relationship. Many people met their mates dancing somewhere before you got saved so why stop now!

Bottom-line: Dancing is not sinful. It’s what you do with it like anything else makes it sinful.

So dance like David, but keep your clothes on.

Peace and Blessings

Sermon Block-When the Preacher is too tired to study

Over the past few months, I’ve struggled in my study due to extreme exhaustion. The month of September has been the busiest. I over-scheduled myself and it has taken a complete toll on me. This exhaustion that I'm feeling has affected my ability to study adequately.

My normal routine is to gather all my study material, open my bible, get my paper and pen, turn on my laptop, and start reading. Before long, my eyelids are heavy, I’m yawning every two minutes, and then, I’m off to sleep. I've never been a night person when it comes to my studying so I wake up early in the morning when I’m fresh and mind clear of everything to receive what God has to say to me through His word. But lately, my attention span has been like many church members that sit on the front pews, short, even in the mornings.

I have not been able to pull it together. Even after receiving my thesis, points and sub-points, I struggle with the meat of the sermon, illustrations and a clear communication path so I won’t ramble in the pulpit.

My last sermon on Psalms 23 – “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” was, in my opinion, my worse presentation of my series. My sermon skeleton was good but I struggled in my communication. I usually write a full manuscript but in this sermon I wrote a ½ sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 paper cut in half and relied on my memory for scriptures and illustrations. I was misquoting passages I knew. I was getting tongue tied trying to move quickly through the message. I messed up illustrations that made my explanation more confusing. My energy level sucked. I had no passion or power. It was bad. I forced this sermon to keep from delaying the series. Big mistake!

Oftentimes, we as preachers don’t like to admit the fact that we become so tired that studying is more of a burden than a blessing. I’ll be the first to admit it, I'm so tired that studying is no fun right now and I dread it every week. I love the word of God. I love to preach it, teach it, share it, study it, meditate on it, and research it. But lately, it’s been a whole different story.

I started thinking about why sermon preparation has become such a burden for me lately. With all of the reasons I could list, I think one answer will sum it all up, I’m human! I get tired physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. There are times when I want to stay home at BBC, Bedside Baptist Church and watch the NFL all day long. Not because I don’t love coming to church but for this expressed reason, I’M TIRED!

I'm not looking for pity so please don't show me any. However, the harsh reality of preaching is that we're human also and if we don't take care of ourselves, we will not be able to give God our best presentation of the Gospel message.

Many of our members, visitors, and friends see the final result of a long week of study. Some weeks are easier than others. But then there are those weeks when you just can’t pull it all together.

The point of this article is that preaching/teaching is not easy and sermons don’t grow on trees. A lot of work is put into expository preaching. God didn't call us to be super-preachers. My body and mind has shut down on me. Green pastures is calling me name.

I want to give God my best in everything I do for Him. I can't do that if I'm tired.

I thank God for strength and grace but now I must have my space! So, this weekend is my renewal weekend to rest. Pray for your pastor (not just me but all pastors) that God will strengthen him by making him lay down and rest.

I REMEMBER

I remember 9/11 has if it were yesterday. I was at work when Tracy called me; “Babe, did you see what happened?!” I had not a clue and then everyone in the office ran to the lunchroom to turn on the television. When I got in the room everyone was crying uncontrollably. I looked up and there it was planes flying into buildings, people jumping out of windows, news reporters everywhere, fire engines, police, civilians, good Samaritans, buildings collapsing, dust everywhere, people covered with dirt, people running for cover. I was stunned at the chaos taken place in NYC. I had no words, I couldn’t get a prayer out, I sat down in total shock. What’s happening? Is this the end? Has Jesus come back to take us home? This can’t be happening?

The scene of that day is still vivid in my mind as the entire world stayed glued to the television for half the day. People started calling family/friends to see if everybody was safe. Tears flowing, mixed emotions, anger, questions, concerns, fear, heart-break, and a re-focus filled the room of those things that are important in life.

Yes, re-focus!

In life, many of us lose sight of those things that are important and tragedy has a way forcing us to re-focus our attention on the main thing. I challenge you as we remember 9/11 as a country, individuals, and Christians to take this time to think of what’s important by asking yourself:

- If I die tonight, will enter into everlasting peaceful rest with God our Father?
- Am I pursuing my career and ambitions more than developing my relationship with God?
- When was the last time you spoke to God?
- How’s your family life?
- Do you have unforgiveness in your heart?
- Are you allowing your past mistakes dictate your future progress?
- Do you have a church home?
- Are you looking for a church home?
- Are you active in church ministry?
- How do you spend your time and money?
- Have you shared the love of Christ with the un-saved?
- Are accountable to anyone who can ask you tough questions regarding sinful habits?

The point is this, remembering 9/11 is remembering all those who died and those who survived. But also, 9/11 should be a time of re-focus.

God's Favor

Last week I had an interesting conversation with someone that upon hearing what was stated made me a little upset. This is what was said; “Clint, you know you’re the joke of Los Angeles?” I entertained the statement, big mistake; “I’m not surprised! What’s the joke?” He proceeds to tell me that he was having a conversation with a prominent pastor in our city and after the service the pastor strikes up a conversation like this (I wasn’t there but I know how we preachers can be sometimes):

“Hey, you know that boy, Smith, over at First Goodwill lead those people into debt to renovate the church with no members.”

At that point, my defense antennas went up!

I maintained my cool on the phone because I wanted to be a good example. But when I hung up the phone…..

During my message, I shared as an illustration my conversation mentioned above with this explanation when God blesses people don’t understand how God can use small things to make a big impact. I also teach our church that being small doesn’t mean we can’t make a big difference in the community and the world.

After service a member came to me and said; “Pastor, I’m glad you finally heard what was being said because I was getting phone calls as soon as we entered back into the sanctuary and it made me mad.” I could see on her face that it troubled her so I tried to encouraged her with these words:

“God’s favor is unexplainable and often times misunderstood but that doesn’t mean it’s not the favor of God on the life of a person and His church. God has blessed us to do something that many have been trying to do for years. Let’s be bigger than our opposition. Let them talk but we keep glorifying God in everything that we do. As Pastor Charles has said on numerous occasions; ‘If we take care of God’s business, God will take care of our business’”.

I don’t know if it helped her or not.

After that conversation my defense antennas went up……AGAIN! But this time, it resulted more in a testimony rather than anger. I felt the need to want to explain our situation as to why we did what we did with limited resources but I’m not going to. Instead, I will explain my understanding and convictions about God’s Favor.

God’s Favor is UNEXPLAINABLE. When discussing the favor of God, it’s always in the context of God’s grace. The core meaning of God’s grace is God giving to us what we don’t deserve. I’ve developed over the last year in a half another definition, God’s grace is unexplainable. That’s why the hymn writer tagged grace as “Amazing”. It’s beyond our comprehension, mental capacity, and understanding. In laymen’s terms, Grace is God blowing our minds. We don’t understand and cannot explain all that God does in our lives. I dare not write trying to explain how God worked out the details for First Goodwill to accomplish a MAJOR project on limited resources. I dare not try to take credit for what God has done. I dare not try to throw God’s favor in the face of others as a means of boasting for fear of God humiliating me with a thorn to prove that His grace is sufficient for us. All I can say is; God is so amazing?

God’s Favor is COSTLY. When Nehemiah heard the news of a destroyed Jerusalem, he started praying. After his prayer, the favor of God was upon his life from start to finish of building the walls of Jerusalem. But it did not come easy. Chapters 1-6 focus on God's work through Nehemiah and the people to rebuild Jerusalem walls. Enemies attacked the people at their many vulnerable places to hinder them from their work. Hopelessness, anger, doubts, intimidation and fears were all targeted to hold this people back. Nehemiah led the people forward into completion of their task of building the kingdom of God.

What God has done in the life of our church did not come easy for us corporately or for me as pastor. It has cost me with criticism and ridicule. I’ve been the talk of the town negatively because of what God has done. I’ve had local pastors, their members, and friends, who seemingly were rejoicing with us behind the scenes tearing us down. I could go on and on about the cost but the underlining principle is be ready for opposition when God favor’s your life and some of our biggest opposition are those closest to us.

God’s Favor is UNDENIABLE. People, places, and things can’t stop what God wants to do through his people. Out of all the obstacles Nehemiah faced, nothing stopped God’s plan to use Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. And, I’ve learned (and still learning) that obstacles and oppositions don’t stop anything it just slows things down for a moment. Praise God!!!!!

Hold the blessing with a open hand. Don’t become stingy, arrogant, prideful, or a bad steward with the blessings of God. Since we re-entered into the church, I’m teaching our church to now be stingy with God’s blessing. We’ve opened our doors for services where a love offering was given that wasn’t a 1/3 of our monthly mortgage. And yet, we have not missed one payment yet as well as all other responsibilities met each month. We’ve allowed local pastors to come in with their leaders and members to see what God did. Not for boasting but for encouragement that a church (no matter how big or small) can dream big and see those dreams come to pass when making God first in all that you do.

God’s favor is FREE of charge. You don’t have to do anything to earn the favor of God. Well, then again, prayer is the only cost (if you don’t pray).

God’s favor is PROGRESSIVE. There have been a number of former members of First Goodwill to come by and visit since we’ve entered into the church. A teenager by the name Alyssa started attending on a consistent basis since December. She enjoys the service, women’s fellowship, and all that we have to offer so much so that she has her mother Marie coming on a weekly basis now who is also a former member of First Goodwill. A couple of weeks ago, I performed a funeral for their grandmother, Sis Caroline Mitchell. I met with the family in preparation for the service and every family member that came in the house started telling me how Alyssa and Marie speak highly of the pastor and the church. It’s obvious because they bring someone with them every other week. A couple who is family members of Pastor Richardson has been attending consistently now since the Sunday after resurrection Sunday. Pastor Richardson’s sister, Vita wouldn’t come to the church of old because it held too many painful memories. But now, she’s attending with her husband and becoming active as well as opening up to the current members. The point is that God allowed His favor to fall upon our church to change lives by changing the scenery and for no other purpose than that.

God’s Favor is Witness to world. God can do anything! In July of 08, my friend Lamont Bradley held a fundraiser for us to raise money for our project. Many people were invited to participate from choirs, churches, and local pastors. Each night I explained to everyone who was present our reasoning and vision. Of course, people didn’t believe that it would happen. As a matter of fact, I hear many comments after the services of pastors who attended doubting that it would ever get done. September construction began and in December we entered our new church. During our grand opening I invited all those who helped us through prayers and financial support to share in what God had done. They were amazed! Comments in summary were “this is a testimony of God’s favor and that you did what you said you said would do”. God’s favor is evident when we follow through with what God has favored us to do. Some of us ruin God’s favor with selfish-motives to succeed for worldly gain. Let our witness stand as such; “God can do anything!”


My friends believe me it has not been easy. We still have our challenges with finances and low membership. But we believe God will take care of every need as long as we keep Him first everything that we do. He’s already proven that. We will keep dreaming big for God because we serve a big God who deserves the best we have to offer Him.

Pray for us that we will keep dreaming big for God to use us in a magnificent way to change lives for His kingdom alone.

Evangelism Emphasis Service

Evangelism Emphasis Service

We held our first evangelism emphasis service last night in an effort to increase the importance of local and universal missions. My friend, pastor Barry Wilson was our speaker and preached “A Ready Christian” – 1 Peter 3:15: “but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Good challenging message, thanks Pastor Wilson.

I scheduled a lecturer before the sermon but he didn’t show up so I lectured for about 15 minutes on the question; “Why Evangelism Is Important?” My confident reasons are:

Evangelism is a Command (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15) – Both of these verses from Christ are not suggestions to evangelize but a command to evangelize. A Christian who’s not evangelizing is a Christian who is disobeying the command of God. I tried to press as best as I could that we do not have an option in this matter. Excuses are unacceptable for not carrying out this command. After a funeral service this past Saturday, I had a conversation with one of our members about the growth of church through conversion growth and not transfer growth. In that conversation, they explained that everyone they knew already attends church and is actively committed to they’re church. My response, “So are you telling me that you don’t meet any new people in a day, week, or month?” They’re response; “Yes!” I then reminded them of their participation with the American Cancer Society and asked “Is everyone in that society saved?” The accurately assumed answer is “NO!” Then you have opportunity there. The point is that evangelism is a command.

Evangelism is about Change (Matthew 9:27-31; John 4) – In both of these recorded miracles (as well as others), after having contact with Jesus, word spread across the country of how Jesus changed their lives. Evangelism is about seeing lives changed for God. What a testimony to the church of Jesus Christ. I read somewhere that the best advertisement for the church is changed lives. I’ve read excerpts of a book (of which I plan to purchase real soon) by William Chadwick entitled “Stealing Sheep”. He deals with our modern day tendency to focus more on transfer growth rather than conversion growth. Transfer growth is easy. Just put together a few good slogans, have good music, tell a lot of jokes from the pulpit, be hip using all the latest slang, whoop for 45 minutes, have a big name, rap in church (gospel/secular it doesn’t matter now days), and your church will grow. It doesn’t take much in this religious grass-hopper day to grow with transfer membership. But what and who does it benefit outside of having unconverted bodies in our buildings as well as the ability to pontificate, embellish, lie, and boast about the number of people who attend our services on Sunday mornings. Conversion growth is a slow process winning one person at a time. My prayer for First Goodwill is that we persevere through the process of winning one person at time. It’s going to take some time but it will be beneficial for the kingdom of God in the end.

Evangelism is celebrative (Luke 15) - I love Luke 15!!!!! At the end of 2008, I preached a series in this chapter and plan on doing it again this year. After the recovery of the lost sheep, coin, and son the response was celebration. They called friends, servants, and neighbors together for celebration. Effective evangelism brings joyous life to a church and members. I get excited just thinking about the lives that will be changed as a result of our commitment to conversion growth. If I can touch somebody then I know my living will not be in vain.

Good service and I’m looking for the fruit from our labor as we commit to sharing our faith with others.

Evangelism Emphasis Service Tonight @ 7 pm

40 Day Fast Recap

For the first in my life, ministry, and the church, we tried something different this year, A 40 Day Fast. We started on Feb 25th. We didn’t do the normal water only fast. I borrowed the idea from one of my favorite preachers Pastor John Guns. At the beginning of 2009 his church did a 30 Day Fast with a theme, weekly scheduled meals, prayer times, and scripture readings. I used his concept but extended it to 40 days (Monday thru Friday). I tell you it was hard being committed to the fast.

I remember the day we started the fast. I got up to go to work and as a normal routine, I stopped for a cup of coffee at my favorite donut shop. As my flesh would have it, I was hungry and purchased a glazed donut to go with my coffee. When I got into the office and turned on my computer, I started reading emails and before long was eating the donut with my coffee. Half way thru my breakfast it dawned on me you suppose to be fasting. The 1st week was fruits/vegetables with one meat portion per day. I blew it big time! I gathered myself by praying for forgiveness for my lack of discipline and started over. The rest of the week I stayed with the scheduled fast.

I did pretty good the next couple of weeks but I think it was around week 5 our scheduled fast was fruits and vegetables (only) with natural juices/water. This was a trying week. On that Wednesday, I asked Cheyanne; “How’s it going for the week?” And she said; “Man, it’s been hard this week!” I said to her; “Yes, it has”. I explained to her that it was hard for me because financially I was strapped. I wasn’t able to go to the store and get all I needed to be faithful to the fast. She echoed the same sentiments and asked “what should we do?” I told her, “Do the best you can to remain faithful to the schedule”. She looked at me as if she wanted to say; “Man, can we just forget about it this week?”

My children loved to hold me and Tracy accountable to the fast yet they fought us tooth and nail to not participate. There were times when I got home for work and Tracy would cook one of the best meals only to hear me say; “Remember the fast.”

My Scripture reading went pretty good. I scheduled readings on my task manager in Microsoft Outlook so when I got into work I was alerted to read the chapter for the week (daily). Funny thing, it seemed like every morning I was called into a special meeting. I tried to set my alarm clock to rise 15 minutes earlier to get my read in but kept loosing to the battle of sleep. I then started reading where I could get it in.

My prayer time was real good because I prayed @ 5:30 am while driving to work. I got this idea from Chuck Swindoll. That’s Pastor Swindoll.

Overall, I think I did pretty good but what did I learn from this 40 Day Fast?

- I’ve learned that comfort zones can be dangerous. Many of us are creatures of habit (at least I know I am) and we don’t want nothing to disrupt what we got going on a daily basis. I believe a fast is good to break some of those daily routines. Think about it for a moment, some of our daily routines are unhealthy spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. So to fast helps cleanse us from that which is unhealthy in our lives. The weeks of fruits/vegetable fast were some of my best weeks. I didn’t feel sluggish. I had energy. I rested well. And my face didn’t break out because of all the impurities of some meats, candy, and sodas.

- I acknowledge my weakness. In Matthew 4, Jesus fasted for 40 days/nights without eating anything and before I got started I broke a scheduled fast as soon as I woke up on the first day. Wow! A fast will expose your weaknesses and struggles not matter how long the fast maybe or how strong you think you are.

- It re-affirmed that endurance is a key element to your success. Our fast officially ends on April 21st. And while along the way I may have fell of the wagon, I was determined (am determined) to finish what I started.

- I’ve learned to thank God for small victories or I guess I should say I’m learning to thank God for small victories. I wasn’t a total failure in my efforts in these 40 days. There have been some good changes in my life and ministry due to this fast.

- The struggle is inevitable with the flesh. I don’t eat a lot of sweets nor do I drink a lot of sodas but man, those weeks I couldn’t have it everything lookeded (spelling on purpose for looked) good. I could smell the chocolate, caramel, nuts, and that little creamy stuff in a Snickers bar. I wanted it bad. Be ready for the struggle!

The goal for our fast was to “encourage a greater level of spiritual disciplines as disciples of Jesus Christ”. In many ways I believe that was accomplished in this fast. If for nobody else, I know for me.

"PLANTING SEED"

It's amazing how when you get bombed in ministry that God sends little nuggets of hope to stay in the fight. My brothers and I play in basketball league every Monday together with other family members and friends.

Each week we all meet at my brother's house to ride together before going to the game. It allows us the opportunity to hang out and chat to keep our closeness. But something unusual has been happening for the last two weeks that I really have not been paying attention to until this morning when I woke up.

Last week when I got to his house, my sister-in-law, spent an hour downstairs talking to me about the church and trying to understand the mechanics of church structure. She doesn't normally do that. When we come in she says hello and goes upstairs to her room. No dislike among any of us but she let's have our space being brothers. This is also a blessing because she grow up with a Catholic background. But it seems as if her interest in Christianity is increasing more and more each day. I caught onto our discussion pretty quick and turned from discussion church mechanics to Christian discipleship. We didn't get to finish our conversation because we had to leave for our game.

Last night as usual, we met at my brothers house to go to the game. When we got in the car, our conversation changed from the usual non-sense that the two of them talk about to my brother expressing a desire to change his ways. He was extremely excited about our last Family N Friends day and has been telling everybody he can think of about the next one. All the way to the game and even arriving to the game, he really opened up to me with some very intimate questions about change. I caught on to what was going on and started sharing Christian discipleship. In our shoot around, he kept talking as if it was nobody in the building but he and I.

I've been praying extremely hard for the last few years about my siblings salvation. I was the church boy in the family, they went to church because my mother made them go to church, and they stayed home most of the time when they got older.

I believe my prayers are being answered in many ways as it relates to planting seeds of Christian discipleship to my siblings. I'm asking you my blogging family to join me in prayer for their salvation.

God honors faithfulness not just in the pulpit but also in our efforts of evangelism. I'm learning that.

Stay blessed until next time,

Practical Christian Living

In our Wednesday Night Bible Study @ 7 pm (every Wednesday), we've been studying the Letter of James. This letter has challenged me in areas that many of us struggle with on a daily basis. I teach and try to model a level of spiritual maturity for others to follow that is practical as well as doable. In other words, I think we've made Christian living entirely too complicated. We’ve placed religious rules, traditions, philosophical opinions, by-laws, church attendance, religious practices, and Robert Rules of Order as a potential gauge for measuring a person’s and/or own spiritual growth. We use our own spiritual maturity to measure someone else’s growth. If they don’t do it like we do then they have not grown in Christ. Accountability is no longer accountability for the sake helping each other become more Christ-like. Accountability has now become a judging match between 2 people that eventually creates fights and quarrels (James 4:1). Let me caution you to be careful judging someone else’s development against yours for when you place your supposed maturity next to the holiness of God you will discover you still have little more growing to do.

In addition, we allow supernatural events to be our gauge for measuring our spiritual growth. The more of the "supernatural" (whatever that means to you) we experience the more we feel we have grown in Christ. So, being healed physically, financial prosperity, near death experiences, and so many others, we assume, are valid experiences to measure our spiritual growth. Don't get me wrong, I do believe God can do anything! But are our Christian experiences enough to measure our growth in Christ. But what happens when the experiences run out? What do have then as a gauge? Something to think about.

This letter is teaching me that Christian living is practical and doable. The measurement for spiritual maturity rest in practical Christian living day-by-day. James writes; “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything (NLT)”.

We’ve all asked this question (or one similar); “Am I growing as a Christian?” But when you ask this question what type of answer are you expecting? Are you expecting a heavenly voice to trumpet down and say; “This is my son/daughter in whom I am well pleased?” Are you looking for others to validate your spiritual maturity with a word of congratulations? Are you living a false spiritual maturity that on the outside says “I have everything together” but on the end side you’re just as sinful as can be?

Whatever the case, I believe the only real measurement for spiritual development is in areas of daily living disciplines. The letter of James shows us practical daily disciplines as a means to measure our spiritual development. I want to outline the book of James in question form to help each us look at our spiritual development in a different light.

How do you respond to the struggles of life? James 1:1-4
What is your process for making decisions? James 1:5-8
What is you financial goal in life, to be rich or honor God? James 1:9-12
Do you own up to your mistakes? James 1:13-16
How do you view God’s blessings? James 1:17
Are you a quick tempered person? James 1:18-20
Are you honest with yourself about your spiritual development? James 1:21-27
Do you show favoritism? James 2:1-17
Do you trust God at all cost with everything? James 2:18-26
Can you control your tongue (WOW, this will show who’s growing)? James 3:1-12
Are you a selfish person? James 3:13-18
Do you like to fight? James 4:1-10
Do you respect other people? James 4:11-12
Are you impatient? James 4:13-17
What’s your focus here on earth, temporal satisfaction or eternal security? James 5:1-11
Are you an indecisive person? James 5:12
How is your prayer life? James 5:13-20
Can you be trusted? James 5:16
Do you believe God to do what you’ve requested? James 5:17-18
Are you on speaking terms with God? James 5:19-20

Will we ever reach spiritual maturity at it’s best? I don’t know but we can try our best.

What Do You Say To Someone...

We're living in rough quarters of the earth right now. My heart is very sensitive now as I grieve the passing of my "Pop". But even moreso now after hearing the news yesterday of a man who committed suicide after killing his wife and five (5) young children after he and his wife both lost their jobs. The reports came in on the radio yesterday as I was driving home about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Every comment, in my estimation, ended with "Why?"

Every news channel imaginable reported this tragedy as the top story in the Los Angeles area. Still, every comment ending with; "Why?"

As I was driving into work this morning, I heard a news report about a head on collision on one of our local freeways killing 2 people because one of the drivers was driving on the wrong side of the freeway. This is impossible knowing the freeway he or she was on without intentionally doing so.

Tragic news reports!

In my quite time, I started thinking; what would I say to someone contemplating suicide? Hmmm!

Unfortunately, if I could be honest here, I don't know.

But reality is we're faced with this issue and many others every week in the church and from those closest to us who feel like life just isn't worth living anymore. People are becoming more and more desperate to survive to the point that now the only way out is the grave.

I'm not just talking about unbelievers but I believe this issue is even more prevalent with believers. People, who say they love the Lord but hate themselves as well as life.

The test of our faith is trusting God through these economic challenges. My brother and my sister, my suggestion as a preventative measure is to stay prayed up and your nose in the word of God. Allow God to minister to you through prayer and the word.

For us preachers, our challenge is making sure we're preaching the Word of God pointing people to Him who holds all the answers to life's situations. The preaching/teaching moments in our worship services are critical. We never know who's sitting before us shouting but contemplating hurting themselves and/or someone else.

Something to think about....

Disciples in Action

"Disciples In Action" is our corporate mentor ministry for disciple-making. This strategy has burden my heart for our church to building meaningful relationship with a focus of drawing each closer to God and to one another. It is also our evangelistic strategy to make more disciples as Jesus instructs us to in Matthew 28:19-20.

Here is our strategy.


Discipleship starts with you!


Here are the five (5) P’s of discipleship:

· Discipleship is PERSONAL—Discipleship just doesn’t happen it’s a personal pursuit.

· Discipleship is a PROCESS— Spiritual maturity starts with knowledge that leads to change but take it one step at a time.

· Discipleship is PURPOSEFUL— Finish what you started!

· Discipleship is about PEOPLE— Effective discipleship is relationship building.

· Discipleship is POSSIBLE— Discipleship is possible to achieve, just stay in your lane.
_____________________________________________________

We cannot be disciple without discipling some one else. How will we disciple others at FGC? By becoming a MENTOR. The best biblical examples :

· Jesus and the disciples
· Paul and Timothy

All ministry teams will mentor each other they work together in ministry.


Purpose Statement:
Disciples in action making more disciples.

Scriptural references: Titus 2:1-8; Hebrews 6:1-12; 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Why is mentoring important?

· Mentoring has a lasting impact on the mentoree. Here’s another way of saying it; “What we do today will last a lifetime” (Quote by Clinton Smith).
· We want to make ready the next generation for ministry in the church.
· We want our lives to count for something more than being a member of a church.
· Mentoring brings joy to the mentor and mentoree.
· Mentoring builds meaningful lasting relationships.
· Mentoring provides accountability.
· Mentoring provides personal growth.
· Mentoring builds character.

Mentoring is important which makes for a good multiplication plan.

How do we mentor? By spending quality time with another.
“Dallas Theological Seminary professor Stan Toussaint, who was one of Richland’s first pastors, once said; ‘ Love is eternal. People are eternal. Therefore, loving people is eternal’.”

Point: Mentoring is simply spending time loving people.

Ministry opportunities at FGC will be vehicle for spending time loving people. But, make no mistake about it it’s not limited to our ministry opportunities.

Here is a listing of present and future ministry opportunities:


► Women’s Ministry
► Men’s Ministry
► Music Ministry
► Children’s (age: 5-12) Ministry
► Youth (ages: 13-18) Ministry
► Young Adult (ages: 19-35) Ministry
► Deacon’s Ministry
► Finance Ministry
► Single’s Ministry
► Food Ministry
► Couples Ministry
► Transportation Ministry
► Media Ministry
► Greeter’s Ministry
► Doorkeepers Ministry
► Pastor’s Care Ministry

To insure the effectiveness of mentoring, members of FGC cannot lead more than two (2) ministries at a time. This prevents burnout and any possible manipulation tactics during mentoring process.


Preventative Measures

Here are six (6) ways to make sure mentoring is effective at FGC:

· Set the tone. The mentor creates an environment of trust. Upon initial contact with mentoree open yourself up by sharing your struggles and victories. Sharing your struggles has a of taking the relationship to another level.

· Clarify expectations. Don’t expect too much from mentoree and the mentoree should not expect too much from the mentor. The safest way to insure clarity of expectations is with openness, hospitality, and boundaries.

· Maintain Trust. After trust is maintained, it must be established. Gossip, negativity, and judgmental attitude is out of the question. Confidentiality is the key to maintaining trust.

· Right Motives. Make sure your motives are godly and pure

· Network. Make your contacts available in areas where you’re not gifted or spiritually qualified to handle. It’s nothing wrong with saying; “I don’t know but let me refer you to some who can help you”.

· Honesty. By virtue of extra years, mentors have more life experiences than the mentoree. However, when sharing life experiences make sure you use the word of God and how it changed your life circumstances.

· Ask good questions. Remember, you as a mentor do not possess all the answers but you can discover the need(s) of the mentoree by asking the right questions. Right questions, will uncover deep spiritual issues.

Questions Mentors can ask:

· How is you ministry or job affecting your relationship with God?
· How is your sense of God’s call being clarified?
· Where are you skills being tested?
· Where is your character being tested?
· What are your hopes and dreams for your future?
· How can I help you?
· What evidence can you point to of the presence and power of God in you life?
· How are doing in your prayer life?
· How’s your devotional time with God?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions but it’s a starting point. The more time you spend with each other the better the questions. Remember, your primary goal as a mentor is to uncover deep spiritual needs and point them to God for the answers.

Personal Development

As a mentor, it is important that you are a continuous learner. Your personal development is key the success of mentoring someone. Therefore, the mentor must:

· Be Positive (Philippians 4:8). You must genuinely believe in the potential of a person. It is your goal to pull the best out of that person.

· Be Flexible (2 Corinthians 1:16-20). There will be times when the person you’re mentoring will need you at the most inconvenient of times. Be flexible enough to accommodate them to the best of your ability.

· Be Prayerful (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Never stop praying for the person(s) being mentored.

· Be a learner (2 Timothy 2:2). All leaders of our church are expected to be a mentor. Therefore, all leaders of the church are expected to be in bible study, Sunday morning worship, and complete all assigned reading. It is also the leaders responsibility to develop and maintain their own learning disciplines. If you’re not learning, you can’t mentor.


Progress Updates

How will we measure the progress and effectiveness of our mentor ministry? It’s difficult to measure based on numbers and percentages. However, quarterly meetings will take place among leadership mentoring group to assess needs, challenges, and progress. The best measurement for progress is disciples in action making disciples causing growth in the Body.

I believe this is the direction God is leading for us to fulfill the Great Commission.

FGC Bible Reading Plan 2009

Here is our corporate bible reading plan for 2009 at First Goodwill Church. It's simple and I tried to make sure it's achieveable by reading shorter books first in combination of OT/NT.

Try it and tell me what you think!

SPOOKY!!!!!

Last night I called my cousin, Vendon, to ask him to be the MC for our Grand Opening Ceremony. As usual, we started talking and he started sharing his frustration with Christians who, what he calls are SPOOKY. I will be honest here, I had to pull over in my car because I was laughing so hard.

I asked him to explain what he meant by a SPOOKY Christian? He says a spooky Christian is a person who uses the phrase; "The spirit told me to" for everything that they do. His statement was interesting to me because about two weeks ago, I had a conversation with some of my co-workers about another co-worker who for the last two or three months makes it a point to use the exact same phrase about everything she does. "The spirit told me to..." "The spirit told me to tell you..." It's gotten so bad that she has isolated herself from everybody because in her own words no one in the company is on her spiritual level. As well, she has been isolated because everyone thinks she's lost her mind.

We were on our break out on the benches and she told us a story of how she didn't run a red light because the spirit told her not to. I told her it wasn't the spirit that told you not to run that red light, It was flashing lights that caught the car before you that told you not to run the red light potentially receiving a $300 ticket.

I've noticed that in recent months that there are many Christians (that I've come in contact with) that are looking for a supernatural experience to validate their faith. Or, using re-actions, or the lack thereof, to the spirit to prove and/or discredit a persons spiritual maturity.

One of the verses that was mentioned in our conversation was Ephesians 5:18; "And do not be drunk with wine, in excess, but be filled with the Spirit". I could not let this verse go un-explained to those who heard it. "Be filled with the Spirit" in the text is not speaking of a one time act. Literally, the text means to keep on being filled with the Spirit. The life lesson is this; "It's not about how much of the Spirit we receive but how much of us we yield to the Spirit's control". Yielding to the Spirit's control is not that of being slain in the spirit, speaking in tongues, or not being able to have a regular conversation unless the "The spirit told me to say".

Contextually, it's being filled with the Spirit in a day-by-day walk that helps us fight the sin in our lives. The proceeding verses ( v. 1-17) are key to understanding what verse 18 means for proper interpretation. I want to mention two verse that I believe are key to understanding what being filled with the Spirit is about. Verses 15-17 says: "So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life". Then Paul instructs us; "Instead, be filled with the Spirit". Our being filled with Spirit will be evident in a very practical manner. People will know if you're being filled with Spirit based on:

• Our relationship with God (v. 19-20) - "Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ".
• Our relationship with others (v.21) - "And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ".
• The relationship between husband and wife (v. 22-33) - "You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for herto make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body. As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband".
• Parent/Child Relationship (v. 1-4) - "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long life, full of blessing." And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord".
• Employer/Employee relationships (v. 5-9) - "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don't threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites".
• I also believe that being filled with Spirit will be evident in how we respond in the midst of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-19).

Our spiritual maturity and/or spirituality is evident in practical application from proper interpretation of Scripture. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to assist us in daily living to become more and more life Christ each day.

My question is what happened to practical Christian living? Why do we need a supernatural experiences to validate our faith? Where is the reality of Christian living of walking with God day-by-day? Can we have casual conversation without waiting, as if we're waiting for a phone call, for the spirit to feed us the words?

What is world saying about us when we prostitute the spirit? My answer, it's SPOOKY!

God Is In Control!!!!!

I took the time this week in our service to take break from our sermon series "The Importance of Supporting the Local Church" to remind our church that God is in control. I don't use the pulpit for any political reason on purpose. I take advantage of separation between church and state. But I cannot ignore the fact that this coming Tuesday is a big decision for us, American Christians.

So, I took time to remind the members of our church, and I want to remind our Christian community, that GOD IS IN CONTROL!

I went to the mechanic on last Tuesday for a smog check and before I got out the van the first thing that came out of the mechanic's mouth was "Who are you voting for?" Before I could get a word out of my mouth he says; "I'm voting for Obama!" He then goes on to comment that if a black man gets in office there will be a civil war. I said to him that this is the type of thinking we don't need going into this election because if a white man (another republican) gets in office there's going to be a riot of the highest portion and it won't be just the minority (African-American, Mexican, etc) there's going to be some white folks as well.

When I left the shop, I was trouble by his thinking and needless to say there are many others who are thinking the same way he is. However, as a believer of Jesus Christ, we need to be reminded that GOD IS I CONTROL. Not Obama, McClain, Biden, Palin, Prop 8, Prop 9, or Prop 100. GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!

We may and/or may not like the outcome this coming Tuesday but let's keep in mind that the sovereignty of God reigns no matter what. Here are a few facts about the sovereignty of God we should hold on to going into election day Tuesday:

1. He existed before anything else. Ps. 90:2: “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.“ Eternality trumps finiteness every time.

2. He created all things.
John 1:3: “All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.”

3. He sustains all things.
Col. 1:17: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Hebrews 1:3 adds that Jesus is the radiance of [God’s] glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word.

4. He is above all things.
Isaiah 46:9-10: “Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; [I am] God, and no one is like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will.” God is not limited or restrained by anything.

5. He knows all things.
Ps. 139:1-4: “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.” The knowledge of God is described in Scripture as exhaustive, thorough, covering the details down to the smallest possible levels.

6. He can do whatever He pleases.
Jeremiah 32:27: “Look, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?”

7. He orchestrates all things.
Eph. 1:11 reminds us that God “works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will.”

8. He rules over all things.
In Daniel 4:34-35, the most powerful man on earth decided to take on God. When God was through with him, here was what he said, “But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

9. He is in control of all things.

He controls the choices of world leaders--Prov.21:1: “A king’s heart is a water channel in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses.”

He controls the course of human events--Ps. 33:9-11 - The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.”

He controls calamity (Amos 3:6 says, "If a disaster occurs in a city, hasn’t the Lord done it?” The psalmist is awed by this: He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants"; "He unleashes His winds, and the waters to flow . . . Lightning and hail, snow and cloud, powerful wind that executes His command." (Psalm 104:4; 147:18; 148:8). Isaac Watts was right, "There's not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known; and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne."

He controls our circumstances (James 4:13-15: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Stonewall Jackson believed that whether he lived to fight another day was completely in the hands of the Lord.

My friends, please keep in the attribute of God before you when you go to the polls and when we leave, GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!! Our response to God's sovereignty is to TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT! We may and will not understand everything God is doing but it's not us to question God but to TRUST GOD. He knows what He's doing.

Be blessed until next time.

I'm Desperate!!!

I had a conversation with a friend of mine today which I believe was God ordained. My original call was to ask if his wife (a gospel artist) would be available for our church dedication serivce in January. I shared with him our construction project and how well everything was going. He, himself, just completed a rather large renovation project converting a liquor store they purchased years ago into their main sanctuary.

He expressed how the current economic situation has affected his church's financial stability and that he's struggling to meet budget to function. Then he expressed to me, "I'm desperate!" At that point, I could not hang up the phone too quick. I heard the desperation in his voice and kept talking to him (or rather let him talk to me).

Over the course of our 1 hour conversation, he then encouraged himself (and me) when he said; "It's during this time that I'm learning to trust God more." Our conversation moved from a conversation of desparation to a conversation of delight.

It is during times of crisis that God wants you to trust Him more. This is the time trust God and not become desperate.

Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that testing of your faith works into patience. But let patience have it's perfect that you will be complete lacking nothing. - James 1:2-3

Stay Prayerful

On Saturday morning on my way to work I stopped to purchase a cup of coffee. After I entered into the donut shop two men came and started watching CNN as they played the in-hall town meeting Sen. McClain held the day before. There was a lot of controversary surrounding some comments that were made about Sen Obama. Of course, that sparked a conversation within the donut shop that I did not want to participate in. So, I left and went to work.

Later that morning, I met with our contractor to discuss the progress of our project. Afterwards, he started discussing our current economic crisis as a country, increased suicide rate, stock market crash, how much money he lost in his retirement account and now considering working until the day he dies. Sunday after church, my mother told me that my auntie lost $50K of her 401K retirement and not sure what to do. And many of us have and/or know of church members, friends, family members, and associates who are down right afraid of what tomorrow is going to bring because what they're experiencing today. I was riding home yesterday after work listening to KNX 1070 News Radio and listened to teenagers and young adults discuss their fears of the future.

Fear is in the air my friends. The fear of an uncertain tomorrow.

We're in a serious transitional season in the life of our country. Many of us, Christians and non-Christians, are downright afraid of what tomorrow is going to bring. Unfortunately, for non-Christians they should be afraid because they're future is uncertain without God in their lives.

However, the believer doesn't have to be afraid of what tomorrow is going to bring because our hope is in Jesus. The best thing and only thing we can do at this very critical time in our country and lives together is STAY PRAYERFUL! Don't be blind to what's going on around you but STAY PRAYERFUL! Stay up-to-date with current events but when you've been updated, START PRAYING! Before you get to the polls and after you've been to the polls, KEEP PRAYING! After the election, STAY PRAYERFUL!

It is time to cover everything with believing prayer.

Is it a Prophecy or Prophe-lie?

I was just thinking about something that happened to me yesterday after church. After our service someone came to me and said; "I have a special word for you from the Lord". My eyebrows raised with apprehension and he said; "Stay on the wall your harvest is about to burst. Your church is about grow and this place will be filled beyond your wildest imagination". Then to confirm that what he was saying was a special word from the Lord, he says; "A prophecy isn't a prophecy until the prophecy is fulfilled!"

I left church and went home to relax after a long taxing day but the statement; "A prophecy isn't a prophecy until it's fulfilled" kept playing in my head. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciated the words of encouragement. However, I have a problem with labeling words of encouragement as prophecy. I think that sometimes in our attempt to encourage one another in church, we confuse edification with what we consider as a special word of futuristic revelation, prophecy.

Here's what I mean, to give encouragement to another person (believer) does not require labeling our words and attempts with spiritual terminology to be deep. I have people on my job that are Christians and one lady has a habit of saying "My spirit told me." One Monday, we were discussing getting tickets and I was explaining that at one point in my life I think my middle name was Clint "Get A Ticket" Smith because every time I looked around I was getting a ticket. But in the last several years, I have not received a ticket, thank God. She responds, "Yea, the other day I wanted to run the red light but my spirit told me not to". I couldn't help but to respond, "It wasn't your spirit, it was the photo camera that will take your picture and send you a $300 ticket if don't cross the intersection in time that made you stop". She laughed and said; "You're right!"

We've made church so complicated now that the basics of Christian living like, faith, love, joy, obedience, etc isn't enough anymore. I remember preaching a series out of Hebrews chapter 11 (I can't remember the sermon) and I was arguing the point that we don't need supernatural experiences or special revelations to validate our faith. The men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11 were rewarded because of their faithful obedience to God. The practical principle in Hebrews 11 and throughout scripture is that God rewards people who are faithful to Him even if it costs you everything. Prime example, Job. Job lost everything in one day but stayed faithful to God as difficult as it may have been.

I believe the Word of God is all need for revelation. As a matter of fact, Paul said to Timothy that "The Word of God is inspired and profitable for correction, rebuke, doctrine, and instruction in righteousness that the man of God maybe complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2Ti 3:15-16)". Biblical inspiration is not about obtaining special revelation above what he's already said in Scripture.

Is it a prophecy or prophe-lie? Or is it words of encouragement labeled with spiritual terminology to be deep rather than practical?