Monday, March 31, 2008

I'm Attending another Ministry Conference

Today I had the privilege to join with several local ministers and pastors from our community as we gathered together at First Community Church here in Lebanon to enjoy a time of fellowship and ministry from Bill Mills who is president of Leadership Resources International. He shared from his study series "The Heart of God" and taught "Keys to Effective Leadership". I was refreshed and uplifted and encouraged by Bill Mills and his teaching ministry. I couldn't think of a better way to start my week then getting my soul fed and having a time to glean and learn from a fellow servant and man of God. God bless everyone and have a good week.

God's Word for Today


"And if I be lifted up from above the earth, I will draw all men unto me."

John 12:33

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Traveling to a Seminar

Today I traveled to Lafayette, Indiana for a Discipleship Ministries Seminar. It was a wonderful time of refreshing and the theme was "wounded warriors" and I enjoyed all the teachings and presentations from the seminar. I received valuable information and helpful advice for future ministry and I am sure it will be a helpful resource to me as I continue ministering this year. Everyone have a great weekend. God bless.

Friday, March 28, 2008

The Ripple Effect

James 3:4-6-"Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder, wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell." (NAS) As a boy, I can recall a few occasions where I came upon a perfectly still pond or lake. In a scrambling moment, I had to find a rock or something to skip or toss into the middle of the water. It was almost a compulsion. Splash! And suddenly the perfection of the reflection would be shattered as the stone penetrated the image. Ripples would course outward in an ever-growing set of concentric circles from the point of impact. These ripples would warp the remaining image as they passed through it. It would take minutes or an hour for the surface to return to the original quiet state. Likewise, a word spoken in anger or ignorance of the situation, or without grace and mercy, can be a spiritual knife that causes grievous wounds. When this happens, ripples appear on the surface again, either for good or for ill. A life touched in either direction will ripple outward to the people they know. "Do you know what a wonderful thing that church did for us?" Or, "Did you hear what awful thing happened to ... ?" Call it gossip, call it whatever you like. But the word will get around in either case. How many lives are affected there? Far more than one life is affected, and the ripples go out from there to others. The Bible says in Psalm 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." (NAS) and the Bible also says in Proverbs 15:4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit. (NAS) A tongue filled with laughter and praise is a reflection of a heart filled to overflowing with the joy of the Lord. What a joy it is just to be with someone whose heart is full. A soothing tongue, a tongue that can say "I accept you where you are," or "I appreciate your questions" without offense or bitterness, is a secure place someone can go for help without fear of judgment, condemnation or censure. The ripples that flow from this place reach far, and heal families and towns. And once those people learn to live in that security, the ripples of the love of Jesus start all over again

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

It Happens Every Spring

This week began the opening of the 2008 season in Major League Baseball. The opening series began in Japan as the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's split a two game series in Tokyo. For those that don't know yet, I am a big sports fan and my favorite sport has always been baseball. I have two favorite teams that I root for every year. They are my hometown St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Atheltics. So I paid close attention to this series and I am happy that the A's were able to get the win last night and earn a split in this opening series. I am looking forward to an exciting baseball season and I will watch closely. If you have a favorite team, root for them and get out to the ballpark. God bless everyone and have a great day.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

God's Word for Today


"Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

(Matthew 9:37-38)

Monday, March 24, 2008

Wild Weekend in the NCAA Tourney

Well we are now down to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA Tournament. All four of the #1 seeds in each region have advanced and we have also seen the "upsets" in the tounament. This year's giant killers are Davidson and Villanova along with Sienna who posted big wins in the early rounds. Now we move to the quarterfinals and praise the Lord, my Michigan State Spartans are still alive and now they will face #1 seeded Memphis for a trip to the South Regional Final. Our local teams here: Indiana, Purdue, and Butler were eliminated from the tournament and are headed home but congratulations to all of them for a great season. So now our family will be pulling for Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans. I am looking for an upset over Memphis by the Spartans, but either way I am glad they made it this far. GO SPARTANS!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

He Is Risen!


"He is not here, He is risen." (Matthew 28:6)
Indeed our Lord has risen today and God bless you as you celebrate His glorious resurrection. Happy Easter to everyone.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Floodwaters Rising


Like most people I have been watching the news about the flooding that has taken place in my home state of Missouri. My thoughts are with my family and friends who are battling the flood waters as they are rising. Please pray for God's protection upon all the residents who are affected by the flooding and pray for their safety as they deal with the flood waters.

The Cross is the Answer

Many people today hear a lot about Christianity but they fail to hear the most important part of the gospel message: the message of the Cross. The Apostle Paul made it very clear what his desire was in his ministry and preaching. He said in 1 Corinthians 1:17-19-"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Paul would later say in 1 Corinthians 2:2-"For I desired to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucifed." In other words, Paul was simply stating that his message to preach was simple and yet profound. He was preaching about Jesus Christ and His death on the cross and his glorious resurrection and power. Many people have a hard time dealing with the gruesome and brutal way in which Jesus died and they would rather not hear the message of the cross and the blood that was shed by Jesus Christ. This is why many people really don't want to hear about it and why many people are offended and unwilling to accept salvation. However, the message of the cross is the most powerful and awesome message for lost humanity. In the cross of Jesus Christ is salvation, healing, deliverance from the demonic, freedom, peace, love, joy, grace, mercy and every other attribute that can be bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father. It's found in the cross. That's why Paul said he would glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross is the answers to life's problems and this truth will never change. God bless everyone and have a great weekend.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Why The Cross?

Today is Good Friday, a day where we remember the death of Christ on the cross. Many people often ask the question, “Why?” Why did this happen? Why did God allow it? Why didn’t God do something to stop it? Even Jesus asks the question in Matthew 27:46-“My God, My God, why - why have you forsaken me?” Good Friday does not allow for easy answers does it? Yet the reason for why Christ came to earth is simple and yet profound: only a sinless redeemer could offer the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered into the world and has remained ever since. Whether we choose to accept this truth or not, the fact remains that we are born into a sinful world full of iniquity and sin and we are all bound by sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23-“For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” When man sinned in the garden, God immediately put a plan of redemption in place that would redeem sinful man and this was culminated in the death of His son Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament we see types and shadows of Jesus Christ, who was to be the sinless, faultless, sacrifice for all of mankind. John the Baptist called him the “Lamb of god which takes away the sins of the world.” Why was Jesus nailed to the cross and why did he die a horrible death? Because without the shedding of His blood we could not have our sins washed away and forgiven. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:16-17-“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” When Jesus cried out in John 19:30-“It is finished.” He completed the will of His father and fulfilled God’s plan of redemption. I will never understand how God could love mankind so much that he would give his son to die for you and I, but I am glad that Jesus chose to follow His heavenly father’s plan and redeem us from sin and reconcile us to God. Romans 5:9-11 says, Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Jesus died for our sins, and by his death and resurrection, He gives the gift of eternal life and salvation to those who would believe upon Him and I encourage you to accept God’s love and Christ’s gift of salvation. He paid a high price for you to have this gift of salvation.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

An Easter Message


My kids picked this cartoon out for me today. They are on a half day schedule today and tommorow and then they have a two week spring break from school. PRAY FOR ME!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

God's Word for Today




"Draw near to God and he will draw near unto you, cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)

Speak the Truth in Love

By now everyone in America has probably heard the speech that was given by Barack Obama in Philadelphia today as he dealt with the controversy surrounding the comments by his "former pastor" Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which has caused a firestorm in his presidential campaign. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, a liberal or conservative, the church, the body of Christ, is no place to spout off the horrible statements made by Pastor Wright. The comments were anti-American, anti-semitical and radical in their extremism. I have to say that in 15 years of ministry, serving as an Assistant Pastor, Evangelist and Senior Pastor, I have been privileged to minister for people who came from all walks of life and racial backgrounds. I wish that Senator Obama's pastor would have used better judgment and heard the words of admonition from the Apostle Paul who said to the church in Ephesians 4:14-16-"that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." The command to those in ministry is a simple command, "Preach the Word." These were the words that Paul spoke to Timothy when he became the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Instead of preaching our own opinions, our own ideologies, and our own political views and trying to push an agenda, just preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and speak the truth in love. God is no respecter of persons and loves us all. May God help us all to love one another as Christ loved us and maybe we can put this problem behind. That is my prayer.

Monday, March 17, 2008

It's TIme for March Madness

Like most college basketball fans, yesterday I watched the NCAA select the teams who will be competing in this year's NCAA tournament and now it's time for "March Madness". Unlike many college basketball fans, I don't participate in the office pools or gamble on sports so I just fill out the bracket to see how well I do against the experts. I try to watch as many games as possible and this year I will be following our local teams from Indiana which are Purdue, Indiana, and Butler. I hope they all go deep into the tournament, but I have to confess (as someone who lived eight years in Michigan) I am pulling for the Michigan State Spartans to go to the Final Four. This may not sit well with the passionate, rabid, roundball fans here in the Hoosier state but I just hope that all the teams do their best and enjoy the experience of being in the tournament. Good luck to all the teams. God bless everyone and have a good week. Oh Yes.....Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

What the Lord Needs on Palm Sunday

Today I shared a sermon titled "What the Lord Needs" to celebrate Palm Sunday. I used the story from the Luke 19:28-37 where Jesus told his disciples to go over into a village and loose a colt of a donkey which had never been ridden and bring the donkey to Him. If anyone were to ask about the colt being taken the disciples were to say, "The Lord has need of it." Just the like the donkey's colt was needed by Jesus. The Lord needs us. He needs our obedience, our praise, and our hearts.

The Lord needs our obedience to serve Him faithfully and by obeying God's word and commandments we find the blessings of God in our lives.

The Lord needs our praise for who He is and what He has done and what promises to do for us in our daily live.

The Lord needs our hearts, which is our devotion and love for Him. If God has our hearts, he has our lives.

Like this donkey's colt, we may seem insignificant to the world, but the Lord needs us. Submit your lives to His will and God will use you to be a blessing to others.

God's Word for Today











Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Why I Don't Take the Kids to the Grocery Store



I saw this cartoon this morning and was reminded of why I don't take my son with me to the grocery store. I'm sure all you parents out there can relate to this little cartoon. Everyone have a blessed day.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Life of Faith and Prayer

James 1:6 -"But let him ask in faith without any doubting... "

Prayer and faith are companions that don’t function well when they part company and try to succeed alone. For example James 5:15, “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick.” If we try to separate prayer and faith here the verse becomes absurd. “The prayer offered without faith will...” or “Lack of prayer and faith will...” The will is obvious, “will not restore the one who is sick.” The two must function together. The first act of faith is prayer. The first act of our coming to faith in Christ is to cry to God, in prayer, for mercy. From that starting point prayer and faith work together to build up the Christian in the Christian life. This can be seen in the Christian practice of Trusting God. Psalm 62:8, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Prayer and faith also end together with the death of a saint. In death, faith becomes sight and prayer becomes praise. There is much to be said about prayer and faith. How can we know that when we pray and there appears to be no answer, that God has really heard our prayer? First we must have faith that God has heard us, but that only satisfies a little when we have been pleading our cause before the thrown of grace and there seems to be no answer. How can we know that we have been heard? Well, the book of Daniel is a great help here. In chapter 9, Daniel begins to pray, and then by verse 23, Gabriel says to Daniel, “At the beginning of your supplication the command was issued.” Did Daniel know this? Apparently not, he went on and on in chapter 9 pleading his case, not knowing that not only had God heard his prayer, but already answered it. This is repeated in Daniel 10:12, 13. His prayer was heard, it was a prayer of faith, and even though he did not know that it had been answered already or even that God had heard him, Daniel prayed. This should be a great encouragement to all who labor in prayer and long to see prayers answered that have been prayed for hours, days, weeks, or years. All those who pray should take the example and experience of Daniel and be encouraged. God hears us when we pray and the answer is on the way.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Your Sins Will Find You Out...

It was quite a shock today when the news came across the Internet that New York Governor Elliot Spitzer was implicated in a prostitution ring that is under investigation. I saw his press conference today and no doubt this will end his political career. What is even sadder is that he came to the office of governor with a reputation for honesty and integrity and being a morally good public servant especially during his tenure as New York's Attorney General. Spitzer cleaned up Wall Street and fought organized crime, ironically bringing to justice the very criminal activities that he was alleged to have been involved in. Like Rev. Ted Haggard, who was forced to resign his pastorate at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado for sexual misconduct, Spitzer's actions are now coming back to haunt him. The Bible tells us in the scriptures about the danger of committing willful sin and warns us with these words, "Be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23). This scripture is later written in Proverbs 28:13-"He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." Gods' word is very plain when it speaks of sin. We can't fool God and when we willfully commit sin and try to get away with it, we may fool others but we will never deceive the eyes of the Lord. If there is sin in your heart, confess it to the Lord and pray and ask His forgiveness. Remember 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnes." Let God touch your life today and receive His forgiveness.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

God's Word for Today

"I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers," (Philemon 1:4)

Saturday, March 8, 2008

It's Still Cold Here In Indiana

It's still cold here this weekend in Indiana. It's the first week of March and yet it is still snowing and very cold. My kids went out today to try to make a snowman and they braved the cold weather and the snow and had fun. I am praying it warms up next week. Think spring. God bless and have a great weekend.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Without the Cross......


Without the victory of the resurrection, the death of Jesus would have been in vain. For death by itself is no victory, no matter how well-meaning the sacrificial lamb, no matter how noble the cause. Through His resurrection, Christ broke the power of death once and for all time. Salvation was not completed only because of the cross. It was completed by the victory of the empty tomb. "...Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) NIV

Thursday, March 6, 2008

God's Word for Today


"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
(Hebrews 12:1)

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Don't Go To Church....Be the Church

I recently bought a Christian shirt that has a simlple message written on the front and the back. It says Don't Go to Church.....Be the Church. I really thought this was a powerful message to Christians everywhere. We think of the church as a place where we go to a worship God and receive from God's word the spiritual nourishment to strenghten our soul and spirit. However the church is not the building where we gather for worship, it is you and I, the people who make up the church. Paul wrote to the Romans these words in Romans 12:4-5-"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Paul later writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20-"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are the habitation of God and a body of believers. God longs to dwell in our hearts and lives and we are the church, or the dwelling place of God. Remember that some people just "go to church" while others realize that they "are the church." So "Don't Go to Church....Be the Church."

Monday, March 3, 2008

God's Word for Today


"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders."
Psalm 9:1

Hope you have a great day as you worship the Lord. Expect God's blesssings today and you will receive abundantly from Him.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Out of Town This Weekend

I am in St. Louis this weekend for my sister's wedding. I am officiating her ceremony today and will be gone through the weekend. It has been a good trip and so far things are going well. I have my whole family home for the weekend and so far everyone is doing well. My hotel is very nice and I am enjoying the time with family. I will talk with everyone Monday when I get back home. God bless.