Do It Right Now!

I'm sitting in the hospital surgical waiting room in Lubbock Texas at this very moment.. My soon to be 90 year old grandfather is having a brain tumor the size of an avocado removed today. We are believing for a miracle. He has lived a wonderful, long life but we are not ready to say goodbye. Are we ever? Two things have come to mind as we sit and wait. Number one, my family could not always sit together and be cordial to one another. There was a lot of unforgiveness and bitterness. Sometimes the awkwardness was so bad that you didn't know what to do. It took an uncle of mine discovering he had cancer before forgiveness was given. When you are afraid of dying, you will often reach out before it is too late. So as we sit here today there is no weird vibes floating in the air. We are laughing, playing cards, eating from a massive gift basket and racing to be the first to finish a Suduko puzzle. Never thought we would be here. My word for you is to not wait to say you are sorry. DO IT RIGHT NOW! My uncle was blessed to have a chance to make peace. But too many people die with regrets or they leave someone behind to live with guilt. Don't be one of the two. Forgiveness can be the greatest gift you can give to yourself or someone else. Secondly, I want to encourage you to tell someone you love them. You may never hold a grudge but you hold your tongue from letting someone know what they mean to you. You can never say you love someone too much. You can never encourage someone more than they need. We all need to hear it but the funny thing is, we all need to say it. It is a proven fact that it is more blessed to give than to receive. So, DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!

Never Give Up!

What an amazing service we had today at CJC! God showed up in a powerful way. My desire is for more of Him and less of us. I look forward to services that never go the way we plan but the way He plans. That was what happened today. We had a plan but God had a bigger one. The Lord had shared with me two scriptures Hebrews 12:1 and Psalm 27. I got up to read them during our prayer time. I began to encourage everyone to hold on to the promises of God. Ty stepped up and informed everyone that I was preaching his message and I didn't even know it. Together we encouraged others and ourselves to never give up. God has a plan and though we don't see it we must never let go. Is your marriage on the rocks? Has your spiritual walk felt dry? Does your check book show something different than what you know God has for you? Well, the enemy wants you to throw in the towel. But your Father wants you to press on. It is so easy to say I give up. So many times I have wanted to quit. Ty and I have turned to each other many times and said, "Are we sure we want to do this?" Things get tough and running away seems to be the easiest. Being the Pastor of a church is not easy, raising kids is difficult and facing a new day with challenges can get the best of you. But we serve a God that said He would never give up on us. If we run to Him, He will run to us. Seek Him and you will find Him. Take the road less traveled and believe that you can do what God says you can. You may fall down along the way but get back up and try again. Want what God wants bad enough that you will climb or crawl to get your blessings. Heaven is full of them and God is ready to open the flood gates and pour them on His children.

I feel the Rain!

"I feel the rain, I feel the rain, I feel it falling down on me." An old song but a good one. I am so excited about my message on Sunday and Monday. My heart is full of expectancy. I know God is ready to do something great in His people. He has always been ready but I think I am finally figuring it out. I may not see the goodness before me but I am believing for it. I just encourage each of you to believe God for more this next year. Don't put Him in a box. He wants to do more than you can even dream to ask. Look to the skies because I believe a cloud is forming. I'm putting on my rainboots because I'm expecting to walk through some mud. If you catch my drift.

You Are Never Alone!

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 This is one of my favorite scriptures. So many times in life we feel alone but the Word of God says that we are never alone. Praise God! Once again I am reminded that it is not how you feel but what you know. This is why reading the Word is powerful. It reminds us of God's promises. We can't stand on them if we don't know them. Although this is a life changing point, it is not my main reason for writing today. I want to remind you that there are others who have gone through or are going through a similar trial as you may be walking through. The enemy gets us by making us think that we are the only ones who have ever dealt with our particular problem. It is a lie. But when you believe the lie, you keep your thoughts to yourself. You don't want anyone to know your struggles. You tell yourself that no one will understand. "They might think I am crazy." "I will just deal with it on my own." But the truth is, you don't have to make your journey alone. There are fellow Christians who have gone through the same fire as you and they have words of Wisdom to share. They can stand with you in prayer. They can fight alongside you. Ask the Lord to show you someone in your life who can be a safe place to run. If you are the one who has the testimony, don't be afraid to share that with others. Your testimony can change the life of another. It can keep someone from having to go to the depths that you once visited. God should be our first cry for help but don't forget that He will use others to encourage you along the way. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

A New Year!

The new year has just begun. I'm not one to make a New Years' Resolution but I do believe in moving forward. I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. It is a time to reflect and appreciate what God has given us. My number one desire is to continue to die to myself and to live for Christ. I want more of him and less of me. But this is my prayer every day not just the month of January. I am excited to see what God is going to do this next year. I have an expectant heart. Cigi made a comment at staff this week that she is going to buy rain boots. Hobbs is not really known for a large amount of moisture. But she says she is expecting rain. She is expecting to get wet. Not in the natural but in the supernatural. I remember that old song I grew up singing. "I feel the rain, I feel the rain and it's falling down on me." I feel the same way. It is as if the smell of rain is in the air. God loves it when we are expecting great things. This is called Faith. What are you believing for in your life this year? What are you claiming for your family? Let's be dreaming big in 2010. Let's expect God to change hearts and lives this coming year. Even if things around you seem dry and there is not a cloud in the sky, expect rain. Let this be the year that we see the mountains in our life move. You serve a big God and His plan for your life is to prosper you and not harm you. He wants to give you a hope and a future. When you know His Word, your faith will increase. When our faith increases, look out everybody because nothing is impossible. Love you guys and I am excited to hear about what God is doing in your life. I promise you will hear what He is doing for me.

Holding Out

I have to share with you the commentary in my bible reading time this morning. There is no way I could say it better than Joel and Victoria Osteen did in this side note. They were sharing their thoughts on the text of scripture found in Psalm 27:13. They write, "In Psalm 27, David wonders what would have happened if he had not believed he would see the goodness of God. No matter what comes your way, let this take root. You have to believe you're going to see God's goodness again. You've got to believe you 're going to see God turn it around. Believe you're going to see God open up new doors. There's something captivating about a person filled with hope. I've learned when you feel like dying, you've got to talk about living. When you feel like giving up, you've got to talk about pressing forward. When you don't see any way out, you've got to talk about how God can make a way. And know this, the enemy always fights you the hardest when he knows God has something great in store. When the bottom falls out and it looks like you've hit an all-time low and it couldn't get any worse, that's not the time to get bitter. That's the time to think better! That's not the time to get negative. That's the time to put your shoulders back and boldly declare, 'My time is coming. I am a victor and not a victim.'" Wow! I don't know about you but this was definitely for me. We have got to hold out, hold on and do whatever it takes to not give in. Don't give satan an inch because he will take a mile. Press on and speak life. Take the authority God has given you and use it. We can overcome and we will overcome. I hope this encourages you as it did me.

Does it Matter?

Last night, my family was leaving Thriftway grocery store. We had just finished getting all the best deals for our big Christmas meal. After I finished buckling Hudson into his car seat, I removed the paper from his orange push up ice cream. He was so excited to get this special treat. I shut his door and headed to the other side of the car to get in my seat. As I was walking I was wadding the trash from the ice cream in my hand. I noticed all of the litter covering the parking lot and I asked myself a question. Will one more piece of paper matter? Before I could even finish my thought I had my answer. Absolutely it will matter. If everyone has the attitude that it doesn't matter, then we would be swimming in a sea of trash. Someone has to care. What does this mean for our life? Well for me I am reminded of the ministry that God has called me to. Sometimes I wonder if what I do can really make a difference in this world. I have to remind myself that with every life I touch, a difference is made. You may be living in an unhappy marriage. No love or kind word is ever displayed. Would one compliment make a difference? You tell me. I think it would. Someone has to be willing to start. Even if it is the smallest effort. There are so many other examples of how the small things in life can be the start of something great. A snowman is built by starting with one snowflake sticking to another. Don't think that the actions you take in this life don't matter. Every word you speak and every step you take can change the course of your life. Think before you litter and think before you speak. You can make a difference even if no one notices.