The Booster Rocket
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. - Joshua 1:1-2
A rocket launch is truly an amazing phenomenon to me. Tons of weight is stacked vertically to the sky with thousands of gallons of fuel exploding in a matter of moments. Soon the rocket drops its take-off boosters and uses additional boosters to move the rocket to the next stage of the mission. The first engines have a unique purpose...to get the rocket to the next stage.
Joshua was known for almost 40 years as "Joshua, servant of Moses." God's preparation for him required years of selfless service, training in the desert, and tests of faith. Those preparation years were booster rockets designed to move Joshua into each new stage of his development and his ultimate calling.
God allows each of us preparation times to lay a foundation that He plans to build on. Some of those foundation times appear to be laborious and meaningless, yet these varied experiences are what God is using to frame your life for the message He plans to speak through you. Without these foundational experiences, the Jordan River can never be crossed and we cannot enter the Promised Land.
Embrace these times of seeming inactivity from God. They, too, are a rocket booster to your next stage of your walk with God.
Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Hip Hop Culture and a Big Elephant
First, I want to give my blog friend David Turner huge credit for posting this. I do think this is a conversation that the church and Christ-followers need and most have, I do believe this is an Elephant in the Church that needs to be dealt with.
I did go to the Q Conference in Atlanta but I was unable to hear Jeff Johnson (BET), boy I really wish that I had heard him. He speaks from experience and from the inside of the hip hop/black culture.
I feel he speaks will truth and honesty and the church needs to listen to his voice. Not just in reaching the hip hop culutre but in culture that is standing outside the Christian community of faith. Why don't people believe we need to not only know the language of the culture, whatever that might be, we must also be speak that language in an honest real way.
Here is what I know wherever we send missionaries to, they need to know the culture and language and be able live according to rules and laws of that culture. Why are they taught to honor and respect traditions without bowing down to idols and gods? What is the difference in reaching any culture with the Good News? What is the difference in speaking and understanding the language in order that others may hear the Truth of God's Word spoken to them? I don't understand people who do want to be relevant and keep what isn't working. To me it is ignorance and it is truly all about them.
Again, thanks David for posting this first and talking about this issue on your blog. Please watch this video in its entirety.
I did go to the Q Conference in Atlanta but I was unable to hear Jeff Johnson (BET), boy I really wish that I had heard him. He speaks from experience and from the inside of the hip hop/black culture.
I feel he speaks will truth and honesty and the church needs to listen to his voice. Not just in reaching the hip hop culutre but in culture that is standing outside the Christian community of faith. Why don't people believe we need to not only know the language of the culture, whatever that might be, we must also be speak that language in an honest real way.
Here is what I know wherever we send missionaries to, they need to know the culture and language and be able live according to rules and laws of that culture. Why are they taught to honor and respect traditions without bowing down to idols and gods? What is the difference in reaching any culture with the Good News? What is the difference in speaking and understanding the language in order that others may hear the Truth of God's Word spoken to them? I don't understand people who do want to be relevant and keep what isn't working. To me it is ignorance and it is truly all about them.
Again, thanks David for posting this first and talking about this issue on your blog. Please watch this video in its entirety.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/28/07
When Opportunity Knocks
Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. -Luke 12:11–12
Stephen had been brought before the Sanhedrin to be judged for preaching the gospel. There was no higher authority in all of Israel than the Sanhedrin. Standing before the religious elite, young Stephen gave them a brilliant overview of Jewish history.
As they listened, they were enthralled with his insights and understanding. In fact, his message was so powerful that his accusers sat spellbound. But as Stephen got to his main point, they began to grow uncomfortable. After giving his overview of the history of Israel, he told them what their real problem was—they had betrayed and murdered the Just One they were waiting for, and they had not kept the law (see Acts 7).
The Lord gave Stephen just the right words to say on that particular occasion. Remember that Jesus told His followers, “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11–12). This certainly happened for Stephen. He was ready for the opportunity that God dropped in his lap.
Stephen was ready for this significant moment in his life, a defining moment in both the life of Stephen and the church. He seized the moment and made a difference. And you can do the same. To recognize opportunity is the difference between success and failure. When opportunity knocks, you need to get up and answer the door.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. -Luke 12:11–12
Stephen had been brought before the Sanhedrin to be judged for preaching the gospel. There was no higher authority in all of Israel than the Sanhedrin. Standing before the religious elite, young Stephen gave them a brilliant overview of Jewish history.
As they listened, they were enthralled with his insights and understanding. In fact, his message was so powerful that his accusers sat spellbound. But as Stephen got to his main point, they began to grow uncomfortable. After giving his overview of the history of Israel, he told them what their real problem was—they had betrayed and murdered the Just One they were waiting for, and they had not kept the law (see Acts 7).
The Lord gave Stephen just the right words to say on that particular occasion. Remember that Jesus told His followers, “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11–12). This certainly happened for Stephen. He was ready for the opportunity that God dropped in his lap.
Stephen was ready for this significant moment in his life, a defining moment in both the life of Stephen and the church. He seized the moment and made a difference. And you can do the same. To recognize opportunity is the difference between success and failure. When opportunity knocks, you need to get up and answer the door.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Thursday, September 27, 2007
From Pastor Mark's Blog
Just wanted to share something that Pastor Mark posted on his blog, that we at NCC will be experimenting with this Saturday night at our 6:30 service at Enenezers. I personally feel this can answer many question that some of us may have about the topics discussed during the Elephant in the Church series.
Again, this is a post on Pastor Mark's blog...
I've always felt like we should experiment with our Saturday night service at Ebenezers. That is where we record our messages in high-definition for our webcast, podcast, and video messages. So in a sense, the congregation at Ebz is a live studio audience. A few years ago, I had this thought: I wonder if the early church was more like a talk show with a live studio audience than what we call "church."
Fast forward. We're going to try to make our 6:30 service on Saturday night more interactive by adding a question and answer time after the message. I honestly have no idea how it'll turn out, but everything is an experiment. This just felt like the right series to try it out. I think the church is really good at answering questions no one is asking. What if we encouraged people to bring their questions with them to church?
So this weekend I'm talking about The Sexy Elephant and we'll open it up for questions. We'll take live questions, but we'll also take email questions or blog questions.
Anybody have any burning questions about sex for this coming weekend? I'm a little scared. Especially with this topic. And some questions are best discussed in a one-on-one or small group context. But if the question is asked in the right spirit, anything is fair game. There is so much sexual confusion in our culture and I think part of the reason is that the church doesn't talk about sex. We don't know what the Bible says. So we don't have a theology of sexuality.
Let the games begin!
Again, this is a post on Pastor Mark's blog...
I've always felt like we should experiment with our Saturday night service at Ebenezers. That is where we record our messages in high-definition for our webcast, podcast, and video messages. So in a sense, the congregation at Ebz is a live studio audience. A few years ago, I had this thought: I wonder if the early church was more like a talk show with a live studio audience than what we call "church."
Fast forward. We're going to try to make our 6:30 service on Saturday night more interactive by adding a question and answer time after the message. I honestly have no idea how it'll turn out, but everything is an experiment. This just felt like the right series to try it out. I think the church is really good at answering questions no one is asking. What if we encouraged people to bring their questions with them to church?
So this weekend I'm talking about The Sexy Elephant and we'll open it up for questions. We'll take live questions, but we'll also take email questions or blog questions.
Anybody have any burning questions about sex for this coming weekend? I'm a little scared. Especially with this topic. And some questions are best discussed in a one-on-one or small group context. But if the question is asked in the right spirit, anything is fair game. There is so much sexual confusion in our culture and I think part of the reason is that the church doesn't talk about sex. We don't know what the Bible says. So we don't have a theology of sexuality.
Let the games begin!
Daily Caffeination 9/27/07
A Picture of Courage
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:11–12
God not only gives us the right words to say in a given situation, but He also gives us the power to stand up for our faith, even it means harassment or hardship or persecution. This is what happened to Stephen, the first martyr of the faith, as he boldly proclaimed the gospel to the Sanhedrin.
The apostle Peter wrote, “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you . . . ” (1 Peter 4:14). God will give us the strength that we need, just as he strengthened Stephen.
You may think you couldn’t cope if people made fun of you. You don’t know if you could handle it if your life was actually threatened for the sake of the gospel. But if God allowed you to be put into such a situation, He would give you the strength to face it. He would give you the necessary boldness and courage.
Throughout history, God has given special grace and courage to millions of Christians who were persecuted for the faith. Many were tortured. Some even lost their lives. But they were unwilling to renounce Christ, unwilling to deny the Lord who had so radically changed their lives.
Certainly this is what Stephen was—a picture of complete courage and faith as he stood up for the Lord. Even while he was on his knees dying, Stephen stood tall. He had lived like Christ. He had spoken like Christ. And he would die like Christ.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:11–12
God not only gives us the right words to say in a given situation, but He also gives us the power to stand up for our faith, even it means harassment or hardship or persecution. This is what happened to Stephen, the first martyr of the faith, as he boldly proclaimed the gospel to the Sanhedrin.
The apostle Peter wrote, “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you . . . ” (1 Peter 4:14). God will give us the strength that we need, just as he strengthened Stephen.
You may think you couldn’t cope if people made fun of you. You don’t know if you could handle it if your life was actually threatened for the sake of the gospel. But if God allowed you to be put into such a situation, He would give you the strength to face it. He would give you the necessary boldness and courage.
Throughout history, God has given special grace and courage to millions of Christians who were persecuted for the faith. Many were tortured. Some even lost their lives. But they were unwilling to renounce Christ, unwilling to deny the Lord who had so radically changed their lives.
Certainly this is what Stephen was—a picture of complete courage and faith as he stood up for the Lord. Even while he was on his knees dying, Stephen stood tall. He had lived like Christ. He had spoken like Christ. And he would die like Christ.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/26/07
Evangelize or Fossilize
The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.—Proverbs 11:25
Have you ever noticed that when you start talking about one of God’s qualities, by the time you have finished the conversation, you find yourself enjoying and appreciating that very quality even more? You start telling people how wonderful Jesus is, and by the time you are finished, you are in awe of Him too.
You will sometimes hear people say, “I am so spiritually dry, even though I have been going to church and studying the Bible.” My questions to the person making such a statement would be: When is the last time you shared your faith with someone? When is the last time you got into a dialogue with someone about what you believe? When is the last time you reached out to someone who was really hurting?
It is an amazing thing, but as you give out, God gives to you. There is something very interesting about the Christian life, the dynamic of truth that God puts in the lives of His people. The more you give it out, the more God gives to you. The more you keep it to yourself, the less impact it has on your life. When you are sharing the gospel with someone and telling them about what God has done for you, it just comes alive. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).
If you generously give out your faith to others, God will replenish your supply. But if you hoard your faith and rarely share it with other people, then you will find yourself stagnating spiritually. Here is your choice: Evangelize or fossilize.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.—Proverbs 11:25
Have you ever noticed that when you start talking about one of God’s qualities, by the time you have finished the conversation, you find yourself enjoying and appreciating that very quality even more? You start telling people how wonderful Jesus is, and by the time you are finished, you are in awe of Him too.
You will sometimes hear people say, “I am so spiritually dry, even though I have been going to church and studying the Bible.” My questions to the person making such a statement would be: When is the last time you shared your faith with someone? When is the last time you got into a dialogue with someone about what you believe? When is the last time you reached out to someone who was really hurting?
It is an amazing thing, but as you give out, God gives to you. There is something very interesting about the Christian life, the dynamic of truth that God puts in the lives of His people. The more you give it out, the more God gives to you. The more you keep it to yourself, the less impact it has on your life. When you are sharing the gospel with someone and telling them about what God has done for you, it just comes alive. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).
If you generously give out your faith to others, God will replenish your supply. But if you hoard your faith and rarely share it with other people, then you will find yourself stagnating spiritually. Here is your choice: Evangelize or fossilize.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Posture of the Heart
One of my core beliefs, is that true facedown worship is the posture of the heart. Worship goes so much further than what I do, it is absolutely a 24/7 thing for me. I am a facedown worshipper of Jesus Christ. It is is my desire to bless the Lord with all that I am and give Him my all, totally devoted and surrendered to Him. Here is a great song by Jeff Deyo - Bless the Lord that really captures what I am as a facedown worshipper as I desire to bless His holy and awesome name.
For your beauty,
For your goodness,
And your wisdom.. Awesome God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
For your power,
For your honor,
And your splendor... Mighty God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
Chorus:
And I will worship you,
I will bless your name forever,
I will worship you,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
For your Kindness
For your Favor,
For your Mercy.. Gracious One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
For your fire,
For your testing
And your Spirit... Holy One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
Chorus
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the LORD!
For your Suffering,
For your Anguish
And your sorrow.. humble King,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
For your Victory {Victory},
For your Triumph,
And you'll soon come and reign over all.
And I will worship you, {worship you}
I will bless your name forever. {bless your name]
I will worship you, {worship you}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {My Soul}
And I will worship you, {worship you}
I will bless your name forever. {bless your name]
I will worship you, {worship you}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {Lord, My Soul}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {Lord, My Soul}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {My Soul}
{Our Soul}
For your beauty,
For your goodness,
And your wisdom.. Awesome God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
For your power,
For your honor,
And your splendor... Mighty God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
Chorus:
And I will worship you,
I will bless your name forever,
I will worship you,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
For your Kindness
For your Favor,
For your Mercy.. Gracious One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
For your fire,
For your testing
And your Spirit... Holy One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
Chorus
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the LORD!
For your Suffering,
For your Anguish
And your sorrow.. humble King,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
For your Victory {Victory},
For your Triumph,
And you'll soon come and reign over all.
And I will worship you, {worship you}
I will bless your name forever. {bless your name]
I will worship you, {worship you}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {My Soul}
And I will worship you, {worship you}
I will bless your name forever. {bless your name]
I will worship you, {worship you}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {Lord, My Soul}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {Lord, My Soul}
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul,
Bless the Lord oh my Soul, Bless the Lord {My Soul}
{Our Soul}
Way Under Guesstimated....
I just got finished counting all the registrations forms that were filled out from A Night at the Movies from Friday night...the total was 366. I was over a hundred off. This doesn't include all of our volunteers and regular NCCers who didn't register. I say the count was closer to 400.
PRAISE GOD we were able to bless that amount of families in the Capital Hill area. Parents had the ability to see a good wholesome movie with their kids and it also brought the community together for the evening.
Huge win!!!
PRAISE GOD we were able to bless that amount of families in the Capital Hill area. Parents had the ability to see a good wholesome movie with their kids and it also brought the community together for the evening.
Huge win!!!
Daily Caffeination 09/25/07
Committed to Learn
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.—2 Timothy 2:15
Have you ever had one of those golden opportunities in life to share the gospel, and you found that you just weren’t prepared? Or have you had someone fire some really hard questions at you, and you were rendered speechless?
After I had been a Christian for two weeks, I felt I needed to get out and do something with my faith. I was walking down the street and who did I run into but my very close friend from elementary school. I started witnessing to him. He was listening, and he was open. It seemed as though I was making some progress. I was getting excited.
I didn’t notice, however, that someone else was eavesdropping on our conversation. He walked up to me and said, “I have a few questions for you.”
I thought, No problem. I have been a Christian for two weeks. I think I can grapple with most theological issues at this point. Fire away.
So he fired four or five pretty tough questions at me. I can’t even remember today what they were. All I remember is that I was dumbfounded. I didn’t even have a clue. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed. But worst of all, I felt that I had let the Lord down.
I made a commitment that day—a commitment to study the Bible so I would not be caught in that position again. I can’t say that I have the answer to every question now. Nor am I suggesting that I can resolve any difficulty any person has, because I can’t. But I did realize that I needed to equip myself if I was ever to be used by God. And you need to equip yourself too.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.—2 Timothy 2:15
Have you ever had one of those golden opportunities in life to share the gospel, and you found that you just weren’t prepared? Or have you had someone fire some really hard questions at you, and you were rendered speechless?
After I had been a Christian for two weeks, I felt I needed to get out and do something with my faith. I was walking down the street and who did I run into but my very close friend from elementary school. I started witnessing to him. He was listening, and he was open. It seemed as though I was making some progress. I was getting excited.
I didn’t notice, however, that someone else was eavesdropping on our conversation. He walked up to me and said, “I have a few questions for you.”
I thought, No problem. I have been a Christian for two weeks. I think I can grapple with most theological issues at this point. Fire away.
So he fired four or five pretty tough questions at me. I can’t even remember today what they were. All I remember is that I was dumbfounded. I didn’t even have a clue. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed. But worst of all, I felt that I had let the Lord down.
I made a commitment that day—a commitment to study the Bible so I would not be caught in that position again. I can’t say that I have the answer to every question now. Nor am I suggesting that I can resolve any difficulty any person has, because I can’t. But I did realize that I needed to equip myself if I was ever to be used by God. And you need to equip yourself too.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Monday, September 24, 2007
Silence And Solitude
October 19-21 we have our annual Upward Bound Retreat here at NCC. The theme this year is Encounter. Pastor Heather, Amanda Norwich and myself are putting this retreat together. I have the opportunity to share during the retreat, which I am very honored to to do. The purpose of the Upward Bound Retreat is to challenge and encourage people taking their relationship with God deeper and give them practical ways to grow spiritually and upwardly with God.
I am extremely honored and excited about the opportunity I have to speak at the retreat. I want to share my outline and notes on one of four topics I will be speaking on at the retreat.
I am extremely honored and excited about the opportunity I have to speak at the retreat. I want to share my outline and notes on one of four topics I will be speaking on at the retreat.
Silence and Solitude
Theme Text: Ecclesiastes 3:7 – “…a time to be silent and a time to speak…”
Encountering Christ Through Silence and Solitude
“The purpose of silence and solitude,” says Richard Foster, “is to be able to see and hear” (Celebration of Discipline). The Spirit speaks to us when our heart is still and silent before the Lord – not when we’re rushing about and doing our own thing in our own way. As Jesus said that it’s the purified heart that receives the blessing of seeing God Matthew 5:8. And when God shows us himself or speaks his Word to us we want to pay attention! So it’s a good idea when you set aside time for a sacred silence to bring your journal and write down what you see and hear.
Solitude with God is about more than purifying peace and hearing God’s voice, it’s about being empowered to maintain our focus on God continually, to live conscious of and interactive with God’s presence moment-by-moment as we go about the activities of our day: The “desert” or “closet” is the primary place of strength for the beginner, as it was for Christ and Paul… In stark aloneness it is possible to have silence, to be still, and to know that Jehovah indeed is God Psalm 46:10, to set the Lord before our minds with sufficient intensity and duration that we stay centered upon him – our hearts fixed, established in trust Psalm 112:7-8 – even when back in the office, home or our daily routines.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together, believed that solitude was so valuable in helping him to listen to God’s Word and center his mind on God that he practiced it at the start and end of every day:
"We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep because the last word also belongs to God… Silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from God’s Word with a blessing. But everybody knows that this is something that needs to be practiced and learned.”
Silence and Solitude In Our World Today
In our day and age we almost have an aversion to silence. It is almost as if we can't function without noise, music, or words. Silence is uncomfortable, almost shocking. Why? Is it because noise masks the fact that nothing much is happening in us, or gives the impression that nothing is happening around us or for us? Or perhaps noise helps block out what is happening within that we don't want to acknowledge? And solitude - the voluntary withdrawal from interaction with people, is so often seen as a synonym for loneliness, or an opportunity for our social neediness or insecurities to surface as the distraction of social interaction recedes.
It is true that sooner or later, in silence and solitude we ultimately will encounter our own soul with its obscure forces and conflicts that escape notice in noise and crowds. But it is equally true that in silence and solitude God has a chance to heal and help, to empower and transform at the depths of our personality. Running from silence and solitude means running from encounters with God that you and I desperately need. Refusing to deal with issues within us through denial or distraction is not an answer - it is a prison sentence. Prayerful silence and solitude in the presence of God is the construction of a healing environment. It is the means of installing a portable sanctuary in the heart that can be taken into our busy lives. It is a key to unlocking for us the strength and grace that Jesus found in his daily life and ministry.
Biblical Picture of Silence and Solitude – Jesus and John the Baptist
Ultimately, we need prayerful silence and solitude in order to equip us to enter into life much more wholesomely, enthusiastically, and compassionately - just like Christ. He began his ministry with 40 days in the wilderness Matt.4:1-11; before he chose the 12 he spent all night alone in the desert hills Lk.6:12; on hearing of John the Baptist's death he withdrew to a lonely place apart Matt.14:13; after feeding the 5,000 and before walking on water and stilling a storm, he spent most of the night alone in the hills overlooking the lake of Gallilee; following a night of work he rose early and went out to a lonely place Mk.1:35; when disciples returned from preaching a healing he instructed them to come away to a lonely place Lk.5:16 etc. If he needed silence and solitude, how much more do we?
John the Baptist is another one in the Bible who practiced solitude with God. He was quite a figure. Imagine a man who lives in the wilderness with wild animals, dresses in hairy camel skin tied on by a thick leather belt, and exists on a diet of locusts and wild honey! That’s John the Baptist. His message was as austere or severe as his desert surroundings: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” Matthew 3:2. He lived in the desert with his disciples and hundreds of people came to him there to be baptized and taught. Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets (all of whom were big on solitude), but John sought no glory for himself. Instead his life ambition and great joy was to prepare the way for people to go to Jesus, as a friend supports a bride marrying the groom John 3:29. He lived by the dictum: “[Jesus] must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” John 3:30.
In a very real way, silence and solitude helps us to quiet ourselves by quieting all around us, helping us to listen for and commune (communion leads to true encounters) with God without distraction. Times of silence and solitude allows to decrease and Christ to increase in our life. The tongue and the cluttered and feverish mind are thermometers - they give our spiritual temperature. Whereas, with silence and solitude, they can become thermostats as they regulate our spiritual temperature.
Practical Application of Silence and Solitude
How then should we apply silence and solitude in our lives? For most of us, community we know; prayerful silence and solitude we do not.
Practical Suggestions: Although we are seeking solitude and silence in the heart and mind, it takes action to help provide it. That is, you will need to organize your life in some way to bring it about. For example Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Disciplines suggests the following:- ( I have made it more relevant for our time and culture.)
1. Take advantage of the 'little solitudes' that fill your day eg. when you first wake up, have a quiet cuppa , a cup of coffee or tea, in bumper to bumper traffic, moments when you see a flower or a tree, or walk to work .
2. Build, find, or develop a quiet spot - a spare room, a spot in the park, in a spare room, a storage closet, a retreat place.
3. Discipline your words over a day where what you say is short and yet full. Let much of what is unnecessary be left unsaid, but the helpful and essential said in few words.
Try going a day without speaking at all.
4. Each few weeks spend 3 or 4 hours in your favorite retreat location, being prayerfully silent, reorienting your personal and spiritual goals before God.
5. Each year spend at least 1 or 2 days retreating in silence and solitude with God, get out of town out of the DC area.
Silence and solitude are fundamental to spiritual growth and development. As Henri Nouwen notes, in solitude we are freed from our bondage to people and our inner compulsiveness. We are freed to love God and develop compassion for others. It is in silence and solitude that our ears become open to hear, our agitated minds stilled to think, the eyes of our hearts enabled to see.
Time To Retreat and Have a Time Silence and Solitude
As we go out for the next 30 minutes and retreat from each other, I want to challenge you to remain completely quiet. Take you Bible and your journal and write down what you read, write down what God may speak to you. Just listen, don’t speak allowing only God’s voice to come out. Look up look out and remain complete silent before God.
Write down after the 30 minutes of silence and solitude how you felt about this experience and if you encountered the Lord during this time. This may really be challenging for many of you.
Psalm 46:8-10Attention, all! See the marvels of
10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." New International Version
Daily Caffeination 09/24/07
Faithful
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”—John 2:5
When David was called by God to be king, he was out watching sheep, just being faithful. The day David killed Goliath, he didn’t wake up that morning and hear God say, “David, today you are going to the valley of Elah. There will be a giant Philistine named Goliath, and you will kill him with a stone.” No, David was taking food to his brothers, just being faithful on an errand for his dad. It was a little thing, but he was faithful.
What was Gideon doing when God called him? He was hiding from his enemies. He was terrified. But God saw his potential, and the next thing Gideon knew, he was leading his troops into battle.
And what was Elisha doing when Elijah called him to carry on the work? He was out plowing in the field.
Even Moses was watching sheep when God called him to deliver the Israelites.
Then there was Daniel, who was so faithful to the Lord that his enemies could not find one thing wrong with him. They had to make up lies about him so that he would be sentenced to death.
My point is this: They were faithfully doing what God had set before them. They weren’t running around, looking for big things to do. They were simply doing the little things.
Sometimes, we have great ideas of what God will do. But we have to wait on Him. What are your dreams right now? Maybe you want to do something for God, but you think it will never happen. Maybe it will. Maybe it even will surpass your wildest dreams. Just be faithful to do what God has set before you right now.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”—John 2:5
When David was called by God to be king, he was out watching sheep, just being faithful. The day David killed Goliath, he didn’t wake up that morning and hear God say, “David, today you are going to the valley of Elah. There will be a giant Philistine named Goliath, and you will kill him with a stone.” No, David was taking food to his brothers, just being faithful on an errand for his dad. It was a little thing, but he was faithful.
What was Gideon doing when God called him? He was hiding from his enemies. He was terrified. But God saw his potential, and the next thing Gideon knew, he was leading his troops into battle.
And what was Elisha doing when Elijah called him to carry on the work? He was out plowing in the field.
Even Moses was watching sheep when God called him to deliver the Israelites.
Then there was Daniel, who was so faithful to the Lord that his enemies could not find one thing wrong with him. They had to make up lies about him so that he would be sentenced to death.
My point is this: They were faithfully doing what God had set before them. They weren’t running around, looking for big things to do. They were simply doing the little things.
Sometimes, we have great ideas of what God will do. But we have to wait on Him. What are your dreams right now? Maybe you want to do something for God, but you think it will never happen. Maybe it will. Maybe it even will surpass your wildest dreams. Just be faithful to do what God has set before you right now.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A Night at the Movies Outreach
Last night, we host A Night at the Movies outreach event at Lincoln Park on Capital Hill. It was a huge success. We had about 250 people, many families come out last night. We showed the movie Cars.
It is a way we bless our community by bringing the family together for an awesome outdoor event, give out free popcorn, icees, capri sun juice boxes, and give each person microwave popcorn with one of our admit one invite cards as they leave the event.
It was an exciting time last night, with a great volunteer staff who helped out big time and many families in the Capital Hill community enjoying a good wholesome movie.
The only gliche last night was that our generator went out on us twice last night. After a few minutes we got the movie going again and everyone was happy. Other than that is was a huge win!
Tonight, Pastor Joel is leading a Night at the Movies over the Ballston/Arlington area at Bluemont Park.
Here is the front of the invite card that went put into some of the local schools and passed out in some of the parks in the Capital Hill area.
It is a way we bless our community by bringing the family together for an awesome outdoor event, give out free popcorn, icees, capri sun juice boxes, and give each person microwave popcorn with one of our admit one invite cards as they leave the event.
It was an exciting time last night, with a great volunteer staff who helped out big time and many families in the Capital Hill community enjoying a good wholesome movie.
The only gliche last night was that our generator went out on us twice last night. After a few minutes we got the movie going again and everyone was happy. Other than that is was a huge win!
Tonight, Pastor Joel is leading a Night at the Movies over the Ballston/Arlington area at Bluemont Park.
Here is the front of the invite card that went put into some of the local schools and passed out in some of the parks in the Capital Hill area.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/21/07
Living Well
According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.—Philippians 1:20–21
With everything going on in our world today, we could be really fearful about our lives: I don’t know if I should do that—an accident might happen. . . . I’d better not get on that plane—it might crash. I’d better not get in that car—I might not make it home. . . . I’d better not do this. . . . I’d better not do that. We could live in a constant state of paranoia.
Or, we could commit our ways to God each day and say, “If this is my day, Lord, then I am ready to meet You. If it isn’t, then I will serve You one more day.” As Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). What a great outlook to have.
But that doesn’t mean we should be foolish and unnecessarily test God. That also doesn’t mean we should do idiotic things like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. There is a distinct difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord.
It does mean, however, that we should accept each day as a gift from God Almighty and live it to its fullest, totally committed to Him. We should live each day as if it were our last.
Let’s just say, for instance, that this day was your last. If you were to think back on this day, would you be ashamed of how you lived it? Or would you say, “I think I lived it well. I did what I should have done. I have no real embarrassment to speak of. It was a well-lived day.” Good. That is how you should live each and every day.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.—Philippians 1:20–21
With everything going on in our world today, we could be really fearful about our lives: I don’t know if I should do that—an accident might happen. . . . I’d better not get on that plane—it might crash. I’d better not get in that car—I might not make it home. . . . I’d better not do this. . . . I’d better not do that. We could live in a constant state of paranoia.
Or, we could commit our ways to God each day and say, “If this is my day, Lord, then I am ready to meet You. If it isn’t, then I will serve You one more day.” As Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). What a great outlook to have.
But that doesn’t mean we should be foolish and unnecessarily test God. That also doesn’t mean we should do idiotic things like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. There is a distinct difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord.
It does mean, however, that we should accept each day as a gift from God Almighty and live it to its fullest, totally committed to Him. We should live each day as if it were our last.
Let’s just say, for instance, that this day was your last. If you were to think back on this day, would you be ashamed of how you lived it? Or would you say, “I think I lived it well. I did what I should have done. I have no real embarrassment to speak of. It was a well-lived day.” Good. That is how you should live each and every day.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Daily Caffeination 9/20/07
Green Lights and Blue Skies
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.—Psalm 121:3
If I decided how my day were to go, I would never write in “crisis.” I would never write, “Get sick” here, or “Have my tire go flat” there, or “Have this unexpected disaster take place.” I would just write in all the good stuff in life. I would plan for everything to go my way. There would be no traffic on the freeways. It always would be green lights and blue skies.
But we are not in charge of our lives. God is. And He will let so-called “bad things” happen. But as time goes by, you will find that the significant things you learn in life did not come from the good times. They came from those times of crisis in which you were more dependent on God. Many of the bad times will, in retrospect, turn out to be good times, because it is through those so-called “bad times” that you will learn some of life’s most important lessons.
The things we experience are not random events that float in and out of our lives. Rather, they are specific events that have been chosen by God and are timely and purposeful. This means the good things as well as the bad things. It means the good times we experience as well as the bad times.
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you come under His protective care. God is fully aware of everything that happens to you, and thankfully He is never asleep on the job. He pays careful attention to the smallest details of your life and is in complete in control of all circumstances that surround your life. He is aware of what you are going through.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.—Psalm 121:3
If I decided how my day were to go, I would never write in “crisis.” I would never write, “Get sick” here, or “Have my tire go flat” there, or “Have this unexpected disaster take place.” I would just write in all the good stuff in life. I would plan for everything to go my way. There would be no traffic on the freeways. It always would be green lights and blue skies.
But we are not in charge of our lives. God is. And He will let so-called “bad things” happen. But as time goes by, you will find that the significant things you learn in life did not come from the good times. They came from those times of crisis in which you were more dependent on God. Many of the bad times will, in retrospect, turn out to be good times, because it is through those so-called “bad times” that you will learn some of life’s most important lessons.
The things we experience are not random events that float in and out of our lives. Rather, they are specific events that have been chosen by God and are timely and purposeful. This means the good things as well as the bad things. It means the good times we experience as well as the bad times.
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you come under His protective care. God is fully aware of everything that happens to you, and thankfully He is never asleep on the job. He pays careful attention to the smallest details of your life and is in complete in control of all circumstances that surround your life. He is aware of what you are going through.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Robbie Seay Band is Coming to Ebenezers
I am actually really excited about this show...I have been a Robbie Seay Band fan for awhile. I am looking forward to seeing them live at Ebenezers on October 7th. If you want to come to a good show let me know.
Robbie Seay Band w/ Brandon Heath
Sun, Oct 7
7pm
Ebenezers Coffeehouse (201 F St, NE)
$8 advance
$10 day of
$5 student
Tix on sale at Ebenezers Sept 24th
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/19/07
Divine Deposits
So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.—Psalm 90:12
Let’s say that your phone rings tomorrow morning, and it is a call from the manager of your bank. He tells you, “I received a very unusual call the other day. Someone who loves you very much and is quite wealthy has given you a large sum of money. This anonymous donor will be depositing 86,400 cents into your account every single day.”
“How is that again?” you ask.
“Every single day, this person will deposit 86,400 cents into your account.”
Is that much money? you wonder at first. Then you get out your calculator and figure out that it amounts to $864 every day. That is pretty good, you’re thinking.
“But there is one condition,” the banker continues. “You have to spend it every single day. You can’t save it up. You can’t add it to the next day’s balance. Every day, you must spend that money. What is not spent will be taken away. This person will do this each and every day, but the condition is that you must spend the money.”
So you go back to your calculator and figure out that $864 times 7 equals $6,048 per week. That amount, multiplied by 52, comes to $314,496 per year. That is a pretty good deal. And that is also a fantasy.
So let’s deal with reality. Someone who loves you very much deposits into your bank of time 86,400 seconds every single day. That someone is God. And the condition is that you must spend it. You can’t save up time today and apply it toward tomorrow—there is no such thing as a 27-hour day. Each and every day, you have the opportunity to invest your precious commodity of time.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.—Psalm 90:12
Let’s say that your phone rings tomorrow morning, and it is a call from the manager of your bank. He tells you, “I received a very unusual call the other day. Someone who loves you very much and is quite wealthy has given you a large sum of money. This anonymous donor will be depositing 86,400 cents into your account every single day.”
“How is that again?” you ask.
“Every single day, this person will deposit 86,400 cents into your account.”
Is that much money? you wonder at first. Then you get out your calculator and figure out that it amounts to $864 every day. That is pretty good, you’re thinking.
“But there is one condition,” the banker continues. “You have to spend it every single day. You can’t save it up. You can’t add it to the next day’s balance. Every day, you must spend that money. What is not spent will be taken away. This person will do this each and every day, but the condition is that you must spend the money.”
So you go back to your calculator and figure out that $864 times 7 equals $6,048 per week. That amount, multiplied by 52, comes to $314,496 per year. That is a pretty good deal. And that is also a fantasy.
So let’s deal with reality. Someone who loves you very much deposits into your bank of time 86,400 seconds every single day. That someone is God. And the condition is that you must spend it. You can’t save up time today and apply it toward tomorrow—there is no such thing as a 27-hour day. Each and every day, you have the opportunity to invest your precious commodity of time.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Wanted You to Put This on Your Radar
This post/announcement was taken from the Zone Gathering Blog. This is a retreat that Pastor Heather, Amanda Norwich and I are planning. It has been a total honor and privilege to work with Pastor Heather and Amanda. I believe this will be an incredible retreat. If you are an NCCer I would definitely encourage you to attend. If you are not an NCCer and in the area I think it is possible that you can attend.
Here is the announcement...
Here is the announcement...
Registration for the Upward Bound retreat opened this weekend. If you sign up before October 7, the cost for the retreat is only $100. This covers lodging, food, and materials for the event. It will be October 19-21 at Pine Creek Camp in Gore, Virginia, and we will spend time discovering and experimenting with spiritual disciplines. Some will be very familiar- like prayer- while others may be a bit less familiar- like the Ignatian Examen or Lectio Divina. Upward Bound is a stop on the Learner Island of the NCC Discipleship Map.
Sign up today! Use this linkTuesday, September 18, 2007
Daily Caffeination 9/18/07
The Quest
Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.—Proverbs 27:20
I read about a convention where Star Trek memorabilia was auctioned off, including a half-filled glass of water that had been sipped by a cast member who had a virus. The item sold for $40. The person who bought it immediately drank it, because he or she wanted to get the same virus the cast member from Star Trek had.
“Bizarre” is one word that comes to mind after a story like that one. But is it really any more bizarre when you start thinking about the things that supposedly normal people dedicate their entire lives to? They will dedicate their lives to acquiring possessions. They will dedicate their lives to sexual conquest. They will dedicate their lives to getting the finest education the world can offer. But what they will find out eventually is that if in their pursuit of these things, they forget about God, it will result in emptiness.
Take it from the expert, Solomon, who penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon was the one person who could say, “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.” He knew about these things firsthand. He went on a quest, deciding he was going to try everything this world had to offer. But he wisely concluded that just as death and destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
When God created us, He wired us this way. The Bible says that He has placed eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11), which simply means that in the heart of every man and woman, there is a sense that there is something more out there. It is almost as though we were born with a God-shaped blank inside. And so the search begins.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.—Proverbs 27:20
I read about a convention where Star Trek memorabilia was auctioned off, including a half-filled glass of water that had been sipped by a cast member who had a virus. The item sold for $40. The person who bought it immediately drank it, because he or she wanted to get the same virus the cast member from Star Trek had.
“Bizarre” is one word that comes to mind after a story like that one. But is it really any more bizarre when you start thinking about the things that supposedly normal people dedicate their entire lives to? They will dedicate their lives to acquiring possessions. They will dedicate their lives to sexual conquest. They will dedicate their lives to getting the finest education the world can offer. But what they will find out eventually is that if in their pursuit of these things, they forget about God, it will result in emptiness.
Take it from the expert, Solomon, who penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon was the one person who could say, “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.” He knew about these things firsthand. He went on a quest, deciding he was going to try everything this world had to offer. But he wisely concluded that just as death and destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
When God created us, He wired us this way. The Bible says that He has placed eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11), which simply means that in the heart of every man and woman, there is a sense that there is something more out there. It is almost as though we were born with a God-shaped blank inside. And so the search begins.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Monday, September 17, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/17/07
Grasping for the Wind
I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”—Ecclesiastes 2:1–2
Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, said, “Living for your own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a person can do. If his neighbors don’t kill him in disgust, he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness.”
It has also been said that the only cure for hedonism is to try to practice it. If you go after pleasure, you will quickly see the emptiness of it.
Of course, the pursuit of pleasure is nothing new. As Solomon reminds us a number of times in the Book of Ecclesiastes, when you boil it down, there is nothing new under the sun. Though our technology has changed and we have had certain advancements since Solomon wrote those words, the basic cravings of humanity have not changed. The basic things people look to have not changed either. The philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry” has been with us for a long time.
Solomon once decided to pursue everything this world had to offer. Then he came to realize there was nothing to profit from under the sun. It was only when he looked above the sun and looked to God that he found the answers he was seeking. In other words, when we see God for who He is, we will see the world for what it is.
If you have a close relationship with God and are walking intimately with Him, then you will see this world for what it is. You will recognize the philosophies and concepts and ideologies our culture propagates that are contradictory to what the Bible teaches. And when you are walking closely with God, you will see the emptiness and the futility of the things people chase after.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”—Ecclesiastes 2:1–2
Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, said, “Living for your own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a person can do. If his neighbors don’t kill him in disgust, he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness.”
It has also been said that the only cure for hedonism is to try to practice it. If you go after pleasure, you will quickly see the emptiness of it.
Of course, the pursuit of pleasure is nothing new. As Solomon reminds us a number of times in the Book of Ecclesiastes, when you boil it down, there is nothing new under the sun. Though our technology has changed and we have had certain advancements since Solomon wrote those words, the basic cravings of humanity have not changed. The basic things people look to have not changed either. The philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry” has been with us for a long time.
Solomon once decided to pursue everything this world had to offer. Then he came to realize there was nothing to profit from under the sun. It was only when he looked above the sun and looked to God that he found the answers he was seeking. In other words, when we see God for who He is, we will see the world for what it is.
If you have a close relationship with God and are walking intimately with Him, then you will see this world for what it is. You will recognize the philosophies and concepts and ideologies our culture propagates that are contradictory to what the Bible teaches. And when you are walking closely with God, you will see the emptiness and the futility of the things people chase after.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
From The Inside Out
The following is one of those songs that resonates within me as a facedown worshipper. Facedown worship isn't something that I do, I am a facedownworshipper of an awesome and an amazing God.
This song by Hillsong has really become my prayer and my expression as of late. It captures my heart's cry in words. Powerful lyrics, power prayer, power expression of who I am.
Please read the lyrics and watch the video...and meditate on it, let soak in, let it become your personal heart's cry.
Here are the lyrics...
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
This song by Hillsong has really become my prayer and my expression as of late. It captures my heart's cry in words. Powerful lyrics, power prayer, power expression of who I am.
Please read the lyrics and watch the video...and meditate on it, let soak in, let it become your personal heart's cry.
Here are the lyrics...
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Daily Caffeination 9//16/07
Why God Blesses
And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel. - 1 Chronicles 14:2
King David learned an important lesson every leader must learn if he is to ensure God's continual blessing. He knew why God blessed him. It wasn't because he deserved it, though he was a man who sought God with his whole heart. It wasn't because of his great skill, though he was a great military strategist. It wasn't because he was perfect, for he committed some horrible sins during his reign as king. No, it was for none of these reasons. God blessed David for the "sake of His people Israel."
God never blesses an individual just for that person's exclusive benefit. God calls each of us to be a blessing to others. So often we forget this last part. R.G. LeTourneau, a businessman who built heavy construction equipment, came to realize this only after God took him through many trials. Once the Lord had all of LeTourneau, he came to realize that the question wasn't whether he gave 10 percent of what the Lord gave him. Rather, the question was, "What amount does He want me to keep?" LeTourneau was known for giving 90 percent of his income toward the end of his career and was a great supporter of world missions. But the Lord doesn't bless workplace believers just for the ability to give financially. God has given workplace believers many more gifts beyond the financial.
What is happening with the spiritual fruit of God's blessing on your life? Is it clogged, or is it freely flowing to others? Ask the Lord to free you to be a blessing to those in your circle of influence.
And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel. - 1 Chronicles 14:2
King David learned an important lesson every leader must learn if he is to ensure God's continual blessing. He knew why God blessed him. It wasn't because he deserved it, though he was a man who sought God with his whole heart. It wasn't because of his great skill, though he was a great military strategist. It wasn't because he was perfect, for he committed some horrible sins during his reign as king. No, it was for none of these reasons. God blessed David for the "sake of His people Israel."
God never blesses an individual just for that person's exclusive benefit. God calls each of us to be a blessing to others. So often we forget this last part. R.G. LeTourneau, a businessman who built heavy construction equipment, came to realize this only after God took him through many trials. Once the Lord had all of LeTourneau, he came to realize that the question wasn't whether he gave 10 percent of what the Lord gave him. Rather, the question was, "What amount does He want me to keep?" LeTourneau was known for giving 90 percent of his income toward the end of his career and was a great supporter of world missions. But the Lord doesn't bless workplace believers just for the ability to give financially. God has given workplace believers many more gifts beyond the financial.
What is happening with the spiritual fruit of God's blessing on your life? Is it clogged, or is it freely flowing to others? Ask the Lord to free you to be a blessing to those in your circle of influence.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Daily Caffeination 9/15/07
A Tool for Miracles
With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. - Judges 6:21
How does God call people into His service? There is a clear pattern in the way God calls men and women into service for Him. Almost every major leader has been called while he or she was in the midst of performing his or her everyday vocation. Peter was a fisherman; Matthew, a tax collector; Luke, a physician; Paul, a tentmaker; Moses, a shepherd; Jesus, a carpenter; and so on.
When God called Gideon to free the people of Israel from the oppression of the Amalekites, he did so while Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Like Moses, Gideon argued with God, saying his family was nothing special, so how could he be used of God to save Israel? Gideon acknowledged God by preparing an offering to Him. The angel did an interesting thing with Gideon's offering; he took the tip of his staff and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. As with Moses, God chose to do a miracle with a staff, the instrument that symbolized Gideon's work life. Why would God do this? It is because God wants us to know that the tools He has given each of us are the tools He wants to use to demonstrate His power. However, in order for that to happen, we must yield our tools to Him for miracles to be manifested through them.
Have you yielded your tools to the Lord? God wants you to have an overriding ministry objective to your work life. He doesn't want you to leave your work; He wants to work through your work. Allow Him to do that today.
With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. - Judges 6:21
How does God call people into His service? There is a clear pattern in the way God calls men and women into service for Him. Almost every major leader has been called while he or she was in the midst of performing his or her everyday vocation. Peter was a fisherman; Matthew, a tax collector; Luke, a physician; Paul, a tentmaker; Moses, a shepherd; Jesus, a carpenter; and so on.
When God called Gideon to free the people of Israel from the oppression of the Amalekites, he did so while Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Like Moses, Gideon argued with God, saying his family was nothing special, so how could he be used of God to save Israel? Gideon acknowledged God by preparing an offering to Him. The angel did an interesting thing with Gideon's offering; he took the tip of his staff and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. As with Moses, God chose to do a miracle with a staff, the instrument that symbolized Gideon's work life. Why would God do this? It is because God wants us to know that the tools He has given each of us are the tools He wants to use to demonstrate His power. However, in order for that to happen, we must yield our tools to Him for miracles to be manifested through them.
Have you yielded your tools to the Lord? God wants you to have an overriding ministry objective to your work life. He doesn't want you to leave your work; He wants to work through your work. Allow Him to do that today.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Last Week
I know I am way late at posting this. But hey, I love my "kids", so I wanted to give them a huge shout out and tell them how much I love and miss them.
Anyways, last week I had the opportunity to go back to Crosslight and preach to my former youth group and hang out with my "kids" and my Crosslight family. I had a great time hanging with them and it reminds me how much I love what I am called to do. It is also a reminder of what it means to influence and shape lives.
I also want to give a huge congratulations to Crosslight for celebrating their 15th anniversary and the dedication of their new worship center. I apologize I wasn't able to be there and celebrate with you all. But I was definitely thinking about you all.
I want to share some pictures of Crosslight's new worship center and of my "kids". You all are in my heart and prayers.
The Cafe area, this is awesome
Nursery, again this is awesome
Sancturary from the entry point
Sanctuary from the pulpit
My "kids", love you all
Anyways, last week I had the opportunity to go back to Crosslight and preach to my former youth group and hang out with my "kids" and my Crosslight family. I had a great time hanging with them and it reminds me how much I love what I am called to do. It is also a reminder of what it means to influence and shape lives.
I also want to give a huge congratulations to Crosslight for celebrating their 15th anniversary and the dedication of their new worship center. I apologize I wasn't able to be there and celebrate with you all. But I was definitely thinking about you all.
I want to share some pictures of Crosslight's new worship center and of my "kids". You all are in my heart and prayers.
Prayer Garden between the worship center and education building
Foyer area
The Cafe area, this is awesome
Nursery, again this is awesome
Sancturary from the entry point
Sanctuary from the pulpit
My "kids", love you all
The Training Begins
Tonight, I officially began training for something I want to do in March. What you might ask? Well, I really don't want to give out all the details now. All that I can say it has to do with a significant fundraiser, running, and 100 miles.
I know you have that scrunched up look on your face and you probably saying huh. All that I really want to share right now is that I am believe in running after things, yes chasing my lions. I also believe when God puts something on your heart and gives you a passion for something bigger than yourself, you will do anything to achieve and go after it.
Tonight, I began the process of training...I ran a little over a mile throughout the Capital Hill area. I committing myself to running 3 days a week. It is my hope and prayer to be able to go 100 miles of mostly running and walking by March. Of course, I will give you more details as I progress on this journey and training.
One thing that many people may or may not know about me is that I am very determine individual. What does that mean? When I have my mind set on something I will achieve it. Failure is not an option.
I know you have that scrunched up look on your face and you probably saying huh. All that I really want to share right now is that I am believe in running after things, yes chasing my lions. I also believe when God puts something on your heart and gives you a passion for something bigger than yourself, you will do anything to achieve and go after it.
Tonight, I began the process of training...I ran a little over a mile throughout the Capital Hill area. I committing myself to running 3 days a week. It is my hope and prayer to be able to go 100 miles of mostly running and walking by March. Of course, I will give you more details as I progress on this journey and training.
One thing that many people may or may not know about me is that I am very determine individual. What does that mean? When I have my mind set on something I will achieve it. Failure is not an option.
Daily Caffeination 09/14/07
Short-Circuiting the Soul
For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.—Ecclesiastes 1:18
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who directed the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, where the United States’ first nuclear weapon was developed, said this about his life shortly before he died: “I am a complete failure.” In looking back on his achievements, he said they were meaningless. When asked about them, he replied, “They leave on the tongue only the taste of ashes.”
That sounds a lot like Solomon, who said, “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:18).
We celebrate our dramatic advances in science and technology, which have been breathtaking to say the least. I am interested in technology. I love keeping up with the things that are happening and hearing about the latest gadgets, the latest things that make our lives a little bit easier. It is fascinating to me.
But as Tom Brokaw said in a 1999 graduation speech at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, “It is not enough to wire the world if you short-circuit the soul. Technology without heart is not enough.”
We live in a technologically advanced age. Our telecommunications are global now. We truly have become a global village. Yet there is a sense of isolation and detachment, and all this technology almost seems to numb the soul a little bit more. It is the pursuit of knowledge without God.
If intellectualism alone were the major key to purpose and fulfillment, then our university and college campuses would be bastions of peace and purpose. The pursuit of knowledge and a good education is a noble and valuable thing. But if in that pursuit God is left out, then you will come to the same conclusion as Solomon.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.—Ecclesiastes 1:18
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who directed the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, where the United States’ first nuclear weapon was developed, said this about his life shortly before he died: “I am a complete failure.” In looking back on his achievements, he said they were meaningless. When asked about them, he replied, “They leave on the tongue only the taste of ashes.”
That sounds a lot like Solomon, who said, “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:18).
We celebrate our dramatic advances in science and technology, which have been breathtaking to say the least. I am interested in technology. I love keeping up with the things that are happening and hearing about the latest gadgets, the latest things that make our lives a little bit easier. It is fascinating to me.
But as Tom Brokaw said in a 1999 graduation speech at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, “It is not enough to wire the world if you short-circuit the soul. Technology without heart is not enough.”
We live in a technologically advanced age. Our telecommunications are global now. We truly have become a global village. Yet there is a sense of isolation and detachment, and all this technology almost seems to numb the soul a little bit more. It is the pursuit of knowledge without God.
If intellectualism alone were the major key to purpose and fulfillment, then our university and college campuses would be bastions of peace and purpose. The pursuit of knowledge and a good education is a noble and valuable thing. But if in that pursuit God is left out, then you will come to the same conclusion as Solomon.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/13/07
Coming Up Empty
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.—Ecclesiastes 2:1
It is not that unusual to pick up a newspaper, read an article, or turn on the news and learn that another celebrity has checked into rehab or another rock star has overdosed or committed suicide.
We have a hard time understanding how these beautiful people, these people who seem so perfect to us in their airbrushed photos and Tinseltown world, could be miserable. But they have the same problems we have. The difference is they have a lot of the things we just dream of having. Yet many of them have discovered the emptiness and futility of it.
The world offers a fleeting happiness that comes and goes. Its happiness depends entirely on personal circumstances. If things are going good, then you are happy. If things are going horribly, then you are miserable. But God offers you a happiness that will be there in spite of your circumstances. It does not come from what you have; it comes from who you know. The Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15).
The world tells you to take drugs, party, and get drunk—that’s where it’s at, they say. But God says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Have you been settling for a cheap substitute? If so, you have been coming up empty. Maybe, like Solomon, you will conclude that it is meaningless. It is vanity. It is like a bubble that bursts or a wisp of a vapor. That is the conclusion everyone will eventually come to. So you can either take God’s word for it, or you can learn it the hard way.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.—Ecclesiastes 2:1
It is not that unusual to pick up a newspaper, read an article, or turn on the news and learn that another celebrity has checked into rehab or another rock star has overdosed or committed suicide.
We have a hard time understanding how these beautiful people, these people who seem so perfect to us in their airbrushed photos and Tinseltown world, could be miserable. But they have the same problems we have. The difference is they have a lot of the things we just dream of having. Yet many of them have discovered the emptiness and futility of it.
The world offers a fleeting happiness that comes and goes. Its happiness depends entirely on personal circumstances. If things are going good, then you are happy. If things are going horribly, then you are miserable. But God offers you a happiness that will be there in spite of your circumstances. It does not come from what you have; it comes from who you know. The Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15).
The world tells you to take drugs, party, and get drunk—that’s where it’s at, they say. But God says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Have you been settling for a cheap substitute? If so, you have been coming up empty. Maybe, like Solomon, you will conclude that it is meaningless. It is vanity. It is like a bubble that bursts or a wisp of a vapor. That is the conclusion everyone will eventually come to. So you can either take God’s word for it, or you can learn it the hard way.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/12/07
One Bite at a Time
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.—Ephesians 5:15
If you find a person who has fallen into gross sin, I would say that in every situation that you can think of, it began with compromise. Very rarely do people fall away from God overnight. Sometimes it appears they do, but in reality, it doesn’t happen that way.
For instance, you may have seen someone at church last week, only to discover the next week they have gotten into some immoral lifestyle or are doing something they shouldn’t be doing. You think, I don’t get it. I just saw them in church last week. They were doing fine. I propose that compromise has been taking place over a long period of time in that person’s life, and he or she finally just caved in.
It is like a massive tree that had stood for some 400 years in Colorado, only to come crashing to the ground one day. No one could understand why a tree of that size would crash to the ground. After all, this tree had been struck by lightning on 14 different occasions. It had weathered countless storms and had never fallen. But one day, without warning, it just crashed. It turned out that the tree had been killed by beetles. Little insects had, over a prolonged period of time, chewed their way through its mighty fibers until it came crashing down.
That is how compromise works. The devil may be wicked, but he is not an idiot. He knows how to rip people off. He doesn’t tell you what he is up to in the beginning. Instead, he comes to you with a little enticement. He will infiltrate through compromise and then take you down, one bite at a time.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.—Ephesians 5:15
If you find a person who has fallen into gross sin, I would say that in every situation that you can think of, it began with compromise. Very rarely do people fall away from God overnight. Sometimes it appears they do, but in reality, it doesn’t happen that way.
For instance, you may have seen someone at church last week, only to discover the next week they have gotten into some immoral lifestyle or are doing something they shouldn’t be doing. You think, I don’t get it. I just saw them in church last week. They were doing fine. I propose that compromise has been taking place over a long period of time in that person’s life, and he or she finally just caved in.
It is like a massive tree that had stood for some 400 years in Colorado, only to come crashing to the ground one day. No one could understand why a tree of that size would crash to the ground. After all, this tree had been struck by lightning on 14 different occasions. It had weathered countless storms and had never fallen. But one day, without warning, it just crashed. It turned out that the tree had been killed by beetles. Little insects had, over a prolonged period of time, chewed their way through its mighty fibers until it came crashing down.
That is how compromise works. The devil may be wicked, but he is not an idiot. He knows how to rip people off. He doesn’t tell you what he is up to in the beginning. Instead, he comes to you with a little enticement. He will infiltrate through compromise and then take you down, one bite at a time.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/11/07
Unanswered Prayers
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”—Luke 22:42–43
I am so glad that God will overrule my prayers at times, because I have prayed for things fervently, believing they were the will of God, and they were flat-out wrong. I am so thankful that God said no to those prayers.
Yet I have heard some people say, “Never pray, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done.’ That is a lack of faith.” Some have even said, “What you should really pray is, ‘Not Your will, but mine be done.’ Let’s just say that I don’t want to be standing too close to those people when lightning strikes, because they have things turned around.
Never be afraid to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” By saying that, you are simply saying, “Lord, I don’t know all the facts. I don’t know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously overrule it.” You won’t always understand how you should pray. What it comes down to is telling God that you want His will more than your own.
I know this is hard at times. Sometimes you don’t understand why God doesn’t give you what you ask for. When you are young and single, you may see a handsome guy or beautiful girl and just know that person is the one for you. But as the lyrics to a country song say, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.”
As time passes, you will look back with 20/20 hindsight, and you will say, “Thank God He did not answer my prayers,” or “Thank God He answered my prayers,” whichever the case may be.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”—Luke 22:42–43
I am so glad that God will overrule my prayers at times, because I have prayed for things fervently, believing they were the will of God, and they were flat-out wrong. I am so thankful that God said no to those prayers.
Yet I have heard some people say, “Never pray, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done.’ That is a lack of faith.” Some have even said, “What you should really pray is, ‘Not Your will, but mine be done.’ Let’s just say that I don’t want to be standing too close to those people when lightning strikes, because they have things turned around.
Never be afraid to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” By saying that, you are simply saying, “Lord, I don’t know all the facts. I don’t know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously overrule it.” You won’t always understand how you should pray. What it comes down to is telling God that you want His will more than your own.
I know this is hard at times. Sometimes you don’t understand why God doesn’t give you what you ask for. When you are young and single, you may see a handsome guy or beautiful girl and just know that person is the one for you. But as the lyrics to a country song say, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.”
As time passes, you will look back with 20/20 hindsight, and you will say, “Thank God He did not answer my prayers,” or “Thank God He answered my prayers,” whichever the case may be.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Monday, September 10, 2007
Amazing trip to Ashland/Richmond, VA
Yesterday we got back from Richmond, VA after being there for an amazing missions trip. I had the opportunity to lead a team of five to serve Pastor Josh Karrer and Crossings Church as well as the Ashland/Richmond Community.
On Thursday when we got into town, we hung door hangers to advertise the Screen on the Green for Friday night.
Friday we had a super busy day...we had the amazing opportunity to feed 160 students at Randolph Macon College. We fed them hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, beans, and some sodas.
Friday evening we helped set up and work the Screen on the Green event for the families in the Ashland community. We showed the movie Over the Hedge. By the way, I loved the movie. We also gave out free popcorn and Capri Sun juice packets.
Saturday, we prepared 1000 bottles of water with information about the church and a suntan lotion packet to give out to tailgaters at in the parking lot at Richmond's biggest Nascar race of the year at the Richmond International Raceway. I honestly loved this. We got to meet some great Nascar fans and some of the nicest people. We walked through the parking just giving out bottles water. While we offered people bottles of water on this hot day, they were offering us beer, bratwursts, hamburgers, chicken, and hot dogs. We met some great people.
On Sunday, we had the honor to Crossings Church at the Regal theaters in Ashland. We got help with setup and tear down. All in all it was a great weekend and a great trip with an amazing team.
Here are some pictures from the weekend...
The Grill Master
Screen on the Green - Over the Hedge
Aiden Karrer
Preparing the water bottles for Nascar outreach
A whole lot of tailgaters
Sunday Service at the Regal Theaters in Ashland
Pastor Josh sharing during the Sunday Morning Worship Experience
The amazing team - Tom, Laura, Eric and Lora (I was taking the picture)
On Thursday when we got into town, we hung door hangers to advertise the Screen on the Green for Friday night.
Friday we had a super busy day...we had the amazing opportunity to feed 160 students at Randolph Macon College. We fed them hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, beans, and some sodas.
Friday evening we helped set up and work the Screen on the Green event for the families in the Ashland community. We showed the movie Over the Hedge. By the way, I loved the movie. We also gave out free popcorn and Capri Sun juice packets.
Saturday, we prepared 1000 bottles of water with information about the church and a suntan lotion packet to give out to tailgaters at in the parking lot at Richmond's biggest Nascar race of the year at the Richmond International Raceway. I honestly loved this. We got to meet some great Nascar fans and some of the nicest people. We walked through the parking just giving out bottles water. While we offered people bottles of water on this hot day, they were offering us beer, bratwursts, hamburgers, chicken, and hot dogs. We met some great people.
On Sunday, we had the honor to Crossings Church at the Regal theaters in Ashland. We got help with setup and tear down. All in all it was a great weekend and a great trip with an amazing team.
Here are some pictures from the weekend...
Free BBQ at Randolph Macon College
The Grill Master
Screen on the Green - Over the Hedge
Aiden Karrer
Preparing the water bottles for Nascar outreach
A whole lot of tailgaters
Sunday Service at the Regal Theaters in Ashland
Pastor Josh sharing during the Sunday Morning Worship Experience
The amazing team - Tom, Laura, Eric and Lora (I was taking the picture)
Daily Caffeination 09/10/07
The Right Way to Pray
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”—John 15:7
When it comes to prayer, people sometimes mistakenly think they can first come up with a plan and then get God to do what they want Him to do. They think that if they really pester God through prayer, He will finally cave in.
Others would teach that if we have enough faith, we can speak something into existence. We can just say it, and it will be ours.
Of course, both concepts are false. The fact of the matter is that prayer is not for the purpose of moving God your way. It is for moving you God’s way.
Do you want to know the key to answered prayer? Then line yourself up with the will of God and start praying for what God wants you to have.
Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). A literal translation of this verse would read, “If you maintain a living communion with Me, and My Word is at home in you, you can ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires and it will be yours.”
When we hear this verse, we immediately gravitate toward the part about asking whatever our heart desires. But here is what it comes down to. If you are maintaining a living communion with God, and His words are at home with you, then your prayers will change. You won’t be praying for self-indulgent things. Instead, you will be praying for the things God wants you to have.
This is what prayer is really all about. It is about getting our will into alignment with the will of God.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”—John 15:7
When it comes to prayer, people sometimes mistakenly think they can first come up with a plan and then get God to do what they want Him to do. They think that if they really pester God through prayer, He will finally cave in.
Others would teach that if we have enough faith, we can speak something into existence. We can just say it, and it will be ours.
Of course, both concepts are false. The fact of the matter is that prayer is not for the purpose of moving God your way. It is for moving you God’s way.
Do you want to know the key to answered prayer? Then line yourself up with the will of God and start praying for what God wants you to have.
Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). A literal translation of this verse would read, “If you maintain a living communion with Me, and My Word is at home in you, you can ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires and it will be yours.”
When we hear this verse, we immediately gravitate toward the part about asking whatever our heart desires. But here is what it comes down to. If you are maintaining a living communion with God, and His words are at home with you, then your prayers will change. You won’t be praying for self-indulgent things. Instead, you will be praying for the things God wants you to have.
This is what prayer is really all about. It is about getting our will into alignment with the will of God.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/09/07
Returning to Your Failure
But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." -LUKE 5:5
"No one knows how to help you in your times of failure like Jesus does! He will not overlook your shortcoming or simply encourage you to do better the next time. He will give you victory in the midst of your failure.
Peter had fished all night without success. His was not just a meager catch; he had caught nothing, even though he was a skilled fisherman. Jesus could have said, ""Peter, don't worry about your empty net. You'll soon be in a different business anyway."" Instead, Jesus told him to launch out into the deep and to cast out his nets for a catch. How humbling it must have been for Peter! Here was a carpenter telling this outspoken fisherman how to fish!
Jesus often gets your undivided attention when you fail. He sometimes takes you back to your place of defeat in order to build something good into your life. You may assume He must not want you to continue because you failed so miserably in your attempt. Perhaps your problem was that you relied on your own strength instead of the Master's. Maybe you failed in a relationship. Jesus will not allow you to abandon it; He will help you learn from your failure and experience the difference He can make when He guides your relationships. When you try in God's strength you may discover that success is indeed within your grasp. If you have recently experienced failure, you may be on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from God."
But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." -LUKE 5:5
"No one knows how to help you in your times of failure like Jesus does! He will not overlook your shortcoming or simply encourage you to do better the next time. He will give you victory in the midst of your failure.
Peter had fished all night without success. His was not just a meager catch; he had caught nothing, even though he was a skilled fisherman. Jesus could have said, ""Peter, don't worry about your empty net. You'll soon be in a different business anyway."" Instead, Jesus told him to launch out into the deep and to cast out his nets for a catch. How humbling it must have been for Peter! Here was a carpenter telling this outspoken fisherman how to fish!
Jesus often gets your undivided attention when you fail. He sometimes takes you back to your place of defeat in order to build something good into your life. You may assume He must not want you to continue because you failed so miserably in your attempt. Perhaps your problem was that you relied on your own strength instead of the Master's. Maybe you failed in a relationship. Jesus will not allow you to abandon it; He will help you learn from your failure and experience the difference He can make when He guides your relationships. When you try in God's strength you may discover that success is indeed within your grasp. If you have recently experienced failure, you may be on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from God."
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/08/07
Paul's Personal Mission Statement
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Philippians 3:10-11
We hear a lot these days about planning and goal setting. Proponents of planning say, "If you aim at nothing, chances are you will probably hit it." They say that to wander aimlessly through life is like sailing a boat without a sail and rudder. You end up wherever the wind takes you.
Paul understood his personal mission, which should be the personal mission of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is the one summary statement that best describes the purpose of our existence on earth and the goal of our Christian experience. It can be reduced to three important characteristics.
To know Christ.
To know and experience His power.
To identify with His sufferings.
All that flows from these three objectives becomes a by-product. Salvation is a by-product. Miracles are a by-product. Christlikeness is a by-product. Paul's focus was on relationship. He understood that the deeper the relationship, the more power he would experience. He also understood that as he grew in this relationship, there would be suffering. Whenever the Kingdom of Light confronts the kingdom of darkness, there is a battle, and this often results in casualties. Christ confronted these earthly kingdoms and suffered for it. If we are living at this level of obedience, we, too, will face similar battles; it simply comes with the territory.
Does this sound like your personal mission statement? Is your focus in life centered on knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection? If not, press into Him today in order to begin experiencing Christ more intimately.
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Philippians 3:10-11
We hear a lot these days about planning and goal setting. Proponents of planning say, "If you aim at nothing, chances are you will probably hit it." They say that to wander aimlessly through life is like sailing a boat without a sail and rudder. You end up wherever the wind takes you.
Paul understood his personal mission, which should be the personal mission of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is the one summary statement that best describes the purpose of our existence on earth and the goal of our Christian experience. It can be reduced to three important characteristics.
To know Christ.
To know and experience His power.
To identify with His sufferings.
All that flows from these three objectives becomes a by-product. Salvation is a by-product. Miracles are a by-product. Christlikeness is a by-product. Paul's focus was on relationship. He understood that the deeper the relationship, the more power he would experience. He also understood that as he grew in this relationship, there would be suffering. Whenever the Kingdom of Light confronts the kingdom of darkness, there is a battle, and this often results in casualties. Christ confronted these earthly kingdoms and suffered for it. If we are living at this level of obedience, we, too, will face similar battles; it simply comes with the territory.
Does this sound like your personal mission statement? Is your focus in life centered on knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection? If not, press into Him today in order to begin experiencing Christ more intimately.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/07/07
Hungering for God
God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. -Psalms 53:2
"Are you coming to the conference?" I asked my friend.
"I really don't understand why I should come to this. How can I really benefit?" was his response. At that moment, I realized that I was wasting my time with this man on whom I had invested much throughout his Christian walk. He was often like a roller coaster-up one minute, down the next.
"You simply aren't hungry enough," I commented to my friend.
Whenever someone must always rationalize and examine whether the things of God are beneficial to them, you know that they are not hungry enough for God. I recall one time when I was in a difficult place. I received an audiotape from a man who gave me some insights into my problem. I was hungry enough to book a flight to a city 500 miles away just to meet him and find out more. My finances were at a very low point, so it took some real faith to do this. That meeting turned out to be a divine appointment and became a turning point in my life.
God is looking for men and women who hunger to know Him. When we believe that we know all we need to know, we are in a dangerous place. God has placed men and women in the Body of Christ who have had different experiences and gifts that can be helpful in our own spiritual pilgrimages. It requires humility of heart to realize that we can learn from others. We can easily rationalize our business pressures and time commitments to discount such opportunities.
God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. -Psalms 53:2
"Are you coming to the conference?" I asked my friend.
"I really don't understand why I should come to this. How can I really benefit?" was his response. At that moment, I realized that I was wasting my time with this man on whom I had invested much throughout his Christian walk. He was often like a roller coaster-up one minute, down the next.
"You simply aren't hungry enough," I commented to my friend.
Whenever someone must always rationalize and examine whether the things of God are beneficial to them, you know that they are not hungry enough for God. I recall one time when I was in a difficult place. I received an audiotape from a man who gave me some insights into my problem. I was hungry enough to book a flight to a city 500 miles away just to meet him and find out more. My finances were at a very low point, so it took some real faith to do this. That meeting turned out to be a divine appointment and became a turning point in my life.
God is looking for men and women who hunger to know Him. When we believe that we know all we need to know, we are in a dangerous place. God has placed men and women in the Body of Christ who have had different experiences and gifts that can be helpful in our own spiritual pilgrimages. It requires humility of heart to realize that we can learn from others. We can easily rationalize our business pressures and time commitments to discount such opportunities.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Heading Out On A Missions Trip
In just a few moments I will be headed out with a team of five people to head down Interstate 95 to Ashland/Richmond, VA for a four missions trip. We have the amazing opportunity to serve and work with Pastor Josh Karrer and Crossings Church as they head toward their official church launch.
I am looking forward to this trip on so many different levels. I get to hang out with NCC's former Church Planter in Residence, I get help with someone else's church plant, I get to go down to Richmond an area I absolutely love, and I have the opportunity to lead and serve an amazing team who is going down to Richmond with me.
Here is just a little bit of what we we will be doing on trip...
When we get down to Ashland this afternoon we will canvas the community to put out doorhangers for The Screen On the Green on Friday evening.
Friday will be a full day. Well need to get up to campus by 10am to set up the sound system, grill, condiments, and such to get ready for a 11:30-1:30 BBQ. We'll tear down and then have to get ready for our screen on the green that evening. We would get there a little before 5pm for setup.
Please be in prayer for us as we desire to serve and be a blessing to the community and to the church.
Updates will follow...
I am looking forward to this trip on so many different levels. I get to hang out with NCC's former Church Planter in Residence, I get help with someone else's church plant, I get to go down to Richmond an area I absolutely love, and I have the opportunity to lead and serve an amazing team who is going down to Richmond with me.
Here is just a little bit of what we we will be doing on trip...
When we get down to Ashland this afternoon we will canvas the community to put out doorhangers for The Screen On the Green on Friday evening.
Friday will be a full day. Well need to get up to campus by 10am to set up the sound system, grill, condiments, and such to get ready for a 11:30-1:30 BBQ. We'll tear down and then have to get ready for our screen on the green that evening. We would get there a little before 5pm for setup.
Please be in prayer for us as we desire to serve and be a blessing to the community and to the church.
Updates will follow...
Daily Caffenaton 09/06/07
A Good and Faithful Servant
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”—Luke 16:10
The person God uses must be faithful. Stephen was a man full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and full of faith (see Acts 6:1–7). But the apostles didn’t ask him to go out and do miracles and then preach the gospel to the Sanhedrin. What was his job? He was chosen to serve the church by waiting on tables. It was hard work, but that is what Stephen did.
Diligently, Stephen waited on the Lord. And as the Lord found him faithful in the little things, He gave him more responsibilities. We can never be too small for God to use—only too big. God posed this question to Zechariah: “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10). We need to be faithful in doing what God has set before us, because if we are not faithful in the little things, then we won’t be in the big things.
Jesus told the story of a wealthy man who went on a journey (see Matthew 25:14–30). As he left, he called his servants and gave to each of them a small amount of money. He told them to invest it while he was away. Two of the three servants did invest the money, and it multiplied. To those two faithful servants the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21).
Notice that those who were faithful were rewarded accordingly. But notice one more thing: their rewards were more opportunities to serve. If you are faithful in the little things, God will give you other opportunities to do greater things.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”—Luke 16:10
The person God uses must be faithful. Stephen was a man full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and full of faith (see Acts 6:1–7). But the apostles didn’t ask him to go out and do miracles and then preach the gospel to the Sanhedrin. What was his job? He was chosen to serve the church by waiting on tables. It was hard work, but that is what Stephen did.
Diligently, Stephen waited on the Lord. And as the Lord found him faithful in the little things, He gave him more responsibilities. We can never be too small for God to use—only too big. God posed this question to Zechariah: “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10). We need to be faithful in doing what God has set before us, because if we are not faithful in the little things, then we won’t be in the big things.
Jesus told the story of a wealthy man who went on a journey (see Matthew 25:14–30). As he left, he called his servants and gave to each of them a small amount of money. He told them to invest it while he was away. Two of the three servants did invest the money, and it multiplied. To those two faithful servants the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21).
Notice that those who were faithful were rewarded accordingly. But notice one more thing: their rewards were more opportunities to serve. If you are faithful in the little things, God will give you other opportunities to do greater things.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/05/07 - From Crosslight Assembly of God in Petersburg, VA
(I am in Petersburg hanging and chillin with Pastor Mike at Crosslight Assembly of God. Tonight, I have the opportunity to preach for the youth (my "kids") here. So this Caffeination is coming live from Crosslight.)
Ready for a Refill?
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.—Acts 4:31
If you want to be used by God, then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The word “filled” as used in the Bible—and specifically in Ephesians 5:18, which says, “Be filled with the Spirit”—carries many shades of meaning.
One translation is the idea of the wind filling the sail of a ship at sea. The wind carries the vessel along. To be filled with the Spirit means that He fills your sails and guides you through life. You are led by the Spirit, making God’s commands not drudgery, but a delight.
“Filled” also carries the meaning of being permeated. The term was used to describe salt permeating meat in order to flavor and preserve it. God wants His Holy Spirit to permeate the lives of His children in what they say, think, and do. God’s Spirit should permeate every aspect of our lives.
In the original language, “Be filled with the Spirit” could also be translated, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.” It is continuous.
What would you think if your friend bought a new car and, after driving it for a week, he tells you, “This piece of junk. I can’t believe it! The car just stopped running, and I can’t find anything wrong with it.”
“When did you fill it up last?” you ask.
“When I bought it.”
In the same way, a lot of Christians wonder what’s wrong with their lives. They put the key in the ignition, but it just won’t start. It is because they need a refill. They need to constantly be filled with the Spirit.
God is ready to fill you and empower you and use you. Are you filled with the Spirit?
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Ready for a Refill?
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.—Acts 4:31
If you want to be used by God, then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The word “filled” as used in the Bible—and specifically in Ephesians 5:18, which says, “Be filled with the Spirit”—carries many shades of meaning.
One translation is the idea of the wind filling the sail of a ship at sea. The wind carries the vessel along. To be filled with the Spirit means that He fills your sails and guides you through life. You are led by the Spirit, making God’s commands not drudgery, but a delight.
“Filled” also carries the meaning of being permeated. The term was used to describe salt permeating meat in order to flavor and preserve it. God wants His Holy Spirit to permeate the lives of His children in what they say, think, and do. God’s Spirit should permeate every aspect of our lives.
In the original language, “Be filled with the Spirit” could also be translated, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.” It is continuous.
What would you think if your friend bought a new car and, after driving it for a week, he tells you, “This piece of junk. I can’t believe it! The car just stopped running, and I can’t find anything wrong with it.”
“When did you fill it up last?” you ask.
“When I bought it.”
In the same way, a lot of Christians wonder what’s wrong with their lives. They put the key in the ignition, but it just won’t start. It is because they need a refill. They need to constantly be filled with the Spirit.
God is ready to fill you and empower you and use you. Are you filled with the Spirit?
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/04/07
Ordinary Heroes
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.—Acts 6:8
I think we have lost the meaning of the word “hero” today. We throw it around so casually. Everyone is called a hero, from athletes to singers to actors. But a hero is really someone who does something sacrificial or courageous.
Acts 6 tells the story of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church, a true hero of the Christian faith. As we look at Stephen’s life, we don’t see a life wasted. We see a life well-invested. We also learn some important principles about the kind of person God uses today.
As God looks for a man or a woman to put His hand on, what qualities does He look for? What kind of person does He select? In Scripture and in contemporary history, one thing certainly stands out. It seems that God has always gone out of His way to use people who had no apparent potential.
The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). It doesn’t say God is looking for a strong man or a strong woman, but a loyal one. When God put His hand on me, I didn’t seem like a person with great potential. But God uses ordinary people so that He might get the glory, so that no one can boast in His presence (see 1 Corinthians 1:26–29).
So if you feel that you are an ordinary person, if you feel that you don’t have any great abilities or skills and wonder whether could God ever use you, the answer is yes. Just watch what the Lord will do when you dedicate yourself to Him.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.—Acts 6:8
I think we have lost the meaning of the word “hero” today. We throw it around so casually. Everyone is called a hero, from athletes to singers to actors. But a hero is really someone who does something sacrificial or courageous.
Acts 6 tells the story of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church, a true hero of the Christian faith. As we look at Stephen’s life, we don’t see a life wasted. We see a life well-invested. We also learn some important principles about the kind of person God uses today.
As God looks for a man or a woman to put His hand on, what qualities does He look for? What kind of person does He select? In Scripture and in contemporary history, one thing certainly stands out. It seems that God has always gone out of His way to use people who had no apparent potential.
The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). It doesn’t say God is looking for a strong man or a strong woman, but a loyal one. When God put His hand on me, I didn’t seem like a person with great potential. But God uses ordinary people so that He might get the glory, so that no one can boast in His presence (see 1 Corinthians 1:26–29).
So if you feel that you are an ordinary person, if you feel that you don’t have any great abilities or skills and wonder whether could God ever use you, the answer is yes. Just watch what the Lord will do when you dedicate yourself to Him.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Monday, September 03, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/03/07
A Meaningful Life
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16
How should I live my life on this earth? What purpose does God have in mind for me, now that I have received His Son Jesus Christ into my heart?
These are questions every believer should ask, because if you have no goals or purpose, you can waste your life. As I have often said, if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it.
Many people simply want to prolong their lives, rather than try to find their purpose in life. Certainly medical science is helping us live longer lives. We can add years to our lives, but we cannot add life to our years. Should our primary goal be to prolong our lives, or should it be to live life to its fullest?
Jim Elliot was fresh out of college when he felt the call of God to go to the mission field. Tragically, Jim and four other young missionaries lost their lives in the jungles of Ecuador in an attempt to reach others with the gospel. It might seem like a terrible waste of life for such a young man with so much promise. But after his death, this entry was found in one of his journals: “I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”
That is a good goal: To live a full life, a life with meaning and purpose. We don’t know how long we will live—that is up to God. But life is not merely a matter of years. It is a matter of how we live. It is not the years that count, but what you do with those years. What kind of life are you living right now?
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16
How should I live my life on this earth? What purpose does God have in mind for me, now that I have received His Son Jesus Christ into my heart?
These are questions every believer should ask, because if you have no goals or purpose, you can waste your life. As I have often said, if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it.
Many people simply want to prolong their lives, rather than try to find their purpose in life. Certainly medical science is helping us live longer lives. We can add years to our lives, but we cannot add life to our years. Should our primary goal be to prolong our lives, or should it be to live life to its fullest?
Jim Elliot was fresh out of college when he felt the call of God to go to the mission field. Tragically, Jim and four other young missionaries lost their lives in the jungles of Ecuador in an attempt to reach others with the gospel. It might seem like a terrible waste of life for such a young man with so much promise. But after his death, this entry was found in one of his journals: “I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”
That is a good goal: To live a full life, a life with meaning and purpose. We don’t know how long we will live—that is up to God. But life is not merely a matter of years. It is a matter of how we live. It is not the years that count, but what you do with those years. What kind of life are you living right now?
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Daily Caffeination 09/01/07
Going Against the Flow
But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. - Numbers 14:10a
Have you ever had to stand up against the majority for a cause that wasn't popular? God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and promised He would lead them into a land of milk and honey. The process of moving out of Egypt was difficult. They could no longer do things the old way, for the old ways didn't work in the desert. God provided for them during this journey. But there came a point in which the people forgot what God had said. Their discomfort changed their belief about God.
Whenever God is slow to answer our prayers, what we believe about God is revealed. Do we change our plans and move in a different direction when pressure mounts? Or do we continue on the path God has directed for us? Four men believed what God said and were willing to stand; however, the crowd wanted to stone them.
Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites (Numbers 14:5-10).
Notice Joshua and Caleb's response to the situation. They had spied the land. They believed God. They challenged the crowd. They seemed to know that if the Lord was not pleased with them they would not enter into the Promised Land. Those who grumbled did not enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb and a new generation saw the fulfillment of God's promise.
Has God called you to stand for a cause bigger than yourself? You will have opposition to His call; sometimes it even comes from those in your own camp. But if God has called you, then you can be sure He will make a way. He has already opened the way before you. But you must walk in faith, joined with Him to take the land.
...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).
But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. - Numbers 14:10a
Have you ever had to stand up against the majority for a cause that wasn't popular? God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and promised He would lead them into a land of milk and honey. The process of moving out of Egypt was difficult. They could no longer do things the old way, for the old ways didn't work in the desert. God provided for them during this journey. But there came a point in which the people forgot what God had said. Their discomfort changed their belief about God.
Whenever God is slow to answer our prayers, what we believe about God is revealed. Do we change our plans and move in a different direction when pressure mounts? Or do we continue on the path God has directed for us? Four men believed what God said and were willing to stand; however, the crowd wanted to stone them.
Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites (Numbers 14:5-10).
Notice Joshua and Caleb's response to the situation. They had spied the land. They believed God. They challenged the crowd. They seemed to know that if the Lord was not pleased with them they would not enter into the Promised Land. Those who grumbled did not enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb and a new generation saw the fulfillment of God's promise.
Has God called you to stand for a cause bigger than yourself? You will have opposition to His call; sometimes it even comes from those in your own camp. But if God has called you, then you can be sure He will make a way. He has already opened the way before you. But you must walk in faith, joined with Him to take the land.
...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).
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