Good afternoon. Blessings to those who read this blog. May the words be His words. May the One true God speak straight into your life and bring about the changes that will bring you closer to Him.......
Isaiah 29:13a "And so the Lord says, 'These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
We say we believe in God and then we live as though He does not even exist. We give Him lip service. We talk the "God talk" but yet when God looks at the way we do life, He says, "You're far from me".
May these words find your hearts open to the challenge of this verse. My prayer is that you would allow God to speak to your heart and show you in what areas you are saying you believe in God but yet living as if He doesn't exist. Don't be threatened, ashamed or embarrassed. We all have areas in our lives that can be brought closer to His precious side.....if we will but open up and allow Him to show us. God bless you today.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Am I doing any good?
Some of you may start to read this and think, "oh....the preacher is feeling sorry for himself." And maybe I am. I am not sure. All I know is that in this season of my life I am doing what I know I am suppose to be doing. I am preaching the gospel the best I can every week. I am asking God to speak through me. But I don't just want God to speak through me. I long to see some tangible results. I know that I will stand before God one day and answer partly for those in the congregation I pastor. Are lives being radically changed through Quarry Rock? Are we being more than just hearers of the Word? Are we really doers of His Word? This blog for instance.....I am writing this at midnight cause I can't sleep. I will be up at 6am to go to the church and work until 6pm and right now I can't sleep......and so I blog. Is anyone reading this? Am I doing any good? I suppose I have whined long enough. Thanks for listening.....or not listening.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
God is with you
Have you read Psalm 34 lately? Re-read it soon. Focus on verse 7. "For the angel of the Lord is a guard; He surrounds and defends all who fear Him." Let that truth lower your anxiety level! The wealthiest of the world don't have the protection God's servants give you. God sends his best troops to oversee your life. Imagine the president assigning his Secret Service to protect you, telling his agents to motorcade your car through traffic and safeguard you through crowds. How would you sleep if you knew D.C.'s finest guarded your door? How will you sleep knowing heaven's finest are doing just that? You are not alone. Receive God's lordship over your life. Heaven's many, mighty angels watch over you.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Are we really aware of God's presence?
God is so willing to enter your world. The hospital room? He goes there. Late night deadlines? He'll stay up with you. Are you watching the slow death of someone you love? He'll sit by your side every single moment. Just invite Him. "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." Revelation 3:20
Psalm 138:7
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.
James 4:8
Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
Psalm 138:7
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.
James 4:8
Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Keeping it Simple
Preachers and teachers and Christians of all sorts spend hours after hours and dollars after dollars trying to figure out how to really impact their community. How do we do ministry? How can we grow our church? How can we really make a difference? I am certainly not stating I have it all figured out because I do not.
Lately, however I have been wrestling with God.....a lot. By the way, He always wins! But nonetheless, I wrestle with Him. I want to know Him in such an intimate way and I want to please Him with every ounce of my being.....and that's a lot of ounces!
I recently finished reading the book, "Simple Church" by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger. That book can and should be church transforming. And I honestly believe that we won't have an effective simple church until we as individuals experience a fresh dose of His extravagant yet simple love. Jesus just loves you more than you and I will ever be able to comprehend on this side of glory. To become a fully devoted follower of Christ means that we stop trying to build His church.....He said that He will build His church and nothing will stop Him...not even Hell itself. Our job is not to build His church but to be the church. I say all that to say this: You and I need life transformation. We do! And I completely and honestly believe that we can experience that life transformation as we put into practice the words of Jesus found in Matthew 22.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."(NLT)
Talk to God today. Ask Him to start an exciting life changing experience within your life. Love Him because He is so worthy of our love.....Love people because the people around you need to know that someone cares. Is it you?
Lately, however I have been wrestling with God.....a lot. By the way, He always wins! But nonetheless, I wrestle with Him. I want to know Him in such an intimate way and I want to please Him with every ounce of my being.....and that's a lot of ounces!
I recently finished reading the book, "Simple Church" by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger. That book can and should be church transforming. And I honestly believe that we won't have an effective simple church until we as individuals experience a fresh dose of His extravagant yet simple love. Jesus just loves you more than you and I will ever be able to comprehend on this side of glory. To become a fully devoted follower of Christ means that we stop trying to build His church.....He said that He will build His church and nothing will stop Him...not even Hell itself. Our job is not to build His church but to be the church. I say all that to say this: You and I need life transformation. We do! And I completely and honestly believe that we can experience that life transformation as we put into practice the words of Jesus found in Matthew 22.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."(NLT)
Talk to God today. Ask Him to start an exciting life changing experience within your life. Love Him because He is so worthy of our love.....Love people because the people around you need to know that someone cares. Is it you?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Unexpected Faith
Jesus was surprised when He heard this; He turned around and said to the crowd following Him, "I tell you, I have never found faith like this, not even in Israel." Luke 7:9
No two people were more different. Jesus was an itinerant preacher, poor and without social position...a carpenter with miracles in his hands. The centurion was a Roman army officer who oversaw the work and training of one hundred soldiers. He was one of the Roman conquerors who held Israel in their tight fists.
The centurion was different. Beneath the breastplate of his armor beat the heart of a man who respected the Jews, built a synagogue for them, and cared for his servants, including one who lay sick and dying. Despite his high social rank, he was too humble to approach Jesus to ask for help. He sent others in his place. Jesus saw this as great and unexpected faith.
Someone said, "Faith is not believing that God can, but that God will!" The centurion ran the risk of ridicule from his peers and rejection by Jesus but sent for Christ's help anyway. That's how strong his love for his servant was; that's how great his faith in Christ was.
One of the great hymns is "Trust and Obey" by John Sammis. As the song was being sung in a church, a child...as children sometimes do.... misheard the title and sang the chorus incorrectly as "trust and okay." Maybe he wasn't so far off.
Faith is the application of belief to life. It is not an academic principle; it's a tool for daily living. Like the centurion, you need to trust Christ with your problems and with your life....even if it seems to everyone else an unexpected and unlikely thing for you to do. Whether you're an outsider or an insider, Jesus is the one to turn to. Trust and okay.
One final thought.......Jesus saw a powerful man's request for help as a mighty display of faith. Nothing has changed. The most courageous thing you can do is approach Jesus in faith and belief.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
No two people were more different. Jesus was an itinerant preacher, poor and without social position...a carpenter with miracles in his hands. The centurion was a Roman army officer who oversaw the work and training of one hundred soldiers. He was one of the Roman conquerors who held Israel in their tight fists.
The centurion was different. Beneath the breastplate of his armor beat the heart of a man who respected the Jews, built a synagogue for them, and cared for his servants, including one who lay sick and dying. Despite his high social rank, he was too humble to approach Jesus to ask for help. He sent others in his place. Jesus saw this as great and unexpected faith.
Someone said, "Faith is not believing that God can, but that God will!" The centurion ran the risk of ridicule from his peers and rejection by Jesus but sent for Christ's help anyway. That's how strong his love for his servant was; that's how great his faith in Christ was.
One of the great hymns is "Trust and Obey" by John Sammis. As the song was being sung in a church, a child...as children sometimes do.... misheard the title and sang the chorus incorrectly as "trust and okay." Maybe he wasn't so far off.
Faith is the application of belief to life. It is not an academic principle; it's a tool for daily living. Like the centurion, you need to trust Christ with your problems and with your life....even if it seems to everyone else an unexpected and unlikely thing for you to do. Whether you're an outsider or an insider, Jesus is the one to turn to. Trust and okay.
One final thought.......Jesus saw a powerful man's request for help as a mighty display of faith. Nothing has changed. The most courageous thing you can do is approach Jesus in faith and belief.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A Useless Thing
Luke 12:25
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Anxiety is self-torment, and it gripped the people who listened to Jesus. The word Jesus used means to "examine minutely," to stew over something. People dwelled on how and when their lives would end. Such thoughts ate at them, and such concerns swallowed up the better thoughts of life.
Jesus made sure His listeners understood that such anxiety was a destructive waste of time. No matter how anxious they became, no matter how much they troubled themselves over such things, it made no difference. Anxiety couldn't extend a life, put food on the table, or drive away disease. Anxiety made things worse. It was time they let go and let God deal with matters out of their reach.
When Ann Landers was writing her popular advice column, she received an average of ten thousand letters a month. When asked if she saw a trend in the letters, some problem that seemed more common than others, she replied that most of the letters dealt with some form of fear. People were afraid of losing their health, wealth, and loved ones. In short, people were afraid of life itself.
Impossible is a hard word for many to swallow, and learning that some things are beyond your control is unnerving. No one can control aging, world events, or decisions of loved ones, and that is unsettling. People fall into anxiety; they worry, they fret, they even lose sleep. And when it is all over, nothing has changed.
Anxiety is the most useless thing in the world. Like worry, it achieves nothing good but can cause great harm. The solution is simple. Change what you can and leave the rest in God's hands......The opposite of anxiety is trust; not trust in self---good as that is--but trusting God's love and ability. Anxiety is useless; faith is everything.
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Anxiety is self-torment, and it gripped the people who listened to Jesus. The word Jesus used means to "examine minutely," to stew over something. People dwelled on how and when their lives would end. Such thoughts ate at them, and such concerns swallowed up the better thoughts of life.
Jesus made sure His listeners understood that such anxiety was a destructive waste of time. No matter how anxious they became, no matter how much they troubled themselves over such things, it made no difference. Anxiety couldn't extend a life, put food on the table, or drive away disease. Anxiety made things worse. It was time they let go and let God deal with matters out of their reach.
When Ann Landers was writing her popular advice column, she received an average of ten thousand letters a month. When asked if she saw a trend in the letters, some problem that seemed more common than others, she replied that most of the letters dealt with some form of fear. People were afraid of losing their health, wealth, and loved ones. In short, people were afraid of life itself.
Impossible is a hard word for many to swallow, and learning that some things are beyond your control is unnerving. No one can control aging, world events, or decisions of loved ones, and that is unsettling. People fall into anxiety; they worry, they fret, they even lose sleep. And when it is all over, nothing has changed.
Anxiety is the most useless thing in the world. Like worry, it achieves nothing good but can cause great harm. The solution is simple. Change what you can and leave the rest in God's hands......The opposite of anxiety is trust; not trust in self---good as that is--but trusting God's love and ability. Anxiety is useless; faith is everything.
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