Joseph
Last Friday, in our source group, we discussed the topic of faithfulness. I have been reading in the book of Genesis about Joseph. A guy who was done pretty wrong by his family, but had a spirit of excellence and faithfulness that moved the heart of God. So much so that he was made second only to the Pharaoh of Egypt. We are going to get into this more in depth at next source group. I am going to challenge some ideas that people think about certain pieces of that story and make you think about some things. Are we doing the things that we need to do to see the favor of God start moving in our lives? What kind of things can we take from Joseph and what he did to apply to today and now? I don’t know about you but I am ready to see God take me to new levels of relationship with Him. I am ready to experience new levels of blessing that I have never experienced before. I am tired of doing the same ole things and getting the same ole results. I may post some of my notes after source group next Friday (not this coming Friday), but I would really love for you to do is read the story yourself ( yes, pick up your dusty bible and open it up) and let God show you some things. Don’t wait for me to illuminate the scriptures to you, let God show you some stuff. He is just waiting for you to ask.
Remember that God does love and gave His very best for you, can we not give Him some of our time?
One of His
Busy Week
I haven’t had a chance to post all week. Been busy at the church painting. I shall return!
Boys Need Real Men
The more I look at my own life, the more it stresses the importance of positive, active male role models in the lives of our sons and young men in our churches and communities. I was a very sheltered as a young man. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up,didn’t get to do a lot of the things that young boys get to do growing up( sports, ect) and didn’t go through quite a few of the “rights of passage” that many young men go through. In some ways that is good and in some ways not so good. I am not here to cry about what I got to or didn’t get to do as a child. It has made some areas of my life a lot more challenging and difficult. I want to bring to the attention of men out there is how important it is to have men that are investing time into the lives of their sons and the young men that God has put into our lives. If I may go as far as to say that there are many grown men who need to be “fathered”.
It’s important to fart, burp, and grunt with our sons, but it’s even more important to talk to them. We have to be examples of communication to young men and older men alike. Communication can be hard for those who lived with “do not spoke unless you are spoken to” type fathers. We need to not just talk at them but talk with them. What is your son’s dreams? What does he want to do when he grows up? You have the opportunity to be a part of those things. Maybe they want to be soldier, a football player or a superhero. Before you bust their bubble and start telling them what “the real world is like”, maybe we should we aim them to reach as high as we can. Let their imagination soar! It may not seem like they are listening but they are. Someone will influence them one way or the other. Shouldn’t it be you? If it is not you, someone on tv, the radio, or some loser “friend” may take your place. Haven’t we sat by and let everyone else do our job long enough?
Let me talk to the step-dads out there. In a lot of ways, we have a harder road to travel. We do not have the advantage of knowing our children from birth in most cases. You have to earn their respect and trust. You can’t go in guns blazing and laying down the law right away. You must work closely with your spouse to establish a relationship with your step-son before you can be a positive influence in their life. One thing I have learned through trial and lots of error is this simple formula: Rules without relationship = rebellion. All of your efforts to “rehabilitate” the wild child may go down in a blaze of glory because of the missing factor that makes all the difference: love. It can be so hard sometimes, but sometimes I can see my stepson’s brilliance in the midst of our arguments and disagreements. I can see his strong will one day being stubborn for the things of God and not just to find ways to not clean his room. I can see him pick apart the excuses people give him when he asks them to come to church with him. These are the things we need to see when we look at them.
One more point in this lengthy post I want to make. I don’t want to forget these sons. These grown sons that had the absent “father” (I use this term very lightly). There are grown men who are carrying the pain and wounds of man they knew as “dad” or “pop”. These men need the love and relationship of men who did have the right kind of relationship with their fathers. There are countless men who don’t know how to reach out because noone ever taught or showed them what friendship with another man looks like. Show mercy on these guys when it seems like they just want to go off and do their own thing. It has been the way it has been for so long they are scared to open up and be vulnerable. Just remember your Heavenly Father never gave up on you.
You are the hope of this generation fathers. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
One of His
I Am Free?!!!
I was listening to this song last night. I’m sure a majority of my readers have heard this song before. Just for grins and giggles I decided to search for videos of different groups performing this song. I saw videos of bands and worship teams playing this song. I probably heard it a dozen different ways. I heard some really awesome renditions of the song. I mean, I was having church at my desk at home! Then I heard other versions of this song that almost brought me to tears! I don’t mean being touched by the presence of God type. I mean are you really free? This is the question I ask you.
I know there are things that folks deal with on a daily basis: cussing, lying, temper ect.. This is not what i am talking about. I am talking about those things that are holding you back from giving God your all heart, mind, and soul. I’m talking about being free from the excuses your mind has concocted over the years as to why you can’t serve God like you know you should. The feelings of not being worthy, never being good enough for God to love you. The thought that there are certain things that you must do that you are not doing. Are the opinions of others holding you back?
In the Bible, there are many stories of ordinary people that God called to do great things. They had to face their fear and make a decision that no matter what, they were going to do whatever God wanted them to do. It may have cost them their lives, but God met them at the point they made the decision and moved mightily through them.
It is time to wake up. It is time move. It’s time to move toward your destiny and purpose that you were born. Let’s go!
I Hate Colds!!
It’s funny, I told my source group that if we don’t take care of our bodies (proper food, proper rest) that our bodies will take care of us. I just got to find out first-hand. I think I pushed myself a little too hard last week and I just feel miserable! I am working, but it sucks big time! This is why it is so important to take care of ourselves, both physically, spiritually, and mentally. Too much stress or lack of what we need in any of these areas will cause our bodies to make us slow down enough to think. You don’t eat or sleep properly and you can end up sick. You don’t learn to manage the stress in your life, it can lead to mental and physical health problems. Most importantly, if we don’t take the time we should with God, by the time we realize what we have done (or haven’t) it will take so much more effort to reestablish those good habits (like reading your Bible and prayer time). When you notice that you haven’t spent your time with Him, stop what you are doing and acknowledge the fact to Him and ask Him to help you, but don’t stop there. If you need to put a reminder in your cell phone, or your computer, do it! We must learn to take the time for what is truly important or we may realize it one day too late.
One of His
Self Discipline
Hi Everyone,
I have been thinking about this topic quite a bit since it is one that everyone tends to ignore because it is not a pleasant topic. I would like to share some quotes from some folks who learned some things that might help all of us.
“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”
— H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Author
“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
— Aristotle
With self-discipline most anything is possible.
Theodore Roosevelt
I believe that we hold ourselves back from God’s best because of this.
One of His
Childlike Enthusiasm
We had just got done with worship practice when my children came into the sanctuary. I was giving them a hug and kiss and one of my daughters said to me “I hope I get to hold the door open and greet in children’s church!” I found out later from Pastor Brenda that she went to her to ask her if she could. I also found out that she talked about wanting to do it the whole way to church! I’m so proud of the servant’s heart that He is placing in her! I think that a lot can be learned from her example. If only most adults could come to church with such an enthusiasm to serve! I’m very proud!
