Feel the Heat?
I’ve been feeling the heat in every area of my life right now. Work, home, ministry, everything. I’m not a dumb person but I’ve been feeling pretty stupid. There are things that are going on that I don’t know how to fix or what to do and it is driving me nuts! I am feeling the heat.
How many of you are facing things in your life that you just don’t know how it’s gonna work out? How many of you feel powerless against some of the things you are facing?
The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:7 says that we should cast our anxiety upon the Lord because He cares for us. It says to cast. It’s no wonder that Peter used a fishing term considering he was once a fisherman. Casting is an action word. There is a movement involved. If you have ever heard of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, there are people who have learned to associate movement with certain actions. There are people who can get other people to relax by tapping a pencil rapidly and slowing the pace ever so gradually and the person doesn’t even realize they have been reprogrammed. To bring this back to the God and the bible, words must be followed by action. “By what action? I don’t know what to do!” you may say. I am trying to work that part out too.
I remember the story of Naaman in the book of 2 Kings 5. This guy was a tough guy. He was a general but he was also a leper. He was so desperate he went to the land of his enemies to find Elisha and ask for healing of his disease. This was the hard part. Elisha tells him to bathe in the Jordan river 3 times and he will be healed. At first he refused until his servant talked some sense into him. Naaman wanted to be healed, but he had to do something.
I don’t know what it is for you, or me for that matter right now. But let’s you and I seek Him and find out what that is ok? Alrighty then.
One of His (Kevin)
Change
Like I have said before, I work for a major financial institution. The last 2 weeks have been nonstop work! I hope to post more soon. Let me leave you with a thought:
The only constant in this world is change. You can bet on change. Change on your own terms is a lot sweeter than someone else’s. Most of the time. We need to be listening to God so we can be ready to move when the winds of change begin to blow.
Discuss among yourselves. Peace Out!!
One of His (Kevin)
Is Your Church Like A Gang?
Last night at source group, I got a little confrontational about folks not praying for each other. What I said was not meant to offend. If you were, I apologize. I’m normally very laid back, but this post has really pushed some buttons in me. You need to read this. It helps to bring to light how we are perceived by people who do not follow Christ. If we are going to have an impact in our communities, we have to start with our own hearts and attitudes. The buck doesn’t stop with me but it does start with me.
I Corinthians 13
One of His (Kevin)
What a week!
What a week! It has been insane! I work for a major financial institution and man has it been crazy! I have talked to more clients and bankers in the last week than I have in the last 2 months! People are nervous about their investments more than ever! I don’t blame them. I watched my 401K get pimp slapped the last few days. Not cool.
I guess I would ask you: Have you invested enough in your relationship with God to make it through this time of trouble and turmoil? Is your portfolio full of the Word of God? Is money what you have been leaning on? I know those who never had a money care in the world for years now wonder if they are going to be ok. I’ve been broke a lot (most of bad decisions I made) but I have to say that I have had to trust Him more than you can imagine. The stock I put in Him is more solid than GE or Wal-Mart or Goldman Sachs. I don’t have a lot that I can say is mine, but I know that no matter how little or much I have is not the issue. My faith in God and His supply is what will keep me in the hardest of times.
One of His
Some Thoughts
-Got stuck in a HUGE traffic jam on I-75 North yesterday. A trip that normally takes about an hour and 15 mins turned into a 4 HOUR ordeal! Nothing worse than 5 hungry people in the same vehicle for 4 hours.
-I’m so pumped to see my daughter Jubilee and my brother-in-law Ryan get baptized! Words can’t describe the joy in my heart! It’s really amazing to see God doing things within your own family.
-Looking forward to source group Friday. I love these folks! We have been having some really awesome discussions!
-Really excited about the fact that Don Frazier will be sharing at the source group after this one. He has come a long way and i am really proud of him!
-The two Vision services we had were tight! It’s a great problem when you start running out of chairs and juice for communion
-Working for a major financial company and watching the market dive like it did yesterday is disturbing , but just reemphasizes that fact God has to be our provider.
-Can the freaking presidential candidates start talking about how they are going to fix the mess they were both responsible for making instead of all the worthless, fear-mongering, cutting, attacks? They are too busy making people scared of the other candidate to address the issues that America wants to hear about. SHEESH!!
- Anyone have an X-Box 360 they want to give me? Lol! Seriously! I want one!
-What picture of God do you have? We will talk about that Friday night at 7.
Peace
One of His (Kevin)
My “Journey” During My CFAN Days IV
If you haven’t read the last 3 posts, go back and read em.
God has brought me a long way. I have faced a lot of challenges. I am the kind of person who can bored if I am not challenged. My greatest challenge has come since being asked to be a part of the leadership of CFAN. I was responsible for my spiritual walk alone for a long time. I have others now that I am accountable for. I take this responsibility very seriously. It has not been easy. Sometimes people tick me off and at times it hurts. Sometimes you don’t know if you are making progress and then “wham!” someone will come along and blow my mind. Those are the moments I live for as a leader. I look forward to source group every other Friday night. God has been answering our prayers. People being healed, getting jobs, and all kinds of other answers to prayers. It’s awesome!
Like I said before leadership is not easy but I find myself looking forward to next challenge, the next level that God has for me. So many things are changing at CFAN like the name, new facilities, awesome stuff! I am excited about these things but I look more forward to the lives, like mine, that are going to be changed. In order for that to happen means that I have to change and be willing to change to fulfill His purpose for my life.
Bring it on! (I think. Lol!)
One of His (Kevin)
My “Journey” During my CFAN Days III
If you didn’t read my last 2 posts, I suggest you go back and read them. I think it’s important to look back at where you came from to understand more where you are and where you are going. I am amazed and thankful to say the least.
Like I said in my last post, I knew that I needed to change. I can actually remember a defining moment for me. I was standing during worship and I was being defiant to the “annoying” worship leader’s words of exhortation and encouragement. I don’t remember what he said but I remember I was standing there and I heard the voice of God in my head saying “shout”. So I argue with God about this for a few minutes. Finally, it was a moment during worship and there were others shouting praises to God and I obeyed. At that moment, something happened. I felt this fog I had been walking in lift off of me. The music was more exciting, the “annoying worship leader” wasn’t so annoying anymore, the Word coming from Pastor Michael seemed to hit me a lot harder and I could feel a change had occurred in me that is hard to describe.
Rabbit Trail Moment: This is why I have posted so many times about being obedient to the voice of God. No matter how silly it may seem. Do it. Your obedience will break things in your life that you have been trying to shake for years. Your obedience will open doors that may seem impossible. My act of obedience was a shout. What is God telling you to do?
Back on track now. That moment started a new chapter in my life. A life of serving others. He has ingrained Mark 9:35 in me. The scripture states that the greatest in the kingdom of God is a servant to all. I got involved in Frontline ministry. Greeting, ushering, anything anyone needs me to do. I do it with all my heart cause I want to glorify Him in everything. When you get ahold of how much He really loves you and the extents He will go to meet you where you are, then you will understand why I serve like I do. Why I call my blog ‘One of His’. I am His child that He loves.
I got a little more to go but I think I’ve shared enough today.
One of His (Kevin)
My “Journey” During My CFAN Days II
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post. If you haven’t read it. Read it first.
So Dawn and I went for our first time to CFAN and the one thing I was impressed by is how friendly the people were. We were attending a larger church that you just didn’t get that friendly vibe from the greeters, but I told myself that most church folk will be nice to you until they get to know you a little better. Then they rank you in their brains as far as how spiritual or rich or how messed up you are and decide whether they will have anything to do with you. That is what church folk do. Don’t get defensive. Everyone in church has done it or does do it. It’s a defensive mechanism. I knew after coming a couple of weeks, that CFAN is where we needed to be. Anyway, worship had the black gospel feel which was fine. I can worship to most music styles. I’ve heard it all for the most part. The worship leader at the time was in your face quite a bit and during the first month or two he just downright ticked me off. I stood defiant to his constant prodding us to worship, to shout, to get excited about God.
It was a matter of a few weeks, but there were things that Pastor Michael was saying when he would come up to speak during transition moments in worship that started to break me down. He started talking about how God loved us no matter where we were in our relationship with Him. He talked about how it was time to move on from where we were to where He wanted to take us. I knew it was God speaking to me. I knew that God was saying it was time to get back into the game. That His plans were not disturbed by what had happened in my life. That if we are willing, He will fulfill His purpose and plan in our lives no matter what the circumstances we were in.
I realized I was no longer resisting what I thought was an annoying worship leader. I was resisting what God was trying to do in my life. I knew that I had to change.
To be continued…
One of His (Kevin)
My “Journey” During my CFAN Days
If you were not at the first ‘Vision’ service Sunday, you missed the big announcement that CFAN (Church for all Nations) will officially become Journey Church as of October 26th, 2008. This name really more accurately define us as a church and our mission to reach our community for Christ. I thought I would share some of my “journey” having been at CFAN for almost 2 years.
I came to CFAN looking for a home and acceptance not totally expecting to find either. I went through a divorce and I thought it was my lot in life to sit under the judgemental stare of some perfect, pious, pastor and be judged by that failure for the rest of my life. When I met my wife Dawn, I wasn’t all that enthused about that prospect. I didn’t want to go to church cause I know how “churchfolk” can be.
When God has a purpose for your life, He has a way of bringing it back to your rememberance over and over and over again. It doesn’t matter how you view yourself. It doesn’t matter how others view you. It only matters how He sees you. I had fought feeling unworthy for a very looooong time. So to make a long story short, God dealt with me with a lot of love and impressed upon me to call Pastor John. I knew he had started a church almost a year ago, and he had called to check on me even though I wasn’t going to his church. He explained that his church joined with CFAN and told me I should come check it. I explained to him that I would like to and explained my reluctance to deal with “church folk”. He assured me that CFAN was not like any church I had been to before and he was right!
I will continue in my next post…
One of His (Kevin)
One Year!
It’s hard to believe that I have been married to the love of my life for a year already! The year has gone by sooo fast! It hasn’t been without challenges and struggles (like any marriage)but we have a God that has been with us in the good and bad. I have seen my sweetie grow as leader and Christ-Follower. I am so thankful that God brought me just what I needed when He gave me my wife. She has helped me to become the leader and man of God that I want to be. You are so awesome!
100th Post
I really can’t believe this is the 100th post I have written! I hope that those of you who have followed this blog have been ministered to. I hope you had some laughs and I pray that I have provoked some thoughts. I’ve shared a lot of things that I have been chomping at the bit to share for a long time. I thank God and WordPress for this outlet He has given to share with you. I am not the same person I was 100 posts ago. I have learned so much in the process of writing these posts. I would really like to write a book. I am praying for some divine inspiration.
One of His (Kevin)
Just Some Thoughts
It’s amazing how things “just happen” when you are trying to do something you need or feel like you are supposed to do for God. It’s funny how things at work get “so busy” all of a sudden and the only thing you can focus on is your next task. It’s funny how you get assigned double the amount of work that you were just doing last week. It just so happens. Hmmmmm.
It just so happens to be a couple of critical weeks for the future of our church. It just so happens to be the week of source group at our house. It just so happens. To coin Dana Carvey as the churchlady: “Could it be…….Satan!”. It just might be. What do you think?
God is about to blow our minds! To coin a Jedi in Star Wars: ” I feel a great disturbance in the force”. Something great is about to happen. Can you feel it?! I can!
One of His (Kevin)
How do you feel?
This is not usually a question that comes from a guy. At least none I know. Guys tend to be so detached from feeling anything or sympathy for anyone. Sympathy is when you put yourself in someone else shoes for a moment and you feel their joy, excitement, anger or pain. Guys don’t do this much. Definitely not enough. Women are definitely better at it.
There is a connection that is established with someone when you can empathize. Meaning that you have gone through the same experience. Like losing a loved one or some other kind of loss.
If only we could have that kind of empathy when it comes to the revelation we had that God really loves us. If we could remember the way it felt to not know that He loved us. That feeling of needing something and not knowing what it is. That empty feeling that can only be filled by our Maker. Maybe then we could truly feel something for those who don’t know Him and are looking for Him. Maybe we could care a little more for others. Maybe?
One of His (Kevin)
