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That Sound!

November 11, 2010 in Crossover, Discipleship, Encouragement, General, Personal with Comments Off

I have several things ringing in my spirit this morning and just really wanted to write them down, so here goes…

The last 48 hours of my life have been filled with some Supernatural God Sized stuff! So much so, that I can’t really wrap my natural head around them. The Living Word of God is true in Isaiah 55:9. It never ceases to amaze me, how God will open your eyes to the things of this world that are around you everyday that are opportunities for you to carry out God Size Action in your life. Sometimes its as simple as dropping what you are doing, if only for a moment, to help someone, to say thank you, to listen to them, to simply be there for them even when you don’t have the answers. You see there is something powerful when you are present! Because your presence comes with the presence of Jesus Christ, it brings comfort and peace, even when not a word is spoken.

However, there will come a day when the silence will be broken and the trumpets will sound, and THAT SOUND, the sound of the trumpet will be one of several things that will change the Universe as we know it for all eternity! 1 Corinthians 15:52 “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Two scriptures ring out in my spirit this morning and they are…

Luke 14:26-35 That we are to consider the cost. Verse 33 says, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

John 15:13 That after considering the cost, if we are to truly love, then we are willing to give it all! “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

This morning there was a Veteran’s Day Program at Johnsonville Elementary School and my good buddy Tony played taps with his trumpet and it dawned on me at the sounding of that instrument, that THAT SOUND will bring freedom to all who have, are, and will, consider the cost and love sacrificially!

A soldier does both…once a soldier, you give up everything to fight and you commit to the loss of your own life for those you love.
Shouldn’t we each consider the dynamics of a soldiers commitment and then apply it to our own lives spiritually? It is the only “real life” example that everyone of you can relate to in a personal way.

According to the CIA World Factbook, there are 155,204 deaths every day!

Have you really considered the cost to bring spiritual freedom to as many as possible?
THAT SOUND will bring with it Freedom or Captivity…Consider the Cost and then Love like crazy!

Discrimination Nation!

November 8, 2010 in Crossover, Discipleship, Encouragement, Pastors with Comments Off

Starts in the Church! Who’s church? Every church!

When repentance began to be preached, Jesus was specific that it needed to start in the “most holy” place, the religous center, the church of the day, Jerusalem.
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:47
Jesus is calling you out!

Every day God allows me to live, I grow ever more bold in His word. Especially with regards to one word, LOVE. “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40

Yet, this is the one single most identifiable area of sin in our lives and specifically in our churches! We have become a Discrimination Nation! Now see, your first thought is Black and White, and although that continues to be an ever aware issue in many churches today, especially very traditional rural America churches, it is a much broader sin than that. Many churches and church groups have become “clicks”, “country clubs”, “socially sterile”, “like interest”, groups of people who literally raise HELL among their ranks when their hand is called to recieve the drug addict, alcoholic, homosexual, tattooed, pierced, long haired, other race, poor, uneducated, divorced, interacially married, gambler, fiscally irresponsible, etc., the list is exaustive!

I challenge all churches, members of churches, and pastors everywhere, to sincerely look at your church and ask the question…Do we LOVE PEOPLE? The people word is all-inclusive, none to be left out. If you say yes BUT…I don’t want them in my church or group, then shame on you, because your heart is filled with SIN that is greater than any other sin known to God. If LOVE is the greatest of all commandments and was demonstrated unconditionally by Jesus Christ in the New Covenant then it stands to reason your unwillingness to recieve and LOVE those who are very much different is also the greatest SIN, because you heart is not willing to obey the greatest command UNCONDITIONALLY.

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?…” Matthew 5:46 
“And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?…” Matthew 5:47

This is your call to LOVE!

In the way…

November 3, 2010 in Crossover, Discipleship, Encouragement with Comments Off

Something always seems to be “in the way”!

This past weekend, I was in a hurry (as usual). I had my whole family in the truck and we had just left the house when I realized I had forgotten my sunglasses. Now normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but it was part of my character (costume), so I really needed them. Immediately I slowed down and pulled into this teeny tiny drive to turn around. Turning around for me is not such an easy task, my truck doesn’t turn on a dime and its wide with the dual wheels. After turning into the drive, that had ditches on both sides, I had to back straight up before I could turn the wheel so I didn’t fall into the ditch. Well, to my surprise, there was a very nice mailbox on the other side of the road directly behind my truck. Honest to goodness, I couldn’t see it! But I was backing out slowly and absolutely didn’t feel the truck touch it. When it did, the truck didn’t want to back up but there wasn’t enough room for me to turn so I had to go back further, at this point I still didn’t realize there was a mailbox behind me, I just thought there may have been some dirt piled up on the side of the road, so I gave it more gas and backed right on up! When I got turned and pulled out I looked in the rear view mirror and saw this pitiful looking mailbox distorted, leaning, and rocking back and forth!

Yes, I fixed it! for those who are wondering. But my point is this…there was an obstacle in the way of me getting turned around! All of us deal with obstacles in our life! Jesus faced many obstacles in the new testament! Which lead me to ask the question…

What do we do when something is in the way? Some overcome the obstacle, yet others turn back, give up and succumb to the fact that something stands in the way and nothing can be done.

I want to encourage you to face and overcome your obstacles!

One of the TV shows I really enjoy watching is “Man vs. Wild” with Bear Grylls. He is faced with many obstacles every where they film. This guy broke his back in 3 places, recovered, and was the youngest to climb Everest at the age of 23. Bear knows what an obstacle is and so when he tweeted the other day, “Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them” I couldn’t turn it loose!

Watch this…
Obstacle is defined as something immaterial that stands in the way. Immaterial is defined as of no importance or relevance. WOW!

Some of you are faced with obstacles in your life and you just give up or go back to doing things like you have always done them, because you define your obstacle as being something in the way that is much more important and relevant than it needs to be!

Obstacles are to be overcome! Not overcome you! The physical and spiritual lives we live are full of them! Overcome them! Hebrews 4:16

When Garrett is faced with an obstacle on the motocross track, usually a very large threatening jump, he is nervous, scared, and confidence dwindles. But his only choice, if he wishes to compete, is to hit the jump! Almost always, after hitting the jump, he comes off the track and says, “Daddy! Daddy! did you see me hit the jump! It was awesome!” and his confidence soars.

But many of you are like the English horse and rider I saw on America’s Funniest Videos. They were navigating the course and came up on a jumping obstacle. The horse threw on the breaks, rider fell off and lay on the ground. The obstacle was in the way and they were disqualified because they couldn’t overcome it!

Most of our obstacles deal with other people, find comfort and strength in Hebrews 13:6 and overcome your obstacle rather than succumb to it!

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