Theme Verse

Just wanted to share the theme verse for Celebration Abstinence. It’s 1 Timothy 4:12
 
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ESV
 
My prayer is these teens will not let the world and culture despise their youth, but step up and be a generation by setting an example for other Christians in their youth group to follow Christ in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.
 
Take time this week and make this a concern in your prayer life.

Father, Thank you for another opportunity to serve you! How great and marvalous you are. Lord, next week as these teens make their way to East TX to celebrate abstinence, I pray that you will be honored and glorified. Don’t let this be a day for us, let it be a day of commitment to step out on faith and lead a next generation to purity. In Jesus name… Amen.

Spiritual Journal

Psalm 16:5-6 – LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundry lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

As I meditate this morning on this passage; I reflect on my  life as how it was with out Christ as my LORD. I can remember how misriable I was and how my life was going no where! My cup was empty. Finally, when I gave up my boundry lines and asked for forgivness and accepted Christ as my King, I began to feel life. I never dreamed in a million years that God would call me to preach and be the pastor of the best church in the world! Indeed Christ is my cup and I strive to honor Him – He is my blessing!

Father, thank you for not giving up on me! Thank you for your spirit of grace and mercy that encouraged me to lower my boundry lines so I could see me how you see me. Thank you for saving my life. Help me today to experiance your blessings as you fill my life with your love. In Jesus name… Amen.

Waiting Time…

Genesis 41:14 – Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh.

I love reading the story of Joseph. He was a man that had his share of life’s lemons. But yet, God was still with him. No matter the circumstance or nor how bad situations got, God was still with Joseph. He was forgotten about for over 13 years and now through God’s refining process, Joseph was about to emerge. I read this to remind my life that is no different than Joseph. When I go through a trial – God may not fix it by Friday, but He is still with me. With God… Waiting time is not waisted time.

Father, thank you for troubled grace. In your plan for my life I will see trials. Some intend them for the bad, but you intend them for the good. Your grace refines my life to become more like your Son – Jesus Christ. When I go through trials in life, help me not to respond with frustration and forgive me when I do. Help me to experience your peace so that I might hear you say, “Waiting time is not waisted time, when I am in control.” In Jesus name… Amen.

Interesting…

This was on CNN on how the unchurched around us view Christians… You can read more about this research here.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/01/new_research_on_the_unchurched.html

The Flu

Lets keep everyone in Hughes Springs in our prayers! As far as I can tell - Everyone has the flu!

Hero’s

Everyone has hero’s of faith in their lives. This is a picture of one of my hero’s of faith. He’s a wonderful author, speaker and encourager to me: Dr. Johnny Hunt.

This is another picture of one of my friends, encourager and hero of the faith. Dr Fred Lowery and his wife Leigh with Jill and me.

Refreshed

Today, Jill and I returned from a retreat that you guys sent us on in Toledo Bend at the Cypress Bend Resort in Many, LA. What a great time to relax and reflect on ministry. I was so encouraged to be around some of my mentors and hero’s ; Dr. Fred Lowery and Dr. Johnny Hunt.

There were lessons on relationships, insecure leaders – a ministry headache and the pastor and his resume (spiritual resume). Let me give you some one and two liners that I thought were great!

- If your community is growing and your church is not growing, it is either plateauing or declining.

- The reason why we think our people have become pathetic is because we (preachers) have become pathetic in our preaching. We need to be on FIRE!

- There is no greater need in your life than to stay close and clean.

- We want change without change. When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than staying the same – you’ll change.

- The question isn’t is it contemporary or traditional it’s: IS IT BIBLICAL?

Celebration Abstinence

Feb 9, 2008 is an opportunity God has given us to reach and challenge teens to cling to Jesus during times of peer pressure! I’m sure that I really don’t have to persuade you to understanding the importance of this conference. Just for example – Texas is in the top 10% of teenage pregnancy in the USA!

Please pray for this day and for our speakers as they encourage our youth to celebrate abstinence. We as a church will also be challenging those who may be practicing sexual immorality to recommit their lives to Jesus. Pray for those who will be there who may not have a relationship with Jesus as we share the Gospel Message to them. Pray lives will be transformed by the saving blood of Jesus Christ!

This conference is free!

A Resolution

I pray that God has blessed each of you with the New Year! I had a great time at the lock-in! I didn’t think that I could make it through the night but with God’s Grace, I made it! Many of you are probably reflecting on last year and maybe even considering regrouping some of the resolution’s you didn’t complete or failed to achieve. I have to be honest – I’ve been thinking about it too… But the more I pray about it, I’ve realized resolutions for me have been personal goals that I never acheive. Therefore, I believe I’m only going to make one resolution this year. With all that I have, all I want to do this year is to honor God with my heart, soul and mind. You see the Bible teaches that God honors those who will honor Him!

1Samuel 17:45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

Life Application: David came to face Goliath with one intent – Honor God, and God honored David. You see, no matter what your resolution is this year – if it’s to read the Bible, don’t read it because you want to. Read it to give God honor and glory. If you want to lose weight, don’t lose it for you, lose it to glorify God. If it is to become a better witness, church member, employee or husband, wife, and the list can go on… Do it to honor God. God will honor your resolutions, if they are to honor Him!

Prayer:Father, thank you for another year to serve you. Forgive for the past when I made personal goals and resolutions for myself. Help me to honor you this year. In all of my choice makings, whether it be person, ministerial or even in my family life. Let me honor YOU. I pray this in the most beautiful name on Earth, Jesus Christ… Amen.