With that being said, being a Christian isn’t measured by church attendance…it’s a way of life. Likewise, we don’t attend church to just hear the Word. The Words of Christ that we hear need to pierce our hearts and make such a profound impact on us that our lives are forever changed, resulting in a life of ministry and reaching people.

The Book of James (2:17) says faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. We may call ourselves Christians, but our actions must say the same thing. God measures our lives by our actions not our words. Our words don’t really mean anything if how we live our everyday lives can’t back them up. True faith is taking action, and having true faith means holding nothing back….it’s living a life that shows people “I’m all in.”

It’s interesting that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). They did not name themselves; the people called them Christians after watching their lives. I pray that I lead a life where my thoughts, words, and actions show that I am entirely focused on God and that I’m living for eternity. I pray that I lead a life that will cause people who watch me to call me a Christian.

– Pastor Mike

While standing in the Wal-Mart check-out line, I once expressed to a friend that I was a king and royalty in God’s eyes. The comment came up while we were looking at a magazine with a picture of the royal wedding in England. That same night, I headed back home and continued my reading of the book of Daniel, where God showed me how I truly looked.

In my personal reading, I always look for ways to learn from those who God used for His glory, but that night, He spoke to me from a different angle of Daniel’s story. Making notes on how Daniel lived in Babylon and how he became someone great, I couldn’t help but notice an interesting point about King Nebuchadnezzar. When he had the dream about the statue made of different elements, there was not anyone that could interpret his dream, so he ordered that they all be killed. But, Daniel asked for some time to ask his friends to join him in prayer for the interpretation. After they heard from God, Daniel went back to the king and told him everything that was going to happen with his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that “Daniel’s God” had given them a divine word and gave testimony that his words were trustworthy. Later on in the story, King Nebuchadnezzar was a witness to the miracle of Daniel’s friends not being burned after he had them thrown into the fiery furnace. He was so amazed that he declared a royal decree that whoever said anything against THEIR God would be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, “for no other god can save this way” Daniel 3:29.

A second dream came to King Nebuchadnezzar in which he saw a big tree in a prosperous land. Birds made their nests in it, animals found refuge in it, and the whole world could see it. Daniel was again called to interpret the dream, and he was so alarmed that he gave the king advice to repent from his sins and to acknowledge it was the Most High who gave kingdoms and took them away.

This whole story was a wake-up call I could not ignore. God was telling me that I was like this king who had dreams, had seen their fulfillment, had experienced miracles, and had still not yet acknowledged God as HIS God/Lord. He gave me an opportunity to understand that I needed to accept His Lordship and to let Him lead my life. He also wanted me to know that all the things I had accomplished had nothing to do with any of my talents or capabilities; He is the Most High who gives and takes away. Just as Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge this fact, I would like to invite you to reflect today about how you see God. Do you look up to Him as for what He has done or for who He is in your life?

The point in this story is that we can see His hand upon our lives, His mercy and favor in all we do, but still miss the point of not letting Him be the Lord of our lives.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  – Matthew 7:21

 Life is not only about knowing His hand is upon us but also in taking ACTION by obeying ALL He has asked us to do (Lordship).

 “…and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” – 1 Cor. 12:3

His Spirit already dwells within you, now let Him come upon you and be the Lord of your life!

I understand life has limitations but I also feel we miss a lot of great experiences because we don’t believe in ourselves. Henry Ford is quoted saying this: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” I believe limitations and restrictions will kill visions and dreams! I believe that limitations are in our mind more than our ability. I believe a lack of confidence has been programed in our minds at an early age. Before we even have a chance to prove or disprove the task, we were told we can’t do it.

I know there is a huge difference between being unwilling to do something and being unable to do something. But being unwilling may come from a lack of confidence.

I love this from William James, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”

I think it’s time to challenge ourselves to go beyond what we think about ourselves and look deep down inside, and take a challenge to do something we have never done before. God does not disqualify us, but He has equipped us to qualify us. Hebrews 4:12 “His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church).” (AMP)

So if you don’t think you can do certain things in your own strength, then lift up your eyes and ask God to empower you with His strength. Then, watch his power move through you. As a pastor, there have been lots of opportunities to do things that I did not have any confidence to do. Like Peter—who stepped out of the boat and walked on water so he could reach Jesus—Peter did the impossible. I believe there will be opportunities in your near future that will feel as if Jesus is calling you out of your boat to do His will.

Remember the question earlier: If you could do anything without restrictions what would you do for Christ? Restrictions are obstacles that you see in your path, so keep your eyes on Christ and those obstacles won’t even matter. Like anything in our lives, the first mountain is tough, but it helps grow your confidence and that confidence prepares you for the next mountain.

If God believes in you, why don’t YOU believe in you?

One last inspiring quote by A.B. Simpson: “God is preparing His heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from.”

You are God’s hero, and He is preparing you for something big.

- Pastor Pat

Let’s look at where he was when he started to sink. When Jesus called him, he jumped out of the boat without a second thought. He was a career fisherman. He knew what those seas were like; he knew how dangerous they could be. It didn’t matter. His Lord had called him and he responded without hesitation. He only starts to sink when he takes his eyes off of Jesus; that’s when his faith wavers. We need to keep our focus on Jesus. Peter had boldness. He wanted to be right in the middle of the action. He wasn’t clinging in the background telling everyone what to do while he was living a life of comfort.

Similarly, although Peter denied Christ, we need to keep this truth in mind. He and one other disciple were the only ones close enough at that point in Jesus’ life for Jesus to turn to when the rooster crowed. Long after everyone had left Jesus, Peter was still there. When everyone else bailed out, Peter was still there. Although he was full of fear and weakness, he couldn’t abandon Christ totally.

I pray that I can live a life like Peter. When I see a need, I get involved. When someone needs to be ministered to, I respond with boldness. When God’s people need a leader, I step up. When my God calls, I have faith like Peter to get out of the boat and into the action.

– Pastor Mike

The story starts on a Sunday morning. My wife, Glenda, and I arrived at church when, suddenly, I discovered my wallet was missing. After some searching and mental backtracking, I realized that I had probably lost it in front of our house as I exited our van. Needless to say, I was ready to make the 25-minute trip back home to try to retrieve it. Mrs. Glenda, as I fondly call her, spoke up and said “No, we are not going home. We are going to pray and believe God will return that wallet and a Christian man will find it.” She was very certain and sure in her tone, and I knew she was right. We prayed and went on to church. We didn’t worry or even think about it until we were on our way home.

After we arrived at home, I looked in the area where I was parked, and there was no wallet. So we were at home this Sunday afternoon, just taking it easy. The afternoon was passing…1 o’clock…2 o’clock. Soon it was 3 o’clock. It occurred to me that I should at least call and cancel our credit cards. I dialed the 800 hundred number and verified my identity. The customer service person then said….“Sir, how may I help you?” At the exact moment he finished saying those words, THE DOORBELL RANG!

Mrs. Glenda began praising God as she ran down the hallway, down the stairs, to the front door. She opened the door, and there was a man standing there with my wallet in his hand. As it turned out, he was a Christian man. He said that he worked nights and found the wallet on the street in front of our house. He said he had planned to bring it to me around 7 p.m., when he normally got up to start getting ready for work. But, he said, the Lord had woke him up and told him to take the wallet to me right now. God’s timing was perfect, down to the nanosecond! One moment later and I would have canceled the credit cards, and I would have been devoured by a two-week wait to get new cards. The bottom line, God did send a Christian man to retrieve that wallet for me. He got it to me fully intact and at the perfect time to prevent a further inconvenience.

Why did God do that for us? God is good, all the time. Glenda and I knew there is a promise in God’s Word about those who put God first in their finances. It’s in Malachi Chapter 3:

“ 10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Glenda and I had been tithing for several years at that point, and it was just a natural thing for us by then. We had already seen the benefits and blessing that seemed to be flowing into our lives. God truly did ‘rebuke the devourer’ that day for us…and many other days following. It’s hard, sometimes, to remember to give thanks for something that didn’t happen; but, after that, I think I’m just a little bit better at doing just that.

I hope you will be encouraged by this testimony to trust God in the area of your finances. God knew that the blessing he gave us would be shared with others. The first was the customer service guy at the credit card company who heard us, over the phone, screaming and praising God. I told him what had happened and encouraged him to trust God with his life. I then told him I wouldn’t need any help today.
God had rebuked the devourer for our sakes!

– Pastor Don

If you’re like me, you’ve probably found this scripture to be very powerful, and it likely inspires you to seek a closer personal relationship with God. Recently, when meditating on Psalm 105:4, God opened those words up to me in a way I had never seen before. He took me deeper into this scripture and it forever changed how I would view the phrase “seek my face.” God gave me more clarity and insight as to how I should approach my own personal journey of continuously drawing closer and more intimate with Him.

This is what He showed me – I started to see the faces of people I know flying through my head, one by one. Then, I began to think about how easily I could recognize people I know when I see them, but, when forced to recall their face by memory alone, all that I could get was a general picture in my mind. God started to show me that I really couldn’t recall all of the detailed features of their face (i.e., the curvatures of their face, the unique definitions of their facial structure, lines in their skin, exact placement of their eyes, nose, and lips, eyelash-length, details of their eye color, and everything else you could think of on someone’s face).

Next, I began to realize that even the details of the people’s face I see every day, like my wife and kids, were only mostly complete in my mind and not perfect. It hit me that the only way I could really have an exact picture of someone’s face, to really see every last detail of their appearance, was to actually be in their presence. Then, I started to see, being in their presence was still not even enough. I actually needed to be right by them, focusing in and staring at them without taking my eyes away for even a moment. It became clear that this was the only way to truly see someone’s face in the clearest way possible and to know exactly what they look like.

The last thing God showed me was, once I take my eyes off of a person, once I leave their presence, I may have a better image in my head of what they look like next time I try to recall it by memory, but I will never be able to have an exact image of them in my head unless I get back into their presence again. There are just too many features and details for me to retain. However, once I get back in their presence and focus in on their face again, it’s all right there, perfect and clear.

God has given me new understanding of the scripture that says “seek my face evermore.” He is saying I must come into His presence and focus on Him without taking my spiritual eyes off of Him. Then, I will begin to see more clearly who He is to me. I cannot expect to come into His presence every great now then and be able to understand Him and His plans for my life each day. I must continuously come into His presence time and time again with the intention of “seeking His face.” Every time that I do this, His Will for me that day becomes more clear…and tomorrow is another day.

– Pastor Matt
Follow me on Twitter at mattheck79

At the start of the New Year, we often make New Year’s resolutions, with good intentions of course, but all too often these resolutions fall short, lasting but days or even weeks if we have enough staying power. All too often these resolutions don’t last because we forget to include a key ingredient to these New Year’s intentions. We often forget to let God help us to orchestrate this lifestyle change.

I often tell the kids in children’s church that the Holy Spirit is like our “coach.” He is on our team and is always more than willing to help us when we include Him in our plans. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” He wants our lives to be radically changed, but He must be included in these plans!

When we make New Year’s resolutions, a lot of what we struggle with starts in our minds. Once again, a focus on God’s Word and His instructions for our lives will guide us in the right direction. Ephesians 22:23 instructs us to “let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes.” In essence, if we allow God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to mould our thoughts and attitudes, whatever we attempt to accomplish this New Year will be successful. May God Bless you in your endeavors in 2012!

– Pastor Mike G

The next morning, I started the day by praying my frustration out to God and I asked Him why would He put me to work with things I couldn’t do? I expressed to Him my determination and desire to serve Pastor Eddy, but I needed a task I could actually do. Carrying big freezers day after day was definitely not what I had in mind. I still remember hearing the knock at my door and Pastor saying “time to go!” I stood up and went to the church. Then, the “unexpected” happened. I was asked to carry trays with cups (many of them) to different areas and, after moving quite a few, I realized that God had answered my prayer from that morning. He gave me a job I could do!

I wanted to share this story because, many times, we think God only cares about big prayers—asking for direction or financial provision—but what about the little, daily things? Jesus said in Luke 18:7 Won’t God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? 8I tell you, he will give them justice quickly… He truly cares about the littlest things in our lives. Have you ever wondered why His disciples asked Jesus “Master, teach us how to pray?” They were Jews, so they knew how to pray! The answer is, when they saw Jesus pray, things happened.

If you ask God how can we help in His work, know that He will give us the job that best suits our abilities and skills. Don’t be surprised if, as you serve Him, He calls your name (just like Samuel) for a greater task. Do great things for God, and He will do greater things with you!

– Pastor Carlos

What do you say about it?
What do you say about the situation you’re in?

Proverbs 6:2 (NKJV)
You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.

You can prophesy your own destruction or you can declare that you will live and not die. You can declare that health is yours. Prosperity is yours. Joy is yours. You can prophesy that your marriage will work. You will get the job. You will get whatever God has in store for you. Nothing can stop it.

God said it, so declare it!

Your victory is in your mouth.
Your breakthrough is in your mouth.

It was only when Ezekiel began to speak the word of the Lord in the valley of dry bones that God gave new life to things that seemed to be dead. (Ezekiel Chapter 37)

Are you going to speak? What are you going to say?

Speak the Word!

– Pastor Shaun

Then, the day came when we would induce labor, and after a torturous delivery, our 9-pound, 11-ounce, 22-inch-long baby boy was born. We named him Caleb Josiah. Caleb means a “different spirit” and Josiah was a young king who led Israel back into obedience with God. We thought we would name our kids after people who have had a tremendous impact on this earth. Therefore, Caleb would lead a generation into their promise land.

But there wasn’t anything that could prepare us for what was coming next. Somewhere nearing Caleb’s second birthday, we began to notice a difference in his developmental behavior. Sue and I noticed repeated behaviors that we know now as self-stimulation or “Selfstims.” We began to research these behaviors through doctors and behavior specialists. Some just said that he needed Ritalin and they were willing to give him a prescription. I couldn’t see doping up my son just to keep him out of the way, so we kept looking for answers.

We were given a recommendation to enroll Caleb in the C-6 school district for testing. The results came back with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.) and Asperger Syndrome. Our first of many questions included “How?” and “Who is at fault?” We immediately blamed the difficult birth experience, believing it was the fault of inexperienced doctors. Let me tell you, blame doesn’t change anything. Blame gives you the ability to point your anger and disappointment at others which, in turn, distract you from the truth. It’s not that Sue and I are to blame, but the truth, in fact, was for us to learn how to deal with Caleb’s diagnosis.

Sue has been instrumental in dissecting Asperger’s and researching what we need to know about our son’s future. We are still, to this day, learning that each stage of Caleb’s life presents a new challenge for all of us. Everything we do has been affected by this diagnosis. The simplest tasks become a challenge as we try to make this child to conform to this world. One truth we have learned is that Caleb’s world is totally different than our world. So it truly is like a clash of two worlds. We try to fit his world in our world. We try to fit his inappropriate behaviors into our appropriate world. It is like conforming a square peg into a round hole. Caleb is Caleb and nothing we can do is going to change that fact. His name means a “different spirit,” and he lives up to that. So we have been learning how to accept Caleb just as he is.

You never know what Caleb is going to say or when. We have many funny stories; I’d like to share a few.

When Caleb was eight-years old, we were in an office building waiting for an elevator. When the doors opened, there stood a distinguished black man in a very nice suit. Caleb looks at him and says, “Hello Mr. Jefferson!” (from the TV show), and then walks right into the elevator. Another time, I took Caleb to a Blues game and he took one look at this very pretty lady (overlooking her very large muscular boyfriend) and shouts out to her, “Hey are you available?” The boyfriend quickly turns around, smiles, and says, “No! She is with me.” (Whew!) Caleb smiled back and said, “Oh, Ok.” Then there was the time our whole family was at Denny’s and we are waiting for a table to open up. In front of us was a man who was smoking a cigarette. Caleb took one look at him and quickly said, “You know those things will kill you? And are you saved?” The man stammered around as he agreed with Caleb’s observation and then he put out his cigarette.

I agree that Caleb is a different spirit. He rarely gets mad and never stays mad. He will tell you a hundred times a day that He loves you. Caleb was driving me nuts…for an hour, every three minutes, he said, “Dad, I love you.” Finally, I yelled back at him, “I get it. I love you too. Now stop!” Immediately after I said that, the Lord said, “Pat, I love you…Caleb’s just telling you that for me.” I thought about for a while, and from that time forward, I haven’t been upset when Caleb repeats it.

Caleb has the best character of anyone in my family, and more Godly character than most people I know. The Word says, in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”  A lot of times I am confronted by God through Caleb. When we truly listen to the few words that he says, we can hear wisdom come out. If you can just get through the selfstims, you can see a kid who is not afraid to be himself. He’s got a pure heart. Inside this kid are hidden treasures. If you look hard enough, you’ll find them.

Now, when I see kids that I recognize as having Autism or Asperger’s, I see parents to whom I can relate and appreciate. I wonder if the parents know what kind of hidden treasure they possess in their children? I’m pretty sure they do.

- Pastor Pat