Later today, I'll be attending the funeral of the mom of a 12 year old who was on my son's baseball team.
It's sad when a loved one is suddenly gone.
So many times we forget how precious life really is.
We rush through days and weeks, many times taking life for granted.
We get irritated and become impatient with friends and family members. Sometimes we get down right angry.
Never once thinking that we should make things right and part on good terms becausee that could be our last meeting together.
I am reminded of the scripture in James 4:14 that says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
Life is short. Let's make the most of everyday we have with each other.
I'm thankful that death is not the end, but simply the beginning. The Apostle Paul reminds us that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. Paul also said, "O, death. Where is your victory?Where is your sting?"
Jesus Christ said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me even though he dies, yet will he live."
Death is not the end. It's just so cruel and difficult for us to deal with.
But Jesus told us in John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am."
Just some wondering thoughts.
Enjoy your day. Make the most of every opportunity. Say "I love you" to the ones you love.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Worried?
Do you worry?
Why?
Silly questions, I know.
But seriously, why do we worry?
When we worry about things, we are saying we don't trust God to take care of things.
Remember Jesus words in Matthew 6:25-34?
Go ahead and take a minute to read this passage. I'll wait.....
Pretty clear, isn't it? Jesus simply said, "Don't worry."
We know this truth and yet some many of us still worry.
The other night as I went to bed, I was praying for my son, who I think is stressed and worried about the start of a new school year, and a new chapter in his life.
As I lay in bed praying for him, I prayed, "Lord I don't want him to be stressed or worried." As soon as I prayed those words, I heard the Lord respond to me, "Now you are seeing worry from my point of view. You worry many times and I do not want you to worry or be stressed. I want you to trust me."
Wow! I hadn't ever looked at worry through God's eyes.
Our loving heavenly Father, hurts when we hurt. And we we worry and stress over things. His desire for us is that we would not worry.
Notice what Jesus said in verse 27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
All worry does is raise or blood pressure, give us a headache, cause other physical problems. But worry doesn't really change anything.
A few weeks ago I heard one of my pastor friends say, "We should hold everything before God with open hands." And then he said this, "When we worry and fret, it's because we've closed our hands on something."
Instead of worrying over things (jobs, promotions, finances, marriages, kids, etc) hold them before God with open hands. letting Him take care of all those things.
Trust him.
Trust means letting go!
"God, I pray today for each one who reads this blog. You know everything about them. You know everything that has them worried or stressed. Father, remind them who You are. Remind them of Your great love for them. And remind them how You have always been faithful and trust worthy. Thank You for never letting us go, but for always holding us in the palm of Your mighty hand. Let today be the end of worry and the start of holding everything before You with open hands and simply trusting You. Amen."
Why?
Silly questions, I know.
But seriously, why do we worry?
When we worry about things, we are saying we don't trust God to take care of things.
Remember Jesus words in Matthew 6:25-34?
Go ahead and take a minute to read this passage. I'll wait.....
Pretty clear, isn't it? Jesus simply said, "Don't worry."
We know this truth and yet some many of us still worry.
The other night as I went to bed, I was praying for my son, who I think is stressed and worried about the start of a new school year, and a new chapter in his life.
As I lay in bed praying for him, I prayed, "Lord I don't want him to be stressed or worried." As soon as I prayed those words, I heard the Lord respond to me, "Now you are seeing worry from my point of view. You worry many times and I do not want you to worry or be stressed. I want you to trust me."
Wow! I hadn't ever looked at worry through God's eyes.
Our loving heavenly Father, hurts when we hurt. And we we worry and stress over things. His desire for us is that we would not worry.
Notice what Jesus said in verse 27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
All worry does is raise or blood pressure, give us a headache, cause other physical problems. But worry doesn't really change anything.
A few weeks ago I heard one of my pastor friends say, "We should hold everything before God with open hands." And then he said this, "When we worry and fret, it's because we've closed our hands on something."
Instead of worrying over things (jobs, promotions, finances, marriages, kids, etc) hold them before God with open hands. letting Him take care of all those things.
Trust him.
Trust means letting go!
"God, I pray today for each one who reads this blog. You know everything about them. You know everything that has them worried or stressed. Father, remind them who You are. Remind them of Your great love for them. And remind them how You have always been faithful and trust worthy. Thank You for never letting us go, but for always holding us in the palm of Your mighty hand. Let today be the end of worry and the start of holding everything before You with open hands and simply trusting You. Amen."
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Stand in Awe of God
It's been awhile since my last blog post.
It has been a busy summer. Someday, I've got to make blogging a daily habit.
The other day, a friend told me that she regularly read my blog. I was surprised. I didn't realize how many people were reading my blogs.
If you're someone who regularly reads this blog, please sign-up as a follower. Maybe seeing who actually reads my blog will inspire me to blog more.
Today's thought.
Yesterday during my quite time I read Habakkuk 3:2 which is part of a prayer that Habakkuk prayed.
By the way how would you like it if your name was Habakkuk? (Thanks mom for going with something simple like Joe!!)
Anyway, the verse says, "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." (Hab. 3:2 NIV)
Have you heard of God's fame? Do you remember the great things He has done in the past?
Do you want to see Him do great things today?
God is still God! The greats things He has done are just the beginning. He is wanting to do greater things for us today. Perhaps He is just waiting for us to remember His fame, and for us to ask and expect Him to do great things.
I love what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Today, stand in awe of God. Start praying like Habakkuk, "I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord.Renew them in our day..."
God is up to something great. Are you ready?
It has been a busy summer. Someday, I've got to make blogging a daily habit.
The other day, a friend told me that she regularly read my blog. I was surprised. I didn't realize how many people were reading my blogs.
If you're someone who regularly reads this blog, please sign-up as a follower. Maybe seeing who actually reads my blog will inspire me to blog more.
Today's thought.
Yesterday during my quite time I read Habakkuk 3:2 which is part of a prayer that Habakkuk prayed.
By the way how would you like it if your name was Habakkuk? (Thanks mom for going with something simple like Joe!!)
Anyway, the verse says, "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." (Hab. 3:2 NIV)
Have you heard of God's fame? Do you remember the great things He has done in the past?
Do you want to see Him do great things today?
God is still God! The greats things He has done are just the beginning. He is wanting to do greater things for us today. Perhaps He is just waiting for us to remember His fame, and for us to ask and expect Him to do great things.
I love what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Today, stand in awe of God. Start praying like Habakkuk, "I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord.Renew them in our day..."
God is up to something great. Are you ready?
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Expectations
Just got home from Kids Camp.
What an amazing 4 days hanging out with 8-12 year olds and watching God do amazing things in their lives.
One of the boys in my cabin taught me a huge lesson about expectations.
The other night during the altar time after service, he walked up to me crying and said, "Pastor Joe can you pray for me?"
I said sure, what for? He replied through his tears, "I don't know?"
Moments later as I simply prayed with this little guy, he began to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
For those of you doubting, yes God still baptizes people in the Holy Spirit and yes tongues in a real experience. (See Acts 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28)
Anyway, as I was texting this little guys mom to let her know what her son had just experienced, she replied to my text by stating, "He went to camp on a mission. Before he left he said, Mom, camp is not just about the lake, water slides and fun, Camp is about getting closer to God."
Here's my thought, how often do we expect God to do something in us?
Tomorrow is Sunday, are you going to church out of habit or because you are expecting God to do something great in you?
What are your expectations?
Let's go to church tomorrow, expecting God to move and meet us there!
What an amazing 4 days hanging out with 8-12 year olds and watching God do amazing things in their lives.
One of the boys in my cabin taught me a huge lesson about expectations.
The other night during the altar time after service, he walked up to me crying and said, "Pastor Joe can you pray for me?"
I said sure, what for? He replied through his tears, "I don't know?"
Moments later as I simply prayed with this little guy, he began to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
For those of you doubting, yes God still baptizes people in the Holy Spirit and yes tongues in a real experience. (See Acts 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28)
Anyway, as I was texting this little guys mom to let her know what her son had just experienced, she replied to my text by stating, "He went to camp on a mission. Before he left he said, Mom, camp is not just about the lake, water slides and fun, Camp is about getting closer to God."
Here's my thought, how often do we expect God to do something in us?
Tomorrow is Sunday, are you going to church out of habit or because you are expecting God to do something great in you?
What are your expectations?
Let's go to church tomorrow, expecting God to move and meet us there!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
10 Hard Questions
Getting ready to take some kids to Kids Camp. Thought I would clear out some of the e-mails still riding along in my Blackberry. As I was clearing them out I ran across this blog post from Perry Noble earlier this month. It was too good to read and delete, so I decided to share it with my blog readers.
One thing before you read Perry's post. Don't just read it, but find a way today to apply it to your life!
Perry Noble: 10 Hard Questions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Hard Questions
Posted: 03 Jun 2010 04:54 AM PDT
Too many times we believe that being busy is equal to being godly…when the Bible says quite the opposite.
Psalm 46:10 SLAYS me every time I read it…CONVICTED!
David said in Psalm 23 that the Lord makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters.
The LONGEST, most detailed command in the 10 commandments is the one on rest.
Yet, all of us…especially those in the ministry…wrestle with this. One of our MAIN temptations is being busy…here are a few questions we can wrestle through to see how busy those of us in ministry are…
#1 – How many times a day do you check your email? Is there really any reason to check it as often as we do?
#2 – How many times a day do you check twitter?
#3 – How many times a day do you check your facebook page?
#4 – When you go home to do spend time with your family…or merely “tweet” about how you are spending time with your family?
#5 – Do you tell your kids you are too busy to go to their game…but then go to the game of the church members kid so you don’t get into hot water with them? (BTW…good luck explaining that one to your kids in 20 years!)
#6 – Do you have a time during the day when you turn off your cell phone so that you can uninterrupted study time, prayer time and time with your spouse?
#7 – Do you always have to have noise around you…such as do you always have to have the radio on in the car OR the TV on at home, even if you are not listening to/watching it?
#8 – How much time do you spend commenting on blogs and social media sites? (honestly, don’t know too many certified blog commenters that are actually changing the world!)
#9 – Are you accessible at any time of the day by anyone who needs you? (LOTS of pastors LOVE to make this claim…usually at the expense of their family and their own walk with God. If you want to walk with Jesus you can’t do it by always having a crowd around…you’ve got to have some time set aside.)
#10 – Are you willing to make the adjustments that you need to make based on the nine questions above? If not then you are most likely addicted to noise and being busy…which looks good to others but absolutely destroys our walk with God.
PSALM 46:10!
ONE MORE THING…this is absolutely the most convicting blog post I’ve ever written…He’s PRESSING into me to make some major adjustments in regards to the noise in my life, would appreciate your prayers as I try my best to fully obey Him.
Good stuff courtesy of Perry Noble. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.
Well I'm off to Kids Camp!
One thing before you read Perry's post. Don't just read it, but find a way today to apply it to your life!
Perry Noble: 10 Hard Questions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Hard Questions
Posted: 03 Jun 2010 04:54 AM PDT
Too many times we believe that being busy is equal to being godly…when the Bible says quite the opposite.
Psalm 46:10 SLAYS me every time I read it…CONVICTED!
David said in Psalm 23 that the Lord makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters.
The LONGEST, most detailed command in the 10 commandments is the one on rest.
Yet, all of us…especially those in the ministry…wrestle with this. One of our MAIN temptations is being busy…here are a few questions we can wrestle through to see how busy those of us in ministry are…
#1 – How many times a day do you check your email? Is there really any reason to check it as often as we do?
#2 – How many times a day do you check twitter?
#3 – How many times a day do you check your facebook page?
#4 – When you go home to do spend time with your family…or merely “tweet” about how you are spending time with your family?
#5 – Do you tell your kids you are too busy to go to their game…but then go to the game of the church members kid so you don’t get into hot water with them? (BTW…good luck explaining that one to your kids in 20 years!)
#6 – Do you have a time during the day when you turn off your cell phone so that you can uninterrupted study time, prayer time and time with your spouse?
#7 – Do you always have to have noise around you…such as do you always have to have the radio on in the car OR the TV on at home, even if you are not listening to/watching it?
#8 – How much time do you spend commenting on blogs and social media sites? (honestly, don’t know too many certified blog commenters that are actually changing the world!)
#9 – Are you accessible at any time of the day by anyone who needs you? (LOTS of pastors LOVE to make this claim…usually at the expense of their family and their own walk with God. If you want to walk with Jesus you can’t do it by always having a crowd around…you’ve got to have some time set aside.)
#10 – Are you willing to make the adjustments that you need to make based on the nine questions above? If not then you are most likely addicted to noise and being busy…which looks good to others but absolutely destroys our walk with God.
PSALM 46:10!
ONE MORE THING…this is absolutely the most convicting blog post I’ve ever written…He’s PRESSING into me to make some major adjustments in regards to the noise in my life, would appreciate your prayers as I try my best to fully obey Him.
Good stuff courtesy of Perry Noble. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.
Well I'm off to Kids Camp!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Courage and Risk Taking
This past Sunday afternoon, as I was preparing for a board meeting and a special business meeting. I walked into my office grabbed my Zondervan Leadership Bible and prayed the following prayer, "Lord, I need something, please speak to me through Your Word."
Moments later I turned to Numbers 14:1-10. After reading these 10 verses, I then read the daily leadership lesson on courage/risk taking. Here is what I read:
It was one thing when the children of Israel murmured and complained about their provisions and their leadership during the first two years in the wilderness. It was far more serious when they decided they could no longer trust the Lord. The tragedy at Kadesh was not caused merely by grumbling, but by outright rebellion against the purposes of God. The Israelites had convinced themselves that their children would be killed if they attempted to take the promised land, and they therefore drew back in disbelief. Ironically, it was their children who later occupied the land under Joshua's leadership.
By pursuing a pain-avoidance strategy rather than trusting the Lord, the Israelites actually inflicted far more pain upon themselves. As a result of their lack of courage, the generation of the exodus was consigned to an additional thirty-eight years of wilderness wandering until they died and the new generation was ready to take the land.
Obedience to the precepts and principles of Scripture does in fact require significant risk, because to trust God is to pursue the invisible over the visible. But if we hedge our bets by resisting the prompting of the Spirit and chasing the promises of the world system, our growth will be stunted. "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith" (Hebrews 4:2).
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). Knowing this, God asks his people to take a step of faith and trust in his presence. God is the ultimate source of empowerment; he is the eternal source of the godly leader's courage. The Leadership Bible, New International Version® © 1998 by the Zondervan Corporation
Good stuff, isn't it? It gets better!
Today when I checked the mail, I received a book mark from a Father's Day promotion company. In bold letters across the top it read: Men who walk with God never walk alone. The following scriptures were also on that bookmark:
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 2:5 Come... let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Proverbs 4:11-12 I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
Now I know to many this may seem like a coincidence. But if you only knew where God was leading me right now and the things He has been showing me, this would understand how incredible this is.
When you trust God and walk with Him, many times by faith. He gives you the courage to keep walking and keep trusting, even when what is before you seems impossible.
I know you have no idea what I'm referring to, but many of you do! And I promise, at a later time I will write about the whole story/journey that I have been on for the last two months. It's a good story and we're only at the beginning!
Have courage. Keep Trusting Him and walking by faith.
Moments later I turned to Numbers 14:1-10. After reading these 10 verses, I then read the daily leadership lesson on courage/risk taking. Here is what I read:
It was one thing when the children of Israel murmured and complained about their provisions and their leadership during the first two years in the wilderness. It was far more serious when they decided they could no longer trust the Lord. The tragedy at Kadesh was not caused merely by grumbling, but by outright rebellion against the purposes of God. The Israelites had convinced themselves that their children would be killed if they attempted to take the promised land, and they therefore drew back in disbelief. Ironically, it was their children who later occupied the land under Joshua's leadership.
By pursuing a pain-avoidance strategy rather than trusting the Lord, the Israelites actually inflicted far more pain upon themselves. As a result of their lack of courage, the generation of the exodus was consigned to an additional thirty-eight years of wilderness wandering until they died and the new generation was ready to take the land.
Obedience to the precepts and principles of Scripture does in fact require significant risk, because to trust God is to pursue the invisible over the visible. But if we hedge our bets by resisting the prompting of the Spirit and chasing the promises of the world system, our growth will be stunted. "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith" (Hebrews 4:2).
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). Knowing this, God asks his people to take a step of faith and trust in his presence. God is the ultimate source of empowerment; he is the eternal source of the godly leader's courage. The Leadership Bible, New International Version® © 1998 by the Zondervan Corporation
Good stuff, isn't it? It gets better!
Today when I checked the mail, I received a book mark from a Father's Day promotion company. In bold letters across the top it read: Men who walk with God never walk alone. The following scriptures were also on that bookmark:
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 2:5 Come... let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Proverbs 4:11-12 I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
Now I know to many this may seem like a coincidence. But if you only knew where God was leading me right now and the things He has been showing me, this would understand how incredible this is.
When you trust God and walk with Him, many times by faith. He gives you the courage to keep walking and keep trusting, even when what is before you seems impossible.
I know you have no idea what I'm referring to, but many of you do! And I promise, at a later time I will write about the whole story/journey that I have been on for the last two months. It's a good story and we're only at the beginning!
Have courage. Keep Trusting Him and walking by faith.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Why Do We Worry?
The other day I read this incredible post by Pastor Perry Noble. It has challenged me in so many ways, so I had to post it for my readers!
Church leaders…we’re such hypocrites at times aren’t we?
We know what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 by heart!
We tell people that God is Sovereign and that He reigns over their situation.
We recite I Peter 5:7 to people as they are completely stressing out in front of us.
I could go on…but you get the point…we know how to confront and encourage others when THEY worry…and yet…
We freak out about the sermon every week.
We are scared to death that the set list is not going to come together.
We stress out about attendance numbers.
We worry about the offering.
We lose our minds when we hear someone is upset.
We allow the voice of the enemy to convince us that everything is about to fall apart.
WE DO THIS…and we’ve got to stop! Reality is…
Jesus loves the church way more than we do!
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion! (Philippians 1:6)
He has SO MUCH MORE in store for your church than you could imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)
He will reveal WHAT we need to know…WHEN we need to know it!
He has a plan for our church…and He actually wants us to know it WAY MORE than we could imagine!
If it is HIS WILL then it is HIS BILL…what the KING wants the KING pays for!!!
He is at work right now…doing things that we are completely unaware of but will one day BLOW our mind!
He has placed us in this time and in this place to make a difference!
My prayer to overcome worry has consistently been to ask God to enlarge my view of Him…the larger HE becomes to me the smaller my problems and circumstances are.
He reigns…what HE started He will finish…
“Do not worry…” Jesus
Thanks Perry Noble (http://www.perrynoble.com/) for an amazing post.
Church leaders…we’re such hypocrites at times aren’t we?
We know what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 by heart!
We tell people that God is Sovereign and that He reigns over their situation.
We recite I Peter 5:7 to people as they are completely stressing out in front of us.
I could go on…but you get the point…we know how to confront and encourage others when THEY worry…and yet…
We freak out about the sermon every week.
We are scared to death that the set list is not going to come together.
We stress out about attendance numbers.
We worry about the offering.
We lose our minds when we hear someone is upset.
We allow the voice of the enemy to convince us that everything is about to fall apart.
WE DO THIS…and we’ve got to stop! Reality is…
Jesus loves the church way more than we do!
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion! (Philippians 1:6)
He has SO MUCH MORE in store for your church than you could imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)
He will reveal WHAT we need to know…WHEN we need to know it!
He has a plan for our church…and He actually wants us to know it WAY MORE than we could imagine!
If it is HIS WILL then it is HIS BILL…what the KING wants the KING pays for!!!
He is at work right now…doing things that we are completely unaware of but will one day BLOW our mind!
He has placed us in this time and in this place to make a difference!
My prayer to overcome worry has consistently been to ask God to enlarge my view of Him…the larger HE becomes to me the smaller my problems and circumstances are.
He reigns…what HE started He will finish…
“Do not worry…” Jesus
Thanks Perry Noble (http://www.perrynoble.com/) for an amazing post.
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