This morning while waiting for an oil change,  I read in Mark 6 that Jesus departed to climb a mountain and spend time in prayer.  He sent the disciples off in a boat to cross the sea of Galilee and then went to be alone with the Father.   All of us can learn the value of solitude. Alone with God so we can know that we are never alone.  Busyness, personal adventures, lack of discipline, the tyranny of the urgent, all threaten to squander the time necessary to give ourselves to the most important aspect of our existence, time with God.  Learning to listen, meditate, think on the things that are truly honorable, pure, noble etc..  is what adds the most value to my life so I might be able to add value to others. Lord help every part of my ministry, life, blessing, truth, love, joy all flow out of my time, my relationship with you.

I also read about the pharisees who jumped on the disciples for what they did not do. They failed to wash their hands.  They had been in the world, or out in the marketplace which made them ceremonially unclean.  How easy is it for me to observe behavior and build pharisee type barriers because of someone else is unclean.   How does love conquer and flow out of us? If I am judging the behavior rather than seeing sheep without a shepherd or recognizing the opportunity to offer water that will cause you to never thirst or to eat bread that will satisfy the deepest hunger of our heart and life.  Lord please help me to not be filled with self righteousness and judgment of others.  You are the righteous judge!  You are the only one who can make us to be right with the Father.  The take away was it wasn't external things that we need cleansed from it is the unclean junk that comes into our hearts. Jesus said it is what comes out of the heart of a man that makes him unclean not what comes from external matters.  God I pray that my heart be filled with all the fullness of you so that there will be no room in my heart for the wickedness that creeps in when you are absent or removed or ignored by focusing on the things of the flesh or of man rather than the things that are centered on you.  I love you! I want to be the best that I can be for your glory.

One last word that seemed to jump out at me was the word marketplace. People were searching Jesus out in the marketplace.  What does 21st century marketplace ministry look like?  I think it comes to what Sam Guidry spoke to the men's life group last night when he mentioned incarnational ministry.  Living the reality that God is present in us and therefore is ready to work through us in the very place that we live.   How do we help each other to live with the mindset that we are the light of the world and we are the salt of the earth.  We do shine! We do create thirst as we life for Jesus!

2 Samuel 2 talks about the rise of David to the Israel's throne.  After Saul's death the Bible says that David grew stronger and Saul's house grew weaker.  What caused one to rise and the other to fall.  Saul at one time was the anointed King over Israel. No one else had ever been in his position but he lost it because he was only willing to partially obey the Lord.  In turn Samuel described his partial obedience as rebellion and equivalent to the sin of witchcraft.  This demonstrates how someone in a position of power and authority can convince himself into doing whatever he wants to do regardless of what God has commanded and rationalize it to the point of failing to see it for what it is, rebellion against God.   Eventually the word of God declared through Samuel that because Saul had rejected the word of the Lord, in turn God had rejected him as King. Saul's house grew weaker when it failed in it's readiness to take heed to the word of God.   Growing in strength requires  a person to stay committed to God and to walk in obedience to Him.  Then you will grow stronger and be more effective and fruitful for the Lord. David was far from perfect, but he was willing to take to heart the word of the Lord and when he failed he did not make excuses he sought after God for forgiveness. Lord help me to find my strength in you. Give me a willing heart to do your will everyday!

The presence of God

This morning at prayer the Lord's presence was overwhelmingly sweet. I felt God's love just pouring over me. His word came to me to be still and know that I am God. In the stillness and quiet Jesus said, I love you, I died for you, I took the stripes upon my back for you, I bore your sin and shame, I tasted death for you - so you can live and love the way I love. For no greater love is there than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends.
Then as we looked into the word of God in I John 3, God affirmed indeed that he has lavished his love on us. He told me to mark this day as day when he spoke and as a day that prophetic prayer and word are going forth and that He is calling His church to stop sinning, and that he truly has come to destroy the works of the devil.

I believe we are going to behold the Lord Jesus calling His bride out of lukewarmness and back to first love relationship. The Lord said that we are declaring war on the devil and that through Him we will win. We will see a season of harvest. Signs and wonders will follow us as we obey the word. God commands us to believe in Jesus and to love our brothers. It was a great time of refreshing for my brother Albert and I. Jesus I love you for being so good.

LIfe Goals

Life Goals: I believe the Lord will help me to achieve many things as I live my life with His purpose in mind. At the end of the day I know that I want more than anything else to simply have done my best to please the Lord. I hope that these goals will reflect sincere motives, and core values that are pleasing to the Lord and to those with whom God has ordained I journey through life with.


I am going to divide my goals into categories: Family, Ministry/Influence, Experential, Physical and Travel. I hope to make them specific and measurable and to trust that they are birthed out of prayer. That God would somehow translate His thoughts into my thoughts and that the scripture "Delight your self in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" would be fulfilled.



Family


Celebrate an anniversary in "Paradise" Hawaii


I would like to be respected most by those who know me best.


Celebrate a family reunion at Disney World


Take my grandchildren to Disney


Witness both my girls marry Godly men





Ministry/ Influence


Preach the gospel on 5 continents( Latin/South America, Asia, Africa Europe, Australia)

Ministry trip connecting with Doug Hollis in Indonesia, Kevin Barner in Thailand, David and Theresa Greenhough in India, Go to Cuba with Damien Zinicola

Plant 15 churches


Lead Abundant Life Church for the next 15 years and reach 1,000 in weekly attendance.



Fulfill the Master Plan of Development for El Beulah and ALC - Include total of 130 villas, wellness center, transitional care center, rehab/therapy, youth facility, retail and sanctuary with seating for 1000 to 1200.

Experiential Goals

Go on an African Safari( in Africa, not the Disney Animal Kingdom safari)

Snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef

Snow ski on a real mountain

Golf Pebble Beach

Go To a Super bowl ( done )

Go to an Olympics

Preach an NFL chapel service

Physical Goals

Maintain my weight at my ideal body weight(185)

Run at least 1 5k for the next 20 years

Do an annual physical challenge that pushes me to maintain good health and includes Sarah and Bethany and others in the process

Play Golf and tennis for the next 20 plus years

Continue to go on missions trips that require some level of physical stamina and endurance

Travel

Tour Israel with my family and church family

Visit Germany and meet Debbie's relatives

Fishing trip with my brother Don

Caribbean vacation

Walk the Great Wall of China

Read the book of Romans in Rome

Kiss Debbie on top of the Eiffel Tower

Negligence is unacceptable

Jeremiah 48
God was giving Jeremiah words of judgment against those who were being used to chastise Israel and Judah. In the midst of God's chastisement His love still seeks to find ways to restore his people even after years of neglect.

To those who are charged with giving leadership God says that those priests who are negligent will be cursed. We need to grapple with the truth that neglect is a serious offense to God. Ignoring God's word, His work, his will is just as vile as acts of willful sin against Him. Negligence as a parent causes family services to step in and pull children out of their care so that the child's needs can be taken care of and that no harm would come to the neglected child. We understand that is necessary for intervention for the sake of the child. Isn't it a serious thing then when those who have been commissioned by the Lord to act on His behalf are negligent? May God help us to fulfill the responsibilities that God has placed before us.

Call to shepherd God's flock.

Jeremiah 23

The Prophet Jeremiah describes first of all an indictment against the shepherds in Israel. They have scattered the flock rather than tending and caring for Israel. Jesus said, that anyone who does not gather with him ends up scattering the flock. The key to successful shepherding is partnering with the Lord as our chief shepherd. When we are laborers together with him we cannot help but have a gathering unto him. But if we fail to partner through our relationship with Jesus we can end up with a pretense of shepherding but fail miserably because of the disconnect. Prayer: Lord keep me connected to you in a close personal relationship so that I may labor with confidence that the end result will be able to be rewarded not discarded.
I Peter 5:1-4 tells us to feed God's flock willingly not for monetary gain but in service to Christ and his body. When we do the right things for the right reasons(motivation) then we will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

today matters: Be not decieved.

today matters: Be not decieved.