Is it bright in here?

Well, it appears that the site that hosts my blogger template has gone haywire. It should have a background in here that is not giving off the appearance of being ULTRA-BRIGHT white ... LOL!! Oh well, just noticed it and thought I would say something about it in case anyone was reaching for sunglasses because it really is ridiculously bright!! (HA HA HA)

Anyway, have a blessed day ya'll.

Without words ...

I confess that these past days in conjunction with No Greater Love Ministries to Mardi Gras have been the best I have had since I have been a Christian. My first year at Mardi Gras was a tremendous experience and where I surrendered to a call into the ministry; but this past trip just blew me away on so many levels that I cannot accurately explain everything I encountered. Once I got back home I honestly found myself without words and unable to fully express what I went through, and to be candid I am still struggling as I write this.

I admit that I went on this trip with some difficult questions about my own ministry and I believe that through God’s guidance I have some of the answers which really brings a sense of calm in my life. I know in my heart (and it has been confirmed several times) that I am called to preach, and in preaching I am called to disciple others into having a deeper walk with the Lord … but my primary (still unanswered) question is where it should happen at. We love the church we are serving at now and I guess this is what is causing my confusion is whether I will remain there or if God will move us from this church family once again. It honestly pains me to think about it, so I try not too but rather let God speak and allow Him to give us the guidance and peace. I know that God has called me to preach, and I read a verse this morning that really sums up how I feel about it. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:16, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

I am preaching in view of a call for the next two weeks at a church here in town (it is 3 miles from our house) and I am praying that God will confirm if that is the place I should be at, or if I need to continue waiting and watching for His divine appointment. What I am most certain of is that God’s timing is perfect, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit He will make things clearer as time continues moving forward.

These past 7 days in Mobile and New Orleans have really brought to my life a sense of calm, and have opened my eyes a bit more to understand that the only thing that matters is Jesus Christ; and without Christ I can do nothing nor accomplish anything that has Kingdom value. And so, I am continuing to pray and seek the Lord on this knowing what I must do; prayerfully the answers of where will come soon.

God bless you friends.

Feb 17, 2010

I realize I am a day or two late on this, but wanted to add in 2 more posts for you from the NGL ministry trip. Thank you so much for praying and for continuing to lift No Greater Love up before the Lord. May God bless you always!

http://nglministries.blogspot.com/2010/02/prayer-message-feb-15.html

http://nglministries.blogspot.com/2010/02/prayers-for-feb-16.html

Feb 14, 2010

Good morning! Here is a blog from Fred Bishop, NGL's director which really captures things right now. Thank you for reading, praying, and may God bless you!

http://nglministries.blogspot.com/2010/02/prayer-request-feb-14.html

God already knows!

Psalm 139:1-5 says, "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me."

I tell you something friends, as I prepare to get ready for this ministry trip on Friday with No Greater Love I am filled with thoughts of wondering what God is going to do and how He is going to speak to me personally; and am then comforted in the above passage that God already knows!! I am excited and yet at the same time filled with a sense of calm that God is already there, preparing the places we will stay, the people we will talk to, and the witness we will proclaim. Truly, it is an honor to work for the Lord and follow in the footsteps of the disciples, going out and giving the Gospel to those Jesus died for. It is a humbling experience my friends .... humbling.

Throughout the weekend I will (hopefully) be blogging from the trip (as time allows) and will try to toss in a picture or two with the thoughts. I will have pictures posted to my Facebook as well and with any luck can keep folks up to date and in the loop.

If you are praying, my personal prayer requests are: for peace when chaos is abound, for rest when we are in need and weary, and for boldness and energy when God is moving us to expand our tent stakes and take back what the devil has robbed from those around us!!

Thank you for reading, and may God bless you always.

The Challenge of Obedience

It is Saturday night, and I'm trying to get my mind around this discipleship lesson for tomorrow; as well as thinking about the trip this coming Friday with No Greater Love Ministries. As I have been mentioning for weeks (read:years), this trip to New Orleans to minister during Mardi Gras always challenges me in different ways personally, professionally, and of course in my ministry. It is an eye opening event each year and each year the Lord speaks to me in different ways. For example, the first year I went I surrendered to a call to the ministry, and the year before last He spoke to my heart and gave me complete peace about resigning as a Pastor and being more concerned about following Him -- vice following people's opinions and thoughts. It is, in my view, an honor to see God work in my life and be able to look back and see His fingerprints on the lives of those around me.

Friends, I wish there was a way to clearly express what this 5 day ministry trip does to me, and how God uses it to strengthen my for the coming year of ministry work. While I am not sure of what God has for the future (and this has been a challenge for me lately), I received some good advice tonight from a godly friend that I wanted to share. She said, "Be obedient in what He asked of you to this point. Leave the next question for Him to answer as you remain obedient in what He has asked of you so far. Trust that the answer to the next question will be the exact answer that will bring you along the path He desires for you when He is ready to answer it. Do not wait to be obedient to the small part He has asked of you, or be concerned or worried about the next part while you do it." That's good advice in my view, and I think something that we can all gain strength from. God is calling us to simply obey and follow ... nothing more.

So I think I will get back to my lesson now and continue researching how God would speak to our Men's Discipleship Class tomorrow. God bless you and good night.

The State of our Union

No matter our political affiliation I think we can honestly say that this cartoon appears to be the “State of our Union”. I wonder sometimes, when will we realize that it is our responsibility to bring one another together vice leaving it up to someone else? Jesus gave us clear instruction to bearing fruit and being a positive witness in this world in John 15:5-8.

He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

I wonder if we, as disciples of the true and living God, are willing to bear fruit so that we can bring people together vice being so determined at separation? The Gospel tells us that we are to be the witness … that we are to go forth and bring the Good News! So with Good News in hand why do we not grab an opportunity like we have in our nation today and take advantage of it? People are looking for good news, and as a believer of Jesus Christ YOU have the news they need!! Will we ever reach out “across the aisle” and promote Godly unity in our Nation? How about in our churches? In our homes?

It’s up to you friends … it’s up to you.