5 Things I want to say to HOF

1. The Christmas services were awesome. We set an all time attendance high of >900 for both Christmas services. What a great Christmas win for HOF, it was great to meet your families and friends and share that special night of Hope with them. I also met several couples who were just looking for a Christmas service to attend.

2. Thanks to everyone who brought someone with you. You really get "it". Our Christmas services are designed to bring visitors to and believe for God to touch their hearts. Christmas is a great time to reach out to family and friends as they are more likely to respond. Thanks again to you, many raised their hands to receive prayer for hope.

3. Saved people serve. Thanks to all of you who served it up this Christmas. Ushers, greeting, singers, band, drama, choir, nursery, car parkers, coffee makers, Club Faith workers, tech people, small group leaders who loved those kids. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a blessing to my life and many others. Keep that heart to serve, your reward is waiting for you in Heaven.

4. Start praying about your
Participation in the fast. It's coming soon. Jan. 10th and it's going to be a great spiritual time in the life of Our church.

5. I am eagerly awaiting the next series beginning Jan 9. The Blessed Life has the potential to totally revolutionize your life. I am so sure that God is going to do a work in us during this series. We are expecting huge things this year and we are going to need Gods blessing on our lives. I feel compelled to show you how to live the blessed life. God wants to bless you this year. I feel like God has spoken that this year, 2011, God says that, "I'm going to bless those who decide to bless others.". It's going to be awesome.

Hard hearts hinder hearing

Was S.O.A.P.ing in Acts 28 today and came across these thoughts from Paul as he was in Rome to be tried before Caesar.


Acts 28:24 (NLT)
24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.



Acts 28:27 (NLT)
27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

It's always interesting to me why some people seem to 'get it' while some don't.  I know there are not simple answers but Paul seems to express a great thought here that I was personally challenged by this morning.  Have you ever felt like you were one of those who just didn't get it sometimes? I have.  I don't want to be one of those people who is not persuaded by those that God has put into my life for my good.

Hard hearts keep us from hearing His voice and seeing His hand.

• That tells me that we see and hear with our hearts and not our physical ears and eyes.
• Hearing and seeing God are spiritual senses that operate parrallel to our physical senses.  
• Hardening our hearts actually causes us to lose the ability to hear God and see what He's up to.
• If you are having trouble seeing God's hand or hearing God's voice, perhaps it could be a hard heart issue.

Hard hearted means to have a heart that is not easily moved

• If we don't respond when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we can get hard hearted.
• If we don't choose to spend time with the Lord, we can get hard hearted.
• If we purposefully disobey and rebel against the Lord, we can get hard hearted.
• Refusing to listen to those people the Lord has put into our lives for our good can cause a heart to be hardened.

Our promise from the Lord is that He will heal us when we turn to Him.

• Something happens when we say, Lord I need you.
• Turning to Him may just mean doing the thing that you know you need to do.
• Today, turn to God, turn away from trying to figure it out alone and He will heal you.
• He is the healer of our lives, whatever is broken, He can heal it.
• He can't heal until we turn towards Him.

The Holy Spirit is always working

This morning I had breakfast with Rob Thomas.  He's serves with "Faith Comes by Hearing" which is a ministry that distributes an audio copy of the Bible however they can.  He was telling me all the great ways that the Bible can get into the lives of people even if they aren't able to read.  We know that reading the Scripture is probably the single most life-impacting thing that  a person can do.  That's why we have made such a big deal out of the S.O.A.P. method of reading the scripture this year, it's been a year long focus.  Well, this next year in 2011, we are going to be hitting it again but with new tools compliments of "Faith Comes By Hearing"(FCBH).
  We'll be rolling them out probably on Wed., Dec. 1 at our Vision Night and Christmas party for HOF at the ACHS gym.  I felt like so many things that I had needed the answers to were answered today at that breakfast.  It feels like vision for the end of the year and beginning of next year came into much clearer focus.  I didn't even schedule this breakfast until Tuesay, but the Holy Spirit already knew what my questions were and had the answers on the way before I even asked.  That's how good God is.  He's already busy bringing the answers to you via some person who is willing to be an answer.  Here's a great question, "Will you be someone's answer today?"  "Will you be a person that God can use to answer meet a need?"

Thinking about the Live, Laugh Love series

I just happened to be walking by the room where cd's are made and talked to Sheila, who duplicates them for us, and saw that she was busy.  She told me that she had gotten a whole new bunch of requests for the series.  I know that families are hurting now, and knowing Christ and His teachings are the real answers for families.  It's funny how when families get in real binds that they turn to Christ in a crisis.  But truthfully, that's a great time to turn to Him.  I see the church with real answers, a church that's willing to boldly proclaim His message as a church that will be relevant to the family.  One of our core values is family, we believe that we've been called and raised up to offer hope to the families of Asc. Parish and the Baton Rouge area.
    My kids and I have been having this running dialogue about the new Call of Duty video game.  I'm apprehensive because of the violence.  We've quite frankly disagreed, and at times it's been very divisive.  Last night after XG, one of my kids texted me and I know that the Holy Spirit used XG's service to speak to his heart.  I'm so thankful for the family style, family oriented, family of God centered ministry that I get to serve.


19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house.....
Eph 2:19-20

When God Speaks

Ever wonder what happens in us when God speaks?  Hearing God's voice can be a hot topic, but there is no doubt that God wants to and does speak to us.  Many people struggle over hearing the voice of God without being spooky and getting off track.  Some are convinced they can't but I want to share with you today what happens "When God Speaks"

I'm going to pull these thoughts out of my SOAPing this morning from the book of Daniel.

Daniel 10:10-11, 18-19

10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

18 Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.  19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

Here are 4 things that can help you to know the voice of God when, not if, He speaks to you.

1. God's voice is filled with love.

• Notice that twice God spoke to Daniel to remind him that he was precious to God.  The voice of God will always be filled with love, even when He corrects us.  The Bible says that God is love, so His voice can convey nothing else.  
• The voice of God, if it's God, will always cause you to feel loved by Him, always.
• Too many people fall victim to the deceivers taunts that God doesn't love you, but it's not true, talk to Him and find out.

2. God's voice will always be personal.

• God spoke to Daniel that "i have a message for you" , and "I've been sent to you".
• God voice will not be vague or confusing, but He speaks directly into our lives and our situations.  
• You will not wonder about whether He's speaking to you, it's so personal that you know it's for you.
• A personal touch is God's plan to connect with you.

3.  God's voice is encouraging.

• Very few people know how to be encouraging, but God voice always encourages.
• Even in correction, the encouragement is there.
• He spoke peace, strength and encouragement to Daniel at a time when he needed it the most.
• God's voice will build you up like nothing else you can experience. 
• If it's God, you will be encouraged.  

4. God's voice imparts faith.

• Daniel said, "I'm strengthened and now I want to hear what You have to say."
• Faith comes through hearing His voice.  His voice carries with it the spiritual faith to obey whatever He commands us to do.  
• You will believe God after He talks with you, and you will belieive that He can help you to do what He's spoken.  
• Make time to hear His voice today, so that you can be blessed.

Daniel S.O.A.P. The Reason for Your Gift

While S.O.A.P.ing the other morning, I came across this powerful verse that spoke to me and I believe it will do the same for you.

And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret to your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.


Daniel 2:30(NLT)


The king of Babylon had a dream and wanted to know what it meant.  He asked his wise men, but they couldn't interpret the dream and so he purposed to kill them all.  When Daniel heard about it, he asked God to help him interpret the dream and God did.

Daniel's keen understanding of God's gift at work in his life to interpret dreams is something we could all learn from.

1. Daniel understood that his special ability was from God and so he couldn't think of himself as better than anyone else.

• It's amazing how we sometimes take credit when in reality God has just given us a gift.
• Whatever you are good at, whatever just comes natural to you, whether it's sports, business, speaking, any talent, God gave that to you, so don't think you are better than.
• I Cor. 12 tells us that God gives everyone of us gifts, at least one.  Have you discovered yours?  
• Our nature is to want to be better than the next person, the best worker, the best looking, the highest paid.  Daniel had dealt with that selfish pride and understood that God had a higher purpose for him than merely being better than another.

2. Daniel understood that God gifted him to get through to other people, in this case the king.

• Your gifts are never about you, but about the people that God wants to use you to serve.
• Without this knowledge, you'll waste your life on personal gain but never find purpose.
• Your awesome, god-given gift is not to make you famous but to make Jesus famous.
• Think about how God wants to use your voice, your skills, your organizational ability for His kingdom.
• The body of Christ is an amazing entity, and you are a part, so do what you were designed to do.
• What makes you angry? You may be called to make it right.
• What breaks your heart?  You may be called to be a solution.
• What are you good at without trying?  That's the area in which God wants to use you.

3. Humility is just remembering that any good thing comes from God.  Worship is when we give it back to Him for His glory.

• God has promised to give grace to the humble.
• You've received it as a gift, so give it as a gift.

S.O.A.P. for Today

I love S.O.A.P.ing.  It's given me a fresh take on my times with the Lord in the mornings.  Let me recap for those who don't get the acronym.

S- Read a chapter from the reading guide or however you read and pick out 1 scripture that

    really speaks to you

O- write down any observations from your reading, there will be some about God, sin, the Holy

    Spirit, others, leaders, fools, wise, church, strength, whatever you see.

A- Your scripture verse should be viewed in terms of application. In other words ask yourself

     "How can I live this out today?" or "How can I do this today?"  Christianity is to be lived not

     just understood.

P- Pray and ask God to help you apply what you've seen and heard from Him.  Also, pray about

    any other needs in your life.

My S.O.A.P. verse today was:

6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.  2 john 6

• Loving God means obeying Him. LOVE = OBEDIENCE
• God always has something for us to do.
• Obeying God always results in me loving someone else.  Remember, it's all about loving  God and loving people.
• Your obedience will always show love towards people, that's God's heart, His passion, and His focus: people.
• This truth never changes, no matter how long we walk with God or to what level we rise in ministry.  
• I'm loving God by responding to His call on my life to pastor HOF church.  When I obey His voice to lead in a specific direction, I'm loving God.  
• When He prompts me to good works and I obey, I'm loving God.
• I've got to hear His voice in order to follow His command.  That's why I S.O.A.P.

Clean Your Windshield

One of the things I absolutely can't stand is when the windshield on my truck gets dirty with bug guts, dirt, and whatever else.  So when I get gas, I often wash my windshield because I love having clear vision when I drive.  I want to share with you how to have clear vision when you live.  I was at small group last night and this verse really spoke to me.

Romans 1:21 says, "Yes they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks.  And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.  As a result, their minds became dark and confused."


Wouldn't we all love to clearly see God, because when I can see Him, then it brings the rest of my life into focus: my relationships, things, finances, ministry, etc..  I've talk to some people with a whacked out picture of who God is and now I know why.

Worship and Thanks

Something powerful happens when we worship, yes that 20-30 minutes before the preaching is included as well as our own private worship time.  By worshipping, God reveals Himself to us, and we begin to see Him as He really is, not a legend, or a fairy tale, or some man's opinion, but God Almightly.
 Thanksgiving is the beginning of worship and it's a great starting place.  If you don't know how to worship always start by giving Him thanks for all the good things in your life.  Just thank Him for the normal, the routine, the incredible and the familiar.  Breath, life, air, sun, spouse, kids, job, you're getting the idea.  Giving thanks is starter worship.  As you thank Him, then you will begin to gain an understanding of how much more He wants to be to you and do for you, and then the worship kicks in.  When you can get a picture of who God is: Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, Friend, Father, it's will clarify how He desires to work in our lives.  He doesn't just want to save you from sin, but give you life and purpose and walk with you through this life as a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
 In reality, some of our ideas about who God is and how He deals with us are just foolish.  You'll never know until you worship and thank Him for what He's done and doing.

How to Handle Your Anger

My S.O.A.P. time was great today and thought I'd share some thoughts from Proverbs.

   Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.  Proverbs 29:11


This is some pretty strong language about how we handle things that frustrate and anger us.  We all have to deal with this issue.  Jesus tells us to be angry but don't sin, so we know that having anger is a valid, normal emotion.  Dealing with our anger is where our challenge to live lies.

Fools vent....

Venting is becoming a modern day pastime, road rage, telling people off, a good cussing.  We foolishly buy into the fact that if we could just vent the anger we feel inside that it will make the situation better.  Truth is that venting is one of the more destructive behaviors that you can engage in.  Venting ruins relationships and all of our life is built around relationships.   I've known people who vented at work and had to find another job, vented at home and damaged parent/child relationships, vented in public and had to answer for it legally.  The lie is that venting will make you feel better.  Venting just gets all those unhealthy, mostly wrong ideas into the open for everyone to see how out of touch with reality we are.

The wise quietly hold them back


The wise man is allowing the Spirit of God to develop the fruit of self-control in his life.  The wise man understands that just because you are feeling something doesn't mean that's the way it really is going.  There is something strong about a woman who can keep quiet in times when you feel like venting.  There is something powerful about a woman who can hold back her feelings and instead trust God with every situation.  Wise people keep their marriages, keep their kids, keep their jobs, keep their friends because they don't give in to the urge to blurt out everything they are feeling in the moment.

What to do?

When you are experiencing overwhelming emotions of anger you need to understand that God still expects you to be in control of your life and your tongue.  If you can, get to a quiet place where you can pour out your heart to God.  It's much better to tell God in prayer than to tell people in the heat of the moment.  I love that the psalms is full of real people pouring out real emotion to the Lord.  Let God deal with people, and if necessary, let Him deal with you.  Chances are that He is working in you to perform His will and plan for your life.  Remember, what you feel is not necessarily real.  What is real is God's word.  I have often found that my emotions have betrayed me as I believed things that I later found out were not true.  Stand on His Word, control your anger and watch God bless your life.

It Was My Turn, So I Did It

Yesterday was my day off and I had a busy day.  I got up and S.O.A.P.ed then I went to the gym to get a workout, then Vanessa and I took her dad to lunch at the Kemper Williams Golf Course in Patterson, LA.  After getting home about the time the kids got out of school, I decided to cut the grass at the entrance to my subdivision.  It was my turn.  See, we have no schedule, no committee to oversee this, we just take turns.  It's subdivision property and no one owns it.  It was my turn.  The last few times it's been cut, I didn't do it because I'd cut the grass my fair share of times.  But yesterday, I felt like it was my turn.  So I did it because it was my turn.  What needs attention in your life, house, work, or subdivision that is your turn.  No one is going to make you, but it just needs to be done.  What if everyone just took their turn think of how much stuff would get done and it wouldn't be a burden to just a few people.  Is it your turn to make coffee? bring the donuts? pick up the tab for lunch? wash the dishes? pick up the clothes? whatever it is, take your turn.  You will encourage someone today and will make a difference in someone's life at work, home or play.  Take your turn, don't have to be asked, don't have to be told, just see what needs to be done and do it.  I believe one of the best leadership practices is just to take your turn and do something that needs doing.  It's your turn now.

Top 10 Ways to Avoid Influencing people for Jesus

1. Ignore Jesus command to take a long hard look at the “fields” from John 4:35. 

• ·      Just stop, listen and look at what is happening in the lives of people today.
• ·      Brokenness, sickness, dysfunction, depression.
• ·      You have to look to really get His Book.

2. Focus on the same things that everyone else is focusing on.

• ·      Bigger car, house, 401K, job promotion.

3. Marry someone who only cares about himself or herself.

• ·      They think the Great Commission is your % after a big sale.
• ·      Have the perfect family, chase the perfect dream.

4. Stay away from really authentic Christians who are influential.

• ·      Their stories will distract you from chasing the American dream.

5. Focus on the “impossible” people who don’t want to hear

    about Jesus, you know, the vocal 2-5% who wouldn’t

     listen to Jesus Himself.

• ·      Forget about the multitude that will respond to love and an authentic life.

 6. Spend all your empty time obsessing over your faults and all the wrong things you’ve even done.

• ·      You know that everyone in the Bible was perfect, right?

7. Put “real” Christians on a pedestal, believing that they possess some magic gene that you just don’t have.

• ·      God could never use “ordinary people”. Could He?

8. Let people tell you that you are “indispensable” right where you are now.

• ·      We could never make it without you doing what you are doing right now.

9.  Worry about what you will say or do when the moment comes.

• ·      God could never give you a dynamic thought, could He?

10.  Go do life by yourself and without any training.

•      You will flame out and be home in time to catch the 6 pm news.

·      I knew it wouldn’t work.

3 THings That God wants for YOU

Colossians 2:1-4 (NLT)

I read these verses yesterday and really saw the heart of God speaking through Paul in Colossians.  Paul laid out a simple list of things that are God's heart for you.  You see it's not enough just to get people but God's desire is to grow people.  Here is the list and I think you will recognize the process, yes it's ours.

1. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love.

• BELONG
• Nothing says ,"you belong", like love.
• From belonging you get encouragement and develop a support system, a family

2.I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

• BELIEVE
• God's wants YOU to confidently understand His plan.
• You'll never get it and be confidant until you read His Word.
• S.O.A.P. 
• When you are convinced of God's will for you, then you become convincing to others.

3. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

• BECOME
• You are doing it without me, Paul says.
• The goal is to grow up into someone that doesn't need a mentor, but begins to mentor others.
• Become someone who can be an influencer for Jesus.

What are you planning?

Pro. 16:1-3 is a great read about making plans for our lives.  So many don't think of planning, they just prefer to live life and watch what happens.  I don't think that is wise.

There are 6.5 billion people on the earth, and they all have some kind of a plan if it's just what they are going to do today.

When we make plans together, the number of plans could swell to 20-25 billion plans in a 24 hr. period. We plan with our friends, spouses, kids, etc..

God has an answer to every plan.  The proverb says that God weighs our motives, even though we think our motive is fine.

When we commit our actions to the Lord and then our plans will succeed.  I know that I want my plans to succeed and so do you.

Paint a picture of the kingdom

The kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by......Matt. 25:14

I love how even in Jesus seemingly connecting words there is a message.  The Kingdom CAN be illustrated.   So much emphasis is put on the fact that God can't be seen, but the truth is that God's kingdom CAN be illustrated so that we can see it.  3 pictures are painted in Matt 25 that give us great insight into what the kingdom looks like and how it operates, and who it encompasses from the 3 parables of the chapter.

1. The kingdom can be illustrated by those who are ready and have enough oil.

• Those who look to Jesus as the source instead of men.  
• The kingdom is illustrated by those who keep their eyes on the King.

2. the kingdom can be illustrated by the servants who invest and increase what they are given.

• Using our God given gifts by investing in people and seeing them increase the kingdom for God.
• It's never about how much you have, but what you do with what you have.
• Those who do much will have more. That's the way of the kingdom.

3. The kingdom can be illustrated by those serving the least of these, the naked, the poor, the imprisoned.

• Jesus identifies w/ the broken and hurting.
• We serve Jesus when we serve the "lonely"

God sets the lonely in families, sets the prisoners free, and gives them great joy....Ps. 68:6

S.O.A.P. from Matt. 24

My S.O.A.P. verse today was Matt. 24:35
         Heaven and earth will disappear but my words will never disappear. 


After doing a little digging into what the word "disappear" means, this verse is very interesting. Jesus is giving a discourse to His disciples about the end times and what's going to happen, and they are understandably interested as we all would be.  He goes through the whole series of events about wars and rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, that will accompany the coming of the Lord.  At the end Jesus gives them this statement above in verse 35.  The word, disappear, has the implication of the passing of time, or of passing through a distance.  I thought of some of the trips we used to take to Michigan to see Mom's family.  Seemed like it took forever and that was before the days of the ipod so I just stared out the window watching the markers and signs flash past.  I think Jesus was telling the disciples not to let the events of time be the markers of their lives, but instead mark their lives by the words they heard from Jesus.  Most of us section our life by time: child, school, hi school, college, married, middle age, etc...  Don't measure your life by birthdays, that's just time with no significance.  Measure your life by what God has spoken to you.  The season of your salvation, when the H.S. drew you to Jesus and you answered the call. The season of growth, where you got in His Word and He spoke to you about life, finances, marriage, anything.  The season of service, where you began to live life for others and serve and find your place in God's plan.  Perhaps a season of leadership where you help influence and raise up the next generation of leaders.   Every time God speaks to you, it's significant.

Jesus Style Leader

Matt. 23 gives us some insight into what Jesus style leaders should do.  I'm going to go through some of them.  Using the religious leaders as a "how not to", Jesus tells His disciples they should follow their teaching but don't follow their example.  Here's what we can see a Jesus style leader(JSL) should be:

1. Jesus style leaders help to ease people's burdens.(v. 4)

• I'm there to help, so I need to be a blessing not a burden.

2. Jesus style leaders look to give, not what they get.(v.5-12)

• Not into titles, seats in the front, or respect in the crowd.
• Their humiltiy helps them be who they really are with no need to pretend.

3. Jesus style leaders continue to grow.(v. 13-15)

• They are constantly growing, and walking into new arenas that God opens to them.
• If we don't go new places, we can't take other's into new places.
• People are better off not worse after following a JSL.

4. Jesus style leaders are life-giving and not legalistic.(v. 16-22)

5. Jesus style leaders teach a holistic gospel.(v. 23-24)

• Can't pick and choose, Jesus wants to impact your whole life.

6. Jesus style leaders display an inside out work in their lives.( v. 25-28)

• Care more about the inside(heart) than the outside(look).

7.Jesus style leaders honor leaders of the past.(v. 29-31)

• Realizing we stand on the shoulders of leaders of the past.

6 Days to Create our 6 Month Future

In the beginning God spoke the earth into existence in 6 days the Bible tells us. We have a chance to speak into existence our future through corporate prayer. We are going to focus on praying those things now. God said, "Let there be light" because He was modeling how we create the future we are promised in Christ. There is power in our prayers and that's the way God has chosen for the kingdom to work. Let's commit the next 6 days to creating the next 6 months of our church future.

Man Up

Hey guys, Saturday morning, July 31, Pastor Bud Plake will be speaking at our final Man Up of the summer @ 7:30 a.m. in the activity center.  P Bud is a good friend of mine and a great pastor of The Freedom Church.  We are going to start with a slammin breakfast by Mrs. Gail, so you know it will be good.  Come on out and get your biscuit n bacon on, then get encouraged to man up for Jesus.  We thought we'd try out a morning meeting to get your weekend started off right and then you'll have to day to relax or work around the house.  I'll see you in the morning , so call or email somebody and let's Man Up.

End Times Events

Apocalyptic- means to "unveil" so apocalyptic writings are those with hidden meanings.

Eschatology: big word that means a study of the last days.

The day of the Lord- when you see that in scripture it means a time period, not a 24 hr. day.
                                  Usually associated with end times teaching and timelines.

Rapture- the catching away when Jesus returns for his bride, the church.  1 Thess. 4:15-17

• Jesus will not come to earth, but we will meet Him in the air.
• Both those dead in Christ and the living will be raptured.
• We will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
• One taken and one left.
• It's next on the Biblical agenda.

Tribulation- the 7 year period between the Rapture and the 2nd Coming of Christ.

• This is a period of God's wrath poured out on the earth.
• Will facilitate the rise of a world ruler who promises peace but can't deliver, will be called the Anti-Christ
• Antichrist - means anti or against Christ.  
• An enemy of Jesus, and His followers.
• Will decieve many, that spirit is already at work in the earth.
• The first three and a half years will not be so bad, but the last three and a half years will be the worst in all of history.
• 1 John 2:18-22

Mark of the Beast- a financial mark required by the Antichrist to do business.

• Rev. 3:16-18
• Those who refuse will be persecuted, possibly executed.

Armeggedon- A great battle that will take place, a battle between the antichrist and his 

                    armies and Jesus and the saints who come with Him to do war.

• Jesus will defeat the Antichrist and his armies 
• At a middle eastern location
• Rev. 19:11-21
• This is also known as the Second Coming of Christ, as He will set His feet on the temple mount in Jerusalem.
• Antichrist's defeat sets up next 1000 years

Millennium- 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

• Satan will be bound for this time, so no demonic influence.
• Rev. 20:1-3
• At the end of the 1000 year period, Satan will be released for a little while leading to the Great White Throne Judgement

Great White Throne Judgement

• Rev. 20:11-15
• God judges the living and the dead based on what they have done with their lives.
• Afterward Satan is cast into the pit eternally.

New Heaven and New Earth

• Rev. 21:1-7
• God reinvents it all again.
• The curse of time is removed and we live forever in eternity with Him.

XG Camp Alive 2010

Well, Vanessa and I were there for opening night of Alive 2010, and for Cayle's 1st camp sermon and he did great.  200 kids worshipping, and just getting away for some God time is awesome.  I have found that hanging around the next generation helps keep me young thinking.  I don't have to have the music as loud as they do, don't have to always embrace all the culture that they do, but I love their energy and passion for God.  As always, 1st night was great, seeing God call so many to turn to Him fully and to awake fully to Christ is a highlight.  Cayle's message to wake up was right on time.  They team did an incredible job and everything turned out beautifully.  Kudos to Rachel, Abigail, Joey, Kyle, Cayle, Bridgette, Courtland, Branden, the band, LeJuene, Summer Interns, and too many others to name that make it happen.  Gonna try to post some video and some pictures.

Youth Camp today, Eternity will be changed for many

I don't know if you've ever had to opportunity to attend a youth camp with HOF, but it's awesome.  So much work and planning has gone into the next 3 days and I know that God will honor it with His Presence.  Lives are changed at youth camp, young men and women are called by God at youth camp, God's voice is heard at youth camp for so many.  It's powerful, it's priceless and it's fun.  This is P. Cayle's 1st year to "lead" XG at camp, and I'm looking forward to hearing him preach tonight for the 1st time.  200 youth coming together for one thing: Jesus.  It's not too late to register as we won't be leaving until around 10:30 am or 11 but you'd better get moving quickly.  I have 2 sons going and am looking forward to all that God is going to do in their lives.  Next Generation is the life of any church, pray for the next 3 days, these will be the future leaders of our churches, families, and community.  Camp is on, it's time to be made ALIVE

July 4th Celebration Service

This Sunday falls on July 4th, only happens every few years.  What a fitting day to celebrate Independence Day.  Freedom is a precious commodity, both politically and personally.  Freedom is a God idea, and our freedom as a nation was a work of God though many don't choose to recognize that fact.  So many God moments contributed to the founding of our nation and it was for a reason.  So that we can use our freedom to bless the world and share the Good News.  America has done just that.  It's the same reason that God wants to bring freedom to your life, so that you can share the Good News with others.  So many are not free, but instead are bound by hurts, habits, and hangups in their lives.  This Sunday we talk about freedom, real freedom which I'm convinced is misunderstood.  Freedom can be yours.  It is God's will for your life.

S.O.A.P. What are you writing with your tongue?

Psalms 45:1  Beautiful words stir my heart, .....for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

I was thinking that if our tongues are a pen, what are we going to be writing today?

Tabloid piece: Tabloids deal in rumor and the latest gossip, and when engage in rumor and
                     talk about people discussing their problems and issues, we are in fact writing a
                    tabloid piece.

Hatchet piece: This is where articles are written that chop people up and criticize them over
                     something they've said or done.

Horror story: This is when all we talk about are the hard or difficult things that we are
                    experiencing.  Recounting the horrors instead of God's help.

Novel: You know, you just talk and talk and talk and really don't have much to say, it's all
          fiction anyway.

Wish list: all of our words center on the things we wish we had or want someone to give us.

And I could go on and on, but i think you get the message.  If our tongue is a pen, then we can use it to write beautiful words to our great God or use it to write things that only discourage and damage the hearer.

I want my tongue to write an first person story on the goodness of God.

Lord, you are my only hope! S.O.A.P.

Reading Psalm 39 this morning, and it's good stuff.

This psalm of David begins with David making the statement that he's not going to sin anymore, he's going to watch what he says and do good. But then he goes silent, because he realizes that he can't keep himself from sinning.  I think we've all said, "I'm not going to do that anymore".  But when we really get honest, we know that if we possessed that power we wouldn't have done it in the first place.  He asks God to show him how short life is, my guess is to motivate him to passion towards God.
Then he says, Lord, you are my only hope.  Rescue me from my rebellion.  David does what we all must learn to do and that's ask God for His help, because it's only through Him that we can live this life.

Father's Day this Sunday

Father's Day is this Sunday and I want to encourage you to honor your father(and you should have also for Mother's Day) this weekend.  That is one of the commands that comes with a promise in the Bible.


                Ephesians 6:3 (NLT)

                3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you,
                   and you will have a long life on the earth.”*

Listen to these stats on those who don't have fathers from www.parents4justice.us

• Girls without a father in their lives are two and a half times more likely to get pregnant and 53% more likely to commit suicide.
• Boys without a father in their lives are 63% more likely to run away and 37% more likely to abuse drugs.
• Both boys and girls are twice as likely to drop out of school, twice as likely to end up in jail, and nearly 4X as likely to have emotional or behavioral problems.

In the gospel of Matthew in chapter 28 we are challenged to "Go and make disciples..."  I really believe that begins in our homes.  Our children are our main disciples, and then we work outward to all others.  Disciples are made by discipline, which simply means training.  When we intentionally train our children in the ways of the Lord three very interesting things occur:

 1. You really feel like you belong to God.

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.              Heb 12:7

• As you train(teach them how to live) your kids develop a feeling of belonging to you.

2. You have the capacity to believe God

8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.           Heb 12:8

                                                           

• Training makes you legit, as MC Hammer said, "To legit to quit"l.
• When it's real to you, you can beleive.

3. You have the ability to become.

But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.                                    Heb 12:11

• It produces something good in us, a peaceful harvest of right living.  

A New Coaching Network

I was so impacted after my last coaching network that I enrolled in another one along with Wade.  He's going to plant a church in the semi-near future so I want to expose him to as much learning as I can to see him be a huge success, which I'm confident he will.  I believe that we all need coaching, no matter how long we've been a believer or what place we rise to in our walk.  All of the greats in sports and business utilized coaching.  I need it and look forward to it in my life now more than ever before.  What makes a person NOT want to be coached?  That's an interesting question that I'll explore here a little.  In Matt. 8:9ff the centurion spoke with Jesus and told Jesus he was a man UNDER authority.  He was coachable, and Jesus said about the centurion that HE had not seen such great faith.  I believe a lack of faith makes us uncoachable.  When we believe that God wants to do a great work in us, that God sends those exact people to us, then we have faith to submit to coaching and see ourselves grow.

S.O.A.P.ing Today

Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)

—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

I've been thinking about this verse this morning especially the "once for all time" phrase.  How many things do you know that you can do "once for all time"?  Not many that I can think of but Jesus gave His life "once for all time". That's just a huge thought, He's never going to change His mind or change His heart about you and I and what was accomplished on the Cross.  Imagine the pressure that takes off of us, we don't have to worry about Jesus changing His mind.  What that means to me and you is that He never going to change His mind about loving us, forgiving us, helping us, praying for us, saving us, comforting us, empowering us, leading us, using us, blessing us, etc...   There is one thing you can be confident in today and that's in God's love for you.  I can't be confident in much about me, but my confidence is in Christ and His once for all time commitment to me.  It's gonna be a great day.

Dirty Church

I am so anticipating this weekend and part 2 of Dirty Church.  We are talking about the process of becoming good soil.  You know the seed of God's Word is good seed, and the season is right for growth, so the only variable is us, the soil.  The good news is that our soil(hearts) can be made into good soil.  This week we delve into the rocky soil.  As a believer we have got to trust the process that God is working in our lives.  P. Greg did a phenomenal job last night talking about waiting on God from the story of the 5 foolish virgins and the 5 wise virgins.  We all start out as pathway soil, you know, hard and indifferent until we repent and then God's Word can find a place in our hearts.  The next part of the process is to overcome being rocky soil.  I promise it will be good and speak to your heart.  See you Sunday.

Living Sacrifice

I've been wrestling with Paul's encouragement that our lives are to be a "living sacrifice" to the Lord.  Those 2 words, living and sacrifice, just don't seem to go together at first, but it really begs us to pay attention to what Paul is saying in Romans 12:1.  "Sacrifice" is the noun that defines us.  We are called to give our lives in the same manner that Christ gave His life.  The idea of dying to self and to our selfish ways best embodies this act of sacrifice.  It's hard to say no to something so determined and defiant as our flesh.  Still we are challenged to sacrifice our will to the Father's.  "Living" is the adjective to describe us.  When we give our life as a sacrifice to Jesus, then we experience the power that raised Jesus from the dead and we are alive.  Philippians 3:10-11 Paul states,

                 "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised 
                   Him from the dead.  I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death
                  so that one way or another I may experience  the resurrection 
                  from the dead."

It's by knowing Christ and His sufferings that we experience the power of the resurrection by the Holy Spirit.  We are not called just to know, but to experience God.  I want to know by experience not just by someone telling me.  Determine to live your life as a "living sacrifice" today and make yourself available to that mighty power that raises from the dead and causes us to live.

SOAP for today

Today I was reading in Philippians 2 and thought I'd share some things that spoke to my heart.


2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?
                                                                                                         Php 2:1


Our relationship with God provides some things for us as outlined by Paul in the form of questions.

1. We gain encouragement from belonging to Christ.

• Knowing what Christ has done for us leads us to be greatly encouraged in our faith.
• THat God would care for me so much is the most encouraging thought I can think.

2. We gain comfort from being loved by God.

• God's love is an active comfort in our lives, we are never far from His love if we take the time to realize and respond to Him.
• Knowing that I'm loved by someone comforts me greatly.  Knowing that I'm loved by God is beyond comprehending.  He who is perfect loves me who is imperfect.  
• Not just love in words, but in action, The Cross, love personified.

3. We are not alone because of our fellowship with His Spirit

• We are not alone because His Spirit lives in us.
• The Spirit of God walks beside us teaching, leading, convicting, helping.
• He's our supernatural helper in this life we live.  

4. Our hearts are soft to His leading.

• This walk with God produces a soft and tender heart for God and for people.
• God's nature becomes our nature so that we can act and live like He does.

Let's Turn Up the Heat

I'm so fired up for the next 5 weeks as we begin a new series of messages.  This Sunday I'll be sharing some thoughts about how God sees us and wants to bless us out of the Book of Job.  Then we will begin a series called "Dirty Church" that I can't wait to get into.  I was SOAPing one day in the gospels and God spoke some things to me through the parable of the sower.  I can't wait to share this with HOF as I believe it will be a blessing to our lives.  I know we all take a breather once school is out and the routine is relaxed a bit, but let's keep our eyes on the prize and make this summer count for Jesus.  Summer is prime growing time: grass is growing, veggies are growing, you and I need to be growing too.

While I was away

As many of you know, we were away on vacation the last 2 Sundays and it sure is great to get back home.  I am always reminded of how much I miss this place when we are gone.  It's great to get away but it's better to come home.  We did the Disney thing in Orlando and it was alright, but it made for long, tiring days.  I heard that church was slamming while I was away and I can't say enough about how I appreciate the staff God has blessed us with at HOF who take care of things whether I'm here or not.  I don't ever want our church to be built on a personality, but on Jesus Christ and the leading of His Spirit.  Our church must be bigger than any one person, while all are valuable, we are all the church.  That's the reason that I want all who will to be involved in the life of our church.  Just like a ball team, we need to be 2-3 deep at every position whether preaching, worship, children's ministry, ushers, at every position.  Well, I"m getting back in the groove and looking forward to speaking to HOF this Sunday.  I've got a fresh passion for church and something that I believe is a timely word for our church.  Then in the 1st Sunday of June we are beginning a new series called "Dirty Church".  I'm pumped. It's going to be  great summer and let's see what God will do.

Mother's Day at the House

Mother's Day at the House is going to be exciting.  Tommy Tenney will be with us for both services.  Tommy is best known for his God Chaser book  and has a passion for God's presence.  I know that you will be changed and impacted by his ministry this Sunday.  Recently while reading the bible, I read Jesus' analogy which compares Christ and His church to the union of a man and his wife.  Ever since that time, I can't read the bible without thinking of any woman mentioned as having a special message for the bride of Christ, His church.  There have been so many influential women in the bible and their lives have much to speak to us.  While SOAPing today in Prov. 5, I read about the immoral woman versus the faithful loving wife.  What a powerful picture of what God is doing in these days, raising up a church(bride) that is faithful, loving and very satifying to His heart.  It's going to happen, and you need to be a part of what God is doing in His church.  You belong in God's house.

Haiti missions tonight

Tonight at Connection Cafe we are talking about the recent HOF trip to Haiti.  Come see the pictures and hear the stories of how you are making a difference in the lives of people all over the world.  Missions is our heartbeat and one of the foundations of our church. We believe that God cares about people, all people in every country.  We are blessed to be able to reach out and serve them through ministry.  I answered an email today from the Phillipines that wants to partner with us.  Whether we are giving water to those in our own parish, backpacts to the homeless in New Orleans, or love to the displaced in Haiti, missions is our Mission.  Also, XG will host the 1st ever Pillow Pit.  Don't ask me, but it sounds like a ton of fun.  Get your teen to church and we'll enjoy a meal together and talk about what it means to be on a mission.

AllAccess2010

Well, the conference is over and I have to say it may have been the absolute best ARC conference to date. Every speaker had a timely word and so much spoke to my heart as a pastor and a person living for God. I have to say that the HPC Arena is an absolute wonder, you can really see the impact that Hillsong Church has had in Dino and DeLynn's life. They did a fantastic job hosting and it was great being 25 min. from home. It was also bad being 25 min. from home because it's great to get away with the team for some great away time. It was so good to see all of the friends that we've made over the years of ARCing together. My A Team buds were there and they are all just the best of God's people. I'll be there again nest year and I hope that you will too. Looking forward to all the God has us involved in, and i know that the best is still to come.

Nehemiah 12:30

30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people,

and the gates, and the wall.

This verse simply shows the progression of the work of God in a family or a church. God always begins with one person. I cannot ask someone else to change their lives until I've first let God work in me. The purifying process is an inside out work. If you want to see some movement in your home or your business or your church then allow God to work in you. The priest had to deal with themselves before they stood in front of others and told them how to live. That is the power of the gospel, it's alive and at work in me and then it flows over into others. While the wall was built for protection of the people, it was the overflow of what God was doing in the people that purified the project of the wall. An interesting question is "Do the people make the church pure?'" or "Does the church make the people pure?" The projects that God give us to accomplish are made pure by the purity of the people who are called to lead and accomplish them.

Semi-Big Announcement This Sunday

This Sunday you won't want to miss out on the big announcement that affects everyone. It's going to be good so don't let the time change of moving up an hour keep you out of church. One hour less of sleep is not going to be worth what God is doing at HOF. Also, starting a new 3 sermon series on Nehemiah and I feel like it's going to speak to hearts.

What a great SOAP morning today

Today I read Nehemiah 6 and really felt like God spoke to my heart about the direction we need to move in for the next 3 Sundays. It all has to do with the 3 battles that Nehemiah faced and how he responded to the attempts of the enemy to distract him. You are going to be the victim of a distraction attempt and we have to be prepared to know how to answer or else we could become a victim.

#1 First challenge: the challenge of purpose

Enemy says, "Meet me in the plains of Ono." Nehemiah replies, "I'm engaged in a great work and can't come. Why should I stop working and meet with you."

• Purpose defines our schedule
• Purpose determines our friends
• Purpose helps us know when to say, "NO"
• Purpose keeps me ending up at Oh no!

Preaching it this Sunday and I'm pumped.

Rebuilding the Wall

I'm currently S.O.A.P.ing in Nehemiah and really being challenged as a believer and a leader. The whole idea of "rebuilding the wall" is such a God idea for our lives. When you think about a wall and what a wall does, then you know why we need one. Walls in Nehemiah's day spoke significance about a city. It says, "There are things of value here that need to be protected". Our lives are that way also, we are valuable and need God's protection around us. Broken down walls serve no purpose, they can't keep out what doesn't belong nor keep protected what is valuable. A person's life with a broken down wall is open to anything the enemy wants to do: steal, kill, or destroy. The enemy reallizes how valuable we are and will begin to build the wrong kind of walls of resentment, unforgiveness, jealousy, insecurity, etc... if we won't allow God to build His kind of walls in our lives. Godly walls are built when we obey God's commands to : forgive, be generous, pray, fellowship, partner with others, take part in the local church, etc... There is so much protection when we allow Godly walls to be built in our lives. Let Him continue the building process in your life today.

S.O.A.P. Nehemiah 2:18

"Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me..."

I can remember when I had to do something for the 1st time or that was hard to do and my dad would just put his hand on my shoulder. It's amazing how much courage and comfort you get with Dad's hand on your shoulder. That's exactly the image that I see when I read this passage in the Bible. God wants to put His hand, that strong, steadying, stable hand on your life and it will make all the difference in the world. Nehemiah gave it the credit for his success with the king he served. He called it the "gracious hand" of God or the hand that brings the grace of God into my life. Grace can be thought of as "love in action" and so when God loves us and takes action on our behalf then He places His hand of grace on us. Instantly things begin to happen and success is realized where maybe none has been realized before. Ask today for God to place His gracious hand on your life, it will make all the difference.

Belong Believe and Become

I'm still pumped after last Sunday's service especially seeing so many people make the decision to take the next step in their walk with the Lord. I've found that many feel bad about their lives because they just haven't ever had someone tell them what it looks like to "win" in life. A win in our life with Christ is just to be willing to take the next step with Him. For some that will mean water baptism, for some the baptism in the Holy Spirit, for some serving, but we all can take the next step in Christ. We are plagued by this notion that living for God is just a series of doing good things, when in reality God is helping us to become new creations. I believe that God has led me to this simple process that we at HOF are to help people to move through: Belong, Believe , and Become.

Belong: I can remember when I went away from Christ as a teenager and it was because I didn't

feel like I belonged. My goal is to make everyone who has any contact with HOF to

understand that they belong to Christ. The great church leader Paul said, "you belong

to God". That's huge because of what it also means, that we don't belong in some

places we find ourselves. When you know where you belong then it's easy to know

how to live.

I'll post more later

Grow in Love 2010

Grow in Love 2010 is in full swing. As we grow in love by S.O.A.P.ing for at least 20 of the next 30 days and doing 10 random acts of kindness, I want to encourage you in your efforts.

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people

grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

1 Thess. 3:12NLT

Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit, was saying that our love growing is not the goal, but overflowing is the goal. Overflow speaks of running out of our life into the lives of those around us. That's how the gospel is moved through a family, workspace, or a community. And not just for church people, while that's a start, it's for all people. So come on HOF, let's overflow in love:

• 20 days of S.O.A.P. so God can overflow on us
• 10 Acts of kindness to overflow on people.

This is the gospel.

19 years today

Today is Vanessa's and my anniversary. We are celebrating 19 years together and believing that the best is yet to come. We met at a youth crawfish boil at Dale and Lori Martin's house as she was riding home with a friend and stopped by the outing. She soon started attending here and we began to spend time together in group outings and then after knowing her for about a year I asked her out. We dated for 1.5 years and then had a whopping 50 day engagement. Our wedding colors were peach and navy blue. My father officiated the ceremony and her pastor participated. We honeymooned in Steamboat Springs, CO. I taught her how to ski that week, which almost resulted in a divorce on the slopes. God has blessed us tremendously in every way, but especially with 4 children and a church family that we love. I can't thank both of our parents enough for helping us and pointing us to Jesus. I am loving the journey.

Kingdom movement today

Today is really a special day for several reasons. First off, today is the day that leaders are saying goodbye to the old and will mark their transition to something new. That's always a bittersweet moment, but so necessary. I'm grieved by the fact that so many are stuck in the same old ruts of life, knowing that something needs to be done but having no power to break out of the old. I guess that's why God uses leaders, changers, motivators, and mold-breakers. I am so proud of Wade and Cynthia Moran and Rob and Carly Mooney for their hearts to go to another level for kingdom purposes.

It's also a great day because Cayle and Bridgette, okay they will be official sometimes this year, are stepping into something new. I love seeing those who once listened and responded become the ones who lead and do and reach others. This is kingdom movement. There is so much movement that happens that has nothing to do with kingdom, it's because of offense and incompetence and because of an itch to just do something else. But today this movement is kingdom minded and for kingdom purposes. As I look forward, I've never been more convinced that "The Best is Yet To Come" for HOF and for you.

S.O.A.P. on Romans 7-8

Here are some key thoughts that I think we have to live with in our minds:

1. Law only applies to the living. (verses 1-6)

• We died to it's power in Christ.

2. Law is not bad, but sin took advantage of the laws commands and deceived me.

• Sin used the law to kill me. (verses 7-13)

3. The trouble is not the law, the trouble is in me, the way I think. (verses 14-25)

• The answer is Christ Jesus.
• The battle is in my mind.

"I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind." Romans 7:22-23

4. I must begin each day with God's thoughts for me, not how I feel. (8:6)

• When I start with how I feel, I will always end up in the wrong place.
• When I begin with what God says about me, I will please God.

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:6

Super Bowl

Wow, what a game! I can't remember when I've enjoyed a game as much as last night's Super Bowl. We were at a friend's house and had a lot of great food and deserts, but the game was all that a Super Bowl is supposed to be. Both teams played well, not a lot of penalties, exciting plays all around and the Saints are the champs of the world in football. Just a testament to the fact that with the right ownership, leadership, personnel, and work ethic then great things are possible. I'm sort of a Saints bangwagon fan, I've watched but have not been emotionally attached. I'm a believer now, I really like Sean Payton and Drew Brees. They strike me as real good process guys that believe in something and work the plan to perfection. It certainly made for a great Sunday at church with everyone pumped about the game. I believe that God is up to something in HOF. I can't wait to see it unfold.

Rom. 6:19

In S.O.A.P.ing this morning I saw something I think is a huge thought for us. It's from this verse:

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

• The phrases, "you let yourselves......." and "Now you must give yourselves....." really speak volumes about our lives before knowing Christ and after.
• If your life is defined by what you let happen to you because you don't exercise your will to choose, then you aren't living the life God has designed for you.
• If your life is defined by what you are giving yourself to then God's word is alive and working in you.
• Paul is using the "slave" analogy to help us to see that we are all slaves to something. Sin by letting ourselves sink into whatever comes along.
• I'm a slave to Christ when I give my life to Him and His will.

Do you ever feel like you are just pulled along by the current of what everybody else is doing and what friends are doing? You let people talk you into things, you let others manipulate you into situations that are not comfortable? God's not like that, His will for you is to be able to exercise your free will to choose because that's how He made you. You choose to give your life to Him, you choose to give your love to Him, YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE. God made you with the power to choose, the power to choose Him. I choose to give him my life today. It's going to be a great day.

Romans 5 S.O.A.P.

13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Romans 5:13-14

What an interesting thought here about sin and the law. Even though sin was in the world long before there was law to break, men still died from sin. Too often sin is viewed as the breaking of someone's law, man's or God's, when in reality sin is like a deadly disease. The law is merely a sin detection system for our lives. Kind of like the smoke detector in your house. When you burn something while cooking, the smoke detector goes off and alerts you to the real problem, that something may be on fire. Same thing with the law, because the real problem is this deadly thing called sin in our lives that will result in death if not dealt with in the right manner. So men sinned before the law, or they just never had a detection device to let them know how they were doing. The end result is today what it was in those early days: death. Jesus' life provides us with the antidote for sin: forgiveness.

21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:21

Coaching Network in Arkansas

Well we finally made it to NW Arkansas after being delayed in Memphis because of bad weather. I know it is going to be well worth it because one thing I've found is that when something is very hard to accomplish it has great value to it. Today was strong, as we caught up with my friends in the coaching network and what is going on in their lives and ministries. We are being coached in using various tools to gain a proper perspective of what has happened, what is happening, and what needs to happen in our churches. I guess the best way to describe it is that all my thinking about church is being challenged, I'm having to reevaluate the way I've thought about people, leaders, and ministry in the light of some new truths. Our host, Casey Henigan and his team, are very gracious and Keypoint Church is a happening church. Casey hosted us at his home tonight and it was great to hang out with so many cutting edge leaders. Vanessa is with me, and she's been visiting her best friend from her single life so I'm happy for her. They see each other so seldom. We are in Bentonville, the home of WalMart so this is like a trip to the Shopping Mecca for Vanessa. Snow covers the ground, they have had about a foot of snow in the last 3-4 days.

S.O.A.P. Jonah 1

Book of Jonah is one of my favorites because I see myself in so much of his story. As I read Ch. 1 today, I was impacted by 3 thoughts:

1. Jonah 1:9 where Jonah said, "I'm a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.

• Even though Jonah's words say the right things about him, his life's actions say something different because when God told him to go to Ninevah, he went the opposite direction.
• Our words and our actions need to connect to say the same thing or else our lives will have no meaning.
• Am I doing the OPPOSITE of what God has told me and still saying I worship Him?
• Is that even possible?

2. Jonah 1:12-14 The sailors asked, "What should we do to stop this storm? Jonah said, Throw me into the sea and it will become calm. Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to try to make it to shore."

• When we aren't willing to listen to God, then others will not be willing to listen to us.
• This causes a ton of hardship in families and elsewhere because even though you may be in a leadership position, people don't follow positions, they follow people who have credibility because of obedience.
• Are you willing to follow the Spirit's leading? if so, then others will see that in our lives and be willing to follow us.

3. Jonah 1:6 The captain to Jonah, "How can you sleep at a time like this? Wake up and pray

to your god. Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives."

• How can we sleep(spiritually) now?
• These times require us to be alert, awake, and at our stations.
• Your family needs you, your church needs you, and your community needs you to wake up.
• Going the opposite direction from God produces sleep(spiritual) in our lives.
• Am I asleep below deck or awake and in my place?

S.O.A.P. Jude 6

Jude 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of the authority God gave them, but LEFT THE PLACE WHERE THEY BELONGED....... Wow something happens when a person chooses to leave the place where they belong. All of us have the need to belong somewhere, and that somewhere is in God's house, the local church. The rest of that chapter gives us a look at what a person's life will look like once they have left the place where they belong. The most defining statement is in verse 10 which says they do whatever their instincts tell them. I've realized that there are only 2 ways to live: 1)by your instincts or carnal nature or 2) led by the Spirit of God. We can either rely on worldly thinking or spiritual guidance. Worldly thinking will lead us into destruction while Holy Spirit guidance will take us from grace to grace and glory to glory. Have you left the place where you belong? Gotten offended, gotten angry, felt betrayed, felt like you were done wrong? It's possible, but no reason to leave the place where you belong. That's why we must forgive and talk together and get it right and love despite our faults, which we all have. Go back to that place, make it right, and let God bless your life again.