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The "WHY?"

2011-06-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Paul writes in 1 Tim. 1:5-6

The purpose of my instructions is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 6. But some people have missed this whole point......and spend their time in meaningless discussions.

Why do we do what we do as believers? Why do we lead small groups? Why do we teach children or adults? So that everybody is filled with love.

Love is in such short supply in the world today and the church should have the largest reservoir of love in every community.

Wal-Mart sells everything, hardware stores have building supplies, dealerships sell cars, and the church should be full of love. Love for the lost, love for the Lord, love for each other. Not just any kind of love, but the kind that results from these 3 things:

1. A pure heart produces a pure love. Pure means that it's "unmixed" with anything else. Too often the love the world sees has a profit motive behind it or some other kind of agenda. As we live for God with a pure heart then we'll demonstrate a pure love. Love for the good of the one being loved, no ulterior motive and no agenda.

2. Love produced by a clear conscience. A guilty conscience loves in order to feel better about self. That's not really acting in love at all. When our conscience is clear before the Lord, then we can love and not really care how it's seen or perceived by others. We know our hearts and can obey His leading without being overly concerned about what people think.

3. Love that results from a genuine faith. Genuine faith is our response to the voice of the Master in our hearts. Love that steps out at His Word, not based on convenient circumstances. It's a love based on believing what God said rather than what is seen.

This is the Why?

What you can boldly expect from God!

2011-06-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

I was S.O.A.P.ing the other day and had a renewed view of a scripture that continues to encourage and inspire me.

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

2 Things we are promised when we go to God boldly:

1. Mercy will be received.

When I think of mercy, I think of the past because most of us need mercy because of something in our past. We've sinned, blown it, or messed up and realize that only because of the mercy of God can we be forgiven.
Mercy is received, which means He gives it to us, it's not something that we earn or deserve.
Sunday, I talked about the fact that we were once a people who hadn't received mercy but now our identity is that we are a people who have received God's mercy.

2. Grace will be found to help.

If all we ever did was to fall and get mercy, we are not taking advantage of all the God has promised us from His throne.
We will find grace to help us when we need it.
This helps us not to make the same mistakes over and over again. You don't have to wander around the same mountain in the wilderness for 40 years.
Grace is God's gift that helps us out in a supernatural way.
There can be a grace to endure, or a grace to change or a grace to believe.
What do you need to not fall into the same rut? Ask for that grace today, and you'll find it.

These 2 things are inseparable and you need one as much as the other. Together they hold the key to your future in Christ. The best is yet to come.

Regret #5: I wish I had chosen to be happier

2011-06-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

I've been going through the 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware and today we get to #5.

5) I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. "

Do you want to be happy? I don't know anyone who would answer "no" to that question. However, many don't know that happiness is a choice we make and not an emotion that we feel. Happiness is not dependent on your circumstances and you can choose to be happy right in the middle of unpleasant things. I thought she mentioned a few key things:

Fear of change
Inability to laugh at self
Stuck in old patterns

Life is an ever changing, always shifting proposition and if we are unwilling to go with the flow then we'll find it hard to find happiness.

Psalms 86:4

Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to You.

Happiness is the result of giving: giving yourself to the Lord, giving yourself to friendships, giving yourself to fun, giving yourself to serving, giving your life for a purpose and a cause.

Are you happy today? If not, maybe you should do what the psalmist did and give yourself to the Lord and let Him give you happiness.

Recap of 5 Regrets and then #4

2011-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to give you a short recap of something that I think will help you to live better and that's the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Wade. I know it sounds a little morbid, but people who are dying have no agenda and so they just tell it like it REALLY is supposed to be.

1. I wish I would have had the courage to pursue my dreams.
2. I wish I didn't work so much.
3. I wish I would have had the courage to express my feelings.

It's amazing that God will deal with everyone of these things in our lives as we allow Him to speak to us. Let's go to #4.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships."

The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life, a wise person wins friends. Pro. 11:30

I have been blessed to always have good friends in my life, and the quality of my friendships has increased over time. I think it's because I was raised in church and the scripture places such emphasis on friendships. David and Jonathan, Paul and Silas, Job and his friends, and the list goes on and on. So while I thought I was learning about God and how to live right, in reality I was being taught how to be a friend and how to keep a friend. It's been said that the only people we ever win to Jesus will be our friends because no one wins a enemy to Christ. That's our mandate for friendships. C.S. Lewis said "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

Friendship gives value to our lives, and I'm richest when I'm enjoying my friends. Tomorrow, I'll get to have lunch with a new friend from Birmingham and my life will get richer. Don't give up friendships for careers or allow technology to isolate you. Social networks are useful but don't they don't take the place of face to face friendships. Here are a few truths I've learned:

To have friends you have to be a friend. Focus on what friends do and do that.
Nice people have more friends so BE NICE, to everyone, all the time.
Not everyone will agree with my opinions even my friends. Get over it.
As will all relationships, grace and forgiveness keep them going. Do unto others...

#3 of the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

2011-05-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win. "

Paul writing said,

"Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us.

2 Cor. 6:11-12

We all need to be able to speak from our hearts those things that we feel, especially in relationship to others like our spouse or friends.
Honesty doesn't have to be and shouldn't be mean, but it does have to be honest.
It's this freedom to share our hearts that deepens and makes relationships much richer.
There is great value and healing in being apart of a relationship like this and you can find them in small groups at HOF.
Small groups are such a powerful tool that we all participate in already. Let's use what we already do and make a place for Jesus in it.
Are you in a place where you can share how you really feel?
Small groups for the summer are coming, get ready.

#2 of the 5 regrets of the Dying

2011-05-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I started a series of posts entitled "5 Regrets of the Dying" by Bronnie Ware. Here's my thoughts behind it. I think there would be alot to learn from those who have had to face their worst fears, mistakes and eternity. I think it will help put our lives into perspective and gives us a chance to live our lives without as many regrets. So here's #2:

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and

their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to

your new lifestyle. "

I think every man should understand this about life. Giving the best of your life to some company instead of to Christ and your family will leave you empty later in life.
Understand, you have to work, I get that. But who gets your best? Who gets the leftovers?

Mark 8:36-37(NLT)

36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?t 37 Is anything worth more than your soul?

Ask the Lord to help you redefine what is needed for a happy, fulfilled, joyful life. I think you will find that it's not what is portrayed to us in the media. You can have your best life now, with His help and by His grace. At the end of the day it will be the relationships in your life that will make you a wealthy person.

5 Most Common Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

2011-05-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

Kaladze Five Regrets of the Dying By Bronnie Ware. For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.People grow a lot when they are faced with their own morta... more

Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those

who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I

was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I

learned never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some

changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, such as

denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance.

Every single patient found their peace before they departed though,

every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I would have had the courage to pursue some of my dreams.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their

life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how

many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honoured

even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to

choices they had made, or not made. It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it. "

Pro. 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

What are God's dreams for you? Do you know? Have you ever asked Him?
Today you can be working towards God's dream for you and the best life possible.
Your most important journey will be the journey to discover why God placed you where you are, gifted you how you are, and wired you the way you are. He did it by design.
You must believe that God made you by design, discover why. How? Get in the growth track on Sunday, May 29 @ 9:00am at HOF

Live your best life today

2011-04-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

While S.O.A.P.ing this morning I thought this might encourage you in your life and walk today.

Psalms 101:2b I will lead a life of integrity in my own house.

This was the desire of King David as he wrote this psalm, and he gives us some key points as to how to do this. I can't think of a better or more needed place to live a life of integrity than in our homes. I know that I've been tempted to "slack off" and view my home as a place to get away rather than a place to really live my life well. When I think about it, the home is the best and most important place to live that life of integrity. It's where it all starts. Jesus wants to start working in your home. Here's what David said:

First the don'ts

v. 3 Don't look at wrong images:
-TV and internet, caution.
-Images stick in our minds.
-Say "yes" to God and He'll help you say "no" to the junk.
Choose friends wisely:
-You become like them.
-Don't underestimate the power of this truth.
v. 4 Reject perverse ideas:
- Fill your mind w/ God ideas.
-Read the Bible for God's ideas.
Don't endure pride and conceit.:
-It's not about you.
-Some never get this, you must if you are going to prosper.

Now the Do's

v. 6 Have faithful people for friends-Get in a small group, asap.
-These kinds of friends are like gold in your life.
-These friends have a genuine faith and encourage you in yours.
v. 8 Work to bring freedom to others in your city.
-You need to have a cause, and a purpose.
-Serve the Lord in your local church.
-Find it and live it.

You have to be able to say "yes" in order to say "no"

2011-04-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but when I run God seems to give me things. This morning as I ran, I was thinking about all the pain in the world because it's so hard to say "no" to some things. Just think if we could say "no" to unhealthy lifestyles, we'd render the healthcare debate moot. You do realize that most disease is a lifestyle issue and could be avoided by changing your behavior? What if we could say "no" to impulsive buying, we could totally defeat this whole credit crisis that the world is experiencing. If we could say "no" to our emotions, we could see real relationships blossom and thrive.

This is the thought I had:

  Saying "yes" to God enables you to say "no" to all the wrong stuff.

When an unclean spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, "I will return to the person I came from." So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. matt. 12:43-44

An empty house will deteriorate in an unbelievably short amount of time. That's why empty homes don't sell well, nor do they age well. Emptiness means they respond to the environment around them. When it's cold, the house is cold, when it's hot, the house is hot. Hot and cold means expansion and contraction and will ruin a house. That's why we keep our homes a constant temperature.
  Saying "yes" to Jesus fills your house with Him. Continually saying "yes" to Jesus, continually fills your house with Him. It produces a constant spiritual temp that wards off the unclean looking for someone who's empty. Note that your house can be swept and in order, but still a destination for something unclean. Neat and orderly cannot replace being filled. It's not enough to get your life in order, but you must say "yes" to God's plan for you, then you'll be filled with purpose, direction, passion, and love. Then it'll be much easier to say "no" to the unclean things that try your life.
   If you are having trouble saying "no" to some unhealthy things in life, why don't you try taking and moment and say "yes" to Jesus.

Jeremiah 7:23 (New International Version, ©2011)

²³ but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.

ARC All Access 2011 Almost here

2011-03-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday, April 5 @ 4 p.m. will kick off the annual ARC AllAccess2011 Conference at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. Always a highlight of my year. With Billy Hornsby's passing, this year will be bittersweet but better than ever. It's been gatherings like these that have helped to shape me personally and our church for the best. I always expect the Lord to use those who are speaking to challenge, change, and encourage me and it always happens. I love catching up with pastor friends from all over the nation and hearing what is going on in their world. Can't wait, wouldn't miss it, see you there. Check out this video

How do I deal with pain?

2011-03-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

I learned something about pain this morning. Today is my usual cardio day but when I woke and began to move around my right foot had this dull pain. My 1st thought was that I'd better not run because I don't want to make it worse, right? My wife even gave me the same advice, but I decided to try to run because I needed the cardio. Amazingly, as I began to run the pain began to subside, in fact, the more I ran the better my foot felt. I thought I'd just do half my normal distance but I felt so good that I ended up doing my normal distance run. So what? Here's what I learned.

1. You can't stop just because it hurts.

   Think about it, if it hurts when you chew, what are you going to do? Stop chewing? No way, you and I, we like to chew. The pain let's you know that there is a problem in your mouth. You have no intentions of quitting chewing in this lifetime. You see someone who can fix the issue in your mouth, often involving more pain: shots, drilling, $$$.
   So what happens when it hurts to love, to commit, to attend, to talk about things in our lives? Many deal with pain by shutting down and quitting, which is totally opposite to what we should be doing. I don't like pain any better than the next guy, but I'm learning that pain is the way to healing. Think about this.

2. Do the thing that hurts, and keep doing it or lose it.

   I've watched my son deal with some minor pains he suffered from the sports he's involved in. One method of healing is to send them to a physical therapist. I've never had to see one, but from visiting people who do and hearing their stories I've developed this theory. Physical therapist are descendants of the medieval dungeon masters and have learned the ancient torture techniques. Not really, but their job is to make you move the stuff that hurts. Injured a knee playing basketball, have the minor surgery and then see the dungeon master where they make you bend it even though IT HURTS. See they know if movement is not restored then you may never get it back. Spiritual therapist do the same thing. They constantly challenge you to confront the pain in your life knowing that true life exists on the other side of your pain. Have you ever ask yourself, "Why is so hard to ______? Move on, love again, trust again, forgive, risk again, believe again, you choose what applies to you. It can be painful, but your healing is to go through the pain and do it anyway.

3. No pain, no gain.

...Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2

Jesus is our example to help us in our faith. Why do we endure the pain of re-engaging, because of the joy that's waiting on you. Jesus could never have taken His seat at the Father's side if He wouldn't have endured the pain of the cross. Pain is necessary in your life to bring you to the place God has for you. We are going to endure pain, there is no way around it, but the pain is not the end, it's the pathway to the prize. Whatever is painful in your life today, it's not the end, but it's a path. Endure the pain of believing again, of forgiving, of loving, of serving again and know that joy is waiting for you on the other side of your pain.

How do I deal with does pain?

2011-03-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Why are some sins so hard to break?

2011-03-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

I guess I’ll just go ahead and say it, some sins are hard to break because we love them. There, I said it. I spoke yesterday about those things God delivered me from when I decided to live for Him. I hated those sins, tried to stop on my own and was powerless to change myself even though I knew those things were taking me down a bad road. Then Jesus delivered me. Instant freedom.

What if freedom doesn’t come instantly? You know I’ve dealt with my fair share of those issues too. Here is what I’m feeling:

God’s answer to sins we love is sanctification.

Don’t get bent out of shape over that really long churchy word: sanctification. It just means the process by which God makes us holy or different. Several things to help you through this:

1. Admit there may be sins that you love.

Proverbs 17:19 (NLT)

19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; …

Psalm 66:18 (NIV)

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

Is it possible to love sins? Yes, but it’s because we love something else, ourselves. When you love something it’s very difficult to change. If you love eating ice cream, it’s tough to eat a healthy alternative even if you know you need to do it. Sins we love are sins that make our flesh happy. Maybe unforgiveness has become your defense in a bad relationship. Or maybe abusing alcohol or drugs has become your way of dealing with the stress in your life, you know it’s wrong but are powerless to change it. It meets a need that you have, but brings a negative consequence emotionally and spiritually. God has an answer and it’s to be sanctified.

2. Get into His process oriented growth track.

Sanctification is the PROCESS of God working in us to make us like Jesus: holy, purposeful, life-giving, powerful, fun, alive. Process is just step-by-step, one foot in front of the other stuff. If you can’t get used to the whole idea of process, then you’ll never understand how God is going to renew your mind to transform you. Most of the miracles Jesus did were of the deliverance variety, for those with issues they hated. Jesus called 12 men to journey with Him so that they might be more like Him through that process of discipleship or walking with Him so they could be like Him. Those 12 had their fair share of issues too: selfish, faithless, petty, elitist. When it comes to the sins we love, we don’t change overnight. We are changed by being sanctified, by the whole process of being part of a local church. Sanctification doesn’t happen only in solitude, but also in community. God uses it all: personal devotions, preaching, friends, small group, serving, reading, prayer, worship, correction, failure, success, all of it.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If God ever changes the way you think about “unforgiveness” so that you see it the way He sees it, you will make the choice in faith to forgive. He may use a sermon or a friendship to help you see. You will be transformed. You will be more like Jesus.

3. Connect with people and watch the healing begin.

Too often, we just won’t get into the process so that the sins we love can be challenged. Consider that God made our physical bodies to heal themselves when we are damaged. The body of Christ has great value to bring healing to you just because you are a part of it.

James 5:16 (NLT)

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you are somehow less of a believer because of where you are in your walk with Christ. We are all in the process of becoming more like Jesus. You want to grow? You want to change? You want to see freedom at a new level? Get into the life of your church. Take a new step of faith to serve, attend, worship, join a small group, get in the growth track and watch how God works in your life.

Remember the man that was delivered from demons in Mark 5? After Jesus set him free, the man begged to go with Jesus but Jesus told him "No". Jesus told him to go back and tell his family what God had done in his life. I think there was probably some family issues there, I mean who gets a legion of demons without a bad home life? Father issues, friend issues, emotional issues, community issues, he probably had them all. I mean those people chained him up in a cemetery. Yet Jesus knew he needed to stay and deal with the people and the issues in his life rather than run away to people who didn't know his story. He was free from the demons(delivered) now he needed to be free from all the other stuff and so do we. See you in church, the best healing venue in the world.

This is why some sins are so easy to break.

2011-03-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

   In thinking about my own experience in finding Christ, I want to share some thoughts about how we get where we are and how we get where we want to go. When I came to Christ in Sept. 1985, I was in a very bad place while attending LSU. All the things I was involved in were starting to weigh me down and in addition to running from the call of God on my life contributed to the fact that I was living with no peace of mind, heart or soul. I needed God.
   When I responded to that call given by Peggy Richards that night, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my back. The call was actually for those who felt destined for ministry and that had been the thing that I had run from. Instantly, several sins that had dominated my life fell off of me that night. I didn't realize it that night but I just never went back to them. I never drank alcohol or smoked marijuana again after responding to God's call on my life. It was so easy, I didn't struggle, I didn't have to battle, I was just free. It was awesome, and I thought everything in my life was going to be just that easy. I found out that it wasn't and so my journey began. My journey to understand me, to understand why, and to understand how I was going to be what God had called me to be.
   I had tried often to stop smoking weed and drinking. In fact, it had gotten to the point where I hated those things in my life and what they were doing to me. I knew the weed was robbing me of ambition and drive and I just hated the taste of alcohol, but drank for the buzz. What had begun as something fun was now my prison. I hated them but couldn't stop. That's when God delivered me from them. We need deliverance from those things we feel imprisoned by. No matter how they begin at some point they grab us and won't let us go.

Psalm 144:11 Rescue me, save me from the power of my enemies.....

God will deliver you from those things in life that have become your enemies.
Those are the sins that you hate because you hate what they do to you even though you may feel powerless to break them but you hate them.
God delivered Lot from destruction, and we know Lot disagreed with the lifestyle he saw there.
David often prayed for deliverance.

The demoniac of Gadera was delivered instantly of being possessed. You know he had to have had some bitterness to deal with because of they way he was treated in that city. In fact, Jesus told him to stay there when he wanted to travel with Jesus. I'm sure he wasn't totally discipled even though he was set free. I can imagine that he had to work through some father issues, some people issues, some emotional issues because of being "that guy".

Paul said this: "Romans 7:24 (NLT)
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Deliverance is God's answer to the sins that bind us, those sins we've grown to hate because of what they do to us. I really believe that God will deliver you just like He did for me when you come to Him humbly and ask for help. You could do that right where you are right now. Tomorrow I'll talk about those sins that don't fall off immediately. I think it's because those sins are the ones we love.

Stumps become seeds

2011-03-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up and was troubled and feeling anxious. I got up very early and would normally maybe turn on Sports Center to divert me from my thoughts till my normal time to wake up. Today I opened my Bible and read in Isaiah this verse:

Is. 6:13

..but as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel's stump will be a seed.

   What is a stump? It's what's left when a tree gets cut down. I began to think about the things in my life that I have felt like were cut down. Do you have anything in your life that resembles a stump? A marriage cut short, a job where you were terminated prematurely, a relationship that was ended before you were ready?
   Stumps can become the seeds of what God wants to do in our lives. Just because you've had a "cutting down" in an area of life doesn't mean that there is ho hope. God sees your stumps as seeds. Where we tend to see what was, He sees what can be again. Virtually everyone I know has a stump somewhere in our lives. The greatness of our God is that a stump is not the end, but can be the beginning of something new, better and part of God's plan for our lives.
   I travelled to Israel around 2000, and in the Garden of Gethsemane there was an olive orchard. One particular place had a stump of an old tree that had been cut down, but out of the side of it was a new growth. Samuel Doctorian, our guide, said that was a picture of me becoming pastor after my dad. God can make new life sprout out of a cut off stump. Be encouraged today. See your stumps as seeds, that's what God sees. I'm believing with you for new life. The best is yet to come.

The Passion Cries Out

2011-03-08T14:13:00.001-08:00

I really felt good about the feedback on the EQ series. So many told of how God had spoken to them about their own lives. It brings us to our next series which will take us into our Easter Services at the end of April. We are going to look at the 7 sayings of Jesus while He was hanging on the cross and what He's saying to us today. I want you to begin to think about who God wants you to invite to Easter this year. What a great time of the year when we celebrate our RISEN Savior. We are going to let the life of Jesus give life to us this Easter season. We'll be needing everyone to do their parts this year as we open our hearts and our church up to our community for Easter 2011. This Sunday will kick off Part 1 where Jesus says, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do." Do you know anyone who needs forgiveness, anyone who doesn't understand what they are doing to themselves or their families? Ask them to come to church with you this weekend and let Jesus' words give them life.

All Access Conference

2011-03-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about ARC's All Access Conference coming up on April 5-7 at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. This conference more than any other has spoken to my life especially about what kind of church HOF needs to be. It all begins with the leader. What I really like is how God uses All Access to speak to me. This year 33 members of our team will be there, and I know it's going to make a huge impact in HOF as we run the race God has given us to run. I cannot overestimate the value of bringing staff to hear what you hear, see what you see, and feel what you feel as a leader. That shared experience allows you to process as a team how you can go forward to be God's church in your area. This years lineup of speakers is going to be powerful. Check it out here

EQ vs. IQ

2011-02-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

We crank up a new series that is going to help you be what God has destined for you to be. We are going to explore one of the most important skills that you can develop in your walk with the Lord, "managing your emotions'. This topic is huge, I'm pumped about bringing it and you need to bring anyone and everyone you know who has ever: been divorced, gotten fired from a job, is currently unemployed, dropped out of school, had trouble with the law, can't seem to get it together in life. This series is for you and for them. It's the #1 predictor of success in high schoolers lives. I'd have every teenager that I could fit in a a van here this Sunday. This will change your life if you open your heart to what God is saying. You can live the life you dream, you just have to change through the grace of God.

5 Emotions You Need to Manage Part III of a series

2011-02-10T11:42:00.001-08:00

Today I want to talk about the 5 emotions that every person has to manage. I say 5 because research has shown that all the emotions that we label can be boiled down to these 5.

1. Happiness

You might not think that you needed to manage happiness but check this verse.

Luke 10:20 (NLT)

20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

Jesus told the disciples they were happy about the 'wrong' things. Wow.
Notice that happiness based on "you" is to be avoided.
Happiness based on what Jesus has done for you is to be encouraged.
Much sin is entered into because someone is not able to manage a "happy" moment in their lives and so they feel entitled to do whatever.
I wonder how many people woke up Monday and regretted their actions of Sunday night just because their team, the Packers, won the Super Bowl.
Managing happiness is being sure to be happy about the right kind of things.

2. Sadness

Luke 18:23-24 (NLT)

23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. 24 When Jesus saw how sad the man was, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!

Jesus saw his sadness. It obviously wasn't about the money.
Disappointments, discouragement, unmet expectations all can send us into a state of depression.
Sadness unmanaged leads to depression.
Depression is the #1 reason why people miss work.
Huge $$$ is spent medicating those who can't manage this emotion of sadness.
You can overcome sadness by being thankful and giving praise.

3. Anger

Ephesians 4:26 (NLT)

26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

It's all about who's in control, you or the emotion.
Don't let anger control you.
Probably more jobs have been lost, relationships broken, bridges have been burned because of outburst of anger.
Anger is an inner pressure that builds up because things do go like you want them to go. It has to be released.
If it comes out in words/actions then damage is almost always done or you can release it by forgiving.
You can choose to manage you anger by choosing to forgive. Remember that forgiveness is choice you make in faith not a feeling.

4. Fear

Psalm 55:4-6 (NLT)

4 My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. 5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. 6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!

Fear is another emotion that needs to be managed.
Fear is left unmanaged cause us to run away from issues that we need to face.
Most times when God interacted with people He said to them, "Fear not".
It's the anxiety that we feel as if something bad will happen, when there is no real reason for it.
Fear not dealt with causes us to stay in places God never intended for us to stay.
The only solution is to obey the Lord even if you are afraid.
Fear will disappear when you obey anyway and realize that it was only the emotion of fear trying to keep you from being obedient.

5. Shame

1 John 3:20 (NLT)

20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

All of us have said or done something that causes us to feel shame afterwards.
How do we handle it? Many quit attending rather than deal with the shame of past mistakes.
God is greater than our feelings. What a great verse! Knowing and believing what God says about you should trump your feelings every day.
Jesus broke the power of guilt on the cross. You don't have to live with those feelings anymore.
God's word has greater significance than our feelings.

It's only natural for us to be controlled by our emotions, I mean they feel so real. When we are born again, we begin a life of faith. I was born emotional, but I'm born again faithful. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you manage those emotions that are keeping you from living your dream.

No. 1 Predictor of Success Part 2

2011-02-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I started a blog series about a topic that I believe could be a reason for much of what we struggle through in life. We all want success, but really only a few ever find true biblical success. The No. 1 predictor of success for your christian walk, your child after high school, or your life relationally is how well you can manage your emotions.

TalentSmart@ conducted a survey and found that ONLY 36% of those tested were able to identify their emotions as they happened. Are you kidding me? How can you manage something that you can't even recognize? Let me ask you a question, "How well can you identify the emotions that you are going through?" So that means that roughly 2/3 of people aren't fully in tune with themselves to be able to know their own emotions. Now we know why so many never experience success in relationships or in life. Helps explain the divorce rate, the high school drop out rates, and church drop out rates. I want to outline 4 parts to this important concept of EQ or emotional quotient so that you can begin to ask God to help you grow in each one.

Categories of EQ

1. Self Awareness:

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

The most important discover in your life after Christ will be self discovery.
You have got to become aware of what's going on in you.
Not a given, so many live in denial about their true feelings.
Have you ever been angry, but denied it to your spouse?

2. Self management

Psalm 4:4 (NLT)

4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Can we manage our emotions? Who's in control? You or your emotion?
Ever had a time when you knew you should have kept quiet, but you just had to say "it"?
Too often we spend our energy trying to control others, instead of managing ourselves.

3. Social Awareness

Romans 14:13 (NLT)

13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

I've become aware of how much emphasis the Holy Spirit placed on "others" when having the New Testament written by Paul and friends.
225 times Paul and the writers of the other epistles mention others.
You need to always be aware of the others you are around and consider their emotions.
I'm amazed at the things I hear people say in public.
We all just roll eyes, and talk about it back in our cars or homes, but we have to consider who's listening, all the time.
I talk differently when I'm with my staff vs. when I'm in the pulpit. It's not hypocrisy it's wisdom. Different when I'm with lost vs. believers, denominational vs. us.
You always have to be aware of who's around you.

4. Relationship management

Matthew 26:50 (NLT)

50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

Jesus told this to Judas as he was about to betray Him.
Jesus had to manage His emotions to call Judas , "friend".
You will lose valuable relationships without the ability to manage your emotions.
One of the reasons for high divorce rates.

No 1 Predictor of Success

2011-02-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

I've recently read some studies that I find fascinating because they just confirm that God's Word is true. A study was done which revealed that when people with hi IQ's outperformed those with average IQ's only 20% of the time where the average IQ people did better 70% of the time. One would think hi IQ people would outperform average IQ individuals the majority of the time because of their higher intelligence. This strange finding yielded research that finally explained the importance of EQ or emotional intelligence.

EQ is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, as well as the ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.

It turns out that a person's emotional intelligence(EQ) is the No. 1 predictor of a person's success in their lives no matter what their educational background. The ability to identify, manage your emotions and those of others has more to do with your success than your measured intelligence. How wrong we've gotten it in our message to young people. We harp on education, and I'm all for it, but we often neglect the most meaningful skills. You can't do much about your IQ but you can develop your EQ. I think about how this applies to church life and what my dad has told me from his 50+ years in ministry. My dad said, "The #1 reason people leave churches is because of offense". That's just a failure to manage one or more of their emotions.

Your EQ is comprised of 4 Catagories:

1. Self-Awareness
2. Self-Management
3. Social awareness
4. Relational management

I'll talk more about these tomorrow and the 5 emotions that you have to manage in your life.

Paving The Way

2011-02-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Just like in football, churches need to move the ball down the field and score. The Israelites were commanded to take the land, in other words to take ground. Move the ball down the field. Our Sundays and Wednesdays are the bread and butter plays. They help us take ground one step at a time but every good team has to stretch the field, go long, go for the touchdown in one play. That's what Paving The Way(PTW) is for Household of Faith.  Every week we run the ball: meet in homes, meet at the church, love, serve. There is alot of biblical precedence for going long. When David had expanded the nation of Isreal and secured it's safety, it was time to build God a house, the Temple. They went long and his son Solomon scored a huge touchdown. When Nehemiah saw the land in disrepair and the walls broken down, they went long and built the wall in just a few days. When Jesus encountered sin and sickness beyond human help, He went long and healed the sick or raised the dead. There are times when the routine just is not going to be enough. This is one of those times. The time is short and we feel like this is our opportunity to go long. PTW is a 4 part strategic plan:

      1. Missions: 10% of all that is given will go to missions.
      2. TV: we can reach 1000's of homes w/ the Good News over and over again.

3. Church plant: Helping Wade and Cynthia fulfill their call to pastor in Tallahassee. Church planting is the most effective way to reach the lost.

4. Repave the parking lot: After years of constant traffic, our lot needs to be repaved to welcome those who will be invited to HOF.

You know, it takes everyone doing their part to go long for Jesus. Won't you pray and ask the Lord how He would have you play your part in seeing the Kingdom of God advanced in 2011 more than ever before. We've done the routine, now it's time to pray and believe God for the miraculous.

The Blessed Life

2011-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm pumped about what God is doing at "The House" during this Blessed Life series. These truths are absolutely essential to us being able to "be" the church instead of just having church. Money is such an integral part of our lives, we use it every day practically, but God uses it as a test of our hearts. Paving the Way will be an opportunity for you and I to put into practice what God is putting into our hearts. Sunday is going to be incredible, I already know it. We'll talk more about PTW(Paving the Way) as well as break down more scripture of Jesus teaching us about generosity. Here's the question that you'll be able to answer after Sunday, "Am I generous?" Would you like to know that about yourself? Gonna unveil a video of Wade and Cynthia that is going to melt your heart. Soft hearts are good hearts. Bring a tissue. Fact.

5 Things I want to say to HOF

2010-12-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-08-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-06-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-05-07T13:09:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day at the House

2010-05-07T08:08:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-30T07:54:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-11T13:47:00.002-08:00

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.

2010-03-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

What a great SOAP morning today

2010-03-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T07:14:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-08T11:52:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T08:43:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

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.

Awake21 Prayer

2010-01-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last night was off the chain for prayer, it was the high water mark so far of our prayer times this year and they have all been good. The focus was on breaking people through who have never prayed corporately or maybe not in front of people. Pastor Wade had a good word that if you want a testimony that can be shared in front of many then you have to be willing to pray a prayer in front of many. Bridget Stevens gave a tremendous testimony of how God gave her a breakthrough in her life when you humbled herself and prayed. Tonight we have another opportunity with S.O.A.P. prayer tonight, it's gonna be great. Come and let God do something in you as you do something for Him.

S.O.A.P. : Make Them Cry

2010-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

My S.O.A.P. verse today was 2 Tim. 1:4(NLT) :

4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.

Make Them Cry

Paul is speaking to a young man he discipled named Timothy, who is now overseeing a church that they planted together. Paul remembers when the parted ways, and that Timothy cried when he left and stepped into what God has for him. I want to have that kind of impact on people, and here's what I mean, I see 2 things.

1. Paul loved Timothy and fathered him to the place where he was ready to go out and step into God's will for his life. He helped him find his purpose and get there. So many never have someone to help them find their reason for being. It takes a great God kind of love to see potential, develop it, nurture it, release it for the good of God's kingdom and the person. Lord help me live and love like that.

2. The verse says, "i remembered your tears". My desire is to have the kind of loving relationships that causes people to cry when they leave. You know you have to because it's God's will, but you don't want to because it's been so good. I want to love people so much that they will cry when God moves them on. Love so Jesus-like that parting hurts. I think that kind of love is what we are called to live as a church.

S.O.A.P. for Today: 1 Tim 6 The Zero's

2010-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:00

⁶[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world; 1 Tim. 6:6-7 AMP

Since I'm an engineer by training my mind goes to this equation:

Godliness + contentment = profit

Paul says that we come into life with "0" and we leave with "0", so we shouldn't let our lives be all about the "0's". Too often we make our decisions based solely on the "0's". Your life is not for sale to the highest bidder, because God has already paid the highest price when He gave His Son, Jesus, for us. The "God" job may not be the highest paying job. The "God" purchase may not be the one with all the bells and whistles. Contentment with what we have is a great place to be especially when everything around us is screaming, "I want more". The scripture talks about how the eyes want more and our flesh wants more all the time. If we cave in to those earthly sensual demands then we'll get off track spiritually and financially. Work the equation and God will work in you.

Soap for Today: Personal Responsibility

2010-01-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

In reading our S.O.A.P. for today, 1 TIm. 5, I'm struck by the theme I see of personal responsibility. Starts out by outlining our responsibility in how to deal with people, young and old, male and female. Then our responsibility towards parents, and the churches responsibility towards widows. Then the people in church's responsibility towards elders(leadership) and finally leadership's responsibility in leading. Then this last couple of verses:

24 Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

1 Ti 5:24-25 NLT

From this I see that I can't judge by what I see, because I can't see everything about the good or the sin in other's lives. What I can do is purpose to handle my responsibilities. I can treat others well, do my part as the church, take care of myself and lead well. If I handle the things that God has given me to do, then it will go well for me. I must live from a perspective of personal responsibility and not what others do or don't do.

Bro. Ed's 79th birthday today

2010-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm spending time tweeting and blogging about the impact that a father can have because today is my dad's 79th birthday. My dad, known as Bro. Ed, was the founder of our church 35+ years ago and his life is the primary reason I'm serving the Lord today. I had great parents, but it was that authentic Christianity of my father's example that impacted me and still impacts me today. I'm not going to tell you he was perfect, but he was real and by real I mean that he lived what he preached. I saw him in every kind of environment: the pulpit, the home, the fishing camp, and vacation and he was just who he was, Bro. Ed. Nothing flashy, but you could count on him to always be a man of God. In fact, he's still living out what he preached when he was the "pastor". He still comes to church every time we have service unless sick or preaching somewhere. He prays with us, runs with the vision of HOF though maybe different from the way he saw it in his day. Never tries to interfere, being a former leader, nor does he ever stir up dissension, but is always one for peace and unity. When he just sits in one of our seats he's a stabilizing influence for HOF. The scriptures say:

15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.

(1 Co 4:14-16)NLT

There are thousands who would love to teach you, but respond to the one who wants to be a father to you because they have made the choice to love you. Don't imitate teachers, they often just want to impress you with how much they know. Imitate fathers in the faith, they care about you, spend time with you, consistently live in front of you, and are willing to have the hard talks with you. Many today can't handle a real father figure because of past hurts. When God decides to bless you He puts a father in your life. When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad, Bro. Ed, without the Bro. part.:-)

Faith Academy Cheerleaders Take 1st Place

2010-01-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is shout out to the FA cheerleaders who took 1st place in the WSA competition this past Saturday at the Alario Center in Westwego, LA. The girls competed at a higher level with more tumbling and they absolutely pegged their routine. Wendy Carter and Devon Brignac do a tremendous job coaching them and I want to thank them for our girls representing the House, the school and Jesus well. Also, I have to say that the parents of all these girls are great to work with and have a real heart to see them excel. Here is a video of their winning performance:

New Look for a new year

2010-01-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Hey check out the redesign of the HOF webpage here and see what's going on at the house. Find links to all the stuff happening and the new mobile access to the S.O.A.P. Bible reading we are talking about this weekend. It's going to be a great New Year and God wants to change your life.

Countdown to Awakening

2010-01-07T06:47:00.001-08:00

We are in the final few days before Awakening21. I feel like this could be a really pivotal time for our church. Bottom line is that no matter what our plans are it's the plans of the Lord that are going to be fulfilled.

21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Pr 19:21 NLT

This is a time of quieting down and saying, "God, what do You want for me?" It's normal to want God to bless what we are doing, but we need to be doing what God wants. Hearing a clear direction for this year will make all the difference in our lives. It seems like the things that have been most beneficial in my life happened when I've gotten a clear direction from God. Jesus spoke to us that "My sheep hear my voice". God will speak to you and it'll change your life.

A Brand New Year

2009-12-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I feel a lot less stress about New Year's than Christmas. I guess it's because we do the Christmas Eve services, of which clips are posted here "Christmas Little Drummer Boy" and CAROL OF THE BELLS here. This week is a time to relax and watch some football, work some and spend time with friends and family. Looking forward to a new year, it's like a blank sheet of paper, empty but full of potential. Looking forward to all that God wants to accomplish this year. See you on Sunday, ready to go.l

Gift Card from God

2009-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

Slow around the church this week between Christmas and New Years. Still thinking about God's gift cards we talked about Sunday. Those are promises that we have the ability to turn into realities in 2010. That's what Awakening is all about, getting ourselves in the place of faith to believe God's Word. Looking forward to the new series that accompanies the times of prayer and fasting. We will have the handout this Sunday and look forward to spending some time with our church family praying for direction, grace, and strength for this next year. I'm already giving some thought as to what I feel like God wants to do in me and in HOF. This verse sums up our theme for 2010 which will be "Grow in Love"

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

1 John 4:17 (NLT)

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here before we do the last Christmas Eve service just amazed at what a great church we have here at HOF. I'm not one to brag, but we have an incredible team. Michael has done a great job with the music and just everyone has a real heart to serve. We seen so many visit during these services and it's a joy to share the life changing message of the Good News. I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas this year. We are right on the doorstep of a new decade and I'm convinced that the best is yet to come. I pray that all of your families are blessed and that God will draw you even closer together at this time of the year. I want you all to know that you belong in God's family and at HOF. I guess tonight we'll open gifts with my family and then tomorrow they all come to my house.

Awakening21

2009-12-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

The new year is right around the corner and Awakening is going to be huge this year. Each year we begin our year with 21 days of fasting and prayer called Awakening. You definitely will want to awaken your spirit to what God has for you in this next year. Check out the website

Excited about Christmas Eve Services

2009-12-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to remind all of you that we are going to be doing 3 Christmas Eve services this year in order to serve you best. We are going to have a great time celebrating the birth of our King, Jesus Christ. I can't think of a better way to say, "I'm remembering what this time of the year is all about" than by spending some time worshipping with our church family. We will have one service on Wed., Dec. 23 at 7 pm and two services on Thursday, Dec. 24 at 5 pm and 6:30 pm. We've got some special things planned and as always, this is a great time to bring family and friends so that they might hear about God's love for them. Don't miss this opportunity to be a light this Christmas.

How do you decide?

2009-11-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

One of the things we have to be sure we get right is knowing what is just us or what is God. Have you ever had a thought and then had to decide, was that a God thought or a me thought? Same with ideas and with emotions too. I've often had ideas that turned out to not be as great as I thought they were, and then there are our emotions. That anger, is it the righteous anger of the Lord or am I just ticked off because I didn't get my way. Then there are the decisions that we must make, do I make the decision that seems right to me or does God have a better plan or is what I'm thinking God's plan or my plan? So much would be clearer if we had a way to be able to tell God's ideas, emotions, plans from mine. Well we do.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

God's word cuts between the soul and the spirit. In other words it lets us know what's earthly and what's eternal. What's me and what's Him. What's good and what's God. In my soul is where my emotions, my will, and my thoughts are housed. But in my spirit is where I'm alive in Christ. By spending time in His Word, I'm able to know what's me and what's Him. A few verses before this one, the scripture says, Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. I know this, when I hear His voice and respond to it then my life takes on new meaning. When I've listened to my own, not so much. The key to life is knowing His voice and believing what He says. Have a great day.

You will bloom

2009-10-30T09:02:00.001-07:00

I read this verse in the Psalms yesterday and can't get it out of my spirit. "Our days on earth are like grass, like wildflowers we bloom and die." Psalms 103:15 I felt like God spoke to me through this verse to focus on the bloom part. A flower is just another green plant until it blooms, then the flower distinctly signals it's species. In fact, plants are known by the descriptive name of their flower, the rose, the lily of the valley, the honeysuckle. There is an account in the scripture of Aaron's rod, which was a pretty typical accessory for every man in those times. It was a walking stick, a symbol of success, a reminder of the past, a means of defense, a tool of his trade. One day God told Moses to get the "stick" from the leader of each of the 12 tribes of Israel and put them before the Lord in the Tabernacle. Aaron's 'stick' blossomed and bloomed. In fact the inside of the most sacred room of the Tabernacle was decorated with "open flowers". I believe this verse contains a promise, that while we have but a temporary time to serve an eternal God, His promise to us is that we will bloom before we die. I don't feel like i've bloomed yet, what about you? I'm holding on to God's promise that if I live for Him, by His grace and power that I'll bloom and blossom into something that others can see and appreciate. We are in the middle of series about the family called HomeWork, and we'll be talking about how God wants our families and our lives to bloom as a tribute to His power. That word bloom can mean to grow in number but also to grow in maturity. It can mean to grow in size, or to grow together. It can also mean to grow up. God's desire is for every expression of growth in your life. The amazing truth is that Aaron's rod was just a dead stick, but in the presence of the Lord, the dead stick was made to bloom. We are just dead in our sins until we believe in Christ. Then His power makes dead things grow, it's miraculous. A favorite song of mine by Desperation Band goes like this: It's the miracle of Christ in me, a mystery that sets me free, I"m nothing like I used to be, just open up your eyes you'll see. Let's bloom.

Getting Along with People

2009-10-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

One of the best skills that can be learned is the skill of getting along with people. In fact, so much so that a name has been given to it, EQ, or emotional quotient. EQ is a way to measure a person's emotional intelligence. As a college and bible school graduate, I'm thankful for all that I have been taught, but the one thing I don't remember anyone formally teaching is how to get along with people. Of course my parents tried as I grew up, but in a formal sense, no one really talked about the most important skill that you can learn. Paul sums it up in one verse to his protege' in the faith, Timothy. Timothy had been left in Colosse to pastor that church after Paul's departure.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NLT)

5 Never speak harshly to an older man,* but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

Always appeal to those older than you rather than telling them. It shows respect for elders, which God commands, when we choose to appeal or ask rather than to tell.
Treat younger men as brothers. I never had a brother, but I have sons and to watch them interact is hilarious. They punch, fight, play, kid, share and laugh together. I always wanted a brother because of the special bond that brothers share. You can be yourself with your brother.
Treat the older women like you would your own mother. Moms have a special place in our hearts as they should. That lady who's older than you is probably someone's mother and should be afforded that level of respect and courtesy.
Treat the younger women as a sister. Living by this one verse takes all the tension out of dealing with those of the opposite sex. If we treated women as our sisters in Christ then we always see them in the right way and not in unhealthy ways that demean women.

Simply put, we live like we are related, I know that I enjoy my family so much because we live this out naturally, but I also enjoy my awesome church family because I choose to view them as my family in Christ.

Hearing Incredible Stories of God's Grace

2009-09-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

I was talking with Vanessa this morning about last night's Girls Beautiful event, and she told me a great story about how God is moving in one lady's life. We are looking for those kinds of stories to use during our upcoming the Power of Hope sermon series. Hope is such a necessity for our lives and there are things that can diminish our hope. If you have a story of God giving you hope in your life, I'd like to hear it. email me at the address found on the website, www.hofchurch.com

Fan into flame

2009-09-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

Paul tells Timothy to "fan into flames" the gift that God deposited into his life. Evidently Timothy was dealing with fear because the next verse states, "God hasn't given us a spirit of fear....". Paul is telling Timothy that the answer to problems and difficulties is to turn up the spiritual heat in our lives. After Hurricane Katrina left us a mess in the backyard, we worked hard to clean up. Most stuff was easy to deal with but I had 2 massive stumps that I couldn't deal with. Life can be just like that with storms that leave things we are unable to deal with like the unforgiveness from a bad relationship, fear from some failure, or insecurity because of a lack of love. We often try so hard to deal with the leftovers of a storm but Paul teaches us that it's better to fan the flames of our relationship with Christ. The hotter you are as a believer, then the less the things of this life affect our lives. Are you dealing with some stuff from a storm? Are you wondering how you'll move the immovable out of your life? Forget about the stumps and focus on getting on fire for Christ. How? Give yourself to those things that fan the flame: time in the Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Trust me, this weekend I burned up the stumps and all I had to do was get the fire started and let the fire do the rest. So fan into flames the gift of God that's in you.

What's your message?

2009-08-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

In Galations Paul states that his message wasn't taught to him, but revealed by the Holy Spirit. I began thinking, "what is my message?" I'm not talking about my message from the past Sunday but what is the core message of my life. If we were confident in our message then we'd always know what to say, maybe just find new applications of it for the different situations in which we are asked to share. Our message is that truth that God has called us to spread with our words, our lives, and our actions. Paul's message seemed to inspire a tremendous confidence in his life. There is something to be said for knowing what your life's message is and spending you life creatively finding ways and avenues in which to spread that message. What's your message? What is the truth that you didn't learn from a sermon, but in one of those memorable life altering times with God, He spoke it into your soul? Obviously there is much we can and should learn from those God has placed in our lives as mentors, teachers, pastors and such, but our core message can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Think about your life with Christ and ask yourself, What is my message? I know mine, do you know yours. I'm pumped about making it known.

A Team

2009-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

I was privileged to participate in a leadership meeting with a great team for ARC. So many great young leaders in the ARC and so much passion for church planting, pastors and the local church. As alway, Billy Hornsby's leadership is critical in ARC being such a player in the world today where church planting is concerned. Florida was well represented with 3 or 4 pastors. It was good to spend some time again with P. Van Ducote who started in ministry here at HOF under my father. Big things are happening in the ARC and I'm blessed to have a part. I have such a heart for pastors and feel supremely blessed because my father in ministry is my father. Also have had valuable connections with some incredible leaders and that continues. I love the DNA of ARC, life-giving, real, and connecting. It was great to meet Ron Sylvia, who leads a coaching network for pastors and i'm so excited to be a part of getting some coaching and also, being a coach for someone. That's what leading is all about. You are always in the middle, being led and leading others.

Back in the Saddle

2009-07-16T13:12:00.001-07:00

I'm back in the office today and slowly getting into the swing. I'm really excited to hear all the great stuff that happened while I was away on vacation. I hear that P. Greg really did a great job on Sunday, never doubted that. P. Wade and others come through and painted the EA Teacher's Lounge to help out a local school that's doing a good job. Celebrate Recovery just keeps loving people. I'm getting excited about part 2 of the series on Show Your Love. This week we will jump even deeper into what I believe is the essence of what it means to be the church. Love to see you this weekend at HOF. Also, a reminder that Rock the River is happening this weekend, come on out to the levee lots at LSU and be a part of local church history.

On Vacation

2009-07-11T15:36:00.001-07:00

On vacation for some much needed rest and relaxation. In Florida having a blast just hanging out with the kids and with friends. Today we went in the boat around the Destin bridge area, it was spectacular. Water was clear and people everywhere. We anchored the boat on a sand bar and played in the water for several hours. Nice people and a lot of fun. Rest is such an essential part of our lives. We are gearing up for the busiest times of the year from the start of school till Christmas. It seems like much gets done in the church world during that time. Rest is much more important especially when you work hard. Getting into God's rhythm of 6 days work and 1 of rest is a key component also. I'll be back soon.

Second Half part 3

2009-07-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is the 3rd part of what I felt God spoke to us during the Awakening time of prayer and fasting at the first of the year. The third thing was that God was going to take away our reproach. God spoke to a childless woman in the OT and told her that HE would take away her reproach. I really believe that this is going to be a very fruitful time for the kingdom. As we embrace this new wine skin of LOVE and that new grace from God is on our lives, then we are going to see more fruitfulness in our lives than at any time before. God’s desire for all of us is for us to be fruitful. A fruitful person is a happy person, a blessed person, a fulfilled person. It reminds me of our life with our children, in that we have much fulfillment in seeing our children and them grow and have success. Whatever has been your reproach, your burden, the thing that has weighed heavy on your mind I know that God desires to take it away and free you to be what He’s destined you to be. The Psalmist wrote that God has a glorious destiny for me and I believe it for you , for me, and for HOF.

Second Half part 2

2009-07-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

The second thing that God spoke to me about our church and this year was: you will be anointed with the finest of oil. That is a portion of scripture found in Psalms. I believe that when we begin to operate in the Love of God that a new anointing is going to be in operation in our life, church, and relationships. God’s anointing or blessing on our lives is the best thing that can happen in and to us. God’s hand on your life is the best thing that could ever happen to you, it’s better than anything money could buy or influential people could do. God’s desire is to pour out His best on His children, He’s not holding back, but desires to bless.