Jesus Style Leader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 Days to Create our 6 Month Future

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

Man Up

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

End Times Events

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Millennium- 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

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

Great White Throne Judgement

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

New Heaven and New Earth

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

XG Camp Alive 2010

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

Youth Camp today, Eternity will be changed for many

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

July 4th Celebration Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Father's Day this Sunday

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


                Ephesians 6:3 (NLT)

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

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

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

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

 1. You really feel like you belong to God.

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

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

2. You have the capacity to believe God

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

                                                           

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

3. You have the ability to become.

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

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

A New Coaching Network

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

S.O.A.P.ing Today

Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)

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

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

Dirty Church

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

Living Sacrifice

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

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

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

SOAP for today

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


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


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

1. We gain encouragement from belonging to Christ.

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

2. We gain comfort from being loved by God.

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

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

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

4. Our hearts are soft to His leading.

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

Let's Turn Up the Heat

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

While I was away

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

Mother's Day at the House

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

Haiti missions tonight

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

AllAccess2010

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

Nehemiah 12:30

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

and the gates, and the wall.

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

Semi-Big Announcement This Sunday

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

What a great SOAP morning today

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

#1 First challenge: the challenge of purpose

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

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

Preaching it this Sunday and I'm pumped.

Rebuilding the Wall

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

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

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

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

Belong Believe and Become

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

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

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

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

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

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

how to live.

I'll post more later

Grow in Love 2010

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

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

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

1 Thess. 3:12NLT

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

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

This is the gospel.

19 years today

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

Kingdom movement today

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

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

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

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

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

• We died to it's power in Christ.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Super Bowl

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

Rom. 6:19

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

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

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

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

Romans 5 S.O.A.P.

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

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

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

Coaching Network in Arkansas

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

S.O.A.P. Jonah 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

S.O.A.P. Jude 6

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

Awake21 Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Second Half

I want to remind you what I felt like God spoke to me during the fast at the first of this year when we observed a time of Awakening. There were three things that I felt like God spoke to me during those 21 days of fasting and prayer. 1. New wine for a new wine skin. I really believe that a new wine is going to be poured out as we are open to serving God with a new wine skin. In other words, what has worked in times past will not be effective today. Wineskins got dry and brittle and inflexible and were not fit to hold new wine, which was the best wine. Churches and people can get inflexible also. This new series on Show YOUR LOVE is the new wine skin that God is going to use to pour out some new wine into our lives. I'm so pumped and excited about the second half of the year at HOF. Don't miss Sunday or any of the sermons in the series, we are going to have a blast hearing God's heart of love for us and learning how to love others. That's what life is all about. Vanessa has been gone for 6 days and without someone to love life really loses it's meaning.

New Rev on David

I was having my quiet time this morning and reading the account of David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. For those who aren't familiar, David saw Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop and even though she was married to another, he took her for himself and had her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. I thought about Psalm 53 that David wrote as he was finding his way through that time where he lost his way. His prayer in Psalms 51:1 taught me something. It says, "have mercy on me Oh God because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sin." David had an understanding of God that is revealed in his prayer. He knew that God forgives us because of His love for us not because of how bad we may feel. He put his faith in God's compassion to remove the stain of sin rather than his own feelings of remorse. David kept his eyes on God even through repentance. It's so tempting to focus on how everything makes "you" feel, but we need to be reminded that God is good and merciful and just and righteous and forgiving because that's who He IS. Not because of anything I may feel about myself. You know what that means? That there is hope for all of us, no matter who you are or where you are at in life. God loves you and because of His mercy and His compassion He desires to make us right with Him.

Man Up Tonight

I want to remind and invite all men who want to have a great time tonight to our Man Up meeting in the Activity Center at HOF. We have turned tonight's meeting into a College World Series watch party with the first pitch around 6:00 pm. We have a meal prepared and we are going to turn this place into Omaha South for tonight. Come and bring your friends, this championship will be much better enjoyed with a couple of hundred of your closest friends. We are going to go live to Omaha and speak to some guys that will be at Rosenblatt. Acts 2:42 says that, "... believers devoted themselves to ...fellowship, and to sharing in meals...". Come help us cheer on the Tigers or of course feel free to cheer for the Short Horns. I feel a homerun coming on. LSU versus right handed pitching has been nails. We'll see, whether the Tigers win or not, Jesus is still Lord and I'm still saved.

This is the day

This is going to be a great weekend at HOF. For starters we get to kick off the weekend by watching LSU pound the piggies today then to celebrate a big Father's Day Sunday we have Pastor Stovall Weems of Celebration Church doing his One Prayer message on God is MERCIFUL. I can't wait to be a part of what God has to say through Pastor Stovall this Sunday and you won't want to miss it. I'm encouraging you to bring your father, bring your husband, bring your sons, bring everyone and anyone to hear that God is Merciful. Then to cap off the weekend, Man Up on Monday night at 7 in the Activity Center on campus. What a weekend and its great serving God in Gonzales.

Loving People, Loving God, Loving Life

I've been thinking about the most significant moments I've had and one is definitely when I experienced a new revelation of God's love for me. That has motivated me since then and really it's love that is our motivation to live for God. Jesus was asked the most important commandments and He said, "love God with everything you are, and love people". That's my paraphrase by the way. As a church our challenge is how do we say, God loves you and we love you to our community, to each other, and to the world. Here's one way we have be able to say "I love you" to a small part of the world in Zimbabwe in the city of Masvingo. See the pictures. Feeding children has made such a difference there. The school staff tells us that since we've been feeding, attendance is up, scores are up, and kids are more motivated to learn. We are learning how to say, "I love you" and it's what the world is dying to hear. Not just words, but really believe that someone loves them.

Feeding Center

I've posted a short video that showed some of the kids that we are partnering to feed once a day, 5 days a week. i cannot tell you how much they appreciate the food. Everyone from the kids to the school staff, to the local people expressed thanks for the work that was being done. The food is cooked by volunteers from the church that we helped to plant and they serve the children at school each day. As a result of the feeding program attendance has increased, scores have gone up, and one school has become the top performing school in the whole nation of Zimbabwe. The real difference is made in the life of a young girl as they are the ones most impacted by the feeding program. Without the ability to read and write young girls often feel no other option to survive but by selling their bodies for what they need. This of course perpetuates the cycle of brokenness that devastates lives and families. We are partnering with Celebration Church, Children's Cup, and several other organizations to feed 3000 kids per day at 2 different schools. The best is yet to come.

Out of Africa

I'm going to be blogging and posting some pictures of the incredible trip we had to Swaziland, South
Africa, and Zimbabwe on the continent of Africa. First let me give you the schedule we had. We landed in Johannesburg, SA on a Mon. evening, spent the night resting and on Tues. we flew to Swaziland. A pastor's conference began on Wed. in the Swazi capitol of Mbabane at HPC-Swaziland hosted by Pastor Ben Rodgers. I spoke Wed. evening on One Hope as well as did Pastor Mark Stermer and the Holy Spirit really touched pastors hearts that Wed. night. The conference continued all day Thurs. with sessions in the morning on One Heart, panel discussions on problems pastors face as well as times of fellowship for the pastors attending during meals. On Thursday afternoon we, pastors, did a serve project at the nearby Care Points that Children's Cup lead. It was a new experience to see pastors serving the orphan and underprivileged kids of their country. Pastor is more of a profession in Swaziland rather than a lcalling. Friday we had some time for fun with a morning horse ride through the countryside at a local game park. Friday night we spent the night at a game park and Saturday morning I got to take Connor on a hunt. He loved that. Sunday I spoke at the church and then we relaxed that afternoon. We flew to Zimbabwe via Jo-burg on Monday morning having lunch in Bulawayo with Pastor Dixon and Pastor Stovall Weems. We then were driven 3 hrs to the city of Masvingo where we spent the next 2 days visiting our carepoint lead by Pastor Samson and his wife Nomsa. Then it was back to Jo-burg for the flight home.