Unity? Is it possible?

June 7th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in » Random Thoughts

Question of the day…

Is it possible to ‘really’ have Unity in the church?

Have you had isssues that you have found a resolve for?

Have you ever found a resolve for providing unity over a nonessential in the body?  And how did you handle it?

Is it just the weeding out of the strong in the Lord and the weak?

Discussion welcome-

Happy Birthday Honey!

April 1st, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Family, Holiday


Nope it’s not an April Fools Joke… Today marks the day that my beautiful bride was born into this world.  For those of you that are priveliged to know her, you already know what a huge heart she has for other people.  She loves Jesus, her family, and wants nothing more than for everyone around her to see the love of Christ through her and her family.

I continually thank God for such a blessing as her to have in my life!

I love you Honey! And Happy Birthday!

Fake God?

March 3rd, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in » Church Life, Ministry, Missions

Are we selling a fake God?

This is a quote from a post I just read this morning.

Today’s church culture tends to put more emphasis on how great our church, is instead of how great our God is. When is this going to stop? “My church…My church…”…instead it should be “Jesus…”! Jesus didn’t invade our world as a baby, live a sinless life, die a torturous death, and rise again three days later so that we could talk about how great our churches are.

I encourage you to read the post… It shares my same feelings, and I would love to hear your thoughts…

To read it click here.

Church Marketing? Hmmmm…

December 18th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Random Thoughts

Profound Quote

December 2nd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Books, Church Life, quote

As I am reading a book by Matthew Elliot titled Feel that was given to me by a great friend of mine, I run across this quote regarding our spirituality.

New idea? … No

Worth a reminder? .. I think so

I can think of spirituality in this same way.  We spend so much effort “doing church,” performing the duties to make events happen, that once we get to the celebration itself we’re tired and numb.  And in the service, then, are we excited?  Probably not.  We’re already thinking of all the duties we have for the next spiritual activity.  Likewise, in our lives in general, we spend our time doing the duties we’ve been taught we must do in order to be a good person.  And in the constant checking off of items on that list, we miss the celebration entirely.

Thoughts?

It’s time for a GUT check!

November 3rd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Random Thoughts

This is probably one of the most disturbing articles I have ever read…

Heading into election day I think it’s time to forget about the hype of the candidates and think about what is truly important in representing our country.  It’s time for a *gut* check!

EDITORIAL: Obama is a ‘liar’ on abortion

Sunday, November 2, 2008

If you want to know Barack Obama’s real views on abortion, you should meet registered nurse Jill Stanek.

Mrs. Stanek worked at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois from 1993 to 2001. When she worked in the hospital’s Labor and Delivery Department she saw that babies who survived abortion attempts were left to die alone in supply rooms. They could linger for as long as eight hours, without medical care, without even the dignity of a warm blanket or a soft touch. Their tiny bodies were then dumped in the trash. Mr. Obama’s spiritual mentor served on the board of the hospital. Mrs. Stanek went on a public crusade to protect these children.

At a 2001 Illinois legislature hearing, Mr. Obama questioned Mrs. Stanek. She insisted that children needed medical care if they were born alive. Mr. Obama said: “Ms. Stanek, your initial testimony last year showed your dismay at the lack of regard for human life. I agreed with you last year and we suggested that there be a Comfort Room or something of that nature be done. The hospital acknowledged that and changes were made and you are still unimpressed. It sounds to me like you are really not interested in how these fetus [es] are treated, but rather not providing absolutely any medical care or life to them.”

Mrs. Stanek replied: “What the hospital did was try to make things look better. What it really is, is that the baby is still dead.”

In committee testimony, Mr. Obama said it was sufficient to give “comfort care” to a baby that is born despite all the efforts to kill it. “Comfort care” means giving the infant a warm blanket and permitting the baby to be held by someone as it dies. This is the most Mr. Obama could find in his heart to provide - a warm blanket for a child grasping for life. Mrs. Stanek told The Washington Times that Mr. Obama showed callousness when he questioned her in committee testimony: His inability to grasp that babies born alive need medical care was disturbing.

Despite all the details Mrs. Stanek provided in her testimony, Mr. Obama voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act in the Illinois legislature in 2002 - a bill that would give legal protection and medical assistance to a baby born from a botched abortion. Mr. Obama stated that he feared the bill could undermine Roe v. Wade. When a similar bill was put to Congress, other lawmakers had better sense and bigger hearts: The Born Alive Infants Protection Act passed the Senate with a vote of 98-0. It was signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 5, 2002. Infants born alive are now recognized as legal persons with full rights.

Mr. Obama even voted against banning partial-birth abortion - a radical procedure - in the Senate, in October, 2007. Since 2005, he has a 100 percent rating on pro-choice votes by NARAL, a leading, national pro-choice organization.

There is no doubt that Mr. Obama wants not only to uphold existing abortion laws, but a more radical view. At an address before Planned Parenthood on July 17, 2007, Mr. Obama said: “The first thing I will do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.” He received a standing ovation. FOCA was introduced in Congress in November 1989 by Rep. Don Edwards, California Democrat. The legislation has since been a focal point for staunch pro-choicers. The bill would codify the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, into law in all the states. This would overturn state laws that have been passed to limit or delay abortions. Contrary to Mr. Obama’s pledges to reduce the number of abortions, he really wants to make them easier to get - while overriding state and federal laws.

Mr. Obama wants to uphold an abortion policy that has a disproportionate impact on blacks. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, finds that 13 percent of the U.S. population is black, but 37 percent of all abortions are performed on black women and teens: Blacks are 4.8 times as likely as whites to have an abortion. A vote for Mr. Obama is, in effect, a vote that permits the disproportionate elimination of blacks in America.

Mr. McCain believes unequivocally that life begins at conception. Mr. McCain even supports requiring parental notification for underage girls who want to abort the fetus. His 0 percent rating by NARAL is perhaps one of his greatest achievements as a senator. On one of the fundamental moral questions of our time, the choice is clear: One man favors life, the other prefers a society that permits the death of the most innocent and vulnerable of us.

Mrs. Stanek told The Times that Mr. Obama’s talk of compassion for the weak and underprivileged rings hollow to her: “Frankly, I think he is a liar.”

You can read the article here

Giving an Account

September 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Church Life, Misc., Random Thoughts

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. Mathew 12:36

This is one of the verses that our pastor had referenced last Sunday during his sermon on disciplined stewardship.  One thing that has really stuck in my head all week was one of the questions that he asked and that was this…

“What if we had to come home every night and give God an account for what we have done everyday?”

Jesus tells us that an account must be given by “all”.  Man and Woman.  Pastor and layman.  Saved and unsaved.  I don’t know about you, but thats a pretty scary thought to me!  I am embarrassed to admit some of the things that go through my head, and even some of the things that come out of my mouth, and in some instances, some things that don’t come out of my mouth.  Most of those things I would not even share with my closest friends.  But, I’m not hiding them from Him.

We are not promised any certain amount of days on earth.  Nobody knows when our time is.  Could be 40 years, could be 20 years, could be tomorrow on my way to work.  And I am positive that many of the things that we do or say here on earth, we would never attempt to do or say in heaven!

For me, thinking about having to give an account to God on an everyday basis gives me a whole new look at the importance of my purpose here on earth.  It helps keep me focused on Him, and certainly makes me think about the things that I am saying.

How about you?  If we had to give an account of the things we did everyday to God, would that make a difference in the way we were living?

Date Night!

September 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Family, Movies

We have a date!  As many of you know, my wife and I are very busy people.  Whether it’s my business or the ministry we are involved in, time seems to get away from us.  Well, we have decided to take tomorrow night and go see a movie that we have been waiting for, and I have to say I’m pretty excited, since I have heard nothing but great reviews.  Has anyone already seen this and have any comments?

Jesus VS Religion

August 15th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Church Life, Videos

I just ran across this video from Mark Driscoll about his disgust over religion. I think he makes some great points! I encourage you to take a look…

Tough Questions…

July 16th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Books, Church Life, Ministry, Missions, Random Thoughts

I’ve been reading a fantastic book by Dan Kimball entitled ‘They Like Jesus But Not The Church‘. Which is based on some investigation and relationships in which Dan has made with non-believers to see what their reaction to the church really is. Anyway, in my reading tonight I ran across a section that I find myself saying “Amen” on one side of the lip and “Ouch” on the other side.

Here’s the excerpt…

Though I stress that the church should be a positive agent of change, I know that it’s the Spirit of God in the church who does the changing. I also fully recognize that loving others as Jesus would may mean talking about sin, repentance, and judgment, so I’m not suggesting that we only “love” people. But love involves relationship. Love involves time. Love involves telling people about God’s abundant goodness and his “awesome works”(Ps. 145:6-8), and not just about his wrath and judgment. Love involves holding our tongues and being wise in the way we act toward those outside the church, having our conversations be “full of grace” and “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:5-6). Love is more than passing out a tract or holding up a sign and feeling that our job is done because we’ve let others know about Jesus.

Now, I know that many churches, including mine has and is out amongst our communities with the Good News of our Saviour. Which is great. My question is… are we doing this because of a feeling of obligation? Or is it because we have a burning desire to let others know of the Grace and Love in which we have been given in Christ by building relationships with them? The non-believer has an impression of what Christians act like and look like. Ever wonder what they think of us?

Do we look like Christ, or do we look like a bunch of people that meet in a building and surround ourselves with other building goers, and one of the things that we do is to try to get other people to see things our way and come to our buildings? Because really, that is not much different than any other organization in our communities. I wonder what my motivation is in sharing my faith. Is it because I am so excited about the things of God that I just can’t contain them to myself? Or is it because I feel like I have to?

Is the church out in the community because we have a burning passion to share the Love of Christ with other people through relationship building? Or, are we just handing them a tract, and telling them to have a good day and Jesus loves you?

He also follows this chapter up with some pretty tough questions.

How is your church known in your community?
How do you think people in your town would describe your church and the people of the church?
Do they even know you exist?
What are you known for?
Would your church be missed in your community if it went away?
How would it be missed?

Makes ya think, huh? I know it does me…

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