Whatever It Takes!

WHATEVER IT TAKES

I am a part of the body committed to doing "whatever it takes".
I have Holy Spirit power.
The die has been cast. I've stepped over the line.
I am out of my comfort zone.
The decision has been made.
I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, or
back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tame vision, mundane talking,
chincy giving and dwarfed goals.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position,
promotion, or popularity.
I don't have to be first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.
I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer,
and labor by power.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow
and my way is rough.
My companions few, my Guide reliable and my mission clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,
turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up or burn up till I am preached up,
prayed up, paid up,
stored up and stayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know,
and work till He tells me to stop.
And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problem recognizing me,
because I have dedicated my life to be apart of the body committed to
DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES.

I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST!

adapted - author unknown

I am praying for you and your family.

Happy Father's Day

Friends today is Friday before Father’s Day. There is a remarkable text found in the first book of the Bible in Genesis’ 49. Jacob has 12 sons. As he is preparing to depart this life he calls all his sons around his bedside and pronounces a blessing upon each one. Genesis 49 and verse 28 states,
“He (that is Jacob) blessed them every one with the blessing appropriate to him”. Did you get that?

He pronounces a blessing upon each son, words that would be just for that son. Bill Glass, former all Pro football player for the Cleveland Browns and founder and Director of Bill Glass Prison ministries underlines and emphazies the importance of Father’s pronouncing blessings upon their children ALL THROUGH THEIR LIVES. Bill states, “children need a father who speaks the words of love, hope and belonging in their lives.” He continues, “the future of your children and your children’s children and even their children depends upon it.”

Friends do you remember what Deuteronomy 7:9 states. Here it is, “The Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God keeping His covenant of love to thousands of generations for those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Dads we have the opportunity to touch generations by our actions toward our children. Dads here are 3 suggestions for you to impact your children and those that follow them.

1) TIME: Give your children your time. Time to talk. Time to listen. Time to encourage and bless your children. Whether it’s camping, playing games, going to special events, all help you by giving your children your time. They are interested in YOU not in your work, or your office or your friends. They need to be with YOU. So give them YOUR time. WHY? Because…

2) COACHING: By being involved with your children you are more aware of their interests, needs and of course what they are thinking and planning. Being with your children you can lead and guide. Carey Casey who is CEO of National Center for Fathering says that 27 million children in the United States don’t have a Father presence in the home. Did you hear that 27 million children?

This absence leads to higher rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, violent crime, depression, and ultimately loss of all hope. SO DAD’S YOU ARE THE KEY to future generations moving out of all these problems.

Thirdly, Dad’s we need to be consistent in living out our values and convictions. My son gave me a sign several years ago that reads, “Every Father should remember that one day his children will follow his example instead of his advice.” Your children are watching your EVERY action and they will follow YOU.

So, my friend, don’t only talk the talk we as Dad’s need to WALK THE WALK.

In Chicken Soup for the Father’s soul, John Trent wrote about a father who decided to take his children of a “date with Dad” every week. He had a 10 year old, a 9 year old and a 2 year old. He’d take the 10 and 9 year old every week and they would come home and brag about their “date with Dad”. The 2 year old said, why can’t I go? The Dad would explain, you’re only 2 and you need to be 3 before you can go. The 2 year old demanded, I’m 2 and half and I want to go, NOW.
As they put the food on the table at the restaurant he grabbed the 2 and half year old and said, You are mine and I’m glad. You are a winner and I’m proud of you. I love you and I think you are terrific. When the Dad tried to pull his hands away, the two year old said, “more Daddy, more”

Friends our children are calling out, “more time Daddy, more love Daddy, more exampling Daddy.

Our Bible Boost for today is from Ephesians 6:4, “Father’s do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” This Sunday is Father’s Day…take the whole family to church.

Don't Give UP!

This via my friend David Morgan, Pastor of Valley Christian Church, ABQ.
It blessed my life I am praying it blesses yours.

"Friend of mine told me to look up this guy's blog and be encouraged. Wanted to sent it on to you. Writer is Perry Noble.

Don’t Give Up! June 15, 2009
I don’t know who I am writing to…heck…I may need to come back one day and read this myself…but I really feel like I am supposed to tell someone, “DON’T GIVE UP!!!”
Church work can be the most frustrating thing on the planet to deal with…but don’t stop now! What you are seeing as an obstacle God is using as an opportunity! Don’t give up!!! (Galatians 6:9)
People hate you just because of what you do…and if you begin to experience any aort of success they will despise you even more. Don’t give up…your calling is not to please them!!! (Galatians 1:10)
You feel like you are not successful because your church hasn’t exploded with growth. BUT…you’ve seen 10 people receive Christ in the past year! REJOICE IN THAT…THE ANGELS DID!!! Don’t give up because your church isn’t getting attention from men…it has the attention of the Almighty…and in the end THAT is all that will matter!
You feel like you aren’t a good leader…or a good speaker. You want to walk away and do something else because you just don’t feel qualified. Remember…Jesus took some very unqualified men and CHANGED THE WORLD!!! (Acts 4:13)
Someone doesn’t like something you did recently…and they are not afraid to tell you about it. Remember…they didn’t like Jesus healing on the Sabbath either…but He kept on doing it because He knew He was pleasing His Father!!!
Your past haunts you…the enemy constantly throws it in your face. You want to walk away when you focus on who you WERE…STOP IT and see who YOU ARE in Christ! (I Corinthians 6:9-11 - REALLY focus on verse 11!) Don’t give up!
People close to you have abandoned you…and you are hearing the things they say. You feel betrayed…hurt…and wonder if it is all worth it. Demas betrayed Paul…Judas betrayed Jesus…yet they hung in there and refused to allow that type of betrayal to take their eyes off of the goal.
Don’t give up! Don’t quit! Stay in the fight!!! God called you to be a warrior…and sometimes warriors get wounded. BUT…wounds should not take the desire to fight out of us…but rather cause us to want to fight even more.
I heard about a guy who was going through a rough time once and asked Bill Hybels, “With all of this stuff I am going through…why shouldn’t I just quit right now?’
Bill replied, “because one day you and I will stand in front of One who had an assignment much tougher than ours and He didn’t quit…that’s why!”
BAM!
Don’t quit…don’t give up…fight the good fight! (Galatians 6:9) Pray, fast, preach, witness, memorize Scripture…and give satan a swift kick in the cookies as often as possible!!
But whatever you do…don’t give up! He called you–He gifted you–He empowered you and He will sustain you! (II Corinthians 4) - the WHOLE THING!
Don’t give up!"

I am praying for you and your family.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE!

You have heard the phrase “BE CAREFUL”. In fact, in many ways this phrase “BE CAREFUL” is almost meaningless in our modern society. We have heard it so many times that it has become just another trite saying like “good bye”, or when a person says “how are you” we expect people to say “fine” and they usually do. It doesn’t matter how many problems they have or how much they are hurting…the answer is still “fine”.

However, care and caution, especially concerning Biblical themes are of great importance. Jesus warned His disciples many times with these words “take heed” and “beware”. These disciples’ adversaries would deliver them up in their councils and scourge them in their synagogues. Their situations would be extremely dangerous. They were like sheep in the midst of wolves. Whoever put them to death or made life miserable for them, thought they were doing God a great big favor. It is logical, then, to conclude that the warnings of the Bible were taken seriously by the disciples.

WE, AS WELL, SHOULD TAKE BIBLICAL WARNINGS SERIOUSLY.

Do you remember the story of King Jeroboam of Israel in the Old Testament? He had the opportunity to create a lasting kingdom like his grandfather King David (I Kings 11:38). His success, however, DEPENDED upon his OBEDIENCE to God. Jeroboam failed his test immediately. His very first official act, as king, involved idolatry and false religion (I King 12:25-33). He set up altars far away from Jerusalem in the city of Bethel.

That brings us to the “rest of the story” in I Kings 13. God’s word to Jeroboam came through a man simply known as “man of God”. This prophet rebuked Jeroboam at the pagan altar at Bethel. God confirmed the message with signs and wonders. King Jeroboam was so impressed by this “man of God” that the king invited him home for dinner and gifts.

Here’s the response of the man of God, “even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: you must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.” I Kings 13:8-9. Did you hear that? God has specifically told the “man of God” not to eat or drink.

We give this prophet high marks for courage in confronting the king. However, the rest of the story is in the scripture of First Kings 13…the man of God DID eat and drink water at Bethel, and he died for his disobedience. The reason he died; God told him NOT TO EAT AND DRINK AT BETHEL.

You know, we are much like this “man of God” at Bethel. He knew what God said, He had heard the word of the Lord, yet something happened in his life that broke the concentration of obedience. We do the same thing. We know and have heard what God’s Word is all about yet many times our attention is diverted or we just simply chose not to obey.

My friend, God’s Word is true and sure when it tells us “BE CAREFUL”. Hear our BIBLE BOOST for today…it comes from Ephesians 5 and verse 15.

“BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE”.

So my friends, today is a good day to do a self evaluation. Am I being CAREFUL in how I live? Am I being CAREFUL to fulfill God’s teaching revealed in His Word? Am I being CAREFUL to do all God is calling me to do from His Word?

We are ONE Body in Christ Jesus!

"the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body."
I Corinthians 12:12

Have you ever thought about how many parts make up your physical body. If you consider
all the cells that make up our body, counting all the parts would be in the trillions times trillions. In other words, more than my little finite mind can comprehend.

The word "body" is used in many different ways in the Greek in the New Testament. Paul in I Corinthians uses it to stress "community". He states that the body of Jesus Christ is a Christian community made up of many different parts YET all one unit. Many different parts however, all part of ONE body, the community of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul stresses that there is no "this church, or that church, or home church, or ecumenical church". All those who are in "the body" make up the ONE body, called the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all ONE regardless of our ethnicity or our socioeconomic status or if we like organ music, guitar and drums, Statler Brothers or Big Daddy Weave. Our differences are what makes "the body" unique. We are different parts with different likes and dislikes, but ALL FAMILY, brothers and sisters in the body, the community of believers identified as "the church" of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Surely we can all see the wisdom of this in the physical body. Wouldn't it be a little scary if each one of us what just ONE BIG EAR? Oh yea, we could hear someone whispering a mile away. But, we would never be able to SEE a baby smile. We'd never be able to TASTE ________________(for me...shrimp gumbo, yum, yum...you fill in the blank with your favorite). We'd never be able to smell fresh coffee, or fresh baked cinnamon rolls, etc. We'd never be able to WALK down the hall or in the grocery store. We'd never be able to HOLD any one's hand.

So you see. As our physical body is made up of many different parts that enable us to do many things, so it is in the spiritual body, the church. We are many different parts with varying roles. BUT, all NEEDED. We are one body and each of us needs every other
part of the body of Jesus Christ to be complete. Without any one part...we are incomplete.

Paul says, "if the foot should say, 'because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body',
it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body...if they were all one part
where would the body be?"
I Corinthians 12:15,19

Very good question...WHERE WOULD THE BODY BE?

Not divided but UNITED. Or as Jesus pleaded with His disciples and US:

"my prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. that all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you."
John 17:20-21

One body, many parts, but ONE UNIT and COMMUNITY!

I am praying for you and your family,