A Quirky Journey

I posted this in another blog; but, thought I would share with you. You may be able to use it with people you speak with on a daily basis.....Hope this is of value to you. This process has been stewing in my mind and spirit for quite some time. So I thought I would share with you a little of how my mind thinks. Be warned. It may be crazy. It may be far fetched; but, I trust it will be worth the read by the end of the story. We go to church; some of us take a Bible, while other’s read along on their iPad, iPhone or some other smart device, listen to the speaker, then head back home. Many don’t pick the Bible up again until the next week when we do church all over again. Don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled we take our Bible to church in one form or another. The thing that has my mind stirring, is how often do we read the inspired Word of God for ourselves. Do we tend to push it aside because we believe it is too hard to understand on our own? Maybe we believe it is irrelevant for us; or, hearing our pastor, or some other speaker preach from the Bible once a week is all we need. For these various reasons, the wheels in my mind began to turn. I may be a little different, some may say strange; but, I am giving this a shot and hopefully it will inspire, encourage or challenge someone as they read. So as we begin this quirky journey, we will start with Peter’s thoughts on the pages of 1 Peter. Grab a cup of your favorite coffee, latte’, or soda and allow your imagination to go with me to the thoughts of one of the first disciples of Jesus. Find out who Peter was, by reading what he had to say to each of us, as he was inspired by the Spirit of God Himself. When we open to the book of First Peter it begins with Peter telling us who he is and to whom he is writing. He gives a tad bit of informational background before getting to the main theme of his first letter. For a minute let’s pretend we are Peter and we are writing this letter. What would that look like? Maybe something a little like this… In my case it would read… ******************************************* Just who am I? “Hi, I am Cheryl, a minister of Jesus. I am messaging each one of you who have been chosen by God. We are visitors in this world and scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Europe to Asia, Africa to Australia, and North America to South America. (2) We have been chosen by God, according to what He has known from the beginning of time; to be obedient to Christ and washed clean by His blood on the cross. May you be filled with an overwhelming amount of grace and peace.” ******************************************* Although we have just read what would be two verses of 1 Peter 1, I want to stop here and add a personal commentary. I am not confessing to be a Biblical Scholar, just a person taking verses apart, hoping to help normal, every day peeps understand how to apply the Bible to our lives. It is relevant and very helpful for todays generation. ******************************************* After reading the first paragraph of First Peter, we can see that there are peeps just like you and me all over the world. Each one of us have been chosen by God Himself from the very beginning of time. We have been cleansed by His blood and are expected to be obedient to Christ. Because of this we are encouraged to have an overwhelming amount of grace and peace. Merriam/Webster Dictionary’s definition of grace: a temporary exemption or reprieve, a virtue coming from God, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. When I looked up grace in the Urbandictionary I found the only use of the word is describing a girl, beauty, or something feminine. hmmm This generation has no clue. Ok, back to Webster’s definition of grace. The definition uses the words regeneration and sanctification. We may understand regeneration, but, what exactly is sanctification. Let’s touch a little on both. Regeneration is something coming back to life or being restored or renewed after an injury. UrbanDictionary says regeneration can be traumatic. It can be traumatic because our lives are being changed and transformed. Much like a transformor from the movie by the same name. The only difference is as we change from our original “old” self to the new, we need to make a determined effort to continue changing and not go back to the “old” self. That is where sanctification comes into play. Sanctification is the process of growing and developing in the grace given you by God. Alost everytime I hear grace, I remember the scene in “Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring” where Arwen is taking Frodo to her father, after he has been stabbed by a wraith. They get across the river and Frodo begins giving up, soon to be a wraith himself. Arwen helps him from her horse, leans over Frodo, and says, “What grace is given me, let it pass to him.” Arwen knew grace was important. Now, the LOR Trilogy is just a story made into movies; but, it allows us to understand visually, a little of what Peter is talking about in his letter. Grace is important to the health of our life. If we are transformed or regenerated we must not stop there. We must continue to evolve into the new person we are to become through the process of sanctification by the grace God gives. That is it for this post. Check back again for the continued quirky journey through the book of 1 Peter. btw I would love to know what your thoughts are about what you’ve just read.

What Makes Us "Run" Correctly?

If you have been following me you know we are in the midst of a home reno with many exciting plans ahead for the home. We have completely gutted it and this week contractors are working on the plumbing and electric. I walked in while the plumbers were taking pipes below a wall, underground, from one area to another. My mind began thinking about the process. In order for the flow of water to run properly through the house, pipes had to be rearranged. They were working before; but, in order to function better, work had to be done.

We were born a certain way. Our lives were set on a course to grow, learn and develop into the person God intended for each one of us to be. Our character is shaped by the environment in which we are raised. We learn to respect those around us. At some point most of us take a good look at ourself and do an examination of where we are and what we are doing with our lives. We realize that we are doing ok, but with a little adjustment we could be doing so much better. So the life we have lived up to this point has got us this far, but with our adjustment we are going to go farther.

Part of that adjustment is realizing we have lived our lives according to the way we wanted to live without thinking about asking our Creator, God for His direction. We adjust our way of thinking. Before we make any decision we ask God for clarity:

"Is this a good move?"

"Is this the person I am to spend the rest of my life with?"

"Will this job be best for my future?"

All these questions are great avenues of communication with God. He definitely cares about our lives and the choices and decisions we make. We get to know His direction and build stronger character by reading His Word. It not only gives direction but brings healing to our spirit and comforts our soul. The reality is, it takes the pressure off of us when making decisions. Why? Because we are relying on God's leading us to do the right thing. He speaks to us in a still small voice in our inner most being.

I can hear some say it is a lame way to live because we are not making up our minds ourselves, we are letting someone else tell us what to do. I am sorry, but that is not the case here. It takes a lot of guts, if you will, to allow someone else (God in this instance) to direct our lives. We are completely and totally trusting Him. Just like going on a ropes course. You have to trust your partner with your life. No hesitancy or questioning. Just trust.

Think about this today and ask yourself:

"Do I need to make adjustments in my heart or life?"

"Am I doing life my way or do I ask God what He would like me to do with my life?"

If we are doing life "my way" we are living selfishly and not thinking of others. The first sign of strong character is when we can trust God with our life and not worry about what we want. When we do this we will be surprised to find that God is giving us the very things and allowing us to do exactly what we love to do.

So, just like we had to make adjustments in our home, so water could run throughout the house better; we need to make adjustments in our lives in order to do life better.

Happy adjusting.

"You're not a Janitor, You're a Contractor" Love Happens

I was enjoying watching the movie "Love Happens" and this one line jumped out at me...

"You're not a janitor, you're a contractor."

A man lost everything after his son died on his construction site. He quit building and began working as a janitor. He had not allowed himself to grieve and get on with his life. He was holding onto pain and disappointment.

I immediately thought of people in ministry doing something other than what God called them to because of hurt or resentment. It was just too painful to face and deal with the issue. There are some who were in ministry, but no longer are because of what someone did, said, or didn't do. The saying, "face the pain" comes to mind. We have to face our fears, our hurts, our disappointments,in order to move past them.

Are we guilty of allowing something or someone in our life to trip us up and get us off track? Maybe someone hurt us or didn't like what we were doing so we just gave up. Just because we are hurt or disagreed with doesn't give us the right to quit and do something else, if God called us. We will never be happy doing what we are doing now because it is not what God called us to. What is important is we pray and ask God to give us wisdom and discernment on where we go from here.

It is not too late. We need to allow God to take us to the place and ministry He wants us to be in. We need to stop running and watch the power of God restore and transform us. As we do this God will be able to use us in the way He intended from the beginning. As Jeanne May has said, "Messed up? Learn the lesson but forget the details."

I am glad things "pop" or "jump" out at me when I am having fun. That's God. I am so glad He can do that and I am attentive to listen. It is my desire that this has helped you move on and forward into God's divine calling. As you go throughout your day take this scripture with you...

"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you." (Jn. 15:16 Msg)

God's Protection from Failure

It's one of those verses that jumps out at you. The story is one of the most memorable of the Old Testament. For those of us who are in our upper 40's and above, when we think of Moses, the picture that comes to our mind is Charleton Heston.

I was doing my daily reading in the book of Exodus. I had to be careful, because I was temptated to read through the plagues at a fast pace. Why should I take my time on them? I already know the story, right? Yes and no. If I would have sped through that part of the story I may have missed the verse that jumped out at me.

"If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt." Ex. 13:17b(MSG). What? I thought God wanted them to learn how to trust Him. That's why He led them through the wilderness and not the shortest route. So I looked in the NIV thinking our friend Eugene Peterson just paraphrased the verse wrong. "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (NIV) Ok, so what about the New American Standard? "The people might change their minds when they see war." (NAS) Alright, I will take a look at what good ole King James says. "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." (NKJV)

So what I found was this: God was protecting them from failure. He did not want them to take the shortest route to the land of promise, because He didn't want them to lose heart and turn around; missing out on all He had for them.

How often does this happen in our own lives. We start out on a journey. It has been a difficult decision to make. There have been various obstacles trying to keep us in the place we are right now. Finally, it seems this is the right time. We are ready to step out. We make preparations. Just when we think we are going, something prevents us from stepping out once again. So we put it on hold. Then, it happens, we have to go and we must go now! So we do what we know God is saying.

Now, what seems like the best way seems to be blocked. We don't understand. God is leading us down a path we don't quite understand, but we follow.

There is so much more in this part of scripture, but for now, let's look at just this one verse...

In our lives, it may look like we should take a route that seems good. That route may be faster to get to our destination; but is it the route God wants us to take? There is definitely a reason God is not taking us down that route. We may encounter obstacles that would cause us to let go of our dream and vision. God knows what He is doing. Let's learn this lesson from Moses and the Isralites.

Over the course of the next few days I will be posting more on this passage. For today, let's ask ourselves the question: "Am I taking the route God has for me on my journey; or am I taking the route I think is best?" I would love to hear about some of the journey's many of you are on.

Thanking God...

This is the season in the U.S. to be thankful. It is important to not take what has been given us for granted. If not careful we can become so caught up in life we forget to pause and thank God for everything around us...

Family because they are who God chose to give us to live with on a daily basis to help us grow and mature,

Friends because God knows what we need in order to help us develop in our relationships,

Needy because God wants us to develop a sense of compassion and care for people less fortunate than us,

All of creation because God needs us to appreciate and worship Him for who He is, and

Health because if we do not take care of ourself we will not be able to help all of the above.

As you go throughout your day do not forget to thank God for the privilege of serving Him and serving others. It is an honor to be able to do all.

God bless you during this time of year and may you be blessed abundantly with God's favor.

Roadblocks are Detours to Divine Destination not Disruption to our Destiny

We can be going along in ministry and in our life with everything just great. When a challenge comes across our path we often see it as a disruption to what God is doing in our life and ministry. We may tend to think it has come to keep us from where God wants us. It might just be a detour to the divine destination He has in mind and not our destiny.

We all have heard Jeremiah 29:11 many times, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Msg) The Israelites hit many roadblocks and detours, but God got them to their divine destination.

When we left our last pastorate it seemed as if the detour was a major disruption to our destiny. God had different plans though. It is also how we come out of the detours that have a way of determining our divine destination, as well. If we are not open to what God is doing, we may just miss what He has divinely planned for us. Now, I am not saying I would ever want to go through the detour we encountered again, but, we did allow God to prepare us for what He is doing in our lives right now.

I am so excited to see His plan unfold. Every day new things happen that connects me with more and more possibilities. If I had not been willing and available for God to speak into my heart and spirit, I would not be doing what I am doing, at this point in my life.

I am determined to see the minor or major detours in my life as just that…detours getting me to the divine destination God has planned. The end result may be totally different than what we thought when we first started our journey of ministry and life, but hey, if God is in it, why not accept it and watch His hand at work?

Whatever it is we may be encountering right now, we need to open our spiritual eyes. Ask God to help us discern whether this roadblock is a detour on the road to our divine destination, or a disruption, in which satan is trying to keep us from our divine destination. It is very important how we respond to these detours. It is very critical that we make sure our spirits stay close to God during these roadblocks. We can very easily go down the wrong road without even realizing it at the time.

Remember, God’s plans are for us to prosper and give us a hope and a future, traveling down the road to our divine destination.

I look forward to seeing you as we travel down our roads and maneuver the detours together.

"Shaken, Not Stirred...the Life of the Believer."

Many of us know the saying, “Shaken, not stirred,” that James Bond made so famous on the Big Screen. Recently on a twitter update I asked the question, “Are you settled or stirred?” and then admonished those following to, “stir up the gift in you and watch as God does amazing things in and through your life.” Now, that comment “stirred” up some discussion that “stirred” my thoughts into forming this blog article.

Paul exhorts Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:6 (Amplified) “That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. That is what we are to do. We need to “stir up” the gift. We need to rekindle and fan the flame of our gift. Make every effort to not allow our gift to sit on the shelf of our heart and allow dust to settle.

It is so easy in the process of life to let our gifts sit there and not do anything. We get busy with our every day routine. Even pastor’s can allow their gifts to sit on the sidelines, due to demands in ministry. As life happens, we need to make every effort to keep the gift God has given each of us, polished up and in good use. When we allow our gift to sit idle, we can become shaken in minor occurrences that normally, we would have been ok with.

Gifts are meant to be used, not just admired. Our gifts are useful for the building up of the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:12 NIV) We are to prepare believers for their works of service. Each person has individual gifts; no one is left out in the gift giving. If we are not using the gift God gave us, we need to do a personal inventory. What has happened to keep us from using our gift from God? Are we busy raising our families? Our families are so important, we better be using our gift, influencing our children and being an example of how we are to live as a believer.

Don’t allow life to happen haphazardly. Allow life to happen on purpose. There are things we can do in our lives to bring order, so that our lives bring glory to God, causing other people to want whatever it is we have. If we are not living life on purpose we are setting ourselves up to be “shaken, not stirred.” That is not the example and life God desires for our lives.

There is a scripture in my Bible that is circled, underlined, and starred. It is Acts 2:25 (NIV) “…Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Emphasis mine) David first said this scripture in Ps. 16: 8, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Emphasis mine) What a promise and exhortation! As we keep God in the forefront of our lives He will be right there with us. WE WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. That is a promise…but, we have to keep Christ first…not our spouse…not our children…not our ministry…not our job…Christ. As we keep Him first then our spouse, children, ministry and job will come into line with what Christ has for us.

Be careful that we do not get it turned around or we will be shaken from our foundation. Keep the gift God has given stirred to action and see what amazing things will happen in our everyday lives we live.

Take this scripture with you throughout the day and allow life to happen on purpose as the gift is stirred up…Heb. 12:27 (NIV) “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe...” (Emphasis mine)

From Nobody to Somebody

Do we wake up each morning thankful for the life God has given us? Do we thank Him for the calling He has placed on our lives? Do we thank Him for placing us where we are at this point in our lives. If we don't, we need to take a look at Rom. 9:25-28 again. God said, "I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies...God doesn't count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus." Rom. 9:25, 28 Msg

Pastor, leader, mom, student, it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, God gets personal with us. He doesn't just merely look down on earth and see little dots of people moving on the earth...He sees potential...He sees value...not for what you have done, or for what you will do; but for who you are...a living, breathing child of God. (v26)We mean something to Him. We each have a purpose for living and He desires that we follow Him and allow Him to work it out in our life.

Pastor, I want to talk to you right now. It doesn't matter the size of your church. Forget numbers. When you attend meetings with fellow ministers don't be concerned with how many people other pastors have in their congregations. Be concerned with how many salvations are happening on a weekly basis. Be concerned about what you are doing to add souls to the Kingdom. The main thing is Jesus and how many people have come to know him under your care. How many of these new converts are growing and developing under your ministry?

Do not allow your well planned projects to get in the way of the message of Christ's love for everyone. Don't get me wrong. I am all about planning and providing the best programs available to reach people. In order to succeed we must have well thought out plans and carry them through to the end. My point is to not get so carried away and busy planning we forget to ask for God's opinion. He may have something better planned. "...you'll find me ON the way to your goal not IN the way." Rom. 9:33b Msg (emphasis mine)

What is the main thing? What is the ultimate goal? Salvation of people searching for something. That "something" is what we have to offer. Let's keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus and advancing His kingdom, not ours.

Let's take a look at the ones searching. Who are they? They are young and old; those who have a lot of material wealth and those who have nothing. Our churches should reflect that. We need them all. God wants them all. I searched the Internet to find demographic stats of ages in the United States. Here is what I found...

Age structure (2009 est.)taken from Demographics of the United States on Wikipedia.org

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)
15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)
65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696

The large percentage is in the middle with an age range of 15-64 years. Other stats show that a large marjority of this population are single adults. My thought as I read this is, "God knows who each one of these individuals are. How are we reaching them?" Our goal as church leaders should be to get to know as many of these individuals as possible. I don't mean each of us personally, but providing the means within our power to reach them through our congregations.

If we are sincerely honest about reaching them, are we doing whatever it takes to reach them? Do our services reflect our efforts, or do our services look like they did 10 years ago...five years ago for that matter. We live in a world that is changing very rapidly. We need to make sure we are not stuck and change with them. Are we challenging the leaders within our congregations to keep up with technology that this generation is so into? Do we use this technology in church, or do we have the mentality that the gospel message will get through no matter how we present it to people?

If that is our thinking we need to get on our knees and ask God for some divine intervention; because God is a God of excellence. Excellence is developed continually. It never stops developing. I don't mean have a "traditional" service and a "contemporary" service. That breeds discention and seperation. Let's work together and expand our ability to live and worship together.

Are we singing the same songs we sang 5, 10, 20 years ago? We all loved "Shout to the Lord," but it is old now. Sure sing it every once in a while, but allow God to grow you past this and learn new ones. Learning new songs keeps our spirit fresh. There are people that spend time in prayer and worship that birth these songs from the heart. Allow our spirits to join them in praising God with the song they created.

Remember, our main responsibility is to reach the lost, get to know the people God knows already. They are not a number. They are individuals searching for love and compassion and that is what we have to offer. We have the challenge to find these people who think they are nobody and allow God to make create in them the somebody He can use for His glory.

We may have to do things that are a little uncomfortable for us; but that is what is so awesome about being a leader used by God, we are in an adventure that stretches and challenges us to grow. When we allow ourselves to be stretched we are giving God the "ok" to spiritually mature us. You may even feel like a nobody right now. You may feel that you cannot live up to this task. But, God has placed within you the abiltiy to do above and beyond what you cannot even imagine. Ephesians 3:20 says, "...according to his power that is at work within us." NIV

It's not about the number in attendence we are to be concerned with; it is the number of salvations taking place in our services and through our people. You know what? When salvations happen, the actual growth of our churches will increase. The key is, it will not happen until we are strategic in how we go about reaching the 67%of the US population. We won't forget the children and senior adults, that will happen as we reach out the way we should.

Remember God's power is at work within you, and you can expect great things to happen, as you allow Him to work within you, changing you into what He desires as a leader.

I trust this has blessed you. I have read Romans 9 several times, but this just stood out again recently. Be blessed and have an awesome day.

Churches We Can't Help (Pt 2)

Thanks for all the feedback on the previous post. Here's the second part...

The next church you can't help is the one who expects the pastor to make a greater investment than they are willing to make. As we mature in Christ we should want to invest more and more of ourselves into our church family and advancing the Kingdom of God. Remember when we first accepted Christ? We were all excited. We wanted to be at church all the time and around those God was using to help us grow. As we develop spiritually that should become stronger and not diminish, which so often happens. Our prayer should be, "God help me retain my enthusiasm for the house of God and His people." Be available. Volunteer to help whenever the church has a function going on. You will be blessed as you bless others.

The last point I want to make is this:

You can't help a church who refuses to spend and invest their time in prayer and the Word in order to bring transformation. It is not enough just to go to church and listen to the pastor. Each church member needs to spend time conversing with God, getting to know Him.

You get to know Him by reading the Word regularly. Sure there will be days we skip our reading, but that should not be the norm. Each one of us has a best friend we love to spend time with. We love to talk to them. If this person is a true friend, then you will both talk together, back and forth. The conversation will not be one sided.

Talk to God, then sit quietly and allow Him to speak to your spirit. He may even direct you to a certain scripture to read. He disires for us to get to know Him. Make sure you are spending the time you need in order for your spirit to be transformed and encourage others within your influence to do the same.

I trust we are all part of a church that is seeing God move in awesome ways. If we don't see that happening, ask ourself if we a part of a church that cannot be helped, or am I someone that needs to change my perspective on things? If we find we are part of a church that cannot be helped, maybe it is best that we move on, in order for us to be able to spiritually grow and mature.

Believe me, I understand the thought, "Maybe, I can help them. God can use me here." Those thoughts may be true; but, if you have been in the church a while and it is not going anywhere, it is time for you to move on. You must move on for your own spiritual health.

Maybe you have wanted to move on at one time and your spouse encouraged you to stay in the church. Later, you both changed your position, your spouse was ready to leave and you were the one encouraging to stay. Be very careful with this, because you do not want to stay too long. That is what happened to us. We loved the church and wanted to see it move forward in what God desired for it. The reality was, we needed to move on long before we did, because it affected our spiritual health. It became a situation that caused me to not want to be in ministry ever again. God had a way of bringing about healing, causing His vision and call to resurface; but, it was at a great cost. Please be careful and earnestly seek God's wisdom in this kind of a situation. He definitely wants to lead, so let Him.

Thanks for reading and may this be the start of a fresh, new journey for each of you in your walk with God. May He take you to new levels of leadership in the ministries you are in. Blessings!

Churches We Can't Help

I heard a sermon on "People You Can't Help" several months back. Over the months the "Churches We Can't Help" has been stirring in my spirit. Being in ministry for 26 years, you see a lot of things. You see churches who are struggling, pastors who are struggling, and both are wondering why. Could it be that both are a little "closed minded" to how God desires to use them?

If we aren't careful we lose our edge because we become so comfortable in our ways. When God brings people across our path we don't recognize what God is doing because we are "set". When concrete sets it is not going to move unless someone uses a sledge hammer or a power tool to break it up. God help me to be a little more flexible than that!

As you read on I hope this speaks to you and challenges you to ask God if you are in one of these categories. My intent is not to condemn anyone, it is simply to try to stir our thinking up a little so we do not become "set" and comfortable in our ways.

We can't help a church who refuses to believe or accept they have a problem. When we look in the first chapters of Revelation we see churches that were doing what they thought best, but God had issues with them.

We can look around the United States and see many churches who were once powerful forces in God's Kingdom. They were alive and helping people get to know Christ and start relationships with Him. If we talk to people who were around during that time, they become excited just talking about all God did; but saddended because it is not happening today.

It is awesome how God moved upon men and women. He is so ready and willing to do that now...but we, the church, put too many guidelines on how we are to reach out to people searching for what we have to offer. What happened to God's grace? Until the church accepts that God's grace looks at the heart of an individual and not the outward appearance; until the church acknowledges that the methods of reaching generations has changed (not the message); until the church realizes and acknowledges it has a problem, the church cannot be helped.

Now, this next point may cause some readers to not read my blog anymore; but this point is so very important for the health of the church. Here it goes...

You can't help a churh that believes the pastor is the problem. Why? Because God gave that pastor to them as a GIFT. Ephesians 4:11 in the Message says, "He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher." God loves the church so much He gives them their leaders. When we give gifts to people we normally don't take the gift back. AND, if the person receiving the gift shows any hint of not liking and appreciating the gift, we get hurt and upset. Let that sink into our spirit for a moment.

God gave these leaders to the church to help the church grow and develop into mature Christians. We read on in Ephesians 4:12 of the Message, "...to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other..."

Now bear with me while I use my imagination. Imagine God looking down at His church here on earth. He sees congregations in North America, South Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada; wherever you live, and say, 'This is the man or woman I want to place in such and such city, town, or village." If God cares for us that much, who are we to try and undermine the pastor? Who are we to think we hear from God more than our pastor? If each church would allow their pastor's to implement the task God is showing he/she, our congregations would be overflowing with people hungry for more of God.

Didn't verse 12 tell us the reason for these leaders was to help the church move rhythmically and easily with each other? I don't know about you; but there are far too many churches not moving rhythmically and easily together. Now, please hear me out. This is not condemning anyone, please do not feel as if I am. I am trying to help us take a good, hard look at ourselves to see if we fit this categary. If we don't that's awesome. If we do and we recognize it, then that is awesome as well; because, that is the first step in change.

When we take a look at our church there could be a couple of reasons why we are not living these verses out. The first may be that the pastor may just be worn out and exhausted from his/her task; and the second could be the church is not trusting and following their pastor's lead. Sure, there have been pastor's who have taken advantage of churches; but they are few and far between.

If you are a member of a church in which that has happened, please remember that not everyone that way. God has a desire for you to forgive, forget and move on in your spiritual development. If you can't do that, then maybe God could use you better somewhere else. That is something to seriously consider and pray about. God may want to use you more elsewhere. Allow Him to grow you in that way.

This has become rather lengthy. I will post the other two points tomorrow. Have an awesome day!

Powerful Demeanor/Powerful Word

As I was reading in Mark this morning I was reminded of a message I preached several years back in our church. I had a few teenagers help by getting up and following me when I walked by, motioning for them to follow, saying, "follow me."

Now, catch the power behind the demeanor and words of Jesus in this instance. You can read about it in Mark 1:14-20 and Matthew 4:18-22. What was it about this man that caused people to stop whatever they were doing...that included their livelihood...and follow after Him?

He had confidence in who he was...the Son of God.
He knew what his mission was...salvation of mankind.
He had passion for that mission...everything He did had to do with His mission.
He had determination to see the mission fulfilled...He was willing to give His life.

As believers and leaders (and everyone who is a believer should be a leader) we need to be following Jesus' example. When we walk past people they should take a second look. If we ask them to follow us in what we are doing they should stop whatever they are doing and follow. Why? Because we have Christ in us. John 16 tells about Jesus having to leave in order for the Holy Spirit to come. He would teach us all truth (v13) and we would then have power to ask anything in Jesus name (vv 23,24) and receive.

I don't know about you; but, that is a mighty strong promise! Are we living up to those verses? Does the demeanor we protray and the words we say carry that much power? When others look at me or when I walk past others I want them to take a second look...not because I look like some crazy woman, but because I have the power of Jesus inside of me. That is a difficult task. We must do it at home...which can be tough with everyone in our homes having their own will, and spiritually maturing at different stages.

We can have confidence in who we are...a child of God. (1 Jn 3:1)
We can know what our mission is...telling others about Christ. (Mt. 28:18-20)
We can have a passion about our mission...live life worthy of the calling (Eph. 4:1) and live a "more and better life than they ever dreamed of" (Jn 10:10b Msg).
We can have determination to fulfill the mission...we can do everything He has called us to, because He gives us the strength (Phil 4:13 & 1:6).

Make that your challenge. Watch your words. Watch the body language you carry. At home and away from home.

The next time someone looks at you or you walk past someone, don't be surprised if they are following you! Oh, by the way. There are various ways people can follow today...physically is the "old fashioned" way; but, what about facebook, twitter, youtube, etc. Technology has opened up a whole new realm for the Believer. Don't criticize it, get on board with it and allow God to use you in ways you NEVER thought you could be used. Just remember, people do follow you, so watch everything you say and do.

Have fun with people following you!

Change Challenge

In the late 1800's and early 1900's when the Pentecostal movement was being born...or reborn, people did things their churches did not agree with, for the simple fact of experiencing God in ways they had not experienced Him before. When this began happening in the 60's and 70's again the church was not sure they wanted to accept what was happening. It was different...not what they were use to seeing or experiencing.

Today we are experiencing God again. Is it so different from previous years? The only thing different in each of these events is the way in which it was accomplished. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8) He is the same, but it is important to look at the circumstances and the ways in which He moved and allowed the Holy Spirit to work. The ways were different, yet the Holy Spirit was the same...gentle and powerful. I believe God is the same as Hebrews says, but He uses the culture of the day to bring His will about and cultures change, so we must change.

God is a God of relevancy. He uses what we are accustomed to in order to reach the generation in which we live. He related to shepherds, fisherman, and tax collectors using what they were comfortable with in order to reach them. My question to the church and ministers today is, "Why is it so hard to allow God to use our culture to reach our culture?" We are not compromising the truth of God's word, we are making it relevant to a generation that needs God's word.

When the hymns, so many people love today were written, they were not the tradition of the day. Many were bar tunes with new words and the people loved them because they were telling the stories of their heart and what God was doing in their lives. This is what is happening today, but people are being inspired to write their own music with lyrics from deep within their spirit. People are using various ways to creatively reach a generation that is desperately in need of Christ, but it is difficult for some churches and pastors to grasp.

Take these thoughts to heart. Ask God to open your spirit to change. How is He wanting to work in you? Is it hard for you to change? Are you comfortable where you are at this point in your life? Maybe it is time to "upset the fruit basket" and allow the Holy Spirit to challenge you with change.

What can you change today that will benefit others tomorrow?

Getting More out of LIfe and Changing the World!

"I want, I want, I want," oftentimes is what we hear more than, "what can I do for you?"

As I was doing a study on giving I read the well known verse in Lk 6:38 NIV, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over..." Many times we stop there, but read what else it says, "...will be poured into your lap. For with what measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Like always I looked to see what The Message said, "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

If everyone would grasp the full intensity of that verse we would be living in a very different world. Not long ago I was riding my bike from my house down to the boardwalk with family. Two of us had gone ahead of the others and a group of people were walking, taking up the entire Oceanfront road. When riding bikes you courteously say, "On your left," or "On your right" when you are going to pass someone. That is what I did and man did I get an earfull.

This group of people just had an attifude that many in our nation have today. That is very sad to say, but truth. We live in a world that believes everyone "owes" them something. It is "their right." This is not the way God intended for us to live. His intension was like the above scripture states, "Give away your life..." Go out of our way to do good and do not "expect" things to happen because of who we are or what we've done.

As believers it is so important that we grasp what the scripture is saying. Take it to heart. Give away our life. Give from our very innermost being. Do good to others. Say a kind word. Go out of our way to speak and give into another person's life. As we do this God will give back into our lives.

Now, we do not give to get. That is not what God meant. He is simply telling us, "Hey, this is what I would like for you to do. And you know what? When you do it look what I will do for you." (Cheryl Turnbull paraphrase) He tells us that He will not only give back, but give back with bonus benefits. As we begin living a life of generosity we will be amazed at the outcome...more people will be generous to us. Don't expect it. Don't look for it. Just let it happen.

If everyone in the world would take hold of that scripture and purposefully be generous, we could change the world!

Live purposefully today and be generous...LET'S CHANGE THE WORLD!

What Kind of a Legacy Will You Leave?

When you think of what is important to you, what comes to mind? Your career? Your family? Your relationships? All of these things are important; but, how will people remember you?

I guess I am thinking of this because my husband's father passed away a week ago, on June 22nd. His life was a life well lived. He and his wife were missionaries in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. He taught at Vanguard University (when it was known as Southern California College) and worked as Director of International Ministries at CBN, where he retired. In each one of these rolls he was developing and training leaders in their call of ministry. His children have all followed their father's example in serving Christ and he leaves an awesome legacy of love for God and His work; in addition to a great love, compassion and concern for his family.

He was the epitome of Mt. 22:37-39, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself." NIV Bob did this. He loved people. Now, he did embarrass the family, at times, when he was just being friendly. To strike up conversation, he would make a comment about an earring that wasn't in the ear, or a tatoo. Sometimes the comments, made to be comical, could have gotten him into tough situations; but, he wasn't doing it out of meanness, he was doing it to try to connect with the person. He honestly loved people. He made a friend everywhere he went. We all have our ways; but, the majority of his life was loving people and that included his family. He would do anything for his family.

I look at his life...the many travels around the world he took, not only to enjoy, but preach the gospel, the way he loved and provided and took care of his wife, and the way he prayed for his children and grandchildren. That is an awesome legacy.

Looking at his life causes me to take a good look at my own life. Am I showing a love for Christ in all that I do? Am I more concerned about what I am doing and how it is going to turn out, than I am with my relationships with people and even my relationship with Christ? How are people going to remember me? Will I like what they think about me after I am gone?

If we keep those two questions at the forefront of our mind everyday, I believe it would revolutionize the way we do life in general. Sure, set goals and strive to reach them. Enjoy what God has given you. Just don't forget to love God with all your heart, soul and mind; and the people you come in contact with every day as you love yourself. Grasp Mt. 22:37-39, wrap it around mind, plant it in your heart. Live it out daily. Wake up thinking about it. Go to bed thinking about the verses. The last question you should ask yourself before collapsing on your pillow is, "Did I show how much I love God today, by going out of my way to love someone...someone that is hard to love?"

Take that thought with you and change the way you live your life.

Have a Blessed and Loving Day!

Effectively Passing the Baton

As leaders we each have a desire to "pass the baton" to the next generation...or at least we should. I have been thinking on this quite often lately. In order to effectively pass the baton we need to have a passion for ministry...a passion for leadership...but what supersedes it all is a passion for more of Christ. That is the key to being effective at passing on the other two.

We can easily get caught up in our various ministries and trying to lead others, that our passion for those two things overshadow our passion for, just simply, getting more of God. It may seem super simple, but it is so very important to stay on top of this issue. As a minister I like to observe other leaders and how well they are doing at their calling. Now, please do not get me wrong, I am not judging others, I am simply observing how they are representing their calling.

I can speak from experience. A few years ago I was just going through the motions of ministry. It seemed as if everything I was trying to accomplish was being "shot" down by others. Eventually I allowed all that to get to me. Ministry was the last thing I wanted to do. It was too difficult...so I just began living really with no purpose.

We have to be so careful because satan will do whatever he can to discourage us and keep us from the calling God has on our lives. After a year or so I began to feel renewed in my spirit; but, at first I did not want to have anything to do with ministry, or church for that matter. It was hard to pray because I felt as if God had abandoned me. I tell about this in more detail in my self-published book, "Shattering the Glass Walls of the Woman in Ministry."

I thank God continually for the church we were led to attend. The teaching coming out of the church was exactly what my husband and I needed to renew our passion and sense of calling in our lives. Why was this church so different from other churches we attended during the searching period?

To sum it up in one word...PASSION. Everyone was excited about their relationship with God. They were excited about their leadership. They were excited to volunteer. They were excited to be part of the ministry and reaching people. People were accepting Christ in EVERY service and Sunday night services were packed. No cancelling Sunday night service...people wanted to come.

Why? Because the core leadership of the church, not just pastoral leadership, had a passion for what they believed.

Pastor's and leaders can easily become discouraged when it seems as if the people who are following their leadership do not want to get on board with anything they desire. If we are part of a church and we are one of the ones that do not want to get on board with our pastors, we need to ask ourselves the question, "Why?" God has placed this man or woman as our leader and we need to get behind them. They are God's gift to you to lead you.

If we cannot get behind them we are in essence telling God we don't trust His decision for the leader He placed in our midst. We could be adding to the discouragement that could eventually lead to the decision to leave pastoral ministry altogether. (see previous post)

Passion for God is one of the keys to great leadership. When we are excited about what we are doing people will want to get on board.

If we are in a church that cannot get on board and has the attitude, "They're young. Just wait, the excitement will subside," pray for God to give you direction in how to handle the situation. Do not allow this attitude to kill your passion. If you have found yourself in this situation a ministry is being set in place to help you, the minister, so please contact me. We have a desire to help you succeed and continue in your passion for ministry.

It is awesome to serve God! There is no greater fulfillment than to see others grasping hold of the passion of God along with you. God has placed you where you are and will be with you all the way. As ministers we need to "be there" for each other. If you do not have someone in whom you can confide we have resources to help you.

May God bless you as you faithfully serve Him and pass the baton on to generations...a baton of passionate leadership.

God is a Big God: But How Big Do We Allow Him to Be in Our Lives?

I can't believe it is almost the end of May and I haven't written in my blog! The thought: "how big am I allowing God to be in my life," keeps going over and over in my head.

Sure, we all say we serve an awesome God, a big God; but do we really allow Him to be big in us? It is easy to say, but a little harder to do. Jesus, Himself, tells us how big God can be in our lives in John 14:12 of the NIV, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

This scripture has stood out in my mind since I was a teenager, and that's a long time ago. We can do greater things than Jesus because He is going to be with His Father. If Jesus is telling us this, then I think our lives should exhibit the very essence of what God is about.

He is about changing lives from the inside out. He is about compassion. He is about grace. He is about forgiveness. He is about healing, both spiritually and physically.

Too often, I believe we get so caught up in the how of doing things we forget the why. We need to break free of what is holding us down and keeping us from allowing the bigness of God to overflow out of our lives.

In my own life, right now, I am having to daily remind myself of God's bigness in me. That means, allowing Him to work the everyday things of my life out for His glory and honor. I have to remind myself that God is big and He can work in ALL circumstances...as I allow Him the freedom to do just that.

So, how big is God in your life? Is there evidence that He is in control, not you? Is the very essence of God's greatness overflowing from your everyday activities?

Take time to think about how big God is in your life. He is only able to be as big as we allow Him to be.

Who's in Your Top Five?

Who do we share vision with while it is still being developed?

Do we keep it to ourselves?

Do we share a little at a time?

Who is in your circle of influence?

Who is in your top five?

These thoughts are important to the development of our dreams. If not thought through wisely, the outcome could hinder the birth and development of the dream itself.

Our dreams and vision are special to us. They mean a lot to us. They are part of our very being. When we share part of our vision we are sharing part of our heart; so we don't want to share it with someone who will take hearing it lightly. As you share from your heart you are taking a risk...

What if the person you are sharing it with laughs at your dream?

What if they think you are being unrealistic?

What if they think you are just out right stupid?

Those questions are what we have to take into consideration when we share. If we are not careful we may lose our dream and vision because of someone's remark. We may even make a remark to someone else about their dream and vision that might discourage them; so make it a point to always think before you respond to others. We do not want to be the one that bursts a dream in someone's life.

Jerimiah 29:11, "...plans to give you the future you hope for." The MSG

God wants us to succeed and be successful. We just have to be careful who we surround ourselves with and who we allow to influence us. There will be times when we have to pull away from people we have been around a long time. We may have to watch the amount of time we spend with family and friends, because they do not understand how we can expect the things we are expecting. They may not understand our dreams, so be careful how much you share. They may be well meaning, but they may hinder your progress because of the words they say to you.

God has a time for everything. Do not be discouraged if the dream or vision you have for your life isn't happening. God is working in ways you cannot always see. He is even working in your own life, preparing you for the fulfillment of those dreams. Don't be anxious. There are times I tell myself that. God knows more than you know about what He is doing. We simply have to trust and let Him do what He wants.

So, where are you in your dream...in your vision of what God has planned for you? If you're living your dream, don't get too comfortable, God is going to develop more dreams in your life. You have to be willing to allow Him free reign, to do as He pleases.

There is so much He has planned for our lives; we just have to be willing to be stretched, in what we allow Him to do in and through us.

Spend your day dreaming and envisioning your future. What is He saying to you? What is He wanting you to stretch and do? Are you ready and willing to see God move in you?

Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!

What are we Reflecting?

Living by the ocean, or any water for that matter, can be quite inspirational. I have enjoyed the walks on the beach, the bike rides, and waking up to the suns reflection on the water. Although, there have been mornings I wish the sun was not so bright so I could sleep a little while longer.

This morning I woke up thinking about that reflection and how it relates to each of us. It doesn't matter if we believe in Christ or not, our lives reflect something. What is it that is reflecting off of us? Is is Christ? If we call ourselves Christians then Christ should be the brightest reflection coming from our lives. Sure we make mistakes, but those mistakes should be opportunites for growth. If we keep making the same mistakes, something is wrong with our lives. We need to do a little introspective of our spirits and ask God to help us move on.

Since leaving a legacy to the generations is prominent right now, our reflection should be even more important. People are watching how we do life. They are watching how we react in difficult situations. What is our attitude when someone cuts us off while driving? Are we allowing the fruit of the spirit to affectively penetrate our spirits and reflect in our lives?

We may preach and teach about this often, but how close to home does it truly hit? I know that I constantly catch myself in situations where I have a chance to let God's reflection shine through or my own. I pray that more often than not, it is God's.

Mentoring Women in Ministry Weekend Retreat

It has been an incredibly busy time in my life. We just had the second Mentoring Women in Ministry Weekend Retreat of 2009 and it was awesome. God is so amazing. He is working in the lives of women everywhere and I am excited to see what He has in store for the rest of this year.

Women from different areas came together to be refreshed and challenged by one another. The weekend could not have been better. The weather was so nice we were able to sit on the deck overlooking the Atlantic Ocean for the morning sessions, take a walk down the street to eat at Surf Club for lunch overlooking the ocean, then took a walk on the beach. We came back to enjoy the afternoon sessions inside, but still had the relaxing view of the ocean.

We covered many issues directly relating to the woman in ministry, ie her calling, her priorities, her marriage, and much more. The weekend is specifically planned to be relaxed and not rigid on time restraints. It is laid back and open discussion is very important.

If you are a woman in ministry and are able to attend one of the two weekends (July 31-Aug. 1 and Oct. 30 -31) please contact me soon, because space is limited. If you are on Facebook look up Mentoring Women in Ministry for more details.

I wanted to bring one thing to the attention of my readers. There is an awesome opportunity for me to speak to women in ministry and pastors in Ghana. The proceeds of "Shattering the Glass Walls of the Woman in Ministry" and "If the Shoe Fits" will go toward the cost of this trip.

"Shattering the Glass Walls..." takes the woman in ministry through various issues she will face throughout her life in ministry. It is short and easy reading, but meant to be thought provoking and introspective. It is for the veteran woman in ministry or pastor's wife and the woman in ministry just starting on her journey. I honestly believe you will be challenged and encouraged as you read.

"If the Shoe Fits" speaks to every woman and challenges them to allow God to use them in their specific giftings. This book has been used as a tool in my own home. We have a handicapped son that has daily nursing care. I have this book in my son's room for anyone to read. It has been a catalyst for discussion and two of the nurses are now attending church with us regularly.

If you are interested in purchasing the books you can click on the following links to order and have the book shipped directly to you. Remember, all the proceeds of this book go toward the ministry trip I will take to minister to other women in ministry. You may not be able to make a trip such as this, but you can contribute by purchasing the books and assist in reaching people you would not have been able to reach personally. I honestly appreciate whatever you can do. These women are in need of encouragement and support. God has placed this before me and I am grateful for your support through prayers and finances.

Purchase "Shattering the Glass Walls of the Woman in Ministry" here.

Purchase "If the Shoe Fits" here.

Also, if you are in need of a speaker at any of your events I am scheduling for that as well. You can check out my website for more information on me and recommendations, http://www.mentoringwomeninministry.com You may also make a donation through paypal on the website.

Thank you once again for helping to contribute to this ministry. May God bless you richly for your compassion and generosity.

Are We as Intriguing and Intense as "LOST" and "24"?

So...many people are "caught up" in the intrigue of "LOST" and "24" on television. There is nothing wrong with that, because I am "caught up" along with everyone else.

I began thinking about this and several thoughts came to mind in how we can relate the two series to our spiritual life...

Do our lives, as leaders, give people the desire to "tune in" to us weekly? Think about this for a moment. Do we attract people? What do our lives say? What words come from our mouths on a regular basis? I know I like to be around people who can speak into my life positively.

If we are around someone who is constantly negative and draining us, it is not healthy for our spirit. Besides, we usually tend to stay away from them. That is exactly the reason I bring this point up. In order for us to be as intriguing as "Lost" or "24", our lives have to have the excitement, the enthusiasm, and the intensity as these shows.

We just celebrated Easter. Think about what Christ did for us, what opportunities He provided through the cross. That should be all we need to challenge us in our walk with Him and how we represent Him to others. Maybe we provide some of this intrigue in our churches, maybe not; but, if not, we should think about this in light of what we are doing to reach generations.

If we want to attract this generation and generations to come we must develop this intrigue in both our ministries and individual lives. We must be careful to not grow old in our thinking as we mature in our age. Stay young at heart, so you do not miss the opportunity to reach younger people. Besides, by staying young at heart you may just live longer.

Now, there will be some limitations. I would love to learn to kite board, but I remember my age and think it is not a wise thing to do. Plus, my arms aren't that strong! I have gone on a zip line before, but that was about 9 years ago. I still think I could do that, but the adventure hasn't arisen lately.

I say all of that, to challenge you to look at yourself seriously and ask some tough questions. Have you become settled in the way you do life? Are you predictable in how you relate to people, or how you do ministry? Maybe it is time to add a little adventure, a little suspense, to your life...to your ministry. When you do that people will not know what to expect the next time they see you. Hey, they may even start coming around more often, just to see what's going to happen next.