I guess it's been almost 2 years ago since I preached this message on a Sunday night. I get really heavy of heart when I think about American Christianity, revival, "cutting-edge" church, etc. There are ups and down in the way church is done...all I find myself asking is, "Where is the fruit?"

Anyway...I try to stay light hearted as much as possible and optimistic about where the church is headed in general. So don't think I am a gloom and doom guy...cause I'm not. There are lots of things to be excited about as well, and my whole goal is to stay balanced in these areas.

The Barren Bride

(George Barna Statistics)

“The number of adults who skip church has nearly doubled since 1991, rising from 39 million to 75 million. These un-churched adults, defined as adults who haven't attended church in the past six months other than holidays or special events like weddings or funerals, account for 34% of the population. In a bizarre twist, while about half of the churched population has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, one in six un-churched adults (about 17%) have done so as well. Reaching the growing population of the un-churched will be a special challenge, says George Barna: "Millions of young adults are more interested in truth, authenticity, experiences, relationships and spirituality than they are in laws, traditions, events, disciplines, institutions and religion. The confluence of preconceived notions, past experiences and evolving lifestyles and values means that existing churches simply cannot reach millions of today’s un-churched people. The rapidly swelling numbers of un-churched people may be forcing existing churches to reinvent their core spiritual practices while holding tightly to their core spiritual beliefs. It will take radically new settings and experiences to effectively introduce un-churched individuals to biblical principles and practices. It's going to take a lot more than fancy brochures and contemporary worship music to reach the un-churched.”
A more perplexing question is why don't the 17% of un-churched adults who believe in Jesus come to church? Something's scared them off, and it seems like the body of Christ could use their input now more than ever.

Even more perplexing is how only half of the churched population has accepted Jesus Christ. Perhaps preaching to the choir is more necessary than we thought. And if that's the case, it seems altar calls aren't cutting it.”

If you tackle these facts with those from those Pastor’s wife spoke of during the amazing race, 80% of churches are not growing and 60% of those are actually in decline, it’s all quite disturbing.

So just a run down again of what new people that are entering a church are looking for…
•Only half of the church population has received Jesus Christ as Savior.
•One in six un-churched adults have done so as well.
•The un-churched are more interested in truth, authenticity, experiences, relationships, and spirituality.

If we take notice of that last tidbit, “the un-churched are more interested in truth, authenticity, experiences, relationships, and spirituality”, aren’t we supposed to already be all those attributes? How can we sit in the pew and let this continue? Doesn’t are heart burn within us over such issues?

Ephesians 5 Vs 25-27
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Are we not the very Bride of Christ? Aren’t we supposed to be holy, radiant, and without blemish? And yet the church of America today is polluted with consumerism and every other sort of “ism”. We want a church this way or we want a church that way. When will we want church Gods way? The great revivals of Wales, Welsh, Azusa, Pensacola, and others have come and gone and what change did it make upon this time and this hour? This generation is lost and we will be the ones held accountable for it! I have titled this message “The Barren Bride”, because I do believe that is what we’ve become. Sure we are beautiful and have been ordained rightly so in Christ honor, but is our beauty only skin deep? Will we not rightly take our place not only in royalty but also in honor? You see we might be royalty by inheritance but honor is completely upon our hearts to search out. Our honor is dependent upon our obedience. I have often said with one word, “GO”, the Lord Jesus commanded the demons to flee from the travailing man and they immediately left him. Today the Lord gives us this same commandment and what will our obedient record look like. Will it be greater than devils?

On the day of Elijah at Mount Carmel, Elijah mocked the false gods and their preachers. Today our God is mocked and our preachers scorned. The false religion of Liberalism and all of its children run wild about and our voice is drowned out by our content. Did you hear that? Our voice is drowned out by our own Christian contentment.

This is what I pray about. This is what makes me cry for my children. This is what makes my heart burn with fierce passion to see a great work from the Lord. From the pulpits point of view, I see no hope in empty seats. From a statistical point of view, I cannot see the light. But from my knees…from my prayer closet…from my secret place…I see hope once more! Just like God telling Elijah, as Elijah cried out believing he was the only one, God is telling us there are others that want what we want…they want to see what we want to see…they want to do what we want to do…They are just waiting and praying in secret!

The Barren Gave Birth to…A Seed Of Promise

In Genesis we have the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah. God promised Abraham a child though his wife was of an old age…you see she was barren. She couldn’t have any children. We read that she faltered in her faith and in doing so she found herself the object of ridicule. And isn’t this always the case with Christianity? We are a laughing stock when others don’t see us behaving like Christians.

Nevertheless, Sarah was barren. She couldn’t have a child. It’s impossible. Not for God! Sarah went from barren to birth, as she birthed a seed of promise into this world.

Genesis 12 Vs 2-3
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

I love this promise! “I will bless you”, the scripture says. Do you realize that in these simple two scriptures that it says the word bless five times? You see to birth the promise of multiplicity seems impossible to us. We can accept the status quo of a good church, but what God wants is a great church. He longs for Bride whose name is great. He longs for a Bride who is blessed and is a blessing. To quote another preacher, “to often we settle for good, when we could have had great”.

The Barren Gave Birth to…A Seed Of Provision

If we continue further down the road in Genesis we come across the story of Jacob and Rachel. It’s a tragic story of trickery and deception, but to be fair there is one of the greatest love statements made by Jacob about Rachel. Jacob is recorded as saying, that seven years of labor were but a few days to him when considering her hand in marriage. Most of us know the story that he was tricked into marrying Leah, Rachel’s sister. That brings us to this scripture…

Genesis 30 Vs 1
“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!”

Let me say that Rachel was on to something here in this statement, although I do believe it is made to the wrong person. This is the attitude of divine prayer. If we could just pray, “Give me souls, or I’ll die”, or “Give me revival, or I’ll die” what fire the church would burn today. Unfortunately for the Church and Rachel we miss the mark here and then scramble on to try everything else but talk to God. If you read on you will see the most ridiculous two women I believe in the whole Bible. They have consumed themselves in a battle that has their husband sleeping with all sorts of other woman. I am not making that stuff up either… However, look at Vs 22…

Genesis 30 Vs 22-24
Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."

From barren to birth, Joseph is brought into this world and would go on to see glorious visions that would lead him to Egypt and eventually to the throne of Pharaoh. From there he would eventually be in a position to provide provision for not only his family, but also all of Egypt. All of this came from a barren woman whose desperate cry was “Give me children, or I’ll die”. What would you die for? Are your prayers this desperate? If not they should be! How can we accuse God of not hearing our prayers if we have not sought him with honest fervency? Doesn’t the scripture say, “The fervent prayer of the righteous avails much”? If we are born again, then there is no lack in righteousness because it is imputed in us through Christ, however fervency is another matter all together. You have to want it so badly that you eat, sleep, and breathe the matter.

The Barren Gave Birth to…A Seed Of Protection

Once again we fast-forward to the great books of Samuel. Most of you know where I am headed by now…

1st Samuel Vs 3-20
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons? Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple. In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

Hannah was a woman barren and scorned. If there ever was a truer picture of the church today it is that of Hannah. Just like Hannah, when will we do something about it? Look at verse nine, it reads, “Hannah stood up”. Its time the Church stood up. It’s time we get a holy anger at what we are reading and hearing from the world. I am sick and tired of being mocked by this false bride. We have lived in fear for far too long. Our battle is not of the physical realm but of the spiritual realm. When did we retire bitterness of soul and weeping? We all wish to be filled with the Holy Ghost and long for a day like the Pentecost that the Prophet Joel describes…but let us be mindful of the scriptures that precede the great “this is that” prophecy…

Joel 1 Vs 12-13
“Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

This will always precede a revival of any kind…we must return to the Lord with broken humble hearts…praying, fasting, and weeping. Hannah wanted a child. She was tired of being mocked…so she did something about it. She poured out her soul before the Lord…weeping like her life depended on it.

1st Samuel 20
“So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him.”

From barren to birth, Samuel was born into this world by a mother who prayed so undignified that the preacher thought she was drunk. Samuel would go on to set a standard in all of Israel. He provided the word of the Lord to a people who were more concerned with worldly affairs than that of Gods. He was the great warrior of Israel…maybe not like we picture a warrior, but a warrior nonetheless. When the Philistines rose up at Mizpah, it was Samuel’s voice that was heard in intercession. When Saul could not bring himself to kill every Amorite as the Lord had commanded, it was Samuel that paved the way. Samuel sought to protect his nation above approval from the people and even kings. He was everything we are supposed to be in a witness.

The Barren Gave Birth to…A Seed Of Proclamation

Now we are really turning a few pages…all the way into the New Testament. We now find another barren woman by the name of Elizabeth. She is wife to Zechariah, and like Abraham’s Sarah, she finds herself older in years and beyond the thought of childbirth. However, God had different plans.

In speaking of Zechariah and Elizabeth…

Luke 1 Vs 6-7
“Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”

A little farther down we read…

Luke 1 Vs 11-17
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Take note that the angel said, “Your prayer has been heard”. Isn’t that the theme of all of this? Prayer? The scriptures do not give us what this man prayed for but I am sure he wasn’t prepared for the answer! If you look in verse 18 we find Zechariah saying, “How can I be sure of this?” I love it when God tells us something and we are just dumbfounded at how it’s at all possible. We too easily forget who God is!

If I were a betting man, I would venture to say Zechariah wasn’t asking for a son. I think he was content with his age and at his life. I think he was praying for a Savior. Right as he was praying in the temple, I picture him seeking earnestly the Lord concerning the Christ…and that’s when the first miracle happened. When men’s will and the will of God aligned themselves together. The second miracle is when an older woman, barren by her years birthed into existence a man completely driven to raise a dead nation. This man would later be called “the greatest man born of a woman”.

From barren to birth John the Baptist was born in the fire and lived a life of fire. The late Leonard Ravenhill points out that, “John never raised one dead body, but he raised a dead nation. He was a voice when many men were just echo’s.” John used all that he had to turn a nations head even though it cost him…his own.

This is the price of passion. This is the price of Pentecost. To see what the Apostles saw we must give all…there is no other way. The generation in the church right now has no other direction by which it might turn. It must head straightway towards revival. There is no other hope by which we might once again shift this nations moral and ethical standard. The church must awaken itself from its deep sleep! The former generation and the latter generation are depending on it. But there is hope!

There is hope in our barren state. There is hope that we too can go from barren to birth through the Spirit of Almighty God. What will we birth? If we pray, groan, agonize, and weep before the Lord…if we wear our carpets out with such soul travail…if we call on the name of our God to remember us…if we will only repent and turn from our laziness and contentment…then it is possible that we will birth into existence the greatest revival the world has ever known. All of the woman we spoke of tonight were barren. They were ridiculed and mocked. They were desperate. The church today is barren…losing more and more souls to a hell fire than a Pentecost fire. The church today is ridiculed and mocked because our character is different than our profession. We say one thing and do another. Who can tell that we are even a church if we look, act, and talk like the world. The one thing the church is not…not yet anyway…is desperate! When will you be desperate to see a better world for your children? When will you weep with bitterness of soul and cry out to the living God for change? Change will not come from the outside in, but it must come from the inside out.

Like I promised...here are a few quotes that I love...

"A man who owns only one watch...knows what time it is, but a man who as two watches...is never quite sure."

"Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them."

"It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."

"Be on guard against any tampering with the Word, whether disguised as a search for truth, or a scholarly attempt at apparently hidden meanings; and beware of the confusion created by the senseless rash of new versions, translations, editions, and improvements upon the tried and tested Bible of our fathers and grandfathers. "

"As sure as God puts His children in the furnace he will be in the furnace with them"

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."

"Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength"

"It is a great pity when the one who should be the head figure is a mere figure head."

"He that deserves nothing should be content with anything"

"No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth."

"Every generation needs regeneration"

"Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. "

"As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to every-one, ‘Give yourself to reading.’ ... He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own..."

"You cannot slander human nature; it is worse than words can paint it."

"The God of this world is riches, pleasure and pride."

Hey it's Christmas...

This month has been really a huge transition month for me as I have officially found employment as a Connect/Worship Pastor for Marble Falls Assembly Of God. You have probably already read that...told you I was in a writing slump this month.

However, I will post some stuff I have been collecting...some quotes, a sermon, and possibly a few ideas I have been reflecting on...

So be a bit patient with me as I am trying to actually prepare my house for a giant move, be a good husband, and enjoy the good news that God has blessed me with...

Just thought I would post a Google Map link of the church that I am looking to starting working at. I am excited and up to the challenge of adding to the team there. There is so much potential there.

First Assembly Of God: Marble Falls, Texas

Last week I embarked on an adventure down south to Marble Falls, Texas. What a beautiful place...the Colorado River runs right thru the heart of the town, which is definately on the up and up. Five small communities that surround the area all pour into Marble Falls for school, shopping, and more. The place is booming to say the least. My trip, however, wasn't a vacation. It was for an interview.

Around or maybe over, ten years ago, I embarked on a journey to pursue full-time ministry. It's my heart to be able to give 100% to changing and transforming lives. I am happy to report my dream became a reality as of this past Sunday morning. After talking with the pastors of Marble Falls First Assembly of God, I am sure I have found my new home and the beginning of a what feels like a life long dream come true.

I'm back and tired...

Converge was awesome this weekend. Lives transformed and hopefully far from silent today. Hopefully today there will be some teenage angst against immorality and injustice. Hopefully today marks a new horizon for the next generation to be everything the former generation lacks. Today is their day of change...their day of hope...their day of love...their day to spread the gospel and cause an explosion that has yet to be seen.

OK...off my soapbox rant...

Really different stuff this year at youth convention. I saw some stretching and forward thinking that really made me happy. On Saturday night, they had a worship and prayer vigil that they called, "Encounter - A Truly Unique Worship Experience". It was off the chart. There were different sections in the room set aside for prayer, worship, communion, and so much more. It was two hours of alter and prayer. Awesome! Way to go NTYM leaders!

Also...on the hunt for a few videos that were shown at Converge. There were three videos that were awesome...one on "worship is not"...one on "worship + justice"...and one on "Speed The Light". Wish me luck finding them...the hunt is on.

Challenging The Impossible - 3-Week Series

• Download Artwork
• Download Lesson 1
• Download Lesson 2
• Download Lesson 3

The Manhattan Project - 3-Week Series

• Download Artwork
• Download Lesson 1
• Download Lesson 2
• Download Lesson 3

If I promised a download...I will deliver.

I am working on another big download as I make this download available. I was going the "Manhattan Project Series" today but decided to wait until I have the artwork for the "Challenging The Impossible Series". I want to post both of these series together...because I think they are a great "part 1/part 2" series. I will explain more when I post the series...moving on...

Today I am making available a very, very rough working copy of my novella "The Great Awakening". You can critique all you want and email me. It's rough and in desperate need of a good edit...or two...or three. I said it's rough, right?

Just wanted to make good on a promise...also to email me your comments, suggestions, critique, etc... email me at jim.coursey@yahoo.com.

Download direct HERE.

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of filling in for an absent Sunday school teacher. I gladly obliged, as I love the opportunity to pour into people that are hungry. I was handed a book on the subject that they were covering and was very interested to see the subject matter. The book was Max Lucado’s, “Facing Your Giants.”

Here is a breakdown outline of Chapter 5, Facing Your Giants:

Let me get straight to it…

The story in the section of the book that I was given is the story of David on the run. Saul is jealous, envious, and angry. David is scared. In just a few short scriptures, his military career is over, his marriage is destroyed, and his friends have left him. So he runs. He tries to find peace in the enemy’s camp but that doesn’t work, they don’t want him either. So he goes to where there is no one. He goes and hides in a cave called Adullam.

The whole journey to Adullam can be described in three words…

“Discouraged”

Who wouldn’t be in this scenerio. One minute the prophet of the land is saying you’re the next best thing since ice cream, to only end up a fugitive on the run for your life.

“Disconnected”

Fugitives don’t have a home. They are marked men. They are wanted most of the time more dead than alive.

“Deceitful”

When David ran to the priest he opened his mouth and spoke lies. He had to lie and fake about being crazy in Gath. Sometimes desperation will make a man do things that aren’t in his character to do. We start to see a side of David that only God knew about.

All is not lost…David reaches Adullam and in the midst of the shadows, wet, and moist rocky surface finds peace and solitude…and much, much more.

He finds…

“Refuge”

At the cave of Adullam, for David, finds refuge. The word refuge means “a shelter or protection from danger.” The word was popular with David. If you circle all the times it appears in the Psalms that David wrote you will find that it appears more than 40 times. But if there is ever a time where the word carried a definite weight it’s in Psalm 57. In Psalm 57 are the very words he cried out into the dark caverns of black void.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (Psalm 57:1)

“Community”

As David stayed at the cave others came and joined him. The misfits, rejects, losers…you know the type. They are the same people that sit next to you in church everyday. They are ordinary individuals that have problems just like we do. They know what you are going through because they have been where you have been. They feel a burden and passion for you because they know what it’s like to be on the run with nowhere to go. They welcome you in as one of their own. My favorite line in this chapter was this, “David was king of the marginal people”. He was king of the ordinary average person. That’s me. That’s you.

Where is your Adullam cave?

If I have said it once, I've said it a million times...I love imagination.


My kids have been so creative lately. Check out their new creations...decorated lunch bags. You gotta love it.

Still buzzing today from last night’s youth service.

Masters Commission made their way up from the Oaks to handle the complete service. What a relief, right? This is probably like the fourth or fifth time we have had “MC” come and do a service for us. You know what I forget? I forget how hard it is for me to sit back and allow them to make huge changes to things. For instance, I deal with all audio and media side of things. The first thing MC does is come in and changes everything to the way they like it. I’m cool with that. I get it. I understand it…but it’s still hard.

Allow me some transparency…

My actual initial first thoughts were, “this is ridiculous”. These kids need to be a bit more respectful. They are only doing one service. We are here weekend and week-out. All of this change is just for one night? My outward reflection was great…but my inward spirit was struggling.

And that’s when it happened.

I looked up from the soundboard and was just listening to the sound check and I felt God speak to me. I felt God say, “You see these young people? You see them? I am going to build my church with them. Yes, they’re over zealous. Yes, they’re a bit eccentric. But these young people are change…and change is always what my people need.”

You know what happened after that? MC rocked the house. The worship was great. The preaching was surprising. The altars were flooded.

Last night I learned that even I am not far from placing limits on the next generation. That is a dangerous place to be. Lord, help me to not make the same mistakes others have made before me.

This past weekend I got to take care of my little ones while my wife attended the yearly women’s retreat. I was so glad to be able to take the kids for a while and give my wife a much-needed break. I tell her everyday how beautiful she is...but what I need to be saying more is how much I really appreciate all that she does for our household and family. I might be the needle, leading and directing the seams...but she is most definitely the thread that holds us all together.

Our 12th year anniversary what this past Sunday and I spent the whole day taking care of her. She was, unfortunately, sick the entire time. She got some sort of stomach virus that has had her sick for the past few days. As a matter of fact, her anniversary gift to me was they same stomach virus! Did I mention how thoughtful she is? Just kidding. Life throws all kinds of things at you at times...

Youth ministry tonight will be hosting Masters Commission from Dallas. Kind of excited. Always have liked the concept of MC. I will try and take a few pictures.

At the end of last year I got a hair brained idea to do a little writing. Nothing new right? Well maybe a little new. I decided to take a stab at writing a book. It didn't quite make the 50,000 word writing requirements, but it did make the "novella" standard at roughly around 26,000 words. Not too shabby.

Here is the thing...I am thinking about sharing it with all of you. All of "you" is probably like 4 people if you don't count my wife. I have let others read it and they like it...but the common critique is that it's rough. That's true. I haven't done any editing to it at all. I just wrote from the hip the entire story. It's in desperate need of someone elses input that can help me bring some creativity to it and show me the areas where I need to spend more time at.

My eventual goal is to release it for a small amount of money...and then give all the money to Speed The Light Missions. Whether as an ebook or a hard copy, I don't know just yet.

Anyway just throwing that out there...Oh yea...the name of the book is "The Great Awakening". Here is an exerpt....

"I do not remember the first time I heard His voice. We were told to expect the rushing of wind or the sound of trumpets. We were told a lot of things, but that isn't how it happened. It’s not how it happened at all. None of us asked for any of this, but the truth was we were divinely created for this moment in history. This “time” was ours to change. The Lord steadied His hand, guided our hearts, and with the smallest of voices ushered in a great awakening." The Great Awakening by Jim Coursey

Also working on another one for my kids right now that I have committed to making a novel...the working title is "The Sythian Key".n Key".

During my studies this morning...couldn't help but find this interesting...

Genesis 39 Vs 1-6 "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate."

Here is a man that was hated by his brothers so badly that they sold him into bondage. Joseph had every right to be discouraged. He had every right to be angry. However, his character was noble, upright, and respectful. He did everything as it was unto the Lord. Take special notice of where specific influence comes into the scripture…it said, “When his master (Potiphar) saw…”

What do people see in us? Do they see what Potiphar saw in Joseph? Do they see someone that continually follows after God?

Our greatest influence sometimes is not what we say, or what we do, but is how we act everyday. Our “character” if you will.

What type of character are you?

Are you a Moses?· Moses was born in a king’s house. He ate from the king’s table. All the riches of Egypt could have been his. However, something in his heart pulled at him to see the error in slavery. Something in him pulled him to have mercy. You see, there are many who might make a great deal of wealth or might just be born into it. Moses could have easily have said ‘who cares’ when told of his Hebrew decent. He could have made plans to kill all who would accuse him of such a thing. But…it wasn’t his character to do so. The bible says he was an extremely meek and humble person.

Are you a Joshua?· Are you like Joshua? Are you being faithful at your job believing that some day God is going to use you in a miraculous way? Do others see you following the leader with reverence? Do they see you as the type that even if there is no one to lead, you will still do what is right by following God?

Are you a Jacob?· Have you done some things in your past you might be ashamed of and have gone back and made it right? Have you served faithfully to the promises of God upon your life? Do you walk differently now; do you have a limp, after meeting the Almighty God?

Are you a Ruth?· Are you a loyal and dedicated spouse? Are you the type that believes when everything screams hardship and trouble?

Are you a Samuel?· Are you a person God can count on? Are you a prayer warrior and a voice when there is none?

Are you a David?· Are you a worshiper? Do others see that about you? Do they see you as human and mess up, yet fall back on your knees to repent before the Living God?

Are you a Elijah?· Are you the lone mouth of God amongst your friends and family? When no one else will speak for God, are you the type of person that will stand up against tremendous odds and fight a seemingly un-winable fight?

Are you a Josiah?· Josiah is interesting. Josiah became king at the age of 8 years old. Upon hearing the scripture read to him, he immediately understood that the life that had been influenced upon him was so far from the word of God that he decreed a life change for Israel. He was the only king after Solomon who was buried in the same tombs as King David. Are you a Josiah? When you hear the scriptures does your heart burn to do what is right and pure in the sight of God?

Are you a Nehemiah?· Are you a leader when there are none to look to? Are you willing to take risk in seeing things restored to the way God wants them?

Are you an Ester?· Ester was forced into marriage. Like Joseph, she deserves to complain. She deserves to be delivered from that situation all together. Nevertheless, she made a great impact by her influence to the King. One of my favorite scriptures from Ester is that at the end of the book it says that a fear of the Jews went out all across the land, insomuch that everyone converted to Jews.

Are you a Job?· Are you the type of person that when bodily affliction comes upon you, you will still give glory and wait upon God?

Are you an Isaiah?· Are you the type of person that if God was to tell you to go naked before the streets outside preaching whatever he wants you to?

Are you a Jeremiah?· Do you weep for this nation? Do you continually pray for the next generation?

Are you a Peter?· Do you find yourself always talking more than listening? Do you ask too many questions? Are you easily rebuked? Are you the type of person is on the mountain one day with Jesus and down the next over a lie?

Are you a John?· Are you the one Jesus loves the most? Is everyday a blessing that you spend in prayer with Christ?

Are you a Paul?· Did God intervene your life on the Damascus road? Were you once blind, but now you can see? Do you know your purpose now?

I know I just went through a whole bunch of names. I purposely meant to, because we all relate to many of their stories. Each story told is a story that influences our life. Can I ask you one last question?

Who are you and what is your story?

I am already putting together my book list for the next year and thought I would take the time to post it...for good measure.

First and foremost...

1. The Bible

From now on this is always going to be on my number one list. I want to start reading the entire Bible from start to finish every year. I probably should've been doing this from the beginning. Don't get me wrong. I study the Bible like a fanatic...but read it all the way through in a year? I just fall short there.

The rest are in no particular order...

2. Tribes, by Seth Godin
3. Unfashionable, by Tullian Tchividjian
4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
5. The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
6. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
7. Talent Is Overated, by Geoff Colvin
8. The Story Of Walt Disney, byBernice Selden
9. Spurgeon, by Arnold A. Dallimore
10. Becoming A Person Of Influence, by John Maxwell
11. Culture Making, by Andy Crouch
12. Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
13. The DC Encyclopedia, by Michael Teitelbaum, Scott Beatty, Robert Greenburger, and Daniel Wallace
14. The Marvel Enclyclopedia, by Daniel Wallace, Tom Brevoort, Andrew J. Darling, and Tom DeFalco

Did you know that for nuclear fission to be possible it entirely depends on a chain reaction of atoms exploding one another causing a reaction several million times more powerful than the initial explosion?

Visit my atom concept here.

I don’t want to just explode. I want to go nuclear. I want to affect this culture with an after shock of grace, love, and hope. I want to obliterate darkness. I want the light of Christ to shine so bright that the fallout is revival. Are you ready? To be honest, I don’t know if I am…but I want it anyway.

I am the exploding man…

I’m looking to cause a chain reaction. You see…I am an atom exploding. The explosion in me is going to cause a great chain reaction that will set off the explosion of others. It’s my destiny to teach others this great fact…that Jesus loves them. He loves them regardless of what they have done. To Him the past is the past…but the future…well that is a different story. The future for them is something of providence.

The future is right now.

Are you ready?

My internet was down for most of the week, as if something was trying to stop all forms of communications for me. Nevertheless I twittered from my iphone which is not 3G...does that make me "old school"? So even though I was down from doing any mainstream blogging...I secretly twittered away in joyful delight. "It's all good", as they say down here in Texas.

Happy Halloween.

No. I am not going to get into all the spiritual junk that people carry with Halloween. Instead, I am reminded of my youth. I remember waiting up all night in anticipation to MTV and waiting to see the super hyped video, "Thriller". It wan't even a few weeks and most of us had the dance routine worked out in our living room. You know the routine...be honest.

So with that...I leave a video...or maybe a link to a video...depends on what works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xs9OQHpwDE

Headed out last Friday to get a little “tree time”. That is what I call it. Other people call it “hunting”, but I always end up sitting in a tree far more than anything else. Hunting is only a small part. I love it. I love sitting there and just observing God’s beautiful creation in its natural habitat. Cold beautiful mornings mixed with luscious green pines on rolling landscapes of knee high grass. It’s breathtaking.

Tree time gives me time to myself…and that’s important. I need a break every now and then. I need a break in routines. I need a break from work. I need a break even from myself.

Sometimes I just need to sit still…be quiet…and just relax. Sometimes I just need to hear the wind blow through the trees. It’s peaceful. Somewhere in all that peaceful surrounding, I lose myself for a second and forget all the stress of everyday life. I let go of the responsibilities that I have for a few hours and just slow down to enjoy the scenery.

My greatest goal in life might be to figure out a way, in my life, to just slow down and enjoy more of the scenery. I don’t want to work to death. I don’t want to get to the end of this journey and reflect back on how hard I worked or gave myself to any one thing…unless that one thing is my family. I was reminded of that this weekend. I fell more in love with my wife and kids this weekend then ever before. Why? Because they are my heartbeat…they are the wind that sway me…they are the gorgeous orange yellow sunrise in my life. This weekend reminded me who I am supposed to be. It slowed me down another 10 miles per hour and gave me more patience than I had the previous weekend.

Do you have a weekend like this? Do you set aside quiet time just for yourself to refocus? You should.

The weekend is finally here…it’s a moment a way…and I love it. This weekend will be a reunion of sorts for a mentor of mine. We used to attend church together and work together. He was a great manager, and an even better friend and mentor. He is really the reason I have this fascination with “impossibility” and “defying logic”. I am really looking forward in hearing all that he has been up to as well as sharing my journey as well. It is going to be a good time…

I will be taking my journal and a few books as well. This trip is about quit times, friendship, and reflection. I am looking to be refreshed and renewed.

So…I am keeping is short today…sales picked up throughout the week and I didn’t write half as much as I wanted too. Forgive me. I will pick everything up next week.

Tonight is my turn to preach in the youth on the “Crazy Ones” series…We basically got the idea from an Apple commercial that challenges us to continue to think different…to believe that it is possible for a person to change the world. I have to admit I love this whole series. I love what it represents and what it stands for. I love to speak and dream over kids, teenagers, and even adults the concepts and disciplines of hope, love, vision, dreams, destiny, and purpose. I think all of us could use a little encouragement in this area of our lives. We all have a purpose and a destiny…so what happens to us along the way? Why do we become so complacent…why have we become tamed?

Tonight I get the honor of speaking on “wild originality”. My subject in point is none other than John the Baptist. John is a wild man. This guy isn’t your ordinary person…he doesn’t dress ordinary…he doesn’t speak ordinary…he is just downright weird.

Check this out…

Mathew 3

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

John was a strange guy to say the least. Think about it. Here is this man dressed in “camel hair” with a leather belt. He is eating locust and honey…now I don’t know about you…some of you might have had that for breakfast this morning…I don’t know…but I assure you it’s not in my diet. Let’s not forget that if we ever went to church and our preacher came out with only a dead animal skin around him held together by a leather belt…he would probably be kicked off the stage…and maybe even thrown in jail.

Put all that aside and what do you have?

You have a man who doesn’t care what people think…only what his God thinks. You have a man so utterly dependent and focused on God that he doesn’t even care about the impending danger that approaches his own life. You have a man that can call it like it is and still see the altars flooded with souls crying out repentance.

Yea…John was original…and you know what?

So are you…

So reach out today…be a bit crazy and chase the impossible dream. Ignore the snickering and laughing. Reach past the thoughts of feeling foolish because of how you look, walk, and talk. Reach past that and see for yourself…that your life has value…not because of what you do or the things that you will accomplish…but because of whose child you are.

The last four days have been awesome. I really enjoyed NTLC this year and I am already looking forward to next year. I also managed to get some things done around the house and a bit of rest. It’s so crazy how a little bit of sleep can make me a new man. Well…almost new!

I want to take the time and share with you my “déjà vu” moment this weekend. (No…I wasn’t watching the Matrix) I was on the way out the door to get some things out of the car and I saw my wife playing with our youngest daughter and I remembered…I remembered that before my youngest was even born that my wife sat up one morning and said, “I had a dream, last night, that we had a baby girl.” She went on to describe her and even what she was wrapped in detail.

What I remembered as I walked by the other day was that a week after she was born, my wife had a “déjà vu”. She had seen this scene before. It had already played out in her mind. God gave her insight into our future. What an awesome phenomenon!

My thought: Why don’t we have more “déjà vu” moments with God?

“Spiritual” déjà vu’s are pivotal praise moments in our life. They are reminders that we really did hear from God. In the case of my wife and I, we physically saw the dream come to pass. The child was physically in our hands, exactly like God had showed my wife. Allow me to give this disclaimer…this isn’t a testament to who we are…it is a testament to who God is. God gave the vision…we became obedient…believed in faith…and are now living in the vision.

What spiritual déjà vu moments have you had in your life?

What a week! NTLC was great as usual. I have said it before and I will say it again…Pastor Gerald Brooks is one of my heroes. It is just such a staggering investment that Grace Outreach makes into the lives of pastors. As a matter of fact the whole thing kicked off with these two sentences by Pastor Brooks, “I love pastors. I want you to realize that you are some of the most important people in the world.” If you can’t feel loved after starting a conference like that, then you might want to check your pulse. Moving on…

Did I take notes? Are you kidding me? I have tons of great sound bytes from the conference from different pastors…

Pastor Gerald Brooks – “Shelf Life”

• What people say that don’t go to your church matters…
• God is eternal, your church isn’t.
• Vision has a voice…it’s called prayer.
• People you love…organizations you inspire.
• Vision is a tool to get someone else to see where you are going.
• Airports never say destination unknown…but many churches sometimes do.
• Leadership is not longevity…it’s productivity.
• Jesus gave thirty years to become like us…and then spent only three to change us.
• Long before someone follows you…they watch you.
• The job of the church is not to have services…it’s to transform lives.
• The day you realize that ministry is a marathon…is the day you become a pastor.
• Few people live to see two revivals…because they fail to let go of the first revival.

Dr. Samuel Chand – “Worst Case Scenerios”

• Pastors fail when they replace faith for wisdom.
• Pastors have to be able to preach beyond this season.
• My Church grew because I was a foreigner…I was like a panda at the zoo!
• What is bad for the world can be the most incredible time for the church.
• If we can’t be an example in how we live…let us be an example in how we repent.
• Your church will respect you for your accomplishments…but they will love you for your pains.
• The time to be ready is not the time to get ready.
• Hurting people…hurt people.
• A crisis can change your theology…so speak softly…you might have to eat your words some day.

Pastor David Swann – “Large Influence in Small Places”

• You are seven people away from knowing everyone on the planet.
• I define salvation as three things…Repent, believe, and follow.
• 60% of churches in America have less than 100 people in attendence.
• What you waiting on? God wants growth more than you.
• Treadmill churches: Lots of movement…little progress.
• Four killers of predictably good services: Bizarre service, legalism, long service, boring service.
• I don’t want to quench the Spirit…I want to quench stupidity.
• Teach servanthood and watch your leaders appear.
• Leadership combined with servanthood make for a successful combination.
• Winning isn’t the goal…improvement is the goal.
• As pastors, it’s about the team improving…not the individual.

There was a lot more…and I am sure over time I will make time to reflect over it…but college football is on today and I’ve got rest and relaxation on my mind!

Not looking to really make this blog, but I definitely wanted to put the shout out that I will be attending the North Texas Leadership Conference at Grace Outreach in Plano, Texas. I look forward to this conference every year. I love it. It’s a conference with the heart of God.

It’s basically a day and a half conference of which there are break out sessions for different areas of ministry. Pastor Gerald Brooks goes out of his way to hand out for FREE the best seven books he has read for the current year and caters in Macaroni Grill on Thursday night to the entire conference. I said it before and let me say it again…Grace Outreach looses money every year on this conference. They do it because Pastor Brooks has a heart for ministers that are at small churches that don’t have the budget to make the big conferences. I love that. He is one of my heroes in this aspect.

If you are going…I will see you there…or maybe not…I am a ninja, you know. You can count on me to “twitter” the whole thing. Also will be there with my wife! I am so thankful she is going. She loves going as much as I do.

So we will see you there…you just won’t see us!

I had a conversation with my wife last night where I was accused of having “a life” in the blogosphere. What? She has said stranger things…but here is what I think she sees. She sees me devoting a great deal of time to writing and journaling because she knows it helps me calm my soul…and I think, with all the compassion in her for me, she wishes she was more a part of that process. Why? Because she loves me…she desires to see my life transformed…she wants me to be happy.

And that is why I love her.

So I blog on…

Ninja Net…

I broke down and decided to jump off the social network bridge and try Facebook. Still learning the advantages of having a Facebook account. I absolutely like it better Myspace. It is way more streamlined that I imagined and I can genially see why people like it. It’s actually a pretty easy process compared to Myspace…and for the most part, at least for now…advertisement free.

If you look over to the right hand of the screen and you see a tiny white ninja…it’s my Twitter ninja. I twitter daily…almost every other hour sometimes. I also follow others in the Twitter verse. I like it. It’s simple one to two sentence thoughts.

Link: Twitter Ninja

Ninja Books…

I was looking through a stack of books the other day in disbelief, as I didn’t realize I had done that much reading this year. It has been rather fruitful and I have enjoyed downloading business, ministry, fiction, fairy tale, and other good stuff into my brain. Since I am using this day to reflect…here is a list of books that I read this year.

1. Ladder Focus, by Gerald Brooks and Samuel Chan
2. UnChristian, by David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons
3. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, by Mark Batterson
4. Chasing The Wild Goose, by Mark Batterson
5. A Technique for Producing Ideas, by James Webb Young
6. Why Great Men Fall, by Wayde Goodall
7. The Chronicles Of Narnia (All 7 books), by CS Lewis
8. The Shack, by William Young

Huge chunks of data are making the rounds in my brain today…just thinking over different ideas, concepts, theology, media, life, love, etc…a little bit of everything.

The road I’ve been traveling these days, the road of possibility, has opened up some new areas in my life that have amazed me as well as saddened me. For instance I am blown away at the “atom” concept, but I am terribly upset about “limits”. Both sink into my spirit and really tear at me. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster and I don’t know how to stop it long enough to re-focus and re-energize myself. To be quite honest, I am not myself these days. I am really struggling to find myself again. Like I have said before, I struggle with identity issues. I am so busy reading, learning, and trying to do ministry like everyone else that I don’t actually know how “I” do ministry.

With the start of this blog I set out on a journey to find who I am in Christ. Me. Not my ministry heroes…just me. Who am I? Why do I behave, act, love, hate, and feel the way I do? I am trying to understand my “uniqueness”…or maybe my “weirdness”. I am trying to walk with God in a way that will change my walk upon this earth. I am trying to change my thoughts and actions by focusing them on the thoughts and actions of God. I am trying to reach the impossible.

Something in me is ready to roar.

I took a long needed break this past Sunday. I needed rest. No. I need rest…

I am so tired mentally and physically wasted from just trying to do too much. Stress raised its ugly head this past Saturday in the form of a bad attitude and I was reminded how much I need God. My problem is my schedule…and my lack of controlling it. Can’t blame anyone but me on that issue. Moving on…

Been thinking about a few things…food for thought so to speak.

Just was thinking about a few things we do as parents, but don’t do, sometimes, as mentors, friends, and even pastors. Over the past few years, I have “let the cat out of the bag” on my calling. I have talked about youth pastoring…or maybe even pastoring young adults. Now, my friends and mentors tell me that although they could envision me as a pastor, they couldn’t see me as a youth pastor, or a young adults pastor, and on and on…I can’t help but feel challenged when they do that to me. It honestly makes me just want to go out and do it…

Do you know why?

Because I have bought into the concept placed upon me by my parents…“You can do anything you set mind on doing.” (Or something like that…)

My question is, when did we stop believing this for ourselves? When did we stop believing this concept for others also?

It’s no wonder we run back to our parents when were hurt or in trouble. We run back to them because in their eyes we can do anything. We can make fiction…fact. We can turn limits…into limitless. In the eyes of my parents I am so full of potential, purpose, and destiny. However, in the eyes of my friends, mentors, and even pastors…I have limits. There are things that they absolutely can’t see me doing it.

Do you think God sees His children as having limits? Is God short-sided on vision? I don’t think so…and I think that is one of the reasons I find it easy to run to him with my problems. God tells me I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me. There is no limit to the word “anything” and I like that.

Maybe that’s why I find it easier to run to Him…instead of the church.

How come some people don’t appreciate what comes free?

Most people have to attach value to everything and the church isn’t exempt. We want to charge for everything…for books, resources, media, etc. I honestly think that some people charge just because they know that their talents and gifts to the church will never be appreciated if they don’t charge.

Can I be really honest now?

As an IT professional, I have a habit of charging really high prices. Do you know why? It’s not because I am better at what I do than other companies. No. It’s because people tend to think that the more they pay, the better work they are getting. When I offer deals or when I do work for free, most people never look at me the same as those who pay for my services.
So, I get it…I understand it…my problem? I just don’t like it.

I am tired of hearing ministers say that we have more resources available than ever before. That might be true…but shouldn’t it really be said like this, “There are more resources for sale than ever before”. Isn’t that more like it?

Maybe this is a rant better left for another day…However, I will leave you with some of my heroes…in this area at least.

Pastor Gerald Brooks
Pastor Brooks runs the North Texas Leadership Conference every year. It’s not free to get in but…I doubt other conferences are loosing somewhere around 20K to 30K in giveaways. Pastor Brooks gives away over 8 top selling leadership books of the year as well as tons of other stuff. It’s an event that cost that church tons of money every year. Why does he do it? Because he has a heart for small churches and ministers that don’t have the budget to travel and get the information they need to take back and grow their churches.

Pastor Leonard Ravenhill
Leonard Ravenhill has long since past away, but I marveled at his lack of desire to be captivated by money. He wrote many books…all of the profits have been donated to missions. He was a revivalist by heart that posed the question, “Are the things we are living for…worth Christ dying for?”

Pastor Mark Batterson
We all know I like Mark Batterson…regardless of buying his book. I listened to his free audio/video podcast for the longest time. Don’t know how many know this, but National Community Church owns a coffee house of which all the profits go to missions. Pastor Mark has a vision to establish more coffee houses in an effort to give millions toward missions.

When I meet death…I want to be broke…my last dime given to my kids, or the church. I want to give every dime, nickel, and penny to the Kingdom. If this means I don’t get a “lake home”…I think I can live with that. I feel guilty enough for living in a home, having food on the table, and clothes on my back…when I know there are people around the globe that don’t have anything. I know…because I have seen them. How much money and vanities are we allowed to have before we decide what a “good offering” is?

Ok…off the soap box…and back on topic next time, I promise.

It has been an emotional roller coaster this week. The conflict between the present and future wage a war of depression upon my soul that would choke the hope out of me if not for Jesus. Like a lyrical line borrowed from Third Day, “If you just call My name, I’ll be there.” I have to confess it makes me a emotional mess on the ride home.

Still hanging in there with the series I have been concentrating on…“Challenging Impossibility”.

While studying about Samson, and his super human “Hulk” like strength, I couldn’t help but focus in on his beginning. There is something unique that takes place.

Judges 13: 2-5

At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression."

It’s interesting to me how God establishes a covenant upon the birth of this young child before there is even a child to have a covenant with. I found this to be strange until I looked up the word covenant to get a better understanding of it.

Covenant…a covenant, in contrast to a contract, is a one-way agreement whereby the covenanter is the only party bound by the promise. The only party that can break a covenant is the covenanter.

Only God was bound by the covenant promise. Maybe that’s why Samson took his “uniqueness” for granted. However, Samson lost his hair. Over and over, we see Samson basically toying with his “ability”. He was a mockery to ministry and a shame of a man when it came to lustful youth. However, in the end, we see that God kept his covenant. The Bible says, “But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again.”

Maybe it’s time your hair starts to grow again…

I know for me it’s time I dig in. It’s time to get some things done, so I can conclude a ten-year covenant promise. Yes, I feel like a failure at times, but one thing is for sure…my life isn’t over. It’s only one covenant away from living…in the promise. This is what I live for…this is what I hope my kids will remember me for. I hope they remember how I chased after God with a heavily intense passion.