After psychologicaly recovering from the third degree burns due to the burning of a relational bridge this week, I can say one thing…God is awesome!

I closed one chapter on my life, or maybe it was closed for me. It’s all in perspective, but either way…it’s done…and I am the better for it. Literally as that door permanently closed, opportunity came knocking…in the form of a few side jobs and one heck of a garage sell via my wife…(Kudos to her…and my kids for watching the youngest.)

Things are moving forward…there is a goal, you know? I will fight, scratch, claw, run, walk…whatever it takes…I will achieve my dream…because…I am a child of the Dream Maker.

I blew it. I totally blew it…

A friend that I had for over 2 years now, turned a new shade on me yesterday and I never saw it coming. What makes it worse is that other people saw it and I didn’t. I was warned but just couldn’t see it. My discernment was completely off target and I totally was the fool for it.

What happen is not important…leaders don’t tell tales. Also, to be honest, I am not angry with my friend. I am angry with myself for not discerning his personality better. I was just too close to see the obvious.

I wish I had Paul’s eyes…(after the Damascus road experience of course)

Acts 16 Vs 16-18

“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.”

Now…no one is calling my friend spirit possessed. Don’t read into things that I am neither implying nor saying. What I do want to point out is…

Not everything and everyone that appears to be for you...is actually for you.

This woman was shouting to the rooftops the truth. She was saying all the right things. She was doing all the right things. Nevertheless, she wasn’t right. Paul could see it. His discernment was right on.

I love my friend. I think he has some awesome God given potential…but I think he is on a slippery slope. The problem with burning relational bridges is that eventually you become an island. I pray against that this morning for him. I pray for healing between us. I pray for greater discernment to allow me to zoom out of a situation and the focus to see it with clarity.

Lord give me better discernment...

I am painting the youth sound booth today...and I job searched most of the morning...Needless to say, I won't be getting around to laying some text down. That just means Friday's post will have to be extra good.

See everyone tomorrow...

Found a website today surfing while Collide Magazine's blog.

Enter Camron Ware.









Camron is doing some incredible things with projectors. I stand in awe! Be sure and check out his blog here. (This might be my next big project here in our youth department.)

On my fourth week now…still looking for the right job…

Sure I have had offers but nothing that would allow my bills to get paid. Today isn’t my best day. I feel the “fork” today. You know…the fork in the road. I feel as if I am approaching a huge decision. I can do one of two things:

(A) Take two jobs and work an enormous amount of hours. (Which means my ministry dreams are over.)
(B) Keep looking for a job that will pay the bills and hope that it will happen before I loose everything.

So far, I’ve picked option B. However, what scares me is how long can I do this before it’s too late and I loose everything no matter what kind of job I find.

You know what really bothers me?

What really bothers me is that if I am going to loose everything, I would rather it be because God has called me to a church or another country…not like this…

I am reminded of a quote I once came across…I don’t remember who said it…

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

Lord, help me today…

What a great weekend. We kicked our Sunday school off to a great start with “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day”, by Mark Batterson. I was great! Lot’s of great feedback so far.

So…

I did my morning routine this morning. However, it wasn’t so routine this time. I tried to just keep my mouth shut and let God speak this morning. You know what? That’s really hard! I wonder if it’s because it feels like uncomfortable silence? Is it because I am still not completely secure in my relationship with Christ? I think it’s multiple things…most if which has me falling short and working hard to establish a closer and more intimate relationship with Jesus.

As I prayed, I couldn’t help but think of an opportunity that was thrown into my ear over the weekend about a certain job opportunity that was a complete long shot, but would be a complete answer to prayer. Nevertheless it’s a long shot…as much as I want to visualize my answer and grab onto faith like a child clinging to it’s mothers arms, it’s hard for me to imagine that kind of favor. One side of me holds firmly to terra firma, while the other side reaches for the celestial. I am also reminded that this job might not be the one God had in mind. Yes…it might meet my financial needs, but it might be the worse thing possible for my spiritual needs.

In the words of John (Gospel Of John)…

John 1 Vs 42

“And he brought him to Jesus…”

So you know…I know this isn’t the whole scripture, but it’s the words I want to key in on here. Why? Because it’s the most important! This sentence is located in the first chapter. For Peter, this is where he meets Jesus. This is where his journey begins.

Isn’t this where all journeys begin?

As I think on a job, my life, my kids, and my church…I can’t help but think that everyone’s first chapter of their life truly starts when they are brought to Jesus. As I think of this long shot job situation, I think…”I just need to bring it to Jesus, He’ll know what to do.” All great beginnings are birthed in Him.

The answers we receive from him…well, that’s another journal…

Spent some time with my oldest daughter last night at Firewheel…in Garland. We made our way to the “Build-A-Bear Workshop”. I’m not sure I get the excitement in building a stuffed bear, but I enjoyed the atmosphere. My oldest daughter is officially 10 today. She stepped into two-digit territory, which is unfamiliar to her and me. Praise God for unfamiliar territory! The “Promise Land” was unfamiliar territory at one time for the Israelites.

On another note, I have been thinking about next months content…and I have decided that I will be posting a series on “I Am Ninja, Ministry In The Shadows”. I have some pre-written material on it, but I am looking to disassemble all of it to narrow its focus on a few key individuals and outcomes. I guess this is my shout-out to be looking for it next month.

Last but not least…can I open up to you a bit more on my passion?

About 2 years ago now, I had a “Ramah” moment with the Holy Scripture. I was in the middle of devotions in the 2^nd Book of Samuel…

2^nd Samuel 9 Vs 1

“David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathon’s sake?”

Most of us know the rest of this story of how David rescues one of Jonathon’s children and takes him in as his own to sit at the Kings table forever. You know what I see?

I just see Jonathon’s legacy….

Jonathon was entitled to be king. It was his birthright. However, in the first book of Samuel (Chapter 23) we read that Jonathon was in tune to the will of God by his personal declaration that David will be king and he will sit next to David in submission. Is this real? Who has that kind of integrity? There aren’t too many men today that would give up their seat on anything…much less a throne. (On a side note, don’t you think that maybe the reason David had such a tender walk with God, is because he held godly company?)

Let me cut to the chase…

Have you ever impacted someone’s life so great as to make them want to take care of your generations to come? David had his own family problems and by the looks of it, he didn’t need anymore luggage. However, the impact that Jonathon made upon David’s life would forever impact Jonathon’s children, grandchildren, etc…if that isn’t a challenge to the modern day Christian, I don’t know what is.

My passion is to make such an impact on today’s generation that they will devote their life to making an impact on my children’s generation. Make no mistake, the teenagers that I pour into today, will be the youth pastors of tomorrow. These same teenagers will eventually be a senior pastor to my children’s children. I hope that I can influence them the same way Jonathon influence David.

Who are you influencing?

I read something in my personal archives today that holds me to the ground…

“He that deserves nothing should be content with anything.” Charles Spurgeon

It is a reminder for me as I have gone now a full week without work, that God is good and in control. I prayed with content this morning, but to be honest I am scared a little bit. My life is teetering on that the hope of my calling is sure. The only satisfaction I have ever known is when I am doing the work that God intended for me. I have had job after job…good jobs too…but it never compares to the passion he has given me for working His fields.

What is your passion? Are you pursuing it?

It’s “do or die” for me. I am striving for one thing and that is to accomplish the impossible…at least for me it’s impossible. I don’t see how God is going to move me from the corporate world into a place where I can devote all of my heart to His work. I don’t have a clue what’s next for me. What I do know is that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bit scary…but I think it would be a greater tragedy not to try. I get one life to live on this planet…and I want to “live”.

There are consequences to chasing dreams…I might fail…but, like Spurgeon says, “He that deserves nothing should be content with anything.”

Sorry I didn’t get to post anything for yesterday. I spent literally all of my day building a new sound booth for our new facility at Terrell First. I am excited about the new building. It is going to open the door for us to grow and it gives us something that is all our own.

Back at the home front, I am still looking for a job. I have been submitting about 4 or 5 resumes a day via Monster, and Hotjobs. I have just placed all of it in the hands of God. He knows what kind of job I need and I trust him…as a matter of fact, this is what He spoke to me the other day through His word…

Mark 14 Vs 38

“Watch and pray that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.”

I couldn’t help but notice the first three words, “Watch and pray…”

I think the reason they stick out to me is that most of the time when I think about praying, I think of closing my eyes and intensely focusing on God. Now I realize that you can pray with your eyes open, but is that the case here? This is the place where Jesus would stop praying to see if others were still praying or sleeping. He gets on to them multiple times about sleeping.

I guess what boggles me is they way these three words are framed, “Watch and pray”. Why not, “Pray and watch”? How can I watch if my eyes are closed? Is this a spiritual statement? Wouldn’t it make more sense to “pray and watch”?

Maybe it’s something more…

I looked up the definition of “watch”, and one definition was, “to look and or see with expectancy or anticipation”. Is it possible that what Christ wants from us is the faith to look for our answer, before our prayer? I think so. These three words seem like giant building blocks of faith now don’t they? Doesn’t it make sense that if we practice faith like this, that it will keep us from falling into temptation? The next sentence proclaims that the spirit wants this sort of reaction, but the body wants reality.

Can I ask you a question, “What do you want? Do you want faith like this or will you settle for praying and watching?” Changing these three words around definitely changes the dynamic for which it was intended. So I ask the question again…

What type of Christian are you? The type that watch and prays…or prays and watches?

As I blog this morning, I am reminded how much I enjoy journaling my thoughts. It allows me to have a record of where I been and a reminder of where I am desiring to head. If you don’t journal…you should. Most of everything I have written on this blog comes from my journal. It is my thoughts, after prayer. It is my ideas, after long studies. It is my heart, after an abundance of tears. I encourage you to start journaling today.

Here is an entry in my journal from August 29, 2007:

Acts 5 Vs 28 (NKJV)

“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

Peter would reply to this by saying, in the next verse, that it is better to obey God. Now Peter is absolutely right in every way. I don’t mean to take away from what Peter said or that it wasn’t the appropriate way to handle it. However, there is a bit of a fighter in me that really just wants to respond different. You know…Kind of like Stephen did. When they confronted Stephen, he gave them an ugly history lesson…and it got him stoned. So I understand the consequences in this situation are dire.

But I can’t help wanting to say, when told to my face that I am accused of bringing this man’s blood on everyone, that “You are absolutely right…and if I can get my way in any of this I intend to make sure that the entire earth is covered in the blood of Christ!” (Now I know what the sentence is implying, and you’re right…it’s not the greatest opportunity to be a coy with words…but it would have been an awesome comeback.)

So I have been waiting to blog on this. So if I sound like an excited schoolgirl, “like” don’t tell me or email me about it! ;)

It was a powerful weekend with a powerful speaker. Pastor Mark Batterson, in the words of Bon Jovi, “Saw a million faces, and he rocked them all”. Ok, so maybe there weren’t a million men at this retreat, but Pastor Mark did a great job. Was their any doubt?

Everyone would be proud, as I mustered up the courage to go up and speak to him about giving my wife and I a shout out. I will be emailing him this week to remind him.

I managed to speak with him on a few different occasions, but I realize that everyone wants to speak with him. Needless to say I backed off from really wanting to sit down with him and poke his brain a bit. Who can blame me for wanting a little one on one? It’s like going up to a successful CEO of a start up business and asking what are some of the things he learned that took him to his destination. Wouldn’t we all want to ask questions like that with those that we see do the right things and become successful? We want to learn from them. I am no different. I just didn’t want to be seen as some over the top zealous “ninja” stalker. (Pastor Mark, if you read this, disregard the stalker comment.)

Moving on…

I did have a moment…a moment of revelation. Maybe, its just clarity…I don’t know, but it spoke to me and as I lay it out in text, I hope it speaks to you.

Somewhere at the retreat I could help but think that the majority of churches across America are small churches of up to 100 people on any given Sunday. Bigger churches don’t make up a great percentage, although they become the model of what all other churches want to be. However, big churches were once small churches and when I hear ministers speak at leadership events or even at men’s retreats, it is usually about the things they learned while their church was small still. Which led me to wonder if the best moments of learning or excitement in our life are in those moments when we are still throwing stones?

What do I mean?

Well, I am sure most of us know the story of how David defeats Goliath with a single stone. When we think of David’s battles, we also think of what he said before he walked into that battle…of how he had faced the lion and the bear. You know what? Judging by the accuracy of his throw at Goliath, I bet he killed the lion and bear with the same weapon. You don’t get great at anything unless you practice. I can see David slinging stones all day while watching the sheep. Most of us daydream about a time when we can be courageous. Of course after those events, David was given a sword…and with the sword, the people of Israel, would sing songs of David killing his tens of thousands.

Now here is what is significant. I would venture to say that David’s fondest memories are when he was valiant with the stones. They are definitely his more memorable moments. Think about it…the David versus Goliath story is much more publicized today than most of his other moments in battle. The greatest moments in his life were based off his stone throwing, not his sword conquering.

I would venture to say that the greatest moments in someone like Pastor Mark Batterson’s life, aren’t defined so much in what decision he is going to make next, but the decisions he has made to arrive where he is at. It’s his stone throwing stories that we will remember…his beginning that is so impressive. Regardless of what he might continue to do, people won’t talk about the size that his church might grow…they will talk about where it came from and what it endured to arrive at it’s destination.

So it is with him…and so it shall be with you. I hope your throwing stones…your moment will come with the sword, but you will never forget your stone throwing days.

Every year at my church, Terrell First, we have what we normally call a “July Explosion”. It is basically an opportunity for us to unload the massive amounts of products and food we get in for our “Adopt-A-Block” ministries. When I say massive amounts of product and food, I mean “semi-load” amounts of products and food. (I must be quotation mad this morning!) Long story short, we are in the middle of a finishing our new Outreach facility and it basically kept us from having this whole thing go down in July…thus it became, this year, August Outreach.

I think it was a complete success. I don’t know exactly how many people came, but it had to be at least a 1000 or so. I love my church and it’s heart to give to the community. Our church is primarily an outreach church. I work in the youth department, and can honestly say that probably 80% of our youth group doesn’t have parents that attend church at all. It’s a challenging dynamic. However, I am reminded of the courage it takes to constantly retain teenagers that have no parental figure as an example in their home.

The fields are white and ready…but are we ready sometimes for the field. Each field is different and unique. Lord continue to adjust, change, and humble me into the specific need of each field I come across.

I got up this morning and prayed earnestly for guidance this morning. I want God to speak to me. I want to hear him audibly. I want a lot of things…or at least I think I do.

As I was praying, I really got the sense that God was going to speak to me through his word today. That today I would grasp something I possibly have never seen before. I would know something I have never known. I would hear something I’ve never heard…I got up from prayer and dived right into my morning devotions, which have been in the Gospel Of Mark, and here is what jumped out at me today…

Mark 14 Vs 19

“And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?”

I am overwhelmed at this passage. I am tearful at this passage. Why? Because I understand it…I understand that though I can walk with the Master for miles in His ministry, though I am privilege enough to just be apart of anything He is doing…I too, continue to fail him. The fact is…is that I betray him every time I look at something I shouldn’t. I betray him by having doubt in His abilities. I betray him every time I visually witness a miracle and fail to stand in awe of who He is. I betray him by my abundance of sleeping and lack of praying. (I will explain this one in a future post.)

This morning was my wake up call. This scripture…this morning, is a siren, a loud trumpet blowing continually in my ear to rise up and be strong. This morning I feel as if who I am and what I do is about to be defined in what I am. What am I? I am His son…His beloved…His chosen child. I have been imparted His righteousness and His holiness. I have been equipped for ministry with His heart, His mind, and His hands.

And still…

I am just one lie, one look, and one thought from betraying Him.

(Psalm 69 Vs 1, “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul”)
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This is my only post for the day. I am headed tonight to, as previously stated, to the AG Honor Bound Men’s Retreat. Pray that I can get Pastor Mark to give my wife and I a shout out…or…just pray I don’t “chicken out”. It’s time to ninja up!

Don't have much to say outside of I am pysched to have created a few more images for the looks of this page. I do admit that I want to be creatively simple in this blog. I love the way it looks as it stands right now. I like reading light text on dark backgrounds and I think it themes well with the whole ninja concept. (I am holding back for a time when I will explain more in detail on the ninja concept, so be patient.)

Click the link below to see the new headers...


There are a lot of new stuff coming in the weeks to come. Updates might not be at times as frequent as I would like but I will figure something out. I decided to set up a Twitter account and add it to my blog as well. I even set up my own ninja icon.

I have even fumbled around the idea of posting a book that I have wrote a while back. It's pretty rough and far from finished, but I am toying around with the idea of putting it out there for some feedback. I am also working on a book that I promised my girls I would write...I am only on the third chapter, but I have to admit, I am having fun writing it.

Last but not least, the ninja concept. It actually started out as a book concept that seems to plague me in direction...maybe because I am still learning how to be a ninja (media ninja that is). I have a few chapters started and maybe I can gather some of it together for posting as well.

It's time to bring old and new discoveries to the table. It's time to re-learn and un-learn a few things. It's time to change directions and face what scares me the most...me.

At 5pm on Friday, I will officially be unemployed. You would think that I would be a bit more worried than I actually am. There is a part of me that is terrified, don’t get me wrong, but there is something deeper within me that tells me I can trust my God. Something inside me tells me that this is just another lion to wrestle, another fear to conquer.

Or…

It could be the fact that I am starting a six-week series on teaching “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day”, by Pastor Mark Batterson of NCC.

If you haven’t read this book yet…well…you should. That’s all I’m saying.

Speaking of Pastor Mark, I will be fortunate enough to actually hear him speak this Friday night. I will be attending the North Texas Honor Bound Men’s Retreat in Waxahachie. I am pretty excited about attending this retreat and hearing him. My wife and I watch his video podcast at night and really enjoy his teachings.

On a side note…Do you think it’s weird that I want to pester him about giving me and my wife a shout out on his podcast? He usually starts his message by welcoming all the podcast viewers and listeners as well as their other locations…so maybe just a little “Hey, just want to give a shout out to all of our podcast viewers and listeners…special shout out to Jim and Joy, our friends from Texas, who are listening as well…”

That’s not weird, right?

I woke this morning and spent some time with the Lord. It’s my favorite time of the day. I feel like the disciples in Mathew 17:19, “Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked…” It’s nice that we can pull God aside and just get Him all to ourselves. To be relevant with the scripture they were asking questions regarding ministry, but isn’t that the point? We can go to him privately in all things to ask of him the meaning, the reason why, what’s next, and virtually anything our hearts desire. So in my time with the Master this morning, I find myself just in awe of Him. Here was the scripture that I read this morning; it basically just jumped off the page…

Mark 12 Vs 41

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.”

If you focused right in on the rich throwing there huge bags of cash in the offering then you read to far, because where I couldn’t help but focus in on today is the fact that…Jesus is watching. He is watching and waiting for the person who will completely rely on Him. He is waiting for that broken hearted individual that he can provide as a character witness to others. He is waiting for the widow. He is waiting for the surrendered drug addict. He is waiting for the jobless father of three beautiful girls. He is waiting for us to surrender all our doubt, unbelief, and life into His hands of blessing, comfort, and peace. He is just sitting there being patient and waiting for the moment to rise up and say, “This one is mine, did you see my son…my daughter today?”

I am in such awe of you this morning Lord.

As I continue to clear my desk and data from the computer, slowly getting everything off, my DVD burner decides that it is quitting on me a few days early. You know what, it doesn’t matter. Why? Because…Today, He is watching. Today, He is sitting there waiting for me to be broken. He is waiting for me to continue my conversation with Him from this morning. He is waiting to show me off to the rest of the world as His own craftsmanship. Today, like everyday, I am the twinkling of His eye.

Moving On…

Today I woke up late and scurried to the shower in hopes of getting to work on time. This is my last week working for my current employer. I made a quick run up to the local “Wally-World” and purchased a 250 gig external hard drive so that I can take all of my personal data with me. It’s a nice storage device from Seagate. It uploads rather fast and seems definitely stable. I think I paid too much for it, and I am sure I did, but all in all it gets the job done and that is definitely what I need when it comes to my stuff.

On another note…

I came across an older Sunday school lesson that I taught a few months ago while transferring all of this data…I had transferred a copy of it up here to work to be printed out. After reading it I was encouraged and thought that I would take the time to post it today to encourage you as well.

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Teach Us To Pray

I see the church so busy doing everything they can do to win souls and be mission minded that they forget the single most important ingredient…prayer! We spend countless hours doing the work and only spend mere minutes in prayer over such issues? It makes no sense to me.

Luke 11 Vs 1

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

The disciples of John and Jesus both heard them speak and see great multitudes come just to hear the words that might come forth from them. We find John standing by the river preaching and even yelling at men to come and be baptized. He stirred the whole city up with his preaching on repentance. Even the politicians and priest had to see this man. Jesus also had this same affect. Everywhere he went people would follow him to hear the words that he might speak. We see stories of over 5000 people that were with him at one point just to hear him preach.

What is my point?

My point is why wasn’t the question, “Lord teach us to preach!”

I find it very interesting that they never asked him on how to speak to people like he did but they did wish to know how to pray as he did. Why? Perhaps it’s because they saw, like no one else, it is where Christ grew in strength. It was His prayer that healed the sick. It was his prayers that multiplied the bread and fishes. It was in prayer that he was comforted by his Father to commit himself unto the task at hand. The bible records that his prayer at the Mount of Olives was a usual thing for him.

Luke 22 Vs 39 thru 44

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat were drops of blood falling to the ground.

Prayer might have been a usual thing but praying in “anguish” (means to suffer great pain and distress) and praying “earnestly” insomuch that you body begins doing something abnormal? The humanity in Christ was suffering in fear of what lied ahead, however the spirit of the Living God was committed to do the Lords will. The proof is in the blood.

Let me read you this quote from C.H. Spurgeon, “The mental pressure arising from our Lord’s struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Savior so that he distilled great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. This sets forth the voluntaries of Christ’s sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, “Spring up, O well;” of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Savior in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fullness of the offering, which he made for men.”

This is prayer. Prayer demolishes self. It gets rid of the “me-attitudes” and establishes itself as the House of God. You were not supposed to be anything else. Just as Paul urges you to realize that you are the temple of the Lord, Jesus speaks to us that “My house shall be a house of prayer.” Why not worship? Why not signs and wonders? Why not theological studies? These are all good things in the church but this is not what you are called to be. Some would say that they are called to be a worship leader, a youth sponsor, or a “adopt a block” worker. That’s great. However, it’s your responsibility to be a prayer warrior first! I like how Pastor Gerald Brooks of Grace Outreach in Plano puts it to pastors, “Your stage time should never exceed your prayer time. To do so is failure.”

Every prophet in the Old Testament can be summed up in two words, “they prayed”. “We are starving Moses”, the children of Israel shouted. So Moses prayed and manna was given. Elijah prayed and the fire fell down consuming all the false prophets. Nemaiah prayed and the wall was built. Ezra prayed and Israel was restored. Jeremiah prayed and he was given insight. Isaiah prayed and he was given a vision of the coming Christ. Christ prayed and he saved the world. The disciples prayed and we saw Pentecost. Paul prayed and Rome was turned upside down.

One of my favorite scriptures that I think about when I am talking about prayer is found in Mathew.

Mathew 24 Vs 3

“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Where are they at…the Mount of Olives? Why am I pointing that out? I point that out to show you that it isn’t by coincidence that here we are back at the place where Christ prays, according to Luke’s gospel, “as usual”. Underline what it says right after it speaks the name of the place that they are at. It reads they came to him privately. What is prayer if it is not a place where you can go straight to the Lord privately and ask him to show you what you do not understand? All of our questions, all of our fears, all of our inner most being can be poured out to him in private. It means we have his full attention. We have the fullness of Christ wrapped up in a small moment in our secret place where he is ours and ours alone. His attention is fully given to us. Heaven has to be put on hold because His child beckons him to hear. Angels have to be ready on a moments notice when we pray, for God is quick to answer his beloved. We are his bride. His holy sanctified purchase. Why would he not listen to our prayers?

Prayer is not your last resort…it’s the first. The bible says out of our own mouth is life and death. When I hear people say, “Well all you can do is pray”. I am beside myself. Praise God I can pray…my prayers are heard by the Almighty God! Who can do more than him in any situation?

Since I am leaving my current job in hopes of finding something equal, better, or enough to get me by until God calls me in another direction, I am having to go through all of my data. I found a few more links that I wanted to throw out there at you.

Here are some good ones to get you surfing…

Media Links…

>SermonVideos.com – http://www.sermonvideos.com/ (What you should really check out is the “countdown software”.) Clover - http://www.cloversites.com/ (Affordable church websites)
>Color Generator - http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html (Free online application that helps you with color schemes)
>PDF Online - http://www.pdfonline.com/ (Create just about anything to the Adobe PDF format for free!)
>ZamZar - http://www.zamzar.com/ (Convert any video you have to just about anything else for free!)
>You Version - http://blog.youversion.com/ (Created by Lifechurch.tv, this application is an awesome online bible as well as they have now released an iPhone version as well!)

Here is where I get massive amounts of email thanking me for leading them to the greatest of all motion video and stock video websites. Youth Pastors get your media guy on the ball and grow some bandwidth testosterone for these beauties!

Motion Video / Sermon Swags / Stock Footage (ALL FREE – There are literally gigs of media to downloaded here. Use your budget wisely and get the free stuff first…then go pay for the stuff you need along the way!)

>Vine Resources - http://vineresources.com/swag (Most likely the best link of all of them!)
>Church Tech Talk - http://churchtechtalk.com/?page_id=3 (Tons of high quality stuff)
>Ignite Motion - http://www.ignitemotion.com/ (Great link, check out the archives too!)
>Sermonade - http://sermonade.com/ (This is the one that most everyone probably already knows about.)
>Footage Firm - http://www.footagefirm.com/freeclips.asp (Free stock footage)
>Freeplay Music - http://www.freeplaymusic.com (Free stock music, all copyright free.)

Now, young ninja apprentices make me proud and tear up the bandwidth with your ninja computers.

I have to admit that I am loving the Olympics and after last nights relay swim who can blame me. If you missed it, I have (hopefully) pasted a working link below to some video reliving the moment.

What was so awesome about this event is that except for one individual on the American team, the rest are not so easily known. They are great swimmers, but they don't have huge credentials in the Olympics. Listen to the American announcer basically say he doesn't believe we can win and cast his opinion toward the French team. Crazy, huh?

Moments like these remind me of God. Overwhelming odds, assurity of defeat, we'll just have to settle is what most people see. God vision is much more grand that that. God says you can do all things through Christ.

We say "We are not strong enough".
He says, "I am the strength of your heart".

We say, "I am scared."
He says, "I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

This wasn't and isn't my only post for the day. To be honest I wasn't planning on writing anything like this, but I was inspired today by the American swim team to keep on trying and that God loves the underdog!

(Excuse me while I go rock out to Audio Adrenaline all day:)

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0811_HD_SWB_HL_L0194

I borrowed this line from a movie, anyone want to guess which movie?

The line came from a children’s movie called the “Bee Movie”. You see in a beehive there are thousands of bees at work making honey. Each bee has a specific job. One such job was “picking the crud”. This one bee was so excited to pick the crud, he was shouting about it. Picking the crud is actually a job that bees do to purify the honey that they produce. I am sure it isn’t as exciting as it sounds. Even the movie was sort of making fun of the guy who wanted the job. However, if it doesn’t get done and if there isn’t someone that is willing to do it…then the job never gets done. The movie also makes the point that every job, no matter how small, done with integrity and positive energy contributes toward the greater good of the hive.

For Christians, that’s especially true in the church as we use our unique God-given spiritual gifts to serve each other and build the body. As a believer, God created good works especially for us to do, little pieces of the great big plan He has for the universe. Do you know what job (or jobs) He has for you today, what “good works” your neighbors are depending on you to be faithful to do well? I hear there’s an opening in crud picking. You might check that out.

1 Corinthians 12 Vs 4-12

“There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”

A word we like in sales and marketing is synergy. Synergy refers to the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted. It is originally a scientific term, however Paul used the word in his Epistles (Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 3:9) to illustrate a dynamic conception of human, divine and cosmic cooperation: "I did the planting, Apollos the watering, but God made things grow…We are fellow workers (synergoi) with God"

We all have our part to play in accomplishing Gods will of “on earth as it is in heaven”. It is with this same clause that drives our purpose. One of the biggest themes on TV these days is the theme of purpose and destiny. That is the million-dollar question. Everyone wants to know what their destiny is. It’s simple right? Our purpose and destiny is to be “conformed unto the image of Christ”, according to Romans 8.

So if we are predestined to be conformed unto the image of Christ what is our purpose?
What was Christ purpose?

John 4:34

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

What do you think he meant by “my food is to do the will of him who sent me”?

When we eat we are energized…or atleast we should be. When we eat right and maintain a degree of healthiness we provide God with the means to use us at our best.

Am I talking about food here? (No)

I am talking about reading your bible. Having a daily prayer life. Being someone who constantly examines themselves. This is what will maintain a healthy Christian life. In your pursuit of seeking God, you will find that your hearts desire is to do his will and it is then that you will find yourself more Christ-centered and Christ-like.

Every job in the church body is important. You might think that you don’t do anything and that just showing up for church isn’t that important, and you couldn’t be more wrong… By your steady attendence you provide strong leadership and accountability to others as well as a great example.

Picking the crud is no small job…

So I am in a position to just unload some content right now and with that said there is just so much to get out there…I mean there are tons of free resources out there that are just waiting to consume some bandwidth. That being said, I have decided to allow you to see into my bag of goodies and see where I frequently travel. I have tried to organize them…hope it can help you.

Fonts:
DaFont - http://www.dafont.com/

For Creative Ideas:
Web Designer Wall - http://www.webdesignerwall.com/
CreativeMYK - http://www.creativemyk.com/
Logo Pond - http://www.logopond.com/
Stock Photos - http://www.sxc.hu/

It might only seem like a few links to start with but I promise you there is a lot of great stuff there. You probably already knew about most of those. I will see what I can do to get all the links together that offer free motion backgrounds and sermon swags by next week…

Oh yea...last thing...needed to test my SkyDrive out. Below is a link to images that I created using all the links above.

I received the news last week that I will be the next victom to a slowing economy. That's right by next Friday I will be officially unemployed. Feels kind of good to just say it. I have already started looking for jobs and have place a resume with numerous amounts of companies. Nothing has hit yet, but it's early.

What I am not saying is that this past weekend, I felt as if God was telling me to be "steady". Not just saying don't move yet, but really it's more like a battle scene in a movie. You know? The part where the captain is saying "Wait for it...wait for it, men..." It's like something big is about to happen and the tide is about to be turned. The battle is about to change course.

These being the first of many post to come, I can't give you everything that I am ready to unload. But over time, my fingers will blaze this thing into life. I have been doing a lot of writing over the past year and have even tinkered my hand at writing a book. I have actually written one book, and have already started on another. I also want to write an E-book for this site as a personal goal. Maybe I will find time soon...Then again, if the battle changes course, I might be busier than ever!

Off Subject
On the tech side of things:

I have discovered SkyDrive. http://skydrive.live.com/

I am pretty excited about this service as they allow up to 5gigs of free space to store photos, videos, and more. They have it all sectioned out in a private section, a shared section, and a "for all to see" section. I personally use this application for my own personal family use.

Hopefully this will be the first of many blogs to come. It might be nothing more than a personal journal. I don't know. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy some of the post to come.