Tuesday, May 31, 2011

TIME ALONE WITH GOD

from "When God Says Wait" by Darryl Harris on amazon.com

“Be strong and very courageous…be not afraid or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”!  Joshua 1:9

Christianity is not a religion
     It is not a ritual
            It is not a right of passage
                  Christianity is a relationship that’s real!

There is no way you can have a relationship with anyone, without spending extended and emotionally involved time together.  Time spent sharing the deepest complexities of your heart, one on one, soul to soul, in a way intimacy and ultimately harmony can be experienced in its fullness.  It’s very difficult for this to happen in the middle of a cheering crowd, on the bleachers of your kid’s high school football game.  It won’t happen as the doors open for the Super Saturday sale at the local Macy’s department store.  Intimacy only comes from time alone with God, interacting with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve learned, as we “stand on the rock” waiting for Jesus to emerge victorious in our life’s drama, that there are 8 things we must do to experience the wonder of His grace and the peace that passes all understanding.

REJOICE…  in the attributes of Jesus 
He’s so holy
     He’s so glorious
He’s all-powerful
     He’s all knowing
He’s everywhere at all times
       He’s marvelous and magnificent
He’s gracious and good
       He’s loving and longsuffering
He’s tender and tender hearted
       He’s the light of the world and the light of my life
He’s fully man and fully God
      He’s Jesus!

REQUEST… the mercy of Jesus
Thank God He doesn’t give us what we truly deserve

RELAX… in the sovereignty of Jesus
He has all things under control

REST…  in the comforting hands of Jesus
There is truly no safer place you can be

REPENT… of the sins that drove Him to the cross
While you wait, change the direction in which you are walking and follow Him

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE…   His name is Jesus Christ, your Savior
Don’t neglect the one who changed your life

RECAP …the highlights you’ve had with Jesus.
Write it down so you will never forget all of the great things He has done for you

REMEMBER…He’s immutable and will never change. “He will never leave or forsake you.”  His promises will endure forever.

Falling in Love With Jesus - Jonathan Butler and Kirk Whalum

Sunday, May 29, 2011

WAITING IS A PROCESS

from "When God Says Wait" by Darryl Harris on amazon.com

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”  Psalm 27:13-14

God is not on my timetable!  He is not on any religious leaders.  He is not on any political agenda.  He does not answer to any man who happens to attempt to exert authority that he may think he has.  If you never learn anything about our Savior beyond his incredible work of salvation on the cross, realize that God does things His way!
On His timetable
   At His discretion
      According to His plan
        According to His purpose
           And According to His will.
God has never called me up to ask my advice, my will, my desires and my predetermined outlook of any given situation, I may have found myself in.

One thing we do know…is that God will answer prayer.  Sometimes the answer is Yes
Sometimes the answer is Go
      Sometimes the answer is Slow
           Sometimes the answer is Show
                 Sometimes the answer is Yo
                          Sometimes the answer is NO
                              Sometimes the answer is total Silence…and when God is silent, in the moments, the hours, the days, the months, and even years, he’s quietly telling us to… WAIT!

The problem is that most of us hate to wait.  We understand No, and we long for Yes to roll off His compassionate lips.  But Wait?  We live in a microwave society. 
                     Instant food.
                 Instant fame.
               Instant fun
         Instant solutions to life most difficult problems are shown nightly on practically every TV show.  
Give Dr. House 60 minutes and he can find the cure to the most blaffling medical dilemmas which in real life could require time consuming attempts to resolve.
 
If we are hungry…run to McDonalds
   If we are sick…go to Urgent care
       If we need fast money…try Quicken loans
             If we need new friends…join Facebook

The thing that makes waiting tolerable is growing into the understanding, that in the midst of your waiting, …God always has a plan.  Your waiting has a purpose. 
The goal is never misery, but maturity.
                 The objective is obedience, not obscurity. 
                                             The outcome should be contentment, not contention. 
In waiting we exercise courage,
                     Demonstrate strength
                         Renew hope
                            Grow in maturity

SO ARE YOU WAITING OR WHINING?  IF YOU WAIT... IN THE END YOU WILL WIN! 

"The Lord Will Make a Way" by Heather Headley

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Should You Give Your Pastor a Retreat?



A pastor's retreat is a short time away from the demands of ministry. It can be as short as one day or as long as four or five. Under normal ministry conditions I think a pastor needs two retreats a year. When things are more stressful in your church or his own life, your pastor may need to get away every month if just for an afternoon!


Pastors retreats are so important
that I believe they should be a
budgeted part of a pastor's salary.
 
Pastor retreats are not vacations. They are essential tools that help pastors accomplish a specific purpose. These purposes may include the following...

Why Pastor's Retreats Are Important

  • Refresh. Pastors frequently work about 60 hours a week. Meetings and phone calls last into the late evening. Hospital visits and urgent phone calls can start about six in the morning. Your pastor rarely works fewer than six days a week... have you ever wondered why he has one day off? Ministry may appear easy but when done well is exhausting work. Pastors need times when they can get away and sleep in, take a casual walk in the woods, or read a non-ministry related book while lying on a recliner.
  • Renew. Pastors need to renew their minds. Physical fatigue is usually accompanied by mental fatigue. They also need time to renew spiritually. Pastor retreats allow your pastor to renew his body, mind and spirit. 
  • Recover. Your minister is involved in many stressful circumstances. He is doing crisis marriage counseling, ministering to a family whose newborn recently passed away, and trying to create peace between quarreling church members, In addition, he may have stress at home you don't know about. A pastor retreat gives him  the perfect opportunity to recover from a stressful circumstance. 
  • Relax. There are periods - sometimes long periods - in every pastor's ministry where stress is intense and unending. Our bodies are designed to handle short periods of stress. But prolonged stress can cause physical and psychological problems. Pastor's retreats can help break the cycle of stress. (Stress kills and Sunday is always coming)
  • Rekindle. When I pastored B.T. (before twins) my wife and I did almost everything together: visitation, counseling, committee meetings. But children introduced a different dynamic. It became more like tag-team ministry: one of us would stay home while the other went out. When you add to this the fact that many ministry activities last late into the evenings, your marriage tends to suffer. A pastor's retreat with his wife is an ideal way to rekindle the marital relationship.
  • Refocus. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you are getting swallowed by daily details. A pastor's retreat can provide the time to assess ministry goals and strategy. It can also be a time to refocus spiritually. Pastors need periodic times of dedicated prayer and meditation.
So I encourage you to make sure your pastor gets a retreat a year.  Most pastor's make less than they did before accepting the call.  Some are bi-vocational and are doing heroic work.  And the final note is this...don't forget his wife also.  She works even harder than him in ministry and the home.  Your church will be so much better if you allow them to refill their tanks for just a short period of time.  Don't let your pastor's soul go thirsty, so he can return and minister to your soul weekly!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Living in the Last Days



Let's study the scripture with one of the premiere bible teachers of our era, Dr. John MacArthur, as he discusses the rapture of the church.  This subject is highly debated and often misunderstood.  The big question on most minds is not if...but when?  It will happen!  No one knows the date, or all the detail, but the church will be raptured!  The second coming of Christ is distinct from the rapture.  Listen as John discusses the distinction.  What if I disagree?  Well you have every right, but you better make sure your view has much biblical support.   

The key is to make sure you have a relationship with Christ before this event occurs!  Our world is going through rapid changes.  I just pray you take the time to really consider where you stand with the God of the universe and His Son, Jesus Christ!  Talk about serious business.  Really living doesn't start until you make this decision for yourself!