~Loving Puking People~

While spending some time last night with my Spark boys during AWANA and speaking with a few church members I came across these two facts. One being as a pastor people like to randomly "Puke" on me. Now I don't mean that be in a rude or even negative way. I mean "puke" as in simply spilling all your cares and troubles on one person. Now this is something over time I have learned to handle and deal with, It seems to be part of the role we carry as pastors. I have been more then blessed to have Christ and the Holy Spirit be able to give me the know how, the right words to say when this happens. I don't feel any college or school can cover some of the things that you are faced with by the people you meet. I find this more funny then anything else really. The fact that people learn you are a pastor so they feel they need to tell you everything about life. At times I feel like I am a church confession box or Psychiatrist. It shocks me at what people will tell me in the first 5 mins of meeting me. Now I don't really mind and over the years I have learn to listen and let the Holy Spirit guide my heart and tongue, Trust me there are at times where you just want to shake the person and go "ARE YOU CRAZY" however I know that's not always the wisest thing to say nor do. I can imagine that Jesus had a lot of people who randomly "puke" all over Him. I have found over time that most people just want someone to listen to them without feeling they would be judged.

 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
-Mark 10:45

 The next fact I have learned and I seem to be reminded here and there is I love people. Even with as crazy as some are and no matter what people have to say. I love people! Now yes there are a few people out there I do not enjoy being around and as much as I try I just can't seem to engage in to convention I care for. However under the mask that most people will carry and wear and set aside the outter skin that shields their true self people are over all are Amazing! I am not really sure where Loving people is any of the known spiritual gifts we talk about today but again isn't it the greatest Gift of All? Its one thing to have to love someone because we are told to however its another to love them because you want to. Could that have been what he meant when he said "Love your neighbor as yourself", Maybe. Sounds like a good word and heart study there for you to check out. When was the last time you prayed "Lord give me a heart to want to love people" Its more powerful then one would know.           

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself."
-Luke 10:27

In His Grip,

Pastor J

The Bloom in Subscribers!

I just want to stop and thank everyone who has subscribed to my site. I first started this site on 12/27/07  with short hello post however over the years it seems to have grow more then I have known. I don't always check my views and subscribers however I noticed last night I hit the yearly subscribe count was at 9,594 members and my view count at about 230 views a day. I am not big about numbers and I know that's low to some out there however I find that just Crazy! I know many of my readers are pastors and ministry leaders from around the world. Some people have come across my site via my "Pastors" Facebook page you can find Here I started many years ago and is a network of Pastors from around the world and one of the largest groups on Facebook. Or they have come from just a simple Google search, Twitter post or maybe in the rare form of I know the person. I am yet a master of Blogger and not 100% sure the differences in subscribers. There seems to be two forms where people can subscribe or follow. It seems if have a blogger account with Google you can follow my site or you are able to use the Subscribe to link I have put to the right of the screen ----->>> This seems to be more of the thing to do instead of "following". Not sure the details of this. But anyway once again Thank you for all reading and May you each find the power and Grace in our Lord Jesus!   

Books, Books, and More Books!

Over time I will give a book review or two however I have been stuck over the past few months reading and re-reading a few books. I like to take time to get deep into the text and not just read over the words but let them dig into my mind and heart. Most of the time I can read a book and be done with it however the past few books I have picked up have been ones I can't seem to put down. I am sure some time over the next few years they will be put into a sermon text or something. So here are 3 books I am currently reading if not re-reading for that matter. The first one in my list is a Perry Stone book called Opening the Gates of Heaven. The main text speaks on walking in and under the favor of God. I have joined his books in the past and found it a blessing to have met him while working at the TV studio a few years back. The next book I picked up has be a life changer to me over the past year. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I could say so much about this book however in short its about drawing prayer circles around dreams and being bold enough to pray like never before. I will post a much longer post on this book as well as the last book currently on my list called Lessons from a Venetian Vinedresser by Robert Scott Stiner and I was blessed to have it signed by Robert a few years back. Again in short the book is based off Jesus saying, "I am the vine, you are the branches, and My Father is the vinedresser." It gets into the detail job and actions of what a vinedresser is and how powerful the actions of one person are to the life of a vineyard. Just shows how Great our God really is! So that's few a few books I am currently reading. My hope is this year I would be able to read more books then I have been able to in the past few years. I hope in time I will be able to use a Kindle or iPad to be able to read some more books in the coming year. However I am a fan of marking and highlighting everything so not sure how much those devices would work for me.

In His Grip,
 Pastor J

~Monday Morning Coffee~

  Success as a Christian is not found in doing the right things, it is found in being who God calls us to be. When we pursue that goal, we will find success, but not the kind you may expect. Pastor Charles Stanley defines success as the continuing journey toward who you were created to be. I like that definition. A successful Christian life is not measured by what we do; it is measured by who we become along the way. God wants us to live by certain principles and values, regardless of the situation we are in. As we grow and mature in those attitudes, we are becoming more like Christ. We are moving along the journey toward who we were created to be.

"Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen." - Jude 1:24-25

Pastor J

Praise Him!!

I will not give up to despair. I will hold onto hope. I will trust in God, whatever may be His plan. I will thank and praise Him for the gifts I have been given.

When we are going through a trial in life, we have a choice to make. we can let the trial bring us down and consume our life or we can hold onto hope and live in that hope. When we make the decision to rest in hope, we can begin to let go of fears and worries and questions, We can let go of all those things that just eat away at our happiness and joy.

I love how this verse reminds us to always have hope and to praise Him. how easy would it be to let disappointments of my life not receiving complete healing, overwhelm every moment of my life and let it bring me into despair? But making the choice to always have hope, leaves the rest of up to God… where it belongs. There is nothing we can do about situations that come up, so why waste our precious time dwelling in it.

We can rest knowing we have hope and we can move on with our thoughts and strength being used to "praise Him!"

In His Grip,

Pastor J

Success...

His Greatness!

"Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
 No one can measure his greatness."
-Psalm 145:3

~Greatness~

"When God has an impossible task, he takes an impossible person, and breaks him"
 If you have a desire to do great things for God's kingdom, don't squelch it with platitudes about being humble. That may very well be the evil one speaking to you. There is truth to the importance of humility, but if being humble means you give up on wrestling with God to break you so thoroughly that his greatness can just beam through you, then you are really missing out. Then you don't understand God's greatness and you don't understand how deeply God wants to bless you and make your name great.
 Because the greater his children become, the more his character will be revealed both on earth and in heaven.
"God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." -Ephesians 3:10
Just don't expect it to be a short simple walk in the park.

Follow the Leader

Someone leading without anyone following is just someone taking a walk. This is almost true. Jesus is our model for leadership and at times He was completely isolated. Every New Church leader starts by effectively leading nobody. We can sometimes find ourselves in this position for a while. There comes a point when people start signing up to the new church or ministry and it feels like you are getting somewhere. It feels like they have bought into the vision and are ready to be led into the great unknown. The reality is a little different. Sometimes I encounter this expectation that leadership is a deeply ideal position where people follow your vision, your ideas, your preaching,  or your gifting. To start with I don’t think this is true. When a church is small enough for everyone to know the leader then relationship is what matters. First of all people need to like the leader, only then will they follow. Some Pastors spend much time convincing people that they are likeable (that's a hard one to sell, At least for myself.) However the only approval that is needed is from Jesus not man. Most unchurched people joining a church don’t care that much about the churches theology, worship, small group structure or even vision at first  They just want to feel like they can belong. Only once they have found there place in the community do they worry about the other things.

In His Grip,

Pastor J

~My God is Bigger~

What a great reminder that what ever you are facing Our God is Bigger then anything you or I will face!

God of New Beginnings.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, (Genesis 1:14 ESV)
 

My past cannot hold me from my future. I am a new creation in Christ. I am not who I used to be.
I am forgetting what is behind and pressing toward what lies ahead.

And with new seasons come fresh anointing, fresh perspective, fresh vision, and fresh energy.

I receive this new year as a gift from my Father. As I step into this new season I do so as a step of faith …into uncharted territory! God has established my steps. He has made the way!

My success will be determined by my trust in the God of new beginnings.  

 

 

~Happy New Year 2013~

So its been way to long from the last time I posted and my world always flips up side down and back again. I will say I am glad to be ending this year and starting a new one! My prayer is that The Lord does great things in year 2013. I think one of my biggest goals is trying to keep up my blog. This blog has become many things over the years and I think it will become a Note book once again where I post random short or long notes on my day as the year plays out. For those read who are pastors and ministry leaders I will still throw a post in there about church leadership or Christmas growth.

I am also going to start using Windows Live writer to see if It would allow me to write faster and more and get me to remind me to write. I find it a pain to always have to sign in to this account and sign in to that account. So this is a click and I am there Publish and I am done. So One to the new year one step at a time!

“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.” -Isaiah 43:19