Del City Rotary:
August 19th, 2008This morning I had the privilege of speaking to the Del City Rotary Club. Pastor Nathan & Shawn assisted me in media presentations as I spoke and it went really well. I love sharing the story of Destiny as this is the story of wonderful people who believe and are examples of how God can change our lives. Below are the videos we showed this morning. Enjoy:
Tornado PSA from Destiny Media on Vimeo.
Building Buildings To Build People from Destiny Media on Vimeo.
God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob
August 17th, 2008The idea behind the gymnasium dedication and teachers commissioning is synergy. When the combined effect is greater than the sum of the parts/people. Abraham’s influence was incomplete without Isaac’s embrace to carry on with all that God had entrusted to Abraham. One man and one generation could never contain the plans of an eternal God. It takes a generational connection. This is why it’s so difficult for me to see the youth church models picking up and leaving the aged behind. It’s equally as difficult to see aging congregations who aren’t interested in connecting with methods, sounds and attractions that assist the church in connection to the younger generation. Some are willing to give up on those who’ve gone before them determining that they no longer have value for what God wants to accomplish today. Others have decided that the younger generation just doesn’t have what it takes to be used by God. Cutting yourself off from your past or your future is spiritual suicide as he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.May we be a people who call forth every blessing the previous generations have given themselves for. May we also be a people who impart every deposit from our lives into the lives of others who become letters we send to generations we’ll never see.Ps 78:4-7 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.Here is the humorous video tour of the gymnasium and safe room:Tornado PSA from Destiny Media on Vimeo.
A Devout Man Who Gave & Prayed:
August 14th, 2008What is spoken of my life? When people mention my name in the community how would they describe me? Beyond what people would say what is the true atmosphere of my life and my home? As I was praying and reading this morning the Holy Spirit began pointing out Cornelius to me from Acts 10. Vs 2 describes him as a devout man who gave many alms and prayed to God continually. It was this man’s house where God chose to reveal the inclusive plans of God that would reach beyond the Jews. Cornelius had cultivated a devoted, giving, loving and praying atmosphere in his home. It was this atmosphere that God chose to release a phenomenal revelation from heaven into the earth. What is the atmosphere of your life? What is the atmosphere of your home?
Early this morning I was leaving to come pray. Lexi woke and joined me in the bathroom for a few moments. I went into the girls’ bedroom to pray over them as is my morning routine. Lexi was still stirring so I hugged her neck as I prayed for her whispering a short prayer in her ear to Jesus. As I turned I could see Faith holding her hands up wanting her turn. I delighted in offering the same exchange whispering a short prayer to Jesus in her ear. Driving out of my drive I thanked God for the opportunity we have as believers to have such a deep and eternal connection with our children, family and friends. May the next generation be able to see and follow our example of devotion, giving and prayer.
Have a terrific day!
Future Is Now Update:
August 12th, 2008Well I decided to update the heart behind the action today. The rain has stalled most of the work out front but the truth is that we build buildings so we can build people. Inside the teachers have gathered to prepare for the school year. The team is wearing yellow hardhats with the “Built on Truth” logo that Pat developed on the hats. Our focus this year is a very strong emphasis of Truth and a Christian World View. Posting a pic of some of the teachers that are all crammed into the library for inservice training. I’ll also post the video of the facilities below:
We Build Buildings to Build People from Destiny Media on Vimeo.
Alert Not Alarmed:
August 10th, 2008Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour - 1 Pet 5:8. Notice we are to be alert NOT ALARMED! Many people live their lives in a constant state of crisis. This is not God’s plan for our lives. The enemy is on the prowl looking for somebody who can be intimidated into a fearful state of vulnerability. Phil 1:28 tells us that when we are not alarmed it is a sign to our enemy that they are about to be destroyed. This is a principle we see in sports competition. If the opposing team can convince you they are better than you, you have little chance of overcoming the obstacles in your own mind. We see this with 10 of the 12 spies that went out in Numbers to spy the land. They came back saying, “We are like grasshoppers in our own sight and we looked the same to them” - Num 13:33. If you think you’re outclassed then you are. The battle is in the mind and when you know who you are in Christ the it is impossible for you to be intimidated. God did not give us a spirit of fear but love power and a sound mind = 1 Tim 1:7. Whatever enemy is trying to stare you down today look him right back in the eye and declare God’s Word. He may have been holding your family captive for generations or an entire army as was the case with Goliath. Today your giant isn’t too big to kill. He’s too big to miss!
Aging Is Inevitable. Maturing Is Optional:
August 9th, 2008
Maturity always sees life from an entirely different perspective than immaturity. Mature people promote order and produce peace. Immature people promote disorder and produce chaos. Mature people have a different rhythm in life. Maturity knows to respond according to God’s Word and God’s Spirit instead of reacting to circumstances that may be screaming for a reaction.
If we are going to learn this response we must practice a mature rhythm in our personal places of prayer and studying God’s Word. The disciples saw Jesus raise people from the dead, multiply loaves and fish, cast demons out of bizarre people and much, much more. All of these demonstrations of God’s power and what did they ask Jesus to teach them to do? Luke 11:1 the disciples came to Jesus and asked him to teach them to pray. Obviously they saw the connection in Jesus’ life between prayer and power. Our personal time of prayer with God will affect every area of our lives. Peter and John displayed a level of courage and boldness that was obviously beyond their personal abilities in Acts 4:13. This reference says that people took note that they had been with Jesus.
As we came together last Wednesday night I felt an amazing release into our church family. God is truly mobilizing us from audience to army as we put the words of God into practice in our daily lives. I’d like to reiterate once again the online Bible resources we talked about Wednesday night. You can put a single verse in the Net.Bible: http://net.bible.org/bible.php website and look at the original Greek Words I talked about in church Sunday. The other website I referenced is a great search tool to find specific verses about words or topics by searching 27 translations of the Bible all at the same time at Bible.crosswalk.com:
Addicted To Pleasure - Afraid Of Pain:
August 7th, 2008Wanted to post this again since I didn’t leave it up as my main post for more than an hour before. It’s never left me: There is a difference between a preference and a conviction. Convictions are what you are willing to die for. Everything else is a preference. The tendency of humanity is to migrate toward preferences pursuing an “enhanced” lifestyle. The Message Bible gives us an interesting look at 1 Cor 10:24 “We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.”
There is nothing wrong with wanting to live well. However if your foremost efforts are to live well you will find yourself malfunctioning in the deepest kind of frustration known to mankind. Our foremost efforts should be to help OTHERS live well. So much of our lives and our faith is based on being addicted to pleasure and afraid of pain. When this is the basis of your guidance system you’ll simply navigate away from the very thing God is trying to use to draw you to others, the pain in their lives.
In my place of prayer this morning the Holy Spirit began ministering to me out of Hebrews 11. So many have gone before us as stepping stones to a generational plan that was bigger than their lives. In a culture where “my rights” are such a focus unless you have a revelation from God you’ll never allow your life to be reduced to the idea of a stepping stone. Living for something bigger than I am is exactly what stretches me into a place of connection with God’s eternal plans in the earth.
Heb 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment (being mistreated) with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. (NAS)
Lord grant us wisdom and revelation to surrender to you and your desires today. May we move from preference to conviction as we choose what things are truly important in our lives, our families and our ministries.
Family Heritage:
August 6th, 2008With the whirlwind of life that can captivate us we must be constantly guarding our family time. Dating my wife and my girls is a priority. We’ve a family mission statement all together. We constantly practice our memory verses together working to apply them to our daily lives. Every Easter we measure the girls’ growth and mark their growth sticks - painted pieces of trim that show their vertical journey in life. This week we did something we’ve never done before so I thought I’d share it. The girls helped me write our Family Song. Most of the words came from them. I gave it a tune on my guitar and we worked all together to make the sentences have the right rhythm and rhyme. Faith calls it all a great big headache on the video. It was an investment but it’s these kinds of investments that build strong families and leave lasting memories. Make some time this week to build special memories with your family. A number of people have responded to my writings like this before sharing their regret for not doing things like this. Realize that it’s never too late even if you’re starting today with your grandchildren!
Our Family Song from Destiny Media on Vimeo.
Future Is Now Update:
August 5th, 2008We prayed over the index cards that people wrote on and turned in after morning prayer this morning. They’ll begin pouring the concrete shortly as these foundational declarations will be under the pour upon which we will stand. Thank God for such a loving and giving church family. I’ve never been more excited about what God’s doing in the people than I am right now. Watching everybody make the shift of really becoming “others-focused” has been an amazing inspiration to me personally. Thank you Destiny for being so awesome!
Addicted To Pleasure And Afraid Of Pain:
August 5th, 2008
There is a difference between a preference and a conviction. Convictions are what you are willing to die for. Everything else is a preference. The tendency of humanity is to migrate toward preferences pursuing an “enhanced” lifestyle. The Message Bible gives us an interesting look at 1 Cor 10:24 “We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.”
There is nothing wrong with wanting to live well. However if your foremost efforts are to live well you will find yourself malfunctioning in the deepest kind of frustration known to mankind. Our foremost efforts should be to help OTHERS live well. So much of our lives and our faith is based on being addicted to pleasure and afraid of pain. When this is the basis of your guidance system you’ll simply navigate away from the very thing God is trying to use to draw you to others, the pain in their lives.
In my place of prayer this morning the Holy Spirit began ministering to me out of Hebrews 11. So many have gone before us as stepping stones to a generational plan that was bigger than their lives. In a culture where “my rights” are such a focus unless you have a revelation from God you’ll never allow your life to be reduced to the idea of a stepping stone. Living for something bigger than I am is exactly what stretches me into a place of connection with God’s eternal plans in the earth.
Heb 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment (being mistreated) with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. (NAS)
Lord grant us wisdom and revelation to surrender to you and your desires today. May we move from preference to conviction as we choose what things are truly important in our lives, our families and our ministries.