Now, we are starting to also see changes with book reading. With the Kindle and the iPad, people are moving towards digital books with many built in features that you'd never get from the paper version... search features, built in dictionary, etc. Not only do you have this for regular books, but also for the most important book... the Bible.

There have been digital versions of the Bible available for many years on products such as a Pocket PC, but there are definite improvements since even then. I wanted to bring an awareness to any of you reading that don't already know... there are full Bibles available FOR FREE for your smartphone, iPad, etc. What's great about this is that you get multiple translations of the Bible all together, with searching capabilities, reading plans, and lots of other great features. There is an outfit called YouVersion that provides what I believe is the best solution and features. Here are some of the features you'd have access to:

• 41 translations (including 22 different languages). This includes NLT, NIV, The Message, etc.
• Choose from over 20 different reading plans where you can help keep track of your reading, have a plan and follow it.
• Search the whole Bible to find that verse you are looking for... to find verses on specific topics or including specific words.
• Easily navigate from book to book, chapters, etc
• Email a selected passage to a friend... post it on Twitter or Facebook.
• Apps available for: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Palm

You can also setup a YouVersion account (free) through your app or online at YouVersion.com. Post your "contributions", which would be your thoughts or comments on whatever you read that day. Share with others... follow what other people are reading and saying, etc. There are groups that you can join, such as churches. There is a new group setup for Church52 at http://www.youversion.com/groups/church52. We will be utilizing this as a point of connection and are considering running live "events", where you can get Bible verses and such fed straight to your phone to help you follow along with the message being preached in a service.

Anyway, the main reason I wanted to bring attention to all of this is simple... it is a help to me with my personal Bible reading and devotion time. Maybe it will be for you as well. EVERYONE (I believe) struggles with staying consistent with their Bible reading and prayer times. This is too important to just ignore. The solution is to find what works for you and then stick with it. For me, it means go digital. Maybe not for you, but as we all grow more and more accustomed to a digital world, it makes sense to do some Bible reading in the same manner. Wherever I am, I have full access to all mainstream Bible translations... can check the status of my current reading plan that I'm using... etc. For someone like me that is always connected to some piece of technology, this really works  and I've been more consistent in my reading since locking into these digital Bible solutions.

You may be reading this and thinking you could never read the Bible without the physical, leather-bound version in your hand. But in reality... where is your leather-bound Bible? How dusty is it? Maybe having the Bible on your cell phone, which is probably always near by, would help you to improve the consistency of your Bible reading. If this is something you struggle with, give this a try. Of course, you can do digital and leather both if you want :). Just make sure you get into the Word one way or another!

I mean, how does it feel to you when you find out the only reason someone wanted to be your friend was because of what you could do for them? They didn't really like YOU... they liked the benefits of being around you. It's kind of like winning the lottery and suddenly finding out you had all kinds of friends and family you never knew you had. God really does love us. Romans 5:8 gives us a great example of that when it says, "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (emphasis added)." God didn't wait for us to prove our worth to Him. He didn't wait to see if there was some benefit to dying for us. He just loved us and was willing to do whatever it took to make a true relationship with Him possible!

Earlier this month was the District Council for the Assemblies of God. Here, we dealt with business issues, etc... but the highlight for me was getting to hear Dr. Wayne Lee preach back-to-back nights from Daniel Chapters 1-6 on the need for us to be "healing" Christian leaders in Babylon. Essentially, he was likening our modern culture to Babylon and showing how we, like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, can impact this culture if we'll commit to a process of preparation and being used by God.

One of his opening thoughts was: "Shifts in culture and changes in world governments require new leadership preparation", which he then listed a 5 point process of how to go about such preparation: 1) Intense training - For us that includes such things as our discipleship/growth track (classes 101/201/301), Connection Groups, Elective classes, etc... 2) Character purification - James 4:8; not allowing ourselves to be defiled; accountability... not allowing secrecy to become a weapon satan can use against God's people. 3) Teaming with other believers. There's safety in numbers. Also; "One can put a thousand to flight; two can put ten thousand to flight." 4) Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit through prayer. That speaks for itself, really. It stands to reason... the more time you spend getting to know someone; the easier it is to recognize their voice and intentions. 5) Confidence in God's sovereignty. God is in control! Pastor Perry's wife Melissa posted an interesting quote from Rick Warren on Facebook the other day. With regards to giving God true control of our lives, he said, "We want God in COMFORT, but not in CONTROL. They go together. God will show up when you give up." That's good stuff. How much do I really trust that God DOES have my best interests in mind and that He DOES know best how to go about it, even when it seems crazy? Dr. Lee went on to say that God releases His delivering presence in the fire of opposition (see Daniel 3). No matter what opposition we face in life, we know that God's presence is the answer.

I know... this all sounds great, but "how do we come into God's presence to receive that fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11)? One thing that really helped me when I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the "how-to's" a few years ago was James 1:5 which reads, "If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask Him and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking." After reading that I said to myself, "That's a promise from God." We don't have to have all of the answers. We just need to be open and honest with God and trust that, as we let go, He's more than able to lead us and handle our situations. All we have to do is ask. But, as the following verses talk about, we have to really believe that God is going to answer. As I said a moment ago... sometimes it may seem crazy, but we have to trust the ONE who see's the BIG PICTURE! This is when Proverbs 3:5-6 comes into play: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."

I believe that we are all positioned where God wants us to be for such a time as this; but we need to be proactive in our preparation and not reactive. We need to come together as the family God has created us to be and use all of our unique gifts to impact this culture. But, this calls for coming into God's presence and being transformed (Romans 12:2). Once we receive God's guidance, we are then responsible to act upon it. Bottom line: Abiding in God's presence will allow us to have God's wisdom amidst chaos. In this environment is where we can release God's healing presence if we've allowed ourselves to be prepared by God.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Romans 12:1 it reads: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him."

That is freedom. And that is the "present" we can receive in God's presence...a healing presence that we can then give to the hurting of this world.

Like Yo Gabba Gabba, have you seen these guys? My 2-year-old daughter, Audrey, is obsessed with these guys! If Muno, Brobee, Foofa, Toodee, Plex, and Dj Lance rock are not aliens... who is? The songs that they sing ALWAYS get stuck in my head and they are there all day! I hope they are not putting hidden messages in my brain!

Then there's the new Sci-Fi series that has a lot of people talking called V . The V stands for "visitor" - as in aliens who are "visiting" Earth, but it seems pretty clear that they are not here to chill out and try and figure out great mysteries like why so many humans get into arguments over Edward and Jacob.

The visitors are on a mission to conquer the planet, and this just might be...

The end of humanity! Nooooooooo!!! (Cue the Lost theme.)

Personally, I like being an alien. Not that it's always easy, but having a "stranger in a strange land" mentality helps me get why life on planet Earth just seems so messed up at times.

Don't worry; I haven't lost my mind (unless you ask my wife Jamie). I call myself an alien because that's what God calls Christians.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 1:10-12).

The day that I trusted in Jesus Christ as my only hope of salvation, something incredible happened. I stopped being just a person and became a child of God. I was freed from the chains of humanity that would have you believe that joy and contentment can come from anything in this world. My true citizenship and home is in heaven, so my life is now an alien journey on planet Earth.

On the show V, the aliens are there to distract, deceive, and ultimately destroy the native folks, and that is obviously why the Christian kind of "visitor" is on a completely different mission. Our task is to:

Live an exemplary life among the natives so that our actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives (1 Peter 2:12, The Message).

Isn't that incredible? As believers in Jesus Christ, we get to show our "alien-ness" by loving the unloved, forgiving our offenders, and passing along the greatest message in all the universe:

Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died (1 Corinthians 16:3-6).

This gospel message is also alien, because it wasn't invented by any human mind. The gospel is from the mind of God and is the power of God. It is capable of transforming any guilt-ridden, hopeless life into unbelievable meaning, purpose, and value.

Are you feeling a bit alienated and alone at times? Unfortunately, that's a part of following Christ. To feel not at home and rejected by a culture that cares only about selfish personal happiness and limitless pleasure is natural when you share a Christ-like life and the gospel message. But remember that no matter how dark and lonely the path, there is an amazing end to the journey - then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

Remember that we are called to be salt in the earth. We have to infect this world and not get caught up in the things of this world. I always have to remind myself that this is not my home! I am thankful for everything that God has blessed me with: smoking hot wife, amazing kids, Jeter (my dog), The New York Yankees (LOL), roof over my head, food, etc... But when I die, none of these things will matter. God is preparing my Eternal Mansion as I type! I'm trading in the good for the Great!

The end for us aliens is actually just the beginning! Jesus Christ is returning to gather all His followers, and there is going to be a homecoming party that is beyond your wildest imagination.

I'm sure you're familiar with the common alien phrase: "Take me to your leader." Well, fellow alien... let's turn that around and ask our friends and family this: "Would you like to meet my Leader?"

The Bible talks about many types of gifts... usually referred to as spiritual gifts. The main areas of the New Testament that list and talk about such gifts are:

• Romans 12:6-8 - gifts of prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement (exhortation), giving, leadership, and mercy (compassion).
• Ephesians 4:11 - gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
• 1 Corinthians 12-14 - gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, helps, and administration.

There are other gifts seen in the Bible that are not usually listed in your regular spiritual gifts inventory such as: craftsmanship, worship (gift of music), and interpretation of dreams.

As you look at all of these various gifts, you are probably evaluating yourself at the same time... thinking "I am good at that", "That comes very naturally to me" or "I DEFINITELY don't have THAT gift"! We can't all have every possible gift. God has made each of us unique for a purpose. The beautiful thing is when we all work together, each playing the role God intended us to, then watching His plan unfold. We can't all be teachers... we can't all be administrators... we can't all be overflowing with wisdom... that is not what God intended. Some lead, others follow. Some plan, others make it happen. Some make music, others listen and are ministered to by it. Some build things, others use it to accomplish the task at hand. Some have an extra measure of faith needed to take those big steps God puts in front of them. Some are used to give a message in tongues in a corporate worship service, others are used to give the interpretation. Some are up front, others are behind the scenes making sure what happens up front is effective. Get the picture?

Sometimes people get discouraged because they don't think they have any gifts to use in the church. Often times, those are the people that only see true gifts as preaching, singing, teaching, etc... the "platform ministry" gifts. What some don't realize is that what takes place on the platform would likely fall flat without the support of the other gifts, which are being used by various members in the church... often unseen to those in the congregation. Someone is back behind a sound board making sure that the technical elements are working correctly. Someone has prepared and organized materials that are being used in classes to teach both adults and children. Someone has made schedules to make sure that people are in place to work in the nursery, setup equipment, greet people as they walk into the church doors, etc.

There are so many pieces to the puzzle and they are all equally important, because we all need each other. I need you and your gift to help me effectively use my gift... and you may need my gift to help you fulfill what you need to do.

Now, I'm not going to get into a deep study on spiritual gifts here, but instead look at the result of our gifts. At the end of the day, did you effectively use your gifts? Were you successful? Unfortunately, the world around us has skewed our perception of what is successful and effective. Successful is usually the label given when someone becomes famous or wealthy because their work and gifts. Is that really success?

This person I was in a discussion with happened to be gifted artistically. People would often confirm that to him as he grew up... telling him how God had given him those gifts. His problem is that he didn't see how he was supposed to be successful drawing nice pictures. Why couldn't he be gifted with more intelligence? or a better physical build and appearance? or anything that would make him "successful"?

That was disturbing for me to process. As a musician, I'm in the same boat. Those that are gifted in areas of fine arts have an extremely small chance of ever "making it" and achieving success in the world's eyes due to their artsy gifts. Do I have dreams and goals related to my music? Sure I do. Will I ever be rich and famous because of my musical gifts? Probably not. Does that matter? Not a bit. My job is to take the gifts that God has given me and use them to the very best of my ability to be a blessing to His church and to point others to Christ. The rest is up to God. I just need to focus on exalting Him through my gifts... not myself.

One of my favorite verses has become Psalm 73:24 "You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny" (NLT). I know that God has a plan for me... a glorious destiny. I can't see it all yet... I don't know what it's all going to look like... but I know that I can do what He leads me to do TODAY. Then I can do my best to do it again tomorrow. I can utilize whatever gifts that He has entrusted me with, and do my best to use them to their fullest. He will continue to lead me through the process and I believe that the end result will be seeing God's plan for my life fulfilled. Will it equal success in the eyes of man? I don't know, but when my life is over, I just want to hear God say "well done, my good and faithful servant". THAT is the sign of success that I'm shooting for.

When we continually stress over problems instead of looking to God for solutions, the enemy will magnify your fears. If he can't get you to worry about the present - he'll remind you of everything that could go wrong in the future! Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "All I have seen, has taught me to trust God for all I haven't seen."

The last I checked, Wasn't God still bigger than any terrorist attack, financial disaster, illness, accusation, or mess you found yourself in? Well, this remains today! David said, He won't go to sleep... the Lord is at your right side. He will... keep you safe... wherever you go... and be confident that His angels are watching over you.

It all comes down to ME or HIM? Faith or Control? You can struggle to handle things on your own - or trust your Heavenly Father. That's the choice! It's not about 'blind faith,' it's about believing that God is who He says He is. And it's an issue we need to settle in our mind once and for all, because if you don't believe He wants only the best for you, you'll keep trying to take control. Control isn't responsibility. Responsibility is doing your part by praying, obeying, and trusting God. Control is manipulating the circumstances to engineer the outcome you want.

Jesus knows how we like holding on to things we're not wise enough to control. Let Him take the reigns today... Jesus said, If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give it up... for me, you will save it. At the end of the day - you either trust God or you don't! So what who will it be? Me or Him?

Okay... that was real history; but in the movie Spartacus arrives in Sicily only to find that the Romans have beaten him to the punch and paid-off the Sicilians. At this point the Sicilian envoy offers to convey Spartacus, his woman, and his senior officers to Asia to live as kings, but Spartacus won't hear of it... he refuses to abandon his army. Spartacus then turns to face the Romans at which point he and his army are defeated. They are then taken captive (rather than being killed in battle as history reports) which, of course, allowed for the famous scene where the Roman commander demands to know the identity of Spartacus. Upon getting ready to stand to his feet and reveal himself, Spartacus sees each of his men... one after the other, stand and declare, "I am Spartacus". After this it is found that Spartacus is one of two remaining men who are forced to duel to the death with the winner to be crucified. Out of love and honor for each other, each struggles to win to keep the other from having to suffer the torture of crucifixion. But finally, Spartacus prevails.

The reason I go to some length explaining the basic plot of the movie is because whether Mr. Kubrick intended it or not, there are some scenes I just described that (to me) parallel some Biblical themes.

You see, Jesus also came (essentially) as a slave. But even though He is the King of the Universe, He didn't seek the blood of His enemies as He had every right to. Rather, He exhibited the attitude of service to others, even at the expense of his own life. Rather than seeking the blood of His enemies in a violent revolution, Jesus sought His own blood, giving His life through a love revolution for His enemies to secure their freedom. It's like Romans 5:8 reads, "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (New Living Translation). Wow!!! He didn't wait for us to prove our worth... He did it because He loves us... despite what He knows about us.

But like that Sicilian envoy who offered Spartacus an easy way out; you know that satan did the same with Jesus to steer Jesus away from His destiny. Jesus had the opportunity to "have it all" (as satan put it) when Jesus was lead into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. When that didn't work, you also know the enemy was at work when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsamane. But rather than taking the easy way out, Jesus submitted to the Lordship of God. In Matthew 26:39 it reads, "He went on a little farther and bowed His face to the ground, praying, 'My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine'" (New Living Translation). And then, not long after this declaration, Jesus was betrayed. And not by someone He didn't know (like the situation with Spartacus), but by one of His own... Judas.

Like Spartacus' men who stood and devotedly declared that they were Spartacus; we too, as Christians should be so devoted to Christ as to be willing to give our lives for the sake of His name. But by "give our lives" I not only refer to the fact that there are those, even in modern society, who may have to literally give their lives for the sake of Jesus' name... but we must also surrender control of our lives (giving our lives to Him) for the sake of His name!

There is a strong survival instinct in all of us that would seek to sacrifice others to preserve our lives, elevating ourselves over others. But Jesus spoke of this and even modeled it in every aspect of His life as He declared in Matthew 20:28 that, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many" (New Living Translation).

I can't wait for the next 4 weeks!!! Feel free to contact me with any questions: joey@church52.org

God Bless,
Pastor Joey

Week 4:

• Lesson Goal: Children learned that God gave us rules so we could have the best life possible.
• Main point: God knows what is best for me; I should follow his rules!
• Bible story: The Ten Commandments (Exodus 19 & 20:1-17)
• Bible verse: "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." James 1:22 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul said that there is nothing unclean of itself (Romans 14:14). He was speaking about ceremonial uncleanness in reference to the Jew. Under the Old Covenant, there were certain animals that were classified as clean and unclean. Unclean animals were never to be used in sacrifices to Jehovah God. It was not that the animals were dirty, it was just a distinction that God made between certain animals. But Paul said there is nothing unclean of itself, except to that man who thinks it is unclean. All things are made by God and they are to be received with thanksgiving. Let's go back to First Peter, and cover some other things concerning who we are in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:6-9 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!! This is why we shout, this is why we clap our hands, because we have been called out of darkness into His light! Many of us, before we were born again, walked in darkness for many years. There wasn't anything to shout about in the dark. But, praise God, we are in the light now, and endless things to shout about, because we now see all the things we could not see when we were in the dark!

1 Peter 2:10 "who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." There is a two-fold priesthood we are involved in under the New Covenant. First of all, we are a holy priesthood. The holy priesthood offers up spiritual sacrifices and praises. In other words, we extol and tell about the goodness of God. We praise His name, and we give Him honor and glory in verbal ways. Now the royal priesthood deals with the things concerning God by His Word. The holy priesthood function is our personal, private extolling and exalting of the Lord. We can also do that publicly, but it is primarily for our personal and private worship. In our royal priesthood function, we extol and present the things of God and the things of Christ through the Word of God -- it is the manifestation that comes through the Word. Thank you Lord for your Word... It is light unto my feet, a lamp to help us see through this thing we call life. Bring the Lord your best sacrifice of praise in your private worship every day. Remember his faithfulness, remember his promises, and praise Him not only for what He has done - but Who He is.

When we get together with friends, or any group of people really, we all try to have a good time. We like to laugh... we like to make others laugh... we like to feel accepted. Unfortunately, often times we go too far... we cross the line... we say or do things that a Christian has no business saying or doing. We have our filter turned off and allow things to get through that should not. I told you this wouldn't be a fun topic :), but stay with me...

Let's look to the Bible in Proverbs 4:23-27. "²³ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. ²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. ²⁵ Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. ²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. ²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil." (NLT)

I could stop right here as that verse is pretty clear, but let's look a little further. I would propose this... before you make a comment, ask yourself "will these words benefit anyone that is listening?" As Christians, we can't just look at how our words and actions affect ourselves, but we need to be aware of how they affect those around us. Here is a verse that we've heard Pastor Perry quote many times:

Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (NIV)

There are many things that could be said here, but one of the most simple (maybe over-used, but still true) is "garbage in, garbage out". What are you filling your heart and mind with? Whatever it is will flow out from you in your speech and actions. Then, when that "unwholesome talk" makes it past your filter and comes out of your mouth, did it "benefit those who listen"?

Now, am I saying that we need to be boring, sheltered little Christians? NO! What I am saying is that we need to just be aware that we need to have some boundaries in our life and stop working so hard to get as close to the world as we can and still make it to heaven. Do I believe that saying a swear word will keep you out of heaven? No. Do I believe that making a crude joke will keep you out of heaven? No. Do I believe that watching a TV show or movie that is full of junk will keep you out of heaven? No. HOWEVER... do I believe that doing these things will hinder your spiritual growth and that of those around you? YES.

Why do we so often feel that we NEED to do these things? Now, I like to joke around as much as the next guy and am the king of sarcasm, but I always have to do my best to keep that in check. There are many times when I'll think of something to say that might be funny, but I have to keep it to myself as I realize it is not appropriate. There are times when my filter is unsuccessful and I say something or participate in a conversation that I should not. This is something that I always have to work on... and it is something that we ALL should have a continual awareness of. Let's go further...

Those of us in positions of leadership within the church must be even MORE aware of these things. Whether you are a pastor, small group leader, worship team member, Sunday School teacher... any type of role within the church puts you in a place of higher responsibility... and in need of more accountability. People are watching (and listening) to you. Even if your crude comments won't cost you your salvation, think of how it still might affect those that minister together with you... or those who are following your leadership and example. The Bible is clear enough that I have a great awareness of this... almost a fear of this. I do NOT want to stand before God one day and have to answer for people that failed due to my poor example and leadership. This is not a place that anyone wants to be in.

2 Corinthians 6:3 "We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry." (NLT)

Wow... grab a hold of that one. How effective will your ministry and your witness be when you continually spit out words that should not ever come out of your mouth? Think on that for a moment. How much am I going to listen to and benefit from a sermon when I know that the man preaching lives and talks a completely different thing when he is not behind the pulpit? How likely is it that I will enter in and participate in a worship service when I see people up front "leading in worship" that say and do things outside of church that they have no business being a part of? Take this mode of thought outside of the church for a minute... How likely is that you will listen to the doctor as he tells you that you have to quit smoking or you will develop a major illness... when you just saw him smoking a cigarette outside of the hospital?

1 Corinthians 8:9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." (NIV)

You may be strong in your faith and feel comfortable with watching a certain show or using certain language. I'm not saying you are right or wrong... what I AM saying is that you must be very careful. Those around you may be weaker in their faith, and when they see your actions and hear your words, will it cause them be built up in their faith? Or will it cause them to stumble? What you watch , listen to and participate in WILL affect your own thoughts, words and actions in one way or another.

Let us stop trying to be like the world Monday through Saturday then go do the church thing on Sundays for a couple of hours. If we are truly to be people of integrity, our words and actions through the week will line up with what we say at church on Sundays.  Let us stop being influenced by the world, but instead be the one that is DOING the influencing. BE an influence. Like it or not, you ARE an example... whether a good one or a bad one. People watch and listen... those that you work with... your kids... others at church, etc. The question is, what kind of example will you be?

WEEK 1

• Lesson Goal: The children will learn to look to the Bible for answers for their daily lives.
• Main Point: God is my rock: I should use his Word as my foundation!
• Bible story: The story of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27)
• Bible verse: James 1:22 "But don't just listen to God's Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourself." (NLT)

The main thought Pastor repeated throughout the series was the phrase..."Not all day, but every day." In one example, he likened this concept to the idea of chopping down a big tree. But rather than needlessly wearing yourself out trying to chop it down in one attempt, he suggested we take a few swings one day... and then go back and take a few more swings the next day. Over time, then, you accomplish the task while avoiding burn-out!

One point I connected with was a quote Pastor referred to many times by the well-known Christian author John Maxwell. The quote says: "your success is found in your daily agenda." I was so taken with this thought (mostly due to my need for a more structured day), that I sat down and wrote out a weekly calendar to coincide with things Pastor preached about in the series. Sure, in the past I would get some things done each day... maybe even everything I had in mind for a given day, but it wasn't consistent. Inevitably, some distraction would come along, or I would find myself bogged-down in one task, and before I knew it, a good chunk of my day had passed me by. Now, I don't mean by "structure" that I have every second of my day planned out with no room for spontaneity. I just have planned out what I know I need to do, "not all day, but every day", in order to make sure my daily agenda leads me to success!

While we're all different as to what we need to help us attain that daily success, the truth for us all is that we'll get nowhere without a plan. All of the best intentions in the world will ultimately fall flat and leave anyone feeling overwhelmed and ineffective. With the fact that we all need a game plan, and yet, one tailored to our particular temperament/personality type, let me suggest a scripture that will help lead us all to success. It's a scripture God illuminated for me a few years back that I also claim as a promise... especially when I'm having trouble discerning what it is I need to do in a given situation. It is James 1:5 which reads: "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking (New Living Translation, 1^st edition).

Still, all of the best-laid plans are meaningless unless we then take action on them. Another couple of well-known scriptures in James (whose application may seem stretched a bit for this purpose, but I feel still get the point across) read: "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like" (James 1:22-24, NLT, 2^nd edition). And in James 2:14a, it reads: "Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?

Developing and looking at the game-plan is great IF you actually get about DOING it rather than learning it, only to walk away from it and forget what it looks like. As my wife Judy would say of such a thing... "you're doing a whole lot of nothing."

Let us not be guilty of "Much ado about nothing". Let us, rather, be disciplined and intentional about our approach to our daily agenda, and in this find the pattern to success in every area of our lives.

Being a Christian means that we are in a battle. Every since the adversary fell from heaven, satan has made himself an enemy to God and to His prized creation, mankind. In Ephesians 6, our Father has given us the tools that we need to win. One of our weapons is prayer.

There are 3 principles to a successful prayer life:

There is a time to talk
God is our source. He holds the keys to the universe in His hands. He is the Creator. When we have doubts, concerns, and questions, He is the one that we should run to. In fact, He is anxiously waiting to hear from you. It is a shame that some of us only talk to Him before we eat or only when there is a dire emergency. I believe that God desires to have a running, consistent, conversation with us just like He did with Adam and Eve in the garden. You shouldn't just always run to Him with your laundry list of requests. Prayer is our opportunity to tell God how much we love Him and how grateful we are for all that He has done in our lives. It is also time for us to tell Him how much we look forward to what He is going to do in the future.

We should always tell God how we feel if there are things in our lives that are making us nervous or afraid. As a matter of fact, we should bring all of our burdens, cares, and concerns to Him. The great thing about this transaction is that we can bring them to Him and leave them right there. He will deal with everything that concerns us and perfect them all.

There is also a time to listen
Conversations between two parties are usually more effective when there is only one person speaking at a time. Sometimes our problem is that we spend all of our prayer time talking. We have to tell God all about everyone and everything that has been getting on our nerves. We have to tell Him about the guy that cut us off on the expressway. And we also have to tell Him about our unrealistic boss and nosy neighbors.

We even spend a great deal of time in prayer telling God how wonderful He is and thanking Him for all His wonderful blessings. The moment we get exhausted from talking for 30 minutes straight, our time in prayer is over. We rarely give God 5 seconds to talk to us.

Prayer is a 2-way street, and we have to give God ample opportunity to speak to us. We should never jump to our feet without getting some sort of response. He may not always respond in the way we desire but we must give Him room to be God. Sometimes we are afraid of what the answer might be - thus the reason we 'END' our prayer time. Make time to listen not only in your prayer time - but throughout your day. Be willing to accept his plans and direction for you - not always your own. Have a consistent awareness that he is with you always...

There is a time to act
Once we have brought our petitions to God and once we have given Him room to respond, we must not stop there. We must allow the connection to God through prayer to give us the strength to act upon what He has said to us. There may be a time after prayer that we may need to call a friend or loved one that we haven't spoken to in years. There also may be opportunities to witness to a co-worker and be their LifeSaver.

On the flip side, there may be times of distress coming where we need to act calm and rational. Our connection with God through prayer will show us how to act peaceful and right. Whatever the situation may call for, like in any war or battle, we must be prepared for action.

There is an ongoing effort by our enemy to destroy us or, at the very least, hinder our progress. When we learn who we are and all the advantages we have with prayer as a weapon we can cause mountains of despair and confusion to be cast into the sea of forgetfulness. When we connect to God through prayer we maintain our status as more than conquerors. The power of prayer is our weapon of choice. Get back to the basics - Use it and benefit from it!

Sometimes it seem like it takes a very long time for the things that we are trusting God for to happen. We begin to get anxious and even doubtful. When we deal with other people, it is understandable that we might have doubt because we are dealing with human beings who are just doing the best that they possibly can. With God and His promises, there is no reason to doubt.

God has done and will do everything He said He would do and more. When things do not happen as soon as we would like them to, or when we have waited as long as we think we should, or when that breakthrough takes time, we can find ourselves in doubt. We get anxious and wonder where God is or if He heard our prayers. All sorts of things enter into our mind and the wait seems endless. We try to be patient, but it seems as if it is taking forever.

We often ask, "When God... when?" Often in my life as I prayed about certain things I have felt so anxious, even impatient at times. Sometimes to the point of saying, "Will this thing ever happen?" Other times asking, "Did I hear God clearly? Did I get my signals crossed?"

Then I begin to doubt and question what I thought I knew. At other times I tried to work it out myself and just got in God's way. It is hard to be patient and wait, especially in today's world filled with instant gratification. However, we must be like Abraham who had the faith to believe that God would do what He promised. The Bible tells us that Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform (Romans 4: 20-21, KJV).

I remember as a young man listening to older believers talk about the importance of "knowing" something. I never could understand why people in church insisted that you "know that you know that you know" something (followed by a head shake).

At the time I had no idea what in the world they were talking about. I just knew that they believed what they were saying.

But now I know and can relate to what they were saying.

I know that I know that I know (head shake) that God is in control.
I know that I know that I know (head shake) He will do just what He said.
I know that I know that I know (head shake) He may not come when you want, but He is right on time.
I know that I know that I know (head shake) He is all knowing.

That head shake was eliminating any doubt! That head shake meant that they were fully persuaded that God would do just what He said. Instead of doubting and/or being anxious and getting in God's way, let's wait patiently and realize that everything is in God's timing.

God's timing is perfect because everything about God is perfect. We need to get to the point where we do not want anything outside of His timing. If you are waiting on God for anything, wait patiently and He will bring you to that expected end.

Eliminate any doubt in your mind and be fully persuaded that God is not slack on His promises. He is FAITHFUL.

The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, "And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus"? (The Message; emphasis mine) One translation words my highlighted portion of this verse simply as, "I die daily." While it is tempting to interpret this as Paul's way of saying that he dies to self every day (something that we as Christians should do), the context better shapes an interpretation that is explaining how Paul's work is in vain if there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul's point: why endanger your life every day over a lie? But wasn't Paul still dying to self by allowing himself to face death every day? I would say yes!

Paul was compelled by the truth he knew of God; a truth he learned as the resurrected Messiah Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on that road to Damascus. Before that, Paul felt like he was doing the right thing; zealously hunting down Christians to be punished (for God)...so he thought. In Acts chapter 22, Paul describes to the Jews the reason for the big change in his life. "'Brothers and esteemed fathers,' Paul said, 'listen to me as I offer my defense.' Then Paul said, 'I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison. The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished. As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from Heaven suddenly shone down around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' Who are you lord?' I asked. And the voice replied, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.'" (Acts 22:1, 3-8; NLT, emphasis mine)

As part of my continuing confession I have to mention that I've struggled throughout my Christian walk with the issue of my emotions. Not that I've been too emotional, but actually, the opposite. Ever since I accepted Jesus as savior and Lord of my life I've noticed that many of my decisions to do the right thing were not based on my emotions, but rather, the simple fact that it was right. I didn't get saved, for example, because I was so overwhelmed with a sense of love from God. On the other hand, I know many for whom God's love was the reason they accepted Him. Don't get me wrong, I knew God loved me... so much that He was willing to come to this world and die for me to give me the hope of eternity with Him. But what honestly drove me to my knees was the fact that I believed God's Word. I believed the truth of who He is and His claims on my life... especially the fact that if I didn't submit my life to Him, I would spend eternity in Hell. Okay, you got me! So there was an emotion involved... fear! And while I know fear should not be a sole motivator in our lives, it worked to get my attention! So, now as I have continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my walk has grown to include more than that fear of God which first got my attention.

I can't say that I've never been emotional when it comes to God; it's just not been the norm for me. This, though, to me, is different than that sense you get from God, whether it be a sense of compulsion to do a certain thing, or... conviction from God when you're doing a certain thing wrong. Believe me...I 've certainly experienced both. But there have been times, for instance, that during worship services I've been in, many people would be overwhelmed by God and it was a very visible experience. Now, I've been around long enough to know that not everyone who expresses themselves to God this way is genuine. Still, it's a very genuine way to express oneself to God. No matter how we express ourselves to God, it should be genuine. The issue, then, is not whether it's a valid form of expression; rather, it's a matter of one's heart... their motivation.

What it came down to was that I wanted to experience what I saw and heard someone else so obviously experiencing. I knew it was about being submitted to God in such a way that true intimacy could be experienced; just like the disciples in the upper room and other very obvious examples in Scripture where God visited His people in a very visible way. But I think where I was getting it wrong was in my focus. John 4:23-24 reads, "But the time is coming-it has, in fact, come-when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself-Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (The Message; emphases mine) God wants us to be intimate and emotional with Him... that much is obvious. The problem, though, was that, in my quest for an experience like that I was seeing in others, I wasn't being simply and honestly my true self. I was comparing the effectiveness of my worship to somebody else's.

I've long heard the saying, "God wants us to seek His face and not His hands." In other words, God wants us to seek Him... for Him... not for what He can do for us! Put another way... we need to seek the gift-giver, not the gift! I was recently reminded of this fact by an encounter a friend related to me he had one night before a church service. He was visiting his cousin's church and had gotten there a little early. So, with no agenda in mind he began to seek the Lord. During this time the Spirit of God overpowered him in a very visible way that carried-over into the church service. Now, what's amazing is that my friend didn't enter into this time with God for this experience. He just wanted to spend some time with God to get himself ready for the service. What is also amazing is; if you had known him before this encounter and then see him now, you would know God has undeniably moved in his life.

Up to this point He had not been very consistent with God; he had been making some unwise life decisions and it hurt to see him in this condition. He believed in God, but wasn't fully committed to Him (sounds a bit like Paul on that road to Damascus). And just like Paul, who wasn't looking for the experience he received, my friend was also knocked off of his horse (so to speak) and arose with a new vision and life direction. His whole countenance is different now. And as for those unwise life-decisions... he's now walking the complete opposite direction. All of this, due to a sovereign move of God in his life.

Now, does this mean he'll never have another problem? Unfortunately not! In fact, not long after this sovereign move of God on his life, the enemy turned right around and took a shot at him which was very obviously designed to take him back out of the game. Fortunately, though, some wise people let him know in advance this kind of tactic may come. As such, he was able to hang on to the truth of the experience he'd had no matter how the enemy was seeking to toy with his emotions.

The thing is, my friend was not in a place of deserving this move of God. And obviously, he wasn't orchestrating it through some ritual or routine. Rather, he was quite simply and honestly being his true self, and God honored that. Like the other friend of mine who, in the midst of his own need for physical healing, prayed for someone else's healing during a church service and immediately was healed himself! This, I believe, is the core issue here: namely, that of getting our eyes off of ourselves and putting them on God and others. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."