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!

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 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?

Kelly and I could tell you many stories... examples of how God made a way when we had no solution ourself.  Well, yesterday He did it again! We witnessed a very cool instance of God showing off a little bit :).  In just a few days, we have TWO kids that will have braces put on and one of them having 4 teeth pulled in the process as well. We need a certain amount of funds upfront to begin the process, and if you've ever paid for this type of work before, you know that doing it for two at one time is no small chunk of change. We had been planning and counting on being able to get a "bonus" from my web development business in time to help with this. As the time has come, Kelly and I were discussing just how much we needed to come up with and whether or not I was going to be able to make it happen or not. The last few weeks have been pretty good so I expected to be able to do SOME extra... just didn't know if I could do the larger amount that we really needed.

In my business, besides regular website projects, we develop other applications that people purchase to use in their own website development. That additional element of income for the business has become a real blessing as it generally brings in a fairly steady flow of income daily. I track this pretty seriously so I know how much money those sales generate from a day to day basis, monthly, etc. So, on to the cool part...

After Kelly and I discussed the specifics of our need and that we were pretty much out of time to come up with anything else, I went back to my office to determine what I could do. I prayed a simple prayer and said "God, you know exactly what we need right now and exactly how much. We really need you to help us make this happen." Within a few minutes, I was contacted by someone making an inquiry about our most expensive application package which is not something that is regularly sold. After a couple of emails back and forth, he made the purchase. That purchase, combined with a steady stream of other sales throughout the day/evening, the day closed with the largest amount of sales of our applications that has ever happened in a 24 hour period... in the 4 years of the business' existence! Not only is that cool in itself... but the amount of sales that came in was a little more than the amount of money we had determined that we needed extra this week!!

God knows what we need and He wants to bless us!! I know without a doubt that Kelly and I can always count on God taking care of our family because we have always been faithful in our giving... following the instruction found in the Bible regarding tithes and offerings. Even when our income was much less, we still made sure that we gave God the portion that was His. It was never an option. We didn't have to decide if we could afford to tithe from week to week... because we knew that we could not afford NOT to tithe! How could we ever expect God to bless us if we stole from Him... keeping the tithe that belongs to HIM?? (Malachi 3:8-9)

Now, please don't think I'm patting my own back for tithing... I don't see tithing as something extra that we can do for reward or recognition. It is simply what is expected and instructed of us to do... so we just do it.

Malachi 3:10 (NLT) "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!"

In this blog, I want to accomplish two things:  one, to brag on my God and His continued faithfulness; and two, to testify and encourage you in the fact that as you are faithful to God, He will be faithful to you!  As the Word says above in Malachi 3:10, try it! Let God prove Himself faithful to you!

In the same manner that our bodies can get out of alignment, we can experience the same problems spiritually. God has given us instructions on how we are to live and when we follow His Word, we can live in alignment with the Scripture and in alignment with Him. When we do this, we will experience His blessing and protection to a level that we would NOT see if living a life according to our own desires. We are in a constant struggle to make right decisions, having to CHOOSE daily which way we will go. The apostle Paul talks about this here:

Galations 5: 16-17 (NLT) "So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict."

Just like the body when out of alignment will experience pain, restriction of movement, and other various physical symptoms, Paul goes on to explain the results you will experience when living your life out of alignment with the Spirit:

Galations 5:19-21 (NLT) "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Now, while we all have this ongoing struggle of choosing whether we will go to the right or to the left, Paul also explains what we can expect when we choose to live according to God's plan:

Galations 5:22 (NLT) "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law."

We ALL go through struggles in life from time to time, but if you seem to be going from problem to problem, struggle to struggle, have you considered that maybe you have some alignment issues? Examine yourself today and ask God to show you anything in your life that is out of alignment with the plan He has for your life. Picture a large umbrella and imagine that this umbrella symbolizes God. The umbrella provides a covering, a protection. When we stay in alignment with God, we are living underneath that umbrella. There we experience His protection from the attacks of the enemy, His blessing on every aspect of our lives, and His peace that passes all understanding.  On the other side of this, if we choose to NOT live in alignment with Him, we find ourselves outside of the covering of that umbrella. We are then an easy target... open to attack, more prone to fall to tempation, more likely to act in ways and say things we know we should not, and not in a position to receive all that God has in store for us.

Of course we all would prefer to be living under that umbrella, but it's sometimes easier said than done. Every day we make the choice. We all do... and sometimes we make a wrong choice and find ourselves out of alignment. In my situation, the physical therapist has pinpointed specific issues in my body and is working to correct them, then show me things I can do to keep my system in alignment. What about you... what things are keeping you out of alignment spiritually? Spend time in the Word and in prayer... God will show you what those things are and He can help you deal with your alignment issues.