Random Thoughts...

Have you ever felt like everyone is against you?   Like the entire world is conspiring to see you fail? Especially this early in the morning, maybe you are on your way to work, and you just cannot see a future…   Well, I want to remind you of something very important today.   Something that we don’t usually think about.   God is on your side.   He is for you and not against you.   Jeremiah 29:11 say that “ God has a plan for your life, a future and a purpose .”   What Jeremiah was saying centuries ago, is that God has a dream for YOU.   Think about that for a second, just as you dream for your kids, or even for yourself, God also dreams for you.   So when you feel tired, or at the end of your rope, stop, quiet yourself, and listen.   Listen for God’s dream for your life.

I am writing this monologue because I believe we are coming very quickly to a slippery slope that will hurl us toward a third world war.   This war, though, is not going to be one with defined battle lines and enemies dressed in clearly distinguished uniforms.   The enemy in this war will look just like everyone else.   They will be in our schools, on our jobs, and even in our churches and places of worship. Let me begin by saying I am thankful for our religious freedoms.   I feel that what makes America great is the fact that Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Atheists can all live together in peace.   The diversity of our country is the source of our strength. With that said, we are not dealing with a religious issue, we are dealing with an ideology, a social and economical viewpoint that is the same as Nazi Germany in World War II, as well as every other regime that was ever sought world domination.   I am speaking of “Islamic Extremists”. ...

THROWBACK BLOG from 2010…   From my favorite book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.   Today is my brother, Tommy's, birthday.  Our conversation brought this memory back to my mind. After thinking about it, I wanted to re-share it with you.  This was a milestone for Deidre and I as we took a huge leap of faith a few years ago.   The result has been one miracle after another, all laced with trials and hurdles along the way, but crowned with God’s mercy and grace.   My hope is that this flashback helps you today to take the step God is calling you to! I am writing my first ever blog right now. I am sitting at my desk texting my wife, Deidre, and counting the minutes to be able to go home to see my family. I have a wonderful life, some challenges, like everyone else, you know, balancing time, work, ministry, family and the ever present finances. But overall I am blessed more than I deserve. We are standing at another precipice...

I am learning a lot about this walk we call faith. Faith is sometimes this mystical thing that we talk about, but may times confuse as a noun, when in actuality it is a verb. Many people say they walk in faith, when what they are doing is walking in the faith. This faith walk requires more than just knowledge about God, it requires that we chase after God. It is getting up every day and walking where God says walk and doing what God says do. I am learning that this starts with the little things. There is an experiment in the world of theoretical physics called the Butterfly Effect. This theory states that in the perfect situation, and the right environmental conditions that if a butterfly flaps its wings of the coast of Africa it could result in a hurricane in NY. While this theory may be a little far fetched, it proves a very valuable point. Even the littlest things have great consequences. There was a scientists named Fermi', he invented the ferimeter which measures thi...

I was reading Isaiah 7 in the Message this morning in my devotion and God began to speak to me in verses 9-11. It says "...If you don't take a stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on." ..."Ask for a sign from your God. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon!" As I was reading this my insides began to come alive. God was telling me it is the season of harvest, the season for faith to be increased. He literally issued a challenge to me this morning to ask him for anything. I believe there are many of us who have sown in tears, but now is the time to bring in the harvest rejoicing. Now is the time to store up. Stand in faith, pray in faith, walk in faith, ask in faith, and give in faith. Ask for great things from your God. Stop asking for "believable" things, the things you are pretty sure God can do - meaning the things that if God does not do, you can pull off yourself. Be extravagant, over the top in your faith. Design the...

Many years ago I had the privilege of hearing Bishop T.D. Jakes speak an amazing message at his Pastor’s Conference in Dallas, TX.   He talked about the three levels of leadership based on the life of Moses.   I want to use that thought as a springboard, share his three levels, and elaborate based on my own personal experience. With that said, here are the “Three Levels of Ministry” Bishop Jakes listed from the life of Moses, in his message to pastors. 1.      With the People 2.      In front of the People 3.      Above the People These three levels have been proven to be accurate and essential to understand in my ministry life.   They are non-negotiable, and they are not “jumpable” or avoidable.   Every leader wants to be above the people and able to lead with clarity and security with the view from 20,000 feet.   Or at the very least they want to be in front, after all that’s wh...